The Crown of the Usurper

by Gav Thorpe

  "I do not know the exact quantities, my queen, but I hope this will be sufficient."

  She poured some of the antidote into the cup, which she then handed to Noran. The noble raised the cup of hot liquid to Ullsaard's lips. He poured as best he could, until greenish fluid ran from the corners of the king's mouth. Sitting back on his haunches, Noran watched Ullsaard's face, as did everyone else in the room.

  Meliu wanted to scream with the tension; Ullnaar's grip on her hand was painfully strong. She realised her fingernails were digging into the back of his hand and he accepted the pain without complaint. Relaxing her grip, she suppressed a laugh. She could feel the mania creeping up on her; the energy of fear that propelled her from one drama to another. She had to control herself. The legionnaires were from the First, loyal to the king alone. Anything amiss would rouse their suspicions and they would report what was happening to Urikh. Nobody could know that Ullsaard was being restored.

  With a wheezing breath Ullsaard opened his mouth.

  "Hush," warned Noran as those in the chamber voiced surprise, relief and excitement. Meliu had to stop a shriek from escaping, clamping her mouth shut so that she could utter no exclamation. She took a few steps towards Noran as the noble stood, and placed her hand on his arm, her expression conveying her thanks even as her voice could not.

  She returned her gaze to Ullsaard and found that his eyes were open. Focus came slowly, and then his stare roved around the room, settling on Noran's face as he bent over the king.

  "Hello, old friend," Ullsaard whispered. "I've been expecting you."

  IX

  There was a strange echo inside Ullsaard's heard each time someone spoke. The words rang dully around his brain, trying to fit into some kind of meaning. He glanced out of the window and saw that it was still daylight – he had been "dead" for less than half a day. Still it felt as if he had been buried in the ground for some time and then dug up. His mouth was drier than Mekha and his flesh itched all over with a body-wide rush of pins and needles that made his skin flush.

  "It worked? It worked." Noran seemed almost as insensible as Ullsaard, mouth opening and closing with astonishment. Meliu was holding the noble's arm, but Ullsaard looked past her and saw Ullnaar. The king's son was grinning and shaking his head.

  "Ullsaard." Hearing the voice of Allenya filled Ullsaard with a surge of happiness. The king turned his head and his gaze fell upon his eldest wife. His eyes were crusted and his vision blurry, but she looked beautiful in a dark blue dress, her black hair let free to fall about her shoulders.

  Blinking to gain some focus, he could not quite work out her expression. There was joy there, but also anger flashed through in her eyes.

  "I'm sorry," croaked Ullsaard. He reached out a trembling hand, barely having the strength to lift the shroud that was laid across his body.

  "Do not ever leave me again," said Allenya, snatching her hand into both of hers. The words were snarled, filled with desperation. "Do you hear me, Ullsaard? You are never to leave me again."

  "I promise," said the king, smiling weakly. "I will never be leaving your side again. Whatever happens."

  Ullsaard pulled Allenya closer, putting a hand to the back of her head as she bent over him, her cheek next to his.

  "I was so alone," she whispered. He felt moisture on his skin from her tears. "So frightened."

  "Never again," he promised, stroking her hair.

  "This is all very nice, but we have to get you out of here," said Noran, laying a hand on Allenya's shoulder.

  "What do you mean?" asked Ullsaard. With a grunt and a wave of dizziness he pushed himself into a sitting position. Allenya was there in a moment to hold him up as his head span. "I'm going nowhere. Give me a few moments and I'll be ready to confront Urikh."

  "No!" snapped Noran. Everybody except Ullsaard glanced instinctively at the door, alarmed by his raised voice. The herald released himself from Meliu's grip and looked at Ariid. The steward shook his head.

  "They are arguing about tonight's watch rota," reported Ariid.

  "Good," said Noran, the effort of keeping calm visible in his strained features. "Ullsaard, you have to get out of here. You'll be killed if Urikh thinks you are alive."

