Medley of Treason

by Elskidor Xell

  "We have a treaty. Offedius would not break it regardless of this civil war unless by chance I died or the unity between Laella and I was broken," Albatros confirmed.

  "How long then?" Laella asked again.

  "I want to finish my stay here and spend time with Luminear and Bella. That may sound absurd considering the situation, but if something happens and I die, I want to spend as much time as I can with them. After this week, I'll ride back. I can make it back in a week and a half if I rush. I'll report to Laelliandir by his safest route of message exchange. I could even work with some of your men and women inside of Magwhen," Lonewolf suggested which brought a smug smile to Laelliandir's face as he shook his head.

  "Not a chance. I give up no names of my people, the loyalists, rebels, or any connecting member of the Javalla family involved. You could not torture me for their names."

  "All right then, you choose how we safely message each other. I'll tell you when everything is ready. I have to create evidence on the whereabouts of the rebels for the Overlords to believe me and then get their approval for an all-out invasion. Southeast is my thought, and once they depart, you can send yours in from the southwest. They'll never even get wind of each other's passing. Four months tops."

  "This is risky," Laella said aloud.

  "Riskier is to do nothing. I agree with Albatros," replied Laelliandir.

  "I agree, but I don't like it," retorted Lady Laella.

  "What do you plan to do?" asked Lonewolf.

  "We are in. We'll report back and forth over the next two months. No more than is absolutely necessary. You inform us once the Novanian troops are sent out, and I'll cover the rest," Laelliandir announced, as he looked to Laella for approval.

  "What about your spies and your people up north?" Lonewolf questioned, still hoping to get a clue as to where they were stationed.

  "Not important, Tom," Laelliandir said with a smirk to Lonewolf. "You cover your end of the bargain, and I'll cover mine. You figure a way to make sure my uncle is not with the Novanian horde marching southwest. I want to put the traitor in chains myself. Other than that, we have a deal." Lonewolf forced himself to smile. He did not like knowing how Laelliandir's inside loyalists would handle matters, but perhaps this was as good as he could hope for. He still had his life, so as far as he was concerned, his secret agenda in Garroth of Gargurthian had been a success.

  "All right then. How about celebratory drinks?" Lonewolf asked.

  "I'd rather spend the rest of my day in church," Laella said. "We should all do a fair amount of praying for this to work."

  "Aye, makes sense I guess, but what happens if everyone in Nova is praying for the rebels to be brought down and everyone here is praying for the Novanians to fall? Who wins then? Does Xio just close his eyes and shuffle up the prayers and pick one to side with?" Lonewolf needed to cease the religious humor in a highly devout country. Laella and Laelliandir looked at Lonewolf in utter disgust while Albatros laughed silently to himself.

  "I hope you return home, wherever that is, and out of our lands when this is all over. You're hopeless," said Laelliandir. Laella rose to her feet and looked to the door to depart.

  "Or you can stay. There are old unpracticed laws against people who defy or mock Xio that I will happily put back into place just for you." Laella pointedly nodded at Lonewolf. To the others, she said in a much milder tone, "Thank you for your time. I am off for lunch. Albatros, Laelliandir, you are welcome to join me." The Lady of Garroth walked to the door while Laelliandir rose to his feet next.

  "I'll see you around." Laelliandir gave Lonewolf an icy glare as he walked past him to join his mother. After the two left the room, Albatros also stood.

  "Do what is right. Don't be lost." Albatros said before he too joined Laella and Laelliandir, leaving Lonewolf alone in the dim-lit room stirring in his thoughts.

  "Lost? I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am." Lonewolf thought to himself, angered by Albatros' words.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Exordium of the

  Sovereign Innovation

  T he week came and went. All too soon, Lonewolf would head back to Magwhen where he would plant the seeds for an inevitable, fateful, and chaotic event. Little more was discussed concerning the clandestine scheme between Lonewolf, Laelliandir, Laella and Albatros, but Laelliandir sent notice to his loyalists, distant relations and leaders within the resistance to prepare for something big, although he said not what, at least at first. Once Lonewolf left, Laelliandir intended to create a solid strategy, but he wanted a few days to ruminate, and would not be comfortable devising such a plan while Lonewolf visited. Partner or not, he did not trust the man enough to share the details of his strategies.

