Magnus: Snake in the Grass
Some enemies look like friends
Sun-Pancake
Shitpancake sunbathing with his head gently pressed against the cat carrier
…Time for this week’s story…
Magnus: Snake in the Grass
The Kingdom of Layenda celebrated the safe return of its youngest prince and princess for a week. After that, Magnus and his militia, who the people called Magnus’s Marauders, prepared to set sail. One of the prisoners they had set free while rescuing Magnus’s sister was a princess named Aurora from a far-away Kingdom, and they were to escort her home. The people of Layenda gave Magnus and his Marauders a grand farewell. The crew waved goodbye as the boat departed, then they journeyed to the horizon.
King Rex shed a tear watching them sail away, knowing it may truly be the last time he sees his son. While the people thought he would be back soon, the King knew better. He was sworn to secrecy, so as not to further endanger them. After returning the princess to her home, Magnus and his Marauders had their sights set on dismantling the princess kidnapping ring that had plagued the world since before King Rex was born. It was a lofty goal. King Rex believed in his son, but he also believed that a great evil awaited Magnus if he found any success in his endeavor.
After two months at sea, they arrived at the Kingdom of Zeras. Tall stone buildings intermingled with the jungle. When military ships patrolling the nation’s waters saw Magnus’s ship coming through their spy glasses, they spotted Princess Aurora jumping up and down on the deck with excitement. Ships were dispatched to meet the strange, incoming ship, and welcome the princess home.
Magnus’s Marauders received a royal escort into the bay of the capitol city where one of Princess Aurora’s brothers waited to receive them and guide them to the castle. The city was spacious and grand, with waterfalls and tributaries running throughout. A truly beautiful city unlike anything Magnus or his men had ever seen. With the princess at the front of the caravan, the city was dancing and singing in celebration. The people were clean and dressed in gorgeous, colorful draping clothes. The King and his court waited for them when they finally reached the castle at the center of the city. Princess Aurora hugged and kissed her family, who were all overwhelmed to see her alive. When they finished, the King stepped forward to greet her saviors.
“I am King Oraku, and I can not thank you enough for returning my daughter to us. She was kidnapped nearly nine months ago, and we had lost hope that we would ever see her again. Allow me to introduce my court.” King Oraku introduced his six wives and five sons, followed by his royal advisors: General of his armies, Kolo, Head of the Royal Guard, Kraffit, Master Mage Jafret, and Royal Naturalist Falora. Magnus had never heard of such a position, but realized a city so intertwined with nature would require one to prosper.
“I am Prince Magnus, son of King Rex of the Layenda Kingdom. These are my commanders. My Chief Advisor and second in command, Farko, who I’ve known my whole life.” Magnus introduced the loyal man with graying hair who had advised him since childhood. “My Chief Mage, Eranor. This is my Chief Warrior, Garley, and my Chief Tracker, Nastor.” Magnus settled on Chief Tracker as the name of the man who was in charge of all the rogues in his ranks, so as to keep their true skills hidden.
“You came with quite a formidable force, it seems. I appreciate your people taking such lengths to protect my daughter.”
“Father, all the men he travels with are the ones who helped save me.”
“You brought them all?” King Oraku asked.
“We have business elsewhere after safely delivering your daughter,” Magnus replied.
“Please, we must celebrate! Can you spare a few days to let my people thank you? I would love to hear the story of what I’m sure was a harrowing rescue!”
“Your city is so beautiful, nothing would delight us more!” Magnus graciously accepted the King’s offer.
The celebrations that welcomed them spread to the rest of the city, and soon the whole kingdom. That evening, they feasted, and Magnus spared no details in his story. The royal dining hall cheered and roared at the mighty tale as they drank, feasted, and celebrated the joyous occasion.
Early the second day, Magnus found an adorable, fluffy animal with big eyes, ears like a bunny, and a tail like a raccoon which featured a distinctly adorable curl. It was called a cooraku, and it was sacred to their people. So, not even the great deed he had done could earn him the right to keep one as a pet. So, he moved on. Magnus and his Marauders explored the city and were introduced to many of its wonders. Only Kraffit, the head of King Oraku’s guard, kept a safe breadth from the visitors, as his job entailed.
On the third day, Eranor asked about the rods their mages carried around. Jafret called them manatu. He handed his to Eranor and explained that they were like magic wands and rods. The manatu was as long as a short sword and was divided into three sections of equal length. The center was a thick rod holding two end pieces, which forked in two like a tuning fork, each end oriented ninety degrees from the other.
On the fourth day, the jovial celebrations continued as Magnus’s Marauders tasted the many delicacies and explored the beautiful vistas. After the sun had set, Magnus was discreetly called to an audience with the King. The guards said little, but when Magnus appeared before the King, many of his men had been rounded up and were waiting in a great royal hall. King Oraku was waiting as well, forehead in his hand and a weight bearing down on his voice when he greeted Magnus.
