Stavin nodded. “Very well. Don’t strip any one command. There are at least seven forces on their way here, so you should be able to be picky. With any luck, one of them will have an Adept who can bind new Royal Guards and servants.”
The general shook his head sadly. “Are you still determined to just take the Kel’Kavin guardsmen with you?”
“Yes, but don’t let it bother you. I’ll have about seven hundred troops at my back.”
The general gave Stavin a very eloquent look. “You know what your father is going to say about this, King Stavin.”
“Yes, but I think he’ll agree that protecting the kids is more important. Besides, he’d probably be so angry about what’s happened here that he’d take to the field himself, and to the deepest hell with protocol. He really dislikes the Cutter.”
General Zel’Astel sighed as he bowed. “Indeed, King Stavin. And you know as well as I do that General Zel’Kordil would do everything he could to stop him.”
Stavin had to agree. “Yes, but in the end Kalin would march out of Twin Bridges anyway. He’d probably have Gavlin Zel’Fordal bring his entire command down to back him up.”
“You are probably right, King Stavin. You are probably right. At least you’ll have an army behind you, even if it isn’t ours.”
“Yes. But you know, it still makes me angry that I couldn’t get Lord General Kel’Destar to just go get Zel’Draval.”
The general let a sardonic grin cross his face. “Yes, but you know that if someone claimed that King Kalin had abdicated in favor of Prince Caldan, you would want to confirm the information yourself.”
Stavin had to nod, and another deep sigh escaped from his lips. “Better to err on the side of caution than to wrongfully arrest the man claiming to be your king.” Stavin had to chuckle. “It could be a career-limiting mistake.”
“Possibly life-limiting given Zel’Draval’s tendency to condemn anyone and everyone who opposes him,” the general pointed out.
Stavin nodded. “You’re right, of course. Add in that we have no idea who is with him, and how many followers he has.” Stavin shook his head. “We need more information.”
Information trickled into Moravad in bits and pieces over the next two days until Lord General Corlan Kel’Destar and his entire command, all one thousand three hundred and six of them, arrived in Moravad.
Lord General Kel’Destar and all of his men except the support staff made their way into the city and to the palace. He was met by a stranger in the uniform of a Royal Guard general.
“General Kel’Destar, I am General Zel’Astel. King Stavin and King Teravan are waiting for you in the king’s bedroom.”
“I don’t know you,” the general said in an uncertain tone. “Where is Lord General Zel’Nestal?”
“Dead. I arrived here as Major Warvin Zel’Astel of the Evandian Royal Guard. King Stavin appointed me the general of the Coravian Royal Guard until we can rebuild the force and return control to a Coravian general.”
Lord General Kel’Destar took a deep breath and held it for a moment before demanding, “Take me to my king.”
General Zel’Astel nodded, then said, “Please leave your weapons here, General. King Stavin is still upset by the events in Kandalvad and really doesn’t trust anyone with weapons near the royal family.”
“What happened in Kandalvad, Maj--I beg your pardon. General.” General Zel’Astel gave him a quick sketch of the incident, and at the end General Kel’Destar handed his sword and knives to his aide. Without another word, General Zel’Astel led him into the palace and to the royal suite.
King Teravan was awake, with Karlin and the twins sitting on his bed when they arrived. The king looked up and smiled.
“Cori, I heard you were coming,” he said in a harsh whisper. Looking at the children, he said, “Let us have some privacy now.”
All three said, “All right, Gran’pa Terry,” then left the room.
General Kel’Destar looked puzzled and asked, “Gran’pa Terry?”
“Shut up, Cori,” the king snapped as the door closed. “You should have gone after Zel’Draval immediately!” His voice was still barely above a whisper, but it was obvious that he was trying to shout.
“Y-Your Majesty? What happened to you?”
“Zel’Draval and his priests tortured me, stoned Cal to death, and disemboweled Rowena! If King Stavin hadn’t arrived when he did, I would have died and Zel’Draval would have raped Ellie when he returned.”
Corlan Kel’Destar went to his knees and bowed his head. “I offer my life in atonement for my error.”
