Chapter Fifty Two - Recovery (Part 2)

"So could you tell us what exactly happened to you?" Isan took a fruit off the table beside his seat, pulling off the red skin from it and biting into it. The juices bursting out and down his chin. He had to wipe it off with a sly smile on his face while Commander Joseph sighed out and shook his head.

Noah looked at Captain Isan and let out a little laugh before recounting his tale of getting into the tower with Fiona; recapping his meeting with the Commander; Speaking to Sara for a few hours before she left and came back in a rush telling him about how the tower was in chaos and finally rushing down the stairs and that is when it all goes black.

Throughout the whole recanting Isan didn't even raise an eyebrow just continued finishing the fruit that he was eating whereas Sir Joseph had raised his eyebrows at the end of it, seemingly confused at why Noah blacked out. "Noah, do you really not remember fighting Commander Fraser? He was a very tough opponent even for someone like me. If I hadn't lost the ability to use magic when he took me prisoner, I doubt I would have barely been able to knock him out."

His face turned to stone and he eyed Noah up suspiciously but didn't say anything else. "I swear, I don't remember anything else." Isan finished off the orange-like fruit before whispering "Stifare" watching the peels of the fruit burn in his hand and give off a sweet scent into the room.

"Are you sure? You can't remember how you fought him or what happened between the two of you?" Commander Joseph leaned closer on his chair while his hand's clasped together and his elbows on his knees; the room went into silence just the flame burning the citrus fruit peels could be heard.

"I promise Commander Joseph. I can't remember anything." Replying back to Sir Joseph.

"That is alright, Noah. You did a great job that shows how well your training has gone well and that you haven't missed a day of it at all. We can talk about it later, right now we have some other news that the Emperor has told us all to put out." Sir Isan put his hand on Noah's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Ahh yes, the Emperor is going to choose an heir to the throne, well first he is going to find someone that will bond with the child of his bond's. The one who bonds with him will then be trained in all the ways an Emperor should be prepared for." Commander Joseph explained to Noah.

"The Commanders have been sent out to gather every 15 - 18 year old in the Keep and bring them to an open landing floor, where they can meet the young dragon who will choose someone to bond with." Isan finished explaining why they visited.

"Oh... O...kay." Slowly let out Noah, thinking about Aulerius and how wondering what he was up to and how he was. Sitting in silence. Both Isan and Joseph looked at each other with Noah in between them with raised eyebrows. They had expected a possible candidate to be more excited but knew with everything that had gone on maybe they shouldn't expect more.

"Let's leave Noah to rest up a little more, I know what magic exhaustion feels like and he is going to need a deep sleep even after one of those gross concoction." Sir Isan stood up and walked to the door, dropping the ash of the burnt up peels into a bin at the door.

As they exited the private room, Noah laid down and thought about his bond. Joseph took one last look at Noah before closing the door softly. They both slowly walked down the long lobby and to the stairway planning on walking back up to the Commander briefing room.

"I am glad you got promoted, Isan. You made one hell of a choice being the first to go face those beasts and protecting the citizens." Starting a conversation between the two of them as they walked.

"You know it wasn't a choice. Henry and I are the only ones who had ever seen them before and because of the gag order we were placed under could only go and defend against them, if only there wasn't such a huge internal fight between the Generals." Isan replied while pulling down his cloak to cover his armour.

"I can only apologise for that gag order but it is what General Sil ordered for the better good even if it made Quin disappear after the incident."

"Disappear? He hates both of you and every single General that agreed to the idea. He lost his bond to those monsters and we wouldn't even retaliate. So don't just say he disappeared, we both know he would have started this in house fighting a lot sooner if he stayed in the keep." Isan snapped back at Joseph.

"Calm down, Commander," Joseph replied back icily to Isan.

Both of them walked in silence for a few minutes before Isan apologised for the outburst, "Sorry, ever since they 'punished' me for standing up for those citizens, my patience has shortened."

"It's fine. I know you two were close friends but he lost a few screws when Leora passed if anything I am amazed that Noah learned such control over magic from him. They say when your bond dies so does your connection to magic but I guess that proves me wrong." Joseph kept talking as they walked. "By the way, Isan, do you really think that Noah couldn't remember how he used magic as he did. Fiona and I are the only ones that seems to remember what happened in that ward and I have never seen anything like it and she is still trying to recover from Fraser's torture."

"That poor girl, she had things done to her that I am surprised you managed to recover from so quickly. She has to stay in isolation and she will only talk to female healers but even then they have to keep a distance so she doesn't lash out at them. I don't think he can remember what he did, whatever he did he somehow managed to wipe everyone's memory in there except yours and hers so he must have had some control but he still wiped his mother's memories. It couldn't have been easy to control he probably wiped his own." Isan put his thoughts on the table as they climbed the last set of stairs into the commanders briefing room.

As they entered the room and looked around there was a circle open area with a table and chairs and connecting to the room was four doors which led into rooms just like this one. The floor was wooden and each step they took clacked when their metal boots hit it.

Sitting at the table was the other commanders who were tasked with finding the other young adults that were possible candidates to the throne, there were seven commanders sitting down and chatting amongst themselves about their candidates. They took their seats and got ready to discuss their candidates with the Generals who were due in any second now.