TWO HEADS TWO SPIKES (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga)

by Jason Paul Rice

  “Anders seemed to promise more of a split of Donegal while Ali-Steven wanted to pay us off and take everything. We need to figure out who will be easier to vanquish as we stick to our plan to take Donegal for ourselves,” she said with a yawn.

  “They seem to think we don’t know the value of Mattingly alone. I say we hit that border and just keep on going. They will be weakened from the siege and we will have full forces to crush them. Just don’t take too long in Harbor Valley and allow them to regroup after the invasion,” he warned.

  “I like to think you will do just fine in my stead here in the Capitol, General.”

  Death is part of life. We will send one of these greedy men to the gates of hell.

  THE WANDERER

  MARIAH

  She pulled the last piece of salted beef from the leather sack and discarded the carrying case. She had been following the Royal River for over a week now. She had spent a couple of days stowed away in a barn, only to be chased out the back door and back on her endless path. The girl thought the river ran south and following it would get her home. At least summer was knocking on the door and she didn’t need to make a fire at night. She wouldn’t know the first thing about starting a fire. She was brought up as a duchess, but spending a week alone in the woods can change people quickly. Her father’s words kept resonating in her head.

  AMBUSH, AMBUSH.

  Mariah Colbert’s thoughts had been going around in circles trying to make sense of the slaughter. But now she had more pressing problems because she was out of food and had nothing to hunt with. Not that it mattered. Mariah hadn’t even been able draw a bow in her only attempt. After her brothers had laughed at her, Mariah never picked one up again. She remembered how her father had yelled at the boys in her defense. Now her father was probably dead and it appeared that she would soon follow him.

  She approached a mountain side next to the river and decided to climb it. As she started walking up the hill she heard some voices and rustling. Through the oak trees, she noticed a small group of men. She ducked down, not knowing if they were Fox Chapel men, sent to find her.

  “There is no use hiding,” a man with a deep voice said.

  She stood straight up in front of a tiny tree.

  “Who are you?” asked a rugged, handsome man with a beard and moustache.

  “Mariah Colbert,” she muttered.

  He gave a sharp grin and looked into her eyes as he came closer. Suddenly, his smile melted in the heat as he pulled his sword and said, “Don’t move.”

  Mariah put her hands in front of her face in a pathetic attempt at self-defense.

  How did this happen? Only a week ago I was set to marry the Prince. The Gods can be so cruel.

  She pictured her mother, father and brothers. Mariah tried to be brave as the man raised his sword. Mariah wasn’t ready to die, but that decision seemed out of her hands now. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the sword in motion. The world went black as Mariah Colbert lay on the ground, motionless.

  The bearded man shook her for a few moments until her eyes fluttered open.

  “Oh good, you had me worried that I hit you,” the man said as he held the back of Mariah’s head.

  “What just happened?” the woozy girl asked.

  “I killed a rat snake that was hanging from the tree behind you. And when I swung, you fell right down. I won’t tell you that the dead snake fell on your face though,” he joked with a big smile.

  “Oh Gods,” Mariah used her hands to wipe away any remnants.

  The tall man grabbed her hands and looked deeply into her blue-gray eyes, “You’re fine. You look lovely.”

  Mariah knew that right now she probably looked the least attractive she ever had in her life. She smiled for the first time since being abandoned by Brehan.

  “Who are you?”

  “Torvald Malik, my lady.”

  “Wait, I am in Bottomfoot?” she asked.

  “Indeed, my lady. I mean, my Duchess,” he said.

  The Malik family ruled Bottomfoot which was a peaceful, neutral region. It wasn’t financially driven and the many mountains of Bottomfoot kept them safe from attack. Bottomfoot lay along the border of Mattingly to the east and Burkeville to the north. The Capitol, Housemont, was high atop the steepest mountain in Bottomfoot.

  “What are you doing so far north?” Mariah questioned.

  “Making sure those crooked bastards from Burkeville don’t steal our trees,” he said sternly.