“Oh, stand up, you ass,” the king snarled. “Ellie needs you now more than ever. So does Coravia. Avrin,” the king said, looking past the general toward the door, “invite King Stavin to join us.” Avrin bowed and left, only to return a few breaths later.
Stavin bowed, then asked, “How may I serve you King Teravan?”
“By acting like a king, not a servant,” King Teravan said, but he was smiling. “This is Cori Kel’Destar. I want you to use him and his command to find Zel’Draval. Cori,” the king paused until the general was looking at him again, “how many men do you have?”
“I brought everyone but a care-taking force of twenty men, Your Majesty.”
King Teravan looked at Stavin and nodded, then laid his head back, still glaring at the general.
“General Kel’Destar,” Stavin began, “detach your three hundred best infantry as the new palace guards. General Zel’Astel will be choosing from among them and training the new Coravian Royal Guard. I expect your--and their--full cooperation.”
General Kel’Destar looked Stavin in the eye, then bowed. “As you command, King Stavin.”
“Good. Now, since your decision to come here triggered the same response from six additional commands, issue orders for all commands--wait. Which direction was Zel’Draval going?”
“North and east, King Stavin.”
“Good. Go see Princess Ellissan and use the General of the Army’s message book. And prepare to be yelled at.” Stavin’s lips quirked up in an evil grin. “She’s kind of upset with you right now.”
The general bowed to Stavin, then again to King Teravan before leaving. He hadn’t cleared the door before Princess Ellissan started screaming at him.
Stavin looked over at the king and grinned. “When she’s finished with him, if he survives, I’d like to promote him to General of the Armies.”
King Teravan chuckled. “He’s junior for the post. But Ellie knows and adores him. And he’s young enough. Ellie will be comfortable with him.”
Stavin walked over and took the king’s hand. “What are you saying?”
“When the time comes, I’ll take the crown back from you, but only until Ellie is ready to rule. Then she’ll be Queen, and I will go into seclusion. I can’t function as king like this. Zel’Draval has left me too terribly damaged to truly rule again.” He started crying and pushed Stavin away.
Stavin walked to the door, looking Avrin in the eye every step. Avrin bowed as he opened the door, understanding Stavin’s silent command: the king was to be healed, body and spirit.
Stavin left the king’s suite to find Princess Ellissan still yelling at the general. “...and you still refused to obey me!”
“Princess Ellie, you know I had to make sure you were safe first,” he explained, apparently not for the first time from his tone, “and that no one was forcing you to write those things, or writing them in your name.”
“But you let him get away!”
“Princess, he isn’t going far, and he isn’t going fast. He’s headed toward Fort Kel’Norvan. I need that message book so I can confirm the order to capture him.”
“Fine! Take it! My orders aren’t sufficient!” She gave him the book, slamming it into his belly, then stamping away.
The general went to a side table and began writing. It wasn’t long before he closed the book. “Princess Ellie, the orders have been sent.”
; “Very well,” she replied coolly. “King Stavin, do you have any orders for the general?”
“He has his orders from your father, and my orders as well. You may go, General Kel’Destar. Have the troops report to General Zel’Astel before nightfall, and make sure they understand that he is in charge of the palace. We’ll separate palace and Royal Guards later. You’d better include a few senior officers, but no one you’re going to need in the field. Keep your mounted units intact. They’ll be going with us.”
The general bowed as he said, “Yes, King Stavin.”
When he was gone, Stavin looked at Ellissan and grinned. “He’s been told to pick his three hundred best fighters and leave them here to protect you. I’m going to ask for his most powerful Battlemage as well.”
She grinned and said, “He’ll cooperate. But I’ll bet a gold crown that right now he wants to paddle my behind.”
Stavin and Shari laughed. “No bet,” Stavin replied.
Chapter 16
THE ANSWER TO GENERAL KEL’DESTAR’S MESSAGE was expected, but not welcome.