  "Not if I get to him first," said Ullsaard. His strength was returning slowly and he swung his legs from the table. Meliu came and helped her sister, the two queens providing support as the king pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.

  "That will not work, Urikh has protection," said Noran. Even in his semi-confused state Ullsaard could sense that Noran was not telling the whole truth. The herald could not meet Ullsaard's gaze and he fidgeted with the hem of his tunic.

  Recollection came back to Ullsaard and he realised there was someone missing from the room.

  "What happened to Anglhan? I didn't think he would keep his word, but I had no choice but to trust him."

  "I killed him," Allenya said quietly. Ullsaard saw no remorse in his wife's face as she made this admission.

  "Good for you," replied the king, patting her hand. "That saves me the trouble. Now, Noran, there's something you aren't telling me. What did Anglhan say to you?"

  "It doesn't matter, just trust me. You do not want to go after Urikh, especially not when you are so weak. He is in league with Lakhyri and has unnatural allies. You have no way of combating them."

  Mention of Lakhyri gave Ullsaard something to think about. The king closed his eyes for a moment, seeking any presence of Askhos. There was nothing, and Ullsaard hoped for a moment that his near-death state had perhaps been too much for the spirit of the dead king to endure. That hope fluttered away as Ullsaard opened his eyes and saw the horror hidden behind Noran's eyes. Lakhyri had done something terrible, that much was certain.

  With a jolt of fear, Ullsaard remembered what had been done to Erlaan. The king grabbed Noran's tunic and pulled him closer.

  "Urikh, he is… changed?"

  "No, no, not that," said Noran, grabbing Ullsaard's shoulder. "No, he is not like that creature locked up in the Grand Precincts."

  "Is he still locked up?" demanded Ullsaard.

  "I do not know," confessed Noran. "I have not seen him, and he is a difficult sight to miss. If he had been seen abroad there would have been panic and I have heard nothing of the sort."

  Whatever it was that had Noran so scared, the nobleman was not about to indulge Ullsaard's curiosity. It would be easy to dismiss Noran's fears as the concerns of a lesser man, but there was a look in his eye and a catch in his voice that persuaded Ullsaard to follow his friend's instincts. If he had learnt one thing in the last day of being dead, it was that sometimes you just had to trust others.

  "I'm guessing your plan isn't to simply walk out of here," said the king. A gust of wind through the window reminded him of his own nakedness. Ullsaard looked at Ariid. "I don't suppose you've kept any of my clothes?"

  "No, king, I am afraid that I have not," said the steward with an apologetic look. "Perhaps Herald Noran…"

  "Won't fit, even if I have lost a little bulk this last year," said Ullsaard. To emphasise his point, he flexed his chest, pectoral muscles and shoulders bulging.

  "I… I have something," said Allenya.

  She took Ullsaard's hand and led him out of the sitting room and through the adjoining feast chamber. Turning right, they passed into a long corridor with several doors and passages branching off. Allenya stopped at the first door on the right and led Ullsaard through the beaded curtain that covered the arch.

  The king found himself in a bedchamber and he glanced at Allenya, wondering whether she had missed him so much that she wanted to bed him now. He had to admit to himself that as pleasant as that proposition seemed, he was neither in the mood nor fit physical state to comply.

  Fortunately the dilemma did not materialise; Allenya moved to one of the partitioned cupboards along one wall and pulled aside the curtain to reveal a stand with a suit of armour on it, complete with kilt, sword and spear arranged on a rack behind
it. It took a moment for Ullsaard to recognise the suit; an ailur's head in portrait sculpted on the curve of the abdomen, the deep blue cloak fringed with white fur. It was the armour he had been presented when he made second captain, given to him by Allenya's father for their wedding.

  He glanced at Allenya and saw that her eyes were glistening with tears, her whole body shaking. He took her up in a tight embrace, kissing her cheeks and neck, mumbling apologies and promises. They were interrupted by a terse whisper from Noran outside the door.

