The Kinslayer Wars

by Douglas Niles

  “Continue,” said Sithas urgently.

  “I believe that spell can be enhanced, developed so that many more of the creatures could be brought to heel. I can inscribe it onto a scroll. Then one of you can take it in search of the griffons.”

  “Are you certain that it will work?” demanded Sithas.

  “No,” replied the cleric frankly. “It will need to be presented under precise circumstances and with a great force of command. That is why the person who casts the spell must be a leader among elves – one of you two. No others of our race would have the necessary traits.”

  “How long would it take to prepare such a scroll?” pressed Kith. A cavalry company mounted on griffons, flying over the battlefield! The thought made his heart pound with excitement. They would be unstoppable!

  Vedvedsica shrugged. “A week, perhaps two. It will be an arduous process.”

  “I’ll go,” Kith volunteered.

  “Wait!” said Sithas sharply. “I should go! And I will!”

  Kith-Kanan looked at the Speaker in astonishment. “That’s crazy!” he argued.

  “You’re the Speaker of the Stars. You have a wife, a child! More to the point, you’re the leader of all Silvanesti! And you haven’t ever lived in the wilderness before like I have! I can’t allow you to take the risk.”

  For a moment, the twins stared at each other, equally stubborn. The cleric was forgotten for the moment, and he melted into the shadows, discreet in his withdrawal.

  It was Sithas who spoke.

  “Do you read the Old Script?” he asked his brother bluntly. “Well enough to be certain of your words, when you know that the whole future of the realm could depend upon what you say?”

  The younger twin sighed. “No. My studies always emphasized the outdoor skills. I’m afraid the ancient writing wouldn’t make much sense to me.”

  Sithas smiled wryly. “I used to resent that. You were always out riding horses or hunting or learning swordsmanship, while I studied the musty tomes and forgotten histories. Well, now I’m going to put that learning to use.

  “We’ll both go,” Sithas concluded.

  Kith-Kanan stared at him, realizing the outcry such a plan would raise. Perhaps, he had to admit, this was the reason the scheme appealed to him. Slowly, Kith relaxed, settling back into his chair.

  “The trip won’t be easy,” Kith warned sternly. “We’re going to have to explore the largest mountain range on Ansalon, and winter isn’t far away. In those heights, you can be sure there’s already plenty of snow.”

  “You can’t scare me off,” answered Sithas purposefully. “I know that Arcuballis can carry the two of us, and I don’t care if it takes all winter. We’ll find them, Kith. I know we will.”

  “You know,” Kith-Kanan said ironically, “I must still be dreaming. In any event, you’re right. The sons of Sithel ought to make this quest together.”

  With a final mug of wine, as the sky grew pale above them, they began to make their plans.

  9

  NEXT MORNING

  KITH-KANAN AND HIS MOTHER RODE THROUGH THE TREE-LINED streets of Silvanost for several hours, talking only of fond memories and pleasant topics from many years before. They stopped to enjoy the fountains, to watch the hawks dive for fish in the river, and to listen to the songbirds that clustered in the many flowered bushes of the city’s lush gardens.

  During the ride, it seemed to the elven warrior that his mother slowly came to life again, even to the point of laughing as they watched the pompous dance of a brilliant cardinal trying to impress his mate.

  In the back of Kith’s mind lurked the realization that his mother would soon learn of her sons’ plans to embark on a dangerous expedition into the Khalkist Mountains. That news could wait, he decided.

  “Are you going to join your brother at court?” asked Nirakina as the sun slid past the midafternoon point.

  Kith sighed. “There’ll be enough time for that tomorrow,” he decided.

  “Good.” His mother looked at him, and he was delighted to see that the familiar sparkle had returned to her eyes. She spurred her horse with a sharp kick, and the mare raced ahead, leaving Kith with the challenge of her laugh as he tried to urge his older gelding into catching up.

