by Jon Kiln
The King held the pillow out with hand outstretched, his face turned away with a grimace as though performing a task with great reluctance. The Captain took it and held the silken material by the corners. He shook the pillow again until the stuffed portion fell free of the covering. Berengar scooped the Corner up into the case and wrapped it in the material. He then carefully slipped the covered fragment into his cloak.
King Ramael turned the corners of his mouth into an expression that was not exactly a smile. “Wise.”
“I have journeys through the real world to complete,” Berengar said, readying himself to leave. “I do not need to be transported through visions at the moment.”
“Good luck to you, Captain. All of the kingdom is upon your shoulders.”
Berengar turned away and limped toward the doors of the chamber. “I feel its full weight, your majesty.”
The guards outside the door, including the members of the Elite Guard, stepped into his path with hands upon their weapons. Berengar stood his ground but looked back over his shoulder at the King.
“He is given leave. Return his weapons and allow him to return to service,” King Ramael ordered.
The men stepped aside and took their hands from their sword hilts.
Berengar limped out and had to hold the wall as he worked his way down the steps alone. At the bottom of the stairs, Belsh waited patiently. Berengar thought back to the beginning of this quest when he had told Belsh to wait there for him. Now the boy waited at his own volition.
“You were dismissed,” Berengar said as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
Belsh reached out to support the Captain, but Berengar waved him off.
Belsh walked beside him toward the front of the palace and said, “I was dismissed, but I was not told how far to go.”
“You will make a good politician someday.”
“I will take that as a compliment,” Belsh said, smiling, “even though I know it was not fully intended as one. May I join you on this journey?”
“Nothing would please me more, but you are needed here.”
“Is there anything else you require from me? My brother has indicated that I should imply that you will have our aid however events play out. I’m not sure how to be subtle about that, so I’m just saying it plainly. Should events take unexpected turns, you have men willing to take your lead.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Berengar said, “but my loyalty is to the King and I expect the same from all within the kingdom.”
“Understood,” said Belsh.
Berengar stopped short of the door and turned to face the boy. “I would like you to see to the wellbeing of my daughter and grandson. She should know that grave danger is around them, but there is nothing to be done about it at the moment. If the King’s men advance into the apartment, she should survive in any way she can. If I am able to send anyone to help her in that regard when the time comes, I will do so. This message should be delivered as subtly as possible.”
“You can count on me,” Belsh promised. “If you are not able to send a man, then I will take the duty upon myself, sir.”
“I’m glad I’ve been able to serve with you.”
“The honor is mine,” Belsh said, saluting.
Berengar stepped outside into the sunshine. The piece of the Artifact hung heavy, hidden within his clothes, the weight of destiny pulling him forward.
Chapter 15: The Line of Faithcore
Berengar rode hard out of the city alone. The soldiers struggled to get the final gate open quickly enough for his horse to race through. Some of them made a motion to hail him, but he did not return salute as he pushed eastward.
He was a prime target for banditry or assassins. He was without escort or support. The Captain was easily identified, but stealth required a slower pace and he had no time.
He could use the yellow Corner of the Eye to see what might lie ahead. He would be unable to see Caffrey directly just as he hoped Caffrey was unable to see him now. Berengar did not need the power of the Eye to see that most paths led to destruction.
Berengar approached the fateful gate of Lord Caffrey’s estate, fully expecting a fresh ambush to jump out and finish the job that had nearly been done to the Elite Guard years ago. Captain Berengar was not entirely certain how much his survival mattered beyond trying to thwart Caffrey’s advance and conquest. If King Ramael was swayed by the power of the Eye in the way that the King feared Berengar might be, the darkness of Caffrey might only be replaced or simply delayed for a weaker darkness under a corrupted version of King Ramael.
As two members of the Elite Guard stepped out of the shadows and saluted Captain Berengar on his rapid approach, Berengar saluted back.
He felt his horse’s sides heaving against the straps of the saddle, and its tongue lolled out. He rode up the path toward the darkened manor house. If the estate were any farther away, the horse might drop dead for the unrelenting pace Berengar was keeping in his desperation. If it were any farther east, Caffrey might have already overtaken it, and Nisero with the Elite Guard might be scattered in retreat.
More men stepped out of the darkness to greet the Captain. He recognized his men even in the low starlight. They were not burning fires for warmth or light. Lieutenant Nisero was blacking out the scene. He probably had scouts set to the east to raise warning. He was ready to take flight, if required, and it might just be.
Berengar dismounted and left the reins in the hands of one of the men. He stumbled as the pain in his ankle reminded him of his limitations. One of the Guard stepped up to offer the Captain support, but Berengar waved him off and limped toward the house alone.
Men at the doors opened the house from the dark night into the dark interior passages. It was as if Caffrey’s inky soul still hung over the place and expanded the shadows out in full threat of his coming.
Nisero stepped out onto the stoop. “Do you have what you need, Captain?”
“I have what I went to obtain,” Berengar answered. “Whether I have what I need, remains to be seen.”
