The Destroyer

by Michael-Scott Earle

  "It is nice to meet you. My daughter has told me of your travels." I nodded and then looked to the military man.

  "This is one of the king's generals, Maerc." I shook the man's hand, but he said nothing in acknowledgment.

  "This is my grandfather!" Paug’s eager, open face beamed as I turned to face the old man. I smiled and shook his hand.

  "Very, very pleased to meet you, Kaiyer. I'm Janci. We have so much to discuss with you!" the older man said. His face was lined with the kind of wrinkles you get from smiling, his hands rough and worn, even compared to the stoic general. I liked him immediately.

  "We all have questions that we wish to ask you. Would you be so kind as to sit down and let us speak to you?" the duke asked. I nodded and sat down on the other side of the table from them.

  Nadea glared at me from her seat and folded her arms over her breasts. I looked back between the other men and waited for them to interrogate me.

  "Gentlemen, do you mind if I go first?" Janci said. The other two men nodded. "Thank you."

  "Kaiyer, can you tell me about your name. What does it mean?" he said as he unrolled a piece of parchment and took a pen in his hand.

  "It means: 'Son of Kai.' Kai was my father and a blacksmith. My brother's name was Leotol. He also worked as a blacksmith with my father."

  "Thank you! Paug was right; your grasp of our language is uncanny. It is splendid! What does Kai mean?"

  I thought back through my memory.

  "It means 'Lightning' in our old language. Can I have some water or wine? I feel like I may become thirsty." The duke nodded and rang a nearby bell.

  "What do you mean by 'old language'? Isn't the language you were speaking with Paug when you were awoken by him the old language?" He was scribbling on his paper with great urgency.

  "No. The Humans had a language before the Elvens enslaved us. We would name our children the old words, even though we didn't speak the language anymore." He nodded.

  "What does your brother's name mean?"

  "It meant 'Dancing Butterfly.' My father said that my mother expected a girl child, and she already desired the name." I had to have Paug translate part of the sentence.

  Servants entered the room, carrying pitchers of water and bottles of wine. I poured myself some wine, mixed it with water, and drank it. Janci waited until the servants left before he spoke again.

  "Do you remember much of your mother?"

  "No. Father never talked about her. He told us that the Elvens killed her. It was common for that to happen." He grimaced in sympathy.

  "Can you tell us of the Ancients? Their strengths, weaknesses? Are they the same as these Elvens you mention?” The duke asked. Janci looked a little upset at the interruption but I understood the duke to have significant power, and I doubted he placed the same importance on my family history as Janci seemed to. To him I was part of an urgently needed military strategy, to Janci I was a living artifact that could teach him of the civilization he and his family had spent their lives studying. Everything about me and my past fascinated him, while the duke, and I guessed Maerc, wanted to find out what I could do to help them as quickly as possible.

  "I believe those whom you call Ancients are my Elvens. They are a race similar to humans. But they live much longer. They are very strong. Some are two to four times stronger than a human. They are also fast and possess amazing fighting abilities. I think some of them can use magic; they can control the Wind, Fire, and Earth. They can heal themselves quickly and almost never tire." I tried to think of more but my memories were far from complete.

  "What about their weaknesses?" the general said from behind the duke.

  "I don't remember any. I hated them in my memories. But I don't remember killing any of them. I don't remember killing anyone. I remember being a stable boy. I remember my father and brother being killed by the Elven; I remember being trained in their army, sent to die as they fought against each other for petty reasons. I remember training with a group of humans, and I also remember standing on a battlefield with a red banner and a black skull."

  I drained my glass and poured more wine and water into it. My mouth was dry.

  "Do you remember any battles with the Elven? Anything about fighting them?" the duke asked again.

  "No."

  "Do you remember being called ‘the O'Baarni?’" Paug's grandfather cut in. I let out a long sigh and leaned back into my chair. I frowned and took a deep breath. They wouldn’t like this.

