“Lord Benaga… you know you’re about to endure torture for the next three days and then you will appear in front of the council.” Floryas stated, gritting his teeth and shaking his head so that any loose tear that might dare to reveal its existence was forced back. He could believe everything she was saying, but the evidence was not there to defend her and unless the stone was recovered no one would know the truth of the matter. “If the council cannot conclude you will be imprisoned for the rest of your life… your sister is not old enough to take full responsibility for the household. Talon cannot be given that responsibility nor can your aunt… who do you choose as Damara’s protectorate?”
Exhausted though she was, clarity had come to Anouk regarding that matter and though she knew it might offend them all, least of all Yeruell, to hear her decision she found herself smiling. She was not afraid to be in prison, not afraid to die… she would pass over a martyr to the absolute loyalty and obedience of the Benaga as she knew that many of the lords would not be against her. Plus, despite the fact it pained her greatly to think of herself as anything beneath the other lords… she was an unmarried woman and as such the right of execution was not applicable when none could confirm that she was not still a virgin.
“Only one person can I truly believe in to protect Damara for the rest of her life – I choose Lord Karayan to guard my household and inherit my title if Damara does not produce a son within my lifetime. I will not make decisions on whether she should be married off now, that choice will fall to the Karayan to guard.”
“As you wish, Lord Benaga.” Lord Yeruell stated through clenched teeth before he turned around to leave. Lord Floryas bowed to Anouk upon the floor, gently pinched Heina’s shoulder in reassurance before following the speaker back up to the office. Once there they filled out the official document permitting such a thing on Anouk’s behalf and signed it as witnesses, adding Skabrat’s official stamp and Anouk’s whilst they were busy. It would then be up to Lord Yeruell to deliver the information to both parties; thankfully the evacuation procedures would mean that Damara was already packed and ready to leave although now she would not be permitted out of the kingdom without the Karayan’s consent. Yeruell did not wish to believe that Anouk was in her right mind with such a decision, but he could not deny her this final request when so many swords were dangling above her head.
Damara’s happy world had been shattered once again and she had barely been able to lift herself out of bed on the second day to face the reality of what was soon going to befall her sister. She did not of course understand the matter of the missing stone, or that Anouk was already undergoing torture but what had been done to the household was enough for Damara to weep and whimper for the rest of her life. In her mind it was all her fault…
…she had kissed Jarl, forced him away from his wife to dance with her and not dared to consider the consequences of it all. She was the one to blame for all of this!
“Damara… everything is packed to go to the Karayan now; the Dreggs have been handed over to the Royal Kennels so they’ll be alright, and you’ll have Bumble at the house to cuddle with. You know he’s going to take wonderful care of us all, so don’t be afraid.” Talon whispered to the wooden frame of the door, knowing very well that he could not force himself into the room and pull her up onto her feet as she might have done to Anouk in such a state. Even he was reeling from trying to stop the members of the police smashing old pots to look for Anouk’s weapon or some plan of her treachery. Every room had been trashed but the worst tragedy had been to the room that Damara had always been afraid of since she was a child that she had managed to rescue the journal from before the ink pot had been cast across the room and the bed pulled over.
“It sounds like she’s getting dressed Talon, do you want me to go in and do something?” Karani questioned nervously towards her friend. She felt just as guilty for everything as Damara had; it had been her insistence to sneak up onto the surface that had caused the initial chaos and yet she was also happy. Though she was prepared to go back to the orphanage to rest up or rent out a room elsewhere, the Benaga had counted her amongst their number and so thankfully had Yeruell. He’d instructed Karani that she’d been made Damara’s attendant which meant Karani could claim a title of “Attendant to the Lady Benaga” and lord it over all the old women working for the other nobles. It meant she had status and class and was no longer meaningless!
“I’m almost dressed… so Karayan called the Dreggling Bumble?” Damara could not help but smile at the thought of such a curious name to the creature. She was pleased at the kindness the Karayan was showing in his duty as whatever else had happened around the palace was being dealt with fast. She was pleased to see that everyone had accepted him in a pinch the moment he’d brought the stone to their eyes and Anouk had been right about it all along. As she managed to pull herself into a pair of black harem pants to keep her legs invisible amongst her robes, she almost forgot to tuck in her hair when she noticed something sitting calmly in Anouk’s changing room, staring at her.
Damara had only ever seen the object on special occasions and its value was immense, but she had a curious sensation that it had been left out for her particularly and went hand in hand with their grandfather’s journal. Tentatively she stepped over to the set of drawers and the great wardrobe of clothes her sister had barely touched, reminders of their domineering mother that had loved Damara so much more. When her eyes locked onto the pallid form of the soft, smooth shells she was quite sure that her sister would not want such a precious thing abandoned. Although Damara had never met her grandmother she had always been told by her aunt and uncle as well as her mother how similar the pair were. As Damara thought about the stories of what their grandmother had gone through, running away after someone she loved only to lose them to the wilderness above, she began to recall the curious similarity between her grandmother’s situation and Jarl’s. Perhaps it was something to hold on to, to think that her grandmother had then joined the Benaga household upon her return and loved her grandfather who had not stopped loving her.
