02.2Zan

*



He had been plain stupid to give out his identity so eagerly. Zanen groaned and flopped backwards onto one of the beds, hands pressed over his face. These people could perform magic and he did not even know what to expect from magic. They were an important family if they were involved in the "board of Warlocks" but could not be too dangerous if they lived next door to non-magical aristocrats. What on earth was a warlock? How much power did this Bonaventure family have? Did the Wickeds have kings and royal families?

Why did he, Zanen, end up here? Was it a coincidence?

Her Ladyship would have said nothing simply happens, things are made to happen, he knew that. Therefore he knew there had to be a logical explanation for this nightmare. He growled under his breath at the plethora of questions that plagued him; mother's death, why England, why not Netherlands, why here with Wickeds? The answers lay far out from his reach.

He gathered it was too late for him to change much now that they knew who he was. That Eve woman had recognized him. Could he break into the Washingtons' house and hide out there with Eric? No, that would be a feeble plan. Perhaps he could move to Eric's house for the time being.

Zanen glanced at the clock on the wall. It was ten minutes to six. He had been sitting and thinking for nearly three hours, filtering through his shock as the room grew darker around him. He yawned and stretched and got to his feet. At last he felt courageous enough to leave his hideout. He quietly slipped out of the guest bedroom. The second floor hallway was deserted. He hurried over to the stairs and sped down them.

It took Zanen a few minutes to find the correct archway that led to the dining room. After following a tunnel-like corridor Zanen found himself in a dark purple room complete with an extremely long wooden table that bore burns and scrapes, something that would never have seen the light of day at the palace. The kitchen had to be nearby. He jumped a little as he heard a voice in the next room.

"Zanen Ubel?" A man's voice said. "Not just a prince but the Crown Prince of Americus? So you took this enemy Normal prince into our house, Eve? He could very well be a spy."

"Honestly, Win, do you think they would send a child to spy on you?" Eve snapped. "I don't think he will cause us harm."

"I should talk to Doorley about this," the man named Win said. "There's more than just our safety at stake here. I don't know about the political ramifications it might cause."

"Maybe," Eve said with a touch of desperation in her voice, "this boy is the key to freedom, Llewellyn. He is Zanen, he is not the son of the Empress."

"Yes, Lady Amira was killed last week," Llewellyn's voice said slowly. "We have intelligence on that. We thought that perhaps there was instability within the royal family. I cannot think why her son would be sent over to England, though. I find it suspicious."

"Oh, everything is suspicious nowadays," Eve said angrily. Zanen listened, his mouth dry. The sound of a sizzling frying pan reached his ears. A mouthwatering smell made his empty stomach rumble.

"Um, hi?" squeaked a little voice behind him.

Zanen jumped and whirled around. A young girl with mahogany red hair, freckles and enormous golden eyes stared up at him.

"Hello," he grinned nervously. "I'm Zanen, I'm visiting here. Are you Lucy?"

"Yes," Lucy frowned.

There were footsteps and Zanen turned. A tall man stood before him. He had dark hair like Nalo's and the same bright yellow eyes. There was reddish stubble around his jaw line. Zanen stood his ground without betraying any nerves. The man was not physically striking in the way Ivar was, but Zanen respected him immediately.

"Zanen Ubel den Americus," Llewellyn began, with a little bow, "welcome to my home. I am Llewellyn Bonaventure. Although we may have different blood, different abilities and different points of view, you are welcome to stay in my house."

"Ew, Dad, did you just bow to Zanen?" said a harsh voice and Avery rounded the corner.

"As you can see, mages have no perception of class or royalty," Llewellyn said to Zanen apologetically.

"What're you talking about, Dad?" Avery questioned sharply. "Will someone tell me who this mysterious kid is?"

"I am Zanen Ubel den Americus, successor to the fourteenth King of Americus," Zanen snarled, sick of being disrespected. He felt satisfaction at the thunderstruck expression slapped on Avery's face.

"A Normal prince?" Lucy trilled. Her face turned bright pink.