  "In one of my memories, I trained with another human. We were being taught by an older man. I think we were part of some military, but I don't remember. The old man asked the other man and me to go hunt and bring back food for the O'Baarni."

  There was silence for a few minutes.

  "What does that mean?" the general said.

  "I know you have been looking for this person called the O'Baarni. You think I am him, but I know for sure that I am not. I believe I was a soldier in his army, but how could I be this O'Baarni and be asked to get food for him?" I could almost feel their disappointment seep into the air. They had pinned all their hope for the salvation of their country on me, invested much into my retrieval, and I was not the man they expected, not whom they needed.

  Paug swallowed painfully and seemed destroyed by my news. I looked over to Nadea, she stared down at the table, avoiding my eye contact. Her mouth formed a straight line.

  "You're sure that there is no possible way you are him?" Paug's grandfather asked. I nodded.

  "I want to help you. Perhaps there are ways I can. Maybe I will have memories of things that the O'Baarni did to defeat the Elvens. Maybe I know something that you can use. My memory is slowly coming back. I will do what I can to help you all."

  "I don't understand," Nadea said. Her face was angry as she looked at me. "If you aren't the O'Baarni then why were you placed into deep sleep and entombed? It doesn't make any sense that you would be there." The duke nodded and spoke.

  "Do you remember why you were imprisoned and made to sleep?"

  "No. I don't. There was a letter carved into the stone of the slab I rested on. When I read it I didn't remember any of the names, but now I remember that one of them was my training partner." Paug's face lit up when I finished.

  "That's right. Sorry Grandfather, I forgot to show you this!" Paug ran over to his pack and took out the thick book he had used to translate; he pulled out a piece of thin parchment with the rubbings. Janci examined it and translated it aloud slowly.

  After the older man had finished, the group turned to look at me.

  "I remember Thayer, but that is it. In my memories we were friends so I don't understand why he would want to punish me. For some reason, they wanted me to be removed from their lives, but not killed. I wish I remembered more. I am sorry again."

  Nadea opened her mouth to speak when the door behind me creaked. Before it fully opened the room had sprung to its feet. I rose from my chair to look at the newcomer.

  He was an impressive man, a little taller than me, with broad shoulders. His hair was the same color as Jessmei's and his eyes were also the same frozen blue. He wore a long purple robe that stopped just short of the ground. Golden rings decorated his fingers and he had a circle of gold and gems on top of his head. I assumed him to be their leader.

  Standing behind the king were two guards. They wore simple chain shirts, but I could see the curve of their muscles beneath them.

  "Your Highness, I didn't think you would make it," General Maerc said as he walked over and bowed. The rest of the room followed suit. I mirrored their movements, remembering a time when disrespect meant death.

  "Be seated friends. I wanted to meet this man myself and ask him some questions." He looked over to me. "Your name is Kaiyer, correct?"

  "Yes it is, King." I hoped I addressed him properly. He smiled.

  "Glad to meet you. Let me take a seat over here." He moved over to a chair next to Nadea and sat down. His guards moved behind him and eyed me more cautious
ly than Maerc had. The king poured himself some water and took a sip.

  "I wanted to thank you for saving my beloved Jessmei and my niece here from possible death and certain kidnapping. You did my kingdom, my brother, and me a huge service. I didn't get to where I am today by not rewarding those that have faithfully served me, so I would like to reward you."

  I nodded. I hadn't saved them because I had hoped for a reward. I had acted on instinct. But it made sense for the ruler to set such precedents.

  "I believe that my brother and General Maerc will be trying to figure out how to use your talents in the upcoming battles, but I want to take care of you tomorrow night. We are having a banquet to celebrate the arrival of the envoys from our friendly neighbors. During that ceremony I would like to knight you. It is a simple process that will give you certain legal claims in the military. You'll get a weekly stipend, and should you choose to participate in our future battles, and I hope that you do, you’ll have a small brigade of soldiers to command. I can also give you some land, but we'll wait for that reward until next spring. I hope I still have a kingdom by then. What do you say?"

