The Worst Kobold Chapter 9: Chapter 6 - Wishing for the Stars

Read chapter 9 of The Worst Kobold by Thalaas on NovelPedia.

Prince Alexander walked down the hidden stone staircase, leading to a long tunnel that slowly sloped downwards. This was a relatively new addition under the magic academy. Carved by only the most trusted geomancer with great care and secret. It was surprisingly wide. Unlike the halls above? The walls were simple grey stone. No intricate brickwork or any sort of decoration. The only break in the monotony were the magical everlasting lamps attached to the cavern walls lighting up the passageway like it was high noon. Ever twenty feet there was one of the royal elite wardens. Their armor shone in the magical light. The emblem of the Ashen Kingdom was etched on their chests in brilliant gold. Every man and woman here was not only a superb warrior, but also a magic user. Normally they’d be hunting evils and feral beasts along the outskirts of the kingdom. But right now, they had a greater duty. Guarding this tunnel to protect the greatest treasure ever. Each of the wardens stood a little stiffer as Prince Alexander walked by. He could feel just a hint of magic washing over him. He knew he was being checked to see if there was anything unusual about him. They’d be checking if he was a skin-walker, an incubus, or some other sort of shape-shifting creature. They’d be looking at him to see if there were unusual spells clinging on him, checking to see if there was some mind altering magic on him. Or maybe he was a powerful illusion mage trying to walk in with a glamor spell. A glamor spell? Prince Alexander suddenly stopped mid-stride for half a second. Something about that sort of spell was biting at the back of his mind. He felt like he had encountered one recently. “Alex! This way, hurry!” Prince Alexander was roused from his thoughts. A few more strides he was at the end of the tunnel. There was a grandeous chamber carved out in a large dome shape. It was large enough to house a small army, though currently it was filled with dozens of the greatest mages and scholars from this kingdom and beyond. The walls were peppered with handwritten notes and slate boards covered with mystical equations etched in chalk. One overly large mostly ornamental banner showed the four spheres of magic. The light sphere at the top, dark sphere at the bottom, elemental sphere off to the right and the aether sphere to the left. Each sphere had little notes about the sub disciplines, such as geomancy and cryomancy for the elemental sphere. Or necromancy and shadow control for the dark sphere. Basic first year mage lessons but it never hurt to keep the basics up. Desks were haphazardly positioned all around with no particular rhyme or reason. Scrolls and books piled on top of many of them, often spilling on the floor. Others were full of alchemy supplies. The mixtures of smells that included everything from sulphur to bat guano, gave the place a constant slight stench that lingered on your clothes once you left that place. Not that coming and going was an easy task. Many had not left the compound for months, and then always under the tightest security. Only the most trusted could come and go freely. Prince Alexander Falcon was one of the few. “Ahhh, this is a great day, Prince Alex,” his father said confidently. He came close and placed a light hand on his shoulder. “We got the package from the Azulean kingdom safe and sound. And of course, everyone is already talking about your great battle.” The hand squeezed just a snick tighter. “Now we just need to talk about finding you a proper bride. Someone beautiful and powerful to suit…” “I’m going to ask you to stop that right now,” Alexander said coldly as he turned and glared down into his father’s face. “Or I may just have you locked up on principle.” He gave his shoulder a slight shrug to dislodge the offending hand. King Falcon cocked his head, and let out an off-putting feminine laugh. “You weren’t even using any mage sense on me. How could you tell?” The voice completely changed to that of a carefree youth