Unveiled - part 5

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part five of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!


"Fregi operates in secrecy, but he has a weakness," Hertal begins. "He covets power. He is not stupid - he will not give himself away by a feeble attempt to seize the magic of a sorceress or sorcerer. He watches them, sometimes for weeks before he makes his move. Now that he has some followers, they can do some of his spying for him, but he likes to keep a hand in it himself, to keep control."
"Do you know where he is?" I ask.
"He will be nearby," Hertal says. "If you are his next target, which it seems you are, he will have his minions do the hard work, but he will want to be near in case they decide to try to steal your power for themselves. Fregi trusts no one - with good reason. The kind of people he works with would betray him in a heartbeat if they didn't fear the consequences.
"Fregi is not one to forgo the comforts of life. He will be staying with Tom, Sarah or Alex, you can be sure of it. They will be waiting on him, begging for the scraps from their own tables."
Hertal spits, disgusted. "Of all the creatures in this land, thieves are the worst. They take what is not theirs and profit from it while others suffer. While I had many faults when I still had my magic, I never sank to that level. Bring Fregi here, and I will deal him the punishment he deserves."
"That's it?" Cole sounds doubtful. "Just bring Fregi to you?"
"Don't let the seeming simplicity of the task make you over-confident. Fregi is a sorcerer with not only the power he was born with, but the power of many others. Taking him will be near-impossible... I won't blame you if you back out now. Go into hiding while you still can."
"'They'll kill our families!" I protest.
"If you don't succeed, you will just die along with your families."
"We will succeed," I say, trying to instil confidence in my voice.
"I hope so. Now, Fregi is vigilant, so it will be hard to take him by surprise. Your best bet is to sneak in by day when Tom, Sarah and Alex are out. He won't be expecting a day attack. As to how you are to subdue him, I can only say to try your best, and be creative. He is formidable, and you will need to use your instincts to defeat him. If it seems you will lose, do not let yourselves be taken alive."
Cole and I wait with baited breath, but Hertal seems to be done speaking.
"Thank you," I finally say. "We will bring him back to you."
"I hope so," Hertal says, so softly that I'm not sure we're supposed to here. "I hope so..."
Cole and I squint as we walk out into the bright sunlight. We don't speak for several minutes as we walk away from Hertal's cave.
"Are you sure, Lex?" Cole asks eventually. "We could still try to get our families out..."
"And spend our lives running from Fregi? That's not a life, Cole, and you know it."
He nods reluctantly. "Then maybe I should go in alone while you wait -"
"Forget it," I say briskly. "You can wait - I'm the sorceress, remember?"
Cole purses his lips, but doesn't say anything. I touch his arm, gently letting him know that I would never leave him behind. We do things together; always have, always will.
The sun is high in the sky by the time we get back to town. The market is full of people bustling around their daily tasks.
"We'll never get in without being seen," I murmur. The whole town must know that we are wanted by now. If even one person sees us, an alarm will be raised, and all will be lost.
Cole is looking at me with a strange intensity that I don't like. "Lexie..."
I glance at him, and realise what he is thinking. "No."
"Do you have another suggestion?"
"Cole, it's too dangerous!"
He looks at the market, not saying anything. Against my will, I start to think, trying to come up with a better solution. I frown, but nothing comes to me. Yet the last time we did as he is suggesting, Cole almost died. We swore never again.
"They could take our families at any moment," Cole says tensely, as though I need a reminder that time is short.
My mind spins, but I can't think of an alternative. I shoot an anguished glance at Cole, but his face is calm. He knows it is the only way.
"Fine," I say, hating myself. "Fine, we'll do it. Get ready."

To be continued