  I hadn't understood everything that he said. I guessed he told me he intended to reward me tomorrow night at a party by giving me some money and men to command.

  "It sounds great King. Thank you." I smiled. Paug looked over at me and beamed.

  "Now let me ask you a few more questions. I talked to Greykin about the journey, and there are some things that I can't understand. I wanted to get your perspective. Is that okay?" I nodded. The king was very charismatic. His eyes were kind and he had a direct, yet unthreatening gaze that made it seem as if he was intensely interested in what I was saying. I found myself liking him more and more each time he spoke.

  "When you were at the inn with Jessmei and the four assassins attacked,” he paused,” I'm not sure I understand what transpired. How did you defeat them?" I saw the guards and General Maerc lean forward.

  "Jessmei came out of her room to get some water. We talked at the table for a bit." I noticed Nadea frown at me, and I had already learned enough of their culture to know I should not tell Jessmei’s father the exact nature of our discussion. "Then I got up to go to bed. I saw a shadow at the window and they kicked in the door. One of them shot a crossbow bolt at me, but he missed. Then I kicked him back into his friend. Two more came from the kitchen and I threw the table at them. Greykin, Nadea, and Iarin came out to help me finish them off."

  The king sat back in his chair and nodded.

  "I think you are being a little too modest, Kaiyer." He reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded the paper and showed me a symbol written on the inside. It was a circle with three vertical lines in parallel. "Do you know what this is?" I looked carefully at it.

  "No, King. I have never seen it before. At least from what I can remember."

  "No, I didn't think so." The king turned the paper around and showed it to Nadea, her father, Maerc, Paug, and Janci. They opened their eyes and gasped. The king looked back to me. "This is the symbol of the Assassin's Guild. Greykin inspected them before the bodies were destroyed. They work across our world and do a variety of 'special' tasks. This particular mark is one of their highest rankings. The men who have it tattooed on their bodies are some of the best killers in the world. These men don't miss with a crossbow bolt. They are not thwarted in a kitchen by a table, and they never fail." I smiled and laughed.

  "What's so funny?" the king asked. I couldn't tell if I had annoyed him, so I stopped laughing.

  "I didn't think they were impressive," I said with a smirk. The king smiled back.

  "Tell me about the table you threw. Was it heavy?"

  "I don't remember, King. I didn't have a weapon on me, and Jessmei stood between us. I asked her to duck down, I grabbed the table, and I threw it." He nodded.

  "Greykin told me that the tables in that inn were bolted to the floor. Most tables in inns are, so that they can't be thrown in fights. He said he inspected the table you threw. It had been ripped out of the floor. It would have taken ten or more men to pull it out without tools. Do you understand what I am saying?" I nodded. Now that my memory was coming back I knew that I was stronger than normal humans. Much more. Even stronger than Elvens.

  "I am strong." I nodded and smiled, then grabbed my glass and drank some more. The king laughed.

  "I like this lad. He needs more food in him though. Looks like I could slide him under the door to this room." I smiled wider. It had only been a few hours but I was hungry again.

  "Thank you King. I like you too. I also like food." He laughed heartily.

  "I don't have anything else to ask you. I'm sure you'll be able to help us. I have other things to attend to. I'm going to send my private tailor to your room tonight to make you some new clothes. Those things you are wearing look like something that was in style ten years ago in Vanlourn."

  "I took them from a camp of Vanlourn soldiers. I didn’t have any clothes, and they didn't need them anymore." The king laughed again. It came straight from his belly.

  "I like you Kaiyer! Thank you again. See you tomorrow night. Don't worry about the ceremony. I'll have someone walk you through it." Everyone stood up as the king and his two guards left.

  "Maybe you aren't the O'Baarni, but you obviously have skills and abilities that can help us," Nadea's father said. "Perhaps as your memory comes back you will be able to help us more. Greykin told us that he has explained the situation to you. Do you understand why we wanted to find the O'Baarni so badly?"

