by Guy Antibes
~~~
CHAPTER FORTY
~
LOTTO LEFT PILLO BEHIND as they encountered two guards walking down the broad stone stairs to the Duke’s level. He used the staff horizontally to push both of them to the ground and bludgeoned one while Pillo cut the throat of the other. He ran up the stairs to find Silver listening in at a door. Those were the duke’s quarters.
“Haven’t you been paid enough gold?” Lotto asked. Pillo ran up behind him as the alarm in the palace went out that an army had invaded the city.
“Not gold, Lotto Mistad,” Silver said as he pulled out his sword. “Glory and power.” He attacked Lotto with his sword while pulling a knife from a sheath hidden by his back.
Lotto slashed with the sharp end of the staff and ripped the fabric of Silver’s tunic, revealing the chain mail shirt below. He slashed at him again, keeping the man at bay. Lotto never had any trouble with a sword against his staff, but a man with two blades in his hand could get to him as he recalled the guard who had pierced his hand at Mountsea.
Lotto twirled his weapon as Silver kept back. Pillo called to him that guards were coming. Lotto waved his staff until he changed places with Silver in the corridor. The ex-ranger now fought with Lotto at his front and Pillo fighting guards at his back. The day’s light began to fade as sparks from Silver’s blades on the staff began to brighten.
What could keep the duke from seeing what happened outside his door? With Restella inside, he fought with renewed energy. Lotto pushed Silver back, but saw Pillo about to be overcome with guards. He took two steps back and threw the staff, poker end first into a guard. The staff went through Pillo’s opponent and knocked the one behind to the ground.
Silver turned to watch the path of the staff while Lotto quickly pulled out his own blades and took a different fighting stance.
“Serytaran.” Silver said. The older man seemed winded, but Lotto had seen Kenyr use the same ploy. Silver attacked him with the expected vigor. Their blades sang in the air while the clashes of battle began to reverberate all the way to this part of the castle.
Lotto couldn’t afford another break in concentration as Silver slipped his knife across his shoulder. Pushing his opponent back, he checked to find his mail shirt had fended off the blade and presented a different stance to Silver, who furrowed his brow.
“Hamkand Elite,” Lotto announced his stance. It only took him three steps into that particular fighting sequence before Silver had lost his edge and Lotto plunged his sword into his chest puncturing through the chain mail.
Lotto kicked the man away and used the mortar spell on the door. He’d never tried it on wood before, but the thought of termites came to him and the wood began to dissipate into sawdust. His mouth opened in horror as he saw the duke on top of Restella, choking the princess of Valetan. Lotto wasted no time. The duke didn’t deserve any kind of chance. Lotto ran him through from the back and threw the Duke of Happly off of Restella. The man had blood streaming down from his nose. Restella lay still on the bed with blood of the Duke all over her dress. Lotto didn’t hesitate to cut the duke’s throat.
Lotto fought through his fear of touching Restella. He found a carafe of water and washed off Restella’s face and cleaned the blood off of her to see if any were hers, only to discover a broken nose and the bruising at her neck. Her pulse faint, he could barely detect any breathing. Lotto had to fight away tears as he held the princess in his arms. Had he come too late to save her? The duke had throttled her as evidenced by a face full of bruises, not to mention her broken nose. Fighting continued outside, but all of his thoughts were on the woman linked to him. He carried her body to the window seat and sat down, noticing the Moonstone sword.
Lessa stuck his head on the room, “We’ve taken over!” The Prolan looked at the body of the duke.
Lotto didn’t care and waved him away. He held Restella in his arms, castigating himself for not arriving sooner. He sat on the Moonstone sword.
“Was it worth it, Restella? We touched and nothing happened, did it?” When her breathing stopped, he could hardly breathe himself through the unexpected grief that he felt. Her skin felt unexpectedly smooth for someone who had spend the better part of three years in the field as he pulled up the sleeve of her dress that had fallen off her shoulder, and saw a battle scar. He sighed again and, holding her bruised neck, feeling the link fade. The sword’s hilt jammed into his bottom, so he grabbed the sword’s hilt to remove it, putting his thumb on the stone, the first time he had touched the thing since that night in Jessie’s cottage.
