Dawn of Man (Thanos Book 1)

by Watson, Thomas A

  “Yeah, I don’t think girls have bugs, but they can be a pain,” Jedek told Ahnon, letting him know to still watch out for girls.

  “That is the way of life, sire,” Ahnon said. “Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see.”

  “Huh?”

  “Rumors are rarely true, and people put on false faces to hide what they really feel,” Ahnon clarified.

  Jedek looked away, thinking about that for a minute. “That’s weird but true,” he admitted.

  “Come, sire. Let’s see what the king wants,” Ahnon said, turning him around.

  Jedek burst into a sprint. “I can beat you to the door!” he yelled. A gust of wind brushed past Jedek, and he looked up to see Ahnon standing by the door a hundred paces away. Stunned, Jedek slowed then came to a stop with a dumbfounded look on his face. “That’s cheating,” he moaned.

  Ahnon looked around. “You didn’t say how to get here—just to get here,” Ahnon pointed out. “There were no rules, so how could I cheat?”

  “You were supposed to run,” Jedek complained.

  “I did run. You didn’t say to run like you.”

  Jedek stomped his foot. “You’re supposed to know that!”

  Ahnon feigned shock. “I didn’t know, sire. You just bet me that you could beat me to the door.”

  Jedek walked over with a grumpy face. Ahnon opened the door to let him in. “That wasn’t fair,” Jedek said as he walked by. Ahnon followed him in then picked him up, spinning him around then holding Jedek to his side. “Hey, what are you doing?” Jedek asked.

  “Hold on tight,” Ahnon said, and Jedek wrapped his arms around his neck, grinning. “Take a deep breath and hold it.” Jedek obeyed. Ahnon looked across the great hall to the center staircase several hundred paces away and forty feet up to the balcony door to the state hall. Jedek followed his gaze, and excitement built in him.

  Suddenly, Jedek felt like he weighed a ton as Ahnon leaped into the air, bouncing off the south wall, flying over the tables and chairs, almost touching the ceiling. Then Jedek noticed his stomach felt tickly as they plummeted toward the floor. Jedek wanted to scream but was holding his breath, so he just held on tighter as the room blurred in his peripheral vision.

  They hit the floor, and at the same instant, Ahnon kicked off, and Jedek was heavy again then felt light as they headed toward the upper balcony on the staircase. Ahnon landed on the balcony, sliding toward the door and skidding to a halt a foot from it. Ahnon looked down at Jedek. “You can breathe now,” he said, grinning.

  Jedek blew out his breath in Ahnon’s face, yelling, “That was absolutely great!” Hearing something clatter behind him, Jedek turned his head. The guard on the balcony had dropped his spear and was looking at the two who seemed to appear out of thin air beside him. “It wasn’t cheating, Sergeant. I just didn’t tell Ahnon we had to walk up the stairs,” Jedek said.

  Suddenly, another gust of wind hit the balcony, and Michi was standing beside them, holding Kenna. “Really, it’s not cheating, Sergeant. They did it, so we could too,” Kenna said in her small little voice. The guard nodded so fast his helmet slid over his eyes.

  “Don’t make me blind, please! I won’t tell!” he screamed.

  Ahnon reached over and lifted the man’s helmet. “I think that would be cheating if I made you blind,” Ahnon said, letting Jedek down.

  “Surely, that would be cheating,” Jedek said, opening the door. Michi let Kenna down, and she ran through the door.

  “I can beat you, Jedek!” she yelled, running for the state room, hair bouncing everywhere.

  “No, you can’t!” Jedek yelled and took off.

  Ahnon looked at Michi. “We have to play in the dirt today.”

  Michi froze. “What?” he asked.

  “Jedek is going to play in the dirt and wants Kenna to join him. He tells me it’s the best thing ever,” Ahnon explained though he still wasn’t convinced.

  “My sire just got that dress, and you want her to play in the dirt in it?” Michi asked.

  “Let her put an old one on,” Ahnon offered.

  “Ahnon!” he yelled. “It’s a new dress! Do you have any idea what a new dress takes?!”

  “Well, yes I do,” Ahnon said matter-of-factly.

  Michi looked at him with stern eyes. “Well, I didn’t! Do you know there are darts in a dress?”

