by Jon Kiln
With hands and feet chained together, they were strapped to the walls, the chains pulling tight so that their feet only just touched the ground. As they hung there, a female Akkedis approached them with a bucket before throwing freezing cold water all over them.
Ganry cried out at the shock of the water on his bruised body.
“You do well to remain quiet, human,” the female said to him.
He looked at her. She was familiar, and he realized she had served them in the rooms.
“You do well, Arriba, to stay away, in case I get loose,” he answered her back with viciousness.
She hissed and walked out of the chamber, leaving the two males hanging in their chains.
23
“Do not treat me like a fool, boy,” Lord Josiah spat. He was so close to Artas that spittle showered his face. “I demand to see the Queen, and we all know that you cannot meet such a request because she has abandoned her people, is that not so, sir?”
Artas remained calm. He, too, had a noble upbringing and followed the etiquette that any situation dictated. This one was forcing him to remain civilized in the face of revolt.
“Our Queen is on a mission to save this Kingdom, Lord Josiah. That does not mean that the Kingdom is in jeopardy. Indeed, Queen Myriam is busy making this Kingdom stronger.” Artas would not divulge the whole tale, not to this minor royal from the outlands.
Standing in the middle of open ground on the outskirts of the castle was not an ideal place to have such a discussion. Many townsfolk were gathering to witness the confrontation. Rumor had spread that there was to be another coup, and this was not news the citizens of Palara wanted to hear.
“You say she is on some dangerous mission, yet she does not take her army,” the Duke spat back. “Putting herself in danger. For all we know, she may be dead already and the throne stands vacant.” He pauses for his words to take effect with the surrounding throng of people. If they thought she was dead, then they would be more accepting to a member of her family, such as him, taking up the crown. “So, it is good that I am here, on hand, to take over the throne while she is absent. I will be Regent until she returns.”
“That will not be necessary,” Lord Parsival interrupted his fellow Lord as he stood by the side of Artas. “We have a Regent, and I suggest you bow down to him, Lord Josiah. He was put in place by our own Queen, through all the official channels. You, sir, would simply be another usurper, and this Kingdom has had its fair share of them.” Parsival did not intend on allowing this arrogant Lord to overthrow their present Regent.
“How can this foolish boy be the Kingdom’s Regent? He does not even carry one drop of royal blood within his veins. This is an absolute insult to the people of this Kingdom. I will take charge immediately, and any who stand in my way will suffer my wrath,” Lord Josiah threatened.
Lady Leonie now joined in the affray. “Sir, we have documentation to support Regent Artas Holstein, whose family have served the royal bloodline for many years. Indeed, they died with the King. They have earned this badge. Our Queen would not have chosen him had she not trusted him.”
“For all we know these papers could be falsified,” the Lord intimated. “You three could have killed our Queen and taken the power of her seat for yourselves.” He gripped his sword hilt and took a menacing step closer towards them. It was obvious that the minor lord was looking for a fight, and Artas would either have to back down, or call his bluff.
“This has gone far enough, Lord Josiah,” Artas finally retaliated. “I am placing you under arrest as a threat to the throne. You will remain imprisoned within the castle walls until the return of Queen Myriam, who can then decide your fate.”
With that, a very red faced Lord Josiah huffed in indignation, his eyes bulging. He drew his sword from its scabbard, pointing it threateningly at Artas.
“How dare you threaten me, you fool! My armies will overrun this place in an instant. It will be you, sir, who will languish in the dungeons.” Turning to his men, he rallied them to his aid. “Take your up your arms. We are overrunning the castle. Kill all of those who stand in your way!” he yelled at his men.
Lord Josiah’s men were unsure exactly what they were being ordered to do. There were not enough of them in number to overrun a castle. They were a simple traveling bodyguard, and the castle would be very well defended by a much larger army. Still, if their Lord ordered such action, they were obliged to comply. As one, they all drew their arms and confronted the castle guards.
The gathered citizens gasped at the turn of events. Soldiers confronting the castle defenders and all readying to engage in combat. They had only just recovered from the last coup, one that had caused much hardship and loss of life, and they certainly did not want another usurper ruling them.
Later, when discussing that day in the bars and taverns of the castle, no one could be certain who made the first move, who had made that rallying cry. But, as one, they had all taken up arms to protect their castle from the offending soldiers. Armed with pitchforks and scythes, they stood side by side with the castle guards in solidarity.
Artas looked upon the people in amazement. Though his army far outnumbered Lord Josiah’s, he was grateful that Myriam had the support of her citizens. All they needed now was the return of their Queen.
“I suggest you lay down your arms, Lord Josiah. The people of the Kingdom have spoken. You will not rule here in the Queen’s absence.” Artas spread his arms, emphasizing the actions of the citizens.
The Duke had not noticed that the townsfolk were threatening his own small force. All he was interested in was getting into the throne room and taking charge of the seat of power. He looked around, and for the first time, he realized the numbers of the castle’s army. Some had remained hidden behind the huge castle gates, but now they marched forward, surrounding his own men.
