Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Jon Snow. Close to the Wall.

After a short walk, I was still in the cave with Cid and Mara, waiting for a return letter from Winterfell. However, it should have arrived last night, but still no word. It was now past noon, which meant that the raven would have arrived at Twilight Tower by now anyway, no matter how fast it flew or what it encountered along the way.

It could be assumed that the raven did not make it to Winterfell, but that option is eliminated because I was personally present when the letter was written and sent. Ser Denys wouldn't put a stick in the wheel, it's not something a man like him is capable of, so that leaves only one option, sabotage.

I expected such a scenario, but sincerely hoped that it could be avoided. And if we continue to wait, then of course there will be questions and mass discontent from the Brothers of the Night Watch, namely those who just want us to leave and waste their supplies.

Beyond that, right now I'm just standing still, and because of that, my Origin is pressing me and calling me to action. It demands that I ignore all sorts of consequences and get behind the Wall, and that's pretty hard to resist. Right now it's limited to a minor annoyance, but eventually it will escalate into something uncontrollable that I really want to avoid.

 That is, I understand the current situation and also the way out of it, however afterward, problems will abound. On the one hand to follow my essence, and on the other hand to keep my reputation and honor. And that's... complicated.

Origin is what every living being is born with. Its essence and life path that it must follow against all odds. In ordinary people, that is, those who have not been awakened, the Origin is more like a subconscious or instinct that tells them what to do and how to do it, and its influence on a person is not as strong as it is in mages.

The awakened Origin, in a sense, takes away the mage's right to choose, because it finally merges with him. It is almost impossible to do otherwise than what it demands. That is, if a mage has a Killing Origin, then in absolutely any situation where there is a choice between "kill" and "don't kill", he will choose the former without a second's hesitation.

I, on the other hand, am trying to resist, which is, to put it mildly, very difficult to do. Though it can be explained by my own Origin, as strange as that sounds. I understand the current situation exactly as much as I understand the way out of it. But wanting to "understand" the incident with the White Walkers slightly but still tips the scales towards action rather than expectation. And since that's the case.

- Mara, Cid, get ready. We're leaving.

- Oh? - Mara was surprised, and Cid raised an eyebrow - Didn't you say we should just wait, huh?

- We can't afford it anymore. We're being sabotaged," I said and beckoned Ghost over to me, "You'll have to trust me to make sure everything goes quickly and cleanly. I can provide more or less safe passage to that trail, and Cid will lead the way from there.

- You want no deaths? - Cid asked, raising his bow.

- Yes. At most, only to wound, not to kill. We don't need an extra tail in the form of the Night's Watch.

Cid glanced at Mara, and after a brief nod, looked at me.

- What's the plan?

-0-

I quietly crept up to one of the Brothers guarding the entrance and knocked him unconscious with the flat side of the Durandal. The other one saw this and tried to do something, but Cid was behind him, repeating my actions. The hunter looked at me, as did Mara with her bow and Ghost, and after a couple deep breaths, I nodded briefly.

We split up. While I went to activate the runes I had drawn, applying Strengthening to my legs to attract attention, Cid, Ghost, and Mara occupied a small hole hidden by the roots of a large tree and waited for the signal.

Since the distance from the cave to the Twilight Tower was short, pretty soon I managed to reach the first point of the three. I touched the spot where I had drawn my hand and filled it with mana, causing the two runes of the combined rune to glow, increasing in brightness with each passing second. Finished with this point, I went to the next one.

There was only one patrol in the part of the forest where the cave was located, and it was not intended for our observation, so I was able to move stealthily away from it. The other patrols, which were limited to three groups, were operating near the Twilight Tower, and they were the only ones who could spot us on our way to the trail.

The fire would attract their attention and force them to converge, for the trees I had marked formed an arc, and when the runes were fully activated, a wall of flame would form that they could not ignore.

After reaching the last tree and also infusing mana into the runes, I ran to where the rest of the group was hiding and then waited. All of this took no more than a couple minutes, but the amount of mana that was spent in this short period of time is a first for me.

- Hey, idiot, are you sure this is going to work? - Mara asked, glancing in the direction I'd come from.

She didn't get an answer, since there was no need for one. The next moment, a huge scarlet flame erupted in three places, which quickly spread to the nearby trees. A few seconds later, the screams of the Brothers of the Night Watch could be heard, as well as the sounds of them running.

The hideout was between the cave and the path to the Twilight Tower, and if any of the Brothers had been particularly attentive, we would have been spotted. However, a massive fire just a little further from the cave had taken over everything, making them not care about any of the holes there.

We waited for the footsteps to subside, which took another minute or two, and then promptly rushed onward. My eyes and ears under the Fortification helped me pick my way so I wouldn't accidentally show my face to those who were running from the Twilight Tower to lend assistance.

Sometimes we had to slow down as Ser Denys's eagle circled in the sky, but when it flew farther away, we resumed our pace without wasting time. But even from this distance I could feel the heat of the flames engulfing this part of the forest. It was not what I wanted, but what was necessary.

And so quite quickly we reached the Twilight Tower, or rather the very place where we had first been caught, and yet remained unnoticed. Or so I thought, for--

- What are you doing here, Ser Denys?" I asked, stopping the group and looking ahead.

There were five Brothers of the Night's Watch in front of me, with Ser Denys at their head, and each of them had drawn their swords and were looking at us with some anger and coldness, and one of them with some mockery. I drew my Durandal from its sheath, the Ghost growled menacingly, and Cid and Mara drew their arrows to prepare for battle, for that was the most likely course of events.