Zanen spoke to Mr. Bonaventure now. "I apologize for barging into your house like this. Honestly, I have nothing to do with politics and the only reason I am in this country is because Lady Amira passed away. I have to say I'm fascinated by this whole situation. I haven't had any exposure to Wickeds."

"What did you call us?!" Avery roared.

Zanen gave him a patronizing look. "Don't look at me like that," Avery spat. "It's because of you that Octavius is closed and we have to document ourselves according to you!"

"Avery," Llewellyn reprimanded quietly. "Zanen himself has no influence over that. However, Zanen, I must insist that you refer to us as mages. That is what we are. 'Wickeds' is an insulting term to us."

"Fair enough," Zanen nodded. "Sorry, that's what I was told to refer to you by. I won't use it again."

At that moment Nalo appeared in the doorway. "Dinner ready yet?" he said with a yawn. "I could eat a horse."

"Y-you could?" Zanen stammered, never having heard this expression before. He stared at Nalo whose cheeks puffed as he held back laughter. Zanen immediately blushed slightly and crossed his arms. It wasn't his fault he couldn't let any details about Mages go unnoticed.

"What if I said yes?" Nalo wondered with a smirk.

"It's a figure of speech," Llewellyn informed Zanen before he could retort defensively and before Nalo and Avery could have too much fun. "It means he is very hungry. Do you not have terms like this?"

"No," Zanen said flatly. "It sounds like a waste of time; why not just say what you really mean? Even taken literally, you would have to be in a horrible state of starvation to eat a horse - which has a different connotation than merely eating deli horsemeat. In the end it's just a bizarre exaggeration."

Llewellyn and his children watched Zanen with surprise. After a moment Zanen felt awkward and alien in the face of these strangers' glares. He began to worry that he had created a schism in ideals already. "Ah, I'm sorry," he bravely broke the silence. "I should not be coming into your house and challenging your ways, especially since you're being so kind to me. I meant no disrespect." He offered a nervous smile.

"No offense was taken," Llewellyn said with a pleased nod. Zanen tried to relax.

"Supper is ready," Eve's voice floated out from the kitchen. Zanen blinked as he watched her carry a large pot of stew. Lucy skipped into the kitchen to help bring out the drinks and salad. Zanen wasn't sure how they managed it and looked around for the maids out of habit. Nalo went to a chest of drawers in the room and grabbed a handful of utensils and began to set the table. The set up procedure was a team effort and Zanen watched supper unfold from the sidelines with interest and curiosity.

"Are you going to wear those uncomfortable looking clothes at supper?" Nalo asked Zanen, gesturing at the cravat and jacket. "You don't have to be so formal around us."

"I am quite used to wearing this," Zanen replied evenly. "But...if it would be more diplomatic for me to take it off, I can."

"Diplomatic?" Nalo repeated with a small laugh. He began distributing plates onto different places on the table. "You sure are funny, Zanen. Mum's rule says no political discussion at the dinner table. We are all about being comfortable and cozy, and it'll feel weird if you're sitting there next to me and I'm dressed like this. It makes me feel less than you."

"That is the most undiplomatic way to convince him, Nalo," Llewellyn said with a good-natured chuckle as he settled at the head of the table. "Honesty is always a virtue, but frankness must also be used with tact."

         "I like that he says what he thinks," Zanen spoke up and he took off his black coat. He draped it over one arm and with his free hand he unfastened the cravat and removed it. It was the first time he removed clothes in front of someone other than Miss Emily; he felt exposed and uncomfortable but remembered that the expectations here were vastly different from the rigid ones he grew up under. "I would be ridiculed by my brothers if they witnessed this blasphemy. They would expect me to enjoy making you feel inferior."

         "Well, if you want to hear what I think, I think they sound like arrogant pricks," Nalo commented candidly. Zanen was so shocked he let out a startled laugh, but he stopped when Nalo attempted to take his clothes. Zanen stepped back and folded them with care and placed them on a spare chair against the wall. He mused over Nalo's statement and realized with vague amusement that he was not in the least bit insulted.

