Chapter 15
Welcome High Priestess
Early that morning, two blasts of a trumpet sounded from the northern gates of Havencrest. It meant the royal convoy was about to arrive, but the city was not anticipating a visit. When he heard the notification, he rushed to the warden’s chambers. Edgar was a lazy warden to say the least, and Kenshiro was sure he would find him sleeping through the alert. Rarely did Edgar actually govern the city as he should, but instead would gorge on food, wine, and women, courtesy of the taxpayer’s money. Kenshiro believed the only reason any of the city’s laws were upheld was that he was there to pick up the warden’s slack.
He pushed through the room door and found the fat old man lying on the floor, surrounded by naked women and empty wine bottles.
“Sir, wake up!”
“What do you want?” The groggy warden sat up and yawned.
“The northern gate has announced an arrival from Cleary Court. Hurry, you do not have long before they are here.”
“Ugh, who cares? I just need to sleep a few more hours. You can go distract them. You are the General after all.”
“I am, but perhaps I will soon be promoted to warden as soon as they get here and discover how your extracurricular activities are interfering with your civic duties.”
“Well good luck to you.” He gave Kenshiro a mock salute. Then he crawled over to his bed, got under the covers, and went back to sleep.
The general rolled his eyes, grabbed the pitcher of water on the nightstand, and dumped it on Edgar’s head.
“Have you gone mad? I ought to kick you out of Havencrest you insolent---”
“Go ahead and kick me out, but do so after you get prepared for our guests.”
The warden rubbed his eyes and grumbled, “Fine.”
As he hobbled out of bed, Kenshiro began to shoo the women out of the room and slammed the door behind them. “I will go delegate the tasks entailed in the preparation of the great hall. Once you are dressed, meet me at the castle gate so that we may welcome the convoy.”
“I wonder what in the name of Vesalys they are doing here without even having the decency to give me any notice,” Edgar griped.
“Well, we will soon find out,” Kenshiro said before leaving the warden to grumble to himself.
He marched with haste to the barracks, where he would find all the soldiers he needed to execute the necessary details. While he walked through the corridors, he contemplated the possible reasons for the sudden visit from Cleary Court. The only correspondence Havencrest recently had with the capital was concerning the investigation report on the recent murders and…
He stopped in his tracks, and then shook his head. Not believing the request he had submitted could have went through that fast, he resumed his trip to the barracks. He had to assume that the series of murders must have prompted the visit, but what could have been so imperative that a simple messenger could not have reported in their place? Could it be that the case was as serious as the constable had made it out to be? After assigning duties to the soldiers, he would need to go instruct Duegar to get prepared in the event their guests asked for clarification of his findings.
He slammed the barracks doors open and ordered everyone to line up. Kenshiro snapped, “Kaspar, front and center!” Then he scanned the rows of soldiers that had formed up and spotted the young man stepping out of the formation.
“Yes sir!” the soldier cried as he ran up to Kenshiro.
He considered Kaspar to be his protégé and had taken the young man under his wing. Kenshiro taught him everything he knew in hopes that one day Kaspar would take his place as General when he moved to Cleary Court with Raiven.
“You have heard the alert, so you must be aware that we have important guests arriving from the capital in a short matter of time. I need you to take charge of all the necessary preparations, and fast!”
“Yes sir.”
Kenshiro left the soldiers under Kaspar’s watch and went to make sure everything else was in order. Within the hour, he was patiently awaiting the arrival of the royal chariot at the North entrance. Edgar frowned as he stood next to the general. The trumpets blared once more. Excited citizens cheered as the gates were dragged open and a long procession of royal soldiers came filing in, followed by a luxurious horse drawn carriage, which stopped in front of them. The curtain in the window was drawn to the side, revealing the High Priestess of Valcrest.
At the sight of her, Edgar managed his best fake smile and Kenshiro signaled the guard to hail the arrival of the High Priestess Jezra. He jogged up to the carriage and bowed to the elderly woman.
“Good morning, General.”
“Good morning, Your Holiness. Shall we proceed to the castle?”
“I should imagine so.”
Kenshiro mounted his horse and rode to the front of the convoy, leading the way to the warden’s castle. He saw the townsfolk pushing and shoving along the streets, just to get a better view of Jezra, who was waving from the windows of her carriage. By the time they arrived in the castle courtyard, the warden was winded from the walk. Kenshiro gave him a side-glance and shook his head in shame. Once his soldiers rolled out the golden carpet up to the entrance, creating a path for their honored guest, he opened the carriage door for her.
“Havencrest, may I present to you, High Priestess Jezra.”
People could be heard clapping outside of the castle borders. He held her hand and helped support the frail old woman as she stepped down. The warden shuffled over to her and bowed while still huffing.
“Your Holiness, we are honored to be able to welcome you back to Havencrest. I wish we would have known of your arrival sooner so that we could have had a celebration waiting for you. If I may ask, what brings you to my humble city?” Edgar let out a nervous chuckle.
“Certainly not a celebration,” she replied as a disgusted expression formed on her face. She stared hard at the warden. “I see you have kept in shape so that you can properly defend the city if need be.”