General Kel’Destar, you are condemned. You are defective. That is obvious from your belief in the lies that whore spread before she was stopped. The whole Zel’Darvin family was defective and had to be destroyed! Lebawan’s anointed have, as is our right, seized the property of the condemned. Coravia is Lebawan’s! King Karvar Bertal Nordam Zel’Draval, High Priest of Lebawan.
The next morning Stavin said goodbye in the king’s suite. “I have to go after him. I have to find and stop him.”
“Be careful, Stavi,” Sharindis whispered as they hugged. “Come back to us.”
“I will. Once the other generals arrive and meet with King Teravan, we’ll have a huge force to bring against him.”
“Let me add my hopes that you return safely, King Stavin,” King Teravan whispered. “Remind Zel’Draval that the only people he was allowed to judge were his followers, which did not include my family.”
Stavin bowed his head. “I’ll remind him, Your Majesty, just before I kill him.”
The king laid back and smiled. “That will do quite nicely.”
Stavin knelt and hugged his children. “Be good and obey Mommy. I’ll be back soon.” All three of them were crying, and it was all Stavin could do to stand and walk away.
Karvik met him outside the suite. “I have all the Warriors ready to go. General Kel’Destar has his mounted commands ready as well.”
“Good. I don’t want to be limited by the speed of the foot soldiers again. We’ll draw more mounted units from any forces we pass as well.”
Karvik nodded. “We need them. Even with the cavalry, scouts, and raiders, we’ve still only got about three hundred men, including us.”
Stavin grinned and asked, “Does that mean I get to play?”
Karvik shook his head sadly and asked in reply, “If I say no, will you behave?”
“No.”
“Then you can play, but be careful. I’d hate having to commit suicide because you did something silly like getting yourself killed.”
“Yeah, Orana threatened me again before we left. I’ll be good. But you know it may come down to a fight, and I may have to kill him myself.”
The two friends laughed, mounted their horses and rode to the gate. Lord General Kel’Destar met them and bowed.
“Per your orders, King Stavin, my mounted units and almost all of my officers are ready to ride. Everyone else has been detailed to guard the palace and city.”
Stavin bowed slightly. “Very well, General. Let’s get going before something else happens to keep us here.”
The general nodded and signaled his scouts forward. Stavin, the Royal Guards, and the officers followed. Behind them rode three hundred and fifty raiders and cavalrymen.
Princess Ellissan had spent most of the night personally assuring the troops that she and her father were in fact alive, in spite of what Zel’Draval had said. She described what had been done to her brother and her mother with tears running down her cheeks. After hearing her, every man there was intent on finding and killing Karvar Zel’Draval and those who supported him.
The force traveled fast and light, eating bread, cheese, and sausage in the saddle. Stavin enforced the Kel’Kavin regimen for riding and walking, and heard few complaints. Those he carefully didn’t hear were quashed with comments like, “He’s the king now,” and, “The king’s walking, so you can, too.”
They had been riding for three days before they encountered another command. Stavin called a halt and let General Kel’Destar ride forward alone.
“Halt where you are!” an outrider shouted.
“I am Lord General Corlan Kel’Destar of Fort Kel’Bartal. Where is your general?”
The man looked at the general’s uniform in wide-eyed amazement for an instant, then said, “Lady General Zel’Pardin is with her staff, Sir,” the man finally replied.
“Have someone inform her that I’m here. I’ll wait.”
The man bowed deeply, then backed his horse before turning and riding away. It was just over a span later that the drumming of many running horses could be heard, and moments after that more than a hundred cavalry troopers came into view. Leading them was a knot of officers. They came to a stop and one rider dismounted and walked forward.
“Cori, what in the name of all the Gods are you doing? What was that message all about? Are you trying to get yourself stoned?”
General Kel’Destar held both hands out to calm her down. “One question at a time, Revi. Just calm down.”
Lady General Revala Zel’Pardin stopped and removed her helmet. “You had better have a damn good reason for this, Cori, or I’m going to have to arrest you.”
“If you’ll stop yelling at me, I’ll explain.” At her glare, he began speaking. He finished half a span later with, “...so Zel’Draval had no right to examine or condemn the royal family. Terry abdicated in favor of Prince Stavin, and King Stavin has already pledged to abdicate to Terry or Ellie when Coravia is free.”
