The year: 2023

Oadley,
Albion

[Marty's POV]

The day began like any other. It was my new normal. I returned home at precisely three thirty in the morning, showered, changed for work, stuffed myself with an unhealthy amount of green bean pasta and a brownie I had stolen from the café the evening before, and left to resume my duties at Dragon's Den. I was grateful to my father for the apartment from which Henkley could not evict me, try as he may, and the perks that came with staying there: proximity to my place of work.

I was happy with the progress I had made learning magic and thankful for the now constant fixture at my place, aka Dwight and sometimes Meenakshi.

However, things took a nosedive, as soon as I set foot in the café.

My phone rang, and I pulled it out, wondering who could be calling at this time of the night.

Meenakshi's name flashed on my screen, and I hurriedly answered the call. "Hey, Meena. What's up? Is everything-"

"Marty, keep your voice low and just listen," she whispered urgently. Fear lined every syllable that dropped from her lips.

I did as told and whispered back, "Okay. I am listening."

"It's Dwight. I think something has happened to him," her voice trembled, "You there?" she asked to confirm.

"Yes," I replied, and she continued, "At around midnight, I saw Dwight in the royal garden and approached him thinking he was lost," she paused before continuing in a tone that reeked of disbelief, "Marty, he didn't recognize me. When I tried to stop him, he pushed me away. If I didn't know better, I would say he was possessed."

Possession was a definite possibility. It would also prove a theory I was working on to understand why, when the third time we had met briefly, Dwight seemed like a whole other person.

I hummed, "What happened next?"

"I was about to cuff and escort him out of the premises when Jared stopped me. He is His Majesty's personal assistant. Mute by birth. Shady as hell.

"So you have met this Jared guy before."

"Unfortunately, yes." Meenakshi replied, "The queen hates him, and so does the princess; no one knows why the king keeps him next to him. I snooped around in the royal help registers, and guess what? Jared's father, Bail, who was mute too, followed Gregory like a shadow since he ascended the throne. He was the king's personal manservant."

"What happened to him?" I asked, wondering why a mute man was chosen as the king's personal manservant. Though it sounded like a lowly job, a manservant had the privilege to know many of the king's secrets due to their proximity.

"He retired a couple of years ago," Meena said, voice dipping lower, "Traditionally, every time a manservant vacates his position, he is bound to secrecy, and a long rigorous procedure is followed to fill the job. This time though, the king deemed it unnecessary to follow protocol and handpicked Jared for the job."

That sounded fishy as hell! I couldn't help but wonder why King Gregory had done that.

"I have suspected for a long time that he probably has something on the royal family," Meena's voice dragged me out of my musings, "and is manipulating the king," she finished sounding worried.

The accusations were heavy; if found to be untrue could cost Meenakshi her job and send us both behind bars. Yet, there was no denying the possibility of it being true.

"Damn it," I muttered.

"I am not finished, Marty." Her voice turned concerned, "I don't know why, but I followed them; it led me to an underground cave. It looked ancient, Marty, like something out of the history channel."

I wondered how she had managed to avoid notice, especially since the palace must have been swarming with guards. Then I recalled that Meenakshi was an elite bodyguard trained in stealth tactics, and everything made sense.

"I followed them till where the steps leading down ended. After that, they disappeared, I presume, inside one of the tens of tunnels leading to God knows where."

"Shit!"

"I agree with you. The situation stinks for sure," Meenakshi held her breath, "Marty, I don't know why I called you, of all people; I am scared and don't know what to do."

No sooner did Meenakshi finish speaking than the air around me swirled. I was alone in the café. The temperature of the amulet around my neck rose slightly.

Trying to sound calm and hoping that she would buy my act, I instructed Meenakshi to escort the queen and the princess out of there and send me a blueprint of the area where Jared had taken Dwight. However, as soon as I disconnected the call, I let go of the broom- I had been holding- and the calm confidence I had displayed not a moment ago; locking the café, I rushed home.

Out of breath, I barged into the closet from where I had emerged not long ago after finishing my training for the day.

"Something's wrong!"

'Something's wrong!'

Both my masters and I yelled and fell silent simultaneously, both waiting for the other to elaborate.

I guess they had nothing. After all, hadn't I too rushed in here because of the amulet heating up?

Without wasting time, I decided it was as good a time as any to tell them what had happened to Dwight. At that moment, Master Merlin's words about not trusting Dwight came back to me, and I blurted out, "I think Dwight is possessed...and I think the King's assistant is the one behind it!"

'Dwight? Who is that?' my master demanded.

Mistress Morgana answered in my steed, 'That good-looking one, remember? We saw him about a month ago; that's the one, am I right, Marty.'

Why were they acting so surprised? Why did it sound like they didn't know he had been to my apartment almost every day since then? Was this some kind of joke they were playing on me? If it was, it was not funny!

'Yes, Morgana, I am aware of your feelings regarding his looks,' my master sighed dejectedly, then asked, 'Marty, why do you sound so concerned about a guy you met once, weeks ago?'

"You are kidding, right?" I demanded, my temper rising, "I am friends with him, don't tell me you didn't notice!"

I waited for them to respond, but the silence stretched. After what felt like years, Mistress Morgana asked, "You seldom leave home; we couldn't sense him at the Dragon's Den. When did you form a friendship?"

Master Merlin cleared his throat, 'I agree with Morgana. Lad, you can't just call someone you met once a friend. By the way, what was it about the king being possessed?'

The only thing that I took away from the conversation was that my master and mistress were not joking with me. My reality was crumbling. I was scared. No. I was petrified; Master Merlin and Mistress Morgana were a powerful duo. How had they failed to notice Dwight when I had spent almost every free minute of the past month with him in my home!?