by Jon Kiln
The group rode towards the castle, and Artas sent the five men to an inn so that Lord Josiah would not suspect anything should he see them arrive.
When Artas reached his rooms, he called for Leonie and Parsival, informing them of the news he had just received.
Leonie gasped. “I knew he was up to something, but I had not realized his treachery was so deep. What are your intentions for yet another usurper? I could have him disposed of this very evening. My spies have been keeping a close eye on him, and I have reliable men ready to take action at a moment’s notice.”
The Regent smiled at how prepared and efficient she was. They discussed the implications and possible solutions to dealing with Josiah well into the night.
Artas made his decision the next day.
Lord Josiah was instantly arrested, along with his men that had remained with him. Keeping them all separate, it did not take long for Lady Leonie and her spies to get the right information from them.
She met with the Regent to give him the good news.
“How do you do it, Leonie?” Parsival said, delighted that his Leonie had come on so well. “You are such a delicate creature that, had I not known it to be true, I would never have believed you to be in charge of spies and torture.”
Artas trusted her and knew this intelligence was vital for the banishment of this Lord. Though he would not make the final decision and would leave that up to Myriam.
Until then, Lord Josiah and his loyal men were now imprisoned within the dungeons, all their comforts gone.
36
The villagers lined up with their weapons, wary that the approaching army were mercenaries. Sampson had been sent for as he was their leader and would know how to deal with these men.
Qutaybah stayed on his camel behind Dramand. He did not want to show himself too soon. First he needed to be certain that a Suggizon still resided in the village. He watched closely as a large man arrived among the villagers and moved out from the throng, making his way towards them.
“What can we do for you?” Sampson asked, giving away no mood whatsoever.
“It is more what we can do you for you, Suggizon,” Dramand replied.
An instant murmur buzzed among the villagers. Only few knew that this village was connected to the shape-shifters.
“You have me at an advantage, sir.” The leader stood tall and firm, showing no fear just because this man had shown that he knew privileged information. “My name is Sampson, and may I know yours?”
Qutaybah moved from behind Dramand. “I am Qutaybah, a friend of the Suggizon,” he said, dismounting from his camel.
Sampson’s face lit up with joy as he recognized him. “Qutaybah, my friend, it has been far too long,” Sampson said, approaching him. “I thought you had abandoned us, once you knew we were safe.”
“Never.” Qutaybah laughed as the two large men hugged in friendship. “I come to bring you wealth, as I promised my man, Perseus.”
“Perseus still serves you?” Sampson asked, clearly pleased to hear that name. “I also thought my brother had abandoned his family. He is an uncle of three now, whereas there was only one when he left.”
The two men parted in their welcoming hug and Sampson turned to the villagers, informing them there was nothing to fear. They began to disperse and go back to their toil.
It was agreed that the mercenaries could camp around the village, and that the residents would make a feast in honor of their guests. The villagers were not short of supplies, and quickly the tables were ladened with food, fine wines, and ales.
A celebratory atmosphere was soon thriving and musicians played as a hog was put to roast. The lingering smell of the meat was a welcoming aroma and the soldiers were quick to mingle with the villagers, enjoying their welcoming hospitality.
Qutaybah was taken to Sampson’s house where they could talk further in peace and quiet.
“Thank you for such a welcome,” Qutaybah thanked Sampson. “The trek across the desert is a difficult one, ladened with dangers. This will help the men relax.”
“Why have you come so far?” Sampson questioned. “I fear it must only be with grave news.” A frown knitted in his brow.
“We are here to liberate the gem mines that the Akkedis so jealously guard. We wish to drive them out of this land. I feel it only right that your people, together with my guidance, should rule in their place,” Qutaybah explained, accepting a mug of beer from a pretty girl.
“We have grown greatly in numbers, all thanks to you, Qutaybah.” Sampson clinked his tankard on his companions, in a toast of this good news. “As always agreed, our people are at your disposal. It seems that yet again you offer us a new life, a new opportunity, one I believe we are just about ready for. At the moment we are surviving, getting by, but the gems will help feed our children and build an army to keep those away that wish us harm. Again, my friend, you honor us with hope.”
“We have to do this as discretely as possible. We do not want to attract any unwanted attention. Once your people are firmly installed in place, I feel we could rebuff any attempts to take from us what is rightfully yours. Until then, we need to be cautious,” Qutaybah said. “I also have another personal problem to resolve with the Akkedis Empress, but that does not need to involve you, though Perseus is helping me with that matter.”
“Anything that my brother deems important is also important to his people. We will help with your personal matter also. But tonight, we must celebrate your return. You are the one to save our race from extinction. You will always hold a place of honor within our community. Please, let us go join in the celebrations, and tomorrow I will go personally to our city and bring back forces.”
“A city now, eh?” Qutaybah questioned, surprised they had grown so quickly.
“We breed constantly,” Sampson smiled at providing this information. “From the ravaged population that you rescued, we are now thriving in numbers. Most of our people are young, but they are taught the importance of survival. Fighting is now our utmost priority, as well as breeding, of course.”
