Raven wondered where along the path of honor had the king lost his way. Where had his father turned aside to follow lies instead of truth? What terrified Raven was that any man, even a good one like his father or himself could leave the path of honor, could stumble over a lie and fall off that very narrow line with truth on one side and deceit on the other and plunge headlong to destruction dragging others with him as he fell. It was a fine line, a very fine line in deed, one he prayed he would never cross.
“That day,” Raven said reflecting, “the day of the battle when I was covered in the blood of the enemy, I could not help but think of the blood of all the innocent people who died because of your false assumption. I almost struck you down myself that day, but I hoped you would see their blood was upon your head and change your ways. Do you see, Father, Edward died because of the lie you believed!”
The king spoke, his voice low and subdued, “I did not want any innocent people to die, only the Crestlaws. I never dreamed Edward would die or so many people would be killed, but the Crestlaws needed to be dealt with.”
“Why did you not call a council of the dukes and present the evidence you had of the Crestlaw’s treason instead of going to war, instead of trying assassination?”
The king sat silent, having nothing to say.
“That is right,” Raven said. “You would not call a council because you had no proof! Let me tell you what I saw in the Crestlaws. I saw a family fight for all they were worth to save Edward, and they almost lost their lives in doing so. I saw them wail and cry when they failed, for they live for one thing and that is to serve and protect the Kallestor family with their lives forever. That is their pledge. I saw a family lead a charge to save me that same day, willing to give up their lives so another Kallestor would not come to harm. I see a young man who loves the king’s daughter with all his heart and would die to protect her, who saved her life once and my own as well. If this is evidence of treason, then may God not permit me to live if I cannot see a truth as plain as this.”
The king clapped his hands together slowly in mock applause, “Nice speech, Raven, nice speech. But you are young and foolish. You cannot read men’s hearts like I can. The Crestlaws will not stop until they have the throne.”
Now Raven was getting angry and said. “They deserve the throne more than our family, and if I get the chance, I will give it to them. For they are more honorable and worthy than you!”
“What?” the king yelled, “you are a traitor to your family. You admit you wanted to kill me the day of the battle. I should bring you before the Council of dukes.”
Raven, now calm once again, gently replied, “You will have your chance, Father. I have sent word already to call a council. They will all be here tomorrow and then I will tell them everything. I should have done this before everything got out of control. I cannot allow you to spill another drop of innocent blood upon our soil. So now the dukes will decide what to do with you.”
The king turned pale, slumped back in his chair and was silent. Raven turned around and went back into the secret passage, closed the door to the king’s council chamber behind him and started to head for his room, but decided to go to the weapons room instead.
Lorriel and Jerddin rode hard and fast for Crestlaw Castle. Every time Jerddin slowed a little, Lorriel would pass him and challenge him to keep up.
Finally, Jerddin yelled forcefully at Lorriel, “If we do not walk the horses some, we may not make it there at all. Would you want that?”
Lorriel finally saw the sense in walking and riding alternately and listened to Jerddin.
“I will get you there as fast as the horses will allow,” Jerddin promised.
It seemed to take forever before the small town that surrounded Crestlaw Castle came into view. They did not slow at all but rode at a fast pace through the town and into the castle courtyard. This caused quite a stir, especially so close to the recent war. Shouts went up everywhere in the courtyard and castle, and before Lorriel could dismount she was surrounded by guards. At that moment, Andrew and Sauron burst out of the castle armed and ready for battle, save a few missing articles of clothing. When Andrew saw Lorriel, he knew something was wrong.
“I have to speak to you and Sauron in private, right away!” Lorriel said.
She was escorted quickly into the castle with Jerddin in pursuit not far behind. When the four of them were in a private room, Lorriel began, “There is an assassin coming here to kill Andrew. Andrew must go to the Prescott dukeship immediately.”
“Now just a minute,” Andrew said, “I am not going anywhere. I can deal with an assassin.”
“No,” Lorriel said sternly, “all of this comes from Prince Raven. He told me to tell you not to argue with his plans.”
Now Sauron took over, “If Prince Raven commands this, we will do as he says. Now what is his bidding?”
Lorriel was calmer now and started again, “All the dukes are to be summoned to come tomorrow to the king’s castle on an emergency. You are to send letters immediately to Duke Rollins and Duke Zandel by your fastest couriers. Andrew is to go himself and inform the Prescotts. Then he is to go with Duke Prescott and meet you tomorrow at the king’s castle.”
Lorriel looked at Andrew, “Go now, please, and get ready for the the long trip. Sauron will handle the rest here.”
Sauron motioned with his head for Andrew to do as he was bidden, and Andrew reluctantly left.
Lorriel began once again to Sauron, “The assassin’s name is Allterus. He has brown hair, green eyes, rides a roan with an outlander’s saddle, and has a very pronounced scar on his right forearm.” Lorriel thought for a moment and said, “I believe that is the full description Raven gave me.” And then she added, “Oh yes, he is a weapons master and very good, so be careful. Prince Raven also said Jerddin is faithful and will help you with the assassin.”
