Heroes of the Crystal Star (Valcoria Book 1)

by Jason James King

  Leadren widened his eyes as he nodded. “Indeed they were, mountains almost in and of themselves! I’m concerned, Commander, that the rock slide might have destroyed the gate’s locking mechanism making it possible for it to be forced open.”

  Trauel opened his mouth as if to speak, paused, then shut it. A moment later, he looked away from the window at the governor. “What do you propose we do?”

  I am glad you asked, Leadren enjoyed an internal grin. “As you know, the Sentinel Gate requires two keys in order to be opened. I have one, and the other is kept by the Amigus Ruling Council. In times past, any military commander stationed in Lisidra brought with him a copy of that companion key. Is that not so?”

  Trauel nodded. “It is standard procedure.”

  Leadren leaned forward in his chair. “With our keys, we can open the gate and inspect the locking mechanism.”

  “Aren’t the boulders in the way?”

  Leadren shook his head. “The rockslide merely struck the gate on its course down the mountain, which is most unfortunate. You see, now that we are at war, I would prefer the mountain pass to be sealed. In fact, I don’t know why King Valadin did not just have the pass walled.”

  “Likely to preserve the option of invading Aukasia should the need ever arise.” Trauel answered, spewing rhetoric that he had learned in the officer’s academy.

  “Whatever the reason, we need to make sure that the gate is sound.”

  Trauel shook his head. “I am not certain that would be wise.”

  Leadren put on his most concerned expression. “Commander Trauel, if the gate is damaged and word of that spreads before we take action, Lisidra would become a very enticing target for the imperial army. They could easily enter the kingdom, and no one would know it until they were well into the Amigus interior.”

  “My army is here to ensure the secur―”

  “And how large is your army, Commander?” snapped Leadren. Now it was his turn to interrupt.

  “I’ve brought a regiment.”

  “That is what, two thousand men?” Leadren scoffed. “Aukasian armies don’t attack cities with less than a brigade, you know that. Commander Trauel, that gate is all that stands between the enemy and my people! We must be certain it is sound.”

  “No,” the boy answered, regaining his nerve. “Opening the Sentinel Gate is an unnecessary risk.”

  “Unnecessary risk?” Leadren’s voice rose as his temper started to slip away from him. “How are we to know if the gate is damaged? Doing nothing is an unnecessary risk!”

  “I will send a team of my best men to hike over the pass and inspect the gate from the opposite side. They’ll determine if there’s been any damage.”

  “That could take weeks! And as I’ve explained, a visual inspection alone won’t tell us if the gate is compromised.”

  Trauel stood. “It will have to do.”

  “Not acceptable!” Leadren also stood.

  It was at this point that the situation took a turn that Leadren had not anticipated. Trauel reached out and grabbed the front of his gentlemen’s suit with both hands and roughly drew him in. “I am not accountable to you.” he growled through gritted teeth. “My decision is made and I will hear no more on the matter.” Trauel let go and turned to walk away, pausing in front of the chamber’s double-doors. “You are to include me in all of your councils and keep me apprised of the happenings in this city, and if I ever find you keeping company with a harlot instead of an appointment with me again, I will personally have you arraigned before the Ruling Council. Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” Leadren said.

  “Good.” Trauel spun on his heel and left.

  Leadren waited until the doors were closed before grabbing the half empty wine bottle from the table and hurling it at the wall.

  Sitrell heard the sound of shattering glass as he walked away from the governor’s dining chamber. Leadren’s reaction told Sitrell that the man had been up to something. From what his father had told him of the governor, Leadren was an avaricious, self-serving criminal who had amassed a personal fortune by trade in the forbidden. Opiates, prostitution, gambling, and every other marketable vice were his business. And being so far from the center of the kingdom, Leadren was free from the close scrutiny of the ruling council, which made it easier for him to bribe or kill any who sought to expose him.

  He was definitely up to something. Probably trying to smuggle opium out of the kingdom, Sitrell thought, but he was too tired to worry about investigating the matter. For the moment, he had disrupted whatever scheme Leadren was working, and the thought of frustrating the bald, fat criminal brought a smile to his lips.

