“Then we need to go inform Petra and the others immediately. Natis, have you seen Jareel?”
“Where else would he be? He is in the tavern impressing the ladies with accounts of his actions during Petra’s return.” The mage replied.
“Go get him and meet us in the hall near Petra’s meeting chambers.”
* * * * *
Petra sat at the table looking over documents that were beginning to have little interest to her. This was supposed to be a meeting for her to determine her appointments for various positions within the kingdom. She was meeting with three of the nine Elders: Joth, Knight-Elder Boothe and Simmeon, a younger man who had served as Elder for only three years. Also present was Lord Boric, Jaylen, two members of the sub council of nobles who were seeking support and positions for some of the guilds that lobbied them for such things, and Lord Thenamin, who had been invited by Petra to sit in following his gracious display of support after she was named Queen. Boric was aggressively taking control of the proceedings on her behalf and bullying his choices through. Even Joth, who had been completely on her side throughout the selection process, was swayed by Boric’s tactics. Petra was beginning to believe that she was about to find herself in the position of being a puppet queen under the complete dominance of Boric. Fortunately the flow of the meeting had been broken when Rathkemp DuJurnor arrived with Trevor Kahn. Boric was not pleased by the interruption and both General Bix and Captain ReShard—who attended at Boric’s invitation—were opposed to Kahn’s presence.
Unbeknownst to anyone in the room Petra had sent word to have Trevor Kahn brought to her immediately. When he was escorted into the chambers Petra rose from her seat and rushed over to embrace Trevor. “Are you alright?” She asked him.
Other than needing a shave, he appeared completely well. “I have been treated with tender care, Your Majesty.” Trevor said with a formal bow.
Petra turned to face the others. Pulling a piece of folded parchment out of her bag she opened it and held it for all to see. “My first order as Queen is to revoke the exile imposed upon Trevor Kahn and grant him full rights and privileges as a citizen of Alexon.” She ignored ReShard’s protest as she placed the paper on the table and dipped her quill into the inkwell before signing the document. She then grabbed the candle on the table before her and dripped wax upon it the document before taking her grandfather’s ring that she wore on a string around her neck—it was far too large for her fingers—and pressed it into the wax to mark her seal upon it. “There, that is done.” Looking to Trevor she said, “Unfortunately I cannot reinstate you into the Knighthood as easily. I must ask Knight-Elder Boothe to consider that.”
The Knight-Elder looked aghast. It was obvious that he was not expecting any of this. It was Rathkemp DuJurnor who spoke for him. “Queen Petra. I believe that it would be more than appropriate to restore the orders of knighthood to Trevor Kahn. However, it may be a disservice to him; for while you have restored his status as a citizen, it may look to others that you have pardoned him of his guilt.”
“I have not pardoned him of anything,” Petra intervened, “I do not believe that he was guilty and therefore I will offer no such pardon that would confirm such guilt. I am instead asking the Knight-Elder to re-examine the charges against Trevor Kahn, and when it is proved that he is guiltless of the original charges imposed on him then the Knight-Elder can announce Trevor’s innocence and restore him to his proper status.”
Rathkemp nodded understandingly, “Queen Petra, but you are still putting Trevor into a bad situation. If Knight-Elder Boothe clears Kahn’s name the Knights will accept that decision. But there are those who will privately oppose Kahn’s restoration. And being that those few will be his seniors, they may be able to make things more difficult for him.”
“Then what do you propose?” Petra asked.
“I really have not given it much thought.” Rathkemp responded.
Trevor Kahn stood in silence as those who ruled a kingdom discussed his future without so much as asking him anything. Jaylen spoke up, “I have an idea. I have already told you that I believe it is time for me to step down as Sword-Master and return to Delindea. I can think of no other man more qualified to replace me than Trevor Kahn.”
Boric opposed the suggestion. “Queen Petra, I was going to propose Captain ReShard’s for that position.”