  “Trees?” a confused Mariah asked.

  “Yes, they come over here and cut our oaks and spruces and drag them across the border to sell,” Torvald said seemingly agitated.

  “They are lucky we haven’t spotted them yet,” added Chopkins Haddock.

  There were three men with Torvald. Chopkins Haddock was his best friend and his family controlled the docks and ports of south-east coastline. They were the wealthiest family in all of Bottomfoot. They sent Chopkins to live in Housemont about three years ago. He was a short man with a big scar above his left eye from his older brother casting a fishing pole. The hook had ripped a big chunk of skin out and left an awkward-looking scar.

  “Wait, how could I be in Bottomfoot? I never crossed the Royal River,” stated a perplexed Mariah.

  “Sometimes, before the Frozen Forest melts down, certain parts of the river can look like a stream or creak,” Chopkins revealed.

  “I guess I did cross some of those,” she said.

  “So the obvious question is: What is the Duchess of Mattingly doing all alone in these nasty woods?” Torvald asked.

  “She is looking for you,” laughed Sir Bastion Stonefell and J. Everson Hiles joined in.

  J. Everson was a tall dopey kid of sixteen. He was Torvald’s squire. The Hiles family rebelled against the royal family having two capital letters in their first name and gave their children a capital letter to start their names. Sir Bastion stood short and stocky and tended to rub his nose while he talked, making it difficult to understand him. He had amazing sword prowess helping him to be considered the top knight in Bottomfoot.

  “I am just lost from a family trip,” she tried to lie, but she was a horrible liar.

  “I think not. I see pain behind those enchanting eyes. Tell me what is troubling you. I can help you, my Duchess,” he said softly to her.

  Mariah realized this was probably her only option, and confessed, “Alright, I was on my way to Falconhurst with my father and the knights of Mattingly and we were ambushed by Fox Chapel knights. I believe I may be the only one who survived.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. The muscular man hugged her and scraped his fingers along the back of her neck several times that sent shockwaves throughout her body. She was now crying because of her father and the knights, but at the same time felt pleasure from being held by this strong gentleman. She could feel his muscles tense as he firmed his grip around her and looked into Mariah’s confused eyes.

  “Come back to Housemont with us. We will get provisions there and I can take you back home, my Duchess,” he added with a slight grin.

  Mariah would have followed him anywhere at this point.

  “Alright,” was all she offered.

  She started to have feelings that she had never experienced before. They got even stronger as Torvald framed her face with his hands and wiped the tears from beneath her eyes. He then caressed her cheeks and stared into her eyes.

  “You are safe with me now, my Duchess.” He decided to seal this statement with a soft, light kiss.

  In a few short minutes Mariah went from thinking she was going to die to being in love for the first time.

  “Ready?” Torvald asked before they took off.

  Mariah couldn’t even speak. She tried, but the words got stuck in her throat and never made it to her lips. She simply nodded like a little girl with a smile that wouldn’t go away.

  SECRET VISITOR

  EMILIA

  A firm knocking awoke the dozing Queen. She got up, st
retched, and walked to the door. Emilia opened it to see her guard Ulee standing outside.

  “My Queen, you have a visitor,” Ulee declared.

  Her visitor was neither tall nor short, just somewhere in between. He didn’t look like the fierce warrior that he was reputed to be. He was rather skinny and too good looking for a lifetime soldier, the Queen thought.

  “Of course I know this man,” the Queen responded with a smile.

  “My Queen, it has been quite a long time,” Ali-Samuel Wamhoff pronounced with a deep bow. “May I have words with you?”

  “Surely, pray come in,” she said as she led him into her room.

  The Queen invited him to sit at her small table made of forest oak. She poured out two glasses of red wine and joined him at the little table.

  “My Queen, I come to you as a man who can offer you more than anyone else in this Capitol,” Ali-Samuel confidently stated.

