Eberon's Sword

by Rick Brown

  "Don't pass that bull with me, General. I know no one has seen King Eberon in months. Trust me. I've had an ear out for news," The Lady said, surprising me with her candor. "Kendrick's been begging for any news on the lad. All our hopes are on him."

  “Are you sure this is Lady Itchard?” Felps whispered.

  “Quiet, Felps,” I growled.

  “Here General,” the lady said as she poured us both whiskeys. “Take a seat and tell me how you ended up with an untrained army of Alsselyians.”

  I sat across from the unusual Lady and took a sip. It was a fine whiskey. Maybe this evening won’t be so bad after all. “My Army?” I repeated with a shrug. “Just volunteers. Tired of wearing the yoke of Dommeran.”

  "Just volunteers, eh?" The Lady said with a smile. "An amazing number of volunteers, and somehow, they found the one man creating an army for war against Dommeran. Well, ain't that a coincidence." She said as she took a deep swig of the whiskey. "Couldn't be that someone claiming to be ‘King of Alsselya' went rampaging through enemy territory, stirring things up like a kick to a hornet's nest?"

  “Now Lady, you don’t think I’d answer a question like that, do you?” I asked in shock. This woman was incorrigible.

  "Ha! Not if you want to stay General, you don't," she said with a laugh. "Don't worry. As I said, I've had ears out about the boy. First, word was he was heading up north. I reckoned he was heading for Tiber, building up some allies, but I do trade up there, and no one has heard about the lost King of Alsselya visiting."

  “You are well informed, My Lady,” I admitted. Truth was, that’s what we thought he was doing as well.

  "So, then it dawned on me. He had that elf Ambassador with him at the ball, Farloc. Those elves live up in the Veluvian Mountain range. The problem is, no people are allowed in there. Trust me, I tried." She admitted with a sigh. "Could be some good trade to be had up there, if they'd open up."

  “So, you weren’t able to track him,” I said with a smile. Not that we were successful, but I couldn’t have this woman showing us up.

  "Oh? Wasn't aware I said that," she grinned. "Old Faluth is up there. An ole' army buddy of my late husband. Well, shock of all shocks, he'd seen your young King. Ha! I can tell from your expression you didn't know that."

  "Madam, you seem to imply that we didn't have contact with our young King. Do you really think I would discuss that with you?" I said shaking my head. I sure as hell wasn't going to let this nag tell me my business, even if she did know it better than me.

  “No, it doesn’t appear you will. Don’t worry, I’ll talk for us both,” she said with a laugh, I could only roll my eyes at the woman’s gall.

  "Anyway, seems he got that rock he was after. Supposed to make him all powerful. After watching him at the ball, I don't see where he was lacking. Anyway, even more shocking, he now had a dwarf in his party. And instead of heading to Tiber as he planned, he was off to Olingard! Can you imagine not just seeing Illiner, but Olingard? Oh, I wish I could have gone," she said with another laugh. "Here, let me pour you another," she said as she refilled my glass. I wasn't even aware I had consumed so much. I would have to be more careful.

  “Ahh… Are we going to eat soon?” Felps asked.

  “Sorry boys. Of course, you’re hungry. Been riding here all the way from Coneer,” she said apologetically. I could only shake my head. My one order to Felps was to keep his mouth shut. That didn’t last long.

  After dinner, we started our ride back to camp. My mind spinning at the aggressiveness of the woman. I felt like I had been through an interrogation. As we rode on, my mind whirled with all she told me. So, the King had visited Faluth. We knew they had visited in the past. Why had we not checked that ourselves?

  “Quite a night, eh sir?” Sergeant Herrin said as he rode up next to me.

  “You can say that, Sergeant. It was certainly more than I expected,” I admitted.

  "And that Lady Itchard. My, what an ole battle axe," he said with a shake of his head.

  I laughed. “Don’t get any ideas on her, Sergeant,” I said as I glanced back to the manor. “That one is mine.”

  Chapter 37

  (Lee)

  “Well, that was a waste of time,” I complained as we entered the suite. “Spellion is obviously not taking this seriously.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that,” Brianna corrected as she walked up to me. “We were being followed. Lenux is checking on it.”