Jerddin then spoke, “I have traced the weapon that was used in the attempt on your son’s life during the summer feast to this man. I would very much like to help.”
Sauron nodded and looked at Lorriel, “Is there anything else?”
“No,” Lorriel said, “that is all. I would like to go with Andrew but I fear I would slow him down. I am very tired. I will stay here and return with you tomorrow after you deal with the assassin.”
“Come then,” Sauron spoke to Jerddin. “We have couriers to send out and strategy to plan.”
As they were leaving, Andrew came in, now ready for the hard ride to the Prescotts. Lorriel hugged him and told him to be careful riding at night and to be sure he did not run into the assassin by accident.
“I will see you tomorrow,” she said and kissed him goodbye.
Andrew left and mounted his horse with another one in tow. He would switch mounts back and forth to give them rest on the long fast ride south. He knew he would not be there until morning and did not fear running into the assassin, for he would travel close to the edge of the valley cliffs to the Prescotts. The assassin would probably come the normal route closer to the Halfstaff.
Sauron finished the letters and sealed them with his signet ring, delivering them to the couriers. He charged them to head directly west and cross the river just below the falls. He emphasized this especially to the rider who would head south to the Zandels. He wanted him on the other side of the river before he headed south, even if it was a little farther, so there would be no chance of running into the assassin. The couriers headed east, and the one going south took two horses like Andrew did for the long trip.
Sauron, now finished with the most urgent business, tended to Lorriel’s needs by informing his wife of her arrival and the need to spend the night.
After that was finished, he turned to Jerddin and said, “Now let’s talk about how to deal with an assassin.”
Raven entered the weapons room, lit some of the torches on the wall and walked around thinking of the ancients and their codes of honor. Was he doing the right thing? What if his
exposing his father destroyed the kingdom as it might well do? Raven was frustrated. His beloved brother Edward dead and the king out of control. How did this all happen so quickly? He should have seen it coming and prevented it all. But one of the limitations of mortal man is his vision. The future is obscure, while his vision of the past is acutely clear.
As Raven was thinking, he looked to where the Kallestor armor had hung on the wall. Where the shield had been, the old Kallestor coat of arms was carved in the wall. Raven walked over and felt the coat of arms, and there was the same pronounced apple like the one in the apple tree at Crestlaw Castle. He pushed it and the family crest swung open to reveal a small storage area in the wall. Inside were two items: an ancient note that Raven at first feared to touch for its age, and a chain and pendant with a rose colored stone in the center. Raven looked at the pendant carefully. It was made of the same durable metal as the other things he had found, with gold inlaid around the edges of the rose colored stone. There was nothing remarkable about the stone so Raven put it back. The note was more durable than it looked, like everything the ancients made. He removed it from its compartment and read:
“We fled the enemy of our first home, and took with us the sacred stones, that would protect if he should find, to where in time we did fly, and the stones if used the proper way, will send him back to his own day.”
The note made no sense at all to Raven, but there was mention of stones plural. He put the note back in its compartment with the pendant and closed it back the way it had been. He then went to the Brickens' shield, removed it and found the catch in the Brickens' crest that opened up the compartment behind the crest. Inside was the same note and pendant, only the stone was a different color, this one was sky blue. He started to close the compartment when he saw something under the note. Raven lifted it and there was a ring just like his with the Brickens' crest. Raven went from crest to crest opening the compartments and seeing the same except for a ring in each, only with different colored stones. Raven left all the stones where they were with their notes and made sure every compartment was closed.
The dukes and the king had been almost equal in the beginning of the kingdom, thought Raven. The armor and stones tell it so. Somehow the king has been elevated over time to a higher position. In order to restore the kingdom to the place it should be, the dukes had to be elevated closer to the king in position and authority. Someday I will try to see that take place.
Raven left the weapons room and headed back to his own. He would try to get some sleep, for tomorrow would not be a pleasant day.
Sauron Crestlaw and Jerddin set their plan in motion at the breaking of the day. They went down into the little village and set up their stations by the main entrance to watch for Allterus to arrive. Sauron had said to Jerddin that he wanted to confront the assassin alone, and Jerddin was to blend into the morning crowd and wait. Jerddin agreed to this because they did not want to spook the assassin into fleeing. And if Sauron needed help, then Jerddin could come to his aid.
Allterus left the king’s castle and rode directly out of the gate to where the oak tree was that the king had mentioned. If there was no gold there, then he would just leave this little picture perfect kingdom.
Allterus smiled to himself, the king wanting to assassinate some competition showed not all was as perfect as it seemed since he had arrived. In fact, if he had not received this job from the king he would have left always wondering if human nature operated differently here in Glenfair than in the rest of the world. He delighted in this conspiracy because it proved Glenfair was not perfect. This made him feel better about his own ruined soul. He found the gold just as the king had said, a lot more than he believed would be there, and now he could retire in style. In fact, it filled his saddle bags with quite a bit of weight. Thinking of the trip he had already taken with his horse and the weight he had in the bags, he decided to ride up the lake a ways and camp for the night. No use tiring his horse and himself for the job the next day. As he lay down that night, the thought of retirement occupied his mind before he finally slept.
