Chapter 11 – A Binding Spell

“Does it hurt?” Hakyeon asks softly, along the edge of the bandage on Leo’s arm.

They’re against the wall on Leo’s bed, shoulders pressed together and words whispered despite the silencing spell. This was how they usually sat and talked when Hakyeon risked sneaking over.

It had quickly become something he looked forward to, sneaking into Leo’s room at night, though he only did it two or three nights a week. They would talk and share stories and they quickly learned a lot about each other. Hakyeon learned all about Leo’s past, including where he was from and that he was the last Anyethi. However he was more interested in Leo’s current situation at the moment.

At first Hakyeon had been confused by how Leo was being held here, but Leo had simply pointed out the silver band wrapped around his wrist. Hakyeon hadn’t even noticed it until then and he figured it was charmed so it wouldn’t be seen until pointed out by someone else. He’d begun analyzing it straight away, asking Leo a number of questions that he didn’t know the answer to.

Who charmed it? When did they put it on? Did it have any effects besides suppressing his intuitive magic and stopping him from transforming? Did it react to certain objects or ingredients? Did someone maintain it or was it permanent?

Leo didn’t know. He’d been unconscious when they put it on him and he doesn’t know when it had happened. He was given a number of potions during the day so they could document his reactions to them and was usually under the effect of one and so didn’t know if the charm had other effects. Someone could do anything to it while he was knocked out from the potions.

These experiments made Hakyeon angry, what made him angrier was that Leo seemed used to them to some degree. Leo said that he’d been captured when he was fourteen and kept for about two years before escaping; he was then caught again by group of sorcerers that gathered rare ingredients for the king and brought to the palace not long after. The explanation made Hakyeon angry.

Hakyeon was angry about a lot of things. He was angry that Leo’s silky hair was growing long but being systematically cut, one section at a time to be used in potions, leaving it looking rough and jagged and ugly. He was angry that they took his blood using such a primitive method and then didn’t heal him, instead leaving it for ‘observation’ because he appeared to have accelerated healing. He was angry that Leo accepted this as how life was.

“Does it?” he prompts when Leo doesn’t answer.

“It’ll be fine,” Leo mutters, leaning his head back against the wall. “Everything is fine.”

No, it isn’t, Hakyeon argues to himself. It’s not. I’m going to change it. He just isn’t sure how yet.

Despite the applause and the pats on the back, Hakyeon isn’t proud of his work. He isn’t proud of the new spell he’d made to assist the soldiers in the war. It wasn’t the first spell he’d made since arriving. It was his sixth. In eight weeks. He’d tried to slow down, to drag out the process, but he got so caught up in the work that the spells would get completed before he knew it.

Two things had drawn the attention to him. The first was his uncanny ability to somehow wander into areas of the palace where he wasn’t allowed, and also to get in trouble with Suhee over who he socialized with – the princess had approached him – when he was wandering. Jaehwan was scolded and told to keep a closer watch, which he did but he didn’t seem too worried about getting in trouble.

The second thing that had made Hakyeon stand out was his brilliance – if he does say so himself - and he was invited to one of the many parties thrown by the king as a ‘reward’. This one was attended by a large number of sorcerers and Hakyeon flits from person to person, being introduced over and over.

A number of them have an apprentice with them, all older than Hakyeon. He was popular with the sorcerers, and definitely not with the apprentices, and makes the best of the opportunity to find out what sort of spells or potions they specialized in and to make connections he can use in the future.

To Hakyeon’s surprise – and horror – Leo is on display. He’d been cleaned up and healed and his hair had been magically grown to evenness. His outfit was perfectly fitted and he looked like a noble who belonged in the palace if not for the ears atop his head.

The sorcerers watched him from a distance, their jealousy easy to see as was their intimidation. It was easy for them to infer that if the king possessed an Anyethi then the king must also possess a number of dangerous potions.

Hakyeon works hard to keep the scowl off his face in front of the sorcerers and to also keep his eyes away from Leo. He can feel anger bubbling under his cool façade but he makes sure to keep a smile on his face. Jaehwan follows him through the crowd – still assigned to work – but doesn’t say a word now that they’re in public. The only interaction he has with Hakyeon is when he taps the older man on the shoulder and points out that Suhee is calling him over.

Of all the things Hakyeon was expecting from the night, meeting the king was not one of them.

“Your Majesty,” Hakyeon bows. He smiles at the king and the king smiles back in response. “I’m so honoured that you picked me to work here. I’d never dreamed that I’d be welcomed into such a –”

The king waves his hand and Hakyeon stops talking. King Jihun is still smiling so Hakyeon does the same.

“Nothing of it, Hakyeon. You deserve to be here and that’s why you’re here.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Hakyeon bows again.

“I’ve heard that you’re making great contributions to the kingdom since your arrival.”

“I’m just doing what I was brought here to do, Your Majesty,” he says.

King Jihun simply smiles. “Even so, you’re better than the rest.”

Hakyeon denies the statement, trying to appear humble. He thought he was the best too but he wasn’t allowed to say that.

“Carry on now, I’m sure there are lots of people who want to meet you.”

Hakyeon bows again and backs away, returning to the other sorcerers. The king watches him go, feeling amused.

“Quite the genius that one. He scored higher than nearly every other candidate,” he tells Suhee. “His abilities are off the charts.”

“The only ability I’ve been able to see from him so far is his ability to cause trouble. You know he has a personal guard, your majesty?”

“Of course I know, Jaehwan gives me updates every now and then when he’s guarding me. Hakyeon is producing the highest number of new, useful spells that we can use in the war, I’m sure we can overlook his tiny wrongdoings.”

Suhee scowls behind the King’s back.

“In fact, he’s so good I might just consider making him my head sorcerer in the future.”

Her scowl deepens at the thought of having to work so closely with a boy.

“Actually…” the king mutters when he sees the Anyethi standing at the front of the room. “Add him to the potions team. He might have better luck getting the teleport potion to work.”

“But Your Majesty, the potions team is already full and working hard to–”

The king silences Suhee with a single look and she bows. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll reassign him tomorrow.”