Chapter 74

Zeke watched General Shatner enter the room.

Behind her followed Yarram Vance. Zeke wasn’t really surprised. Something about the man had felt odd when he met him. He hadn’t detected a magical item on the man, just a feeling that he was hiding his true self.

Just because Zeke was a Lord Wizard didn’t make him all-powerful, nor did he know every spell out there. Ptah had been rather lax in recording everything he knew about magic. Zeke had learned a lot of new spells in the couple of weeks of having Lee’s database in his possession. He knew there was more to learn.

‘Zeke, I think they used potions to hide what they were. Sekhmet was known for her elixirs, as was Nefertem. Ptah and Maahes, not so much. Ptah liked to fix things while Maahes liked to break them.’

‘So, you think we are dealing with the guides that were with Nefertem and Maahes?’

‘Possibly. Nefertem was more of a follower, and his guide was weak of will. He used coercion spells a lot to get his own way. Even so, Maahes held a lot of sway over his younger brother. Nefertem did have the ability to calm Maahes when he got too extreme, but he was still wary of him.’

Zeke formed a spell so he could hear what the couple were saying.

“Yarram, you are an idiot,” Sharon said angrily as she stalked over to the table in the middle of the room.

She placed her hands on the edge and dropped her head between her outstretched arms as she used the table to support her weight. She took several deep breaths and then spun around to face the shorter man.

Yarram whined as he paced nervously and wrung his hands, “How was I supposed to know the Carmichaels were magical? I told you the potion didn’t just hide our items but affected our abilities and hid the abilities of others from us.”

“The charm didn’t work properly either. As soon as I stepped on Walker’s ship, it stopped working. He had spells all over the ship. He must have something against coercion spells, as I couldn’t even utter one.”

“What control I had of the others slipped from of my grasp the longer we were on his ship. He must have done something to them, as I couldn’t respell them to get them to let me go after we left his ship.”

“I had to wait until I got back here and had different guards. Sharon, I think that Queen Lee may have given him better items than a High Mage. He did say he had met her.”

Sharon leaned back against the table and gripped the edges for a few moments. She stretched out her fingers and started tapping her long nails against the stainless steel. Her body was still tense as she thought about the situation.

“He was supposed to take over as Governor when he first went to Morpheus and root out that pesky Gordano. Then, stay there where I could keep an eye on him and control him. The potion and spells on the documents you sent should have worked.”

“Well, they didn’t. I don’t think sending them to Travis first was smart, either. Some mages can resist coercion spells and even turn them back on the user. Ptah could, according to Neferam’s scrolls. That was how Ptah kept his wife and sons in check.”

Sharon looked at Yarram thoughtfully, “Obviously, he didn’t make the spells permanent.”

Yarram shook his head, “No, apparently Ptah would get sick of the politics and infighting and wander off. If he went far enough away and stayed away for some time, his influence wore off.”

Sharon stepped away from the bench and walked down to the cells. She looked into one as she crossed her arms.

“What items does your son wear, Mrs Stone?”

It was just as well that Zeke was still on the other side of the door, as his gasp was quite loud. He strained to hear his mother’s reply.

“Which son are you referring to?” Patricia replied boldly.

Patricia stood in the middle of the barren room. She had moved there from sitting on the floor the moment the other two had entered the room. Frank was huddled in a corner against the bars that separated the cells. They were both in plain blue ship-suits and not their usual attire.

Sharon smiled. It wasn’t pleasant and had quelled lesser people. “I need information about your son, Zeke.”

Frank growled from the next cell.

“Your husband doesn’t seem to appreciate my accommodations. Mayhaps I’m questioning the wrong Stone.”

Patricia didn’t take her eyes off Sharon. “He can’t tell you what he doesn’t know.”

Frank gripped the bars and pulled himself to his feet. He staggered to the front of the cell.

“I’ll tell you anything; just let us go. You can kill that bastard for all I care. He is rotten to the core.”

Yarram had moved to join Sharon. He moved closer to Frank and once he had caught his eyes, Frank stood ridged. Yarram then wrapped his fingers around Frank’s left hand that was gripping the bar of his cell.

“Tell me when and how Zeke received a magical item?”

Woodenly, Frank replied, “When he was eleven, he found a jewel-encrusted box. I felt it’s power. He refused to give it to me. We struggled. He wouldn’t give it up. I pushed him down some stairs, but when I got to him, the box was gone.”

“I think he must have already opened it. I often felt the power in the house. It was calling me, but I couldn’t find it. Then it stopped when he turned fourteen.”