by D N Meinster
Hovering right in front of Amelia was King Aergo’s well-preserved corpse, lying atop a glistening coffin. Normally, it would be dragged through the streets by horses, but Amelia had insisted on using her magic to transport it and no one had objected.
Aergo looked as if he was sleeping, and that he might wake to find his kingdom freed and the throne ready for his return. Shine would have welcomed such a turn of events. Returning Kytheras to its former glory might be beyond his ability, but he was certain his father was capable of it.
It hadn’t even been two days since their victory, but Shine was already dreading the aftermath. No one outside the High Council knew what peace would cost. The land was to be broken apart. The kingdom his father knew would never be whole again.
He could not argue against the logic of Amelia and Hatswick’s plan, but he badly wanted to renege on his support of it. It might be easier, only having to clean up one realm instead of five, but splitting up Ghumai still felt wrong. Neanthal had already undone all his father’s work. The rest of this plan felt like they were making it worse.
If Aergo was the Great Unifier, Shine was to be the Great Divider. How else to describe the King that went along with dividing the continent? Each land was to forever remain out of the others’ reach.
Shine had argued that if Neanthal did return, the kingdoms would have no way to warn each other. But Amelia even had an answer to that. Two rivers would remain connected to the other lands. Only a select few would know, but they would be able to keep the others apprised of any alarming developments.
“It feels like we’re burying more than my father today,” Shine whispered to his party. “It feels like we’re burying his dream.”
Narai responded by putting her arm around him. The rest gave him melancholy looks.
“We should find another way.”
This got Amelia’s attention. She glanced back at him, her vibrant green eyes disapproving of his statement. “How easy would it be for a Thalian to gather them if we do nothing?”
“We can protect them,” Shine said halfheartedly.
“And who is a Thalian? How many can we trust now, after years of this dark reign?” Amelia faced forward. “There is only one way to keep them safe.”
“Damn logic,” Rantiford grumbled from behind.
Magic was not Amelia’s only asset. She was wise and persuasive, able to convince stubborn kings and reluctant generals. No woman had been Grand Mage before her, and no man had held the title as long as she. Shine couldn’t imagine anyone holding the title after. How could they live up to such a woman? Even Hatswick seemed meek in comparison.
A single scream from the line of mourners behind them brought the group to a halt. Two orange spots in the shadows of crumbling buildings revealed themselves to be the eyes of a demibeast. A second emerged from behind it, and they pounced on the nearest Kytherans.
With rapid series of points, Rant directed nearby guardians to run back toward the Massku.
Amelia lowered Aergo’s coffin to the ground and began to fade away. Seconds later, she reappeared at the site of the attack and turned the demibeasts to dust before the guardians had even made it to that position.
A slight whizzing sound preceded the arrival of a dynamite-tipped arrow, which stuck into the ground between Aergo’s corpse and King Shine.
Shine stared at the bulbous dart, shocked that he was under attack and might die before they even had a chance to bury his father.
Rant grabbed Shine and quickly spun him so that his body was between the King and the arrow.
But it was Slythe that jumped on top of the arrow just before it went off.
Shine turned and expected to see his brother torn to bits, but he was whole and unharmed. His cloak hadn’t even been burned by the explosion.
“How?”
Before Slythe could answer, a trio of men with Neanthal’s brand painted on their faces emerged from the encompassing ruins. They were dressed in black sheets and wielded bows loaded up with dynamite-tipped arrows.
“Release the King!” they demanded.
Shine realized they weren’t talking about him.
When one of them tried to shoot another arrow, it refused to leave his bow.
Amelia reappeared, her staff held up horizontal to her head and her eyes burning with rage. “Scum,” she growled before their arrows blew up in their bows.
Grace, Azzer, and Hatswick shifted to Amelia’s side, but the Thalians were already charred and dying.
“Took you long enough,” Rant barked at them.
“And where were your guardians, Rantiford?” Grace asked. “Taking a shit?”
Rant raised his arm back but Amelia stepped between them. “You can return to your positions.”
They shifted away without another word.
As the mourners settled down, the atmosphere had totally changed. It was less somber and more fearful, as the chatter amongst the Kytherans dramatically increased.
“They’re not even Massku,” Shine said, getting a better look at the bodies as they passed.
“Do you understand now?” Amelia asked, keeping her head straight and her tone flat.
Anyone could be a Thalian, here in the city or out there in the other kingdoms. If Amelia was more underhanded, he might think she staged the attack to prove her point. But she didn’t have to.
Neanthal had changed the culture in Kytheras. Many survived his reign by devoting themselves to him; by worshipping him. Those years couldn’t be wiped away by a new king. It was ingrained in the fabric of Ghumai. They would have to deal with it and weed it out best they could. Though ultimately it would be up to each individual kingdom to devise their own way to cope with them.
“We may not be able to imprison every Thalian before we part ways,” Shine said, “but we can make sure every Massku is locked away or executed.”
“Will you not give a second chance to the Ifta?” his wife spoke up.
