Eric summed up the previous conversation with Prince Dravo, and when finished, it prompted King Sondin to remark, “Beware of dark elves who talk of peace.”
“We could say the same of humans, Your Majesty,” replied Dravo. “I was not part of the forces that conquered your kingdom.”
“No, but you are there keeping it under elven control.”
“It was that or come to Thiat, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be responsible for my presence here.” He smiled as if trying to show he wasn’t serious.
“Enough bickering,” snapped King Varrun. “We have an elf who would be king, and king who has no kingdom, and a king who has no power. Why not enter into an agreement? It is as worthless as an empty wine goblet.” He belched for emphasis and held out his empty cup for a page boy to refill.
“With apologies, Your Majesty,” began Othor, “but I have the authority, as does King Sondin. But any agreement should be invalid until and unless Prince Dravo is successful. This means assuming the throne of Kiarven, releasing the Aker prisoners, and withdrawing troops at once.”
Eric didn’t particularly like King Varrun, but his bluntness could be useful. The king saw past bullshit with ease. Maybe he was more useful than expected. “There are a few more items we need to discuss. For starters, how did he and the princess get here?”
As if expecting that, Prince Dravo conceded, “There is an old portal deep beneath this city,” he began, the statement causing a murmur of alarm from the guards present. “These lands once belonged to my kin, and what you likely do not remember, as your lives are far shorter, is that this city is built over the ruins of several previous cities, most of them human, but the oldest is elven.”
“And how do you come to know such a thing, about this portal?” asked a snide King Varrun. “You just happen to know this now?”
“I have been aware for decades, Your Majesty, but I believe few know of it, or remember, or consider the knowledge useful, because the other side of the portal is in an abandoned area of Avaran in Kiarven. There has been little reason to use it, though I have before my banishment, mostly out of curiosity. It is how I knew the layout of this palace and could get in undetected.”
“We need to find this portal and destroy it,” King Varrun suggested, glaring. He seemed ready to say more when the dark elf spoke.
“On the contrary, Your Majesty,” began Prince Dravo, “is it important to this mission. The Ellorians and I can travel to Kiarven and use this to both rescue the hostages and deal with King Erods.”
King Varrun snorted. “Fine. Then we will destroy it.”
“As you wish, but I think it would be more beneficial to guard it on both ends and use it to maintain our peaceful relations.”
King Varrun frowned and then took a long draught from his goblet.
“What of your sister?” asked King Sondin, eyeing her with what Eric thought was appreciation. His eyes had returned to her again and again. “Why is Princess Liera here?”
The prince began, “I did not expect you to trust me, so–”
“Wise decision,” interrupted King Varrun, leaning forward for emphasis.
“So I have brought her as a hostage.”
Liera swiftly turned to him. “Brother!”
Eric heard genuine shock in her voice and wondered what Dravo had told her about the reason for her presence. That he had lied to her was apparent. How were they to trust him? Then he realized that maybe she would have been in danger in Kiarven had he left her and been discovered. He wasn’t going to speculate about that aloud again to avoid handing the dark elf lies.
“Fear not, dear sister.”
“How can you say that?”
“Andier has promised your safety.” His gaze went to Eric, who nodded.
“No harm is to come to Princess Liera,” announced Ryan in a commanding voice, taking his cue. Eric met his gaze in approval. People expected more honor from Lord Korrin, the Pride of Andor, than Andier, the Silver-Tongued Rogue. “She is under the protection of the Ellorian Champions.”
King Varrun sighed. “Fine. We will accept your hostage.”
“With respect, Your Majesty,” began Prince Dravo, turning to King Sondin, “she is a hostage for Kingdom Aker, not Thiat.”
King Sondin arched an eyebrow but nodded. “All disputes are between Aker and Kiarven. We must rebuild that relationship. What do we gain from having this hostage?”
“Hopefully some trust, Your Majesty. My sister is very important to me. I would not risk her safety. I need the Ellorians to accompany me to deal with my king or all of this is for nothing.”
Anna spoke up. “He is trying to assure us that this is not a trap.”
Dravo nodded to her as Eric frowned about her helping the prince’s story be convincing. He might have to have a talk with her about making that sort of remark. Dravo met her gaze and said, “The Lady Eriana is correct.”
“I don’t feel reassured,” Matt remarked, scowling. “You tried to kill us.”
The prince looked him in the eye. “And you tried to kill me and killed many of my men. And this has brought us the opportunity we now have.”
“What is your plan, exactly?” Eric asked, having already been over Matt’s argument with him. “We go with you through this portal to Kiarven. And then what?”
“I do not need your help in reaching King Erods, and I could have killed him before now, but it would have cost me my life and been pointless. I can get to him alone but am then defenseless against all those loyal to him. I cannot possibly fight them off alone. What I need from you is protection until my forces can reach me.”
“Where are they?”
“My forces are outside Avaran, where King Erods is. He summoned me to discuss a role I might play in further conquest. Once I am in power and call them to me, and I have their protection, you can leave back through the portal to here.”
Eric said, “I assume they will meet resistance getting from where they are to you.”