"So, isn't this guy a Normal then?" Avery pointed out.

"A Normal?" Zanen repeated, wondering if he should be offended.

"It's not an insult," Avery assured him, "being called a Mortal is somewhat offensive, though."

"A Normal is what we call a person without druid powers," said Eve. "It's quite straight forward really. The laws of secrecy have been lifted now that we have been exposed, Avery. He knows what we are."

"To be honest I didn't know at all when I arrived," Zanen said slowly. The family took their seats and watched him sit between Lucy and Nalo. "I've never seen magic, I just know that it exists. I didn't get to read any reports but apparently you can fly and use fire..."

"You'll get used to it," said Nalo brightly. "Beef stew, Zanen?"

Zanen accepted it with thanks. He hesitated and prepared to serve himself for the first time in his life.

"Where is the man that was with you earlier?" Eve asked.

Zanen did not answer for a moment. He held his breath and served his plate with tense caution. He was being sure not to drop or spill a speck of food. After a few repetitions of the motions, and once he was satisfied with his grip around the handle, he realized it was not difficult in the slightest.

"He went to check on his daughter," he responded when he returned to the present moment. Zanen picked at his food. He was just struck by the thought that this was the first family he had sat a dinner with other than his own. He stared into the wonderful looking stew. So this was what it was like to eat as a regular family. The fact that they were mages didn't bother him much; they were the friendliest people he had ever met. He wondered why Ivar even bothered disturbing these people.

"Is something wrong, Zanen?" He heard Llewellyn's voice from a distance away.

"I'm sorry," Zanen said quietly, allowing his hair to partly obscure his face.

"Eat, you'll feel better," Nalo assured him, pushing potatoes and salad down the table. "I know you said you didn't need food but you should eat up, mate. Think of all the poor mages on the run without many rations at all."

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink," said Avery through a mouthful of meat. Nalo and Lucy both laughed and surreptitiously watched Zanen for his reaction, but he was not paying them any mind.

Lucy reached out and touched Zanen on the shoulder. He looked up sharply and jerked away reflexively. Her eyes widened and she stared up into his face. No one generally came into this close contact with Zanen. Who would have thought a commoner Wicked would be the first to smile so kindly at him?

"Prince," she began in a sweet voice, "I can see you're the kind of person who has been through a lot but can't say much about it."

"Oh?" said Zanen before he could stop himself. "How do you guess that?"

"Well, you're not eating," she sang quite happily. "And I can just tell. Really, Prince, you should eat. Please?"

Zanen felt the first rush of warmth in what had seemed like a lifetime. He looked into her shining unique eyes. Why did he feel much stronger? He fought back a smile. A blush grew steadily in Lucy's cheeks.

"Okay, Miss Lucy," he relented. "You strongly remind me of my half-sister Juliana. I suppose the two of you are about the same age, but the manner of your kindness is likewise admirable."

         "Thank you, I think," Lucy said with a small giggle. "Are you really comparing me to a princess? Please don't, prince, I'm not...."

"No, well I could make you one some day," Zanen said in an attempt at a joke.

Llewellyn cleared his throat while Lucy turned crimson.

"Eat your dinner," he snapped at the two of them.

He picked up a fork and stabbed a piece of beef. Forcing thoughts of guilt aside, he put it in his mouth. Rich flavor reached his taste buds and flooded through his brain, obliterating his other senses. He took several more forkfuls without even realizing it. Lucy, Nalo and Avery cheered; Llewellyn laughed and exchanged an appreciative look with his wife.

As Zanen's stomach filled he became more comfortable around the Bonaventures.

"So, Mr. Prince," Avery began a conversation and Zanen looked across the table at him, "what's it like being a prince? Do you go to school?"

Zanen had never discussed his life or his position to anyone. He figured this was small talk; it was harmless to try it, wasn't it? He finished his mouthful and lowered his utensils.

"For me being a prince is just studying, really," he replied and cut his food into smaller portions. "No we do not attend school; I have tutors. Lady Amira was my main teacher."

