“Here we are,” proclaimed Ed leading the two gentlemen into the house.
He took them into a small room and pretended to look shocked.
“She is supposed to be here. Hold on, let me go fetch her.”
Ed left the room and rounded up the King’s men, quickly and quietly. Ed and his men stormed back in with swords drawn to trap the boys.
“What in the hells is going on here, Edburgh?” the shorter man asked with alarm.
The two young men were both taller than Edburgh, but skinnier. Edburgh promptly punched the taller man square in the nose, sending him back a few feet. Pain shot from his knuckles up past his elbow but the adrenaline soon took over.
“Call me uncle. And just admit that you tried to have her kill me,” shrieked Ed.
“Look, I don’t know what is going on here, but my father will…”
Ed cut him off, “Your father,” Ed released an evil laugh, “Your father is dead…your sister is dead. And your mother and three brothers…are about to be dead. And as for you, my nephew, well there doesn’t seem much hope for you either.”
Ed took satisfaction from the blood running from his enemy’s nose, but he wanted more.
“Put his hand on the table.”
Three guards dragged the kicking, screaming man over. Against heavy resistance they put his hand on the wooden table. Ed pulled the dagger made of Dragon-Steel and shoved it straight through the back of the man’s hand and stuck it in the table.
“OOOWWW,” screamed the injured man as he wiggled around with his hand attached to the table.
“Tie them up and secure them to the post over there. I am not done having fun with them yet.”
The King’s men sprang into action as Edburgh went to chase some sleep.
Maybe this is what I needed.
Ed saw a blond haired woman waiting for him in his makeshift bed. It was Caroline. She suddenly disappeared as he reached out to touch her. Ed really needed to get some rest.
WICKED DREAMS
RICEROS
The castle was eerily quiet with most of his family gone. Riceros Colbert, although mentally strong and very intelligent with words and numbers, was still emotionally fragile at eleven. He hadn’t realized that he would miss his father so much after only a few days. Riceros knew that children with his limitations were cast away in most families and he loved Jon Colbert for embracing his shortcomings and accentuating his strengths.
His mother had asked him to sleep in her room and he agreed on the condition that Jasper could too. The fire had almost burned out and a few candles flickered in the late-spring breeze that blew gently through the window. Riceros lay in his parents’ bed with Camelle and felt his eyelids slowly getting heavier.
He wondered what the king’s castle looked like and how Mariah felt about it. She liked to dress elegantly and Riceros thought she would enjoy the grandiose nature of the Capitol. He pictured his father and Brehan. He knew they would not appreciate the wasteful nature of the King’s ways. Riceros wished he could have gone to see the Capitol firsthand. He had heard many stories about it and Count Silzeus had sketches of the castle and other monuments but he wanted to experience it in reality. Riceros’ mind shifted to his brothers on the high green seas. He had journeyed up the coast to Waters Edge, but never been anywhere even close to Gama Traka. Riceros Colbert started to doze off.
Mariah danced with a red-headed man he presumed to be Ali-Ster Wamhoff. His father talked with Camelle and Duke Etburn. This seemed like a wedding. Riceros stood next to his brothers and Sir Brehan Castaway. Beautiful dresses and outfits were on display in a lavishly decorated room in a castle. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Riceros spotted the King. He was a large man exactly as the stories went, but he walked hunched over and had several chins. His body was covered with a series of different colored robes twisted into a black, red and white pattern. King Ali-Stanley reached into the capacious robes and pulled out a large dagger from within their folds. He started to walk straight toward Jon Colbert, who had his back turned to the King. Riceros tried to scream but only silence sang out. He tapped his brother Krys and then Brehan only to have them ignore him. The King walked slowly and purposefully, but nobody seemed to have seen what Riceros was seeing. He tried to run to his father to warn him of the impending danger. He wanted to move but something grabbed him from behind. He turned around to see a giant, rabid fox with a tight grip on his shirt. The King closed in and still no one could see what was happening. Riceros tried to shake loose but he couldn’t get free. The King of Donegal raised the knife high in the air behind Riceros’ father. The party continued and everyone was still having a good time. The cowardly King buried the shining blade into his father’s back. Riceros could see a huge, vile smile on the King’s face as he tried to struggle out of the fox’s grip to help.
