by Jesse Teller
Thomas laughed.
“Moa gave Clark two mighty sons who ruled his nation in peace and power when he died. But Ferallorn gave him two sons as well. One became known as The Rider. His story, I cannot tell you now. We haven’t the time. But the other was Pax Nardoc, the half-dragon.
“One day he quarreled with his half-brothers on the direction they were taking the nation after his father’s death. When they could not reach an agreement, Pax took his army and, instead of warring with his two brothers to the harm of the nation, he went south to this land to fight the savages that peopled it.
“He was the first king of Lorinth. He struck a peace with my people, the trimerians of Ebu, which still stands to this day. He drove the savages into the ocean. He doled out his land among his twelve generals, and he did the most difficult thing a king can ever do.”
“What is that?”
“He hammered out peace and tranquility for his people.”
“What happened to him?”
“He fell ill, and The Rider came for him. Pax handed over the crown to his son, and he left with his brother, riding his own horse beside The Horse That Would Carry No Man. They disappeared from our histories. You pump his blood through your body. You are a son of Pax. You are of Dragon Blood.
“With this bloodline comes a certain responsibility. It means you are held accountable for this nation and others as well.”
Thomas sat still, his face calm, betraying nothing of the mind within. “Why?” he asked. “Why do I hold more responsibility than any other ruler of any other nation?”
“Your heart pumps not only the blood of Pax Nardoc, but the blood of Clark the First King as well. The other rulers of the world will look to you to learn how to treat their people and their nation’s neighbors.”
“That’s not fair,” Thomas said quietly to himself. He looked up at Rayph and shook his head. “What does the world learn from father?”
Rayph closed his eyes and fought to control his temper. The room trembled and Thomas started. Rayph calmed himself and looked Thomas in the eye.
“I will not speak ill of your father in his castle. You know the way I feel about him. I have made my feelings known, but I will tell you this. You must not learn by the actions of others. You must decide how you will treat your people by listening to your values and whatever code you hold to.”
The door slammed open and the solid footfalls of a soldier filled the hall, echoing. Rayph stood and looked to Thomas. “You must listen well to all I have to say.”
Thomas nodded.
Dran stopped just short of Rayph, her hand on her sword, her stern face cold and hard. “I have been ordered to place you under arrest if I find you in this castle at any point, in any room. Have you come to surrender to me?” Her face was splotchy and red with anger.
“I have not. I wish no—”
“I see you have been talking to the king’s son. What have you been telling him about his father? I will not have my king—”
“I have never spoken my thoughts of Phomax Nardoc. My tutelage of the boy began when he could speak. I wish to aid him in his studies.”
“Do you know what kind of trouble I would be in if the king were to find this out?” She stared Rayph in the eye with a ferocity that threatened combat.
“I have let you know of this in full knowledge that you might take the boy from me. There is an issue of great import I must speak with you about.”
“In front of the boy?”
“In front of my prince, yes,” Rayph said. Dran’s anger slid behind her as she shrugged off the rage and settled her mind. Rayph noticed then how much he missed her.
“Speak,” she said.
“Phomax is in danger,” Rayph said. Measured calm passed across her brow and she drew in a long breath, releasing it slowly.
“From who?”
“Julius Kriss,” Rayph replied.
Her eyes widened a bit, but otherwise she had no noticeable reaction at all.
“Kriss resides in your prison. How has he escaped the unpredictable walls of Mending Keep?”
“He was freed by Black Cowl. I believe the two are plotting together. Much has happened in the last few days, but I can tell you that a great darkness is rising and I mean to fight it.”
“Reclaim your post,” she said. “Oust this insult of a court wizard from her office and make peace with Phomax. I will talk to him about you and smooth—”
“I will not. I am more dangerous as a citizen than as a member of court. And I will not answer to that man again in this life.”
“You are a citizen of his nation. You answer to him no matter your position.”
Rayph cocked an eyebrow, and Dran huffed. “Why speak of this in front of the child?” Dran asked. “You will fill his dreams with horrors.” Dran looked at the boy and appeared suddenly uncomfortable.
“He will be ruler one day. He must be ready for horrors.”
“At this age?”
“At any age.”
“I will not let Kriss take my king.” Her face looked as hard as her heart.
“I will deal with Kriss,” Rayph said.
“Do you have a plan?”
“One is in the works. You need to tell me if he is going to be vulnerable. I need to know his schedule. Are there any trips I need be aware of?”
“I cannot.” She shook her head. “I cannot tell details of my king’s life to a man he counts as enemy.”
“We head for Song in a week,” Thomas said.
Dran turned to the prince, her face wide with astonishment. “Thomas!”
“The Festival of Blossoms?” Rayph said. “Find a reason not to go.” Rayph turned to the governess. “Thomas will have to come down ill.”
“Absolutely not. I am going,” Thomas stated. “I must stand beside my father. If this Kriss is successful, I will need to take command of the nation immediately. The people must see their king.” Thomas’s eyes lit up, and he held tight to his smile. “And Shalimarie will be there. I must go. I will not miss her.”
