Ascendant

by Craig Alanson

  The next morning, after going to the royal stables to feed and brush Thunderbolt, Koren stopped by the kitchens for breakfast. When he returned to the wizard’s tower in mid-morning, he found a servant dressed in the uniform of the royal palace, waiting for him. The servant carried a hand-written note from Ariana, inviting him to join her for lunch in the palace.

  Promptly at noon, having scrubbed himself clean, wearing clean and freshly pressed clothes, and his hair untangled as best he could get it, Koren presented himself at the servant’s entrance to the palace. The guards were skeptical, even when Koren showed them Ariana’s invitation. He waited ten minutes before Charl Fusting, the royal chief of protocol arrived, mumbling “Most irregular, most irregular indeed.” With a look that suggested the man thought Koren was very likely to steal something valuable if he were allowed inside the palace gates, Fusting examined Koren’s clothes, tugging the tunic sleeves, brushing bits of lint off, before giving up with an exasperated sigh. “There is nothing to be done here. Nothing! It’s hopeless. I can’t work miracles.” Fusting turned and escorted Koren inside the palace. Up stairs, down stairs, through long, wide corridors where their footsteps echoed against the high ceilings, past grand public rooms, Koren hurried behind the chief of protocol, almost tripping over his own feet, because he was too busy gawking at the opulent building and not paying attention to where he was going. The palace was full of people; guards posted outside nearly every door, servants scurrying around on errands, and various nobles ranging from squires to knights and barons. Not knowing what else to do, Koren followed the example of the chief of protocol, and bowed to people when Fusting bowed.

  While passing down a particularly grand hallway, lined with paintings of previous kings and queens of Tarador, Koren drifted to a stop. The men and women in the pictures, so regal, so grand, all appeared to be looking directly at him. Fusting stopped in front of a wide, double door, flanked by two guards. “The- dear me. What shall I call you?”

  “Koren Bladewell, sir?”

  “No, no. Your title, I mean. You’re the wizard’s servant, but of course, one doesn’t announce servants. Servants aren’t supposed to be invited to dine with royalty, either.” The chief of protocol grumbled under his breath.

  Koren had an idea. “I’m Koren Bladewell, of Crickdon, if you please, sir.”

  Fusting snapped his fingers. “Of course you are!” He called out, in a clear voice “Koren Bladewell of Crickdon, here to see the crown princess.”

  Koren was expecting lunch with the crown princess to be stiff and formal, with a different fork to be used for each course. Instead, he found Ariana sitting in a sunlit room which overlooked the courtyard garden, attended by only a maid. When she saw Koren, she ran to him and hugged him, in a most undignified manner, while Charl Fusting looked away in everlasting horror. The chief of protocol backed away with a bow and scurried out the door, muttering to himself, his face white. When the door closed behind him, Ariana and Koren burst into laughter. “Most irregular, most irregular.” Koren imitated the fussy Fusting..

  “Oh, never mind him.” Ariana laughed. “My mother says he’s in charge of all the things that aren’t important around the palace.” She pointed to the table, covered by plates piled high with food. “Are you hungry? Let’s eat first. I want to show you around the palace.”

  The palace was even bigger than Koren imagined, one room after another, until Koren was completely lost. “Does the palace ever end? Kyre told me it was big, but-“

  “Kyre Falco?” Ariana looked unhappy. “Koren, you need to be careful about Kyre. The Falco’s and the Trehaymes are not friends. You know the history of our families?”

  Koren shook his head. “No.” Apparently, he didn't know much of anything.

  “The Falco’s used to be rulers of Tarador, until seven hundred years ago.”

  Koren was completely surprised. “What happened?”

