Magician Prince Read Free Page B

during a
time of war would be tantamount to treason.”
    King Kale shook his head. “You miss my
point.”
    “I guess I must,” agreed Janus.
    “The point is that if you do not value those
that serve under you, then you will find yourself one day as a king
with no one to lead.”
    “You valued the sorcerer, did you not? And he
still betrayed you.” The words came unbidden from the prince and he
regretted them as soon as they left his lips. “Father, I am sorry.
That was uncalled for.”
    King Kale waved off his apology. “Your words
hurt less than you might think. You have spoken with Sane many a
time since his capture. You know it was not me that he turned his
back against. It was you.”
    Janus had no reply for that and stood frozen
as his father walked off. Even now his father still considered that
lowborn wizard and confessed criminal to be a friend on some level…
and to make it worse, he blamed Janus for the sorcerer’s
betrayal.
     
    ***
     
    “Everything I have done was in preparation
for this moment!” Janus raved impotently in the seclusion of his
apartments where no one could hear him speak against his father. No
one except for Kennath and he did not matter. As long as the wizard
was under Janus’ control he would be the most loyal of servants.
The magic wielder could not even speak or eat without his prince’s
leave to do so. Of course, he gave Kennath some autonomy for such
menial tasks. It did not take long after getting his slave-magician
before the man fainted from hunger. The wizard had not asked to be
fed, because he was not given permission to speak and although
Janus was ethically opposed to giving magic users any kind of
freedom he did not like the idea of being troubled at all hours
simply to grant his slave permission to relieve himself.
    The magician stood by as Janus continued to
vent. “I commissioned the collars that will save our kingdom! I was
the one with the vision to see this uprising coming years in
advance! It was at my behest that the rest of the domains were
closed down and the inhabitants secreted away to form my magician
army when Baj first fell!” Janus picked up a shiny bauble and
hurled it against the wall so that it shattered into a thousand
little pieces. “This kingdom survives thanks to me and do I get any
acknowledgment from my father? No, I get insults and
admonitions!”
    A wrap on the door and the call of a guard
asking, “Is everything all right, your Highness?” came through the
door.
    “Leave me in peace!” Janus commanded silence
of the guard.
    “Sometimes,” Kennath began, but hesitated
thinking better of whatever he was about to say.
    “You have something to add?” the prince
wondered. His anger was instantly redirected at the surprise of the
wizard’s outburst.
    Kennath shook his head, “No.”
    Janus pulled the control rod from his belt.
“Tell me what you were going to say.”
    “Sometimes,” the magician started over, “it
can be difficult for a father to see his son as anything more than
the little boy he used to tuck into bed every night.”
    “Then his desire to live in the past has
become my cross to bear,” Janus found a seat. The urge to hit
someone was strong, but he poured a glass of wine instead. He could
strike Kennath if he desired, but it would have lacked
satisfaction. The wine presented him with an opportunity to focus
his attention elsewhere and the fine wine glass would require him
to be calm or risk shattering the delicate cup. A little calmer, he
continued, “It is maddening that he sees me as the one at fault,
when I see him failing in his leadership of this war. He does not
see the threat before him for what it is and he is unwilling to
fight the kind of battle that we need to win this war. As armies
go, the wizards are agile and strong, while my father spreads our
forces thin so that they cannot possibly react to a threat in time
or with sufficient force.”
    “What would you do differently?” asked the
lanky