  Lonewolf did not have to be privy to all the details of Laelliandir’s plans to be confident. After all, he was quite sure of himself and he prided himself on his ability to read people. Laelliandir didn’t threaten him, for Lonewolf saw him as predictable because of his code of decency and self-righteousness. Instead, he focused his attention on another important mission he needed to complete during his stay there. The daunting task of locating the mysterious magical medallion warranted a massive headache. Thanks to Luminear and Bella, he knew his way around the castle after the first day there, and he spent the rest of the week hunting about the keep for it. Often, he'd bring Bella or Luminear with him when he went scoping around, but he always claimed curiosity as his reason for exploring. He hunted around where Casen's body had fallen for the last time, the spot where Icaz claimed Neighraellium’s body. He checked in the drawers of random servants while they worked, and in the middle of the night, he picked the lock of the treasury to peek inside. The importance of this mission could not be overstated so Lonewolf spent every free moment sneaking around and checking every likely and random place he could access. As the week came closer to an end, he feared the medallion might still be in Casen's pocket. This led to one very dirty job.

  Lonewolf had been told the late King Casen was buried not far outside the city in a shallow unmarked grave. For the trouble Casen had caused over the years, and for the countless crimes he’d committed, this insult to his body was a form of disrespect and revenge. Lonewolf did not understand the beliefs of the southerners regarding the afterlife, but it made his job somewhat easier. Grave robbing in the middle of a guarded city would have been next to impossible, and locating an unmarked grave seemed just as daunting, but eventually he found an undisturbed plot of soil near the wall’s foundation just outside the city in a small patch of forestry. Fortunately no animal had dug the old man up. He waited until late into the night one evening before he snuck from the castle, climbed a guard tower and repelled using a rope to land outside the city walls. While leaving the grounds through the front gates would have been easier, the guards at the gate would likely report his nocturnal activity to Laelliandir and Laella. Any excuse Lonewolf offered for his little adventure outside the castle walls in the middle of the night would raise suspicion he did not need. Thus, he planned an avenue of escape and reentry that involved only himself.

  After reaching the outside walls, he retraced his steps to the unmarked area, and dug into the soil several feet before he hit something. As he’d hoped, he’d discovered Casen’s body. He would have never imagined a scenario where he would have been happy to find and dig up a rotten smelly corpse, but he hoped and believed the lost medallion remained on Casen’s body and would be his for the taking. At this point, Casen was only a skeleton, but his garments remained unchanged, the same as the day Icaz last used them. Lonewolf shuffled through all the pockets, then removed and shook out his boots. Once he’d checked every hiding place, Lonewolf had to accept that his search had yielded no medallion or any other trinket. Although disappointed, Lonewolf reburied the man with haste, climbed up his rope and returned to his chambers on the fourth floor of the castle to ponder this mystery.

  Lonewolf feared the damned medallion and its powers, but he realized it could come in handy. Besides
Neighraellium had convinced him that possessing the medallion was a necessity to complete his mission. Even though Lonewolf was a master at using his quick mind to find extraordinary solutions Neighraellium had not thought possible and Neighraellium's claims about the medallion might be exaggerated, Lonewolf saw the benefit in possessing the trinket. A device that had the power to control other people on a whim and then make them forget what they may have seen or done was a device worth having. Beyond that, Lonewolf imagined that the medallion might help solve the mystery of Luminear and Bella. Could these two young women be as unique and magical as Neighraellium claimed? If so, it stood to reason the medallion might awaken those abilities.

  For him to even imagine making them do something against their will, he would have to erase their memory of such an event. Even in his own mind, Lonewolf had no good excuse for such behavior, but his curiosity overruled all else. If Neighraellium spoke the truth about them, then it would lend credence to the rest of Neighraellium's tale. The end would justify the means, so to speak.