  "Apologies for breaking up the reunion again, but these legionnaires are going to get suspicious. I suggest we go out into the gardens, jump a fence or two and then find a group of petitioners to tag onto to leave by the main gate."

  "All right, don't start fretting now," replied Ullsaard, pushing himself away from Allenya with considerable reluctance. He looked at the armour and thought about Noran's plan. "It's not exactly inconspicuous is it?"

  "Better than being naked," said Allenya. She smiled mischievously and ran a hand over his exposed chest. "In some ways, at least."

  With Allenya's help it did not take long for Ullsaard to slip into the armour. There was an oval bronze mirror on a stand on the opposite side of the bed. Ullsaard turned to look at himself and barely recognised the man he saw in the reflection. He had lost weight it was true; the armour would probably not have fitted the Ullsaard who had taken the Crown from Lutaar. His hair hung past his shoulder and his beard hid a pasty face and reached his chest.

  "Fetch Ariid, and have him bring soap and a blade."

  Allenya departed and shortly after the steward appeared, with a steaming bowl, a bag of fragranced soap flakes and a curved blade for shaving. Ullsaard sat on the end of the bed.

  "Take off all of the beard, and shorten the hair a little," said the king, looking at the stranger in the mirror.

  Ariid worked deftly and confidently, removing nearly a year's growth from Ullsaard's cheeks and chin. He teased out the knots in the king's hair with one of Allenya's combs and then cut it straight just short of shoulder-length. Ullsaard regarded the results in his reflection and nodded with satisfaction. The look did not suit him at all, but it was very different from the short-haired, bearded face on the coins of the empire.

  "Right, even my mother would have to look twice to recognise me now," said the king, standing up. With a gesture he sent Ariid to fetch the sword, which the steward belted around Ullsaard's waist. With his helmet on he looked like he could be any captain in the legions and as such he felt that he could wander the palace as freely as he wished. For a moment he wondered if he would be able to get close enough to Urikh to draw his sword on his son, but the veiled warnings Noran had made concerning the current king's "protection" dispelled the thought. It would be better to get out of Askh and reconsider his options, rather than force the issue. There had been a degree of luck in his survival so far and the reunion with Allenya reminded the king what it was he was risking.

  "Come on, let's go," said Ullsaard, striding back into the chamber where his "body" had been laid. He had just rejoined Noran and the others when there was a commotion from the entrance hall; the sound of armoured men standing up hurriedly.

  "What are you doing here?" Luia's shrill tone travelled through the apartments carrying with it all of her scorn. Ullsaard heard muffled replies.

  "She won't leave Urikh," said Allenya, grabbing Ullsaard's arm.

  "I thought that she was out for the rest of the day," said Meliu, panic written on her features.

  "What do mean, you have brought Ullsaard's body…" Luia's voice trailed away as she stepped into the chamber. She looked at the empty shroud. Her eyes swept past Ullsaard without stop to fall accusingly on Noran first and then on to Allenya. Finally recognition registered and she looked back at the man in the captain's uniform, eyes widening with shock, her lips parting.

  "How? What has…" Luia fumbled for the words and then gave up. She rounded on Allenya. "What have you done? Urikh will be furious!"

  Luia took a step towards the door, obvious in her intent to call the waiting legionnaires. She opened her mouth but Meliu's fist connected with her chin before Luia could utter a word. Luia crumpled to the floor, as Meliu stepped forwards nursing her right hand. She glared at her unconscious sister.

  "Oh shut up, sister," snapped Meliu, imitating Luia's sharp tone and rubbing her knuckles. A bruise was spreading across Luia's chin and Meliu flexed her fingers with a pained expression. Meliu noticed the astounded gazes of the others on her and smiled self-consciously. "Come on, we have all wanted to do that for a long time. I know I have."