"I can't imagine being homeschooled by Mum," Nalo said and he looked towards his mother. "It's probably easier than school, because she's your mum."

This statement confused Zanen. He stalled for time and ate some more food. After a moment he shook his head. "My mum...?" he repeated. "I used to call my caretaker Miss Emily my mam. I wouldn't think of Lady Amira as my parent when she is my teacher. She was a military commander so sometimes it feels a bit like being drilled by a general." He hoped this was a decent bout of small talk. "For example, I hand write most of my off-book essays. Lady Amira can tell by my handwriting how well I know the material - if it is light or slightly disjointed it shows that I'm hesitating. I may answer correctly...but if I'm hesitating I have to do it again."

"Blimey, really?" Avery blinked. Nalo's mouth fell open. Zanen inclined his head.

He smiled shyly and still worried this was too much exposition. "Erm...I think this is the part when I ask about you. I'm sorry I am not familiar with this type of casual conversation...."

"Ask away," Nalo prompted him. Zanen was relieved that they were not judging how much he was fumbling.

"What do you learn at school?" Zanen asked. "Is it just for mages?"

"Yep it's all mage," Avery told him cheerfully. "It's a boarding school, it only runs four days a week so you have the option to go home for the weekend. But we learn normal things too...you know, literature and maths. There's mage history and theory. We only use our powers once a week."

"Would you not want to practice and master your powers?" Zanen wondered in surprise. Now he was getting very interested.

"Our power levels are still in development," Avery explained. "It's complicated because each person progresses at their own pace."

"At his or her own pace," Zanen corrected him automatically. Avery raised an eyebrow. "I see...that is fascinating." He did not want to make it seem as though he was prying for information, though he did want to learn more. "Do you travel often?"

"Well as a family we've been to Old Scotland, Ireland, Italy and Germany," Nalo listed off. "Wales, of course - we have a cottage there. I really enjoy travelling...it's the best way to experience new things. You must get the opportunity to travel as much as you want."

"Oh, me?" Zanen raised his eyebrows. "Actually...if we visit anywhere public the place has to be shut down to everyone else and we must have a group of security. It is such a bother and takes away most of the experience. I can't resist ditching security whenever we go out so they're quite reluctant to bring me anywhere."

"Haha, you cause trouble and mischief?" Avery brightened up. Nalo watched Zanen who felt his neck heat around the collar. He was feeling too weary to crack a smile or explain the tales of his misdemeanors. He attempted a half-hearted shrug. Small talk was exhausting.

"The best marauders are silent about their adventures," Avery said wisely and winked.

"Marauding?" Zanen frowned. "I don't wander around aimlessly. That is a waste of time."

"But don't you live in a giant palace?" Nalo demanded. Zanen wondered why he was so eager about everything.

"Oh...yes, and I hate it." He paused and quickly said, "Not to sound ungrateful, I mean. I will probably miss it eventually. But it is so ostentatious it is exhausting. There are also entire wings I've never been, and it would be unpleasant if I got caught in those areas. Anyway...I have been to a lot of places in Americus...I've never been outside the mainland until today."

"Seriously?" Nalo frowned.

"I've had many opportunities, but they always include Lady Jania being in charge," Zane explained. He slowed and averted his gaze. "Her Majesty and I don't get along very well. She travels with a brigade of security. I think it comes across as hostile and elitist...I'd rather not be a part of that, especially in a foreign country."

"That explains your minimal security today, then," Llewellyn stated and Zanen quickly hid his startle. This was not true and Zanen's heart sank; however, he decided to be smart and nod in agreement. "Good for you, Your Highness. What age are you?"

"I am twelve," Zanen replied.

"So am I," Nalo smiled. Zanen tried to smile back. Nalo's face darkened. "Then why are you so tall?" Nalo raised his hand and poked him in the shoulder. Pain swelled on the bruised spot and Zanen pulled his arm away from him.

