by Aaron Thomas
Leroy was desperate and did the only thing that he could think of. He walked up to the girl and asked her what her name was. She looked up at him quizzingly, “My name is Tasha. Is there something I can play for you?” Leroy squatted in front of her mug and took a gold crown out of his vest pocket.
“I would rather get a bit of information from you, and I am needing it in a hurry.”
“What information I can give you wouldn’t require a donation such as that, but I will pretend like it is a copper instead.” She snatched up the mug as soon as the coin fell in.
“I am in desperate need of an herb that is very rare. It’s called a Kilen.”
“I’m sorry I don’t know about any such herb, I know how to play the flute. If you want to find an herb you should visit Izabel’s shop.” Leroy cheered inside. He was getting good at find the answers he wanted without asking.
“Izabel’s shop, eh? Where would I find this Izabel?”
“Well I am going to see her tonight but she has been bed-ridden. Perhaps I can ask her where you can get some and come back to meet you.” Leroy was very close. He couldn’t mess this up, for Kilen’s sake.
“Perhaps you could take me to her. It is very urgent that I find some of this herb. A man has become afflicted by a mishap with a scale snake. I need the herb before the man dies. I am afraid that he has only hours to live.” Tasha put the flute in a long black case and strapped it to her back and poured the mug of coins into her coin pouch.
“I will go to her now. Is there anything else I should know about this herb? Maybe, which part you need or how much?”
“No, just what I have told you. If she knows of the herb I’m sure that she will help me if she can. I would like to go also, if I can?”
“She is taking no visitors, but I will return to this spot before the sun sets to answer you.” He couldn’t just let this girl run off with his gold without being sure that he got what he sought.
“If you return to me within the hour I will give you two more crowns. I will give you one more if you come back even if she doesn’t know the answer. Hurry please. A man’s life hangs in the balance.” She curtsied and pranced down the street. Leroy was tempted to follow, but didn’t want to scare the girl. If the thief girl really knew Izabel then she would at least get the message. If not then he was sure he would not see his money again.
He had some time to pass and hadn’t eaten a proper meal in almost two weeks. It was a quick piece of cheese and bread at one inn. A half a bowl of stew until he found another clue to where the herbalist might be. He found the closest inn and sat down for a piece of duck and bread. Leroy sat a table with a window that faced the market so he could see if Tasha returned. The sun seemed to hang in the sky, as he impatiently waited for the girl to come take him to Izabel. When he finished eating he sat back down on the corner of the street that the girl had disappeared down. He waited for her to come back and started to sharpen his knives. Before long he heard a giggle from behind, and he looked over his shoulder. Tashsa stood with her flute case strapped to her back. “She asked if you were fond of knives. Come on. She won’t want to be kept waiting.”
Leroy stood and put his knife inside the pocket he pulled it from, “She wants to see me then?”
The girl giggled, “She said that she needed to know more about your friend to be able to tell you how much you need. Follow me.” Leroy raised a hand telling her to lead the way, and Tasha skipped down the streets. They wound through the streets, taking many more turns than necessary to make him confused. The girl had done this before, or was very well trained. Leroy tried to keep his eyes on the castle so he could keep track of what direction he was facing. He looked up to find the towers of the castle and ran into Tasha, who had stopped in the middle of the street. He knocked her over with his momentum, and she looked very agitated. He held out a hand and offered her an apology. Tasha stood on her own, wiped off her clothing, and pointed to a cellar door in the alley they had stopped in. “She is in there, good luck,” she smiled and skipped out of the alley.
Leroy didn’t feel right about the cellar and wondered if the girl had set him up for a trap. He checked the blades on his body and found one missing. The girl had made him run into her on purpose. One more lesson from his father he should have listened to; a bump in the city means an empty pocket. He knew there was no use going after the girl, so he decided to check out the cellar anyway. He kept his blades at the ready and placed his ear against the door. He heard nothing so he grabbed ahold of the handles and pulled the doors open. When nothing jumped out at him he looked about to see if anybody had seen him acting paranoid. He re-sheathed his blades and crept down to the bottom of the stairs.