If you put these hollow shells against your ear, you can catch the faintest sound of the wind roaring against the shores and the rolling waves of the sea…. Their mother had told her that and with the thought of those wonderful big shells that had once decorated the household when she’d been a child, Damara smiled. The shells had been burnt in the fire caused by her mad uncle, but these small little shells might still hold such a noise. Fingering their smooth lines delicately, Damara pushed them to her ear and closed her eyes slowly. No sound came to her of the sea however, instead she felt something clambering up her body with spider-like limbs grasping for the back of her head, trying to hold her.
In shock she dropped the band onto the counter top and chipped one of the white shells; swiftly she turned about to look for an intruder but there was no one present. With a horrible pain in her stomach she felt a need to vomit and rushed to the bathroom across the hall in front of Jarl and Karani. They watched her in shock, but they assumed it was a reaction to stress and then Karani stepped into the room where Damara had been resting. She picked up the seashell bracelet silently and the old worn journal so that Damara would not panic for forgetting the items. Then steadily she padded back to Talon and placed the items in the last satchel he held open for them before stepping over to Damara and stroking at her back gently as she coughed up her pain.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh… yes… yes I am.” Damara lied, trying hard not to remember the vision of the creature within the dark pit that had been coming for her. She did not know why touching the shells would have permitted her to feel that unsafe sensation, but it had faded now and she was not willing to give in to that fear again. She had been thinking about something forbidden, running away with Jarl and her sister and friends to get away from this place and that was why she had encouraged the dark sensation. Already Damara was quite sure that there were other infected or possessed beings within t
his kingdom and that perhaps; she had just managed to snap the door shut in time to stop the demonic whisperings that had taken them. “Uh… let’s get on to the Karayan; he’ll be upset if we don’t get to him before lunch.”
Of course, the Karayan was not upset whatever time they would choose to come to him, his mind was busy whirring away as he pulled through the mountain of statements and examinations of every nook and cranny along the pathway to the room of the stones. Every due diligence he could afford was put to the matter, but every inspection reminded him of two basic points. Firstly, Anouk was not responsible for the vanished stone and secondly, one of the other lords must be. Every lord had access to the palace and the stone chamber and would hardly be noticed by the Core or Watchers for strolling around, plus the elder lords were incredibly powerful when dealing with magic. With Lord Sheran’s help he’d managed to round up a list of possible culprits with the magic know-how and it only frustrated him more.
Top of the list was Lord Zehna, a being with unfiltered access to the stone and more magic ability then anyone but the king. For him, creating a spell that could mingle with the protective shield of Virenheim was easy, but he’d been in full view of the king throughout and unable to trick Otzell with a body double. But Zehna certainly had motive as his family rank had remained under the Benaga for the past twenty generations despite his efficiency and prowess in magic. Even if he only took the stone it would only be for a set up against Anouk and that would suit him fine.
The next culprit was Chroniison, the Head of the Gates who had access to nearly everything but did not know about the protection. His guards were routinely affected by demons and there was every chance that the slip ups of late were due to his meddling. Under his command the guards could feign sleep, knock out others, kill others and he had the most access to weapons to frame individuals. Chroniison was also close to the king and stood to gain if anything happened to Anouk. Although the Karayan had only been given the information by the king the other day, his new will meant Chroniison was to marry Damara at Otzell’s demise and their child to take the throne after pairing to any Anouk had. But if you took Anouk out of the picture then Damara would inherit the title and power… so would Chroniison.
The third and final culprit though was more mysterious and not a lord at all. His name was Leridan, a member of the watchers that had gained rank through magic ability despite being an orphan. He’d practically been raised by one of Anouk’s deceased great uncles and yet had never been officially granted position by the household. He was a tall, suspicious character at the best of times with a constant smile that was quite unhinged. He was ranked third in the Watchers, did not know about the stones and had been turned down as a potential suitor to both Anouk and Damara. His ability with invisible arts was impressive but he had never been to the surface and the only things to mark him out were his magic ability and distaste for the Benaga. Although, Droy had mentioned rumours that Leridan had been a psychotic murderer that Zehna had rescued from persecution through use of hypnosis that had curbed the violent tendencies. There were no full reports of the matter of course, but no one could account for his whereabouts at all.
But all of it was considered speculation by Floryas and the Karayan did not quite trust him either.
“General… I’m afraid you’ve got a visitor.” Martum gulped as he poked his head nervously into the large office with a grimace of fear. Although Higatso’s old office was less cluttered by ego-boosting icons or décor to make a man look proud, the Karayan had instead brought in several types of cave moss of bright shades to glow under crystal light. The office was no longer the representation of the Core’s leader so much as another room to work in, making it uncomfortably dominating for visitors.
