Warden (Blade Asunder Book 3)

by Jon Kiln

  This was a revelation to them all and gave them renewed hope. With information like this it might just be the head start they needed over the Akkedis. They now knew their dark secrets.

  “Excellent Hendon, you should thank Barnaby for me the next time you speak together. But, a word of caution. I would refrain from speaking to Ganry of this, you know what he is like on matters of magic and such. He would simply think you have lost your mind!”

  25

  Ganry’s body ached with a vengeance. This was not the first time he had been fastened in chains and hung on a wall but it had not happened to him in many years. Every muscle and every joint cried out for release.

  Perseus was faring much better. Not only was he younger, but as soon as the guards left the room he shifted his body shape to that of the snake, allowing him to escape from his chains. Once he changed back into his human form he released Ganry for a short period.

  “We cannot stay free for too long,” Perseus warned. “They will be suspicious if we do not cry out in pain.”

  Once free of the chains, Ganry collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Free of his restraints he was sure the place stank even worse than it did when he was chained. An overpowering odor of urine, feces and dampness assaulted his senses, and to compound matters further, the air was so thick it was hardly breathable.

  “I’m leaving this room for a short while to find water,” Perseus told him. “I will be quick.” And with that he was gone.

  Ganry had no idea how he had managed to get out of the room as he had not been looking. He was busy regulating his breathing, taking in as much air in as possible. This truly was a dungeon, deep in the bowels of the earth.

  As he sat up, leaning his aching back against the hard stone wall, he noticed a huge hole in the floor. Now he knew how Perseus had slithered out of the room. The shape-shifter could dig tunnels, just like the sand worms. He hoped Perseus had an idea how to fill this tunnel in when he returned. As he sat there pondering the problem, the snake’s head appeared in the hole.

  The huge snake slithered back into the room and used its tail to replace a mound of earth back into the tunnel. Then, altered into that of a human male, handed Ganry a pouch of water.

  Ganry guzzled half, though he knew he should not drink so fast. But caution was the last thing on his mind. Handing the rest of the water back to Perseus, he was feeling much better already.

  Perseus drank slower, not needing as much refreshment as the human.

  “Are you going to tell me your tale then, Perseus?” he asked of his companion.

  “My master is Qutaybah, I have not any more to tell,” he replied, clearly not over willing to reveal his history.

  Ganry tried a different line of questioning. “What kind of creature are you?”

  “I am a Suggizon. My master saved me from being devoured, so I owe him my life.”

  “And? The story is?” Ganry was determined he would have some explanation.

  Perseus sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “My people live in the mountains of Vandemland,” he began. “We are a rarity and considered quite a delicacy in our reptile form. I was captured when I was quite young and traded on the slave market. I refused to Change from human, so the slavers beat me. When we are angry, we cannot stop the Change. Once changed I caused havoc in the market place, killing a number of slave traders. After I was recaptured I was to be beheaded, but Master Qutaybah offered them a price they could not refuse. I have been with him since, and I serve him loyally.”

  “These are strange lands indeed,” Ganry commented, his voice hoarse from the thick, stinking air.

  “I hear footsteps approaching. I must tie you back up again,” Perseus said, standing up quickly.

  As soon as Ganry was back in position, Perseus changed form and wriggled into his own chains. Seconds later they heard keys rattling in the lock and in walked Ghaffar.

  “I bear good news for you, Ganry,” Ghaffar said. The former mercenary lifted up his chin that had been dangling to touch his chest. “My wonderful and benevolent Empress is allowing the Duchess to share a room with your Queen.”

  “Forgive me if I cannot smile,” he replied, gruffly. “Your Empress amazes me with her kindness.”

  “Indeed!” Ghaffar agreed, knowing full well what Ganry’s caustic comments meant. “I am here to ask of you some small questions,” Ghaffar continued. “I am sure you will be glad to keep your Queen safe, and so will be willing to answer honestly.”