  They cantered beneath the shade of towering elms and dashed among the crystal columns of the elven homes in a friendly race toward the Gardens of Astarin and the royal stables. Nirakina was a good rider, with the faster horse; though Kith tried to spur the last energy from his own steed, his mother beat him through the palace gates by a good three lengths.

  Laughing, they pulled up before the stables and dismounted. Nirakina turned toward him, impulsively pulling him into a hug, “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Thank you for coming home!”

  Kith held her in silence for some moments, relieved that he hadn’t discussed the twins’ plans with her.

  Leaving his mother at her chambers, he made his way to his own apartments, intending to bathe and dress for the banquet his brother had scheduled for that evening. Before he reached his door, however, a figure moved out of a nearby alcove.

  Reflexively the elven warrior reached for a sword, a weapon that he did not usually carry in the secure confines of the palace. At the same time, he relaxed, recognizing the figure and realizing that there was no threat – at least, no threat of harm.

  “Hermathya,” he said, his voice oddly husky.

  “Your nerves are stretched tight,” she observed, with an awkward little laugh.

  She wore a turquoise gown cut low over her breasts. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and as she looked up at him, Kith-Kanan thought that she seemed as young and vulnerable as ever.

  He forced himself to shake his head, remembering that she was neither young nor vulnerable. Still, the spell of her innocent allure held him, and he wanted to reach out and sweep her into his arms.

  With difficulty, he held his hands at his sides, waiting for Hermathya to speak again. His stillness seemed to unsettle her, as if she had expected him to make the next move.

  The look in her eyes left him little doubt as to what response she was hoping for. He didn’t open the door, he didn’t move toward his room. He remained all too conscious of the private chambers and the large bed nearby. The aching in his body surprised him, and he realized with a great deal of dismay that he wanted her. He wanted her very badly indeed.

  “I – I wanted to talk to you,” she said. He understood implicitly that she was lying.

  Her words seemed to break the spell, and he reached past her to push open his door. “Come in,” he said as flatly as possible.

  He walked to the tall crystal doors, pulling the draperies aside to reveal the lush brilliance of the Gardens of Astarin. Keeping his back to her, he waited for her to speak.

  “I’ve been worried about you,” she began. “They told me you had been captured, and I feared I would go out of my mind! Were they cruel to you? Did they hurt you?”

  Not half so cruel as you were once, he thought silently. Half of him wanted to shout at her, to remind her that he had once begged her to run away with him, to choose him over his brother. The other half wanted to sweep her into his arms, into his bed, into his life. Yet he dared not look at her, for he feared the latter emotion and knew it was the worst treachery.

  “I was only held prisoner for a day,” he said, his voice hardening. “They butchered the other elves that they held, but I was fortunate enough to escape.”

  He thought of the human woman who had – unwittingly, so far as he knew – aided his flight. She had been very beautiful, for a human. Her body possessed a fullness that was voluptuous, that he had to admit he found strangely attractive. Yet she was nothing to him. He didn’t even know her name. She was far away from him, probably forever. While Hermathya …

  Kith-Kanan sensed her moving closer. Her hand touched his shoulder and he stood very still.

  “You’d better go. I’ve got to get ready for the banquet.” Stil
l he did not look at her.

  For a second, she was silent, and he felt very conscious of her delicate touch. Then her hand fell away. “I …” She didn’t complete the thought.

  As he heard her move toward the door, he turned from the windows to watch her. She smiled awkwardly before she left, pulling the door closed behind her.

  For a long time afterward, he remained motionless. The image of her body remained burning in his mind. It frightened him terribly that he found himself wishing she had chosen to remain.

  *

  Kith-Kanan’s reentry into the royal court of Silvanost felt to him like a sudden immersion into icy water. Nothing in his recent experience bore any resemblance to the gleaming marble-floored hall, and the elegant nobles and ladies dressed in their silken robes, which were trimmed in fur and silver thread and embellished with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.

  The discussions with his family, even the banquet of the previous night, had not prepared him for the full formality of the Hall of Audience. Now he found himself speaking to a faceless congregation of stiff coats and noble gowns, describing the course of the war to date. Finally his report was done, and the elves dissolved smoothly into private discussions.