A bright light flashed in Lotto’s eyes. His back arched involuntarily as a shock ran through his entire body. As his wits returned, he no longer felt quite like himself. Restella felt warmer and her breathing had returned. The tenuous link with Restella had turned into a thick cable and he felt her stirring around in his head. Two had become one, for better or worse.
The next thought in his mind wasn’t his own, but of the princess’s feelings of gratitude. Restella’s eyes opened with a delicious smile, but they quickly closed as she put her arms around Lotto and smothered his lips with her own.
Lessa poked his head in the room again. “Please, both of you. We still have a city to fight over.”
Lotto disentangled with Restella and gave her the sword. “Do you feel up to it?”
She ran into the duke’s dressing room. “Don’t laugh, but I didn’t want to be caught dead in that dress.” Her words betrayed the blocked passages from her broken nose. Lotto refrained from saying that he did, but he couldn’t avoid smiling. He’d kept her from being caught dead, or at least the Moonstone had.
She came out wearing the duke’s rather baggy pants and swam in a chain mail shirt over an overlarge tunic.
Lotto laughed with relief. He picked up his sword and pulled Lessa into the room. “What’s the situation?”
“Shiro, the Ropponi wizard, and a few of his bank of pretty wizardesses, a lot of them are women, you know, helped Morio with the gate and with the wizards in the castle. Another contingent of his Red Roses circled the army grounds and kept them confined while we boiled up from the city. Do you like that term, ‘boiled up?’ The Happly men didn’t do a thing but looked dumbstruck.”
“Looks like the castle is secure?”
“Once they knew a real army had invaded, most of the fight left them. I imagine there are a few rogues around, present company excepted,” Lessa said.
Lotto wrapped the Duke’s body in bedclothes and proceeded to drag him out of the chamber while Restella buckled on her sword.
They stood on a porch at the top of the steps, looking down at the main courtyard, Happly’s body still wrapped up in a bloody blanket. Shiro waited for them with Morio, who looked grim.
Lotto raised enquiring eyebrows at Gensleran duke’s son.
“Creeden didn’t make it.”
Lotto clamped his lips, but didn’t have time to mourn. “What happened to Pillo? He looked around and found him standing with his arm wrapped to his chest. “There you are. Thanks for keeping the guards off of my back.”
He nodded and saluted Lotto with a single finger touching his brow.
“Their two thousand best fighters, mostly mercenaries, left a few days ago, heading south to the Red Kingdom. Are you interested in pursuing them?” Shiro said. “The rest were about to head north to Valetan, but that threat is gone. ”
Lotto shook his head and looked at Restella. “We still have problems in the north to attend to. Let’s round up the surviving Happlyan nobles and pick a leader. We need this domain on Valetan’s side. I’m not worried about the rest of the Happlyan army. The villagers probably can’t wait to get back to their families and we’ll give them all a share in the supplies that Happly stripped from their villages. There’s no use letting Happly starve.”
Lessa laughed. “Spoken like more than a Captain, Lotto.”
Restella stepped up. Lotto knew her words before she said them and he’d have to get used to this
new relationship. He shuddered to think if Lessa or Morio had been the ones to link with her.
“So do I,” Restella said. “I concur with Lieutenant Mistad,” she put her arm through his, obviously no longer fearing to touch her former irritation. “If you wish to stay for a few more weeks, Armand,” she smiled as she said it. “I think that you can bring enough order to the domain to head back to Prola.” She looked at Shiro. “I suggest that you take your band of wizards and Morio’s scouts and head south. There is a narrow border between Happly and the Red Kingdom. It would be worth your while to close it up, working with the King of Learsea.”