“ROOF, ROOF, ROOF, ROOF.”
Riceros shot up in bed. Through the dim, shimmering light that the remaining flames had to offer, he could see his mother grappling with someone. He saw the same shiny blade he had just seen in his dream. Jasper jumped onto the person’s back. Suddenly Camelle kicked the shadowy figure back and Jasper took the tall person to the ground. Riceros saw a glimmering silver blade fly through the air and hit the ground with a clank. Without hesitation, he ran over and grabbed the knife. The assassin had gotten back to his feet with his back to Riceros as he fended off the dog. He rushed up and stabbed the person in the back of the thigh.
“OWWW,” bellowed what sounded like a man.
The man spun around and smacked Riceros right in the ear, causing him to crash into the stone wall. Dizziness wouldn’t let him rise to his feet as ringing vibrated in both ears. He quickly refocused and saw someone jump onto the assassin and throw him to the ground. They wrestled around for a few seconds until the killer was on top, in control. Riceros grabbed the knife and ran over swinging blindly. His first thrust struck hard and deep into the left side of his back.
“Bastard,” screamed the man in the hooded black cloak.
The second and third swing hit the shoulder and upper arm respectively. Riceros took one more stab and stuck the blade in right next to the initial wound. In an instant, the assassin had been flipped on his back and three hammer-like punches shattered the would-be killer’s face. The sparse light revealed that it was Riceros’ brother who had ended the man’s life.
Ruxin Colbert said, “Close the door and lock it, hurry.”
The man who lay dead on the floor had pale skin and a very big nose. Ruxin pulled back the cloak to expose his bald head with black stubble trying to break through. He was bald by choice. Riceros noticed his near-purple lips and busted pinky finger that looked like the number 7. He was a big man who had gotten through all of the Mattingly security measures.
How did he get into Mattingly and then into our castle? Someone on our side must be betraying us.
Ruxin rushed over to his mother, “Are you alright, mother?”
She couldn’t respond through the hysterical crying but Ruxin could see that she was bleeding from numerous cuts on her forearms. He went and lit a few candles on the table so he could further inspect the wounds. Riceros looked on, head throbbing, while Ruxin checked his mother’s forearms. They had both been slashed several times while deflecting the killer’s murder attempts.
Through all the commotion, Riceros didn’t realize that his dog was still lying on the floor. He moved over to Jasper and the dog barked in pain. Riceros lay down next to his friend and started to feel for a wound. He found it right behind the back of Jasper’s neck. It wasn’t bleeding terribly, but Riceros wanted Count Sproul to take care of his mother and dog. He ran to the door and started to unlock it.
“What are you doing? We may still be in danger,” Ruxin yelled at Riceros.
Danger meant little to Riceros as he pushed open the door and rushed to the Count’s room. Riceros had to put his life on the line for a friend that had done the same for him countless times. He got to the Count�
�s room and pounded on the wooden door. He heard rustling from inside the room as the Count finally woke and responded. Riceros knew that his mother would be alright but he worried about his dog. He rushed into the Count’s room and hurried over to his desk. He picked up a candle and used it to light two more. The waxy glow revealed paper and a quill that Riceros picked up and used to write a message to Count Sproul. The Count read it and moved over to the dresser he used to house his medicine. He grabbed two little bottles and the two of them quickly went back to his parents’ room. Camelle had stopped crying but his dog still lay motionless on the floor.
The Count approached Camelle first. “My Duchess, what may I do to help?”
“I am fine. The knife didn’t cut me deep. Look at Jasper, he is in pain,” she said in a low tone.
“As you wish,” softly said the Count while he painfully got down to his knees to tend to Jasper.
Riceros hovered over the dog as the Count inspected the wound.
“It is rather deep. I must clean the wound first. Hold on to our friend as I pour this in,” the Count said to Riceros.