  Ahnon nodded. “Yes, they’re to form it to the body,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Well, I didn’t know that!” Michi yelled. “I heard the dress maker say, ‘Sharpen the dart,’ and threw him up against the wall, holding a knife to his throat. I threw a binding spell on his assistant while I searched him, getting stuck with a hundred pins. The whole time, I’m telling him if he even thinks about hurting my sire, I’ll kill his entire bloodline!” Michi ended in a full bellow, “And you want her to get that dress dirty?”

  The kids ran back over, hearing the yelling.

  Ahnon wanted to laugh, but he easily held it. “I’m sorry, Michi,” was all he could think to say.

  Kenna hugged Michi’s waist. “The dress maker peed, making a big puddle on the floor,” she said with a grin, looking at Ahnon.

  “I’ve never felt like such an idiot in my life,” Michi growled.

  Ahnon grinned. “Well, the dress does look great,” he offered.

  Kenna looked up a Michi. “The dress maker tried to leave after that, and Michi told him if he left before the dress was finished, Michi was going to throw the dress maker and his assistant out the window,” Kenna said with a smile.

  Michi shook his head. “The queen came in during that. Turns out the man’s the royal seamstress,” he told Ahnon, causing Jedek to hit the floor laughing.

  “Well, what did the queen say about it?” Ahnon asked.

  Michi shrugged. “Don’t know? I told her what happened, and she collapsed on the floor laughing. An hour later, the king came in and carried her out, still laughing,” he said in an annoyed tone. “And you want her to get this dress dirty. Have you lost your mind?” Michi popped off.

  “We can wash it later?” Ahnon offered.

  “Do you know what it takes and how long to fit a young princess for a dress?”

  “Yeah, about two hours if you’re good and someone doesn’t pull a knife on you,” Ahnon said, suppressing a grin.

  “I don’t even want to know how you know that,” Michi said, turning and walking away picking Kenna up.

  Ahnon bent down and picked up the still laughing Jedek. “I can teach you how to make a dress, Michi. It’s not that hard,” Ahnon offered. Michi ignored him and walked to the state room at the end of the hall. The guards opened the door, trying hard not to laugh, having heard every word.

  Ahnon carried Jedek over his shoulder into the room and put him in the chair beside Kenna. Stepping back, he stood by Michi and looked around the room. There were over thirty people sitting around the table. Most were looking at Michi, quivering in their chairs with silent laughter. The king stood up, leaning over the table. “Ahnon, these are for you,” he said, handing over two scrolls and a packet.

  Ahnon started reading when a general stood up at the end of the table. “Your majesty, I have to say Sho-ka Michi needs to be reined in,” he said, pointing at Michi. “Two days ago, he threatened to cut the arms off six little boys and set another on fire. All of the kids are children of the palace guard.”

  Michi stepped up to the table. “Those little demons made my sire cry,” he grumbled. “I would’ve cut their arms off if she hadn’t latched on to my leg, stopping me from chasing them. That’s the only reason one didn’t get roasted,” he admitted.

  “You threatened to burn one of those kids alive!” the general yelled.

  “Because Nelon pulled her hair!” Michi yelled back, getting a dangerous look in his eye.

  The general jumped back. “Nelon?” he asked in a normal voice.

  Dropping a hand to his katana, “The troll monkey who pulled her hair,” Michi replied in a dan
gerous tone.

  The general leaned over the table. “That boy is only thirteen,” he said.

  “My sire is ten and a princess. He does it again, and we have a cook out,” Michi replied with a cold stare.

  Ahnon reached over, putting his hand on Michi’s chest. “Easy,” he said in a low tone.

  Theobald looked at Ahnon, shaking his head, “This coming from a man who tried to suffocate a kid two years ago,” he said.

  “Hey, he earned that!” Ahnon yelled. “That boy was fifteen, fixing to become a squire in the palace guard. What’s the little butt sniffer do? Push down an eight-year-old, skinning his knees!” he bellowed.

  Theobald walked up to the table. “You put him in an orb shield two feet off the ground then walked up and told him, ‘The good news is you have three hours of air, but the bad news is the shield will be there for five hours.’”

  “Sure did, but you had to go tattle,” Ahnon droned.