“Prince Magnus, at last. I owe you and your men my daughter’s life, but one of your men has committed a crime I can not overlook.”
“Surely, King Oraku, there must be some kind of misunderstanding.”
The King explained there was no misunderstanding. Several witnesses saw him kill a cooraku. He was caught with the bloody blade still in his hands. When Magnus asked who it was, King Oraku revealed it was Farko. Magnus requested to question Farko personally. King Oraku agreed, and several minutes later, Farko was brought out in chains to tell his story.
“I saw a snake slithering through the grass. It was going to bite a child who had its back turned, so I struck it down. I saw a snake even as they took me away,” Farko explained.
“May I approach Farko? I want to see something,” Magnus requested. King Oraku granted him permissions and the guards stayed close. Magnus reached out slowly and pulled off Farko’s earring, then showed it to him. When Farko saw the twinkling red crystal, his head dropped and he sighed,
“King Oraku, I don’t believe we’ve shared this information with you yet, but this is a magic earring. Much like the bead necklaces your mages wear, my men all carry an assortment of gems and crystals and other items on their person. We made these before coming here. They tell us when magic has been used on us. Red means it was an illusion spell. Farko saw a snake because someone made him see it. If you’d like to see these in action, you can have one of your men cast a harmless illusion spell on me. You’ll see that this gem on my wrist will turn from clear to red.”
King Oraku agreed to the test and was convinced when Magnus’s gem turned red. For the next few hours, Magnus saw butterflies everywhere, but he was fine to let the spell take its course.
“Here, take it.” Magnus called over the mage who cast the spell and handed him the gem. The moment it touched his hand, a cloud consumed the interior and the gem turned black. Then, he touched the earring to the mage and it stayed red. “It will only turn black when the caster of the spell touches it.”
Magnus went on to explain that in their time with Princess Aurora, they had discussed the circumstances of her kidnapping. They figured there was a traitor in their midst. They expected retaliation when they arrived, and saw it as an opportunity to catch whoever it was.
“To think that one of my own could be capable of this fills me with rage and deep disappointment. I swear to you, my King, I will find out who in our ranks has betrayed us,” said Jafret, stroking his short, graying beard. Farko was set free, and the search began.
Two days later, Jafret had interviewed dozens of the most likely mages based on skill and proximity to the two incidents and narrowed it down to a dozen. Magnus pulled out the earring and offered it to Jafret.
“I’m sorry, I’ve served the royal family my whole life. I can’t even stomach watching you test them.” Jafret turned away. So, Magnus touched the earring to each of their hands. None were the culprit. For a moment, Jafret was relieved, but he soon realized that meant the traitor was still out there.
Magnus convened with his commanders that night and the next day, had a new plan for the King. They met, and Magnus began his presentation.
“First thing, King Oraku. We must ensure we’re all protected from malicious spells cast upon us by the traitor. They could be anywhere, so I wanted to share one of these gems with each of you.”
Magnus held a black bag and from it, pulled a clear gem and handed it to the King. He examined it, and stuffed it in a pouch on his belt. The King’s advisors all held out their hands as well. Magnus reached into the bag and pulled them out one by one. First, Kraffit, then Kolo, then Falora, and lastly Jafret. Magnus pulled out a gem and held it over Jafret’s hand, but dropped something else into it. Instead of a gem, Jafret received Farko’s earring. A cloud consumed it from within and the red earring turned black.
The room stopped. Only Kraffit’s eyes moved between the earring, Jafret, and the King. He grabbed the King by the shoulder and pulled him away. The King’s eyes watered and his teeth clenched, hurt by the revelation. Meanwhile, Jafret and Magnus stared each other down. The other mages in the room moved as slowly as possible, reaching for their manatus. Nobody wanted to break the tension, but everyone knew what was coming.
“You… knave,” Jafret finally said.
“Funny, coming from a traitor,” Magnus replied.
The moment Jafret moved, the room exploded into chaos. Already holding his manatu, he thrust it into the air. A boom and a ring rippled through the room with a flash of light. Jafret flew into the air, swatting off the attacks of the other mages and firing back. A window ahead of him shattered and he vanished. There were no major injuries and the King was safe. The royal guard and mages scrambled to chase Jafret down.
Again, King Oraku was grateful. He still wouldn’t give Magnus a cooraku, but he gave them all the information he could to help them reach their next destination.
“If you’re going to take that fort, I’ll put together an army to hold it. Then my people could expand into that region. The kingdom that once held sway there fell long ago to corruption and infighting, but their lands are bountiful. Your ship can stay docked here for as long as you need. I’ll send an emissary to Layenda as well. I must create good relations with this mysterious distant Kingdom that has helped my people so much.”
“Thank you, King Oraku. We have been honored to be your guests. I bid you farewell and hope we meet again.”
“As do I, Prince Magnus.”
Next Time
Magnus: King of the Hill