"His Majesty is two eighty-nine centimeters and Lady Amira was one seventy-seven so...it's not likely that I'd be small," Zanen said a little coolly.

"That sounds like a lot...but we don't use the metric system here," Nalo informed him.

"That's right," Zanen remembered with slight surprise. "Then they are six foot two and five-eight feet, or seventy four point four and sixty nine point six inches respectively." He misread their surprise at his calculations as Nalo feeling overshadowed. "B-but you are around five-four so I don't think you have anything to worry about. That's still taller than both of my brothers were at twelve!" He sighed and tried not to show his discomfort.

"Madam Bonaventure," he fled the subject completely, "the meal is lovely. Thank you."

"Oh, well thank you," Eve said and seemed to appreciate his remark. Zanen further proved his point by helping himself to more food. He was certainly hungry enough to eat a lot more.

"Well, when was the last time you ate?" Avert laughed at the ravenous lad who ate quickly but still attempted to retain his regal bearings.

Zanen drank the purest water he had ever tasted. "April fourth on my birthday," he replied, and continued to eat. It took him a few minutes for his mind to leave the joy of filling his stomach and to notice the family staring at him. Llewellyn and Eve appeared concerned.

Zanen slowed down as he noticed this reaction. He swallowed and quickly explained, "I thought it strange that I wasn't killed off as well, so I didn't think it wise to eat the food they brought me. Miss Emily offered to test for me but I couldn't make her do that...." He resumed eating.

Llewellyn cleared his throat again and sat back in his seat. "Your Highness," he began, "you don't trust your own family's food but you trust ours, when we are supposed enemies?"

Zanen shrugged and finished his mouthful. "I reasoned that due to the time and circumstances, and unless you are all very good actors and prepared to sit nonchalantly as a family and watch me face plant into my stew, the chance this food is poisoned is only five percent at best," he explained. "You must know that I'm more valuable to you alive rather than dead. Oh, and we are all eating from the same dish and obviously you don't want to poison yourselves."

There was some silence during which Zanen continued to eat, the kids exchanged bemused looks and Llewellyn and Eve frowned at each other.

Anger shot up through him. He set his knife and fork down, breathed to remain calm and sat up straight, hands clenched upon the tabletop. "Lower your eyes," Zanen demanded with as much restraint as he could manage. He felt embarrassed and vulnerable. "How dare you regard me with judgment and pity? I do not need pity from you. I would rather you capture me and kill me. You are the subjects of His Majesty and --!" He broke off abruptly.

The Bonaventures were silent. Eve opened her mouth but Llewellyn raised his hand to stop her. 

Zanen nearly fell sideways off his chair from the shock that hit him. He had talked himself straight into the answers to this bewildering situation. His eyes swept around the room blindly. His mind was whirring almost beyond his control. That had been the plan all along. He was meant to arrive here. He stood up and left the table and walked away from the family. 

He was being used as bait, as a political tool. It all came clear to him in a brilliant, terrible moment. This must have been the military activity General William Bruce concocted at the delegation. The address of the Bonaventures had not been given to him by accident; since when did Palace clerks make mistakes? Zanen had been sent to them to test if this high power mage family would hold him hostage. If they did, he thought furiously, they would have fallen for Ivar's trap. Ivar would then have used it as an excuse to declare England's Wickeds the enemy of Americus and begin war. 

That is why they killed Lady Amira, he realized. He began to feel sick and reached out to the wall for support. She would have naturally opposed this plan. The creators of this sent Zanen over not only as a guinea pig but also as a trick and a scam.

Zanen turned back around and sat down again on his chair. He didn't have time to be hurt. A memory stirred him; he took three electronic items out of his pocket and aligned them on the table. He pushed his dinner away to make room for them. Zanen picked up the GPS communicator the butler on the private jet had given him. He turned it over in his fingers and his eyes honed in on it. It was a Pfitser Electronics piece, the serial number was A223658SZMU-0023 and the screw holes belonged to screws that required a Golish screwdriver. It had three outlets for different plugs: an audio jack, a synchronizer and data upload chip, and a satellite extension, and one for the charger wire.