  “Followed?” I asked as I looked around the room for Lenux. “How did you spot them?”

  “Not me,” Bri said with a shake of her head. “It was wonder boy and his magic hearing. He detected someone following us and hid in the crowd. Hopefully, he can identify who it is.”

  "My money is on that creep Guin. It's obvious he's not a priest," Barad predicted.

  “Oh?” Father Yagen asked. “Do you think a priest can’t fight? I can still take you over my knee, boy.”

  “Easy there, Father. Having Alynon on your side is cheating,” Barad said with his hands up.

  “Did anyone else get something from this evening?” I asked.

  “Just heartburn,” Barad admitted. “Dwarven cooking doesn’t sit well with me.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t get anything,” Ryan admitted. “I was just bored.”

  “That makes all of us,” I admitted. “I had higher hopes for our first conversations with Spellion than discussions on the weather. On the whole, it was rather depressing. Hopefully, Lenux can find something.”

  “I take it the evening did not live up to expectations,” Arthur asked as he joined us.

  "I'm afraid not," I told him. "Spellion didn't send any delegates from the government. Just some of the priests from Mannoth's church."

  “Don’t disregard the church,” Arthur said with a shake of his head. “They carry great weight in Spellion.”

  "Well, nice to hear there is one kingdom that still listens to the church. Still, according to Alynon, they may be listening to the wrong one," I told him.

  “Oh?” Arthur asked.

  I nodded as I took a glass of wine. “Alynon informed me that Dommeran was trying to foil the wedding between Kendrick and Spellion’s princess. We were told to come here and fix it.”

  "With Princess Venya?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows raised. "Well, that would be important enough to disrupt your itinerary. I can understand now why you changed course."

  “I didn’t change it, Alynon did,” I confessed. “He points, I go. He and his sister.”

  “You mentioned once that she visited you. That continues?” he asked as he sat across from me.

  “Oh yes, Ayisha. She bonded to me, whatever that means. Best I can tell, they now share being my god.”

  “You have two faiths?” Arthur asked.

  “Well, she did hint at wanting a temple in Ealinhart. She implied her brother owes her after allowing a temple in Vaelin,” I explained.

  “A multitheistic city? Interesting, Vaelin was built around the ideals of the goddess. How would one build a city without a god in mind?” Arthur wondered as he drank his wine.

  “That’s for them to negotiate. I got out of there as quickly as I could,” I admitted.

  One of the servants approached us. “Your Majesty, Prince Orlik and Councilor Lillia are here.”

  “Ah,” I exclaimed excitedly. “Please, show them in.”

  Arthur and I stood as the two dwarves entered the room. “Lee,” Orlik shouted from across the room as he entered. “What a waste of a good dinner, eh?”

  “I couldn’t have described it better myself. Would you and Lillia care to join us for some wine?” I asked.

  “About time you asked,” he said with a smile as he sat on the couch next to Arthur.

  “Maybe I should…” Arthur stated as he started to rise.

  “Nonsense, Arthur,” I said waving him back down. “It’s that wealth of knowledge that makes you so useful. Please stay and share.”

  “Of course, Your Highness,” H
e said with a nod as he sat back down. Lillia sat to my left.

  “Councilwoman, it is nice to see you again,” I said as the servants gave her some wine. “We didn’t get to talk much over dinner.”

  “Aye, that’s true. Too busy hearing about the climate in Spellion, as if we didn’t already know. We are neighbors, after all,” she said as she lifted her glass to me then took a deep swig.

  “I can’t believe I’ve held up me coronation so these silly people could attend,” Orlik complained.

  “Don’t forget, Your Royal Highness, that King Kendrick might still attend,” Arthur reminded.

  “Oh yes, I did hear from him. He will be arriving in a couple of days,” Orlik replied.

  “Kendrick is coming?” I asked. “Well, that is good news.”

  “Is it?” Orlik asked. “I don’t see much to it. Just another body during the event.”