  “The Falco’s were the strongest of the seven Ducal families who broke away from Acedor, and Dagon Falco was chosen to be the first king of Tarador. At first, the Falco’s were good rulers, I guess,” Ariana shrugged to show she wasn’t convinced, “but then they became lazy, and cared only about gold and jewels and building bigger palaces-“ Ariana self-consciously touched her diamond necklace. “The Falco’s built this big palace, we, we Trehaymes just live here. Anyway, Luis Falco was king seven hundred years ago, and he was terrible. Fat and lazy, and he didn’t take care of the army. Acedor attacked, and they got all the way here, they surrounded the castle and destroyed the city. Luis Falco locked himself in the palace and hid under his bed. Well, maybe not really, but he didn’t do anything useful. Some of the Dukes of Tarador fled, they thought the battle was lost. But Duke Aldus Trehayme, my ancestor, rallied what was left of the army, and they fell upon the enemy at night, during a terrible rain storm. The enemy was surprised and defeated. When he got to the palace, Duke Trehayme found that Luis Falco had been killed by an assassin. And King Falco had no heir. Luis' brother claimed the throne, and in the confusion, several army commanders declared their support for him. Then it was discovered, of course, that the Cornerstone had been stolen during the battle. That ended any support for the Falco’s. They had lost the Cornerstone! The Dukes then chose Aldus Trehayme to be their king. And Trehaymes have been the royal family ever since. And ever since, the Falco’s have been scheming to reclaim the throne. That includes Kyre. Be careful around Kyre, I don’t trust him.”

  Koren considered both that Kyre had been nice to him, and that Ariana had been nice and was the crown princess. “He’s just a friend. And I’m just a servant. I couldn’t help him even if I wanted to. And I don’t.” He hastened to add. “Um, Ariana, what is the Cornerstone?”

  Ariana put her hands to her mouth and gasped. “You don’t know about the Lost Cornerstone of Acedor?”

  “No. Stories about ancient history aren’t something that put food in your belly on a farm in Crickdon.” Koren said defensively.

  “But everyone knows the legend of the Lost Cornerstone! It’s, wait, the chamber is right down this hallway. I’ll show you.” Ariana reached to grab hold of Koren’s hand, and she received a warm tingling feeling. A good feeling. Behind them, Nurellka discretely looked the other way. Ariana tugging a boy by the hand was not proper behavior for a princess!

  The crown princess led the way down a corridor that was part of the original fortress; the walls were plain stone, the floor not covered in fancy rugs. They passed through several doorways, and at the end of the hallway came to a pair of heavy wooden doors. “There used to be guards here all the time, but my grandfather put an end to that. What’s the sense in guarding something that has already been lost? The door is only locked at night. People don't come in here like they used to.” She tugged on one of the large metal door handles. “Help me, Koren, it’s heavy, and the hinges need to be oiled.”

  With the two of them pulling, the door swung ponderously open. Inside, Koren was surprised to see a large, empty stone chamber, with a high vaulted ceiling. In the ceiling were windows, which allowed sunlight to shine down upon a low, flat slab of stone that filled the center of the room. Their footsteps echoed in the emptiness. “I don’t get it. There’s nothing here.” The floor was covered with a layer of dust, and cobwebs shown in the sunlight from the windows.

  “Of course not, silly. This is where the Cornerstone used to be, before it was lost.” Ariana hopped up onto the stone slab. “It was right here, before it was stolen. See, you can still tell where the Cornerstone rested.”

  Koren saw there were marks on the slab. He paced the corners. “Wow. It was huge.”

  “It would barely fit through those doors. See the scratches on the floor, leading toward the doors? That’s where the enemy dragged the Cornerstone across the floor.”

  Koren looked around the chamber. There were no other doors. And the windows, far above, were too small. “But the other doors down the hallway are single doors, too narrow. How did the enemy get it out
of the castle?”

  Ariana raised her hands. “That’s the mystery. No one knows. It couldn’t have fit through the doors in the hallway, but it isn’t here, so it must have been taken away. Most people think it is still here, in the castle somewhere. It’s far too heavy to move without an army. This whole chamber was built around it, after the Cornerstone was brought here.”

  “What’s so important about this cornerstone, anyway?”