  There was an empty silence hanging in the air as no one spoke. Ganry would not waste his small amount of energy on this fiend.

  “When you set off on your quest, exactly who was aware that you were visiting with the Akkedis?” Ghaffar asked.

  Ganry did not reply. Instead he laughed quietly until his laugh echoed loudly around the stone wall chamber.

  “You fear an attack, my little friend?” Ganry asked, when he had finished laughing. “Oh, I assure you, you will get one,” Ganry promised.

  Ghaffar smiled and then stood aside, allowing a tall female Akkedis into the cell. She was dressed in a light tunic which had many woven pouches. Within the pouches, Ganry could see moving dark shapes.

  “This is Sileta, she is the keeper of the kewers,” Ghaffar said, with a smirk of satisfaction in his features. “Our kewers are a special creature which only Sileta can control. Have you heard of a kewer, human?”

  Ganry did not reply, instead he simply stared fiercely into the eyes of the little man.

  “I will take your silence as ignorance and I will explain this insect in its simplicity,” Ghaffar answered to the silent Ganry. “It is such a tiny thing, with a long piercing snout, and, like the Akkedis, feeds from blood. But this creature digs into its host and makes its way to the heart, and once there it will feed until the heart ceases to pump. Then it will leave the host and find another. You see, the kewers like their blood warm and straight from the source. Now, Sileta here, she can talk to her pets and she can call them to come back to her, and they do as she asks, even if they are just about to feed on the pumping heart. She is a good mother to them and cares that they are fed with only the best, and they are loyal to her.”

  Sileta then gave Ganry an exhibition of her pets. She called to them by singing a light melody, and in moments her entire body was covered with a sheen of shimmering blue and green luster. It appeared that her skin was moving as they slithered along, running around their keeper’s body.

  “I would like Sileta to introduce her pets to your heart, Ganry, where they would feed until it stops, unless you feel you can answer my questions before this happens?” Ghaffar announced. “But first, perhaps a little demonstration will help loosen your tongue.”

  He turned to the female Akkedis. “Sileta, if you will?”

  Sileta hummed her tune louder and danced lightly. As she increased the tempo of her dancing and humming, the kewers began to make clicking sounds which grew louder and louder. She danced closer to Ganry and draped an arm over his shoulder, releasing some of the kewers onto his naked skin.

  As soon as they landed on him, he felt a sharp pinch as they buried themselves under his skin. The pain was excruciating as he could feel the pathway that they took on their journey in his body, and the stinging sensation felt like his body was burning from within.

  Sileta moved her arms away and finished her dance, making strange noises. Ganry could hardly open his eyes to watch her. She had left her pets running riot inside his body. He shivered with a cold sweat, his entire body felt like a raw nerve that was being tugged upon and twisted. Finally, he succumbed to the pain and cried out in agony.

  Sileta changed her tune slightly and the small bugs appeared upon Ganry’s skin. They fell to the floor and scampered back to their keeper, disappointed that they had not been allowed to feast. Sileta left the room.

  “I leave you to rest, human. I’m sure that Sileta’s little pets will have worn you out.” Ghaffar smiled as he spoke. “I will bring her with me to visit you again, only ne
xt time, if you do not have the answers that I require then your Queen may no longer have her gallant bodyguard.”

  Ghaffar quickly turned and left the room.

  Ganry and Perseus were alone, once again.

  26

  Myriam awoke feeling quite refreshed. The female Akkedis servant, Arriba, was in her room, putting out a fresh jug of water and a bowl for her to wash before breakfast.

  “How do you know when it’s night or day down here in your city, Arriba?” Myriam asked, trying to strike up a conversation. She had tried many times to befriend Arriba, but none had been successful.

  “We can tell by the air vents,” she replied.

  Myriam was surprised to have an answer, so she pushed her luck even further.

  “Is my door locked? I would like to visit with my friends,” she asked the Akkedis servant.