Berengar limped up the steps to his Lieutenant. Nisero offered his shoulder and Berengar accepted, leaning his weight upon the younger man’s side. They walked inside together and the men closed the doors again, trapping out what little light there was.
“How do you stand being in this thick, dark evil?” Berengar asked.
“I grew used to it in the many nights watching smarter men than me pore over the texts. It lost some of its sting from exposure. Not much, but some.”
Berengar pulled away and sat down upon the bottom of the wooden stairs leading up to the second floor. Nisero leaned on the banister and waited on the Captain.
“We need to ride out immediately,” Berengar said.
“Tonight?” Nisero asked. “Now?”
“Caffrey advances in tandem with the forces of the east. Whether they serve him or simply serve his purposes matters little. Caffrey is using the power of two Corners to alter reality to the favor of our enemies. Their troops move out of the path of ours and ours vanish when behind their lines. If we don’t move to intercept them, they may be upon us before morning.”
“We have heard the reports too,” Nisero revealed. “Caffrey is flanking as our troops fall back. He appears to be using the attack of the army of the east to distract as he makes for the capital. That leaves us few good options.”
Berengar knew Nisero wasn’t finished, and he stayed silent as his lieutenant considered his next words.
“If we try to face Caffrey directly,” Nisero continued after a moment, “we might be outnumbered and he could take the Eye. If we try to unite with our forces with the regular army for support, he will advance on the capital. If we move the army down to take on Caffrey, the army of the east will be able to lay siege and waste upon the capital.”
Berengar nodded. “We go to our forces facing the threat from the east and we try to use the power of the Eye to counteract whatever trickery Caffrey is using to push our army b
ack.”
“Captain, do you believe you will be able to use the power of the Eye to match him?”
Berengar looked down at the pillowcase inside his cloak. “I have no choice, but to try.”
“If he will follow us to get the Eye,” Nisero said, “maybe we should flee as far as we can and lead him away from the kingdom.”
“We can delay our final battle, but that merely gives him more time and practice with the use of the Artifact. While there are no good options, I think sooner rather than later is the least bad, as it were.”
Nisero lifted the satchel off his shoulder and held it out to the Captain. Berengar held the pillowcase in one hand and the strap of the satchel in the other. His hands shook and he thought he could feel the hum from the pieces separated only by a short distance.
“Do you think we should wait to reunite them?” Nisero asked with slight trepidation.
Berengar shook his head. “I think we need to see what happens. Delays might add us small comfort, but I think the time for hesitation has passed us.”
“Is there anything you need from me, Captain?”
“You might want to stand back.”
Lieutenant Nisero backed away almost as far as the front doors. Berengar could barely make out his shape in the darkness. He hoped that distance was overly cautious, but he feared it might not be far enough.
Berengar unwrapped the yellow Corner, but used the pillow case to keep from touching it directly. He opened the satchel and used the leather flap to hold the green piece. Berengar brought them together slowly. They gave off light from within, but did not vibrate like he expected. They jumped the last distance and clacked together in his grip. The colors blended and then shifted between colors as the half Eye appeared alive with energy. He could not fight the feeling that the thing was watching him from the half circle of the black pit at its broken center.
He braced himself, but no transport or vision overtook him. He hoped that not coming in direct contact was sparing him, but as he had said, he was only delaying the inevitable.
Berengar rolled the half piece into the satchel and closed it. He looped the strap over his shoulder.
As he opened his mouth, he felt the power course through him. He closed his mouth and waited for the inevitable.
Berengar plunged into the light and found himself standing in a bright throne room. He lifted his eyes expecting to see the palace at the capital, but it was smaller. He raised his eyes to the head of a dragon upon the wall. It did not look real to him. Berengar recognized the Great Hall that he had seen only in ruins in Faithcore’s castle. The tables were full of drinking and laughing men. Upon the throne a man with a thick, dark beard stared out across the room. He looked more the part of warrior than king.
“Is this the past or the future?” Berengar’s voice echoed back at him.
The man stood from his throne and walked out through the room to stand before Berengar and look directly at him. He was almost a head taller than Berengar. The man’s voice echoed in a language Berengar did not understand. The tones distorted, sounding inhuman, and then the words came forth in standard tongue which did not match the motion of the man’s lips.
The man said, “It is both and neither, or so I am told by my priests in the valley to the south, overlooking the teardrops of the gods.”
The men around them continued their revelry, but all their sound dropped out as did much of the color in the room. Berengar and this man from the throne stood in a bubble of pinkish light.
“I’ve been there,” Berengar said.
“The more things change the more they stay the same. I am Faithcore, the father of your fathers.”
“Why am I here?”
“You are here because of the future I see and the destiny you are meant to fulfill, my son.”
“The Great Artifact is about to fall into the hands of an evil man,” Berengar told him. “Your attempt to break it and hide it only worked for a time. I don’t know how to protect the world from it. Should I simply break it again?”