  There was a concerned inquiry called out by one of the legionnaires. The soldiers had been waiting some time and Luia's barrage of insults on arriving had not increased their patience.

  "We had best leave," said Allenya, the first to recover from the surprise. She grabbed Meliu's wrist. But the youngest queen pulled free.

  "You have to go, but I will stay here," said Meliu. She held up a hand to silence Allenya's protest. "Those legionnaires are not going to wait long until they can return the body to where it is supposed to be. Laasinia and Ariid will not be able to stop them, but they will be reluctant to defy a queen. I will keep them occupied so that you can get out of the palace; Urikh will have you hunted down as soon as he realises that you are still alive."

  "I do not agree," said Allenya. "It is not safe here."

  "Go, sister," Meliu said quietly. She looked at Ullsaard and then back at Allenya. "If you remain here, Urikh might well use you against our husband, as Anglhan did."

  "But what of you?" said Ullsaard.

  "We both know what controls your heart," replied Meliu with a wan smile. She looked at Noran and the smile strengthened. "Urikh also knows that, and Luia for all of her faults would not see me harmed to get at you."

  "I will stay too," said Ullnaar. He stepped up beside his mother and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Mother is right. The Brotherhood will have the city gate closed as soon as they know that you are trying to get away. The more time we can delay that discovery, the better your chances of escaping."

  "Urikh will know that you know I'm alive," warned Ullsaard. "He'll see that as a threat."

  "Lakhyri too," said Noran, with the same ominous undertone in his voice that Ullsaard had noticed earlier. "Even if you trust Urikh not to do anything harsh, I do not think the High Brother has any regard for you. This may persuade him that you are too much of a nuisance to keep alive."

  "I will take care of that," said Ullnaar. "A letter to my tutors will ensure that Urikh cannot move against us. They already know that all is not well in the palace, and even if they do not have the legion muscle of the Brotherhood the Colleges can still make life difficult for the king. Half of the nobles in the city attended the Colleges. No, if Urikh wants to keep a lid on your survival he cannot announce a general hue and cry. His own secrets will be his downfall."

  "I like you," said Noran, slapping the youth on the arm. "I do not know where you got that devious brain from, because it certainly was not your father."

  "He is not such a brute, you know," said Ullnaar, winking at his father.

  "Good, well now that we're all agreed that I'm not a simpleton, can we stop talking and get moving?"

  Ullsaard shook Ullnaar's hands and then gently moved him aside so that he could embrace his mother. Meliu returned the hug half-heartedly and Ullsaard looked closely at her as he stepped back. She returned his gaze, but he could tell from the twist of her body and tilt of her head that she was thinking about Noran.

  "You are wasted on me, I am sorry," said the king, kissing her on the cheek. "Thank you for everything."

  Meliu said nothing, but she nodded a fraction and dipped her eyes. A moment later she held a hand out to Noran, who took it and kissed her palm.

  "You know I could stay…" suggested the herald, but Meliu shook her head and pulled him into a closer embrace.

  "Look after my husband and sister," she said. "A
nd look after yourself too."

  Ullsaard was getting impatient now. The farewells were not only eating up precious time, they made it seem as if they would never come back again. He was not in the mood for such defeatist thoughts and tugged at Noran's sleeve.

  "He'll be fine," the king told Meliu. "We have to go now."

  And with no further word, he strode through the apartments to the sun room at the rear. Sliding the bar from the double doors, he opened them with a single thrust, revealing a path that wound down between low hedges into the main gardens of the palace. Further down the hill he could clearly see the Grand Precincts. He stepped out without hesitation; behind him Allenya swept a cloak and hood over her shoulders and head as she followed, Noran close on her heels.

  X

  A familiar scent drifted into Erlaan-Orlassai's chamber a few moments before his visitor arrived: incense and decaying flesh. Lakhyri. There was something else as well, the smell of sword oil and perfume. The high priest had been spending time with Urikh again, and his blackcrest legionnaires.