Now, a few months had passed since the meeting. Archibald’s private lessons continued, though more than half of his classes were now with his father, four or five times a week. Some others also began private lessons: Peter and Veronica, for instance, who were considered leaders by their siblings as the two oldest, as well as a few other standout fighters. Missions continued, and each time some samples were sent to the capital, and some were kept for training. More war meetings were held. Archibald was still his father’s guard, but almost no one questioned him anymore.
Archibald sat alone in his father’s office. He tapped his fingers against the desk, humming a hymnal tune. The windows shook, and as he got up to check on them, his father entered.
“Archie, how’d you sleep?”
“I slept well, father.”
“So, um, Archie?” his father murmured, taking his seat across from Archibald, “You know, the demon king is arriving quite soon. I have begun assembling the force that will be confronting him of about fifty.”
“Only fifty?” Archibald said, “And am I a part of that? Did I make the cut, Father?”
“Of course, Archie,” his father said, leaning over the desk to steady Archibald by the shoulder, “I actually wanted to tell you that, since you’re the general of the army, you’ll be leading your siblings.”
Archibald froze.
After a moment, his father asked, “Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, Father, of course I’m okay with that! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise, I won’t let you down.”
“But, Archie, on the topic of not letting me down,” his father said as he receded back into his chair, “I want to see how strong you actually are. Consider this lesson an evaluation. I want you to show me what kind of magic you plan to use against the demon king.”
Archibald’s father gestured Archibald to his feet and waved his hand expectantly.
“Well, I can mainly do explosions, but I’m also pretty good at wind manipulation. I can show you-”
“No, now that you mention it, we should go outside for this.”
They made their way to the bottom of the tower, stepping out into the shimmering purple haze that surrounded the tower’s base. “Now, Archie, please show me the extent of your magic.”
Archibald raised his arms and slammed his hands together. As a gale of wind flew past them, a dozen trees were uprooted, and they were sent flying high into the air. With a snap of Archibald’s fingers, the trees shredded themselves. Finally, Archibald clapped his hands again, and the wood pulp reassembled itself into a set of five large trees in the place where the dozen first sat.
“That was just my wind,” Archibald said quietly, “I wasn’t sure whether you wanted me to use explosions, even outside.”
“No, Archie, I need to see everything. If you plan to use explosions against the demon king, I need to see.”
Archibald nodded. He clapped his hands together, and the air outside of the purple shimmer began to glow orange. As if the night sky had come down to the ground, pockets of light like stars formed, and the collection of fiery balls flickered for a moment before fading out. There was nothing, then the trees erupted with fire. The flame burst all around before disappearing, leaving a series of tree-sized piles of ash in the places where the trees once were.
“Was that good?” Archibald asked.
“Archie, that was phenomenal,” his father replied, “Was that your best?”
“No, I was scared that I would destroy the tower,” Archibald said, his head falling, “I’m sorry.”
“Archie, you don’t have to be sorry. That was more than good enough. I trust you.”
“So, I’m going to be the general? I’m going to be in charge?”
“Almost.”
Archibald’s father began to walk off, and Archibald followed him cautiously as they stepped into the dungeon. “Hey Archie?”
“Yes, Father?”
“I have one more thing to teach you. The last draconic phrase I could ever hope for you to learn, but it would be irresponsible of me if I didn’t teach you, just in case. It’s a last-ditch effort. If you’re caught or if there’s no other way out, you can use this, but in no other case should you—” Archibald’s father bent down “—Archie, I need you to promise to me you won’t use this unless you have no other choice.”
“I promise, Father.”
“Good,” his father said, standing up straight, “I’m going to teach you how to rebuild the seal on the demons.”
ns216.73.217.120da2
and then Add to home screen.