Two sturdy oak doors with strong iron latches remained closed and locked at the bottom. He knocked twice on the door and waited. A deep voice from the other side of the door answered, “Password?”
Password!? Tahsa didn’t say anything about needing a password! Leroy panicked and said the only thing that came to mind, “Uhm, it’s me.”
“Shut the doors,” the deep voice said. Leroy checked his knives one more time and turned up the short staircase. Pulling the ropes on the inside of the doors, he pulled the doors closed with a loud bang. As soon as the doors closed Leroy was cast into darkness and yanked by two sets of thick arms from behind. He struggled to breath. Arms squeezed hard around his throat, threatening to crush his windpipe. He scrambled to pull the arm away from his neck and suddenly remembered he had his knives. Reaching into his vest he, pulled them free and they were immediately knocked away by the second set of arms. He always planned on that, and always had a second set ready. Pulling the knives from his sleeves, he cut furiously at the darkness and both sets of arms released him. He backed up and found the wall. A lamp was brought into the room and illuminated the two hulking men, each checking their wounds. They grabbed their clubs and started to swing violently. Leroy rolled out of the way and felt the rock from the wall pelt his back from where their clubs landed.
“Stop!” a familiar voice commanded from behind the lantern. The two men did not back away from Leroy, who was crouched in the corner with blades in hand. He was ready to pounce hard but was still trying to catch his breath. One of the men put his hand up on the wall trying to steady himself, and soon the second put his back to the opposite wall Leroy was on. “What poison did you put on your blades Leroy Bradley?”
He took a couple more breaths before answering, “Leetir leaf root.” Izabel laughed, and took a couple steps forward and examined the shallow wounds Leroy had inflicted.
“Tasha, come take the boys outside for some fresh air. Do it quickly now before they empty their stomachs and we all need fresh air. They will be just fine in an hour or so.” Tasha came from behind Izabel and ushered the men outside. Just as Tasha got the two men to the top of the stairs Leroy heard one start retching into the alley. He smiled as he stared into Izabel’s eyes while still crouching in his corner. “The first time we met you couldn’t take your eyes off my chest, and now I don’t get so much as a glance. You really are on a mission.”
With the mention of her cleavage Leroy glanced down and looked back up. His face would have flushed but he had already ensued a struggle for that, so he showed her his teeth as wide as he could. “Well I’m glad that’s over with. Now, what is so important that you need to speak with me?” She moved her fingers as if saying , follow me, as she moved deeper in the room and up a set of stairs.
“Kilen is being tried for murder,” Leroy said while keeping his distance as he followed her up the stairs.
“Why do you need my help? Or should I ask ;why should I help him? The last I heard from him he sent by a messenger telling me to get out of town until he finished his training as a scout.” At the top of the stairs Leroy noticed that the room had no doors, only a staircase leading up and one leading down. The room had two windows that looked out but they were boarded shut.
“I don’t know anything about that. He told me to stay aw
ay from you also, but I received a note from one of the wizards in the castle saying that you were a witness to this murder.”
“Oh, I was a witness, but Kilen didn’t murder anyone. Justin, the same messenger that he sent me, was shot with an arrow by some of the king’s army. They were hooded and cloaked but their boots and clothing said that they were the king’s men.”
“So you were a witness to a murder that an innocent man is being charged for, and you will not tell the truth to the king?”
“I asked, ‘why should I’? He came to my town, and told me I had to leave. Then this messenger brings his mother to my door and pleads for me to help find him, like he didn’t know who Kilen was. When we do, we get to see a murder and I have to send his poor mother out of town, before harm befalls her. He has been a nuisance to me since he has arrived.” She came closer to Leroy and ran a finger up his vest, “What I was asking is, ‘what is in it for me’?” Leroy swallowed hard before answering.