  As he lay in his bed wondering what had happened to the relic, he re-lived the events of that fateful day in his mind. He had poisoned Orion which caused an all-out attack. Icaz as Casen retreated, but Neighraellium gained on him. He, himself, surprised Neighraellium before he ever reached Casen and, with some regret, committed yet another murder for their never-ending cause. Icaz did his trick, claiming Neighraellium’s body mere moments before Novanian soldiers made their way in to find Casen dead. “What am I missing?” Lonewolf speculated aloud. The soldiers escorted them out of the castle, and Lonewolf was put in chains along with Albatros and Ockgillith. Then he remembered something that had seemed insignificant at the time. Laelliandir had been there. He was crying and talking to Neighraellium who experienced head pains and sent him away. Laelliandir did not leave the area though but talked to several soldiers. Lonewolf remembered a caped captain pointing up at the castle and telling Laelliandir something. At that point, Laelliandir withdrew his sword and headed toward the castle gates. Someone had knocked Lonewolf unconscious shortly after and he had not recalled this series of events since then.

  “He must have gone back to search Casen’s body. Laelliandir has had the medallion the entire time.” When the idea came, Lonewolf felt almost certain he was right. Laelliandir would have never left without searching Casen for evidence of the crazy King’s plans, and he likely looked for the poison that killed his father. “That bastard.”

  After stumbling upon this theory Lonewolf hatched another scheme. He examined the tower where Laelliandir's private quarters were located, and found two soldiers guarded the entrance day and night. Pairs of guards took turns on rotating shifts so there was no moment when Laelliandir's chambers were not secure. Lonewolf then took to the outside to see if it would be possible to climb into his window. No such luck there either. Laelliandir’s chamber was strategically positioned in the front of the keep, with a perfect view for the guards in the watch towers to see. Even the people in the city beyond the gates could always view the front of the castle. His quest to find a way into Laelliandir's room proved an almost unachievable task in the short time he had left before his departure, but he kept his eyes peeled and mind open for ideas. He also continued to enjoy Bella and Luminear’s company. Whenever the two spent time with Laelliandir, Lonewolf would invite himself to join the trio. The girls were a perfect excuse to get close to him. For his trouble, Lonewolf found himself at the receiving end of snide remarks but no mention of the medallion. It was a long shot but Lonewolf hoped Laelliandir might mention finding such a device if he had it.

  Luck was on Lonewolf’s side as he got exactly what he was looking for. On his last night in the castle, he was invited to the weekly Javalla supper again. The evening was fun with the adults sharing wine, and Laella even permitted Luminear and Bella to drink after Lonewolf's persistence once she realized she was the only one who had objections. Lonewolf had almost given up hope and considered his mission a failure when he noticed a partial golden chain poking out from around the collar of Laelliandir’s robes. While he could see only a hint of a chain, it was easy to tell Laelliandir wore a necklace hidden under his garments, and the golden chain resembled that of Icaz's lost relic. Lonewolf made no mention of what he’d seen to Laelliandir or anyone else, but as soon as the others departed to the waterfall, he requested Luminear and Bella stay behind with him to share his last evening in Garroth. They did not object.

  Around the table the three drank together for a while and reminisced about Zynoa. They also shared stories and jokes. During the conversation, Lonewolf found an opportunity to ask about the chain he’d spotted on Laelliandir.

  “Don't tell the man I talked to you two about him, for Laelliandir doesn't care for me and would not appreciate me asking, but I’m intrigued. What is that necklace he wears?”

  “Oh, that golden chain?” Bella answered.

  “He wears it often I notice.”

  “Ever since I met him. I have never asked why it's important to him though. Something hangs from the chain, but he keeps a rag tied about whatever it is.” Bella had nothing more to share on the subject, but Luminear was a different story, and after a few drinks she was more than happy to share. Luminear had left her initial suspicions of Wolf aside as he had remained on his best behavior and seemed to have won a little more respect from the Javallas. She was sure there were things she did not know, but it was her hope Laella, Laelliandir and Lonewolf had set aside their differences.

  “He found it on the body of his father's killer. I asked why he wears it around, but he never really answered. My guess is he wears it to keep the memory of his father alive, and his quest for revenge near his heart. Whatever is at the end of that chain is always hidden by an old rag as Bella says. I have no idea what type of pendant or charm it is, but evidently Laelliandir doesn't like looking at it. He wears it as a promise to himself.” Lonewolf smiled, thrilled to hear this news.

  “Very poetic, Lumi. Perhaps you are correct. I was just curious and did not want to burden him with questions. Does he always wear it?”

  “Like a tattoo. It is almost a part of Lae,” Bella confirmed. Without missing a beat, she changed the subject and her tone from matter of fact to persuasive. “You two need to attempt a friendship. I'm serious. I don't like this awkwardness. You both mean so much to me.”