Petra ignored Boric, speaking before her regent had time to complete his statement, “Trevor Kahn, would you accept the position of Sword-Master if I were to offer it to you?”
Trevor was not expecting this. “Your Majesty, I can think of no greater an honor than to serve you and Alexon in such a revered position. Though I doubt if I could ever do as well as Jaylen has done.”
She looked to Joth and Knight-Elder Boothe. “Do either of you have a problem with my selection?”
Knight-Elder Boothe addressed the Queen. “Queen Petra, I believe that this appointment would both help to rectify any wrong doings on the part of the Knights of Alexon, and satisfy the problems that Knight-Captain DuJurnor has already shared. I will personally see to it that the accusations are reinvestigated and can assure you that Trevor Kahn will be cleared of all charges.”
Petra was beaming with delight. “Very well, it looks like I have at least secured one position of my own choosing for my staff.” She gave Boric a discerning look as she finished. Joth quickly scribbled Trevor Kahn’s name and position into his records of this meeting. As he lifted his pen from the parchment they were interrupted by a knock at the door. A Knight of Alexon opened the door and whispered something to Rathkemp DuJurnor, whose face paled momentarily as he closed the door and turned to address those at the table, “Queen Petra and Elders of the Council, Prince Eric of Birhirm is here with information of a critical nature that cannot wait.”
“Admit him.” Petra said before anyone else could respond. Petra had decided that she had to act quickly if she was going to try to take charge of these proceedings. The knight opened the door allowing Eric, Landis, Jareel and Natis to enter the room. It had not gone unnoticed that all four men were armed; Natis with his mace tucked into the belt around his black robe and the other three with their swords. Other than the Knight at the door no one else wore a sword, as it was the rule that such weapons be turned over outside before meeting with the Queen. Only the Knights protecting the Queen were to be armed with anything more than a dagger. Even Jaylen had left his matching swords with the guards and wore only his ever present brace of throwing knives.
“What is the meaning of this outrage?” Bix demanded upon seeing the four men enter with their weapons. “This is a violation of protocol, Knight-Elder, call for the Knights to arrest them!”
“Please hold that order.” Rathkemp said to the Knight-Elder, “These men have already explained to the knights outside why there are here. Allow them to speak first.”
Eric did not wait for Knight-Elder Boothe’s permission. “Queen Petra, I have received evidence obtained by my father that Boric was behind both the assassination attempt against you and the death of your father. It is even possible that he may have hastened the death of King Semmit.” Several in the room gasped at these accusations.
“Lies!” Boric insisted.
Eric tossed the letters in his hand onto the table before Joth, “See for yourself; they are penned in his own handwriting. And we have his man, Carter, who is swearing that he has acted on Boric’s orders to send this information to the Stalkers. He also swears that Boric admitted to killing Prince Nathan by stabbing him in the back.”
Boric was visibly shaken by this sudden turn of events. Joth opened one of the folded letters and compared it to one that he had been handed by Boric just this morning. “The handwriting does look to be the same.” Joth acknowledged.
Boric lunged out of his seat to grab Petra. He withdrew a knife from his belt and brought it up to the Queen’s throat. “Keep away or Petra dies.” He threatened. Seeing Jaylen’s hand creeping to his chest he added, “You keep those
hands away from those throwing knives, elf.”
Landis, Eric and Jareel had their swords drawn and were separating to cover all directions around the table. The knight who had opened the door drew his sword and called to his compatriots outside to do the same. Natis stood off to the side waiting to see what transpired next as he considered his options.
“Boric, there is no escape.” Rathkemp informed him.
“There is if you want Petra to live. You will all drop your weapons and allow me to leave the city with Petra. Once gone I will release her. General Bix, you will take me someplace safe until I can prove my innocence.”
“Of course, Lord Boric.” The General said as he took his position beside the Duke of Freeport.
“General Bix, this is an act of treason!” Knight-Elder Boothe warned.