Plus, the imbeciles of this town thought they could threaten him with their meager tools. This was an outrage, an absolute insult to his family. For now he would concede, as he had no choice, but he promised to himself that this was not to be the end of his rebellion. He would demand to be treated as was fitting of his bloodline.
“And what do you intend on doing with me and my men?” he demanded to know.
“I have a room awaiting your arrival,” Artas informed him. “Your men will be sent marching to your own lands. You, sir, will be treated as a guest of the castle until the Queen arrives home.”
Despite his fury, Lord Josiah could see that this would work to his advantage. Once he was on the inside of the castle, he just needed to await his opportunity and he would murder these upstarts in their beds. They were all that stood in his way to power. Once the Regent was dead and the Queen still absent, the army and people would soon fall into line. He was, after all, a member of the royal family, albeit distant.
24
“I demand to see my friends! That’s the least you can allow me,” Myriam shouted at Ghaffar.
“Of course, I assure you that they have not been harmed in any way. I also have good news for you.” He was quite pleased with himself at how well this was all going. Four of the D’Anjue bloodline to feed his Empress would keep her alive for years to come. “Your grandmother is recovering, slightly, so we will arrange for her to share your room. How kind of our Empress to allow that, do you not agree?”
“If you think I will kneel to the likes of you, traitor, then think again,” Myriam spat at him. She would personally take off this creature’s head, if only she had a weapon. “I want answers about Ganry. Why have you taken him prisoner?”
“Come now, Queen Myriam, you know full well why. His and Perseus’s actions in the royal chamber highlight the need to keep them restrained,” Ghaffar replied, quite content with his reasoning. “We cannot be having any disturbances once we get started.”
“Start what? What is it that you are about to start?” Myriam quizzed. “Why exactly have you tricked us to come to this wretched place?”
“This is my home,
and it is where you and your family will live out your days, so I’d advise you to get used to it. If you behave, we will keep you comfortable and allow you some freedom. All we ask in return is that you supply my Empress with your royal blood. Not too difficult a task, now that there are four of you.”
As he finished speaking the door opened. Linz and Hendon walked in, with guards behind them pushing them on. Myriam ran to them both and hugged each one.
“I’m so glad you’re both safe,” she cried, tears now involuntarily running down her cheeks.
Linz wiped a tear away and looked into her eyes. It was not sadness that he saw in Myriam’s face but determination.
“I’m so sorry, Linz, that I brought you to this gruesome place,” she sobbed onto his shoulder.
“I will leave you to console one another,” Ghaffar spoke. “You should be grateful that my Empress is so generous to allow you all to converse.” With that, he quickly turned and marched out of the room.
Myriam stopped her false tears. “I swear I will personally kill that creature,” she promised. “We were right, they are wanting to feed from our bloodline. It must be what keeps the Empress alive. They intend to keep us for her for as long as possible, by taking a small amount from each of us in turn so we stay healthy. They must have bled my poor grandmother dry,” she said, her anger boiling.
“I could find a weapon and ambush them as they come into the room, Myriam,” Linz offered. “You never know, the confusion might open up an opportunity for us to escape and take our chances in the city.”
“Linz, you are such a brave one, but no. I do believe that Perseus may be our way out of this place. I don’t know why, but I feel he came here for another reason and not just to bring me to my grandmother.”
“It’s a pity they took our daggers and rings,” Linz said. “If we put the Berghein stones together, we might have been strong enough to make an escape attempt.”
“No,” Hendon joined in the conversation. “Barnaby informs me that they are the keepers of these stones. They gave them to our ancestors in their hatred of the dragons. Then they cowardly sat back while our ancestors battled with the dragons. The Akkedis Empress allowed our family to keep these stones so she could spy on us through them. She has been kept alive by the lake men. Ghaffar, along with the Rooggaru, has been siphoning blood from our people to bring back to her.”
Hendon cocked his head sideways, holding the staff close to his ear as though it were actually speaking to him physically. He nodded and muttered something unintelligible before continuing. “Barnaby also says that once all the stones were found and put together, this increased the power of the D’Anjue family and eroded the magic of the Akkedis Empress. She is weakened to a point of no return, and so she is dying. The only way to keep her alive now is with the untainted D’Anjue blood. The lake men’s blood has become too weak for her needs. We are still linked to the royal family bloodline, so our blood is stronger and will keep her alive longer. For now, she does not need much, but it will get worse. She will require more and more as time goes by. Once we die, so will she.”
“How does Barnaby know all this?” Myriam questioned.
“He tells me he has access to vast knowledge, more than he ever had. He looks things up, like we do in our library, or maybe even like a crystal ball, I’m not sure,” Hendon tried to explain this strange information as best he could, but he did not fully understand it himself. Most of the time, Barnaby spoke in riddles, using words he was unfamiliar with.
This was a revelation to them all and gave them renewed hope. With information like this, it might just be the head start they needed over the Akkedis. They now knew their dark secrets.
“Excellent Hendon, you should thank Barnaby for me the next time you speak together. But, a word of caution. I would refrain from speaking to Ganry of this, you know what he is like on matters of magic and such. He would simply think you have lost your mind!”