Faithcore’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “No. Never. Why would you speak such foolishness? I did not break it to keep it hidden. I broke it to pass my kingdom unto you. I see the dark times that fall upon my land. The Great Eye has shown me that none of my sons are able to hold my land or power after my passing. But in time, you will be born. You will be my heir many generations hence. You shall defeat your enemy, claim the Great Eye for yourself, and rule upon my throne. You will reclaim our family line.”
“Our family line?” Berengar took a step back. “What are you saying?”
“Do you not know who you are?” Faithcore asked. “You are my descendant. You are my future heir. You are the rightful man to sit upon the throne of my kingdom and this world.”
Berengar tried to clear his throat, but couldn’t. He said, “I am no king. I serve the King and I have promised him the Eye once Caffrey is defeated.”
“I’m sure you have served with honor,” Faithcore said, “but they are lesser men holding what is yours through lesser ages. I have seen this day and your age has come. The age and reign of the heir of Faithcore has come at last. I did not break up my Artifact to have you pass it off to some lesser monarch that did not have the iron to take it for himself.”
Faithcore shoved Berengar in the chest and the Captain fell backward into darkness. He found himself sitting on the stairs again in Caffrey’s dark home.
Faithcore’s voice echoed in his ears once more. “Take what is yours, my son.”
“Are you well, sir?” Nisero asked from the shadows.
Berengar tried to see him in the low light. With the effort to try to see, the world split into many paths again.
Berengar saw Nisero fleeing on horseback, with Arianne holding Drethallen on the mount next to him. The King’s men pursued. Berengar looked down and saw chains on his wrists. He looked up and saw the palace above him in the dungeon where he sat.
He pushed sideways and found himself in his daughter’s apartment. The King’s men crashed through the door and Belsh stood with a spear between Arianne and the advancing men.
Berengar shook his head and found himself back in Caffrey’s dark foyer.
“Captain?” Nisero asked, sound as though from far away.
It took a moment for Berengar to center himself. “I’m fine. We need to ride. This thing can wait no longer.”
“I’ll have the men prepare as quickly as possible.”
Chapter 16: Always Meant to Do
Nisero rode beside Berengar as the sun broke the horizon ahead of them. The Lieutenant said, “The army is fighting ahead. They are aware that we approach. There is no sign of Caffrey or his party yet.”
Berengar could hear the shouts and clashes ahead. The fighting had continued into the night or had resumed early. Berengar looked back and saw Stoleck. “Tell the men to prepare for battle.”
Stoleck saluted and rode to carry the order.
“What should we do, sir?” Nisero asked Berengar.
“Depends on what we find.”
When the Captain looked to his side he no longer saw Nisero. He was looking upon Forseth. On the horse beside the traitor Forseth that should have been dead, Berengar saw his late son-in-law Dreth. Berengar looked back and saw the faces of the Elite Guard that had fallen in death to Forseth’s betrayal.
Berengar glared at Forseth. “You are not real.”
“That is not a nice thing to say.” Forseth clicked his tongue. “We are about to go into battle again together like old times. You should be more supportive as my Captain.”
“You are a traitor.”
Forseth shrugged. “I thought I wasn’t real.”
“You killed our brothers. You betrayed the King.”
Forseth snorted. “The same King that threatened you and your family? Yes, sorry about that. You will be able to fix all that. All possibilities lie ahead once you hold the Eye. You can bring us all back and correct our fatal errors as well as your
own.”
“Are you a vision?” Berengar asked. “Or some version of yourself that exists in some other world?”
“Hard to say.” Forseth shook his head. “You brought me here for some reason. Life and death have always been confusing for me. What do you think, General Dreth?”
Dreth stared forward without response.
Forseth shrugged and continued. “All versions of him are having trouble forgiving me. I’m sure you are too. If it helps your decision, most manifestations of me across the many worlds are sorry for what we did. I played tough when I faced death in this world. I learned that much from you. I did regret what I had done, but by that point, it made no difference. Maybe it still doesn’t. If you pull us all back, I’ll behave myself. Everybody needs a second chance.”
“I don’t have time for this now,” Berengar said.
“You’re supposed to be retired, aren’t you?”
“I don’t need to hear that from you of all people.”
Forseth nodded and looked back over his shoulder. “Give it some thought. It could be like old times. Just as a sign of good faith I’ll tell you that the King has spies following you. Watch your back.”
Berengar looked over his shoulder. Instead of the ghosts of his fallen brothers, he saw the new members of the Elite Guard. Stoleck the younger was returning after carrying out his orders.
Berengar saw a pair of riders in the distance behind them on the road. The ghost of Forseth had been right. Was he a ghost though or something solid along a path the Eye offered?
Berengar looked to his side and saw Nisero again.
He flashed away from the scene once more. Berengar saw himself in a hut on the island of Broken Shell in the Southern Sea. Captain Felords stepped in, ducking under the low entrance. “I have word from Nisero and your daughter.”
Berengar flashed away and saw Caffrey standing over his and Nisero’s corpses on the battlefield.
Berengar snapped back into his body, staring at Nisero in what he thought of as real life.
The Lieutenant looked at him worriedly. “Are you going to be able to control the power of this thing, Captain?”