The Karayan shifted from his thoughts to look through the dim light towards the door. He had already told Martum to settle the Benaga Household in, so he would not be disturbed, and he’d made other rules on visitors. With all statements gathered he had informed all staff he was to be left alone but this obviously was being ignored by the butler. With a grunt the Karayan noticed that Martum had already let the figure in and was being encouraged to leave by Saravona, who stood watching the Karayan calmly. He glowered at her, ready to scream at her to go away but she guessed the reaction and swiftly removed her clothing. The Karayan snarled at her, uninterested in her flesh as she sat calmly upon a wooden chair before him, but he was unwilling to just throw her out. She had guessed this noble streak existed and she remained sitting patiently as Martum closed the door in fear, she expected the eventual reaction of all the males to her invitation would occur soon enough. But the Karayan just gave a grunt in her direction, his eyes locked upon her own as if she were no different to any other person sitting in front of him.
“I’m in no mood to fornicate and if Molwesa has learnt anything of my kind, it is that we choose just one partner in soul before we come to this living world that we follow forever.” The Karayan sneered, hoping he could put Saravona off and encourage her to leave him but she did not. The Karayan was already starting to get frustrated by the sexist attitude of this kingdom and by their obsession with fertility. If they were not so afraid of the female reproductive system, then they would be swarming with offspring just like every other species! But he could clearly tell that not only was he forced for cultural reasons to drink milk once a season, but he may have to forgo vows of chastity just to prove he was a male. “Aren’t you embarrassed or at least scared? You don’t know what I look like naked… it might melt your eyeballs.”
“If aesthetics is an issue for the partner we perform in total darkness or blindfolded. My duty means I cannot keep anything so why be embarrassed when I do not own my shame?” Saravona stated in that deep voice that still irked the Karayan’s body to shudder. He was not going to give in to the games of the head healer but Saravona knew her duty would take time and she would need the Karayan to have trust in her. She trusted him explicitly for what he was and what he had done for them all, she wanted to be of interest to him because of his mysterious qualities and the gentility he showed… it interested her. “Our purpose is not purely for sex, Karayan. We provide healthcare, counselling, companionship and guidance to meditation and stress relief. Our presence alone with a being does require I bear my body in ultimate humility for Nabuto’s sake though. Perhaps you would simply like to talk? I do not repeat information and I do not give lectures or advice unless it is asked of me.”
“I see.” The Karayan growled gently but he knew he was not going to get rid of her without some kind of conversation over something! In truth though she was the perfect sound board to his troubling thoughts, it was likely she’d report it back to Molwesa anyway. As he slouched back into the great stone throne he breathed a sigh of frustration and then gave a snort. “Then tell me what you would think in this situation, as you’re a native here… a woman is killed violently by a blade like that of a famous person. There is no witness to say this lord killed the woman, the only evidence is the weapon description and that they had passed through there already. But whoever killed the woman then attacked guards and disrupted the sense of time long enough to take a stone. All this time the chosen suspect had managed to walk home and hide the body and then reveal it in time to be seen… which makes no sense. If there is no physical way this can be the work of the same person… why arrest them?”
“No physical way perhaps but demonic influence can account for it. Possessions can convince a figure they were innocent and away from the scene even if they were seen by a multitude. In the case of Lord Benaga, her previous demonic encounter ensured a possibly sexual act that would permit possession… even a dormant one.” Saravona stated quite calmly and carefully as she could sense that the Karayan was tensing up in preparation to argue with her. But she knew the reason easily enough and why everyone was sure Anouk might be involved. “It is said she made a deal for the stones years ago and that the act she performed was the incitement. Before demons have done similar to ot
her races to trick them, they have possessed them this way and it is a fear that the demon possessed her to steal any new stone. So, they must make an example of her as they should have before when she was only a child and performed not only an illegal act but a sacrilegious one too. Even if it is only to distract people away from the truth that another could be possessed.”
“Then you know she’s innocent and so does everyone else… they won’t let her go until the enemy shows itself.” The Karayan snarled and then hissed in frustration. “They faked the weapon, Kirlia was killed before Anouk or Yeruell had even passed through there and the guards were told by Zehna what to say and do… the enemy killed Kirlia for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and Anouk is being punished so the biggest threat is out of the way and it’s willing to show itself. Why would they do that?”
“It’s not the first time – when they thought Scaropan was working to raise an army they insisted Lady Benaga have an affair with him to get the truth. When she did so they tried to trap him, but he escaped. Because he knew Aguilera was the traitor, the council knew he would attack her and the children, rather than attack any of the other people. In giving him a clear target he was dispatched in a private matter that would not arouse suspicion amongst his followers. Then, knowing Anouk would be crazed enough to hunt each one down when healed, Molwesa told her what was done, and Anouk found every traitor and executed them as per council ruling.” It was not good for her to reveal so very much of the situation, but Saravona knew that if the saviour here was obsessed on the fate of Anouk then he would not be able to save them as he surely must. “Anouk will guess it soon enough and she will prepare to be released in a torrent of fury and blood when the culprit is identified… unless you find him first my lord.”
Traitor to the King: A Tale of the Benaga Sisters Page 33
