Chapter 15: Letters
Michael swiftly scanned the letter's contents before carefully inscribing the academy's address on it. A flickering candle, on the verge of extinguishing, sat on the table beside him. In his hands, he held a brass seal, ready to be used.
With deftness, he melted the crimson wax, watching it drip onto the letter. Pressing the seal firmly, he left behind an intricate insignia—a symbol of the Emerald Castle. To ensure privacy, he applied another drop of wax, covering the address, and sealed it with another insignia, bearing the words, "Address sealed, open only when sending."
Jumping out of his chair, Michael exited the throne room and made his way through the hallway.
"Sir Michael, is there anything I can assist you with?" a courteous Emerald City Guard asked, bowing respectfully.
Michael nodded, handing the letter to the guard. "You know what to do with this. Send it discreetly," he instructed before heading back into the throne room, leaving the guard alone with the letter.
The guard patiently waited for Michael to return to the throne room, abiding by the etiquette of allowing his superior to leave first. He remembered the harsh punishment and humiliation he had endured from his Training Chief for breaking that rule.
Glancing at the letter and its seal, he pocketed it, walking out of the castle without exchanging greetings with the other guards.
Outside the castle gate, he waited until a horse rider passed by. The horse carried numerous bags filled with letters. "I have 48 letters for Sir Michael," the mailman on the horse stated, handing the letters to the guard.
"Yeah, and I have one special message," the guard replied.
"Special message," a code used to request extra security for a letter. The mailman swiftly took the letter, wordlessly acknowledging the guard's intent, and concealed it in his pocket.
As he rode along the road, he noticed another mailman on horseback beside him. "Hey, I need to send a special message. Can you help me out?" the other mailman asked.
The guard nodded. "Sure, I was on my way to deliver a special message too." He pulled out a letter displaying the Emerald City Guard seal.
Squinting to read the name on the letter, he asked, "Mason Wolfe?"
"Yeah, I was surprised too when I read the name. Who knew I'd be delivering a letter for someone important? And what about your letter?" the other mailman replied, handing his letter to the guard while keeping an eye on the road.
"I don't know, but even the destination address is stamped. They really want to keep this letter under the radar," the guard replied, carefully pocketing both important letters. He urged his horse forward, delivering over a hundred letters throughout the day until the sky darkened.
With only a couple of hours left before it grew too dark to roam the streets safely, he couldn't risk holding onto the two significant letters. Racing his horse as fast as it could go, he made his way to the Emerald City Post Office.
Exhausted, he entered the Post Office, wiping his face and dusting off the horse fur clinging to his pants. Sneaking past one of the offices, he discreetly slipped the two letters into a nearly invisible crack purposely created in the Post Office for secure letter storage.
The letters dropped into a box located in an underground room. "Oh, two special messages!" an overweight elderly lady exclaimed to her co-worker. She carefully cut away the wax covering the letter's address before passing them to her slender, elderly colleague. The colleague shaved off the seal insignia to maintain anonymity before placing the letters in a hole just above the ceiling of the room.
The two letters waited hours until someone entered the room above, picked up the letters, and placed them in a bag before leaving. The letters, now considered normal, were mixed with the rest of the mail as the sun illuminated the Post Office.
As the Post Office opened, mailmen entered and began collecting the letters. The two special messages, once distinct, were now indistinguishable from the others.
#
In the academy's admission office, the staff worked tirelessly to handle the influx of letters. The sheer number of applications showcased the academy's credibility and influence.
With no real authority to accept or reject applicants, the admission office merely recorded the names of those seeking admission before returning to their record-keeping duties.
"Hey, have you heard anything about the Sterlinguard family recently?" a young woman asked while reading George's admission letter.
"Isn't that the fallen family from Stonespike?" an older man replied.
"Yes... It seems that one of the remaining family members wants to join the academy," she mused, handing the letter to the older man.
"Hmm, isn't everyone in the family dea-" The older man paused as a woman in a white robe entered the room—it was the academy headmaster herself. The room fell silent as everyone focused on their work, fearing her presence.
Seraphina Starlight, a respected witch who still served Emerald City, she also lectured on magic within the academy. Glancing at George's admission letter, her interest was piqued, but she walked out without a word.
Outside, the non-magic sect headmaster awaited her. His imposing figure towered over the others, akin to a bear. "So, how are the potential recruits shaping up?" he inquired.
"There are some intriguing candidates... and a fair number of barbarians," she replied.
Gideon, the non-magic sect headmaster grinned. "Good for me. It seems my side of the academy won't be falling behind in the academy championship. By the way, have you heard the rumours circulating lately?"
"What rumors?" she asked, curious.
"The ones about spies infiltrating our academy. Look outside, they even sent two Emerald City Guards to investigate," he explained, pointing out the window with his muscular finger.
The witch headmaster peeked outside, observing Donovan and Mason Wolfe walking through the academy gates.
'It seems that the rumour has some truth to it... Else why would they have sent two former academy students here?' She thought, recognizing Donovan and Mason Wolfe, both who had been studying under the non-magic sect.
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