“My father gave me the task to protect and help Kilen in any way I could. I will give you whatever you want to help him.”
She smiled at him and sat in the only rocking chair in the room. “Then I name my price. I want you to pay me proper respect as a woman before you lay your perverted eyes on my chest. You will do this by taking me out to lunch, a picnic or a fine inn, doesn’t matter, perhaps a dance or two. After that you will be able to lay your eyes on my chest for a moment. That is what I require, a proper date before an improper look.”
Leroy was confused by her proposition, “You want me to court you, and then look at your chest. This is what you require to witness at Kilen’s trial?”
“I set the cost, Mr. Bradley. Take it or leave it.”
“Oh I agree, I would have agreed without you needing to witness.” She smiled a devious smile and held out a hand. He reached out to grasp it, and Izabel pulled it back to spit in her palm before clasping his.
“Do not be so sure that you have made a good deal.” She pushed her chest up with both hands, Leroy glanced down at the moment. “An improper look Mr. Bradley, that is two dates that you owe me. I will warn you that I am not a cheap one to court. Remember that when you ask me proper.” She moved to go up the stairs holding, her skirt up so as not to trip. “I trust you know the way out. I have a lot of work to do to save this friend of yours.” Leroy smiled and bowed to the herbalist heading up the stairs. His task had been completed, and it was done with added perks.
Sincliar wasn’t large enough to hold the Fire Realm’s army. King Rekkan had not planned on so many men coming to join his army. He was sure that the city would have collapsed if he had not moved his army into the Earth Realm’s borders. His army now stood a little less than forty three thousand men, both old veterans and young recruits. The army had swelled and they lent each other a hand wherever needed. The land had turned from rock to sand and now clay. He found more moisture here than any other place that he had visited on his missions. The land was strange to him, and it slowed their march.
The towers at the border were set with extra troops, but still were less than adequate to stop his army of veteran soldiers. Rekkan had led the fight more out of boredom than to set an example for his men. He lost not a single soldier in the skirmish, if the history books would even call it that.
He was still disappointed. Max and Joahna should have been at the border long ago. Yet the tower guards knew nothing of diplomats coming into the Earth Realm. Joahna had never missed an appointment when it was as important as this. Max might have been holding him back, but Joahna was more than teacher enough for him. He hoped that they still remained alive.
He watched as the advanced party moved out of camp to find another location deeper into the Earth Realm. King Atmos was sure to know of their presence by now. Rekkan knew that it would still take a few weeks to rally a force to meet his on the battlefield. He had only that long to find a suitable place to die.
***
King Atmos stood in the window letting the breeze blow through his open shirt. The fire wizard Kara seemed to be causing more problems than her brother. The pair was obviously working together to make him look like a fool. To avoid any misunderstandings about the boy’s trial, he had invited every noble within a week’s ride to attend. Now every room in the castle had charcoaled furniture and the stewards were struggling to replace it with any peasant’s furniture that they could find. Many of the nobles had fought for his father in the war for the Water Realm. They felt disgraced by the treatment that they had received since coming to the castle. Food was burnt, servants were injured leaving tasks undone. To make matters worse, every room in the castle had become a sauna.
A knock at the door drew his attention, “Enter.” Before his command left his lips servants entered into the room to begin tidying it, and to see to the king’s needs. Following them where three men; two in polished steel from shoulders to feet. The captain, and his champion also wore cloaks of deep green and carried their helmets under their arms. Lorusk convinced the king that it would be a waste of such a title as champion and training already spent on Chit and decided to keep him on as the captain’s henchmen. Chit took pride in carrying out any duty that made others suffer or commanded groveling respect. The king knew that given a bit more time, and perhaps a couple of skirmishes, the boy would make a true champion for the realm.