Rayph turned to the prince and looked him square in the eye. “What you speak of is dangerous and reckless. You will be safer in the castle surrounded by your father’s men. You must think, Thomas. This is not a good idea.”
“My mind is made up, Ivoryfist. I will not hide from this assassin. I fear him not.”
“You need fear him, milord. I fear him.”
Thomas’s face rippled with controlled anxiety, and he looked Rayph in the eye. “Then talk to my protector. I will be safe with him.”
Rayph let the idea roll about in his head, and he nodded. “I will try,” he said. He turned to Dran but, before he could speak, the door slammed open once again. Rayph looked up and his heart stopped in his chest. He dropped to his knee and lowered his head. He heard Dran and Dayla do the same.
“Rayph Ivoryfist, get to your feet this instant.”
Rayph stood and looked at the most beautiful human he had ever seen.
“My queen, I can explain,” he said. His heart beat out frantically in his chest, and he steadied his breathing.
“You need explain nothing.” She assaulted him with a tight embrace. She kissed his neck, and he thought of his wife. He slowly pushed her back and looked at her.
“You look well,” he said. The words felt weak and obvious, and he hated them as soon as they left his mouth.
“You never came back.” Her eyes held deep pain, and he looked at his feet. “You saved my sweet Thomas, then you disappeared. You never let me thank you. I was terrible to you after he was attacked.”
“You were sick with worry.”
“Then, weeks ago, I find out you have been his tutor this entire time and you never let me apologize or thank you. Shame on you, Ivoryfist!” She wiped tears from her eyes and pressed a hand into her hip.
“I am sorry if I deceived you, but I deemed it necessary to teach the boy as I could.”
The queen waved a hand at Dran and the soldier stood.
“Mother, my father is in danger. Rayph came to warn us,” Thomas said.
The emotion on the queen’s face almost looked like satisfaction. She wiped it away quickly but Rayph caught it. She looked to him.
He was suddenly struck with a plan, and he laughed at its lunacy. “I have a thought. I know now how I will keep the king safe from his enemies, but I will need the help of all of you.” Rayph shook his head, feeling a bit mad as he laid his plan out carefully. He waited for Dran to hit him and was surprised when she nodded her consent.
Karctet
Glyss swung out of the carriage door and slammed it shut. He stood on the step and gripped the handle with disgust. Konnon laughed and whistled to Chat. They rode to the door and Glyss greeted them both with a look of exhaustion.
“Says we have come far enough for the day and wants to set camp,” Glyss said.
Konnon thought of the obscenely big tent the man had brought, and the time they had spent clearing brush and small trees from the forest floor in order to set it up the last few nights, and he groaned.
“We are but a few miles from Karctet. At this pace we will get there by nightfall,” Konnon said. “We can set up there in less time and he can be sleeping in minutes. They have that square where the statue used to stand. They dug that fountain out and there will be plenty of room for all of us. Tell him if he can settle in for a hour or two more, we can get him a decent, safe place to sleep.”
Glyss looked at Konnon as though he had asked him to take off his own head. “You want me to tell him no?”
Chat looked at them both with wide eyes. “Maybe that is unwise,” the man said. He had been beaten by this merchant. Had suffered one insult after the next. The man had promised to ruin Chat when they reached the city of Fir-Lak once again. Said there was no excuse for many of the things that happened on the trip, all well out of the young guard’s control. Chat looked at Konnon with fear and Glyss smiled.
“Maybe you should talk to him about it,” Glyss said.
Konnon sighed. “Might be a bad idea,” he said.
“Might make a few things right, if you think about it,” Glyss said.
Konnon chewed the idea before nodding and swinging from the horse to the step. Glyss took his horse and laughed. As Konnon opened the door and stepped in, Glyss turned to Chat and laughed.
“You’re gonna love this,” Glyss said.
Konnon sighed. The inside of the carriage was dark and Konnon decided that would serve nicely. He dropped into the seat across from the merchant and smiled at him from under his thick hair. The carriage stunk of stale sweat and grease. The air felt humid and dank. The windows had been closed this entire trip. Konnon thought of Glyss trapped in here with this filthy man and he fought back his laugh.
A laugh now would not serve at all.
The man held a drenched kerchief to his nose, and his face screwed up in disgust.
“I did not ask for you. Stop this carriage right now and get me set up for the night. I demand that—”
“Shut up,” Konnon said softly. The man hissed in response, but did not raise his voice.
“You filth, you will not tell me to shut up. I want you out of my carriage and off of this job. I will destroy your life for your insolence. I am a man of power and I will not suffer a fool of your stature to—” the man was getting louder. Louder was not good. Louder gained power. Konnon shook his head and held up a finger.
“Man of power?” Konnon said. “Are you, though?” Konnon’s voice was almost a whisper. The man stared back in shock and Konnon chuckled.
“I am wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. I could buy your life, you cur. You trash, you—”
“Konnon,” he said. “My name is Konnon. The man you have been traveling with in here is Glyss Crillian.” He let the gravity of the names slide into the man’s mind for a minute. The man silenced.
“So you have heard of us, then?” Konnon said. “Talk to me now about power. Talk to me here, out in the middle of the wilderness, about the mighty power you wield.” Konnon let his hand drop to his whip. “Tell me how you are going to get yourself home.”