Qutaybah laughed, he had always liked the sense of humor of the Suggizon. They had struggled for survival and this had made them appreciate life all the more. He considered himself lucky to have known them. Even more, he was glad to have made them his allies. With the right situation, they will be a formidable race and the perfect partners for attacking the Akkedis with whom they had a personal quarrel.
There was no love lost between the Akkedis and the Suggizon. It was the Akkedis that had brought about their downfall. They were once a powerful race in Vandemland, and a union between their races was arranged through a marriage. The Akkedis Empress’ daughter and one of the Suggizon princes were to make this bond. But the union was a trick, its purpose to allow the Akkedis to rule the Suggizon and take their lands.
In the resulting battles many of the princes’ people were killed, which devastated their population. Some revenge was extracted when the Suggizon prince managed to kill his Akkedis wife.
To compound matters further, certain tribes in Vandemland saw the Suggizon as a delicacy when in snake form, and a thriving black market trade had grown in selling their flesh. The Akkedis promoted this, even trading Suggizon slaves on the black market. The Suggizon people would welcome the opportunity to avenge their kind.
37
Ghaffar knew that the only way to move the young male humans was going to be by force, and he had hoped to avoid that, just yet. There would time enough to cause plenty of discomfort for these annoying humans soon. He was surprised just how compliant the human Queen had been, and the quality of her blood had been excellent. He would not want to jeopardize that. He might as well go along with their demands.
Just as he was about to go to the dungeon and observe the human Ganry being tortured with the kewers, he had been called upon. This annoyed him, as it gave him great pleasure to watch this strong human cry out in such pain, each day that he was weakening.
It would be easy t
o simply allow Sileta to instruct the insects to finish him, but where was the fun in that. It would be over in seconds. This way he got to see a human in agony for hours, every single day. It was very satisfying.
Today though, he had been called away from his preferred entertainment. The human Queen was refusing admittance into her room, and she was holding all the other humans in there with her. Her demands were easy enough to comply with. She simply requested that the young male humans be put in the adjoining room to hers instead of the one opposite. She wanted the humans to be together. Of course, he would refuse to start with. He needed to make them suffer his wrath first.
“My lady, just open up your door so we can discuss this in a more reasonable manner,” Ghaffar said.
“I am not opening this door until you guarantee that I can see Ganry,” Myriam shouted back at him. “You can fight for your blood, Akkedis traitor, because it will not be provided voluntarily anymore.”
“Do you think this wise?” Hendon asked of Myriam, unsure of her motives in causing this commotion.
“I’m only playing for time,” she explained to Hendon and Linz. They both looked completely exhausted, and she felt she had taken this action just in time. “We must think of a way to stop the torture that Ghaffar does to Ganry with those disgusting insects. He puts him through agony on a daily basis and I have to do something. Perseus came to tell me that Ganry will not last out much longer.”
“My granddaughter speaks the truth,” the Duchess joined in. “Once Ganry and Perseus are dead, you two shall be next. We will be saved until last because the Akkedis Empress needs the strength supplied within our blood. It is time for us to make our first stand, if only to delay things.”
“Now I understand my dream last night,” Hendon told them. “Barnaby showed me a tiny worm which he said is a deadly predator of the beetle. I did not know why he was telling me this, but it all makes sense now. I do wish he would not communicate in riddles.”
“This is good news, indeed!” Myriam proclaimed, her heart lightened at the thought that Ganry could yet be saved.
“The keeper of the kewers will have a number of these worms as they are needed to control the blood sucking insects used on Ganry,” Hendon explained. “Do you think that Perseus could manage to get some?”
“He is to come to me this very evening. We can speak to him and tell him what to look for. This will begin our rebellion, even if it gets us nowhere.”
“Fear not, my granddaughter, we only have to delay things for a short while,” her grandmother said. “Plus, we need to do all we can to make sure we all stay alive, including Ganry and Perseus.”
All had gone quiet in the corridor, but Myriam’s door and all the other doors to the adjoining rooms remained locked from the inside. They were not allowing the Akkedis in, and they would have to physically break down the doors. Myriam knew she would need to relent soon, but for this day and night, the Akkedis could remain outside of their rooms.
***
Ghaffar made his way slowly to report to his Empress, a meeting he was not looking forward to. She will be furious that he is empty handed of her food. He’ll need to calm her and assure her that this situation is only temporary, and all will be back to normal the very next day.
Ghaffar knew that this supply could not last forever, but for now, he simply needed to make these humans go back to allowing their blood to be taken. It would be so much harder should they need to be forced. The power of the red juice would not be the same if the humans were put under duress. He must go back to the human Queen and agree to her demands, if that is what it was going to take.
He returned and knocked upon Queen Myriam’s door, promising to listen to all she had to say.
38
Parsival had agreed to lead the elite force that was to venture into Vandemland to help free Queen Myriam. It had been arranged for him to meet with the Lakemen at the border. Jacayb, Qutaybah’s man, had shown him their secret way to get through the border with little danger, and then he had drawn a map of the route to the Akkedis city.