The third man in was a trained but new wind wizard, Mica. His abilities to maintain wind for prolonged periods of time had come in handy in recent days. He maintained constant watch over the Fire Realm’s troop movements and reported in the growing numbers and weaponry. Although the only thing he could not report was the number of imbuements that the army carried with them. The young wizard stood cooling himself with his own private breeze. Soon the king felt the same effect as the breeze from inside the room cooled him. He was almost angry that he had to put on his formal attire to attend the trial. “Captain, report. Have the preparations been made?”
“My lord, the great hall has been arranged as the wizard law books say. It was overseen by Councilman Brandon Parker. The nobles are making their way down to the great hall as we speak. Guards have been sent to bring the traitor up from the dungeons.”
“Accused, Captain. Call him the accused in case the ears of nobles are about. We want to maintain a certain sense of order and law here in the capital.”
“Of course, m’lord, accused until after the ruling has been made.”
“Stay close, I will want you and the champion by my throne during the trial to show your trustworthiness.” The two men saluted and slammed gauntleted fists against their breastplates. They exited the room and left the wizard to report. The servants began dressing the king even as the wizard waited. He was dressed in silk underclothes that no one would even see. His father believed that if you felt lordly then you presented lordly. They would however be able to see the jewel encrusted deep green jacket that they servants carefully slipped onto his shoulders. “How is the border, Mica?”
“My lord in a manner of speaking, the border is broken. The Fire Realm has destroyed the towers of Maltchet and moved into the Earth Realm. They have over forty thousand men, mostly on foot. Many of them carry their own supplies which makes for faster traveling. Due to the trees and undergrowth they have encountered, their travels have slowed considerably.”
Atmos considered what the scrawny wizard had told him and immediately issued orders. “Find Lieutenant McClanahan, tell him to issue orders to evacuate any city in the army’s path. Soldiers in those towns should abandon posts and make for Dumont Point. We shall rally there to meet the new King Rekkan.” He started to walk away from the king, “Have Brandon restore your energy. I will need you to deliver those orders immediately. You will not be returning to Deuterium until we have gathered an army to meet him. Keep a close eye on these villages and give them enough time to get out of the way.” The wizard bowed deeply letting folds of robe brush the floor as they spilled out around him.
Servants brought a s
mall chest lined with velvet and pulled from it the crown of the Earth Realm. The crown itself had been imbued by the ancient Wizard Heathmos that had separated the lands. Atmos was sure that it was to be a symbol of power. He placed it upon his own head, and felt the power of earth flow through him. No one would take the Earth Realm or any other realm from him today. He was the king.
***
Kilen wished that he could see the clothes he wore. He hadn’t seen light the two weeks that Joahna said had passed. He was becoming use to his cell. He could walk from wall to wall without hitting either. Joahna said that he had cleaned all the dirt from his clothing in his attempt to make him presentable for trial.
The process of cleaning him was not as fun as he imagined. First there was a rush of cold water all over his body, that soaked his linen shirt and wool pants completely. Then there was the sudden rush of water out of them, nearly ripping them from his body, which left the clothing dirt free. He hoped that he didn’t look like a beggar on the street or a miscreant from a small town.
It seemed to take forever for the guards to come down the hallway. He heard their heavily armored feet clattering against the floor as they marched towards his cell. He heard the large key turn the lock and the door open. He had a hard time seeing into the hallway with torches and lanterns burning bright. He had to squint to see the guards. There was no way he could fight until his eyes had adjusted, but he wouldn’t do that until they came to get him for his execution.
Five of the heavily armored men entered into the cell and placed cold shackles on his feet and wrists. They tied them all together with a leather belt and collar around his neck. He couldn’t stand with the shackles keeping his feet so close together. Two of them grabbed him by either shoulder and dragged him down the hallway. When he passed all the guards remaining in the hallway he saw Gortus standing against the wall. Gortus stopped them and held Kilen’s chin in his hand, examining his face and eyes. If there was a message in his look Kilen didn’t understand it at all.