  “Same here.” Luminear added.

  “Oh, I am working on it with him. It may take time, but as you see, we aren’t as strained as we were a week ago.” Lonewolf reminded the girls.

  “It’s a step. I appreciate the effort and you seem to be better received now than you were last week,” Luminear agreed.

  “I’ll work on Lae,” Bella suggested.

  “No need, love. Truth takes time. But we will get there. I'll be seeing you both in a few months, and if all goes well, I hope my arrangement will allow me to see you two even more often than that. Working with Laelliandir is a very important goal of mine,” Lonewolf’s words were the truth although not in the context the girls assumed.

  “Is there a reason you two don't get along?” Bella asked.

  “My association with Casen bothers him because he holds Casen responsible for the bad things that happened to him and his family. Since I was in the middle of Casen’s war, he’s got to suspect I had something to do with it. War makes people paranoid. There are secrets on all sides, and everyone involved knows it.” Luminear and Bella smiled at one another.

  “You have a barrel of secrets, Wolf.” Luminear told him.

  “Aye, but we decided long ago that you are a good man, even if a bit of a liar. You've always kept us safe,” Bella said. Lonewolf couldn’t help experiencing guilt as he received the love and trust of these two young women. They both cared for him and trusted in him with no conditions, and he realized he didn't deserve it.

  “Aye, and I always will.”

  The following day Luminear, Albatros, Bella Luna, Markus and Fern all escorted Lonewolf out of
the castle and past the city gates where he said his goodbyes, and took his leave bound for Magwhen of Nova. To fulfill Laella’s request, Albatros accompanied the group to make certain Lonewolf left and did nothing unexpected. Albatros was not sure what Laella and Laelliandir thought he might try to do, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred. After Lonewolf rode off, the company returned to the castle.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  After Lonewolf’s departure, Luminear gave a lot of her attention and time to Markus because Bella now spent most of her evenings with Laelliandir which left Markus at loose ends. As Luminear was always looking for ways to help people, she involved Markus in the things that interested her as she did not want Markus to be sad or depressed.

  Her most recent and ambitious project, the city fair, would keep many people busy. Luminear had already planned numerous activities including plays, games, poetry reading, horse races, hammer throwing, and melee tournaments. Even though the event would last only one full day, the preparations to decorate the city and choose locations for the different events would be a daunting task. The city had changed so much since King Casen's rule. Although it was no longer wild and dangerous, there was little to do in the way of entertainment other than the opera house, gambling halls, and auction house.

  Once the plan was approved, Laella set aside funds for the event and Luminear sought help from some local people. The fair was scheduled with plenty of lead time, but because there was so much preparing and cleaning to do, Luminear enlisted Fern, Markus, Albatros and Laella's youngest children to help with a lot of these ideas including mapping out where within the city each activity would best fit. The work not only kept them busy but also gave the citizens something to anticipate.

  Bella helped when she could, but Laelliandir and she were attached, nearly inseparable except for when he had private counsels. The two talked for hours, and they shared their love of sword mastery. Bella also insisted they ride out on horseback along the northern river where they fished now and then. Their relationship was unique, and although neither made it official they were together, they had an unspoken understanding. From the start, Bella realized she must be patient with Laelliandir as he was slow to open to her other than with random kisses or embraces. At first, she was all right with this, but Bella was an impatient person by nature and soon she found his nervousness toward her frustrating. She understood and accepted he was not like most men, but she intended to help shake his reserve. She knew, after seeing other boys her age with girls that any other guy would not have been able to keep his hands off her, and the fact Laelliandir was not like this made Bella feel safer in some ways, but also envious in others. His respect for her was undeniable, and when they weren't sword practicing, he acted as if she was delicate as a rose he was nervous he might damage. There was a sweetness in his behavior she enjoyed, but sometimes Bella wished he would sweep her off her feet and show her how he felt. She longed for him to be spontaneous and show his passion for her whenever he thought of it. He was almost too gentle and shy when it came to affection. She didn't necessarily want to make love, even if she was curious. It wasn't even about that for her. The entire subject made her nervous too, but she wanted to walk through the city holding hands and go out in public as she had with Markus. Bella soon realized she might have to take the first step. Being as new to this as he, she had no idea how to do this.