Morio brightened, “Anchor is down there. He’s a good man and we can start from South Keep and set up defenses from there all along the southern border of Gensler.”
Lotto smiled. He hadn’t thought of the alliance, but it made good sense to him. If Learsea and Gensler secured the southern border, they would create a buffer for Valetan while it dealt with internal treason. He wished he would be the one to visit Anchor, but he had much more important matters at hand.
“If nothing else, your wizards can create a barrier from the forests.”
Shiro smiled. “We can do more than that, but we will be happy to help organize a frontier. My group came up through the Red Kingdom, and they are preparing for war. We’d rather be on your side than Emperor Daryaku’s.”
“Then we will part for a time,” Lotto said. “Thank you for helping us secure a victory. It might not seem like much, but the Happly Keep campaign allowed us to discover more than the enemy wants us to know.”
~
Lotto had a few birds that were given him to send to Mander, so he sent one off with minimal information. They both felt that no bird could be completely trusted to bear any messages. Gully had taken command of the remnants of the Valetan army, since Restella couldn’t trust any of her captured lieutenants. While Gully’s troops headed north, Lotto and the princess rushed ahead with a small contingent of rangers to Beckondale.
Lotto regretted leaving his Gensler friends, but the circumstances didn’t permit much camaraderie. Along the way he had as difficult time getting used to the new link as Restella.
“This is a blessing and a curse,” she said as they rode along. “If I don’t keep track of my thoughts, you’ll pick them up.”
“I agree. We will have to practice.” He looked over at her. He cared for the princess, but he didn’t feel for her the same way he had with Princess Sallia and doubted if he ever would. Not with Restella linked in this way. He could see how the link truly did function best between a husband and wife.”
Restella looked at him. “You’re thinking of marriage?”
Lotto fidgeted with his reins. “Not exactly. I don’t know how this works and evidently no one else does. I thought that the link worked best when the man and woman were married.”
“Oh.” She looked a bit crestfallen. Restella couldn’t pick his thoughts out as well as he could obviously detect hers, but he didn’t need the link to see the confusion on her face. “The kiss.”
He smiled. “Yes, the kiss. How do you feel about me now that you’ve been saved and the anxiety level is down.”
“Down for now,” she said. “But we’re only two days out of Beckondale, if we ride through the night.”
Lotto planned to do that. He knew the entire group had just about reached the edge of their endurance, but they’d stop at an inn for dinner and would take off again if they could exchange horses. “You dodged my question.”
She managed a wistful smile. “I’ve been so bound up with you, Lotto, that to have you right there, at my darkest hour, felt like so much comfort. Perhaps the Moonstone caused it, but I have no regret.”
A smile crossed Lotto’s lips. “I have an idea.”
Restella blushed. “We do care for each other. I don’t call it love and neither do you.”
“True, indeed. Fate has thrown us together, ready or not, and I don’t think either of us would qualify as ready, but when I didn’t fight against the link, I slept better,” Lotto said. He had known before he left Beckondale for his first trip to Gensler, that it had been the same for her.
“Well, at least there’s that. Perhaps we’ll have to find ways the link can be to our advantage. The stones were made for communication. Maybe we can communicate over large distances to the army’s advantage.”
“Just my knowing your location saved you in the end,” Lotto said.
She reached out for his hand, “And gave me hope while I traced your travels on your way to me.” Restella leaned over and kissed his hand.
Now Lotto blushed and he had to admit that his own feelings towards Restella were very confused and he didn’t know if it was the link or something else. Nothing had prepared him for the muddle in his mind.
~~~
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
~
THEY RODE IN FROM THE EAST SIDE OF BECKONDALE, taking the Great Ring Road that circled the city and stopped at Kenyr’s place. The weapons master rushed them into the shop as he instructed their escorts to take the horses to a nearby inn and wait there for instructions. All of their uniforms were packed away and they wore common clothes.