  “It’s the original cornerstone, the first stone laid down when the castle was built for the first king of Acedor, when our people came across the sea. When the Dark One seized power in Acedor, much of the castle was knocked down, and during the battle, our army took the cornerstone and hauled it away to Tarador on a great wagon, pulled by dozen oxen. Legend says Acedor will not be restored to our people, until the Cornerstone is returned. So the enemy stole it, and hid it somewhere. My mother says without the Cornerstone, any talk of defeating Acedor is foolishness, and that is why she doesn’t like it when Paedris tells her she has to send the army out to fight.” All these heavy adult decision were going to be hers, in only a few years.

  Koren got down on his knees and studied the scrape marks that were cut into the stone floor. Something wasn’t right. He rose and stepped onto the pedestal where the Cornerstone used to rest. His skin tingled, and he stepped back. “Why do people think it’s still here in the castle?”

  “Because, um,” Ariana bit her lips, trying to recall her history lessons. “I think the enemy was only in the castle for a few hours before Aldus Trehayme attacked. There wasn’t enough time for the Cornerstone to have been hauled away.” The crown princess held her hands out and shrugged. “Nobody knows. I have an idea,” she said, with a mischievous grin, “we could look for it.”

  “Us? You and me?”

  "Sure, why not?”

  Koren looked around the empty chamber. “Where would we start?”

  “Um,” Ariana had no idea. “I don't know. Wait! We can search the scrolls in the royal library first. Mother is always saying I should read more.”

  Late that afternoon, Carlana found her daughter in her private chamber, kneeling on a chair, elbows resting on a table, a table which was covered with scrolls. More scrolls were carefully stacked in baskets on the floor. Putting a finger to her lips to stop Ariana’s maid from announcing her arrival, Carlana tip-toed along the wall to stand behind the heavy drapes.

  “Look, see, this one is about Aldus Trehayme. Oh, it’s just about his family line. Hmmph. What do you have?”

  Carlana heard Koren’s voice, speaking slowly, because his reading skills were not quite ready for deciphering ancient scrolls. “It says, it says, um, something about King Aldus sent a del, uh, a del-“

  “Spell it out,” Ariana suggested gently.

  “D-e-l-e-g-”

  “Delegation. That means an official party, acting in the king’s name. Go on.”

  “He sent a d-delegation to Ching-Do.”

  “That’s an empire far to the east, a very powerful empire.”

  “The delegation was to seek wizards, to help defeat Acedor.”

  “Mother told me all our wizards were killed in that war, so there were none left to defend the kingdom.”

  “Then where did Paedris come from?” Koren asked, confused, and a little flustered, because Ariana was leaning close, and the warm scent of her perfumed hair was making him dizzy.

  “Oh, he’s from Stade, that's a land far away to the south, across the sea. All of the wizards from Tarador were killed. So, we brought wizards here from foreign lands. Besides, that war was a long time ago. Go on.” Ariana encouraged.

  Carlana stepped back from the drapes and whispered to the maid. “My daughter is reading scrolls? Historical scrolls?”

  Nurellka nodded, and whispered back “Yes, ma’am. Been at it most of the day, she has, her and the boy. They carried the scrolls down from the library, and they’ve been very careful with them. Very proper, the two of them, don’t you worry, ma’am. No funny stuff between them; your daughter knows better, and I think the boy is more than a little afraid still to be in the palace, and afraid of the princess, too."

  Carlana peeked around the corner, to see Ariana and Koren hunched over a scroll, happily reading the ancient history of Tarador. The Regent didn't know how she felt about her daughter spending time with the wizard's servant, spending time so closely. But, if Koren was indeed to become the most powerful wizard in the land, as Paedris said, then it was important for Ariana to develop a good relationship now, before they each came into their powers.

  But the two were not just queen-to-be and potential master wizard. They were also girl and boy. Girl and boy who had shared, and survived, a traumatic experience, which could naturally draw them closer. The girl, Carlana felt sure, was somewhat infatuated with her hero. The boy, and she knew Koren was a healthy young man, she was actually less worried about. While a boy Koren's age would have feelings about girls, Koren certainly knew that, in the end, he was a commoner, and Ariana was royalty, and that was the end of it. Just listening to Koren's awkward stammering when he spoke, Carlana had to smile. He looked like he was about to pass out, if Ariana got any closer. "Very well, let them be."