  I nodded.

  "We are going to spend the next few weeks with the envoys from the other countries creating a plan of attack. Maybe you can remember some things during that time that we can use. We don't understand the Ancients’ power, and we really are at a stalemate trying to figure out what we can do."

  I finished the pitcher of water and looked around.

  "I am tired," I said after a few minutes of silence.

  "Yes. We can talk again tomorrow. Nadea will show you back to your room."

  "I can do it, sir," Paug said eagerly. "I mean, my room is across from his and I know my way around. I'll take Kaiyer back while you talk."

  "I would prefer that," Nadea said as she shot me another icy glare. She was very attractive when angry, and I couldn't help but smile at her. The duke nodded. Paug said a brief goodbye to his grandfather, Nadea, the duke, and Maerc, and then he led me from the meeting room back to mine. He said he had to go back and speak with his grandfather, but he would come back later tonight to eat dinner with me.

  I went back to watching the soldiers sparring on the field. It kept me occupied for a few more hours, but didn't bring back any more memories.

  Chapter 16-Paug

  I stopped outside the doorway to the meeting room. The door was cracked, allowing Nadea and her father's voices to leak out as a whisper. I reached to push the door open but stopped when I realized what they were discussing.

  "Don't be disappointed. This was a chance gambit. We weren't certain he would be there or that he could be awoken." The duke was trying to comfort her.

  "I know, Father. I shouldn't have set my hopes so high, but I can't keep myself from feeling disappointed. Everything seemed right about Kaiyer. He's strong, intelligent, and wants to aid us. If he actually was the O'Baarni, he would help us with the Ancients." Her voice was laced with disappointment.

  "It's just a name, the O'Baarni, Kaiyer may not be him, but he wants to help us. From the account you gave me last night and what I saw today, he seems to possess attributes that will help us. Maybe he can actually defeat one of the Ancients in combat?"

  "You're right. I should be thankful that my mission was somewhat successful. At least I brought someone back from that time period. He can probably help us in more ways than I am imagining." She sighed. “He just isn’t at all what I expected.”

  "You've done very well on this task. I am proud of you, and the king is too. You are a capable
young woman, just like your mother was. I wish she could see you as you stand before me." His voice filled with praise and love.

  "Thank you," she choked out. They didn't say anything for a while. I was about to push on the door when they started talking again.

  "So any more thoughts about him after this morning?" the duke asked.

  "I was about to ask you the same thing." Nadea laughed. "He seemed disappointed that he had to tell us that he wasn't the O'Baarni, but I believe he is hiding something. He knows more than he is telling us. During our travels I often observed him staring off into the sky, like he was remembering things. He acted the same during our conversation.”

  "I got the same impression. I do feel he is sincere, that he wants to help us. But he isn't telling us everything. I'm sure he knows who the O'Baarni is. It's fine that he doesn't want to tell us now. I imagine he'll open up more once he begins to trust us. I think he'll be able to help us in some small ways in the next few weeks. My brother has taken an extreme liking to him, which is good for our agenda. It also seems that Kaiyer likes him too. This is also good." Nadea agreed with him. There was silence until the duke spoke again.

  "He is handsome, no? You told me that he was thin, but I hadn't expected it to be that bad. He must have looked near death when you awoke him."

  "I thought we were looking at a corpse that had been laid out on a slab for a funeral. We were terrified when he first woke. He's put on a few pounds in our travels but . . ." Nadea trailed off.

  "Yes, but do you think he is handsome?" There was a smile behind the duke's voice.

  "Father! How can you ask me that? I don't think of him that way." He laughed.

  "That's too bad, Naynay. Your mother would go insane knowing that you haven't been married off by now with a few children of your own."

  "I know," Nadea sighed and I guessed she may have heard this before.

  "What of Staril? I recall you mentioning how impressed you were with him when you stayed at his estate in Astical," the duke pressed.