Prince Dravo turned to Matt. “I hope Soliander will resolve this. Perhaps an illusion to make the guards believe it is at the request of King Erods rather than myself.”
Matt seemed to consider that. “I might be able to do that.”
“All of my men cannot get to me without arousing suspicion, so I will need the most important of them. There are also dark elves loyal to me there, and I can summon them as well.”
Eric surmised aloud, “You would have our help to take the throne first, then freeing the hostages?”
“Yes, because once I am king, I can order their freedom. If we free the hostages first, we must break into the prison, free them, get them through the portal, and then return to deal with the king. It will be impossible to reach him by then.”
“How many hostages are we talking about?”
“Twenty-three.”
“I don’t like it,” said Anna, her arms crossed. “We would find ourselves surrounded by the dark elves. What’s stopping us from becoming four new hostages?”
“Good question,” agreed Matt, frowning.
“My sister,” Prince Dravo said.
“Sorry, but that’s not enough,” replied Anna. “We are considered a great prize in many places, and there are many who would think nothing of trading in a hostage for the Ellorian Champions. Dark elves do not have a good reputation for honor. For all we know, you are willing to sacrifice your sister for us.”
“She’s right,” Eric agreed. “I want the hostages freed first. This way, even if we fail in dealing with King Erods, we have allowed the armies who want to reclaim Aker the opportunity to do so without fear of the hostages being killed.”
Ryan observed, “Yeah, because getting you the throne only helps you with your goal. Our quest is to restore King Sondin in Aker, not a dark elf to the throne of Kiarven.”
Prince Dravo didn’t look pleased. “My price for freeing the hostages is helping me take the throne.”
Eric stated, “It will have to be in the order we c
hoose. Do you accept?”
The dark elf sighed and considered this. Eric could tell he was thinking, hopefully how it could be achieved, not how to betray them. Not for the first time, he wondered about that Mind Trust spell of Soliander’s. Maybe now was a good time to use it. Was it wrong considering that being deceived might cost them their lives? Was it better to be honorable and dead or dishonorable and alive? He didn’t know and wanted to ask their opinions about it.
Prince Dravo finally said, “I accept your terms. I propose we free the hostages tonight. No one checks on them when they are supposed to be asleep.”
He was probably right. Eric observed, “We cannot remain on Eridos indefinitely. We need a faster way to restore King Sondin to Aker than letting troops slowly withdraw. I’m not saying your plan isn’t sound, but your control of Kiarven or the army will not happen overnight. Would capturing King Erods, rather than killing him, make the forces capitulate more quickly? He would be a hostage of Aker or Thiat.”
Prince Dravo considered and replied, “Yes, but we should do the same with his son, Prince Kammer. He is in control of Aker and the army. With both in custody and to be on trial for war crimes, change happens sooner.”
Ryan asked, “So where is Prince Kammer? Somewhere in Aker? And how do we get him to Kiarven?”
After a moment, Prince Dravo smiled. “I think I know how.”
Chapter 15 – Kingmakers
“I don’t agree with this,” said Anna. “I will not be a part of it.” She turned and strode out of the small meeting room.
Matt exchanged a knowing look with Eric but tried to not let on too much that this was what they wanted. Ryan went after her, his golden armor as quiet as ever as his feet thudded across the floor and out the door, which Eric closed behind him. This was a bonus, as the knight wasn’t in on the plan either. It had been hours since the meeting with the kings, everyone having rested for their after-midnight mission to Kiarven. Now it was nearly time to go.
Now the wizard and rogue stood alone, the unrestrained Prince Dravo in a chair before them in the room’s center, palms on his thighs and feet planted on the floor. The dark elf wore his sword once more. A podium stood near, with one of Soliander’s spell books—the one with silver lettering on the black leather cover—spread open on it. Matt had already examined its pages in view of the others.
“Perhaps I erred in thinking you honorable,” the dark elf remarked to Eric, who flashed an insincere smile.
“You heard our argument with Eriana, so you know what I think. Soliander, too. And we are asking your permission. There’s a difference.”
Dravo smirked. “I think that point was lost on the Lady Eriana.”
“She also left before you agreed,” observed Matt, pretending to look over the spell.
“I still have not agreed. It is not reassuring that the two most known for their honor have left in protest.”
Eric observed, “Korrin only left to appeal to Eriana, not to protest.”
“Ah, yes. Well, there’s little sense in getting technical, I suppose.”
“Listen,” began Eric calmly, “you know time is short. While we appreciate the steps you’ve taken to gain our trust, I’m sure you understand it is not quite enough.”
“I do not argue this. But what you propose is as invasive as the Lady Hope suggested. I am to be a king and yet you would have access to everything I know.”
Eric remarked, “If you don’t agree, you may not become a king at all, making your knowledge as useless as it is now.”
Prince Dravo laughed. “Your silver tongue needs a little polish, my friend. Is there a way to limit what this spell probes?”
Matt said, “Not really. However, you can assist me by picturing the relevant subjects. The path to the portal below us here, how it works, what is on the other side, the prison where the hostages are, the place where the king is likely to be, and where your forces are outside the city. I will be able to tell if you are hiding something about it.”