  “It be more than that!” Lillia stated. “How could ya not tell me? Tell the council? We have things we need to do.”

  Orlik shrugged. “How am I supposed to know what be important?”

  “Oh Orlik,” the councilor moaned as she shook her head. “An esteemed visiting dignitary such as King Kendrick will require some fanfare when he arrives. Thank ya King Eberon, without you, he would have arrived with none to welcome him, he would.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said with a smile. “Any time you need Orlik tortured for information, feel free to call on us.”

  “Ha!” she laughed. “I can do that me self!”

  “Easy you two,” Orlik said with false ire. “I can take the pair of ya without breakin’ a sweat.”

  I turned to the councilwoman. “If you don’t mind, can you give me your insight on tonight’s dinner. I don’t have much experience in these affairs. Was that normal?”

  Lillia fixed her dress as she considered. "Aye, it would be normal if our circumstances were normal. But you may have noticed things be in upheaval here. With Dommeran being cast out the way they was, and the King being murdered, well, their response was tepid at best."

  “Well said, Councilor,” Arthur applauded. “Discussions of weather over dinner are the height of diplomatic conversation. It prevents one from embarrassing themselves. Not everyone is knowledgeable of politics, but they all know if it’s cold. However, the course of recent events has changed the world as we know it. To ignore those facts would be foolhardy. It’s possible these people have been sent to feel out the situation without Spellion needing to choose a side, or they are just as they appear, a token delegation that means nothing.”

  "This all gives me a headache," Orlik complained. "Why don't folks just say what they mean?"

  “Like It or not, my friend. You and I are kings in training,” I said to Orlik. “Find yourself an Arthur that you can lean on as I do mine.”

  “And who could that be?” Orlik asked.

  “Your uncle,” Lillia pointed out. “He’s been learning these things since before you were born.”

  “Aye,” Orlik admitted. “Me uncle be a wise man.”

  “Then listen to him, ya fool,” Lillia said as she drank the last of her wine. “We’ve taken enough of the King’s time.”

  “Yes dear,” Orlik agreed as he stood.

  “Thank you for your visit, at least I know we are on the same page,” I said as I escorted them to the door.

  “Aye, we be in agreement, that neither of us knows what the hells is going on,” Orlik laughed as he left the suite.

  It was hours later that Lenux finally returned. Only Brianna and I had waited up for him.

  “What took you so long,” Bri asked as she punched his arm. “I was worried about you.”

  "Ow!" Lenux cried as he grabbed his shoulder. I knew Brianna, and she was never gentle. "I had to follow our spy, and she has a lot more patience than you do."

  “She?” I asked. “So, you know who it was?”

  “I do,” he answered, still rubbing his arm as he glared at Brianna. “It was that Priestess, Kayla.”

  “The Priestess?” I asked as I sat back in my chair. “Well, that makes more sense. Put someone like Guin up as a distraction, while the real spy sits quietly and doesn’t attract attention.”

  “Well, if they didn’t want attention, they should have sent someone else. I could spy that pretty face anywhere,” Lenux added.

  “Oh?” Brianna asked. “Are you saying women spies should be ugly?”

  “If you need Lenux, I can pin her down while you make a run for it,” I offered.

  “Wouldn’t do any good,” Lenux said with a sigh. “I’ve seen Brianna hunt people down months after they’ve made a mistake like that. Sooner or later, they always pay.”

  “I’ll remember this, and it goes for the both of you,” she warned. “Before I stalk away, is there anything else you learned tonight.”

  Lenux shook his head. "Only that she was good. If not for a last-minute slip-up, I wouldn't have identified her."

  “Fine, then I’m going to bed,” Brianna said as she stormed off.

  “You shouldn’t have defended me. I’d hate to see Bri brought up on charges of regicide,” Lenux joked.

  I shook my head. “I doubt she’d leave any evidence. She’s too good.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Lenux said with a smile.

  “How about you, did you learn anything during our dinner?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Only that people from Spellion are very boring.”

  “So, nothing I didn’t already know,” I said with a laugh.

  “You think you had it bad?” He asked. “I had to listen to every conversation. They were all just as dull as the one you had.”