Boric glared at the Knight-Elder. Upon noticing the Duke’s trust in not watching him closely Bix swiftly stepped sideways behind him and grabbed Boric’s right forearm, pulling it—and the knife—away from Petra’s throat as he pulled back on the man threatening the Queen. Petra jumped away from the struggling men as Boric’s grip released her. The General punched Boric in the jaw and the man dropped the knife to the floor. Before he could react Bix wrestled him against the wall.
“Good job, Bix!” Rathkemp congratulated the General as two knights rushed to his aid securing the struggling traitor who wrestled with all his might to break free. “You unworthy bastard!” Boric cursed Bix, “I thought that you were on my side!”
Bix adjusted his clothing. “I owe you my position as General of the Alexonian Army, and I have been your friend and supported your reasoning to be the next King. But I would never support treason and murder. I had my doubts of these charges until you threatened the Queen’s life. That action confirmed your guilt to me. I owe you nothing.”
“Take him to the dungeon!” Joth ordered.
Boric continued ranting as he was dragged into the hall.
“What do we do now?” Petra asked.
Joth answered without hesitation. “We execute him. We must look into these charges levied against him by Prince Eric to prove his guilt and to see if we can find others who were involved. Even if nothing can be found, his actions of threatening your life and attempting to kidnap you are both acts of treason that call for his death. We will keep him in the dungeon at least three days following your coronation tomorrow, which will provide us with adequate time to investigate more properly and allow the citizens to celebrate and pay tribute to their new Queen. And then Boric will be brought from the dungeon and beheaded.”
“Due to these circumstances, I would like to re-examine all of the appointments that Boric has made.” Petra informed the Chairman of the Elders.
“Naturally; and we now have two more that need to be made. A new Duke of Freeport will have to be named. I do not know if you wish to go with the line of succession for Boric, perhaps you may want to choose someone else. Also, there is the matter of a Regent to assist you until you are of proper age.”
Petra looked over to Thenamin Sergius. The Duke of Shoal had demonstrated a willingness to serve and he was on his feet quickly when Bix had threatened her life. She had often heard her father and grandfather speak well of him. “Lord Thenamin, would you be willing to serve as my temporary Regent until such time as I have no need for your services: Assuming that the Council of Elders approves of course.”
“I will serve you in any way that you wish, Your Majesty.” Thenamin said in accepting the position.
“That is an excellent choice, one that I am certain that the rest of the Council will approve of.” Joth advised her.
“Very will,” Petra continued, “Then after we thank Prince Eric and my other dear friends for once again saving me from evil, we can get back down to the business of deciding how my kingdom will be run.”
Chapter 32
Landis had finally located Katryn and now the two sat together, alone in front of the fireplace in the castle library enjoying some chilled wine. King Semmit had never been one to regularly visit the library, but both Nathan and Petra were often found in here reading when they were growing up. This room held many memories for Landis as it was one of the places that his mother brought him to habitually spend time alone. When he was little she would read stories to him. He reveled in the accounts of his father serving with King Alex Sergius. Landis enjoyed any of the stories that his mother had read to him. He had learned how to enjoy books and glean knowledge from the written word in this library. It was here that he had been schooled both by his mother and by the elf cleric, Seebaul. He had played with Nathan when he was a young boy in this room. And later he had playfully teased and entertained Nathan’s daughter, Petra, in this very place, awing her with his skills of juggling, sleight of hand, music and singing. Landis could not believe that little Petra had grown into the woman she now was.
Landis always spent time in this library when he returned to the castle. It was the last place he had been with his mother before she died. He felt safe here. And he felt the presence of his mother whenever he was here.
“You are unusually quiet tonight.” Katryn observed.
Landis sipped from his wineglass. “I am sorry. There has been so much going on. Sometimes I cannot believe that so much has happened in such a short time.”
“You are troubled?” Someone said from behind them. Neither Landis nor Katryn had heard anyone enter. Looking back they saw the bald elf, Seebaul standing behind them. “We have not spoken in many years, Landis.” The elf said. His voice was softer and different from the voice Landis had heard praying before the Elders.