  “Ahnon, the boy had already passed out, and the guards wanted to arrest you!” Theobald shouted.

  “Oh, they did try, and their beards fell off. I let them know their heads would be next,” Ahnon replied happily with an evil grin.

  “You know they still can’t grow a beard? It’s sign of passage in Gratu to have a beard in case you haven’t noticed,” Theobald snapped.

  The general slammed his fist on the table. “Sho-ka Theobald, we are talking about atrocities now!” he yelled.

  Slowly Theobald turned to the general. “Yell at me again, and we have another clean-faced Gratu warrior,” he warned, making the general fall back in his chair.

  The Grand Mage stood up in his gray robe. “You sho-ka are getting a little too flamboyant with your magic. Magic is not to be played with and only to be used when needed,” he snapped.

  “Just because you can’t use magic doesn’t mean we can’t,” Ahnon chided.

  Michi leaned over. “He has trouble making light,” he said, chuckling. The Grand Mage’s face got red, and the sho-ka just smiled at him. This made the mage hesitant to try something.

  A loud boom sounded. “This is enough!” the king said, hitting the table and standing up. “We have matters of Thanos to discuss. You know, keeping the five kingdoms free from the north!” he yelled. “You are talking about kids being kids and people using magic for fun!” he screamed at the general and mage. Then he looked at Ahnon and Michi. “You two will not hurt those kids! That is a command!” he yelled.

  Ahnon looked at the king with indifference as he crossed his arms. “You can’t command me to do anything. Only he can,” he said, pointing at Jedek. “You can tell him, and he can command me.”

  Vilarius stepped back, blinking in shock. “You didn’t have to say it like that,” he replied in a wounded tone.

  Jedek looked up at Ahnon. “I don’t command you to do anything; you’re my friend.”

  Ahnon leaned down. “Let everyone think you command me so they’re scared of you,” he whispered loudly.

  Jedek jerked his head around. “I command him all the time to do stuff like make me run on water,” he said, crossing his arms, trying to look intimidating.

  The general leaned over the table. “Your majesty, these are the kids of the palace guard.”

  Michi looked at Ahnon with a look that spoke volumes. “That little Nelon… He…” Michi tried to find the words.

  Ahnon nodded at him. “Oh, I know the blond Cyclops. He was born in the abyss. Someone needs to tie him in a bag with a bunch of rocks and throw him in the ocean.”

  Getting a devious grin on his face, Michi studied Ahnon. “I know where some good burlap bags are.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Ahnon gave a cold grin. “I can get a boat.”

  Michi looked down at the kids. “We can take the sires with us.”

  Thinking about it real hard, Ahnon asked, “Midnight good for you?”

  Before Michi could answer, the king bellowed, “Gentlemen!”

  “Yes, your majesty!” they both shouted, looking at him.

  “If you even try to carry out this insane idea, I will ground the kids for two months in their rooms with you beside them,” he warned with a dark tone.

  Ahnon looked at Michi. “If Nelon does it again, we’ll take the grounding,” he said.

  “I’ll keep the bags handy,” Michi added.

  The king looked down at the general. “You tell whoever that boy’s daddy is if he so much as harms another kid, I’m letting these two take him for a rowboat ride,” he advised. Ahnon elbowed Michi, grinning, and Michi winked at him. Then, the king looked at Michi. “I almost lost the royal seamstress, Michi.” Vilarius couldn’t help but smile at Ahnon, remembering the cold man who entered the castle a decade ago and had evolved into someone who looked like they loved where they were.

  “In Michi’s defense, the seamstress needs to watch what he says,” Ahnon said, and Michi nodded, thankful for the help.

  The king smiled. “I’m not going to punish anyone for that. Eira laughed for so long she passed out. I’ve never seen her do that,” he finished, chuckling.

  Ahnon snorted. “The seamstress does crappy work anyway. The queen loved the two dresses I made for her more, and even the ‘Royal Seamstress,’” Ahnon said mockingly, waving his hand, “said that was the best quality work he had ever seen. I did those in my spare time.”

  The king shook his head “What did your king have to say to you?” he asked, sitting down.

  “Thanos is still turning,” Ahnon said, disinterested.

  Closing his eyes, “Ahnon, I’m a wizard too, and I’m about to show you,” the king warned.