"What's this?" Nalo asked him.

"Hold on," Zanen mumbled. He was completely absorbed and had partly put his aching heart out of his mind.

Zanen noticed his initials in the serial number: ZMU. He turned the GPS off and placed it back on the table and opened up the small tin case. He took out the Golish screw driver and the GPS opened for him upon insertion. He then scanned the wiring and circuitry inside and understood how everything was connected. Calculations were running rampant through his head. He found the right voltage wire probe and with a very steady hand made to touch it to the main circuit board.

"Wait," Nalo said sharply and Zanen was distracted. "That's the main frequency. If you touch that to there it will fry!"

Zanen froze. His suspicion was roused again but he did not look up. "I know," he said quietly. "I want to short the circuit springs in the metal here...if I shock it with point fourteen volts it'll run along this wire to where I want it. Am I right...?" He raised his head and looked sidelong at Nalo.

Nalo glanced down for a split second. "Yeah but you need twelve."

Zanen watched him closely and Nalo's expression became rather defensive. Zanen smirked. "Technically it's twelve point two. How do you know this if you don't even know what the instrument is called?"

"You always knew it was twelve?" Nalo frowned.

"Twelve point two." Zanen selected the voltage of .12.2 and gently touched the probe to a small piece on the circuit board. A tiny compartment opened up with a click. Zanen went to work at once and within three minutes he had disabled the tracking device. He screwed the back in place and stared at it for a few seconds. He was seized by a raging desire to smash it, destroy it; do anything to see it die.

"Hey, how do you know how to do all of that?" Avery asked. Zanen did not acknowledge him.

He took a deep breath of restraint and placed it on the table. He sat there staring at it and the Bonaventures watched his straight masked face. There was now no distraction for him and he was a tangled whirlwind of pain and anger. Before he knew it he was straining to hold back tears. He closed his eyes and wished everyone would just go away.

"Zanen," Llewellyn said gently.

Zanen's eyes remained closed. "What?"

"I'm sorry about your mother," Llewellyn sighed. "I lost my parents at a young age and many friends thereafter. Those we love are never truly gone from us, Prince Zanen. Magical or not, humans feel the same towards family and enemies and have the same vices of power and greed."

Zanen was uncertain of what to think or what to say. The entire Americus Empire had abandoned him in its lust to destroy people like the Bonaventures.

"What...do I say to that, sir?" Zanen asked wearily. He raised his knuckles and rubbed his eyes to stop the itching. He opened his eyes and looked at his open hands; they were trembling. He closed them into fists and thought of something random to change the course of his thoughts. "Nalo, you're obviously not a genius. How do you know the voltage levels of the GPS wires?"

"What do you mean I'm obviously not a genius?" Nalo bristled at once and Avery laughed. "Are you calling me an idiot?"

"Not at all, I mean I can tell that you don't calculate it with numbers as I do," Zanen said as evenly as he could. "And...your eyes...you don't look directly at people."

"Darn you're sharp," Avery commented with a gasp. Lucy, Avery and Nalo looked over at their parents who were equally shocked.

"When did you notice Nalanavus's eyes, Prince?" Eve asked him.

"Almost at once, he was standing next to Avery who looked directly at me," Zanen replied. "His eyes are pretty unique, aren't they? They caught my attention."

"Listen, I see more than the average person and stuff distracts me," Nalo said despite a warning glance from his mother. Llewellyn did not seem too concerned but he was peering at Zanen with curiosity.

"You should not let it distract you," Zanen said. He wished to discuss this with Nalo. Perhaps he could help him cope as Lady Amira had helped him cope?

"What do you know?" Nalo snapped. "You've got no idea what I see and feel."

"Hmm, if it's excess stimuli that's bothering you, perhaps...." Zanen mused, but he was interrupted by his mobile phone. The text tone rang out loud. Zanen blinked and picked up the phone in front of him. He saw that it was from Demitrius, hesitated, and opened it to read the message.



Part 2 of Chapter 2