Sauron watched the gate early that morning with Jerddin somewhere in the background. He did not have to wait long before a man riding a roan with an outlander’s saddle came in the main entrance to the village. Sauron was certain this was the man, but he wanted to make sure. The man dismounted and looked around, saw some stables and started to head for them. That was where Sauron intercepted him. As Sauron approached, he looked at the man’s right forearm. There was the bold scar Lorriel had described to him.
Sauron stopped right in the man’s path and said, “May I help you?”
Allterus did not want any help. His mission required stealth, and he did not want to be noticed. But something in this man made his senses tingle. So instead of ignoring the man and walking on, he stopped and looked at him.
Sauron spoke again in a voice of steel, “I know who you are, Allterus, and I know you have come to kill my son, Andrew.” Their eyes locked for a moment, each knowing what this meant. Sauron grabbed the hilt of his sword, while Allterus drew a long knife that came free much faster than Sauron’s sword. Before Sauron had his sword completely drawn, Allterus thrust the knife into his stomach. Jerddin saw this take place so quickly he was not able to do anything about it. Allterus thrust the knife in and tried to twist it higher and thrust it upward into Sauron’s heart, but the knife was slow in responding.
This man must have the toughest stomach muscle he had ever encountered, thought Allterus, as he struggled in vain to move the knife. It was the last thought Allterus had, for at that moment Sauron had his sword out and brought it around and into the neck of Allterus.
Jerddin was running to Sauron’s aid when he saw Sauron strike the assassin down. Now Sauron stood alone with a knife stuck in his stomach. He grabbed the knife and with great effort pulled it free, but there was no blood on the knife. Jerddin was quite distressed until he saw no blood. Now he was perplexed. Sauron smiled and pulled his shirt open and removed a padded leather and wood guard that covered his stomach and ribs. He tossed it to Jerddin who still had his mouth open in astonishment. Jerddin examined it and smiled. A knife would go in a ways and get stuck in the wood but would not penetrate beyond that. A small crowd was gathering so Sauron commanded some of his men to bury the body.
As they carried off the body, Jerddin looked at Sauron and said, “This stomach protection gave you quite an advantage, did it not?”
Sauron smiled and said in return, “It is not shameful for a man to take every advantage he can against an assassin. If I had not, I would be dead. It was the only way I could think of to confront him without letting him escape. If I were too far away, he would have fled before I could kill him, and I knew he would be faster than I when we drew arms so close. As I drew my sword, my forearm protected my upper chest and throat but left my stomach unguarded. It gave Allterus a perfect opportunity to kill me that way and escape.”
Jerddin looked at Sauron in a new light. Shrewd old duke, he thought. No wonder Prince Raven had sent Andrew away and left his father to deal with the assassin. He must have known Sauron would take no chances.
This shed light on the fact that Prince Raven knew people and could see their ability much better than he could. Sauron walked over to Allterus’ horse and looked into the saddle bags. There was the price of his son’s head, so much gold. It could have only come from one source, Sauron thought sadly.
He took the bags and told Jerddin, “In an hour we leave to go to the king’s castle.”
Raven did not go down for breakfast. He did not feel like eating. It was still hard to think about what would happen when all the dukes arrived. Added to that pressure was the fact that the dukes would not arrive at the same time. They would have to wait, wondering what this was all about until the full council was present. Raven did not specify that only the ruling duke should attend. He had left it up to each duke to decide whether to bring his son with him or not. Most likely, R
aven guessed, each duke would bring their eldest son with them in such a political matter so they could learn from the experience. Also, since nothing was said concerning the content of the summons, they may fear a war council again.
Yes, Raven thought, this concerns the sons as well and they should be here.
Raven went down to the great hall and there was no one but the servants present. He was grateful for he did not wish to see his father just yet, so Raven went out onto the porch that overlooked the courtyard and waited. He hoped that Rebekka would come with Duke Prescott, although he was not sure she would. Duke Prescott had a son but he was still too young to attend any meetings yet. Rebekka was his oldest child followed by two more daughters. The whole kingdom had sighed relief a few years ago when Duke Prescott finally had a son.
Raven was shaken out of his thoughts by some one calling his name. It was the king’s personal servant.
“Prince Raven,” the servant said, “no one has seen your father this morning or Princess Lorriel.”
The servant waited for Raven to help unravel this mystery for him. Truly the servant was perplexed.
“Lorriel,” Raven replied, “has gone north with Jerddin to the Crestlaws. She will return today with them for I have summoned them to the castle.”
“How,” the servant replied, “did Jerddin and Princess Lorriel leave the castle? None of the palace guards saw her leave.”
“Out another way,” was all Raven offered by way of explanation, and the servant did not press further. “You have checked the king’s bed chamber and the other quarters?”
The King's Folly Page 21