  “Sorry, your majesty, but I’m better, so that really doesn’t work on me,” Ahnon said, smiling, then looked at Theobald, who looked pissed off. “You’re not that good either,” Ahnon said, waving his hand.

  The king opened his eyes, shaking his head. “You know, I think I liked you more when you first came here. Duty only,” the king told him not meaning it.

  “Troll snot. I didn’t even like me then,” Ahnon admitted. “I have a friend now, and he tells me stuff,” Ahnon said proudly. Then he leaned over the table, contorting his face. “I just found out girls don’t really have bugs.” The pissed expression on Theobald’s face left as his facial muscles started twitching, trying not to laugh. “I’m still trying to find out about the worms. I’ll let you know,” Ahnon added, straightening up as Michi snorted twice.

  The king wiped his eyes. “Please tell me what your nephew told you,” he whimpered.

  “Yes, your majesty,” Ahnon said, lifting up the papers.

  “Great, I’m in charge again,” the king said, grinning.

  Ignoring him, Ahnon started. “There have been nine other attacks involving kytensa and royal houses of the southern kingdoms.”

  “I know this, Ahnon,” the king said as Ahnon lowered the paper.

  “Your majesty, you’re interrupting me from carrying out your request.”

  “Sorry,” the king said. “Didn’t know it was a request.”

  “So far, the only royal member lost was a lord in Fantshu. Nephew says he’s sending you the hundred thousand troops you wanted to guard your western border as you gear up your navy,” Ahnon said then silently read more. “Oh, Michi and his family have been confirmed as royal members of the house of Nazar, and his status as sho-ka is confirmed,” Ahnon said, looking at Michi and grinning. Michi beamed with pride. Looking back down, Ahnon read more then turned to another page.

  “Wow,” Ahnon said, reading. “When Karme is able to return to her duties as sho-ka, Michi is to take over his new assignment. He will be the first guardian of the sovereign family, sho-tem-ka bhari,” Ahnon finished in shock. He looked up for a second then silently read some more. “Hey, the king’s coming to visit in a few months,” he said. “Michi has to go home for a month to receive his infusion,” Ahnon said, shuddering. He looked at Michi, who was still beaming with pride.

  “It’s forbidden, Ahnon. Don’t,” Theobald
warned. “There are consequences for telling a sho-ka that hasn’t been through.”

  Ahnon patted Michi’s arm. “Get drunk a few days before you go even if you don’t drink,” Ahnon advised him. Looking back down, he finished reading the letter and folded it up, looking at the king. “My nephew took my bhari away from me,” he told him.

  That shook Michi out of his dream. “What?” he asked.

  “They’re ordered back under crown service.”

  “They have all completed the crown service,” Michi pointed out.

  “Indeed, and he knows. He’s going to pay them what I’ve been paying them. They are the first tem guards,” Ahnon said and looked at Vilarius. “Tem or temple guard, they are to guard the castle when you or your family are here. All will be bhari under crown rule and can only apply after their service is up. Like the super elite unit that guards the house of Nazar, and no, your majesty, they are not for the state,” Ahnon said, looking away from the king. “They are to keep watch on the city and castle. Your spies close to home are incompetent idiots—my nephew’s words, your majesty.”

  The king nodded. “That’s why I have bhari doing my work abroad,” he said.

  Jumping to his feet, the general started yelling. “I’m in command of domestic intelligence!”

  Michi started laughing. “Yeah, your spies follow lords, nobles, and ladies of the royal house, finding out which brothel they’re going to so you can blackmail them,” he said. Suddenly, he stopped laughing, realizing what he just let out. The general went pale.

  “That explains a lot,” Theobald mumbled.

  “So I will have thirty bhari guarding my family at all times?” the king asked, cutting his eyes at the general.

  “No, your majesty, sixty. Michi is to fill the ranks since he did such an excellent job the first time,” Ahnon said.

  “He’s going to spend sixty gold crows a month to protect this house!” the king shouted.

  Ahnon nodded. “Yes, your majesty. Just to let you know, the royal palace in Nazar has over a hundred bhari who’ve completed service. Granted, it’s not that price, but it’s close. You pay top price; you get excellent product and service.”

  “Tell him I will pay them. I should’ve done this long ago,” the king said.