“You are Konnon Crillian?”
“I am many things, sir. I am a warrior. I am a father. I am a friend. I am a swordsman. I am a killer. And I am the man that is telling you right now about what is going to happen when I walk out of this cart. We are not stopping yet. To do that would be foolish. I am many things, as you now know, but foolish is not one of them. I will lead us to the city of Karctet and we will sleep there. It is defensible and safe from wildlife. When we get there, you can rest. Until then, get comfortable.”
“Konnon, you may be all of these things, but you are not in charge of this expedition. I am paying your salary, so it is not you who will be telling anyone what is going to happen.”
“I’m not going to take my dagger and put it in your throat,” Konnon said. “I’m not going to cut off your ear.”
The man whimpered, his eyes wide, as he pushed back into his seat to get away.
“I’m known for my temper, but you have yet to unravel it. You’re getting close. But you’re not there yet. I won’t do those things, but I will ask you, who are you making this delivery to and for whom?”
The man’s face changed. Konnon held back his smile.
“These are my own silks and—”
Konnon pulled his dagger and looked at it. The man let out a bit of a scream. Konnon heard the door open and slam shut again. He looked at the man and shook his head. “Lies infuriate me,” he whispered.
The man’s fat face quivered in terror but Konnon felt nothing. He was beginning to sense that hole opening under him, the part of him that enjoyed violence, the part of him that ached for battle. He could feel blood on his hands and he fought back his grin. He needed to keep himself under control.
“Whose errand are you on? This is a wet season. This is a dank and damp carriage. You are a soft man. If you could have avoided this trip, you would have. You would have sent an underling to see this shipment to its destination. But you don’t have an underling to burden with such a chore. So tell me, who are you working for?”
The man began, “His name is Blike Terbem. He is—”
Konnon held the blade of his dagger against his own lips and shushed the man. The muted light of the carriage gleamed in the mirror shine of the blade.
“We are going to walk out on you,” Konnon lied. “We are going to leave this road and ride back to town, Glyss and I. Before we go, we will kill all of your guards and every hired blade you came with, every one of your teamsters, and even your horses. We will leave you here with all your silks and every piece of your gold. We will ride away and never look back. See, my brother and I don’t like to be messed with. We don’t like to be yelled at. And we don’t like you. So when the bandits get here, and they will get here, they are going to take every coin you have. Those are Terbem’s coins, right? Well, they are all going to be gone. The bandits will take every bolt of cloth. They will take you and they will carry you all off.
“The first thing they are going to do is clap you in iron. Next, they will strip you of everything they can either use or sell. They will beat you before they do that, and they will use you for whatever pleasure you can give them. Then you will be sold to the man you failed. They will ransom you to Terbem for an exorbitant about of money.” Konnon shook his head. “He will pay it, too.” Konnon grinned. He leaned back and chuckled. “He will pay for you to be in his custody.”
“You would never kill all those people. You would never leave me here with all that gold,” the merchant said.
“What have you heard of Konnon and Glyss?” Konnon asked. “Think back on the legend. Think of the rumors that abound and the stories you have heard of our methods.”
Konnon knew this was a gamble. He and Glyss had, for over a decade, manicured a dark reputation. They had let stories of their tendency for cruelty prevail. They had built a myth of themselves, and it had served them well. The people t
hey smiled at sighed in relief; the ones they did not usually fled for their lives.
The man closed his eyes and nodded.
“I want you to take over for that idiot Chat. I want you to take control of the caravan and—”
“I like Chat,” Konnon said.
“I like him, too. Resourceful lad. Good bones.” When the man said the words, he winced.
“Good bones?” Konnon fought hard to hold back his laugh. His entire body threatened to tremble with the hilarity, but he kept it in, focused on the myth and the fear he fought to instill. He was known for being the grim one.
“Well, that is to say, he looks like he comes from good stock.” The man sputtered. “He looks….”
“Like a good breeding stud?” Konnon said. He had to tell Glyss about this tonight.
“No, it’s not that I want to breed him, or that he is good for making slaves.” When the man spoke the word, he flopped back in the seat and looked to the ceiling of the carriage. He cried out in abject fear and passed out.
Konnon fought back the laugh and gripped the door. He swung out and slammed it shut. Glyss switched spots with him.
“How did it go?” Glyss asked.
“He passed out,” Konnon said.
Chat looked at him with horror-stained face. “You killed him?” He put his hand on his sword, but his face was locked in terror.
“Didn’t kill him. Didn’t even touch him. I just introduced myself, stud,” Konnon said.
Glyss lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Stud?”
“I think he wants me to take over leadership of the caravan.”
Chat nodded, but his eyes fell.
“I will let you lead the way you have been doing,” Konnon said. “There has been nothing wrong with your handling of matters so far. But Glyss and I will handle the merchant from now on. It will make things run smoother.”
The man nodded.
“Stud?” Glyss asked.
“Later,” Konnon replied.
They entered Karctet and the merchant dropped to the ground with a grunt. He glanced around and up at Konnon. Glyss stepped out of the carriage and grinned. Konnon knew he had a tale to tell.