  He yawned, suddenly remembering his fatigue and the bed chamber that had been offered to him by Captain Illusia. Perhaps he would take a nap. After traveling for weeks and sleeping in tents, resting in a bed did sound nice.

  The crown was like nothing Yaokken had ever before seen, and although he he looked upon all superstitions with skepticism, the black crown’s mysterious power could lead him to no other conclusion. It was magical.

  Chapter 3

  The Sentinel Gate

  Yuiv sat alone in a drafty cell on a pile of dirty straw watching a rat nibble at some crumbs left over from his evening bread. He didn’t mind the rodent, filthy and disease ridden though it likely was. In fact he had named it―Loke. He had not yet worked up the courage to try petting the creature, but he had taken to feeding it some bits from his own dinner.

  “Is gonna git colda gin tonight, Loke. Wish summer’as here.”

  Of course the rat did not respond, it just finished its bit of bread and raised its whiskered muzzle to sniff at the air.

  “You’as gotta warm bed?” Yuiv asked.

  Realizing there was no more food to be found, Loke abruptly scurried away, squeezing into a hole near the back of Yuiv’s cramped cell.

  “Bye,” Yuiv called.

  The screaming hinges of the dungeon’s heavy iron door echoed from down the hall startling Yuiv as it announced either a guard or a new tenant. He assumed it was the latter. But excited murmurs from his neighboring prisoners told him that this was no ordinary visitor, so he listened as booted footfalls drew near. The squat form of a fat, balding man soon appeared outside Yuiv’s cell door.

  Leadren

  “Hello, dog.”

  “I’as notta dog!” Yuiv snapped.

  “Oh, yes you are.” The governor grinned maliciously, “A filthy little pup in a kennel.”

  “Vaekra take you!!”

  “Not many would dare speak to me that way,” Leadren chuckled. “It’s part of why I like you, boy.”

  Yuiv looked down at Loke’s hole in the base of the stone wall. “Whatcha want?”

  The governor didn’t answer, but instead turned to a guard standing at his left and nodded, the guard returning the nod before walking away. Yuiv heard the dungeon’s iron door scream open and then clang shut and apprehensively glanced out of his cell.

  “There are two kinds of dogs, Yuiv. The strays that are rounded up and kept in kennels to be destroyed,” the governor examined the lock on the cell, “and the kind men keep as pets. You can’t escape being a dog, but you can choose which kind of dog you want to be.”

  “You’as want me to do sumn’t?” Yuiv asked.

  Leadren lowered his voice. “I need your talents, Yuiv, for which I’m willing to offer you your freedom and”―the governor pulled from his cloak a small cloth bag tied with a leather drawstring. He shook the bag and Yuiv heard the distinct rattling of coins―“this. Five silver eagles.”

  Yuiv shook his head. “I aint dewin nutn’t else fer ya! You’as put me innere!”

  Leadren chuckled as he pocketed the bag. “Then you better get used to it because this cell is going to be your home for the next five years.”

  Yuiv chewed his lip as he stared at the cold stone floor. He had spent six weeks in the Lisidra dungeon and the thought of spending another day let alone years in the priso
n made him sick to his stomach. He wanted out more than anything, and now he had a chance at freedom, perhaps his only chance. “Whatcha you want that I’as should do?”

  “Good dog,” Leadren said. “Sleeping in the military quarters on the third floor is a soldier of the Amigus army. He has something in his possession that I need.” Governor Leadren placed his hand on a chain around his neck and pulled from beneath his white shirt a large bronze key. It was not like any key Yuiv had ever seen before. It had three jutting prongs each successively longer than the one before it.

  “A key,” Leadren continued, “Just like this one.” He buried it again beneath his shirt. “I have re-assigned the guards away from certain positions in the building.” Leadren pulled from his cloak pocket a folded paper and tossed it into Yuiv’s cell so that it landed at his feet. “This map will lead you on an unguarded path to the military quarters. There is a servant’s door to those quarters that has been left unlocked. Enter there, retrieve the key, and then continue to follow the marked path on the map. It will lead you safely out of Lisidra.”