  The Queen’s heartbeat increased as excitement raced through her body. She stared directly into his eyes and said, “What is your offer?”

  “Well, as you know better than anyone else, the King will not live forever. But that is no reason you cannot still be Queen.”

  He flashed a smile and although his teeth were brown and rotting, the Queen did not care.

  “Go on,” the Queen quickly said.

  “We have to get Ali-Varis out of the way as soon as possible. He is the only man that can keep you from your rightful place,” he informed her.

  “And how do you propose we do this?” The Queen squirmed a bit in her seat as the discussion went on.

  “Talk to Ali-Ster, make sure that he sees Ali-Varis must go. I have already put this in motion but it will be reassuring to hear it from his mother,” Ali-Samuel added with a wink.

  “What is the next step?” The Queen suddenly felt an excitement she had never experienced before. Her boring life as the wife of King Ali-Stanley had just got a shot of excitement. She was sweating now with her body tingling and on fire. Although sober, she was pleasurably stimulated and found it was better than being drunk or on drugs. She felt a strong attraction to Ali-Samuel.

  “King Ali-Stanley Wamhoff,” he stated bluntly to the small woman.

  “And why would I want to have that happen?” she replied with sudden nervousness.

  “Because you will still be Queen of Donegal. We will send Ali-Ster away before he can marry and you will remain Queen. Ali-Ster has a much better prospect of longevity to keep you living in this castle and not back on that goat farm in Burkeville. I simply ask that you allow me a place on the council to rebuild this mess your husband has created,” said Ali-Samuel with another ugly smile.

  “They will demand that Ali-Ster marry and put a baby inside his wife before he leaves,” the Queen snapped back.

  “’They’, that you refer to, will be you and I. I have already talked to Ali-Ster about Falconer and Foreign Chancellor. And with the Queen on our side, no one will be able to stop us, my Queen.” He didn’t take his eyes from Emilia’s during the entire statement.

  “I don’t want Ali-Ster to lose his father,” a concerned Queen stated.

  “Lose his father? He has had a father for eighteen years. I never had a father. Besides, the King is no father if you ask Ali-Ster. I have never known my father and it has made me a better man for it. But all ill will has been forgotten. I understand my father had to leave and if it wasn’t for Queen Tomeo, my head would have been smashed on the castle steps. I lived a life as the little bastard of the castle even though my blood was pure. I was cursed with the last name Wamhoff until I left for the Pearl Islands at fifteen. Well, now is the time for just due,” he said.

  Ali-Samuel got up, walked over to the Queen and massaged her shoulders. He whispered “We are now involved with very motivated people and I want you to know that you are safe with me.”

  The Queen felt wonderful, although frozen in her seat. Ali-Samuel ran his fingers under her hair and the Queen arched her back with pleasure. He reached around and rubbed her breasts, softly pinching her nipples between his rugged fingers. Queen Emilia threw her neck back and turned her face up. Ali-Samuel kissed her gently from above.

  “I will be going to Burkeville to take care of some business for our King, but when I return we will put the plan into action,” he whispered in her ear.

  “That sounds great,” smiled the Queen as Ali-Samuel rubbed her shoulders again.

  Then he grabbed her hand and led her toward the bed. When they were almost there, he grabbed her and kissed her strongly. Queen Emilia was now soaked in excitement as Ali-Samuel stooped down and pulled her entire dress over her head. He tore her shift away and placed his palm on her vagina.

  “Aren’t you afraid of doing this in the king’s castle?” the Queen whispered as she breathed heavily.

  “Nothing scares me, my Queen,” Ali-Samuel said cockily.

  That thrilled the Queen even more as she grabbed for his pants. For a small man, the Queen noticed he packed a lot of excitement. Sir Ali-Samuel Wamhoff threw the tiny Queen onto the bed and started to undress.

