The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2)

by Sam Ferguson

  To their credit, Liloriel and Seldaric were not quick to judge Kai as he explained where he had come from, and what he had done. As he had come to the part about Gainer and Jimik, Seldaric had moved away from Kai, moving toward the bench they had been sitting on earlier, and folded his arms. He stood there now, his eyes staring out at the water, occasionally shaking his head angrily. Liloriel stepped in close to Kai then. The ex-ranger didn’t look at her, glancing instead between Seldaric and the wooden planks of the dock that stretched out in front of him, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

  “I didn’t want to kill Gainer or Jimik,” he said quietly, closing his eyes again. “They didn’t have anything to do with my sister’s kidnapping.”

  “They gave you little choice,” Liloriel said. “On the other hand, had you not killed them, perhaps the smugglers in Blundfish may have lived. They might have escaped from Blundfish, thinking they had been found out. Then the human traffickers would still be free.”

  Kai nodded. “After Kelden brought me into his secret group, he asked me to investigate the cube. It was only chance that I ran into the assassin again in Bluewater.”

  “Perhaps not chance,” Liloriel put in quickly. “Sounds as though the webs of fate have brought you here.”

  “Let me go after the assassin, and then you can take me in, if you wish.”

  “I have no intention of arresting you,” Liloriel assured him.

  “Nor I,” Seldaric said, turning back to them just then. He covered the three paces back to where Kai stood and put a hand on his arm. “But we do things differently here on the Elven Isles.” Kai nodded and averted his gaze from Seldaric’s piercing eyes.

  After a moment Liloriel patted Kai’s other arm and began moving toward the schooner which would carry them to Selemet. “What is it you wish to know about the cube?” Liloriel asked.

  Kai turned to follow her and offered a confused expression along with a shrug, trying to gather his thoughts after the abrupt change in conversation. Seldaric followed, still looking slightly troubled.

  Kai shrugged again. “I am not sure what to ask,” he said. “My instructions were to find out anything I could and report back.”

  “To whom do you report?” Liloriel asked.

  “Kelden Ferryl, the man I told you is in charge of the small unit.”

  Liloriel nodded. “If I were to send a message, where should I send it?”

  Kai gave her the address of the alchemy shop that Kelden had told him about on Dobtree Lane. “What will you send?”

  Liloriel smiled. “Jahre knew about the cube,” she explained. “He gave it to a trusted friend. It was Jahre’s opinion that the cube might save the two human kingdoms.” Her smile vanished then as they arrived at the schooner. She indicated to Seldaric to board the vessel, nodding her understanding that he had something on his mind, and waited for a moment, smoothing down a sleeve of her red robe which had folded over in the wind. “If the assassin succeeds in his goal,” she continued to Kai, “he will be a terrible enemy to all in this realm. If the two kingdoms are divided, they will fall to him, or at least they could fall. Jahre said he had several visions of what might be. He told me that he was still hoping for the assassin to choose the wise path, but he hedged his bets all the same by sending the cube north.”

  “Seems smart,” Kai put in. “Considering the assassin killed the sage, I don’t think he intends to follow the ‘wise path,’ as you called it.”

  Liloriel shook her head. “I suppose not.” She took in a deep breath and clapped her hands before her and held them for a moment. “I was not privy to all of Jahre’s councils and meetings, nor was I permitted to know all of his visions concerning this assassin, but I am a priestess of the Svetli’Tai Kruk, and I am bound to stop any and all persons from releasing the drow from the Netherworld.”

  “And I wish help you,” Kai said with feeling.

  Liloriel nodded. “More than that,” she began, “I command it. Seldaric is right, we do things differently on the Elven Isles from the humans on the mainland, however, your deeds do not sound unjustified to me. Sometimes the judgment of a sword is more prudent than a trial in court.”

  Kai saw the spark in her eyes and he almost grinned.

