Eberon's Sword

by Rick Brown

  I was shocked to hear those names again. “It’s

  Ravner. Pelen and Ravner, and we would like very much to see them again.”

  “Wait,” Kayla said as she took the book back. “This was them? Back in Coneer? They stabbed Brianna, right?”

  “Those are the ones,” I said as I leaned back in my chair.

  “Then I should go with you to Spellion. Merrett with have things running smoothly in Vaelin. This is important,” Kendrick stated.

  “Thank you, Kendrick,” I agreed with a nod. “This is vital, which is why Dommeran is trying to disrupt it. It would destroy any alliance.”

  “My sister loves you, Kendrick,” Kayla said apologetically. “It’s my father they’ve gotten to. They are trying to convince him an alliance with Dommeran would be stronger.”

  “He’d send Venya to Dommeran?” he asked in shock. “That’s barbaric!”

  Kayla nodded her head. “We both agree about that. Now we must convince Father. You’ll have to put on quite a show to impress him that you offer a better alliance.”

  I considered the issue for a moment, and I smiled. "A show? I think we can do that."

  Chapter 43

  (Lee)

  “Arthur, what do you know of Princess Kayla?” I asked as soon as the suite door closed behind me.

  “Princess Kayla of Spellion?” he asked. I could see the wheels spinning as he considered. “She is the youngest daughter of the King. Only the Prince is younger. Her older sister, Veyna, is engaged to King Kendrick. She has the reputation as a precocious child.”

  “Yes, that seems about right,” I said as I took some wine and sat at the table.

  “You don’t mean this priestess you are looking for is actually the princess?” he asked incredulously.

  “I mean exactly that,” I replied after taking a deep swig of wine.

  “A Princess?” Bri growled. “A Princess broke into our suite?”

  “Arthur did say she was ‘precocious’,” Lenux said with a laugh.

  “That seems a bit more than precocious,” Barad said shaking his head. “Did you look inside the vents? I wouldn’t think a rat could get through there.”

  “Precocious actually is well descriptive,” Abigail added. “She is obviously intelligent and well aware that Dommeran is being dishonest. Likely, she has been spying on them as well.”

  "Other than that, Your Highness, I know little," Arthur admitted. "As a second daughter, she will likely get married off somewhere soon to some well-to-do Lord."

  “Not too soon,” I corrected. “If the gods think she can be helpful, then we’ll need her to come with us.”

  “So, off to Spellion?” Barad asked.

  I nodded. “As soon as the coronation is over. We have unfinished business awaiting us in Spellion.”

  “Unfinished?” Ryan asked. “We haven’t even been there yet.”

  “But acquaintances of ours have, and they are there now,” I stated as I turned to Brianna. “Pelen and Ravner.”

  It was Barad who seemed the most irate. “What the hells are they doing there?”

  “Acting as ambassadors from Dommeran,” I explained.

  “Good! Then they’ll still be there when we arrive. Then we can kill them,” he said as he leaned back in his chair in satisfaction.

  “Not so fast,” I said as I shook my head. “I assume, Arthur, that it would not be prudent for us to arrive in Spellion and kill the Dommerian diplomats.”

  Arthur sighed. “I am afraid so, Sire. king or no, you would be arrested on the spot.”

  "But they nearly killed Brianna!" Barad snarled.

  “In Vaelin,” I reminded. “That won’t have any bearing on killing them in Spellion. We’ll exact our revenge, eventually. We’ll just have to play nice until the opportunity presents itself.”

  “We can do that,” Bri agreed as she looked at Barad. “And don’t you even think about doing it yourself, I was the one that was stabbed.”

  "You're taking all the fun out of this," Barad pouted.

  “In the meanwhile, Sire,” Arthur interrupted, “the invitation to King Orlik’s coronation has arrived. Apparently, he is as impatient as yourself to move on. It is scheduled for tomorrow night.”

  “Do we have everything ready?” I asked.

  “Yes, Sire. Everyone’s Alsselyian formal wear is already cleaned and prepared. I would recommend a haircut and shave for his majesty,” he added.