  “Yes, ma’am. Should I get her dressed for dinner?”

  Carlana shook her head. This was a good opportunity for the Regent to get a closer look at the boy wizard who would soon be a very important part of her daughter's life. “No, not tonight. I will inform the chief of protocol that I shall dine in my chambers tonight. Tell Ariana I would like her to join me, she can come dressed as she is. And she can bring her friend.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  When Paedris returned with the army two days later, Koren was ready. Standing on the wall above the main gate to the castle, Koren looked down at his new tunic, the same shade of purple that the wizard usually wore. With a yellow lightning bolt down the center, as an insignia. When they couldn’t find a proper servant’s outfit for Koren in the tower, Kyre had his maids cut up an old set of purple drapes to make several sets of tunics for Koren to wear, when Koren was going on about Lord Salva’s official business in the castle. Since a lightning bolt was the court wizard's official insignia, Kyre decided on his own to add one to Koren's official outfits. Koren hoped Paedris would approve.

  The army wound its way slowly up the streets of the city, through the gate in the thick walls of the castle. Koren thought he had never seen such a magnificent sight. Horses had been brushed until their coats shone, soldiers with polished armor gleaming, pennants of the nobles to which the various army units belonged, and at the head of the column, Paedris and the army unit’s captain. The two men waved, and smiled and laughed. Paedris had a sack on his lap, from which he threw candies to the children in the crowd. It was a victorious army that marched in triumph through the gates of the castle.

  Koren had not seen the wagon of wounded soldiers which had sped through the city’s less-used northern gate ahead of the army, nor the horses that marched without riders because their masters were dead. It was a day for celebration, and all too rare occasion in the centuries-long war between Tarador and Acedor. When Paedris was through the gate, Koren raced down the stairs to greet the wizard.

  Paedris heartily approved of Koren’s new tunic, and never noticed the missing drapes. The wizard was also delighted to see how clean his tower was, although he did suspiciously check the wards on doors to rooms where he didn't want people intruding. Following the official ceremony to welcome the army, there was a feast, and Paedris brought Koren to the royal palace as his servant. Koren’s job, according to Cully, was to stand against the wall behind the wizard’s chair, and keep his master's glass full of wine. Mostly, Koren gawked at the assembled nobility, and had to be poked by the other servants to remind him of his duty. And, of course, he tried to eavesdrop on the conversation between Paedris and Carlana. Koren frowned when he learned the Regent and the court wizard did not seem to be on the best of terms. Apparently, Carlana had no
t wanted to send the army out, and even after the battle, she wasn’t sure it had been wise to fight.

  “That was a rather grand entrance, Lord Salva.” Carlana said, holding a wine glass in front of her lips in an attempt to keep her words private. “Throwing candy to the children was a bit overdoing it, though, don’t you think?”

  Paedris gave the Regent an unfriendly smile; his lips curled appropriately, but his eyes glared at her. “The people need to celebrate a victory, Your Highness, it’s good for morale. There have been too few victories recently; too many defeats. And far too much of Tarador doing nothing while Acedor’s power grows to encircle us. The important thing is that I located the wizard who sent that bear to kill your daughter, and the force they intended to raid LeVanne with, in the confusion after Ariana’s death. I also sensed a much larger force behind them, beyond the border. ”

  “And it was such an easy victory, Lord Salva.” Carlana shot back. “Why, one wonders where was this enemy you warned us about, this terrible threat to the kingdom? Perhaps in the future, we can send you alone to fight our battles, and save the cost of raising an army.”

  “Do not underestimate our enemy, Carlana,” Paedris deliberately used her first name, “we had the advantage of surprise this time, their raiding force was caught unawares. They thought they were safe, hidden in the Thrallren woods.”