Heirs of Vanity- The Complete First Trilogy Box Set

by R J Hanson

  How was he now? Where he was? What powers or information could have been brought to bear to cause a King’s Warrant? A paladin had sworn to the statement of cause, but what paladin? He wanted it to be Sanderland but knew that foolish desire would not make it so. Could Ash have done something to bring a just paladin to seek the aid of the King and his men?

  “Thinking of a lost friend?”

  Roland, startled from his thoughts, looked up to see a well-groomed man of common blood standing at his table. The man stood a few inches short of six feet with close-cut graying black hair, brown eyes, and mildly tanned skin. He looked to be beyond his thirtieth year but likely had not reached his fortieth as the lines around his mouth and eyes had not yet set into wrinkles. He was dressed in black silk pants, a gray silk shirt, and high black boots. He wore a sabre at his side paired with a jeweled dagger and the symbol of the balanced scales on a chain around his neck. This was the Marshal of Lavon.

  “I asked, thinking of a lost friend,” the Marshal said.

  “Yes, I was…” Roland stopped short and stood. “Roland, son of Velryk,” Roland said as he extended his hand.

  The Marshal accepted the hand shake and gestured toward an empty chair. Roland nodded and the Marshal seated himself and waved for a drink.

  “You may call me Marshal Jasper,” he said.

  “What can I do for the Marshal of Lavon?” Roland asked.

  “I’d be surprised if there was anything you could do for me,” Jasper said, not with a note of condescension but rather as a statement of fact. “It’s what I can do for you.”

  “Please, go on.”

  “The man your friend out bid today at the barn-wife’s block; his name is Yoren. He is wealthy and has bragged that he has many friends, some of whom are associated with the Black Fly.”

  “I have had dealings with the group,” Roland said. “Still, why does the Marshal of Lavon concern himself?”

  “It is my job to ensure the security and maintain the order here,” the Marshal said. “I would not have the son of Lord Velryk harmed in my jurisdiction. That is why I have put Yoren and his friends back on their ship and set them on their way. I tell you this now so it cannot be said that I knew and did not warn you of the danger.”

  “Why the concern over my father?” Roland asked.

  “We do very well here and we do not trouble King Eirsett or his men. I will not allow a situation to fester that might call for their…concern.”

  “I see,” Roland said, in fact not seeing at all.

  “On to other business, I understand you almost ran afoul of some King’s men in Modins,” Jasper said.

  “Was that a question?”

  The Marshal paused for a moment and gave Roland an amused smile. He took a drink from the mug of ale that had arrived and turned his focus back on Roland.

  “Let us not fence then,” Jasper said. “You speak plainly, so allow me to return the courtesy. You will find that I endeavor to emulate Father Time in that I rarely ask a question that I do not already know the answer to. You traveled for a time with a boy known as Ashcliff to you, he is sometimes known as Fletcher. I make it my business to know about those that make themselves known to the King’s Guard. Tell me about him.”

  “He’s a good friend and fine one to have on the trail with you,” Roland said.

  “You call someone with a King’s warrant a good friend?”

  “I do, and he is,” Roland said.

  “Very well,” the Marshal said. “What were your plans when you returned to the keep in Modins the night he was arrested?”

  Roland turned to look toward the crew of the Coarse Wind, a bit stunned that they had so quickly betrayed him.

  “Don’t be foolish,” the Marshal said. “There are no informants in your crew. You, as much as anyone, told me about it, if not in so many words. So, what were your plans?”

  “I didn’t have one,” Roland said. “I knew that his arrest was unjust.”

  “You ‘knew’ it to be unjust?”

  “I believed it to be unjust, and do still,” Roland said.

  “I see,” Jasper said. “If you live long enough, you will come to learn that knowing something and believing something are often very different.”

  “He is a good friend and not one to shirk an ally, even in the face of great danger,” Roland said.

  “This Ashcliff, then, he was a prisoner when you met him, therefore, he must have proven himself very useful to you.”