Edgar self-consciously pulled his jacket tighter in an attempt to cover his round belly.
“No need to worry, Your Holiness. I am here to protect the city,” Kenshiro cut in. “Now, if you would like we can see to it that your horses are taken care of in the royal stables. I am sure everyone is exhausted from the journey. We have everything prepared inside for you and your men to enjoy a comfortable stay.”
She turned to the warden and said, “Edgar, would you be a dear and summon High Priest Vienken. Tell him I want a summary of Raiven’s training at once.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Then she held onto Kenshiro’s arm for stability and asked that he escort her into the castle. “General, do not think I have not noticed the way you have managed to make a name for yourself by rising through the ranks with ease. I admire your fortitude.” She smirked and gave him a wink. “We will talk later.”
Jezra patted his shoulder before joining her group of guardians. Kenshiro watched them surround her. Their leader, Xertias, stood out amongst them and was the most renowned fighter in the guardian unit. He had often wondered how he would fare in combat against the guardian, but because of his rank and status in Havencrest, he was not permitted to participate in such activities. He was too essential for the city to injure or lose, just so everyone could witness a great fight.
The constable interrupted his train of thought. “Is she here because of the report?” he murmured.
“It is still unclear, but go over your notes just to be safe. In the case that she requests a briefing, you will be prepared and less likely to make fools of the both of us.”
Meanwhile in the temple tower, she sat by her window, looking at the amber locket in her palm then to the commotion going on outside. The High Priestess had surprised everyone with her arrival, but Raiven did not want to join the celebration. She thought that after Vienken had caught her with Sytravious, he was so infuriated that he must have asked Jezra to come discipline her.
Sytravious had not returned after that night, which concerned her. For days, she wondered what might have happened to him, until she remembered that one of her guardians was his friend. When Bryce had confirmed that Sytravious was perfectly fine, she had to assume that he was just too apprehensive to return, and she did not blame him.
Spending the entire day locked away in her chambers had become her new routine. Most of her lessons were taught in her room, which was also were where all her meals were now served. Anything she needed, the temple maidens brought to her, in an attempt to keep her from leaving. Vienken had made sure to keep her locked up as much as he could.
After years of abiding by the temple’s strict rules, Sytravious had given her a taste of the outside world. He had brought a spark to her monotonous days. Now, living her life without that glimmer of hope in it did not make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. Raiven felt as if she was living in a constant depression. She did not want to eat or sleep, and as a result, she had become feeble and weak.
A soft knock at her door preceded Vienken’s entrance. She tucked the locket away as soon as she saw him.
“My dear, why have you not dressed for the court? I sent word to you earlier, so that you may be ready to see Jezra now. We must not keep her waiting.”
She hung her head and began to sulk. “Why, Master Vienken? Why should I rush to public chastisement? Is it not bad enough all the joy has been ripped from my heart?” Her eyes began to tear up and she hid her face in her hands.
“Oh Raiven, just stop. Stop this right now. I hate seeing you in such a state. Without that special energy and joy you bring to the temple, it has not been the same the past few weeks. In fact, it has been quite dreadful.” He let out a small chuckle, which faded when he saw her frowning at him with her lower lip trembling.
"Raiven,” he said with a sigh, “There will not be any sort of chastisement because I have not told anyone about that.”
“Then why is Her Holiness here?” She questioned, unsure if he was trying to trick her into going downstairs.
“We have yet to find out, my dear. All I know is she wants to discuss your training progress right now, so please get dressed.”
“Nobody knows? Including the High Priestess?”
The old dwarf shook his head. “Nobody. Not even her.”
Relief and happiness overcame her and she burst into tears. She ran up to Vienken and hugged him.
“Raiven, did you really believe I could be so cruel? I was hurt to see that you could not trust me enough to be honest with me about that boy. Did you break the temple rules? Yes, you did, but I cannot fault you for thinking with your heart.”
“Has anything happened to…‘that boy’?” She wanted to verify the information Bryce had given her.
“The boy is okay, as far as I know. Now can you go get ready?”
She gave him another squeeze to show her gratitude. “Fantastic! Thank you so much for understanding.”
Vienken pried her off so that he could breathe. “Alright, that is enough. Do not get too excited. I still do not approve of that boy. There is something about him that just does not sit right with me.”
“He means no harm, he is just different.” She beamed at the thought of him. “Different than anyone I have ever met. Just give him a chance, Master Vienken. He is a good man.”
“It does not matter if he is a good man or not, it is not up to me to give him a chance. You know who you would need to discuss this with, and she is downstairs.”
Dissatisfied with his response she knit her brow when she looked into his grey eyes while he spoke to her.
“As long as the High Priestess is here, she will be supervising your lessons, so you must be on your best behavior, so there is to be none of this distractedness. You must understand the knowledge she is able to share with you is unique, not to mention priceless.”
At the mention of this topic, she groaned and complained, “I do not want priceless knowledge anymore, even if it is for the good of the temple. I only want to be with Sytravious.”