  The priestess turned toward the gang plank and then paused and held a slender finger up in caution. “I should warn you, that the elven councils do not necessarily agree with my methods. I am a Svetli’Tai Kruk. I have a different mission and outlook on how to accomplish the task of guarding the Netherworld Gate. The councils are very much caught up in their own perceived wisdom. When we reach Selemet Isle, we will need to act swiftly. Do as I say, for you are now inducted as my agent. I will send a message to Kelden about the cube. I will tell him how it works, and what it will do. Agorian would have done that, but for the fact that he was apparently killed and his ship stolen.” She glanced up to Seldaric who was pacing on the deck of the schooner. “Wait here on the dock, I will speak with him. Afterward we shall get on the ship and head out for Selemet Isle. We don’t want the assassin getting too large of a head start.”

  “You know where he is heading?” Kai asked.

  Liloriel nodded. “We sail first to Tuport, and then we will track him down. I know the location of the next items he will need if he wishes to open the Netherworld Gate.”

  With that she walked up the gang plank, away from the ex-Ranger. Seldaric followed her. As she moved away from him, Kai considered her. How strange that having explained his story to her should give him the first sense of hope that his guilt could eventually be tamed. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she could read both his mind and his heart that allowed him to accept her assessment of what had happened.

  *****

  “Priestess, with respect, what should we do about the Rangers? What if they still pursue Kai?” Seldaric asked with concern as he glanced over the railing to where Kai now paced the dock.

  Liloriel smiled with a slight nod. “That is a valid point. If Kelden is going to go to the Queen and clear Kai’s name, then the Rangers will be ordered to leave him alone. If any decide to pursue him after that fact, they would scarcely think to look on Selemet Isle. Besides, you are assuming that the events the assassin has set in motion, along with Kai’s efforts to dismantle a large network of human traffickers, won’t have any effect on the Rangers that might prevent them from hunting Kai in the first place. I would wager they are all going to be far too preoccupied at home to even think about leaving their borders.”

  Seldaric shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the priestess held up her hand.

  “I have commanded him to accompany us as my agent.”

  “He doesn’t understand what that means,” Seldaric protested.

  “But you do,” Liloriel replied evenly. “You know that an agent of the Svetli’Tai Kruks is above reproach, and beyond the grasp of any city guard in the Elven Isles. A city guardsman has no authority that can supersede my own in this matter. As such, any criminal offenses he has committed that would cause any such guard to arrest him, or otherwise exclude or punish him, are moot and of no consequence. He is now my servant.”

  “What about his mission for his other unit back on Zinferth?”

  Liloriel shook her head. “I will send a message to Kelden myself. I will inform the man about the cube, which will satisfy Kai’s duties to Kelden and to Zinferth. I will also explain to Kelden that Kai is now my servant, operating with me to apprehend a vicious assassin.”

  “He could refute your authority,” Seldaric commented. “The humans have often refused our rights, especially when it comes to their own interests.”

  Liloriel shrugged. “I suspect he will be just as happy letting Kai go.”

  Seldaric shook his head. “I met the man that Kai speaks of.”

  Liloriel cocked her head to the side. “When was that?” she asked.

  “He led a crew and apprehended the pirates that had stolen Agorian’s ship. The pirates had returned here,
trying to give a false name when they docked. We were summoned up by the harbormaster then. We watched the pirates unload cargo they intended to sell. A short while later, Kelden arrived with Zinferthian naval ships and they laid waste to the entire crew. The few pirates who escaped were caught by elvish arrows.”

  Liloriel pressed the matter. “What of the cube? Was it among the cargo?”

  Seldaric shrugged. “Kelden recovered all of the cargo and took it back to Zinferth. If it was there, then he took it.”

  Liloriel nodded and grinned. “Seldaric, I think I know how this assassin arrived on Svatal.”

  Seldaric’s eyes widened as he realized that the assassin had come along with the pirates. His face flushed and he stamped the ground.

  The priestess moved in close and offered a confident nod. “We are going to find him. When we do, we are going to kill him. The assassin will not accomplish his goals, and he will be made to answer for the blood he has spilt.” She then cast a glance back to Kai, who was still sitting on the bench, watching them intently. “Kai comes with us. Understood?”