  “I did not ‘use’ him,” Roland said.

  “Oh, you did, in a manner of speaking,” Marshal Jasper said. “Take no offense for I offer none. I’m merely drawing conclusions based on what I understand of the situation and what you, yourself, have told me.”

  “Our bargain was his freedom for his help,” Roland said. “During our travels he became a trusted brother in arms.”

  “Interesting,” was Marshal Jasper’s only reply.

  “Why these questions about Ash?” Roland asked.

  “Security is the nature of my business,” the Marshal replied. “Information is the greatest form of security.”

  Night had settled around the many ships moored in the great trade city of Lavon. A cool spring breeze traveled leagues over the ocean to cool those on the decks of those ships and push the sounds of Lavon south. In spite of the bustling nature of harbor it was quite peaceful.

  Eldryn and Marnie had made their way back to the Coarse Wind and now sat upon a barrel and a crate on the upper deck of the ship. The cool of the evening seemed to also have cooled Marnie’s blood, for a time.

  “There is no need to be so hard on him,” Eldryn said. “I understand that you are upset but you must understand that your misfortune is not of our making.”

  “Not you, El’,” Marnie said in a tone that seemed a bit too familiar to Eldryn. “Him. He’s just so much like all the others. He thinks because he’s bigger and stronger he can do whatever he wishes.”

  “Roland is no bull of the woods,” Eldryn said. “I know that his manner could use some polish, but I assure you he means well and would not harm anyone weak or defenseless.”

  Eldryn, looking up into the night sky and, taking in the sea breeze on his face, wondered how one might polish Roland’s manner.

  “What is to happen to me now?” Marnie asked.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Eldryn said. “For now, you will be safe aboard the Coarse Wind. These men will not harm you.”

  “You think these Slandik sailors are somehow noble?” Marnie asked.

  She had adjusted to the life changing events of her day well. Not many people, and certainly fewer young girls, could have handled such a harsh change of fortune as she had this day.

  “We travel with them as a result of their respect for their king who, it so happens, is our mutual friend,” Eldryn said.

  “You know the King of the Slandik?” Marnie asked. “He’s your ‘friend?’”

  “Yes, we traveled together some,” Eldryn said.

  “You traveled with a King? What was his entourage like? How did you come to know the King of the Slandik?”

  Now, fortunately distracted from the events of the day, Marnie was engrossed. She longed to hear Eldryn’s tale, and from his own lips. Lips, Marnie reflected, that she thought she would quite enjoy. Here was the knight, whose armor actually shined, that she had dreamed of since childhood. She had often daydreamed how he would come to her rescue some day and take her away from whatever she imagined her peril to be.

  “He was…well, he was in need of some assistance, and Roland and I were able to help.”

  “You rescued a King, and you rescued me,” Marnie said. “Do your good deeds know no bounds?”

  “It was no more than the Code requires,” Eldryn said, a little uncomfortably.

  “The ‘Code?’”

  “My father was a cavalier, of the old Code,” Eldryn said. “I endeavor to honor his name and follow the Code of the Cavalier as well.”

  “What C
ode?”

  “The Code that kings and knights lived by before that Battles of Rending,” Eldryn said. “Has no one taught you this?”

  “I know the Battles of Rending was when the gods were enraged and decided to remake the world,” Marnie said.

  “There’s a good deal more to it than that,” Eldryn said. “The Code began as a means for people to live together for the benefit and protection of all. It evolved into a set of edicts bases on honor, responsibility, decency, humility, and personal sacrifice for the common good. It defined all the best attributes of civilized peoples.”

  “Isn’t that what laws are for?”