“Only those that joined us before the war ended,” Shine replied. “The rest are no better than those feral beasts they command.”
Shine waited to hear some objection from Amelia, but she remained silent. He took that as permission to proceed with his idea. They still had two decks before the kingdoms would be isolated. That time could be used to cleanse the land of any remaining Massku.
“Is there any Faun royalty left?” Shine pondered aloud. “What chiefs are left in Terrastream? Who leads Belliore now?”
“Matters that we can discuss after the funeral,” Amelia replied.
Shine would need their cooperation in any operation to exterminate the Massku. He didn’t know how many were out there or who would be willing to assist a king they would soon never hear from again. Invitations to prominent families throughout the land had gone out on post bird. Whoever showed up would likely be willing to listen to his plan. This seemed like the time to discuss it.
Before he could bring it up again, his eyes fell on his brother. “How did you survive?” he asked, remembering what Slythe had done.
“Enchanted cloak,” Slythe replied.
“I should have guessed.”
Though if Slythe had enchanted clothing, Shine wondered why he did not as well.
The procession made it to Terrastream without further incident. As they stepped from cobblestone onto grass, the mourners grew more somber again. They didn’t move far into the kingdom before the mages conjured up a stage and chairs for the audience.
Amelia guided Aergo’s body onto the platform, where she set it down and left to join the audience. Shine and his family were the only ones left near Aergo’s body.
“Every year, my memories of him fade a little more,” Slythe said, touching his father’s still hand. “I cannot hear his voice any longer, nor see his smile. This is how I’m going to best remember him. Like this.”
“You were young,” Shine remarked, glad he could still remember the days his father was alive.
“I shouldn’t have come,” Slythe said. “One of
us should’ve stayed with mother.”
Queen Eloris had refused to join them that day, saying she’d buried Aergo years ago and couldn’t do it again.
Slythe abruptly left the stage, leaving him and Narai alone atop the crisp wooden dais. Shine looked out all the people, many remaining respectfully quiet, with their eyes locked on to him. Some he recognized from the Islands, mainly the ones with a heavier tan. Most of the guardians he knew personally. The mages were all familiar to him, as the only ones left were the ones he knew. All the sin mages were gone.
Those he didn’t recognize or remember were more weary; more wrinkled. They’d aged poorly under Neanthal’s care. But there were tears falling down and desperate gazes that signaled they recalled a time when Aergo was king. That’s why they had come. They weren’t required to.
Unfortunately, no one from the other kingdoms showed up. Shine waited over an hour after their arrival but there were no Fauns, Streamers, or Bellish in their midst. His invitations had likely been ignored. Maybe they didn’t remember or didn’t care. Or maybe they felt they no longer had to answer to a Kytheran king. That could make the remaining decks more challenging than he imagined.
Shine stepped to the feet of his father’s body and cleared his throat. He waited for Narai to take a seat before beginning his eulogy.
“My father, King Aergo Tunsev, was murdered ten years ago. And for those ten years, we have waited to bury him so we can uphold the last wish that he left us with. The Tunsev family came from Terrastream. He wanted to be buried in the land of his ancestors. Today, we are finally able to honor his wish.
“There’s not much about him I can tell you that you don’t already know. He was the Great Unifier. He saw the endless bloodshed in Ghumai and, unlike kings and emperors before him, he chose to bring it to an end. No one did that before. No one even tried! War after war dominated our history and it would have gone on if not for this man.
“I remember a story my mother used to tell me when I was younger. It took place after Aergo had negotiated with the Bellish and the Twileans. Because Terrastream was unconsolidated, he had to bargain with every chief across the land. The Fauns, worried about this new alliance and reluctant to join it, sent their own convoy to the Streamers. They believed if they could stop Aergo in Terrastream, he would fail. They wanted him to fail so they could keep their empire and their independence.”
Shine sneered as he noted the lack of golden eyes staring back at him. Even now, they had no respect for the deceased king.
“On one Spring day, both Aergo and the Fauns came to confer with the same tribe at Restoration River. The RapidDivers were willing to hear both sides and seemed to favor the Fauns during their talks. However, when it came time for supper, the Faun convoy stole fish from the river and cooked it over a fire in front of their hosts. They had no respect for the Streamer principles. Meanwhile, Aergo shared fruit grown in Kytheras with the tribe and made sure his company followed Streamer custom while outside Kytheras. Well, the RapidDivers were so offended by the Fauns and so grateful to the King that they attacked the Fauns before dusk and drove them back to the border.
“That’s how my father did it. He understood and respected all people and their ways in Ghumai. That is how he united the land. That is how he became the one true king in the first true kingdom.
“I believe we could have kept this first kingdom together. But in two decks, we become separate from each other once more. I cannot put into words how this hurts me. It feels like I am tearing apart my father’s legacy. But to save this land, we need to divide it, and I think he would understand that. I think he would want that.
“King Aergo’s soul resides in the Bastion, but we can now put his body to rest here in Terrastream. Thank you for joining me. May Magenine’s light continue to point us all true.”