25
Ganry’s body ached with a vengeance. This was not the first time he had been fastened in chains and hung on a wall, but it had not happened to him in many years. Every muscle and every joint cried out for release.
Perseus was faring much better. Not only was he younger, but as soon as the guards left the room he shifted his body shape to that of the snake, allowing him to escape from his chains. Once he changed back into his human form, he released Ganry for a short period.
“We cannot stay free for too long,” Perseus warned. “They will be suspicious if we do not cry out in pain.”
Once free of the chains, Ganry collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Free of his restraints he was sure the place stank even worse than it did when he was chained. An overpowering odor of urine, feces, and dampness assaulted his senses. And to compound matters further, the air was so thick it was hardly breathable.
“I’m leaving this room for a short while to find water,” Perseus told him. “I will be quick.” And with that he was gone.
Ganry had no idea how he had managed to get out of the room as he had not been looking. He was busy regulating his breathing, taking in as much air in as possible. This truly was a dungeon, deep in the bowels of the earth.
As he sat up, leaning his aching back against the hard stone wall, he noticed a huge hole in the floor. Now he knew how Perseus had slithered out of the room. The shape-shifter could dig tunnels, just like the sand worms. He hoped Perseus had an idea how to fill this tunnel in when he returned. As he sat there pondering the problem, the snake’s head appeared in the hole.
The huge snake slithered back into the room and used its tail to replace a mound of earth back into the tunnel. Then, altered into that of a human male, handed Ganry a pouch of water.
Ganry guzzled half, though he knew he should not drink so fast. But caution was the last thing on his mind. Handing the rest of the water back to Perseus, he was feeling much better already.
Perseus drank slower, not needing as much refreshment as the human.
“Are you going to tell me your tale then, Perseus?” he asked of his companion.
“My master is Qutaybah, I have not anymore to tell,” he replied, clearly not over willing to reveal his history.
Ganry tried a different line of questioning. “What kind of creature are you?”
“I am a Suggizon. My master saved me from being devoured, so I owe him my life.”
“And? The story is?” Ganry was determined he would have some explanation.
Perseus sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “My people live in the mountains of Vandemland,” he began. “We are a rarity and considered quite a delicacy in our reptile form. I was captured when I was quite young and traded on the slave market. I refused to Change from human, so the slavers beat me. When we are angry, we cannot stop the Change. Once changed I caused havoc in the market place, killing a number of slave traders. After I was recaptured I was to be beheaded, but Master Qutaybah offered them a price they could not refuse. I have been with him since, and I serve him loyally.”
“These are strange lands indeed,” Ganry commented, his voice hoarse from the thick, stinking air.
“I hear footsteps approaching. I must tie you back up again,” Perseus said, standing up quickly.
As soon as Ganry was back in position, Perseus changed form and wriggled into his own chains. Seconds later they heard keys rattling in the lock and in walked Ghaffar.
“I bear good news for you, Ganry,” Ghaffar said. The former mercenary lifted up his chin that had been dangling to touch his chest. “My wonderful and benevolent Empress is allowing the Duchess to share a room with your Queen.”
“Forgive me if I cannot smile,” he replied, gruffly. “Your Empress amazes me with her kindness.”
“Indeed!” Ghaffar agreed, knowing full well what Ganry’s caustic comments meant. “I am here to ask of you some small questions,” Ghaffar continued. “I am sure you will be glad to keep your Queen safe and so will be willing to answer honestly.”
There was an empty si
lence hanging in the air as no one spoke. Ganry would not waste his small amount of energy on this fiend.
“When you set off on your quest, exactly who was aware that you were visiting with the Akkedis?” Ghaffar asked.
Ganry did not reply. Instead, he laughed quietly until his laugh echoed loudly around the stone wall chamber.
“You fear an attack, my little friend?” Ganry asked, when he had finished laughing. “Oh, I assure you, you will get one,” Ganry promised.
Ghaffar smiled and then stood aside, allowing a tall female Akkedis into the cell. She was dressed in a light tunic which had many woven pouches. Within the pouches, Ganry could see moving dark shapes.
“This is Sileta, she is the keeper of the kewers,” Ghaffar said, with a smirk of satisfaction in his features. “Our kewers are a special creature which only Sileta can control. Have you heard of a kewer, human?”
Ganry did not reply. He simply stared fiercely into the eyes of the little man.
“I will take your silence as ignorance and I will explain this insect in its simplicity,” Ghaffar answered to the silent Ganry. “It is such a tiny thing, with a long piercing snout, and, like the Akkedis, feeds from blood. But this creature digs into its host and makes its way to the heart, and once there it will feed until the heart ceases to pump. Then it will leave the host and find another. You see, the kewers like their blood warm and straight from the source. Now, Sileta here, she can talk to her pets and she can call them to come back to her, and they do as she asks, even if they are just about to feed on the pumping heart. She is a good mother to them and cares that they are fed with only the best, and they are loyal to her.”