  “Who’s that?” Kith-Kanan asked Sithas, indicating a tall elf who had just arrived and now made his way to the throne.

  “I’ll introduce you.” Sithas rose and gestured the elf forward. “This is Lord Quimant of Oakleaf, of whom I have spoken. This is my brother, Kith-Kanan, general of the elven army.”

  “I am indeed honored, My lord,” said Quimant, with a deep bow.

  “Thank you,” Kith replied, studying his face. “My brother tells me that your aid has been invaluable in supporting the war effort.”

  “The Speaker is generous,” the lord said to Kith-Kanan modestly. “My contribution pales in comparison to the sacrifices made by you and all of your warriors. If we can but provide you with reliable blades, that is my only wish.”

  For a moment, Kith was struck by the jarring impression that Lord Quimant, in fact, wished for a great deal more out of the war. That moment passed, and Kith noticed that his brother seemed to place tremendous confidence and warmth in Hermathya’s cousin.

  “What word from our esteemed ambassador?” asked Sithas.

  “Than-Kar will attend our court, but not until after the noon hour,” reported the lord. “He seems to feel that he has no pressing business here.”

  “That’s the problem!” snapped the Speaker harshly.

  Quimant changed the topic. To Sithas and Kith-Kanan, he described some additional expansions of the Clan Oakleaf mines, though the general paid little attention. Restlessly his eyes roamed the crowd, seeking Hermathya. He felt a vague relief that she was not present. He had felt likewise when she didn’t attend the previous night’s banquet, pleading a mild illness.

  The evening passed with excruciating slowness. Kith-Kanan stood tersely as he was plied with invitations to banquets and hunting trips. Some of the ladies gave him other types of invitations, judging from the suggestive tilts of their smiles or the coy lowerings of demure eyelashes. He felt like a prize stag whose antlers were coveted for everybody’s mantel.

  Kith found himself, much to his astonishment, actually looking back with fondness on the grim, battle-weary conversations he had most nights with his fellow warriors. They might have squatted around a smoky fire for illumination, caked with mud and smelling of weeks of accumulated grime, yet somehow that all seemed so much more real than did this pompous display.

  Finally the fanfare of trumpets announced the arrival of the dwarven ambassador and his retinue. Kith-Kanan stared in surprise as Than-Kar led a column of more than thirty armed and armored dwarves into the hall. They marched in a muddy file toward the throne, finally halting to allow their leader to swagger forward on his own.

  The Theiwar dwarf bore little resemblance to the jovial Dunbarth Ironthumb, of the Hylar Clan, whom Kith-Kanan had met years before. He found Than-Kar’s wide eyes, with their surrounding whites and tiny, beadlike pupils, disturbing – like the eyes of a madman, he thought. The dwarf was filthy and unkempt, with a soiled tunic and muddy boots, almost as if he had made a point of his messy appearance for the benefit of the elven general.

  “The Speaker has demanded my presence, and I have come,” announced the dwarf in a tone ripe with insolence.

  Kith-Kanan felt an urge to leap from the Speaker’s platform and throttle the obscene creature. With an effort, he held his temper in check.

  “My brother has returned from the front,” began Sithas, dispensing with the formality of an introduction. “I desire for you to report to him on the status of your nation’s involvement.”

  Than-Kar’s weird eyes appraised Kith-Kanan, while a smirk played on the dwarf’s lips. “No change.” He said bluntly. “My king needs to see some concrete evidence of elven trustworthiness before he will commit dwarven lives to this … cause.”

  Kith felt his face flush, and he took a step forward. “Surely you understand that all the elder races are threatened by this human aggression?” he demanded.

  The Theiwar shrugged. “The humans would say that they are threatened by elven aggression.”

  “They are the ones who have marched into elven lands! Lands, I might add, that border firmly against the northern flank of your own kingdom!”