  Seldaric nodded.

  “One more thing,” Liloriel said. Seldaric looked to her with questioning eyes. “You will also need to become my agent, otherwise you will not be permitted to come.”

  Seldaric closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He looked at her then and nodded soberly. “I had been aware this would be a condition.” Then, he glanced back to Bluewater, admiring the houses and buildings one last time. He took Liloriel’s right hand in his, raised it to his lips and offered a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

  *****

  After the three had been at sea for some time, Liloriel and Seldaric found Kai standing near the bow, watching the endless waves. The man turned to see his comrades and smiled. Liloriel returned the smile and gestured for Kai to sit. The three of them sat on the small bench near the bow on the port side of the schooner. Liloriel then pulled a small quill-like stylus from a black leather pouch.

  “Before, I said you were my agent,” Liloriel began.

  Kai nodded.

  “I sent the message to Kelden, informing him about the cube, its history, and its purpose. I explained all I know about it.”

  “Thank you,” Kai said.

  Liloriel held up a finger. “I also explained to him that I was taking you as my agent, which means he must release you from your duties with him.”

  Kai frowned. “I don’t think he will agree to that.”

  Liloriel smiled. “Do you know what it is to be an agent of a Svetli’Tai Kruk?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer she continued. “It means that you are sworn to that Svetli’Tai Kruk. It breaks all other bonds and servitudes before it, and becomes the sole purpose for your existence.”

  Kai leaned back nervously. “I didn’t know that.” He glanced to Seldaric and then back to Liloriel. “Look, I am happy to help, but I intend to return home when we are done.”

  “You have no home to return to,” Liloriel said. “Not yet, anyway. More than that, if you want to find this assassin, you must become my agent. There is no other way it will work.”

  Kai held up a hand and shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

  Liloriel stretched her left hand out and held her stylus ready in her right hand. “There is no other alternative. To follow the assassin, we will be traveling to sacred places that are kept secret even from other elves. If you refuse to become my agent, then you cannot come with us.” Liloriel turned to Seldaric. The elf obediently rose to his feet and put out his right hand. On the back of his hand was a new, red tattoo of a sword that had two feathery wings.

  “This is the mark of a Svetli’Tai Kruk agent,” Seldaric said. “Even I have taken the oath.”

  “What exactly does the oath include?” Kai asked.

  Liloriel gave a half grin that pulled at the right side of her mouth and reached for Kai’s right hand. She gently pulled it over to her lap and then held his wrist after flattening his fingers out. “The others who sail the ship are sworn to serve the Svetli’Tai Kruks as sailors. That is how I was able to get a ship so quickly. For this service, they are paid regularly, but none of them bear the mark of an agent. Thus, they are free to live their lives as they see fit until called upon to serve. They are not specifically bound to me, but to our order. Seldaric, on the other hand, is bound to my service. He wears the mark to show others in the order that he is privy to any secret I wish to grant him access to.” She leaned in close and narrowed her eyes slyly. “It also elevates him above the standard elf laws. The mark makes him untouchable by the councils that rule the Elven Isles, so long as he is on my errand.”

  Kai nodded. “So you give me the mark, and it protects me from being arrested for my past crimes,” he said. “What of Kelden?”

  Liloriel shrugged. “He could try to come and get you back, but to do so would be considered an act of war against the Svetli’Tai Kruks. Given the other missions he has before him already, I doubt he will feel inclined to challenge my authority.”

  Kai reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “I want something in return,” he said.

  Seldaric scoffed aloud and pointed at him. “This is an honor!” he said. “Only a priestess of the order can offer to make someone an agent. Don’t you understand how rare this is? Especially given your background, I would think wiping your warrants clean would be enough.”

  Liloriel turned a sharp eye on Seldaric and the elf warrior shut his mouth.

