Chapter 450

450 White Lies(Part One)

Genie swallowed hard as he watched real anger flash across Skye’s features. They had spoken multiple times since she and Tidas had returned a few days ago, but those quick confessions weren’t enough for her. Genie had hinted at needing to tell her more, but he thought that she would at least wait until they had reached Sai’s boarders before demanding to know more.

Skye, Tidas, and Genie walked down their short hall, then pushed open the door to their room. As she motioned for Genie to enter, he took in an even breath, and crossed the threshold. Glancing around, he smiled when he saw the contents of her bookshelves.

It covered everything from history to science, all the way to fictional stories. The only surprise was the amount of medical reference books and tomes she had scattered about around the couch. Curious, Genie asked; “Developing better control over your Shaman trait? Or is it research on something specific?”

Skye looked at him, then over at Tidas. They appeared to be having a silent conversation of sorts until Tidas nodded. Skye smirked and made a kissy face at him, then turned back to face Genie..

“Technically it be both, but tis not me doin’ the studyin’..”

Confusion covered Genie’s demeanor before Tidas said; “It’s me, Genie. I’m the one studying up on things..

As he headed over to a stack near their bedside, Tidas added; “Although Skye has been re-reading a couple of them. So the mess isn’t all mine.”

Skye huffed before snipping; “First off: I’ve been readin’ TWO books. The mini mountains are yer doin’, which means Peggy’s gonna go after you, not me.. Secondly: when ya get ta the intricacies of stimulatin’ cell growth within other people’s marrow: come talk ta me.. We’ll see if ya still got that kinda attitude.”

“Is it hard to do in other people?” Tidas inquired.

.....

Skye smirked; “Ye gotta learn ta hold yer head up before ya can start runnin’, husband. Focus on bein’ able ta heal yer self before ya start ta worry about others..”

Tidas cleared his throat before silently nodding in agreement. As Skye had spoken, he’d walked over to the couch area, and opened a random book. While he stood there thumbing through it, Genie stood gawking at him..

“You have TWO traits now?!” he nearly yelled.

Skye and Tidas laughed hard before he confirmed it. Genie stood in a statue-like state, completely shocked by the reveal. They told him that they hadn’t really told anyone else, and that they would appreciate it if he could keep it to himself. Genie wanted to asked a million questions, but one popped into his mind straight away..

“Does this have anything to do with the Catalyst Legend that you’re aware of? Or is this just a natural development?”

Tidas shrugged; “I have no idea.. All I know is that I’ve only been able to do it on instinct so far. Like when I get seriously injured and the like..”

“What we need ta know is A: is it that ya simply canna control it yet. Or B: that it’s limited ta only self-use. I’ve met a couple Earth mages that canna do anything close ta what Maevis and I can do. Oh! And Sheri’s Water magic is limited, too! She can only manipulate a small amount of water, but she’s got very intricate control over it. Tis how she does that mirage move, and her disappearin’ act.”

Genie loosened up a bit; “Is this Sheri girl a friend of yours?”

“Aye! She taught me some very useful skills, but I canna get the second one down yet. Tis hard to erase me presence like she does. Kinda reminds me of you a wee bit, now that I think of it. But she uses light refraction ta make herself invisible. Then she erases her presence: that’s the part that I canna get.”

Genie quirked a curious eyebrow at her; “And where is this Sheri girl from, exactly?”

Skye shrugged; “Here in Alcon, as far as I know. But she did say somethin’ about her mother bein’ a foreigner awhile back durin’ trainin’. She had the most delicious smellin’ soup, and I asked her where she’d gotten it from.. Turned out that it was homemade. Tasted like the stuff that you used ta make!”

“Ahh.. Miko soup! That stuff was amazing!” Tidas added as he set his book down.

Skye and Genie chuckled before Skye said; “Tis called Miso Soup, husband. Yer so damn cute sometimes.”

Tidas grimaced as he started to stack books; “Miko, Miso.. Still soup..”

As Skye chuckled at her husband’s sulking expression, a thought crossed her mind..

“By the way Genie.. What did ya think I was reseachin’ before?” Skye asked as she tidied up.

Genie crossed his arms over his chest as he replied; “I thought that maybe you’d be looking into what keeps causing King Magnus to become ill so often.”

Again the two shared a confirming look, then Skye replied; “I dinna need ta look fer a reason.. We know who the cause be. But there’s nothin’ we can do about it.”

Genie let him arms drop to his sides as he clenched his fists; “What do you mean?! You can Tell Magnus who’s responsib-”

“It doesn’t matter if we tell my Father or not. He won’t believe us.. And even if he did, I’m sure that he’d forget that fact shortly thereafter,” Tidas was clenching his fists just like his mentor was doing as he’d spoken.

“What do you mean? Why would he forget?! And if it’s a person behind it all, then why can’t you just have them arrested?” Genie asked in a more docile tone since he’d noticed Tidas’ agitated state.