  “I don’t see it that way,” snorted the dwarf. “And besides, you have humans among your own ranks! It almost seems to me that it is a family feud. If they see fit to join, why should dwarves get involved?”

  Sithas turned in astonishment to Kith-Kanan, though the speaker remained outwardly composed.

  “We have no humans fighting on the side of our forces. There are some – women and children, mostly – who have taken shelter in the fortress for the siege. They are merely innocent victims of the war. They do not change its character!”

  “More to the point, then,” spoke the ambassador, his voice an accusing hiss, “explain the presence of elves in the Army of Ergoth!”

  “Lies!” shouted Sithas, forgetting himself and springing to his feet. The hall erupted in shouts of anger and denial from courtiers and nobles pressing forward. Than-Kar’s bodyguards bristled and raised their weapons.

  “Entire ranks of elves,” continued the dwarf as the crowd murmured. “They resist your imperial hegemony.”

  “They are traitors to the homeland!” snapped Sithas.

  “A question of semantics,” argued Than-Kar. “I merely mean to illustrate that the confused state of the conflict makes a dwarven intervention seem rash to the point of foolishness.”

  Kith-Kanan could hold himself in check no longer. He stepped down from the platform and stared at the dwarf, who was a foot or more shorter than himself.

  “You distort the truth in a way that can only discredit your nation!”

  He continued, his voice a growl. “Any elves among the ranks of Ergoth are lone rogues, lured by human coin or promises of power. Even the likes of you cannot blur the clear lines of this conflict. You spout your lies and your distortions from the safety of this far city; hiding like a coward behind the robes of diplomacy. You make me sick!”

  Than-Kar appeared unruffled as he stepped aside to address Sithas. “This example of your general’s impetuous behavior will be duly reported to my king.

  It cannot further your cause.”

  “You set a new standard for diplomatic excess, and you try my patience to its limits. Leave, now!” Sithas hissed the words with thick anger, and the hall fell deathly silent.

  If the dwarf was affected by the speaker’s rage, however, he concealed his emotions well. With calculated insolence, he marched his column about and then led them from the Hall of Audience.

  “Throw open the windows!” barked the Speaker of the Stars. “Clear the stench from the air!”

  Kith-Kanan slumped to sit on the steps of the royal dais, ignoring the surprised looks from some of the stiff-backed elven nobles. “I could hav
e strangled him with pleasure,” he snarled as his brother came to sit beside him.

  “The audience is over,” Sithas announced to the rest of the elves, and Kith-Kanan sighed with concern as the last of the anonymous nobles left. The only ones remaining in the great hall were Quimant, the twins, and Nirakina.

  “I know I shouldn’t have let him get under my skin like that. I’m sorry,” the general said to the Speaker.

  “Nonsense. You said things I’ve wanted to voice for months. It’s better to have a warrior say them than a head of state.” Sithas paused awkwardly.

  “What he did say – how much truth was there to it?”

  “Very little,” sighed Kith-Kanan. “We are sheltering humans in the fortress, most of them the wives and families of Wildrunners. They would be slain on sight if they fell into the hands of the enemy.”

  “And are elves fighting for Ergoth?” Sithas couldn’t keep the dismay from his voice.

  “A few rogues, as I said,” Kith admitted. “At least, we’ve had reports of them.

  I saw one myself in the human camp. But these turncoats are not numerous enough that we have taken notice of them on the field.”

  He groaned and leaned backward, remembering the offensive and arrogant Theiwar dwarf. “That lout! I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t have my sword at my side.”

  “You’re tired,” said Sithas. “Why don’t you relax for a while. This round of banquets and courts and all-night meetings, I’m sure, takes an adjustment. We can talk tomorrow.”

  “Your brother is right. You do need rest,” Nirakina added in a maternal tone. “I’ll have dinner sent to your apartments.”

  *

  The dinner arrived, as Nirakina had promised. Kith-Kanan guessed that his mother had sent orders to the kitchen, and someone in the kitchen had communicated the situation to another interested party. For it was Hermathya who knocked on his door and entered.