  “I would too,” Abigail agreed.

  It took some time for the staff to return me to respectability, but I felt much better now that I was once again shaven. It was also a blessing not to deal with so much hair. The only thing I could do with it before now was tie it out of the way.

  Arthur came into my room as I was studying a map of Spellion. “Sire, the staff said you wanted to see me.”

  “Yes,” I said as I leaned back in my chair. “This army of ours. I need them.”

  "Yes, Sire. That's why we are going to the trouble of training them," he said teasingly.

  “Not for battle, not yet anyway. I want to make a visible impact when we arrive in Spellion, something substantial,” I explained.

  “I see,” he said as he rubbed his bald head. “Moving an army is no small task, luckily, we won’t have to move them far.”

  “You think we can get them here from Coneer that quickly?” I asked.

  "Oh no, that would take longer than I think you would allow. Thankfully, they are not in Coneer, at least, not the Alsselyians. They were too large a force for Coneer to allow within the walls. They are at Lady Itchard's estate."

  “Lady Itchard’s?” I asked in surprise. “She’s right on the border, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, Sire,” Arthur agreed as he pulled out another map on my desk. “Here, though not all of them have proper uniforms, but I think they will leave an impression. Still, I would not recommend marching two thousand men into Spellion. That might be taken wrong. Would two hundred suffice? I suspect we have that many in uniform.”

  “That would be perfect,” I said with a smile.

  "Then I'll send someone to the General to meet us in Ovin. They can wait for us there."

  “Max is with them?” I questioned. “Perfect. I was afraid I would have to lead them.”

  “That’s no longer your job, Sire,” Arthur said with a smile. “You have much greater responsibilities.”

  “Speaking of which, I have another job for the dwarves collecting our gold. A bit of something on the side. Can you have their supervisor meet with me today?”

  “Yes, Sire. Is that all?” the Chamberlain asked.

  “That’s all. Thank you, Arthur,” I said as I looked back at the map. Oh, we’ll make one hells of a first impression, I thought with a smile.

  Apparently, Arthur was unhappy with us practicing in the living room, because the next morning he directed us to a new location Orlik had set aside for us. It was just a large empty room, but that fit our needs just fine.

  It took some convincing to Bri that she didn’t need to practice tossing us when the floor was just solid stone. As a trade, we let her practice her kicks. It was times like this I really missed the protective gear we left in Coneer, or even better, Whilhoit’s men for her to practice on.

  Whilhoit himself seemed hesitant to volunteer for the service, which only reminded me of my Captain’s intelligence. Luckily, Farloc stepped up and took the first turn with the sneak.

  Her practice with Farloc over the summer had made an intimidating fighter into an outright deadly one. Even Farloc lost more against her than he won. To watch them fight was much like watching two masters practice their art.

  Father Pild was taking time to work with Abi on dagger use. It seemed with her magical skills, that it would be only in close quarters that she would require a weapon. The rest of us practiced our swords. Whilhoit teamed up with Barad, while I practiced with Ryan.

  After rotating partners, I found myself facing against Abigail. She twirled her practice dagge
r with a smile. “Are you ready, Your Majesty?”

  “Let’s see what you’ve got,” were the last words I got out of my mouth before a gust of wind blew me off my feet and slammed me to the ground. Looking up, I found Abigail’s knee pressing down on my chest and her practice blade pressed against my throat.

  “Seems like I won,” Abigail said as she lifted the blade.

  Brianna walked up to us clapping. “Way to go, Abi!” she cheered with a smile. “When you are ready to start practicing Chakaran style fighting, I’m ready.”

  Abigail looked to Ryan, who was now practicing with Brianna. He was resting on the floor, holding his side from where Brianna had last laid a blow. "Umm… Thanks. I just want to learn this first," she replied with a nervous smile. Brianna shrugged and turned back to her victim.

  Taking the opportunity, I pushed up with my chest as I grabbed Abigail’s wrists and flipped her over my head. With another push off my feet, I followed her, pinning her to the ground. “You were saying, My Lady?” I said with a smile.