“More overwhelmed than troubled.” Landis admitted.
Seebaul looked at Katryn. Their eyes met as each looked deeply into the other’s soul. “I know you.” He said.
“I have never met you before.” Katryn corrected him.
“Where are you from?”
“I do not know where I originally came from. I was raised in a small village called Loldon in the…”
“In the Annon Vale near the mountains of Shale,” Seebaul finished for her. “I have been there before.”
Landis was surprised. He had never heard of Seebaul ever leaving Alexon since before the time of Alex Sergius.
“Yes,” Katryn said, “My parents told me that I was found alone in the forest by dwarves from the Shale Mountains when I was about one year of age. They gave me to the couple who raised me as their own daughter. They spread the word of my discovery, but no one ever came forward with any information about me or my real parents. So it is doubtful that I was born near there. So you see; I do not know where I truly come from.”
“Yes you do, you come from Loldon. It is only your birthplace and birthparents that you do not know. But I do know you.” Seebaul began laughing almost childlike as he spoke.
“Would you care to tell me how?” Katryn asked, becoming annoyed by the elf’s behavior.
“Oh, once I figure it out I will tell you.” Turning his attention to Landis he said, “I wish to speak to you about the Green Staff. I understand that you have found it, but it is not with the other items you have returned.”
“What do you know of this?” Landis asked.
Seebaul held his left elbow with his right hand, looking about the room as he somewhat swayed back and forth, “Oh, I know little and a lot about the pearls.”
“What does that mean?” Landis insisted.
Seebaul laughed in the same silly manner as before. “Do not worry about what I know of them, Landis. What is important is to know what you plan to do with them?”
“I plan to send them to Lonia and let the wizards take care of them.” Landis answered.
Seebaul suddenly looked concerned. “That is a problem. No good will come from sending them to Lonia. It will only result in another Bytorron. Have you not seen the problems that occur when they are in the wrong hands?”
Landis could agree with the latter statement. “Yes, they are dangerous in the wrong hand
s. Zenon was obsessed with capturing them, and he used the black pearl to wage war in the Westland, and even brought a dragon out of god knows where to try to use it to capture them. And Bytorron waged a war with elves, dwarves and humans to capture the pearls.”
“Bytorron did not fight to steal the pearls. He fought to keep them.” Seebaul corrected. “Part of the problem with the pearls is that those mortals who use them become so obsessed with them that they believe that everyone else is trying to steal them. Bytorron believed that the elves would want to take them from him because they were decedents of the elves ruled by the Elf Lords. He already hated Delindea because they had expelled him for practicing dark magic. But his true reasons for going to war with them was because of his belief that they wanted to steal the pearls away from him. In truth, had the elves known that he possessed them they may have done so. But it was his desire to hold onto them that led to the war.”
“That explains why he attacked the elves, but what about the dwarves and humans?” Landis inquired.
“The dwarves were a mistake. Bytorron had been given information as to where the black pearl was. But he apparently misunderstood that information. As we know now, the snow-elves had the Black Scepter somewhere in the frozen wastelands of the north. Whether they knew of it at the time of Bytorron or not, we do not know. But they obviously had it, as you well know from your encounter with Zenon.
“Bytorron believed that the dwarves had it and waged war on them in hopes of capturing it from them. Since the snow-elves live in subterranean caves below the ice, then I can only assume that Bytorron mistook any visions or information he had about the snow-elves for dwarves. After all, the snow-elves were pretty much only legend until recent times.”
“And the humans?” Landis asked.
“Ah, the humans had the White Staff. How it fell into human hands, I may never know. They somehow found it, and the wizards at the Tower of Lonia bestowed it upon their Master. There it was handed down from Master to Master without any of them knowing the true power of what they possessed. Bytorron’s war with the humans was for two purposes, to use them for soldiers and slaves and to finance his war. And to trick the Master of Lonia into bringing the White Staff to him so that he could capture it as well.
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