  “Friends? They are your family, are they not?” Arriba responded.

  Myriam laughed at the thought of Linz and Hendon being her brothers.

  “We are of the same bloodline, yes, but I suspect we are far removed from being direct relations,” Myriam answered, and the Akkedis was puzzled.

  “I have heard of humans having families. My people do not have such things. I would have no idea who has my blood,” Arriba said quietly, as if she did not want to be heard saying such a thing.

  Arriba was being quite talkative today and Myriam encouraged her to continue.

  “Once we are born and we hatch from our eggs, we stay in the nursery until we can join society and become a productive worker. We do not know who parented us. We know of loyalty to our leaders, but not of this love that humans have.”

  “Then you have done well to understand the concept of a human family, Arriba,” Myriam remarked.

  “We are all schooled to understand the world around us,” Arriba explained.

  “Do the Akkedis not fall in love, as in a male and a female?” Myriam asked, thinking they still had to mate to produce the eggs.

  “I cannot answer that.” Arriba’s attitude changed at that question. She seemed upset and slammed the door as she left the room.

  Myriam was left wondering what she had said to upset her.

  Quickly she washed and dressed. The Akkedis had provided some basic tunics for day and night knowing that humans liked to change, which was something they did not practice much themselves. She appreciated that in some respects, the Akkedis were trying to make them comfortable. They supplied them good food and clean clothing, easing their imprisonment somewhat. This reminded her of Ganry, and she wondered how he fared. She doubted they would kill him or Perseus, and today she intended on demanding a visit with them.

  Knocking on the door of Linz and Hendon, there was no reply. Whilst she was allowed freedom within the shared corridor that led to all of their rooms, the guards still manned it and watched her closely. She wondered at what the guards must think she was about. It was not as if she could run and escape this hell hole. No matter, she simply turned the handle and entered the room.

  It was dark inside with no means of lighting whatsoever. She went to the pots that held the crystals which shone with light and removed the covers. The brightness soon reflected around the room, and now she could see that her friends were still asleep.

  “I thought we were going to make some demands today,” she said in an extra loud voice, yet still they did not stir. “You’re both going to have to wake up!” she yelled even louder this time.

  For all her efforts, both the young men simply groaned and turned over in their beds. Linz pulled his cover over his head, because of the light.

  “Whatever is the matter?” she asked as she yanked the cover from his head.

  “They started to take our blood and it makes us tired,” he replied, hoping this would mean that Myriam would leave them alone.

  “We have to fight this, to stay strong. I think we will need some training, of sorts, to keep our strength up,” she suggested.

  “Easy for you to say.” Hendon’s voice came from under his blankets. “They haven’t started to eat you yet. I think you must be dessert,” he finished, a light muffled laugh coming from beneath his covers.

  “I’m going to tell Ghaffar that if they want us to stay strong, to provide blood for his glorious Empress, then we need Ganry to keep us fighting fit,” she told them both.

  “I do hope to keep you healthy, but not fighting,” a different voice came from the doorway that Myriam had left slightly ajar.

  She knew who’s voice it was without even turning around. Ghaffar was becoming a permanent feature in their daily lives. There he stood, his billowing cape and his ugly face. Determined to have her way, she approached him at speed, until she was talking almost into his face.

  “We must have Ganry returned to us, Ghaffar,” she said, facing the little man as close as she wanted to put herself. He stank of some unsavory aroma. “He is the only one who can keep us healthy.”

  “I have better news than that for you, human Queen.” Ghaffar looked pleased with himself. “If you care to go your own room, you have a visitor.”

  Myriam guessed who it was and rushed across the corridor back to her room. There, sat in a large armchair still looking quite frail, was her grandmother.

  “Grandmother, I am so pleased to see you looking well,” she said, as she knelt at the Duchess’ feet and hugged her legs.