  Yuiv looked up at the governor in surprise. “Outta town?”

  The governor lowered his voice further, almost to a whisper. “Yes. You will meet me at the Sentinel Gate. There I will give you your payment, after you give me the key, understand?”

  Yuiv nodded, wondering what the governor was up to, but not sure he really wanted to know.

  Leadren smiled. “That’s a good dog.” He turned and began to walk away.

  Yuiv picked up the map, unfolded it, and had just begun to study the charcoal marked route when Leadren said, “Oh and don’t even think of fleeing before you finish your task. If you do, I will have you hunted down and burned alive. Understand?”

  “Yes,” he said, knowing from experience that this was no empty threat. He’d heard of men who had crossed Leadren, men who had subsequently disappeared on the same day that extra thick smoke billowed from the citadel’s single chimney. The governor lingered a moment to validate his warning before continuing down the aisle between cells and out of the dungeon. A moment later, Yuiv heard the guards re-enter the dungeon and approach. One walked up to his cell and unlocked the door. It swung open and the guard motioned to him. “You’re free to go.”

  Still somewhat in shock, Yuiv hesitated, then rushed to his feet and edged past the guard. At the door to the dungeon, another guard handed Yuiv his confiscated belongings: a threadbare brown coat, an old leather satchel, and a small dagger. Yuiv thanklessly took the items and then, as fast as he could, made for the nearest stairwell.

  He took straight away to his task, moving through the shadows within the citadel’s corridors, now and again pausing to consult his map. Yuiv knew why Leadren had chosen him for this job. Of all the thieves with which the governor was aquatinted, and Yuiv knew there were many, he was the best. In fact, up until six weeks ago, Yuiv had never been caught.

  It took him the better part of half an hour to reach the third floor. Leadren’s map took him on a circuitous route through servant passages and up utility shafts. He reached the third floor and crouched down in the stairwell and rushed to open his map. Tracing the marked route with his index finger, Yuiv oriented himself then peeked out from the stairwell to survey the narrow servant’s corridor. Twenty feet down the hall, there was an iron-banded wooden door that corresponded with the one marked on the map. That’s it. He darted down the hall, stopping to press an ear to the door. The room was quiet; Yuiv hoped the soldier was sleeping.

  He reached for the door’s dented, iron knob and to his horror found the door locked. “Shards!” he rasped as icy panic mixed with hot frustration bubbled up inside of him. This emotion was followed by the temptation to risk flight, but no, he couldn’t. As scared as Yuiv was of being caught, he was more frightened of Leadren’s promised retribution should he run away. Taking several deep breaths, Yuiv managed to calm his nerves. Experience had taught him that it was not uncommon for reality to force deviations from one’s plan. The locked door was nothing to panic about he told himself, for since when had a locked door stopped him?

  Yuiv pulled a small pin from his satchel and inserted it into the keyhole. His anxiety fell away as he felt the locking mechanism began to yield. In under a minute, he defeated the lock and eased the door ajar. He peeked in and found a narrow passage that opened up into a larger chamber. Yuiv slipped inside, passing a washroom on his right as he tiptoed into a dimly lit room. He was surprised to see that the military quarters were suitable to the tastes of any noble. It wasn’t at all the drab utilitarian room with a cot for a bed that he had envisioned. No, it was large and furnished with opulent pillow-strewn couches, artful décor, and plushy, upholstered armchairs.

  Yuiv shook off the distraction of tables set with silver utensils and scanned the room. A figure sleeping soundly on a canopy bed attracted his gaze. This must be the Amigus soldier. He crept up to the slumbering man. Although he had removed his coat, the soldier was still dressed in his blue trousers and black boots. Who sleeps in their boots? Yuiv scoffed. He searched around the bed until he found a large leather satchel with something embroidered on it. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Yuiv had some ability to read, and although it took a moment, he was able to decipher the letters on the soldier’s bag:

  “Commander Sitrell Trauel.”