  “I want you to send these sailors for my sister. After what I learned about the human traffickers, I want to know for certain that she is safe. Send these sailors north for her, her friend, and my aunt.”

  “Alchemists will be of little use in Svatal,” Liloriel said. “Elves do not have such frail constitutions as humans do.”

  Kai shook his head. “Then whatever salary comes with being your agent, give it to her instead of me,” Kai said.

  Liloriel arched her brow and then shook her head. “An agent serves the order. There is no salary.”

  “It’s an honor,” Seldaric repeated. “It isn’t a job.”

  Kai scratched his chin. “I don’t recall honor being something a man can eat.”

  Liloriel set her stylus to the back of Kai’s hand. “Do you recall that I commanded you to accompany me? I think you do not understand the fact that you have no bargaining power in this matter.”

  Kai gently pulled his hand away. He heard Seldaric gasp, but he didn’t let it shake his resolve. “I am a man, not an elf. You want me to run around with your silly little tattoo, then you offer me something better than I already have. You say you will clear my name in the Elven Isles, but Kelden already swore to clear my name at home, which would then by extension clear my name here as well. Moreover, I receive pay for my work in Zinferth.” He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes on Liloriel. “Agree to help my sister and the others, or you can drop me off at Tuport and I will look for the assassin myself.”

  Liloriel smiled. “Very well. Give me your hand and I will swear to retrieve your sister from Kobhir.”

  Kai stretched his hand back out, shooting a glance up to Seldaric as he waited for the stylus to touch his skin.

  Liloriel pressed the sharp tip to the back of Kai’s hand. “Do you solemnly swear to serve the Svetli’Tai Kruks all the days of your life, to the best of your ability, and with honor?”

  “I do,” Kai answered.

  A hot pain ripped through Kai’s flesh as the stylus began to glow. A small fire shot out from the tip of the stylus and wormed its way through Kai’s hand. The man squirmed at first, but Liloriel held his hand still. He watched as the fire burrowed under his skin and tunneled around, creating the image he had seen on Seldaric’s hand. It only lasted a few seconds. The light disappeared as soon as the image was finished. The mark turned black as smoke rose up from the image. The skin around it swelled and turned pink. Then, as if air had been let out of his hand, the swelling went down and t
he black image became red.

  “As an agent of the Svetli’Tai Kruks, you are sworn to secrecy. Should you attempt to reveal any of our secrets in any way that is contrary to my orders, you will die.”

  Kai looked up at her and then glanced down to his hand. “That would have been nice to know beforehand,” he mumbled.

  Liloriel then put away the stylus and clasped his hand in both of hers. “As a priestess of the Svetli’Tai Kruk, I promise to send others to fetch your sister and bring her to Svatal. I will arrange for a small home in Bluewater. She will then be free to pursue her own life as she sees fit.”

  Kai nodded. “You have yourself an agent,” he said.

  CHAPTER 5

  Jaleal sat precariously on the top of a barstool that was never meant for someone of his diminutive stature. His legs dangled over the edge as he leaned on the bar and looked into the cup of amber colored liquid before him. The mead was sweet, with a hint of lemon sparking off the honey flavor, but he had hardly taken more than a few sips. He looked up from the drink and glanced around the room again, still trying to adjust to seeing the tall, slender, elf folk instead of humans around him.

  They wore fine robes and adorned themselves with jewels and bracelets, sipping their mead and speaking in hushed tones. It was not at all like the raunchy pubs or taverns he had heard about in Buktah or other cities within the Middle Kingdom. Instead of the crude cigarette smoke and the harsh smell of cheap beer and vomit, the air in this tavern swirled with the aroma of cherry cigars and pipes with apricot flavored tobacco. The high-arching ceiling provided enough ventilation through wooden slats controlled by draw strings that the smoke itself did not hang low in the room.

  The music was different too. Instead of the raucous, boisterous playing of fiddles and drums, the elves listened to a duo of flutists accompanied by a harpist. It was nearly enough to put Jaleal to sleep. Still, underneath the façade of refinement was an air of caution and worry.