  “Oh, my dear, do be careful,” the Duchess said quietly, wondering if her frail body could withstand a young woman hugging her so tightly. “You have a strong grip, so at least they have not harmed you yet,” she said, relieved.

  “No,” Myriam said sadly as she pulled away. “They started on my dear friends first. Hendon says I am to be dessert.”

  The Duchess was amused by this and laughed for the first time in such a long while.

  “Dear, dear girl, it gladdens my heart to be with you. They say I can stay, so I should be up and about in no time,” the Duchess assured her.

  Myriam smiled, watching the Duchess as she crooked her finger, beckoning Myriam to come closer.

  “You must tell me everything. Together we will create a plan for your escape,” she whispered in her granddaughter’s ear.

  “Grandmother, there is plenty of time for that. I intend on keeping us all healthy. This must please the Akkedis Empress as it means we’ll live longer. There will be time soon enough to plan our escape.” She whispered the last part. “Once I have Ganry returned to me.”

  27

  Lord Josiah was quite enjoying his imprisonment. Though he could not leave the castle, he did have the freedom of its walls. He was provided with many luxuries consisting of an apartment of rooms, and quality food and drink. All along with a manservant. It would do, for now, while he plotted and planned his next move.

  Sitting on a veranda that overlooked a lake, he feasted on a fine breakfast. With his army gone, he laughed to himself, thinking that he did not need them to rid him of this supposed Regent. All he needed to do was await his closest advisors to visit him, and then he could implement a plot to rid the kingdom of this upstart.

  A knock at his door pulled him from his conspiratorial thoughts, but he did not get up to answer it. Why should he, that was his a servants job. He remained out on the veranda, enjoying the sun and the food, when he became overshadowed by the arrival of a group of people.

  Turning around to see who has come to bother him, he relaxes at the sight of his advisers. Now the time had come. At last he could speak his thoughts with others, and see what ideas they have come up with in plotting the demise of the young man who calls himself a Regent.

  “Come, come,” he says, “let us not waste time. We must have a plan and quickly. I want to be sat upon that throne within days. Have you thought of any solutions yet, Lexx, I’m relying on your expertise to deal with this situation quickly,” he asked of his closest advisor.

  “The people are nervous, Lord, you should tread carefully,” Lexx warned him, cautiously. “They do not forget the
last usurper and the damage he did to the Kingdom.”

  “Pah!” Lord Josiah exclaimed. “The only usurper around here is that upstart, Artas. The Queen had no right to place an outsider in such a position. I will run this Kingdom until her return. If I can prevent her return, then all the better. We need to be discovering exactly what madness had over taken her to cause her to leave the throne so unprotected. This Kingdom needs a powerful leader, such as myself, not a frivolous slip of a girl.”

  “If you are seen to be grasping the throne by force, it will be considered as an act of war against the Queen’s wishes, and she has many allies,” his advisor said, wisely. “You would do better to befriend this boy first, find out where the Queen has gone. As you say, maybe once we know where she is then we can ensure she never returns.”

  “Hmm, as always you make a point,” Josiah conceded with a laugh. “Your mind is even more twisted than my own. That’s why I like you, Lexx. We are of the same mind you and I, but you always have a clearer head.”

  Lexx bowed to his Lord, knowing that one day he would out maneuver him and take over his entire estate, or even his Kingdom, if they can pull this off.

  “I suggest you apologize, sire,” Lexx advised, knowing that Josiah was an expert at groveling. “Make the boy think you regret your actions and then stay on in the castle and befriend him. Try and join his circle of elite advisors. Once we know where Myriam is, we can put your plans into action. The boy could have a tragic accident, and you would rule in his place. Awaiting a Queen who would never return. Within six months the Kingdom could be yours.”

  “Yes, yes, I will make my apologies this very day, and take our first steps to the throne of Palara.”

  ***

  “Well, I don’t trust him,” Leonie said, as they discussed Lord Josiah’s official apology. “Why would he wish to stay on in the castle?”