“You’ll tell me what?” Rander replied as he entered the armory. “Your majesty,” he added.
“Please don’t call me that; I’m not the king,” Alec earnestly replied. “I’d like to have Armilla assigned to special duty as my bodyguard,” Alec he requested. “We can work all of that out later.”
“What luck did you have visiting the army?” Alec asked.
“Almost as good as we could have asked for,” Rander answered. “The army leaders at this post are not the most ardent fans of the coup; the hard core followers are the ones that have been sent out to places like Bondell and Three Forks. Since these aren’t the true believers, and since they see things falling apart, and noticed a small rash of deaths this week, I think they welcome a real change in the palace.”
“Having a Palace Guard and a Warrior Ingenaire together on your behalf and the promise of more forces coming in was almost enough,” Rander began to wrap up. “The army forces are to be paraded to meet the incoming Slone forces just outside the city walls in a friendly manner, provided one thing.”
Alec waited to hear the condition, then finally gave Rander the satisfaction of asking. “What condition must be met?”
“The new leader must be present for all forces to view, and presumably swear allegiance to,” Rander answered. “We’ll need to outfit you in regal attire and send you on your way to the north gate pretty quickly. Rubicon will act as messenger between the two armies until you arrive, and will be able to tell your high ingenaire Aristotle what the situation is.”
“Rubicon and Aristotle will know what to do,” Alec assured Rander. “The question is whether we’ll figure things out as well as they do.”
Alec knew that he didn’t have any training that prepared him to play the public role of leader of the Dominion. ”Rander, you’re going to have to stay right by my side and direct me every step of the way if I’m going to remotely appear to act like a leader.”
“Well, the first thing is to find some robes that appear regal; you’ve got the crown already,” Rander said. “And we’ll have to scare up some heralds somehow if possible to blow horns upon your approach.” He motioned to some of officers who were waiting nearby, and gave them swift directions of actions to carry out.
“We can pull perhaps twenty of the guard out of the palace for this event, but that will essentially close the palace down while we’re gone. Things are thin enough here as it is when we’ve got our strength intact,” he explained.
Alec looked around at Nathaniel, who had remained quietly near him. “What if we left a warrior ingenaire here as a way to assure we have some strength in the palace during our absence. We’ll probably only be gone three or so hours, won’t we?” Alec guessed, trying to imagine what could possibly consume their time when everyone came together.
“I suppose that’s possible,” Rander said. He hesitated because he had been counting on having another warrior ingenaire along as escort for Alec while riding through the city.
Nathaniel, you stay here at the palace,” Alec said simply. “We’ll bring Moriah back to you later today.”
Rander had men search the palace apartments for suitable robes for Alec to wear, while the young protector and his escort went to the stables to prepare mounts. Soon some bright red robes with fur trimming arrived, and Alec was ready to be displayed to the residents of Oyster Bay on his way to be displayed to the armed forces.
Two dozen mounted men and women rode through the palace grounds to the main gates on the public square, where a single herald was available to sound the notes of royal approach, a sound not heard in Oyster Bay for several months. At Rander’s direction the herald rode at the top of column and blew his theme repeatedly as Alec rode to meet his army.
An hour later, in streets that grew increasingly crowded with curious onlookers, Alec’s procession reached the northwest gate and left the city proper. For the next mile the road continued to be lined with buildings, but soon a large open field beside a stream showed the camp of Slone’s large armed force, and nearby stood at ease the brigade of Oyster Bay military. Into the narrow gap between them rode the procession from the palace, and Rander had two flag staffs planted, bearing the standards of the Dominion and of the House of Tarnum.
Three riders from each army rode to meet the new claimant to the throne. With Aristotle and Moriah came the commander of the Slone forces, while Rubicon was accompanied by two leaders from the Oyster Bay post. Rander told Alec to remain silent at first while introductions were made around the group among the others.
“And this,” Aristotle announced, “is Alec, trained as a warrior, schooled in Goldenfields, empowered as a ingenaire, and now the rightful protector of the crown of the Dominion. He is the man who will reunite the lands of the Dominion so that we may fight together instead of against each other while we wait for a rightful heir to appear.”
“General Hewlett, Commander Tunse, thank you for showing your support for a safer Oyster Bay and a reunited Dominion,” Rander spoke next, before Alec could yet say a word. “The men you bring will vouch to the people of the city that order is restored, and will allow the Palace to reassert its control.”
Silence followed as no one else spoke; the army leaders said nothing in response. None of Alec’s allies spoke further, and Alec said nothing himself.
“The old king knew how to not say anything when it best suited his purposes,” General Hewlett said at last. “Most of you are too young to have seen him when he governed with a purpose long ago in the years of his youth. But in that time he spoke or remained silent exceedingly well. I congratulate you, Rubicon, for finding a new leader who is wise enough to hold his tongue when silence can be more effective.”
Alec flipped a mental somersault at the notion he was credited with wisdom for keeping his mouth shut when he simply had nothing to say. “You honor me more than I deserve,” he said cautiously. “Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for your troops’ support.