Shine departed the podium, joining his wife in the audience.
Subsequently, every mage in attendance walked forward and stood in line with Amelia. They all lit their staffs and raised them high above their heads. A rainbow stream of light burst from their crystals, arching over their heads and soaring down onto the stage and Aergo’s corpse.
Aergo’s body sunk into the coffin, and then the entire structure sunk into the ground. When the rainbow disappeared, there was nothing left to see of Aergo or the stage they’d created.
“He’s buried,” Amelia told him to make sure he understood.
Shine nodded. “This day has got me thinking about succession.”
“We have more pressing matters,” Amelia insisted.
He couldn’t argue with that, but this was not a thought he could let go. If he had kids, would they be first in line after him, or would Slythe be? And what of Slythe’s children?
Amelia seemed to sense his busy mind. “Don’t worry. We have more than two decks time to establish what will happen. But it is my intention to make sure a Tunsev always sits on the throne of Kytheras.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Fourth Key
Rikki had successfully destroyed King Kahar’s throne room, leaving a layer of rubble amidst a newly created clearing in the center of Valiant Keep. Aros, Doren, and Loraya were already digging through the mess, displacing some of the broken rock before it inevitably began to slide back down into the holes they created. There were no cries for help from beneath the debris, nor whimpers of pain. Those that survived the initial collapse had already left.
Aros squealed and jumped back as he came upon one of the bodies. Naturally, it was Loraya that hurried to soothe him.
Doren was determinedly scooping up the wreckage and tossing it aside, as if he was in a race to get to the bottom.
Rikki surveyed it all, entranced by what she had done, and lacking any guilt for those loyalists whose bodies they occasionally discovered. They had enabled King Kahar. They deserved what they got.
Her bare feet crunched down on the rock as she tried to recall where it was that she’d last seen M’dalla. It was at one of the far corners of the room, wasn’t it?
She hoped that M’dalla had remained whole despite what she’d done. Her transformation into a statue probably protected her from any serious harm. But if she had cracked apart, she was still made of stone. It might be possible to repair her.
Rikki crossed to the edge of the disaster and firmly planted her staff into the pile of superfluous rock before letting go. It stood freely as she stepped away from it.
Her friends had stopped working to watch what she was doing. Perhaps they figured she knew where M’dalla was. And maybe she did, but she wasn’t so certain that M’dalla would turn up when she was finished.
The channeling crystal around her neck began to glow, and the staff subsequently lit up in the same manner. Rikki held out her hands and directed the rubble to follow her will. As she began to conduct its movements, the pebbles around her staff vibrated and started popping up from the ground.
And then, in one clean motion, they rose up like a sheet and began to spin around her staff. More and more of the debris joined the ensuing cyclone, and it grew wider and faster as she willed it up into the air.
Doren was the first to shuffle himself to a position behind her. Aros and Loraya followed. Were they afraid of what she was doing? Or did they suspect they would no longer have to dig?
Rikki made to move closer to her cyclone, but Doren put on a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him, finding it cute that he was worried for her safety. She laid her hand on top of his before carefully lifting it off.
She then resumed course, walking right up to the threshold of the tornado. As she reached toward it and her staff at its center, the entire whirlwind began to breakdown. Chunks of rock crashed down upon others, and, like a miniature avalanche, the entire cyclone fell to bits.
By the time Rikki latched onto her staff, the storm was no more.
Rikki pulled her staff in close and looked at the space right beneath where she had planted it. In clear view, and waiting to be pulled out, wa
s the M’dalla statue.
“So you did know,” Doren said as he peeked into the hole she had created.
“I had a guess,” she replied. Rikki pointed her staff at the statue and it rose from the trench, floating in midair until she placed it down upon the wreckage.
“Do you think she’s alive?” Aros asked, studying the statue.
Rikki wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t guarantee it. At the very least, she was whole; unmarred by the obliteration of the throne room.
“You can undo this?” Loraya asked in a skeptical tone.
“I can turn her back to flesh,” Rikki replied. “Whether she’ll be alive…” She touched M’dalla’s arm with her free hand. “We can hope.”
Aros gripped the golden M hanging from his neck. “I have faith.”
Rikki lifted her staff and placed the channeling crystal at M’dalla’s forehead. A gust blew through the room as she urged the transformation to be undone. The gray stone became like wet mud, and it began sliding down M’dalla’s body in revolting droplets. Patches of brown flesh were revealed first, followed by the yellow fabric of her cloak.
Finally, and all at once, the gray matter became like water and splashed down from her body and onto the encompassing debris.
M’dalla fell forward onto Rikki, though Doren and Aros were quick to grab her arms before she brought the Grand Mage down.
It was a single blink that signaled to Rikki that the Roamer was alive. A huge grin broke out on her face, and she beamed at Doren before he realized what her smile meant.
M’dalla crooked her neck up and stared upon her savior. “What happened?” she croaked.
“Set her down,” Loraya urged, and the two boys carefully lowered her onto the rock.