He wasn’t sure if that was technically true. He had never cast the Mind Trust spell on anyone before and wasn’t even sure how he would control what he saw. It was one reason he just said all of that, to get Dravo to help him without realizing it. A cooperative subject would likely make it easier the first time.
The thought made memories of Soliander doing it to other people besides him suddenly come to mind and he stood still for a moment, sorting through images, impressions, and feelings. The emotions were part of it, he now knew. This was how he could tell the subject was hiding something. Otherwise, getting what he wanted just seemed a question of searching through memories of events or time periods that were likely to produce them. The spell worked like putting a thought into someone’s head, as if they were reminded of a subject Matt sought, unwittingly leading him right to it. Matt wondered if this knowledge would make it easier to resist someone doing it to him.
The idea gave him pause. He knew just how wrong this spell was, but that was why they wanted Dravo’s cooperation. That, and making it easier on Matt. He and Eric had discussed the plan, which had included convincing Anna and maybe Ryan that they were going to do it whether or not the prince agreed. It was necessary. If Dravo agreed, they would not cast it, because the agreement would strongly suggest he wasn’t hiding something. But if he refused, that likely meant the opposite, though there were plenty of reasons to say no. Still, a “yes” spoke volumes. The plan was Eric’s, of course. Matt often wished he was half as wily as his friend.
“I have your promise,” began Prince Dravo, staring into the wizard’s eyes, “that you will seek only this?”
Matt stared back and tried to project reassurance, the dark elf’s red eyes creeping him out a little. “You have my word. I seek nothing more. I won’t have time for it anyway. The spell can last a long time, but I anticipate being done in just minutes, especially with your cooperation. You know we must do this raid on the prison tonight.”
This was especially important because of Dravo himself. His absence might have already been noted, but according to him, he had left guidance for the trusted few who had been allowed into the city with him and were staying in his quarters. If anyone asked, the prince was entertaining a young woman and was not to be disturbed. Like the rest of his family, his sister had been kept close to the Avaran castle in a virtual imprisonment. Her accommodations had not been far from Dravo’s. No one would look for her, in theory, but she was to be reported as unwell, if so.
Holding his gaze, Prince Dravo said, “I will accept.”
Matt made a show of consulting the spell book one last time and approaching the dark elf, even putting the fingertips of one hand on his forehead. “Closing your eyes will help.” Dravo complied and Matt stood still a few moments, looking to Eric, who nodded in satisfaction, so Matt stepped back. The elf opened his eyes in confusion.
“Thank you, Prince Dravo,” said Eric. “We didn’t need to actually cast it, though it would certainly help us. We only needed to trust you, and now we feel like we can.”
Dravo turned to him with a pleased smile and direct gaze. “Well done, Andier. I trust you more for this as well, since you did not go through with it. I imagine the Lady Eriana was not aware of your ruse? I suspect she will forgive but not be as pleased as I.”
“Our reputations have their advantages.”
“Indeed.”
When told of the ploy, Anna alternated between relief, exasperation, and acknowledgment that it was a brilliant idea. She seemed a little grumpy about it as the group made their way to the portal far below the city. They first left the castle with a score of guards accompanying them as an initial force to permanently guard the magic doorway—until or unless it was destroyed later. With over twenty prisoners expected to be coming back through it, several maids and healers were also coming. Dravo had reported that the dark elves kept most of the royals in poor conditions on purpose, and while they were alive, their needs were not exactly attended to. This included poor feeding
, which had resulted in two sacks of food also being carried down to give the rescued more energy for the climb back to the surface. Two wizards, one of Thiat and one of Aker, were joining them, both under Matt’s direction. The result was nearly forty people in the group.
The darkness provided little opportunity to see anything of the city as they walked across an empty square, where various seemingly temporary shacks stood, each closed up for the night, wooden signs indicating food or drink were sold there. Stone buildings that reminded him of an “old town” in Europe flanked the courtyard. He didn’t see a moon. The night air smelled and felt like spring, making Matt wish he knew more about this world, from how many hours in a day there were, or days in a week, to which continent they were on. He knew from the map that they had seen that they were in the southern hemisphere. They needed to start asking about these things, but it was hard when more important details were thrust before them.
Prince Dravo led them a few blocks away through empty, narrow streets, the group moving quietly, but not enough to prevent curious citizens from sticking their heads out of windows to silently watch the procession go. A few saw the dark elf and cursed, one even throwing a piece of bread that missed. The group passed under a stone bridge between two hills, a doorway in the base of one, and this is where the elf led them, two guards remaining behind. Matt brought light forth from the staff, others bringing their burning torches, as they descended steps and into the cellar of a building. From there, a hidden door led into a roughly cut stone stairway leading down through earth and stone. It wasn’t the most secure tunnel, but neither did it look like a collapse was imminent. Within minutes they had reached a level floor of dry earth, a puddle to one side of a room too small for all of them. Three hallways disappeared into darkness from it.
The Light Bringer: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Novel (The Dragon Gate Series Book 2) Page 28