  This wasn’t just any Amigus soldier! Dread descended on Yuiv and he knew that Leadren was working a scheme far more serious than his usual crimes. His normally subdued conscience woke, shouting at him to abandon the governor’s task and take his chances running away. This irregularity gave Yuiv pause, and he struggled for what seemed an eternity as he wrestled his conscience back into submission. It wasn’t his business what Leadren was doing, he told himself, and he’ll kill me if I don’t get the key. What choice did he have? Taking one last anxious breath, Yuiv did what he always did when stealing: detached himself from the morality of the situation and just focused on the job.

  He delved into the soldier’s satchel, quickly and quietly sifting through clothes and grooming utensils until he found it, a bronze key with three jutting prongs identical to the key shown to him by Leadren. Yuiv glanced up at the sleeping soldier as he slipped the key into his patchwork coat pocket. He arose and dashed toward the servant’s door, freezing once when the sleeping soldier snorted and rolled over onto his side. Once the soldier’s breathing had returned to a regular rhythm, Yuiv slipped out into the hall, carefully closing the wooden door before making for the stairwell.

  The path out of the citadel seemed easier as Yuiv did not have to hide as often in order to avoid being spotted by servants or guards. In half the time it took for him to ascend from the dungeon to the third floor, he had left the citadel and was again breathing the chill night air, a sensation he had sorely missed. It had been six agonizing weeks since he was captured breaking into the mansion of Lord Olen. As he was now, Yuiv had been on Leadren’s errand, attempting the theft of incriminating documents that the governor did not want in the hands of his political enemies. It should’ve been an easy thing for him, but since Yuiv had started doing “jobs” for Leadren, he had fallen into the self-deception that he enjoyed some form of lawful immunity.

  Consequently, he had become a bit careless and this overconfidence led to his arrest at the hands of the captain of the Lisidrian guard. At first he wasn’t concerned, after all he had been in the governor’s employ and fully expected Leadren to come to his aid and secure his release. This proved a fallacy as the days stretched into weeks and Yuiv’s messages to Leadren continually went unanswered. It had been a hard lesson, but one that was not lost on him. He couldn’t trust anyone but himself.

  Yuiv pulled his coat collar up as he quickened his pace, the chill of the air numbing his ears. It was all he could do to not break into a sprint. He wanted so much to be away from the citadel and its smothering dungeon, but he knew that running would draw too much attention and he wasn’t about to risk this singular chance at freedom. To hi
s relief, he was soon out of the citadel courtyard and striding through the dirt streets toward Lisidra’s east wall.

  After passing through the gate, Yuiv shot a glance up to the nocturnal silhouette of the Tuchian mountain range. It wouldn’t be long now, a brief jog and then a delivery was all that stood in his way to freedom. He took a great breath before breaking into a run. About a mile out of the city, the ground inclined and the grass disappeared as the terrain became rocky. Another mile and his lungs were burning, but he kept up his pace, driven by the prospect of his forthcoming reward. The mountain path, littered with stray rocks and almost devoid of grass, snaked away from Lisidra to the northeast. By the completion of his third mile, Yuiv’s lungs were on fire and he could taste blood. It was unusual for him to tire so soon into a run, even one up a mountain path. Vaekra piss on that fat pig for keeping me in that kennel so long! He panted as he massaged the stitch in his side, vowing anew that when this was all over, he would leave Lisidra and never return.

  At last Yuiv caught sight of the Sentinel Gate. He had never seen it up close before and was awestruck by its sheer enormity. The gate ascended forty feet into the air and was made of smooth, grey iron, topped with rows of jagged teeth which Yuiv guessed were to make it difficult for enemies to scale. He remembered hearing that its doors were four feet thick, constructed by the very best Amigus engineers over a period of five years, a length of time that made sense now that he beheld the gate’s size up close.

  “What kept you?” barked an impatient voice.

  Yuiv turned toward the sound and saw Leadren shrouded in a brown cloak, leading a horse toward him.

  “Woulda been here fast too, if I’as hada horse.”

  “Do you have the key?” demanded Leadren.

  Yuiv patted his coat pocket in affirmation.

  “Well done.” A pleased smile split Leadren’s chubby face, and Yuiv decided that he much preferred Leadren’s cruel scowl to his unnerving grin.