“Sytravious? Oh, the boy. However, my dear, you must think straight, especially with the High Priestess here. You cannot allow your mind to be clouded with boys. It is just not the right time.”
“Then when is the right time? Kenshiro has already approached me about courtship. You would rather me be unhappy and married to my own cousin, than to be happy with who I want to be with? That is essentially what you are telling me!”
“Wait, what? I said nothing of the sort. I am asking you to behave like a priestess of the temple of Vesalys and I do not think that is too much to ask, being you are one. We will discuss your cousin’s inappropriate behavior later, but for now, I need you to conduct yourself in a proper manner for the High Priestess. Which means you will respect the rules while she is here, you will heed every lesson she gives you, and you will be grateful that she has taken the time to mentor you.” Vienken’s voice began to rise the more frustrated he got with her.
Raiven stomped across the room to her bed. She sat down, grabbed her pillow, and planted her face into it.
“Young lady, I am speaking to you.”
She did not respond. How could he be so insensitive to her feelings? Could he not see that she just wanted to be a normal girl? She felt the weight of the dwarf as he sat on her bed, and looked up from the pillow.
“My dear, I know it can be hard being raised in the temple environment. You may feel like we are withholding simple pleasures from you, such as choosing whom you love. However, when Vesalys blessed you, it was because she believed you were strong enough to adhere to the strict demands of being a priestess. You have to find solace in knowing she has faith in you as you have faith in her.”
She heaved a sigh. “I know, but it is tough.”
“Trust me, I know. How about this? If you promise me not to see what is his name? Stravous?”
“Sytravious!”
“Pardon me, Sytravious. If you promise not to see him while the High Priestess is here, then once she leaves I will do what I can to aid him in requesting to court you---”
She gasped in shock, and then squealed with excitement.
“Now hold on. You must know it is a longshot and I cannot guarantee anything once the request reaches the capital, but I will try my best to help.”
“Oh I am not worried, I know the High Priestess will see all the good in him and Vesalys will guide her in making the right choice for me.”
“Yes, alright, now go get ready! We have taken much too long already and we must not keep her waiting.
“I will be down in just a moment.”
Vienken nodded and went to wait in the hall. Once the door shut behind him, she danced happily around the room. She could not believe what a turn of events this day had taken, and it was all going her way. Waiting to see him would be a challenge, but the reward she would get for being patient was almost too good to be true. However, instead of dwelling on that possibility, Raiven chose to be more optimistic and embrace the chance she could be with Sytravious.
Chapter 16
The Past Revealed - The Future Opened
Sytravious stalked his familiar opponent as the early afternoon sun beamed down on them. He stood in the scorpion defense stance with the flat, double-edged blade of his halberd held high above his head. Nysight smirked and twirled his long swords before striking out at him. The steel clashed together, creating the sweet metallic clang that was like music to his ears.
His stepfather had planned a full morning’s worth of training, which began before sunrise. The day had started with a brisk run through the woods, and then moved on to a long swim in the river, followed by hand-to-hand combat practice, and ending with the weapon drills they were currently working on. He knew Nysight was pushing him until he was sure Sytravious had the moves committed to muscle memory. However, today, as many of the days since that night, he was preoccupied with ideas of his possible origins.
As anxious as he was when he f
ound out, he still had not figured out a way to approach his stepfather about the information he sought. The number of questions he had come up with had exponentially grown with each day he waited. He decided today was as good as any to bring it up.
“Hey, I heard something a few weeks ago that has kind of got me thinking.” Sytravious said as he shoved Nysight’s sword aside, and jabbed the point of his weapon at his shoulder.
His stepfather stepped back with ease, slapped the shaft of the weapon away from his body, and said, “Well, I hope it has to do with learning how to land a blow on your opponent. If you do not get at me soon, your arms will tire. Remember, a polearm is a great weapon to create distance, but if you keep fooling around with it, you will become fatigued in no time during a real battle.”
“Yes, I recall, from my first lesson with a halberd…ten years ago!” He took a few more swipes at Nysight, making him back up.
“I think you can help me figure something out.” He feigned a low attack, causing Nysight to lower his swords to protect himself, which allowed Sytravious to swat him in the arm with the flat of the blade.
“That is more like it, son!”
“I want to know about when Lord Byronicus attacked Springdale,” he blurted out.
“Attacked…Springdale? That is what you want to interrupt our fight for?” Nysight hesitated and lowered his swords. He stared at Sytravious. “Lord Byronicus came here to negotiate a treaty with King Ilan, but instead he was attacked, so he fought back.”
“That is exactly what mother told me when I was young, but I am a man now. Nysight, please tell me what really happened. I heard he came in fighting, he did not even attempt to negotiate.”
“It is common sense that every story has two sides. Your mother has explained one account and I imagine what you have heard is the Havencrest version. Simply put, Lord Byronicus invaded to make a statement to King Ilan that he would no longer tolerate discrimination against his people, but he quickly realized that he was only wasting his men and resources on a city that would not fall. Feeling the mission had become a waste of time, he retreated.”
Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) Page 13