  “You…” She growled as she struggled to break free.

  Bending down, I gave her a light kiss. “Seems this round goes to me,” I said with a smile.

  "Oh?" She asked as I helped her back up. "Is that what we are playing for? Well, this just became much more interesting."

  “Umm... Can I switch partner’s with Lee?” Ryan asked.

  Chapter 44

  (Lee)

  “This seems familiar,” Barad said as we gathered in the suite awaiting the message that it was time for Orlik’s coronation. “It reminds me of your introduction in Vennean.”

  “Well, let’s hope this goes better. That night did not end well for us.” I answered. I gave a brief nod to Ryan to remind Barad that poor Ryan lost his father that night. Barad’s eyes went wide as he realized what he had done. Ryan was still healing from that loss.

  Luckily, a knock on the door offered a distraction. Arthur opened the door for a dwarven messenger. "Your Highness, King Orlik would like to invite you and your party to attend his coronation as his special guests. If you will follow me."

  The dwarves in the hall were abuzz as the day had finally come. There would be a new king in Olingard. We marched down the hall in our best outfits as the messenger cut a path for us through the crowd.

  Finally, we came to a stop before the King’s audience chamber. The messenger glanced back to make sure we were all still there. Once he was reassured that we were all present and ready, he opened the door and stepped before us.

  “Council members of Olingard, King Eberon of Alsselya and his party!” He announced to the room. Without looking back, he started marching forward. There was an awkward moment when I realized I was to follow him. Doing a quick walk, we caught up to the messenger after he had already traveled half the distance of the room. He led us to the front of the room, stepping aside and indicating the row intended for us, I stepped away and let everyone take a seat before me so I could have the aisle seat. Privilege of being the King. Only when I sat did I realize how small the benches were. They were definitely not designed for humans.

  Kendrick tapped my shoulder from behind. "Well, Your Majesty. It seems you outrank me here. Princess Kayla and I are sharing this row."

  I turned and saw the Princess and her people sitting at the end of Kendrick’s row. I gave her a nod that she returned with a smile. Father Yagen had already spotted High Priest Lodken sitting behind him and they were already happily conversing.

  “It would seem so, King Kendrick,” I said with a smile. “Likely the one place in the world where Alsselya is still respected. Here and Illiner.”

  “Not bad friends to have,” Kendrick said with a pat on my back.

  Turning back to the front, I looked around the chamber. It was a beautiful room. Large arches held up the enormous domed ceiling. Giant chandeliers lit the room. At the front of the chamber sat the Dwarven Council. Many of their seats were empty after the battle with Dommeran. I caught Lillia’s eye and gave her a friendly nod, which she returned.

  Before them sat the Dwarven throne. Made of gold, the front legs and armrests were made to look like hammers. The throne fabric was in red. Orlik will look good in that, I thought with a smile.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the Announcement of Prince Henlark and his sons. I watched as they paraded down the aisle. The prince had four sons that looked exactly like their father. Broad shouldered and burly. The guide led them to the row before us, and they took their seats.

  Henlark turned to look at me. “King Eberon, it be quite the night, eh?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. We are all excited for Orlik. Is he nervous?” I asked.

  “Ha! If ya listen hard enough, you can hear his knees knockin’ from here,” he answered with a laugh.

  "Councilors of Olingard. Allow me to present Prince Orlik of Olingard," The messenger yelled from the back of the room. We all turned to watch as Orlik was led down the aisle. His uncle was right, never before had I seen Orlik look as nervous as he appeared right now. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he nodded to those he passed. Only when he saw us on our row did he I see a genuine smile cross his face. I gave him a wink as he passed us and approached the dais.

  Lillia stepped from her seat and approached Orlik as he mounted the stairs. "Prince Orlik, it is with sadness that we mark the passing of a great king. The Council, in its wisdom, has turned to you, the King's heir. Do you accept the responsibilities of this prestigious position?"

  “I do,” Orlik whispered. Lillia frowned and motioned louder with her hand.

  “I do!” Orlik yelled nervously.

  With a roll of her eyes, Lillia continued. “Will you aid those dwarves that be sworn to you?”

