25: Political Marionette

Snow was always Dain’s least favorite thing; it was cold, somehow wet yet solid, and worst of all, it made the earth all muddy whenever it melted and infused the dirt with its watery essence. This dislike didn’t include rain, however, as he found it a comforting ambiance to read in.

The Vexus were a close third, coming right behind loathing for responsibility.

He couldn’t help but sigh, watching his breath freeze in the night’s air. He had taken a moment to breath outside of his small escort’s encampment.

Despite his best attempts at escaping the political battlefield of his two brothers and younger sister, an unforeseen development had dragged him back into the line of succession that he tried to distance himself from. He preferred the quiet and remote depths of his father’s estate, reading whatever books he wanted or learning what his tutors had decided wasn’t important to his education.

All of the names of the hundreds of noble houses within the Kingdom of Loria? Sure, that makes sense to drill into the 3rd son in succession. Geography and minerals? Nope, didn’t fit the criteria.

Anyways, not like any of that mattered now.

Dain glanced at the fabric covering his shoulder, a faint golden glow shining through the thick layers, refusing to be hidden beneath such materials.

‘This damn mark ruined all of it. Everything.’

For whatever reason, one of the gods had decided to meddle in his fate and made him a Chosen, clearly shown by the glowing symbol on his shoulder, made up of a golden triangle overlaid onto a circle.

When it had appeared, he only had a few hours before he had to flee his father’s castle, while his father would certainly stomach his presence more so than before, it had the dual-edged sword of his siblings looking at his new political power with envy or anger.

While Dain’s life was claimed by the gods and essentially forfeit, the temporary benefits would send him far ahead of his brethren in everything but his father’s title. After all, you couldn’t be dead and be a king.

In the past, those in similar situations tended to destabilize the lines of inheritance, especially if one of the Chosen had been beaten or put down by their siblings, while they were unable to be a part of the inheritance, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t kill their once more powerful brothers or sisters.

This led to a somewhat ironic situation for him, as he had neither the intent nor the reasons to harm his family, yet his elder brothers wouldn’t be able to sit calmly, even if it was irrational.

As such, he almost had to immediately leave. His personal carriage had been exchanged and abandoned several hours back. Dain didn’t enjoy it, but it was a necessary sacrifice, and while it wasn’t as comfortable, this carriage was much faster than the previous one.

He had only brought a few things, like his favorite books, his two most trusted advisors, and some money that he had saved up over the years. Considering his father was a literal king, it was enough to live for several lifetimes in relative comfort.

Unfortunately, it would also cost quite a bit to leave the region, at least at the speed that his retainers wanted to leave. They had taken a quicksilver carriage, which had enchanted beasts that would be able to rapidly cross the countryside with minimal stops or interruptions.

Beside Dain sat his maid, part-time guard. Alene was a higher-level woman who specialized mostly in stealth and detection. Even with the small party having left the capital at a fast pace, she had her eyes closed, using her other senses to observe.

‘There are only a few things that can stop these carts, let’s just hope I left before my elder brothers could-‘

There was a brief moment in which time slowed for Dain, and Alene’s eyes shot open in no small amount of panic and fear. She quickly darted over and covered his body with her own smaller yet more durable body, just before all hell broke loose.

For Dain, it only lasted a split second. Just a brief flash of fire and light, and it was all over, leaving him with an intense wave of pain and blindness. The sensation of his skin burning was indescribable, with it being seared into his memory.

The carriage had been struck by an explosive blast of fire that was strong enough to pierce through the enchantments placed upon the cart, sending shrapnel in all directions, which would have instantly killed Dain if it hadn’t been for Alene taking the brunt of the explosion.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

While he was almost completely incapacitated, he could still hear faint words being spoken outside of the wreckage, although he wasn’t able to truly process them until later.

A man’s voice spoke gruffly, “Do you think that bastard is killed?”

Seemingly in response to the man’s question, a laughter like windchimes manifested in the surrounding carnage, “No one at his level could even dream of surviving that.” It was clearly a young woman who spoke, “Seriously, Arnold, do you doubt my magic that much?”

‘Arnold‘

Focusing on the man’s name, Dain could do nothing but lie in the wreckage in great pain, despite feeling like fire was flowing through his body; he managed to keep silent. A single sound would lead to his death.

Afraid to breath too heavily with his partially collapsed and roasted lungs, Dain could do nothing but ingrain the name into his head. While he was unable to cry as any tears would be evaporated by the intense heat, he mourned for his two closest attendants, who had practically raised him in his mother’s absence.

The only relief he could take comfort in was the warm energy radiating from his mark. His charred skin would slowly heal, and his broken bones were already on the mend.