Restella had never been in Kenyr’s shop before, but she’d heard of his trainees and had fought a few on the training grounds. He took them up to his apartments. She walked into the different world of Serytar and sat down where Kenyr told her.
“I’m sorry Princess, these aren’t times for protocol.” The man wore a worried face and that, in turn, concerned her.
“It’s of no consequence. My recent treatment has been much worse,” she said.
Lotto remained standing for a moment. “The Duke of Happly nearly killed her. He threw her in a dungeon and had taken her to his apartments. If it wasn’t for the Moonstone, she would have died.”
Restella looked up at Lotto. He had never told her that. “Died?”
He nodded. “The Moonstone must have some kind of restorative properties. I think that was what started my transformation at Heron’s Pond and it’s what brought you back to life. Your breathing had stopped and I was about to try to revive you when I touched the stone, quite by accident, just moving the sword while I held you in my arms. The power overcame me and when I recovered, you were wide awake and we were well and truly linked.”
Kenyr leaned forward. “It might have been a transfer of power during the final link.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how the king will take to that, Lotto.”
The brows knitted on Lotto’s forehead. Restella felt an aura of fear within him.
“Tell us how it works. We’ve experienced it, but you’ve seen the link among two people who knew all about the Moonstone.”
“Quickly, for there is much else we need to discuss. Your father and mother realized that the link takes a while to get used to. They were able to shield their thoughts from each other, but were able to learn how to speak to each other over great distances.”
“How did the shielding work?”
Kenyr grinned. “Something you two will have to figure out. I hate to say this, but I think it would be better for you to get married. I don’t think that either you have the flexibility of personality that will tolerate a certain freedom in relationships.”
“You’ve heard about my tantrums in the castle, haven’t you?” Restella fought off getting angry.
“It’s well known, your highness. No one would be surprised if you two… you know,” Kenyr said. “Seeing the both of you, I think you two can use it to your advantage. The duke did, but that was why they had to leave Serytar together. The other side is that when one is in danger, life becomes worse.”
Restella looked at Lotto, who did the same. “We’ve already experienced that.”
“We’ll change the subject. Mander has been accused of treason and is under house arrest. It happened before the ranger arrived at my door,” Kenyr said.
“Which house?” Lotto asked.
“His own and it’s
under watch all the time.”
Restella could feel Lotto work through his thoughts, but she couldn’t read them.
“Fessano and the king?”
“The king?” Kenyr shrugged. “No one has seen Fessano after you left.”
Could the Generals have killed the wizard?
“What about my mother and my brothers and sister?” Restella said. Visions of being the only member of her family left alive became a crushing feeling.
Kenyr let a smile cross his lips. “Your mother is with your father. As far as we know they are prisoners in the castle. Mander had already taken your siblings out of the city not long after you left. They are safe, for now. General Piroff has members of his forces looking for them throughout Valetan. He doesn’t know that Mander arranged for their escape.”
Restella let out a sigh of relief. Now they just had to break into the castle and rescue her parents before Gully brought up his troops.
“Piroff has suddenly become capable of anything,” Kenyr paused, “May I see the stone?” Kenyr said.
Restella reluctantly pulled her sword out of its scabbard and presented it to him.
He gazed at the Moonstone and lowered his eyes, looking without seeing.
“It’s been quite some time since I have seen this. I think I have a stone downstairs similar to this. If you are going to attempt a rescue, I suggest that we switch stones on your sword. We can hide it in a drawer that contains over a hundred cheap gems that I have for decorating pommels and scabbards.”
Lotto looked at Restella, who knew that she’d have to do such a thing, now that the Emperor Daryaku sought the Moonstone.
Kenyr fixed a quick meal as Lotto filled him in on what happened. Restella knew the story and spent pacing downstairs in Kenyr’s empty training hall. She would first have to locate Fessano or, she shuddered, his body. Mander would have to be set free, but not before they both learned how thoroughly infiltrated the castle had become. The Generals would soon know that the remnants of her army marched back up from the south. They needed intelligence, but had little.