“The Palace is with me. If you are bringing the army to unite with us, then tomorrow when I speak to the cardinals at the cathedral, I’ll have approached every power in the capital but the ingenairii and the merchants,” Alec explained. “And last I knew, I already have the support of the young ingenairii who remained in Goldenfields.” He lifted his leg over his horse and slid to the ground, gaining his feet gracefully.
He walked over to General Hewlett’s steed, and raised his hand to offer a handshake. “These are good people around me. They are not seeking anything for themselves; they are seeking the salvation of the Dominion. I am not seeking this for myself; I thought I already had everything I’d ever need in life. But I am also seeking to save the Dominion, and the good people who live here. If we all come together now, without wasting our blood further fighting among ourselves, we’ll be stronger when we face the threat from the east. Will you pledge your support now, so that we can establish momentum that will persuade anyone who hesitates to join? I’d rather see others join us because they see we are the winning side for the Dominion than have to delay, parlay, and hesitate longer.”
General Hewlett listened to Alec’s speech without accepting the proffered hand. He looked at Commander Tunce momentarily, then spoke. “What would you propose to do with a quickly unified Dominion force to command?”
“We need to send a force to help fight the lacertii on the eastern marches of Goldenfields. We need to make amends with Goldenfields and Bondell and anywhere else where mischief has been played. We need to maintain forces on regular patrol to demonstrate enforcement of the laws of the land. Beyond those things, I’ll have to ask wiser men about taxes and treaties and all the other duties of government,” Alec said, speaking quickly at first, then slowing his speech as he thought about what would need to be done.
“If you already know you need to ask other men about the things you don’t know, then you’re already on the way to being wise enough to be a good ruler,” Hewlett said. “And you’ve got some men I know and respe
ct, and others I’ve heard of and respect here with you to answer your questions.” He bent over and stretched his hand towards Alec’s, then grasped it firmly and pumped it.
Alec felt a thrill run through him at Hewlett’s capitulation.
“Get down now and do it right,” Rubicon urged Hewlett and Tunce. “Get down off your horses and bow your obeisance, so that your troops can see. You ought to do the same,” he added, nodding towards Marshall Grein of Slone. “There may never be another chance in a hundred years to be involved in anything so dramatic as this. You’ll be able to tell this story over dinner for the rest of your life.” He watched as the three military leaders did as he urged, signaling to the watching soldiers that they were committing to following Alec.
They each withdrew their swords from their scabbards and offered them to Alec. He hesitated, and Rander leaned over to him. “You are supposed to rub your hand along the length of each blade, signifying your trust in them.”
Alec looked for a second more, and perceived Enguerrand’s ghost immediately before him. He started, causing heads around him to jerk in his direction. “They cannot see or hear me,” Enguerrand said. “You must show them that you will bleed for them, just as they may someday have to bleed for you. The role of a ruler requires sacrifice in both directions of the relationship with those who are ruled.” The dead man’s face gave a sad smile upon imparting its wisdom, then disappeared.
Alec stood for a moment longer as everyone watched him, then reached out and placed his thumb on the first blade, and drew it quickly along the sharpened edge, leaving a bloody sheen along the length of the blade.
“This is my blood, which I will shed for you, should I ever be in a position to do so,” Alec said, looking directly in Hewlett’s eyes. “Will you shed your blood for me and the Dominion, if need be?”
Hewlett looked at the blade, which he still held in his right hand, and then looked at Alec as though challenged to some contest he was determined to win. He drew his left hand along the blade, adding his own blood to Alec’s red line. As his blood touched Alec’s, a wavering spark of light moved behind his thumb, converting the intermingled red fluids to a golden embossment. Hewlett’s thumb slowed for a moment as he watched the alchemic reaction occurring, and he audibly choked, while others in the small group gasped in amazement.
“I will shed my blood for you and the Dominion. You are my king,” the general said roughly.
“We are together,” Alec said as he reached his red right hand forward and clasped Hewlett’s tightly, then released a small wave of healing power that left both of their thumbs uncut.
“Our blood is mingled, and we are better for it,” Alec said, releasing the hand hold. He turned to Tunce and Grein, who both still held their blades outstretched, and repeated the ceremony, bonding them to him as well.
At the conclusion of the blooding ritual, Alec turned to Rubicon. “You’re the military genius. What do you suggest we do now?”
“Let’s get the men into the city and start making assignments to the palace and the streets and the gates,” Rubicon replied. “Mix up the squads so that the public sees the two armies working together.”
“And hold some reserves for tomorrow morning at the Ingenairii Hill,” Rander added. “And you need to ride at the front of the column as the two armies enter the city, to show the populace you’re in charge.”
Alec and Aristotle walked off to one side while the rest of the leaders made hasty arrangements for order of precedence and area assignments for the men at arms. “That worked out very well,” Aristotle observed. “You made some shrewd moves.”
“I just did what seemed right,” Alec said, inwardly pleased by Ari’s compliment. “After the ghost told me to shed my blood.”
Ari turned to face him. “When did that happen?”
“Just now while we were standing there,” Alec replied as they stopped, alone in a small space in the midst of an army. “What will we do tomorrow?”