- What are you doing here, young man? - Did you not give your word that you would wait for the letter? And if you are really the son of the Pacific Wolf, where is your honor?

- My honor is always with me, Ser Denys," I replied calmly, "But I'm not sure about those behind your back.

- You want to die, asshole? - shouted one of the Brothers, but not the one I meant.

- You set the fucking forest on fire, and you want to accuse us of dishonor? - added a second, but also the wrong one.

- Silence," Ser Denys raised his hand, silencing him, "What are you talking about, young man?

I suppose I should thank fate that Ser Denys is the one in command of the Twilight Tower. He didn't attack right away, but wanted to see what the situation was. Although, given what I'd done, the older man might have tried to kill me right away.

The flames in the distance had stopped spreading, but were still burning. I purposely marked exactly those trees that were somewhat far away from the main forest to minimize the damage but still attract enough attention. That is, it turned out to be three relatively small localized fires that combined into one, but didn't hit the main forest. And to extinguish the fire, all you have to do is cut down nearby trees and spray with water or melted snow.

- May I ask, did you receive the letter? - I asked, deliberately ignoring the accusation of arson.

- No, the crow hasn't arrived yet.

- And you don't find that strange? There have been no major snowstorms or rain these days, meaning that nothing could have delayed the raven enough for him not to have arrived by now. The latest he's come is last night, but no more than that.

- And you mean to say that some of the Brethren deliberately prevented the letter from reaching? - said Ser Denys, to which I nodded in agreement - That's a very bold statement, young man. And why would he do that?

- I doubt any small band of wildlings could have forced him to act. And it seems to me that his goal was to depose you by causing discontent in the Twilight Tower. You would keep your word and wait for the letter without touching us, but the longer this went on, the more discontent and distrust of you as commander.

- That makes sense, but how do you prove it? - she asked, to which I thought for a moment, and then stuck my sword in the ground in front of me, folding my hands on the hilt, because I had an idea.

- A trial by combat. It was the only way I could think of.

- Hmm..." he mumbled thoughtfully, "In that case... Glare Chernin, he will be your opponent.

It was the one who had thrown me the taunt that reacted to the name, and was most likely the instigator of all this. He looked stunned at Ser Denys, but then silently stepped forward with a very displeased expression on his face, pointing his sword at me. I, too, was surprised by the choice, for of all those present, Ser Denys had settled on the very man I suspected.

He was a tall, middle-aged man in black leather armor and cloak, the usual uniform of the Night's Watch. He had short blond hair, some stubble on his face, brown eyes, and a crooked nose. All in all, I would have called him relatively ordinary, if not suspicious.

- Stand back," I said to Mara, Cid, and Ghost, "I'll be quick.

- Suit yourself. - Mara shrugged, but she didn't lower her bow, and neither did Cid, and Ghost stopped growling.

- And what kind of a sword is that? It's stained and stained like you found it in some cesspool. Aren't you ashamed to be waving around trash like that?

I froze.

This scum called Lord Solomon's gift... trash...?

As soon as those words reached my ears, my mind, I felt rage. So strong and burning, as if it were molten metal that was poured directly onto my naked heart. If before this... trash had caused me basically nothing, now I wanted to kill him, as someone like him was not worthy of life.

My face turned into an impenetrable ice mask, and the magical circuits in my body began to resonate with my emotions, making my body feel cold and cold. The ghost, sensing this, howled pitifully, Mara and Cid stared at me in surprise as the others present. But I didn't care about the reaction of any of them, for all I wanted now was the death of the man standing before me.

- Ser Denys, if you would be so kind as to give the signal. - I said in a tone reminiscent of the Wall itself, to which Ser Denys opened his eyes dazedly, but then nodded briefly.

- Begin, and let the gods decide your fate.

- Are you ready to die? - Glare asked with a sneer and lunged at me, drawing his sword over his head. I didn't move and just waited.

When his sword was almost upon me, I applied Strengthening to my entire body and sword, and then retaliated with a horizontal strike. Durandal went through his sword like a knife through butter, and then, without losing speed or strength, reached the very body of my enemy.

The man who ran at me to kill me was killed himself, and his body was split in two by a single blow, as was his sword. The upper part of his body, or rather, everything above his waist, flew a couple of meters, and then landed on the ground like a sack of garbage, sliding the same amount of time. The lower part, however, stopped right behind me and was just my legs and waistband.

Blood gushed from both parts, splattering the ground, and the insides slowly and reluctantly 'leaked' out of them, exposing the contents of the body and making for an unpleasant sight.

- Can we go now, Ser Denys?" I asked icily, completely ignoring the reaction to the 'duel'. He nodded briefly, still not recovering, and then my gaze went to Cid, Mara, and Ghost. "Let's go. There's nothing more for us to do here.

I walked silently past the Brothers of the Night's Watch, and the members of my group followed me, also remaining silent.

Their gazes, the former and the latter, were clearly felt at my back. It was as if they didn't want to break away from it, and this continued even as we disappeared from their sight of the Night Watch. I could discern many different emotions in those looks, but the strongest were incomprehension, bewilderment, and to some extent admiration.

However, none of that bothered me, for I had done what I wanted to do. Whoever dared to insult Lord Solomon paid with a life he was not worthy of.

I can forgive many things, but not that. Insult me? All right, but insult my family or Lord Solomon? I will make you pay for it. It's my oath, my creed, which I will not break, not even on pain of death. Definitely.

-0-

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