  “Well, we did learn one thing, Kendrick is coming,” I told him.

  “Oh? Is that what you and Orlik talked about while he was here?” he asked.

  “You knew he was here?” I questioned.

  “You forget, I was spying on the spy that was spying on you,” he said with a smile.

  "Don't talk like that. It's too late for me to think," I said as I rubbed my temples. "I'm calling it a night."

  “Good night, Your Highness,” Lenux grinned.

  Chapter 38

  (Kayla)

  “You fool!” I shouted at Lodken. “You used my real name instead of my alias!”

  “I am a fool! A fool to agree to this. Letting you and this ape identify yourselves as priests. I have dishonored myself. I shall pray to Mannoth for forgiveness,” Lodken whined.

  “I told you, this was necessary. Do we honestly want to believe everything Dommeran tells us?” I asked him. “You, as a member of the church, must see there is more to our world than what we can see.”

  "I do, child. Otherwise, I would never have disobeyed your father and let you come. It will likely be my head when I return," Lodken said. "but I agree, our world is in turmoil. The gods try to tell us why, but we cannot hear."

  “Did you find out anything?” Guin asked.

  "No. I followed them to their suite. Other than the fact that they think we are completely boring, they didn't say anything about knowing who we are."

  “Hmm... Good. We have them fooled,” he said with his sly smile.

  “Just because we survived the first meeting, doesn’t mean we won’t be identified,” Lodken pointed out.

  “Sure, especially since you used my real name!” I argued again. It may be petty to repeat it, but I was really upset. We had practiced ‘Kelcy’ over and over again.

  “I’m sorry. I just panicked. It’s not like we lie all the time in the priesthood,” Lodken admitted.

  “Ha!” I know some priests that lie,” Guin added.

  “And why did you choose him?” Lodken asked, pointing to Guin.

  "Because no other guard would have agreed to go. When this is all said and done, I have to go back and answer to my father. At least this way I can tell him I brought protection," I explained again. Guin wouldn't be anyone's first choice, but the others all had higher ethics and would
have said ‘no.'

  “That’s right,” Guin said, pushing out his chest. “I’m the one keeping you all safe. You should be thanking me.”

  "Yes, fine, fine. Thank you, Guin," the priest sarcastically thanked. Luckily, it went over Guin's head and instead of being offended he strutted around like a peacock. It was better than the many fights the two had on our journey here.

  “So, what did the two of you learn,” I asked as I took a seat.

  “The dwarves have cast away the yoke of Dommeran, just as the rumors said,” Lodken started. “I didn’t get much over dinner, but in the city, there is much talk about King Eberon. Apparently, he had a lot to do with it.”

  “I got much the same,” I agreed excitedly. Any news that discredited what we heard from Dommeran was good news. The fact that someone successfully fought against them, even better. “Do we know anything about this Councilor Lillia?”

  Lodken shook his head. “I’ve not received any information about her, but after spending an evening with her and Prince Orlik, I believe her to be the brains.”

  “The dwarf was as dumb as a rock,” Guin interjected.

  “I’m not so sure,” I said thoughtfully. “Let’s not confuse political acumen with intelligence. There were points that he made over the evening that spoke to a mind behind those words.”

  “If you say so, Princess,” Lodken said with a bow.

  “Shh!” I growled. “We are in a strange place. You don’t know who could be listening.”

  “But… the walls are made of stone. Who could listen?” Guin asked.

  “We haven’t moved every piece of furniture, checked every nook. There could be a listening hole somewhere. There are air vents all over this place,” I explained.

  “There’d have to be, or we’d all suffocate,” Lodken pointed out.

  “I’m thankful for them, I just don’t trust them,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “The good news is, no one mentioned King Kendrick over dinner. I really didn’t think he’d come, but it’s good to have that validated.”

  “You think his absence in conversation is enough to guarantee his isn’t coming?” Lodken asked.

  “To a dwarven coronation?” I pointed out. “Humans and dwarves have lived independently for generations. I don’t see King Kendrick changing that now.”