  “The rule of law is enforced,” Eldryn said. “The rule of law is essentially a list of acts or omissions that, if violated, will cause those enforcing the law to use force against you. The Code was, and has always been, a voluntary choice to live in such a way that purifies the heart, strengthens the will, and edifies the soul. Furthermore, adherence to the Code ensures safety and justice. Not only safety for lords and ladies. Not only justice for those high born or the wealthy. The Code of the Cavalier strives to attain those lofty goals for one and all. In the days of the Battles of Rending it was argued that the Code stood against the gods and the worship of them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Code re-enforces the core concepts of all goodly religions and beliefs.”

  Eldryn, suddenly concerned that he was beginning a sermon, fell silent.

  “Please, go on,” Marnie said. “I would like to hear about it. I would like to learn more about you.”

  “Although it is far too late to make a long story short, I will attempt to summarize,” Eldryn said. “During the times of the Battles of Rending many people were led astray by priests professing to know the will of their respective gods. A group of cavaliers, who were known for their adherence to the Code, opposed them which led to a strife and eventually open war between them. There was a division, then, between some of the churches and the brother kingdoms. Some champions sided with clerics and priests of their gods while some gods sided with the knights and lords of the Code. When those greater powers enjoined the Battles of Rending began.”

  “So you follow a code, the Code of the Cavalier, that calls upon you to be a better man and to protect those around you who cannot protect themselves?” Marnie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And Roland does not,” Marnie said. “It makes sense now.”

  “No,” Eldryn said. “That’s not what I’m saying. His father is more…practical. So is Roland. They are good men, but believe that they can make the world a better place by what they accomplish. I, and my father before me, believe that strict adherence to the Code is the best way to improve ourselves and the world around us. For how can a man bring justice if he is not just himself.”

  “So, Roland is unjust?”

  “No,” Eldryn said. “He is a good man. The best man I have ever known. But he believes it is enough to defend the weak and strike down the wicked. Make no mistake, those are proper ideals, but one must do so by just means. Roland believes that the justice is in the outcome, not the manner in which the outcome is attained.”

  “Could you teach me this Code?” Marnie asked.

  “I don’t know that I’d be qualified to…”

  “Of course you are,” Marnie interrupted. “I, much to the chagrin of some local scholars and mages, have studied philosophy and politics for years. I have never heard anyone describe a personal morality better.”

  “Very well,” Eldryn said. “If you wish to learn, then I will teach, as best I can.”

  “Where do we begin?” Marnie asked.

  “Before you can master a weapon or a mount you must learn to master yourself,” Eldryn said, unintentionally using one of Roland’s favorite quotes from Thoughts on War.

  “I am sorry for how I acted, and for biting Roland,” Marnie said as she looked toward her feet. “I was trying hard to be brave and when he reached for me…I didn’t know you…I thought…”

  Then the tears began. It hadn’t occurred to Eldryn she was afraid that Roland was intent on using her the way the others wished to. He hadn’t understood that her brave posture on the barn-wife’s block was all she could muster. That it was the absolute limit of what she could endure.

  “No, Marnie,” Eldryn said as he wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. “I am sorry.”

  Chapter V

  Brothers in Arms?

  It was dark in the private chambers of the Marshal of Lavon. The man currently known as Jasper stepped to the left of the rug just inside his suite, closed the door behind him, and secured many locks. Once the locks were bolted again, and more than one trap reset, he lifted the rug to examine the white linen cloth he kept beneath it. There were no marks on it from the black powder the rug had been treated with implying no one had set foot in his chambers. His design was so delicate that he had even been able to discern the trail of a small rodent across the rug on occasion. However, something was amiss.

  “I sharpened my skills while I was away,” came from a dark corner of the room.

  “You have indeed,” Jasper replied. “Although you still have much to learn. You chose the darkest corner of the room. A bit obvious. Furthermore, that corner puts you out of line for any potential escape either by the door or the windows. You would have one move and that would be to kill whoever came in, and instantly. Otherwise they would have you cornered.”

  “I do have much to learn,” Ashcliff said.

  “Worry not,” Marshal Jasper said. “Your cunning has served you well thus far. The Warlock of the Marshes speaks highly of you. It seems he was very pleased with your work.”

