Lord Druck immediately appeared and stood gazing at the mage covered entirely in black. He waited patiently for the mage to bow.
“Where is the ill boy?” Aakuta snapped. “Take me to him.”
A look of astonishment fell over the lord’s face, but the soldier swiftly intervened.
“Follow me,” the soldier said as he led the way towards the staircase leading upstairs.
Aakuta followed the soldier while Lord Druck and a host of important clansmen gathered and also followed. The soldier led the way to a private room and opened the door. Aakuta swept through the door and stood by the side of the bed. The boy’s body was covered in oozing boils and his eyes were swollen shut. Aakuta stood and stared at him.
“Well,” snapped Lord Druck as clansmen squeezed into the room, “are you just going to stand there looking at him? Do something.”
“Get out,” Aakuta said sternly.
“Get out?” echoed Lord Druck as everyone in the room stiffened. “This is my home, and that is my son. Do not tell me what to do.”
“I said to get out,” shouted Aakuta. “Either you leave, or I will.”
People fled immediately, but Lord Druck stood his ground for almost a minute before departing and grumbling under his breath. The soldier closed the door as he left, leaving the dark mage alone with the sick boy. Aakuta shook his head as his eyes ran down the boy’s body. He stooped over the boy and ripped the tunic from his body. Some of the boils on the boy’s chest began to bleed from the wrenching of the cloth.
Aakuta was about to throw the tunic on the floor when something pierced his hand. He looked down with a rage of annoyance on his face. He saw a small pin decorated in the colors of the Kamaril clan. The pin indicated that the wearer was a member of the lord’s family. He pulled the pin free from the cloth and stuck it in his pouch. He tossed the tunic to the floor and leaned over the boy.
Aakuta closed his eyes and began chanting verses that he had learned in his youth. His large hands stretched out, one resting on the boy’s head, the other grasping the boy’s arm. For over an hour Aakuta chanted with his eyes closed and his hands unmoving. When he was done, he opened his eyes and released the boy. His head spun as he staggered across the room. Finally he dropped to his knees and retched. For several minutes Aakuta retched and remained on his knees. Finally he composed himself and rose. He walked to the table where a basin of water and cloths sat. He cleaned himself up with the available water and walked back to the bed. He looked down at the boy and nodded. His hand reached out to the boy’s shoulder, and he shook the boy. The boy’s eyes opened and grew wide as he gazed upon the dark mage.
“Who are you?” he gasped as he bolted upright.
“I am Aakuta,” replied the dark mage. “I am the one responsible for saving your life. Without my help you would have surely died. Get cleaned up and dressed, but remain in this room until you are called for.”
The boy look down at his chest and gasped. The boils were completely gone. He inspected his arms and legs and could not find a single boil.
“How did you do this?” questioned the boy.
“I used part of my life to save you,” snapped Aakuta. “In turn you owe me a debt of great magnitude. You will never speak of this debt to anyone. You will repay me when I ask it of you. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t,” the boy shook his head. “If a debt is owed, surely my father will pay it.”
“Oh your father will pay,” laughed Aakuta. “Do not worry about that, but what I speak of is between you and me. I am a wizard, a powerful wizard. I used magic to heal you, and I can use magic to destroy you. You will pay me this debt when I ask, or you will die as you were just about to. If you mention this debt to anyone, you will die, as you should have. If you do not understand this basic tenet of magic, then perhaps I have just wasted my time saving you. Shall I end your life now?”
“No, no,” the boy shook his head vigorously. “I may not understand, but I will obey your instructions. I will tell nobody of my debt, and I will repay it when you ask. Do not give me back that pain.”
“Very well,” Aakuta smiled. “Stay in this room until you are called for. I am sure that your father will want proof of your healing.”
The boy nodded and Aakuta left the room. There were people outside the room, trying to see in, but Aakuta closed the door immediately.
“Do not touch that door,” Aakuta stated sternly as he made his way downstairs.
At the bottom of the stairs he stopped and looked around. People stared at him curiously, but the mage paid no attention to them. He listened intently for the sound of the lord’s voice. When he heard it, he turned and strode towards it. Aakuta walked into the meeting room where Lord Druck and an officer were talking loudly. They both turned to look at him when he entered.
“I believe there is the detail of a fee still to be settled,” Aakuta declared as he approached the lord.
“Is he going to live?” asked Lord Druck.
“Do you question my skill?” retorted the dark mage.
Lord Druck ignored the question and nodded to the officer. The officer ran out of the room.
“Your doubt disturbs me,” Aakuta said seriously after a few moments of silence. “You think nothing of summoning me here to utilize my power, yet you doubt the results. You have what you demanded. Now it is my turn to make demands.”
The officer ran back into the room, gasping for breath. “He is as good as new,” the officer reported. “There is not a sore on his body. He was out of bed and getting dressed. I can’t believe it.”
“Bah,” scowled Aakuta. “Shut the door.”
Lord Druck nodded and the officer closed the door.
“It would appear that you do have power indeed,” Lord Druck smiled for the first time. “Such power would be very helpful with my neighbors. Their clan grows by leaps and bounds, and I am sure that their army will attack us soon. Perhaps you will stay and help us defeat them?”
“My fee,” Aakuta retorted. “I will not discuss anything until I am paid. You owe me gold and a horse.”
“Of course,” nodded Lord Druck. “Your services are very valuable, and you should be paid promptly. I will have my officer go and get you a bag of gold. One thousand gold should be well worth your trip here.”
“I think not,” scowled Aakuta. “Is your son’s life worth only one thousand gold? My fee is one hundred thousand gold.”
“One hundred thousand?” shouted Lord Druck. “Are you mad?”
“Not mad,” smiled the dark mage. “I do prefer to be left alone, though. My fee is one hundred thousand in gold. You may issue me script with your signature. In fact, I would prefer that to carrying so much weight.”
“That is preposterous,” blustered Lord Druck. “Nobody is worth that much.”
“That is too bad,” growled Aakuta. “I will just put your son back the way he was then before I leave your estate.”
“What?” shouted Lord Druck. “You will do no such thing.”
The officer, who had been standing by the door, drew his sword. Aakuta spun, his right arm rising swiftly. A power shot through the air from Aakuta’s fist to the officer. The officer’s arm, and the sword he had drawn, went flying across the room and thudded into the far wall. The soldier screamed in agony, but Aakuta ignored him. Loud banging on the door began as people tried to get the door open, but it would not budge. Aakuta turned and glared at Lord Druck.
“Make your choice, fool,” sneered the dark mage. “Pay me, or I restore the sickness to your son.”
Chapter 8
Gray Warriors
The Kamaril officer rolled on the floor and screamed in agony. People outside the meeting room banged loudly on the door and shouted with alarm. Aakuta glared at Lord Druck from the safety of his black hood, and the lord seethed with rage.