He hugged his dog’s body as the Count opened one of the bottles. He poured its contents into the wound. Jasper jerked around yelping in pain, taking Riceros along for the ride. After a few moments, the dog calmed down.
“Now we will dull the pain,” stated Count Sproul.
Why didn’t you dull the pain first, and then clean it?
The Count poured the other bottle into the gash. The dog only moved a touch before staying still.
“Now even though we have numbed the pain, he will still feel the next part when I seal the wound,” Count Sproul warned.
Ruxin carried over a flat piece of metal he had been holding in the burning embers of the fire for several minutes and gave it to the Count.
Count Sproul instructed Ruxin, “Hold the cut closed, but be very careful with your fingers.”
Ruxin had to be nervous as the Count held the red-hot metal, shaking, over his hands. The Count finally zeroed in on the mark and pressed the burning seal onto Jasper’s flesh. The dog bounced up and knocked Count Sproul onto his back as he let out a cry of pain.
“What is the matter?” asked Ruxin.
“I dropped that fiery metal on my foot when I fell back,” the Count yelled.
He collected himself for several moments and said, “And now I shall treat you, my Duchess.”
The Count limped over to Camelle. A quick survey of her cuts revealed to Count Sproul that they were superficial.
“Now this will sting just a bit,” said Count Sproul as he cleaned and bandaged Camelle’s cuts.
Camelle appeared to be in shock and didn’t seem to feel a thing. Riceros still held on to his friend. The dog was calm now and the wound appeared to be sealed up. It looked like everyone would be alright, but who had sent an assassin to kill the Duchess? Riceros walked over to the window and noticed that there was a grappling hook hinged on the sill. He pulled it to find a roped attached that extended to the ground. Riceros thought it could have been someone who came down the Royal River and bribed or murdered enough men to get to the castle. Then he got in through the window of his parent’s second-story bedroom.
Riceros remembered his mother and father arguing about moving up to the fourth floor for better protection. Camelle was afraid of heights and preferred to stay on the second floor. Jon had thought they would be safer on the fourth floor. It was the only time he could recall that his parents had ever fought.
This must have been a skilled assassin who commanded a hefty price. Only a few people in the realm could afford someone like that.
If he was so skilled, why couldn’t he finish the job? Are more men on their way?
Ruxin found a coin-purse on the assassin filled with gold bulls and foxes. More than one hundred pieces, to be sure. Ruxin looked over the rest of the body for any clues that could tell them who this man was and who had sent him. He found nothing else on the dead man’s person.
“I am going to have the guards get rid of the body. I will have some servants in to clean up the mess in here. We can all stay in my quarters until the morrow,” Ruxin said.
Nobody slept the rest of the night and Ruxin called a first-light meeting to revamp castle security. Riceros attended the meeting, but it only made him feel a touch safer. He wanted his father, Brehan, sister and brothers back in Riverfront now.
MOVING SOUTH
ALI-STER
“I want to shut down the duels immediately,” announced the King at the meeting he had called.
“Why, your highness?” asked Henley Moore.
“Because we need more men to fight these usurpers. Wait a week and the jails will be full again. We just need to make sure that we are looking for lawbreakers this week,” the King said with an evil smile and a wink.
Ali-Ster didn’t grin. He wanted to go into battle but his father wouldn’t allow it. Ali-Ster had almost left without permission. He thought that by the time his father found out, it would be too late to bring him back. Eventually, however, he chose to stay in the Capitol.
“Next, we take men out of that clustered stalemate along Goldenfield. I want to crush Mattingly quickly,” the King stated.
“I’m not sure that is the right move, your highness,” replied Leo Braunshaur.
“That’s fine because I didn’t ask you, Lord Braunshaur. A king orders, he does not ask. Havest any of thou the firth? Oh, and has anyone found out who killed Otto Cuthbart?” he asked, tapping his scepter on the table.
A hush fell over the room until Henley Moore broke the silence, “It could really be anyone with the mouth on that man, your majesty.”