“We’ll play it according to what develops,” Ari responded. “Moriah and I will go visit the homes of some of the servants from Ingenairii Hill, to get a good idea of what the situation is there, before we begin to parlay tomorrow. In the meantime you need to decide how you’re going to handle the leaders of the junta in whatever situation transpires, peaceful or otherwise.”
“What are my choices? I don’t know what to do with them besides have them killed,” Alec replied.
“Well, you could exile them, you could trust them to become loyal followers, you could imprison them – you could do lots of things with them,” Ari suggested. “You have some time to think about it. If you’re lucky, they’ll die or flee before coming into your custody.”
Alec looked twice at Ari, uncertain if the cynical observation was facetious or real.
“It appears your advisers are ready to move,” Ari said, observing the rest of the group mounting their horses and waiting on Alec.
The young protector of the crown rode in front of the column of armed men and women who entered the city shortly before nightfall. The streets were thronged with people, the daily chores left undone as they watched this stunning development of a new leader and a new army, unknown to the inhabitants of the proud capital, and the people prayed that order and peace would be restored to their lives. The streets resounded with cheers of hope, the first lightening of spirits among the population in many months.
Alec let the generals work together to assign men and set the duties for watching over the city that evening. He sat quietly on a temporary throne in the armory while the various leaders of the Guard, the Army and Slone’s Rangers spoke and argued and explained what needed to be done in preparation for tomorrow and the next few days of possible battle with the Ingenairii who were up on their hill.
At last Alec stood up to go to sleep. The room grew quiet at his movement, and Alec was unnerved to realize that such reactions were the way kings were always treated, and he prayed that he would not have to endure such scrutiny for long. “I’m going to rest now; the planning is on good hands. In the morning we’ll go visit the Cathedral and the Ingenairii Hill and we’ll make more progress towards solving the problems in the city.” A respectful murmur followed as he left the room, accompanied by Armilla as he went to the rooms cleaned up for him to use. Armilla stopped in the outer room. “I’ll spend the night here,” she said. “You go in there and lock the door after you. Someone else will probably be here in the morning. Good night your majesty.”
Alec stepped into his room and locked the door behind him.
As he lay in bed his mind galloped through the wild events of the day. That morning he had awoken across the river in a ordinary tavern, and since then he had found Hinges, recovered the crown, fought a battle, traveled through time, proclaimed himself the protector of the crown, won over the palace, united armies, and now was facing the very real possibility of reunifying Oyster Bay. He fell asleep considering all the improbabilities of everything that had fallen into place for this extraordinary day.
When he awoke he knew he wasn’t alone in the bed. “It’s about time you woke up,” a familiar voice said. He rolled over and was face to face with Noranda.
Chapter 35 – Visitor at Night
“You slept soundly for a new ruler; is this all so humdrum to be acknowledged as next-to-royalty?” the girl next to him asked.
Alec looked at her in stunned silence. In the dim light he could see her with a preternatural clarity. She wore a pajama top he realized she had worn back in Richard’s carnival, in a time that seemed from another life. “What are you doing here?”
“This is my last chance to beg you to come rescue me, Alec,” the pretty girl said. “The command you received at the Spring is not to be ignored forever. The penalty for your failure to obey that command is my death; the time seizure you placed on me will soon dissolve, and I will proceed to die from my wounds.”
Alec’s eyes filled with tears at the finality of the sentence the visitant in his bed
spoke. “You, the ghost Noranda, will you die if your body dies?” he asked to mask his pain.
“I am not Noranda, but I am a manifestation of her essential spirits, empowered by a godly spirit, to bring you these messages and guidance while she still lives. The emotions and reactions I have are as she herself would have, if she were really here.”
“If I leave immediately, the war here in Oyster Bay will resume, and I will have failed to obey the first compulsion I was given at the spring, to retrieve the crown and restore order,” Alec said resentfully, unhappy to find such dire consequences hanging over a unwinnable situation.
“You shall stay here long enough to put an end to the battles here in Oyster Bay, but then you must depart immediately,” the Natalie spirit replied calmly.
“You make it all sound like it’s finished and done. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Those ingenairii on the Hill aren’t going to just surrender and work together with everyone else for the good of the Dominion,” Alec replied seriously.
Alec felt sudden sleepiness fall heavily upon him. “You will know what to do when the time comes,” Natalie told him. She reached her hand over and placed her fingertips on his forehead, then leaned over and kissed him with lips that lingered on his, the last thing he remembered before he returned to slumber.
Chapter 36 – The Fountain Rises
When Alec awoke again, morning was breaking, and a guard was pounding on the door. Alec sat up in bed as the door opened and an unknown guard put his head into the room. “Are you ready to rise, your majesty?” the man asked.
Alec gaped at him for a second, unable to respond. “Er, yes, I’m getting up right now. Will breakfast be ready soon?” he replied.
Without answering the guardsman withdrew his head, and a moment later the door opened wide for a small contingent of the new cabinet to enter. Hewlett, Rander and Rubicon walked in. “It’s time to prepare, your majesty,” Rander said with the ease of long practice as an officer in the Palace.
The Loss of Power: Goldenfields and Bondell Page 38