“Gods Below, Cori! You read what the message book said.”
“I did. But you read what I wrote as well. Revi, I’ve talked to King Teravan, and Princess Ellissan. I was Ellie’s guardian for six years. I know her as well as I know my own daughter. No one is manipulating her or Terry.”
“How can you be sure?”
General Kel’Destar grinned. “Well for one thing, I think anyone manipulating her would make her watch her mouth. She curses worse than you do. The other is that King Teravan was ready to have me busted to private for not going after Zel’Draval before going to Moravad.”
“Gods Below, Cori. Gods Above and Below. Very well. I know you, and I know King Teravan.” She paused, then asked, “Is Terry really going to be all right?” as she stepped forward to grasp his arm.
“The Healers say he will be. King Stavin had him moved to the royal suite, to his own bed, for protection and treatment. King Stavin’s family is in the prince’s suite.”
General Zel’Pardin’s head tilted to the side as she said, “That’s surprising.”
Now General Kel’Destar’s smile relaxed and he shook his head. “Once you spend some time with him, you’ll realize that it isn’t.”
* * *
When Stavin and his army left Moravad, Sharindis took on the duties of the Queen of Coravia. Fortunately, her training in Twin Bridges, as well as her natural talent for organization, let her take over easily. Princess Ellissan was always there to support her as well.
Shari’s first concern was to reestablish the King’s Council and retake control of the kingdom. In this she relied on Ellissan for the names of good, loyal lords and ladies to speak with.
“Some of these ministries don’t need to be filled right away, but some of them are needed now. Interior, Justice, Trade, Agriculture, and Transportation would be my first picks.”
Princess Ellissan nodded. “Yes, and we need a General of the Armies as well.”
Sharindis nodded. �
�Stavin said something about that before he left, but not who he favored. Since he’s going to be out in the field with several generals, let’s let him make that decision.”
Princess Ellissan nodded. “I know who I’d like, but you’re right. King Stavin or my dad should make that decision.”
Shari nodded and glanced toward the King’s Suite, then turned back to Princess Ellissan. They were using the anteroom of the Royal Suits as an office to avoid splitting up the Royal Guards. By rights, Shari and Ellie were both supposed to have twenty guards assigned to them all the time, and each of the children were supposed to have ten. But after Stavin and Karvik left with all of the Kel’Kavin-born Guardsmen, there were only forty-three Evandian Royal Guards left.
Shari shook her head and asked, “So who do we have to choose from to fill these ministries?”
Princess Ellissan looked at the list on the table in front of her, then picked it up. “Stardis Zel’Gestan was an assistant to Minister of the Interior Zel’Naldal. She knows the ministry best.”
“Good idea,” Shari agreed. “We promoted several assistants to Minister’s positions after the lords tried to depose Kalin. And bringing in some ladies settled the Council down, to some extent. So, Lady Stardis Zel’Gestan as Lady Minister of the Interior. I think Stavi would prefer another Master Trader in Trade. Are there any Chosen involved in Trade?”
Princess Ellissan looked through some papers on the table. “There was one--There. Lord Halnan Zel’Jettam owns the Zel’Jettam Trading House and he had an appointment to see Lord Zel’Nerval.”
Shari nodded. “So we’ll appoint Lord Halnan Zel’Jettam as Lord Minister of Trade. Then he can discuss his problems with himself.” Shari grinned as Ellie giggled.
“Agriculture is easy,” Princess Ellissan said with a small, tender smile.
“Oh?” Sharindis asked with her head tilted to the side.
“A friend of mine. He’s a horticulturalist at the King’s Academy of Science. His parents were--Oh, Gods,” she choked. “His parents were killed here.”
Shari reached over and took her hand gently. “Ellie, a lot of people lost their parents here. The only thing we can do for you and them is to keep that bastard from turning Coravia into Lebawan’s Hell.”
The Coravian Conflict (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 5) Page 15