Skye and Tidas glanced at each other again before Skye replied; “Gotta have a lotta proof to arrest the Crowned Prince, Genie.. And considerin’ what his magic is: tis hard ta come by..”

Genie’s jaw hung low as he processed what his former students had told him.. ‘Marco.. He’s always been a disturbed child, but is he honestly capable of trying to kill his father? The amount of years that King Magnus has been sick.. How could he torture his father like that?! He may not have been close with his children, but there’s No justification for this..’

“Why would he do this?” Genie asked as he started to pace.

Tidas sighed heavily as he started to put the stacks of books onto the table, then replied; “I assume because he’s the next to rule.. If he wasn’t affecting my Father’s health, he’d probably live to be a hundred. And you know that my brother has never been good at being patient.”

Genie nodded in partial agreement before saying; “True, but I don’t think your brother necessarily wants to kill your father. Marco probably just wants to keep him ill enough to where he gets to rule in his stead. Are the King’s responsibilities divided up when he’s indisposed, or does Marco handle them all?”

“He does most of the work himself, but he does pass off quite a bit of the mundane stuff to me. That, and anything that the RMC has authority over. Father had it set up that way a long time ago so Marco could gain more experience, since he’s the future king.”

Genie donned a quizzical expression, then stated; “That makes very little sense..”

Both Skye and Tidas looked confused, so Genie elaborated; “Kings have multiple heirs because it’s an assurance of his name and bloodline. What if Marco were to get sick, or fall from his horse in the wrong kind of way? The crown would go to Tidas, correct?”

Skye nodded; “Aye, Lawrence is the King of Ruscovic, so it disqualifies him. What’s yer point?”

“It’s that every ruler I’ve ever met has had all of their potential heirs run the kingdom while they cannot. To acclimate them to their possible duties. I don’t understand why King Magnus would allow Marco to run the kingdom alone.”

Tidas walked over to their bed as Genie had spoken, and was standing at the end of it as he replied; “I have had formal training, but Marco is old enough to assume the crown upon my Father’s passing. And he already has heirs as well, so it makes sense to me that-”

“Does it though?” Skye interjected as she went to stand by Genie; “What if Marco used his Ether magic ta make Tidas think he was okay with it? Would he know?”

After rubbing at his chin for a moment, Genie replied; “It depends on his level of ability with his magic.. Marco would have to have amazing control to pinpoint emotions, and their triggers enough to sway a person’s opinion. I’ve never met a functioning Ether user before, so I don’t have any references.”

As Tidas bent down to grab a box from underneath the bed, he asked; “What do you mean by ‘functioning’ Ether user?”

Genie took on an uncomfortable expression; “Well, I have seen another Ether mage in the Fire Nation before, but he was....not allowed out, to put it mildly. He had a custom-made straight jacket that had sealing stone fragments imbedded in the fibers. It was the only way to stop him from using his magic.”

As Tidas took the box towards the bathroom, he said; “I’ve never heard of another Ether mage existing before.”

Genie flashed a weak smile; “That’s because he hasn’t existed for a very long time. There’s a scholar in Sai that thinks that there can only be one Ether Mage in existence at a time, but there’s no way to prove or disprove his theory.”

As Genie had spoken, Tidas set the box in the bathroom, then shut the door. Skye was both listening, and keeping an eye on him as Genie started to talk about the few and obscure records that the scholar had told him about. After they chatted for a while, Skye looked at Genie with a quirked eyebrow..

“Not that Ima not enjoyin’ our wee chat, but there be two things that ya need ta be straight wit me about if ya want me family ta go to Sai wit ya. If I think yer lyin’ ta me, we willna go: no matter what Magnus says, ya ken?”

After Genie agreed, Skye asked; “Why is it so important fer Zazzy ta go? And dinna give me that ‘dragons are sacred’ spiel. I want the real reason.”

Genie sighed; “I cannot tell you the full reason until we’re in Sai, but I swear that she is important.. There’s an ancient text that’s been locked away for a very long time, and a living dragon is the only key to unlocking the....vault, that it’s in. I need both of you to retrieve the text. And before you ask, I cannot tell you what it is. Not until we’re in Sai.”

“So it’s kinda like a treasure hunt then?” Skye asked with a bit of excitement in her voice.

Genie grinned; “A little.. I can explain more as soon as we’re over the boarders and safe. What was your second question?”

Skye’s features turned serious; “Is there Anythin’ that yer not tellin’ us that ya feel ya should?”

Genie looked completely calm on the outside, but he cursed himself internally as he replied; “Nothing now, no.. But when we get into Sai: promise me that you will remember one thing?”

“What’s that?” Tidas asked for Skye as he joined them.

Genie looked at the ground as he replied; “Remember your speech lessons, please?”