“But Penrose found him with his thumbs cut off and shoved into his mouth,” the King said with a look of concern.
“Again, that would cast a wide net as well, my King,” added Derich Bonsfogger.
“Well, I need to tell his wife something, so start pressing harder on this one. I still must figure out a price to pay her off. He was the High Lord of Fox Woods. Back on the topic of Mattingly, we will pull almost all resources from the Goldenfield border,” said the King.
“I would be certain to keep a close eye on the Warrior Queen right now. New kings and queens can act in very erratic ways. You never know what she could be plotting after putting her mother and father’s heads on spikes,” Dirk Eller added cautiously.
“I kind of like her myself. She is a new ruler and I know a thing or two about being a new ruler. You have to worry so much about consolidating the inside of your realm that it takes months or years just to look outside. Anyway, my whisperers tell me that she is planning a different move right now.” The King got up and wandered around the table.
Everyone at the table wanted to object, but nobody had the intestinal fortitude. They didn’t agree with pulling necessary troops and releasing criminals to fight a tough, and probably unwarranted, civil war. Even without its leader, Mattingly would stand up to defend itself until the bloody, bitter end. However, everybody’s tongues became twisted when attempting to stand up to their King.
The King broke the brief silence as he meandered around the room. “A raven from Waters Edge arrived earlier with word that Duke Etburn is sending men. We can use their old bald heads for battering rams if need be. They might even die on the way down, but we will find a purpose for the elderly knights. We also received a letter from Burkeville.”
The King’s face flushed bright red and a rare, fierce look flashed into his eyes. His size was the only thing intimidating about the physically awkward King as he continued, “It appears we have a traitor on our hands. Duke Burke has refused to send any help for the war effort and has become entirely useless to the realm of Donegal. He is forcing my hand and he shall not be pleased with the outcome. He might change his tone when I send him the head of his daughter. He forgets that I have her here more as a hostage than a bride for Ali-Varis. We need to handle this problem quickly and quietly before he can bring Burkeville to ash
es. I have one Duke ambush me and another who refuses my orders. It is time to teach this realm who is in control,” shouted the King angrily.
You show your strength by having someone else kill an eighteen year old girl. You are a coward, father.
Ali-Ster felt that the whole Colbert ambush story didn’t add up. He was positive that his father sent him hunting the day of the already-infamous ambush so Ali-Ster wouldn’t see the truth.
He didn’t want me there for a reason; he knows I act with honor. He didn’t even tell anyone around the castle that men from Mattingly were coming.
He felt his father was spinning a web of lies. Ali-Ster found it hard to believe that Jon Colbert would attack the King in Falconhurst with his daughter along for the ride. Nothing about this story made sense. The King would never leave the castle to greet the Mattingly men. He had never done that for anyone in the past. Ali-Ster hardly ever spoke at these meetings, but it was getting harder to hold his tongue with each outrageous statement his father made.
“Lord Bonsfogger, what are the chances we can take the coast?” the King questioned his Admiral of the Sea.
“Extremely unlikely. They have five times as many war-ships and they will know we are coming,” the Admiral said.
“So straight down on horse and foot it shall be. We will slaughter these mad bulls and offer them to the Gods. We will meet back here in two hours to discuss details about strategy and how to navigate those border mountains. I expect everyone to be here with Count Silzeus as the only exception. You may get some rest, my good man.”
As soon as he finished that statement the door flew open with sudden force. It slammed into the wall and shook a few small tables. Two rugged-looking men entered the room in tattered clothes, carrying a large chest. It was an ark with animals carved into the outside. The men staggered over to the King and dropped the heavy chest. The two men bowed and left the room.
A man with long red hair entered the room and said, “Uncle.”
The man known as Crimson-Lightning walked toward the King with an air of confidence. He stepped over to the King and got down on one knee, “My King, I have returned with the spoils from the far east conquest. I do apologize for the length of time it took me. Those nasty seas just would not cooperate.”
TWO HEADS TWO SPIKES (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga) Page 16