He sat alone now in his small camp, awaiting the arrival of Linz’s tribe. They would only send the best to save their Chief, so he was confident that he would be guiding a group of brave warriors.
Parsival was surprised when Artas had asked him to lead the rescue party, but he had willingly accepted. The Kingdom of Palara had suffered much over the last few years from the usurper Harald. It needed its right and proper Queen returned to the throne.
Whilst he waited, he reflected on the moment he and Lady Leonie had attempted to assassinate Duke Harald, the old king’s brother. A failed attempt that almost cost them their lives. Harald had murdered the king, and most of his loyal followers, so he could become Regent. Only Princess Myriam, the rightful heir, was stopping him from becoming a king. Eventually, many other nobles rose against him and he was overthrown and killed in battle, leaving Myriam as Queen.
They had thought their troubles to be ended, at least for a while, but alas not. Again the royal family of Palara were in trouble. He was fond of Queen Myriam and felt she would do much good for the Kingdom.
When she had insisted in participating on a quest to save her grandmother, the Duchess of D’Anjue, who had withstood Harald’s torturers by refusing to reveal Myriam’s whereabouts, he understood her loyalty. At first no one knew what had happened to the Duchess. It was a great relief when they discovered she had been saved by Ghaffar, but it soon became clear that she was not safe.
Recently, Regent Artas had received word that Myriam, her grandmother, Chief Linz of the Lake people, and Hendon, a forest dweller, had all become prisoners of the Akkedis. Artas had organized their rescue immediately, and had tasked Parsival with leading the mission, a role that Artas would have preferred to have taken himself. Alas this could not be though because Myriam had left him in charge as Regent, and that meant he had to stay in the kingdom.
Parsival had become good friends with Artas, and he worried how he would fare in his absence. Knowing that Lady Leonie remained a close adviser, helped. The three of them had become quite a team running the kingdom while Queen Myriam was away. They were all loyal to the Queen and each would give up their lives to save her.
As Parsival sat in the darkness, pondering over his present situation, a large hand grabbed at his mouth and a strong arm around his throat. Believing he had been taken by bandits, he feared he may not be able to do Artas’s work after all, as surely this must mean his death. Bandits on the borders were notoriously evil, killing anyone they could steal from.
Someone kneeled in front of him and spoke, but he could not understand the dialect. He wished he had paid more attention in his younger days in lessons of other languages. Then the male voice spoke in his Queen’s language.
“Are you Parsival?” the voice asked.
He nodded his head, relief flooding his emotions.
“We could not be sure, but we meant no harm,” the lake man said to him apologetically.
They were well known for their lack of etiquette, having been separate from the rest of Palara for a long time. They still needed much adjustment in their social skills. Though he had met their Chief, Linz, who was much more civilized in his behavior.
“No matter,” Parsival said, rubbing at his throat from the heavy-handed soldier who had nearly throttled him. “We must continue our journey immediately, as we need to get through the border by dawn. He knew they would have traveled hard already to have got here so quickly, but it was important that they cover as much ground as possible before they rested.
It was agreed and they set off at once. The lake people were experienced at keeping themselves unseen, in a world that did not even know of their existence. It was Princess Myriam who had discovered them in her travels to escape Duke Harald.
“First we will travel on foot,” Parsival told the leader. “There are camels awaiting us in Vandemland to help us traverse the desert. We need to avoid being followed. To do this we need to blen
d in and dress as Vandemlanders. I have the funds to purchase the required clothing for your men. Are you agreeable to this?”
“For our Chief, we will do everything for his safety,” the leader replied.
“Good. Then let us get started. We have a long journey ahead and the lives of our leaders may very well depend on our haste.”
39
When Perseus arrived later that night, Hendon took him aside and instructed him on what he needed. Perseus was happy to help in any way he could, as he could see that Ganry was deteriorating every day.
“Hendon, how does Barnaby say this will work?” Myriam asked him, wondering if Barnaby was a figment of Hendon’s imagination.
“It’s a natural predator of the insects that they are using to torture Ganry,” Hendon described. “It will need to be inserted into Ganry’s body and it will attack and kill the kewers. It will not harm Ganry in any way, or so Barnaby promises me.”
“Are you certain about this, Hendon? Placing a live bug into a weakened Ganry, will it be safe?” Myriam questioned him further. She feared for her protector and would not want to do anything that might harm him.
“It is no bigger than my smallest finger nail, so I hardly think it can hurt Ganry any more than he’s already being hurt. The kewers are bigger, from what Perseus tells us. We need to act quickly. Ganry is to swallow the creature, and it spits out a deadly silk at the kewers. Eventually, it will leave the host as it cannot feed in the human body.”
Perseus left immediately to try and obtain the worm that Hendon had described, leaving the others to discuss their own plan of action.
“We cannot hold off Ghaffar any longer,” Myriam said. “Yesterday, I agreed to allow the food in and asked for one more day of rest. Today, when I met with him, I had to agree that all could go back to normal so long as you and Linz can stay in the room that adjoins mine, where Ganry stayed. I feel so much safer knowing we can all contact each other. Though it may all be in vain. The Lizard Empress is determined to drain us dry.”
