Free Arcanius by Toby Neighbors

found it,” Lexi said. “And when we went to Hamill Keep, the earl there wanted to take it and Tiberius back to Sparlan Citadel.”
    “We’ve heard rumors that the earl’s son was approved unanimously by the other earls. It seemed strange that all seven rulers would support someone so young and not well known.”
    He waited; his statement was obviously posed to see how Lexi would respond. She wasn’t sure exactly what she should do. She couldn’t see the angles the old man was using on her. She could lie, but she didn’t know what that would accomplish. Normally she didn’t like putting all her cards on the table, but she needed information, and it wasn’t uncommon for people who made their living on the streets to trade. So she decided to tell him the truth.
    “We made our way to Hamill Keep with Lady Olyva. But when they were summoned to the earl’s audience chamber, they realized he wasn’t really alive. He was being controlled by something, like a puppet on a string. They fought, and Tiberius killed the earl.”
    Ennis sat back down, but on the edge of his chair. He leaned forward, looking Lexi directly in the eyes.
    “You saw this?” he asked.
    “No,” Lexi said. “I stayed below, in the blighted lands, guarding the horses.”
    “Damn!” he said loudly.
    “Tiberius told me all about it,” Lexi said. “He wouldn’t lie or even exaggerate.”
    The old man looked as if he were trying desperately to decide on a course of action. Then he asked another question.
    “How did they know the earl wasn’t alive?”
    “Olyva knew,” Lexi said. “She’s different. She was changed in the blighted lands, and she could tell that something was wrong.”
    “There was no other proof?” Ennis asked.
    “The earl attacked them,” Lexi explained. “Tiberius broke the earl’s arm with his staff. Rafe stabbed the earl and slit his throat, but he didn’t die.”
    “He didn’t die?”
    “No, they said it was as if he didn’t even feel the pain. He didn’t cry out, didn’t bleed. And he was stronger than he should have been, even after they wounded him.”
    “But you said Tiberius killed the earl.”
    Lexi hesitated for a moment. She knew that Tiberius had used magic to destroy the earl’s body and while she knew that Ti had gotten the book of magic from the old man, she still felt reluctant to reveal that Tiberius was a wizard.
    “Yes,” she said. “And the people of Hamill Keep rioted. Tiberius, Rafe, and Olyva were forced to flee along with the rest of the earl’s family in their sky ship.”
    She hoped he wouldn’t continue to push for answers about how the earl was killed, but the old man was like a dog with a bone. He refused to let it go.
    “Tell me how he killed the earl,” Ennis said. “It’s very important.”
    “Why?” Lexi said, still trying to deflect.
    “You want to know about the Balestone,” the old man said, “and I want to know how the earl died.”
    “You know something about the Balestone?” Lexi asked.
    The old man nodded. He didn’t say how much he knew, but the look in his eyes convinced Lexi that he wasn’t bluffing.
    “Give me your word you’ll tell me everything you know about the Balestone,” she prompted.
    “I promise I will do all I can to see that your friend knows about the Balestone,” he said.
    “What does that mean?” Lexi asked.
    “It means the information is not mine to give, but it is there.”
    “You know someone who knows about it?”
    “Yes,” Ennis said, nodding.
    “Okay,” Lexi said, hoping she was doing the right thing. “Tiberius is a wizard.”
    She waited for Ennis to react, but he just kept gazing expectantly into her eyes. When he didn’t respond to her revelation about Tiberius, she felt a little better, but describing magic was difficult. And she hadn’t actually seen what happened; she had only heard about it from Tiberius. And Lexi knew that Ti was notoriously humble when it came to talking about his powers. She doubted