Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Beedle the Bard

“Why haven’t they come up yet?” Desmond mumbled.

It’s been over half an hour since Sonia’s return. Desmond and Sonia were having a late-evening tea with a few biscuits. Shae was sitting close to them, noting down something from dozens of books around her on a torn piece of parchment. Simon was having tea too, but he was far in a corner, lost in his thoughts.

Others had soon found out that Simon wasn’t much for a talk, and the way he looked at you with that one eye of his, it almost as if he was saying he knows what mischief you are up to.

A loner among loners.

“I am worried about the kid,” Desmond admitted to Sonia, taking a light sip. “I can’t wait anymore.”

Desmond put the cup down abruptly. And he would have stood up if not for Sonia’s hand on his. It was a light tap, but it could have been more than that.

“I have examined the tunnel,” Sonia whispered. “Arlen can’t do anything funny, believe me. It must be Mr. Beedle. You know how he can go on and on for hours, remember?”

Desmond looked troubled, but ultimately gave up and slumped back in the chair, letting out a sigh.

“15 minutes, and no more,” he said to Sonia. “If they won’t show up, we both are going in.”

*

*

At the same time, the metal door opened up, its hinges creaking under its weight.

Kai was standing behind Arlen, almost hiding under his figure. Whatever had happened in the last 30 minutes, it had left none of its traces on their faces.

“My Lord, may I have some of your time,” Arlen said, bowing a little. “It’s regarding one of my guards.”

Kai gawked at the room when Arlen had bowed. It was big for it to be called just a room but smaller than the hall over the basement. There was a single large table in the middle, and it was conquered by hundreds and thousands of parchments. Empty ink-bottles were scattered all over the floor. And quills were dancing like a many-colored peacock in the rain.

Behind the table, on a chair, was an old man. He had a long, luxuriant beard. It disappeared under the table, like a water stream. Over his head was a pointy hat, and he was all garbed in a blue-black robe. His right hand was scribbling, snatching a dancing quill now and then, and then leaving it to do work on its own.

It was his left hand that interested Kai. Clutched tightly in the grasp of his left hand’s fingers was a book. Its cover was deep dark, which made it lose itself in his robe’s foldings. The old man had pressed the book tightly to his chest as if worrying anyone would come and might try to snatch it away.

“Come, come,” an old and croaky voice replied. “Shut the door. First, shut the door.”

Kai hastily entered the room, and the metal door returned to its post, cutting them off from the outside world.

“How are you faring, Mr. Beedle?” Arlen asked, giving Kai a shock that he could even talk so pleasantly. “What will you have for dinner?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Mr. Beedle said, shaking his long beard along with his head. “When are we leaving?”

“Midnight, My Lord,” Arlen said, with a sure voice. “We are just waiting for the hubbub to die down a little.”

“Hurry, hurry, you must hurry,” Mr. Beedle abruptly stood up and started to look around. “It’s coming for me, I tell you. It’s found me.”

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He is mad, Kai thought, becoming sure of it. The way Mr. Beedle clenched the book against him, made Kai feel like any more pressure and the book would enter his body. Arlen turned around and gave Kai a blank look.

“My Lord, the guard I was talking about,” Arlen brought Kai forward and presented him to Mr. Beedle. “We call him Bloody because he likes blood cakes very much. Can you help us find out if he has magical aptitude?”

Mr. Beedle finally noticed Kai, and his old face brightened up suddenly. Kai saw he wasn’t as old as he looked, but he had a frail figure. His eyes were sunken deep in his skull. The pupils could have the color of obsidian once, but now they were dull black, gray, and bleak.

Like all the other people of this world, Kai noticed, thanking his parents, the old man was looking into his eyes. They lured him. They played with the wizard’s mind, with those ever-changing colors of theirs.

Kai stepped towards the old man as the wizard came for him. Behind Kai, Arlen was flabbergasted, seeing the strangest event of his life. Beedle ‘the bard’ was a legendary character. And he had never shown such interest in others.

In a few steps, Kai found the old man standing in front of him. They were of the same height. Mr. Beedle would have longer if he were to straighten his back, Kai noticed. He was still thinking about what to say when the wizard lifted his right hand.

Kai didn’t move.

Mr. Beedle put his hand on his face and caressed as he traced a finger towards his eyes.

“Fascinating!” Mr. Beedle whispered, too indulged to say the words out loud. “These eyes…”

Kai felt the coarseness of his hands on his face, and then the hand reached down to his chest, running over his neck. There it stopped. The old wizard pressed his palm just over Kai’s heart, a little to its right.

A sudden shriek!

Mr. Beedle jerked his hand away as if something had swatted it. The old man’s face was already pale and dark before, but now it was aghast. A deep horror was in his eyes.

Terror beyond death.

“Merlin’s beard!” The old man shouted, stumbling away from Kai. “NO! He shall not do magic. This is false. Yes! Falseness beyond redemption.”

 Kai had an ugly expression. He wanted to kill that stupid old fool.

“Where’s my wand?” Mr. Beedle asked, fumbling around his table. “Where is it?”

“Come, let’s go,” Arlen said, putting a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “We are done here.”

Kai silently turned around and walked off. As the metal door closed behind him, he put a hand on his chest.

It was burning hot, whatever was in there.

The hotness of rage and defiance.

---

AN: We will return to the 30 minute gap (lying between Chapter 21's end and Chapter 22's beginning) in Chapter 27. The conversation that took place between Kai and Arlen in this 30 minute period will be covered in an entire chapter. It's for pure dramatic and impactful purpose. If any reader wants to read about this discussion immediately, then you can read it here:

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