  “I will,” Orlik answered in a more reasonable tone.

  “Will ya lead our people, not in a selfish way, but in one that will be better for all dwarves?”

  "I shall," Orlik stated firmly. Apparently, his confidence was growing.

  Lillia turned and nodded to a page, who brought forth the crown. It was ornately carved in gold, a giant ruby embedded in the front. Just as one would expect from a people who spent their lives mining. Lillia took the crown, and Orlik bowed before her. I saw a gentle smile on her face as she sat the crown on his head. "Then rise, King Orlik of Olingard!"

  A cheer ran through the room as Orlik stood, now King of the Dwarves. Drums could be heard echoing through the hall, and likely all of Olingard, as the announcement was made. The crown sat on a new king’s head.

  As one, the room stood and continued to cheer as Orlik took his seat on the throne. After a moment he waved down the crowd, and we returned to our places. Once everyone was calm, the councilors stood. Each, one after the other, swore an oath to the King. Lillia was the first to take the oath. It was noteworthy that Councilor Ganis was absent. I suspect Orlik had him either arrested or otherwise removed after his act of treason with the Dommerians.

  Once done, a dwarven choir started to sing music I was unfamiliar with. “It’s beautiful,” Abigail whispered in my ear. I nodded and took her hand as I continued to listen.

  After the ceremony, we were led to another room for a banquet. Here, there was much more lively music being played for dancing. As we walked in, a mug of the dwarves’ mushroom brew was shoved into my hand. “Here ya go, Ya’ Majesty,” the dwarf server said.

  I held my breath and took a sip of the fermented mushrooms. I could only hold it so long, and as soon as inhaled, all the odors of the drink hit me.

  “It’s not that bad,” Barad defended when he saw my expression. “You’ve just gone soft, being a king and all.”

  “Yes,” I agreed as I tried and failed to escape the grotesque taste in my mouth. “That must be it. Here,” I said as I handed him my mug to compliment his own. With a shrug, he poured mine into what was left of his.

  To replace it, I grabbed the first glass of water that I could and quickly downed the entire drink. Unfortunately, it seemed only to make it
worse. Like the flavor was renewed and spread around my mouth, similar to sucking on an old sock.

  “I see you’ve discovered our fine mushroom drink,” Henlark said as he approached me. “Vile, ain’t it.”

  “Well…” I said as I tried to think of something diplomatic, then I gave up. “Yes, it’s vile.”

  "Ha!" Henlark said as he slapped my back hard enough to knock me off balance. "Well, hopefully, we can get some trade going again with you upsiders. Some more of that wine you brought sure would be welcome here."

  “Until we can get a trade route built, I’ll arrange with Arthur to leave you what we have. We’ll just pick up more in Spellion.”

  “Ahh… Excellent lad. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted the grape,” he said with a smile. “And you, you’ll take good care of our new king, won’t ya?”

  I turned to look the prince in the eyes. “I’ll defend Orlik as I would defend myself, you have my word.”

  Henlark nodded. “I believe you Lad, and I can tell you there ain’t many upsiders that I can say that about.”

  “Upsiders?” I asked.

  “Ya know, folks that live on the surface,” he explained.

  I nodded in understanding. “And what are you called?”

  He looked at me as if I were being ridiculous. “Us? Nothing, we be the normal ones,” he said with a laugh.

  I could only nod and laugh along with the jovial prince.

  It wasn’t long before Orlik was announced in the room. Once again, everyone cheered the new King. At his side stood Lillia. I silently thanked the gods for her. She would be a good mate for my friend.

  It took some time before I found an opening to talk with Orlik. He quickly grabbed my arm and led me away from the group of dwarves that followed him.

  “Lee! Thank gods. These people won’t leave me be. Can’t even go to the privy in peace,” he grumbled.

  “Those days are gone, my friend,” I said with a smile.

  “They aren’t done yet!” he disagreed with a shake of his head. “We got business yet to complete. How soon can we leave for Spellion?”

  I shrugged. “That depends on you. You and Lillia.”