Chapter 103

FELIX

The trials were all completed in a week. I knew from my friends in other kingdoms that they had completed their proceedings, as well. It was a dark time for the magical kingdoms.

In addition to a few hundred men, we had lost seven dragons in the battle. For a Dragon Knight, there was no greater heartbreak than losing your bonded beast. It was akin to losing a part of yourself.

I remained stoic and stone-faced throughout the trials. It put all my willpower to the test not to scream at each traitor and feed them to the rats for their treachery. But violence was no way to answer violence, and it was better to let those men live out cruel and miserable lives in solitary confinement.

My inner turmoil was only amplified by my own worsening condition. The curse was seizing control of my body whether I liked it or not, and a cure still seemed far out of reach. Esmeralda was working around the clock on research, but there was no more information now than what she had been able to find 30 years ago.

It all just seemed so… hopeless.

Once the trials were done and Mila returned to her restaurant, I took a private meeting with my parents. I knew that they were not handling Charles’ betrayal well, and that his sentencing only compounded their pain. The idea that their youngest son was rotting with the rats beneath the castle was not a pleasant one.

My mother smiled warily as I entered the room. “How are you feeling today, Felix?”

I shook my head. “Not very good.”

My entire left arm had been paralyzed this morning when I woke up. It was only through physical therapy with Mila that I was able to move it somewhat now. But this was only the beginning. It would only get worse from here.

My mother nodded sympathetically. “We are doing everything we can to break this awful curse, my darling.”

I nodded at her. “I know, Mother. I know. It has been a difficult time for all of us. My hope is that once the curse is broken, we can start moving on together as a family. We need time to heal from these past few months.”

My mother’s eyes filled with tears and she looked away. My father gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“We are still deeply upset over Charles,” he said gruffly. “It is difficult to comprehend raising a monster.”

I sat down across from them. “I know you’re struggling. Believe me, I blame myself every day for not seeing the warning signs earlier and doing something to stop all this. But it is too late to place blame. The best thing we can do is move forward.”

My mother’s voice came out in an almost inaudible whisper. “I do not want to lose both my sons.”

My throat tightened. “You won’t, Mother. I swear. We will find a cure.”

My father’s eyes were doubtful, but he said nothing.

“I was wondering…” my mother’s voice broke, and she swallowed and tried again. “I was wondering if there was any way you could talk to your brother. See what went wrong. Try and get some answers. I cannot bring myself to visit him in the dungeons, but perhaps you could?”

It was more of a plea than anything else, but I would have walked over hot coals to ease her pain. “Of course, Mother. I’ll visit him this afternoon.”

The dungeons were damp and dank, with water seeping down the walls and pooling on the cold stones. It was at least twenty degrees cooler down here than it was in the castle proper, and only our toughest guards were assigned to these prisoners.

Charles was being kept in a cell by himself in the deepest part of the dungeons. It was quiet back here, like no sound from above could ever penetrate the musky air. I shivered as I walked, despite the thick cloak on my back.

Charles had almost entirely regained his sight, which was a blessing. I do not know what I would have done with myself if I had permanently blinded my brother. That meant that he saw me coming. I heard him chucking as I approached.

“The future King of Fresonia dares to grace the dungeons with his presence?” he snarled as I walked over to the bars. “I thought you would be busy fucking your precious wife.”

I winced at his crass words. “I wanted to speak with you. About your treason. You have a lot of explaining to do, and your mother would like some answers.”

“Yeah?” Charles tilted his head. He looked awful–pale and thin. I wondered if he was eating. “I wonder how long the king and queen will keep their spare prince down here after you’re gone. Unless Mila is already pregnant. You better hope she continues the Dragon Knight line, or Fresonia as we know it dies with you. And we both know that your death date is, well, sooner rather than later.”

My stomach twisted. “And what makes you think that I haven’t broken the curse yet?”

Charles smirked. “Because I am the only person alive who knows how to break the curse. And believe me, you have no idea what you’re up against.”

His face fell, as if he realized the bombshell he had just dropped.

My heart clutched in my chest. How did Charles know how to break my curse? More importantly, what did he know?

“Tell me,” I growled, clutching at the bars. “Tell me everything.”

“And why would I do that?” Charles asked. “That does not sound at all like something I feel like doing for the man who threw me into a dungeon for the rest of my life.”

I gritted my teeth. “As your future King, I command you.”

Charles snorted. “No.”

I was running out of options. It was a long shot, but worth trying. “Isabella has been exiled, but I know exactly where she is. And if you do not cooperate with me, I will hunt her down and kill her with my bare hands.”

Charles went silent for a short second and scoffed. “You think I cared about her?” And I bet you wouldn’t do anything to your precious childhood friend.”

I raised an eyebrow. Just from the brief silence, I could tell he cared about Isabella, at least a little bit.

“Try me, Charles. She tried to kill me. And I’m not exactly in a forgiving mood.”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell you where I found the information. The rest you’re on your own for.”

I nodded. “Fine. Just tell me.”

Charles paused for a long moment before finally saying, “The Library of Magic.”

The what? I had never heard of such a thing. “What the hell are you talking about? What is the Library of magic? Where is it?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “That wasn’t part of our deal. Find it yourself.”

He retreated to the corner of his cell.

“Charles! I roared after him. “We’re not finished!”

“Too bad, big brother,” he simpered. “Because I am done speaking to you.”

I stormed up the stairs to the castle, all the way to Esmeralda’s study. I burst through the door as she was poring over another book.

“Felix!” she exclaimed. “Is something wrong?”

I stared at her, my chest heaving. “What do you know about the Library of Magic?”