  The Queen awoke feeling satisfied and a little sore. She got out of bed naked and saw that Ali-Samuel was long gone. He had brought a breath of fresh air straight from the Gods to revive a lonely Queen’s stale life. The Queen of Donegal felt something she had not experienced in a long time, feelings for a man. She had fun with Anderley, but he was more of a convenience and too timid in bed. The Queen loved how Ali-Samuel tossed her around and took control, like a real man. The Queen thought men were too pensive at times, checking their foot in the water instead of diving straight in. She still smiled as she thought about what she would do the rest of the day. Right now, the only things that kept crawling back into her head were the lingering thoughts and smells of the man and his plan. This was exactly what the Queen sought to spice up her boring life.

  GOING AWAY

  RICEROS

  Brehan Castaway paddled the canoe slowly down the Royal River. He kept on the Greenville side to protect Camelle and Riceros. They still weren’t sure where the assassin had broken through so they wore hoods pulled down over their faces. Brehan had his hanging from the top of his head as he guided them to Middlefont.

  It had only been a few days but Riceros Colbert already missed Jasper and Count Sproul. He was used to being away from Ruxin but he spent nearly every day with the Count and dog. He felt nervous as they embarked on a voyage that was to take him much farther away from Mattingly than he had ever been before.

  Riceros had been acting the exact opposite of Camelle. He had showed barely any emotion since he’d heard the tragic news. For some reason, he couldn’t believe that his father and sister were dead. The canoe floated along with a bare minimum of essentials but Brehan had a satchel filled with gold that would hopefully get them to where they were going.

  Brehan and Riceros were going to take Camelle to Waters Edge to receive protection from her family. Riceros didn’t know where they were going after that and he wasn’t sure that even Brehan knew. Riceros only knew that they had to leave the only place he had ever called home. His father and sister might be dead and no one had heard from Krys or Ryno. Soon his mother would be gone and Sir Brehan would be the only familiar face he might see for a long time.

  Camelle was still an emotional mess most of the time, red eyed and wan faced. She seemed to have aged years over the past few weeks. Riceros tried his best to lift her spirits but his efforts didn’t yield positive results. She had just had her entire family snatched from her bosom and her mother’s will was broken. He hoped that her birth family would be able to help her. She would be safe there from the King’s reach, whose deplorable actions seemed to have no bounds.

  Brehan pushed the canoe ashore. Everyone jumped off and walked inland, a few feet off the beaten trail. Riceros noticed that Brehan finally snapped out of his recent funk. The knight understood that he needed to be strong for the woman and young boy.

  The sun sank slowly over th
e horizon as Brehan pointed out the inn where they were going to spend the night. They would have camped out, but the Duchess was too pregnant for that. The trio walked through the door to see a decent-sized crowd of mostly men interspersed with just a few women.

  Eight rectangular wooden tables were scattered around the dreary room. It smelled of old beer, wine and vomit that made Riceros retch. They sat at an empty table in the center of the room. Most of the rough-looking patrons appeared drunk. They slurred words and pointed fingers in each other’s faces as they rambled incoherently. Although Riceros was only eleven, he knew that the women were working here. He had heard his brothers talking about what the women who wear yellow hoods at the inns do. Riceros heard two men talking at a table of eight.

  “He’s but a fifteen-year-old boy, he can’t hold off no king?” one man said.

  “This King is weak right now. Mattingly is strong. Even without Duke Colbert, I will piss on our King,” he said as he spat on the floor.

  “Well it will be my neck that gets slit if this kid don’t handle it. I don’t wish to gamble my life on the side of a child,” the first man said.

  “I plan to bring back the black heart of the King. And I’ll show it to you and your pretty little neck. HAHAHAHA,” the second man retorted.

  The entire table erupted in laughter save the embarrassed man.

  The innkeeper arrived at their table. She was short, looked to be about fifty, and had three warts on her nose. Brehan ordered three bowls of the daily stew with bread and they watched the lady stumble away to get their meals.

  “At least it sounds like most people still feel confident in the cause,” Brehan stated as he pulled his hood down a bit lower.