  Marshal Jasper knew better than to ask Ashcliff what task the Warlock of the Marshes had required, although he would very much like to know. However, Confidentiality was dear to their group and to those that hired them. In fact, discretion was paramount.

  “He would be a dangerous person to anger,” Ashcliff said.

  “Indeed. Why the detention in Modins?”

  “I needed some distance from Roland and Eldryn for a time to take care of other matters,” Ashcliff said. “It also seemed a good way to make Roland feel indebted to me. I made a miscalculation there, though. I thought they would be upset, and feel that they failed me thereby engendering a deeper sense that they owed me. On that count I was correct. I did not anticipate his willingness to challenge the Keep in Modins though. They were already not fond of several in the church of Silvor, so I thought them the best scape goats but I did not foresee a move against king’s men.”

  “You now know how deep the loyalty of the boy goes,” Jasper said, leaving Ashcliff to decide which particular loyalties he spoke of. “It comes at a cost though. The King’s Guard in Modins now know your face and, although the warrant they thought they were serving may have been a false one, the escape was genuine.”

  “Not too high a cost,” Ashcliff said. “They know only one face, and still have no name to attach to it.”

  “You have mastered the shifting then?”

  “You taught me well,” Ashcliff said. “I would not say I have mastered it, not yet. I am skilled enough to keep the likes of them off of my trail though.”

  “Lexxmar is not easy to come by, and even more difficult to escape,” Jasper said. “How did you manage it?”

  “Easy enough,” Ashcliff said. “The King’s Guard did not have any. They were made to believe their target possessed great magic and lexxmar would be needed. Therefore, in exchange for a few shall we say courtesies, I provided them with the manacles. Manacles of my own design that certainly appeared to be of lexxmar.”

  “Very clever, and well planned,” the Marshal said. “And now? I have no pending work for you.”

  “I wanted to make a full report to you directly,” Ashcliff said placing a velvet bag of coins on the Marshal’s desk. “And of course, my tribute. Also, the Warlock of the Marshes has engaged me in another contract.”

  “Go on,”
the Marshal said.

  “My work takes me to Lawrec,” was Ashcliff’s only reply.

  Jasper, the Marshal of Lavon, Sword of the Council, and Master Seven among the Shadow Blades smiled. He had taught this one well. However, Ashcliff had learned much on his own. Jasper would do well to remember that lest he underestimate his apprentice in the future. For the only way one becomes a Master among the Twelve is to kill a Master. As it had been in their order for generations.

  The Master Ashcliff must eventually make his target need not be I, though, Jasper thought to himself. There were other Masters in the past with one or more former apprentices counted among the Twelve, and oh how powerful they had been because of it. Ashcliff was wise enough to know this and see the apparent advantage of sharing in that brotherhood with a former Master and new ally. However, I would do well to remember how much Ashcliff has learned on his own.

  “The large fool does care for you,” the Master Shadow Blade said. “I come just now from speaking with him and probing his thoughts. See that remains your advantage and not a weakness.”

  Ashcliff was surprised at himself at the anger he felt when his Master referred to Roland as a ‘large fool.’ His discipline kept his mind and his expressions in check though. He would reveal nothing.

  “He has a promising future,” Ashcliff said. “By his birth right, and by his ambition, he will likely rise to a high station. His will be a valuable friendship to have. Furthermore, he knows little to nothing of our world and will seek my counsel on many topics. What I have set in place has potential for power and influence for us.”

  Jasper, known to some as Ashdow the Sure and to others as Kelmut the Fierce, smiled again.

  The sun shone on the backs of the crew of the Coarse Wind as the Slandik warship made its way out of the bay of Lavon and pointed her prow toward Vanthor, the port city of Lawrec to the west. They had spent nearly three weeks in Lavon, delayed while waiting on a late harvest of herbs sorely needed in Thorvol and Shrou Bay, the two major cities of the Slandik.