The Blade of Rebellion

by Ian Carter

  "Regardless, we have to be careful. Even the City Guard, who are supposed to be agents of the royal family, are neutral here at best. They do not aid the terrorists, but they also don't clamp down on them either. Once we enter the city limits, we're on our own, and we won't have their help. It would be wise to assume they have spies in the Garrison, so that's out too. We'll most likely have to hide Kai in a room at one of the Inns in town. Mason and I will take turns to collect information while the other stays behind on protection duty so we don't seem too suspicious."

  "I need to do something here too, Hayleigh," Kai objected.

  "I hate to say it, but you can only do more harm than good until we can get you close to Terrell," Mason said. "Unfortunately, I'm going to be less helpful than normal as well."

  "What, why is that?" Kai asked.

  "Mason can't go into Tipana with his Blade," Hayleigh explained. "No-one in the history of Karsdals City Guard has ever held a Gold Blade. Let alone the fact that everyone knows about the stunningly beautiful Silver Blade and steadfast Gold Blade at your side at all times."

  "Wait, you added those adjectives just to make yourself feel better," Kai blurted out.

  "I can hide my looks to an extent, but Mason cannot hide his Blade," Hayleigh continued, ignoring Kai's remark. "So he will have to go into town with just a normal sword. Thankfully, we were able to obtain a sword in Karsdal that has a hilt and pommel the same color and design of a Silver Blade. Mason will wear it to help him blend in, while also improving his odds of people giving him truthful information."

  "I guess you two have thought this through for me," Kai remarked.

  "You came up with the plan to beat that giant. It's time for us to pull our weight as well," Hayleigh answered with a soft smile.

  "You're under our care, after all. You have to listen to us," Mason added.

  "Ha. My father picked the right people to stand by my side. I'll follow your plan, just as I had you follow mine against the giant. I trust you two," Kai said as he smiled first at Hayleigh, and then at Mason. "But we can't come into town with the carriage. We'll stick out like a sore thumb and their spies in Karsdal more than likely already spread its description."

  "During my reconnaissance, I located practically the only patrol of City Guards who seemed to be loyal to you and His Highness, and I informed them of the situation. Thankfully they will keep watch of our belongings while we handle our business inside the city. They will be here in the morning to keep guard and deter thieves. It was a risk to ask them, but I felt that it was a risk worth taking after I sussed out their loyalty. I'm confident in my judgment."

  "Okay," Mason exclaimed while he clapped his hands together. Tomorrow morning after the City Guard comes, we will enter Tipana and get our lodging to set up our position. Hayleigh will take the first intelligence mission, I'll take the second, and we'll keep alternating like that. Between us, we should be able to obtain enough information to know where Terrell is, or at least have an inclination on how to get near him."

  Mason had laid out the next day's plan, to which both Hayleigh and Kai nodded in agreement. Kai's heart began to beat a little faster. This was it. The reason why he had travelled well over two months was his for the taking.

  "All right, let's go to sleep everyone," Kai proposed. "We've been at this for over six weeks now. It's finally time to enter the final act."

  ◆◆◆

  "Your Highness, your bath is ready for you." Rhea's words filled Kai's ears like a favourite childhood song he hadn't heard in years.

  "Rhea? What are you doing here? Where am I?"

  "What are you talking about, Prince Kai? You're home in your chambers."

  Kai looked around and recognized all of his belongings; His practice armor sat clean and on the table among them. His full bookshelves also sat as they should as the dark fabric separating the bathing area swayed gently. A fire crackled and flickered in the fireplace. This was indeed his bedroom chambers.

  "But I should be in Stura right now—about to go to Tipana."

  "Your Highness ... that mission ended four months ago."

  "What?" Kai exclaimed. "That's impossible."

  "I don't know if I should be the one who tells you this, but..." Rhea trailed off. "You were ambushed before you entered Tipana. A group of Terrell Braga's men descended on you, Mason, and Hayleigh... and they sent volley after volley of arrows at you. Mason and Hayleigh died protecting you."

  Kai collapsed backward onto his backside and immediately covered his head with his hands. He began to rock back and forth at the news that his two best friends and companions had died defending him. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he began to weep openly in front of Rhea, who put down her basket and laundry and dropped to his side.

  "I'm so sorry, Prince Kai," Rhea consoled him. "But you can't let the past rule over you. They would have wanted you to keep living and to be a great king."

  "King? Where is my father? I need to talk to him immediately!"

  "My prince, your father is currently in a council session. He wanted to see you once you regained your senses."

  "My senses?" Kai questioned as he wiped away the remnant tears in his eyes.

  "Yes. When you got back to the Capital, a merchant found you, and you were nonsensical. No-one could understand what you were saying or how you got back here. The pharmacist said you were suffering some kind of psychosis. You didn't seem yourself, so you were kept here in your chambers as we hoped that you would regain your mind."

  "How long have..."

  "Shhhhhh. Do not overwhelm yourself," Rhea held him as she pat the top of his head. "We can talk and discuss while you relax in the bath I've drawn for you. Everything can wait until we get you in there."

  Kai nodded and got up with Rhea's aid and made his way over to the bathing area fabric and brushed it aside to lead Kai across the threshold.

  Rain immediately began to fall on the two of them as lightning flashed across the dark sky above. He was in Erkau again, and it was identical to when he was there when he fought the half-giant. Rhea gripped Kai tightly and calmly stuck her mouth next to his ear.

  "You got them killed," Rhea whispered. "Now, you're going to get everyone else killed too."

  Before he could react, a massive roar came from his right. He looked to see the half-giant with its enormous tree above its head and swing down mightily upon him and Rhea.

  Kai bolted upright from his sleeping bag inside the tent with his heart pounding. He scrambled his hands around him until one of his hands found both Mason and Hayleigh. Both of them stayed asleep as Kai tried to calm himself and his breathing to the point where he could think clearly. He looked at each of his companions in the darkness. He was so thankful to hear both of them still alive and breathing. He laid back down in his sleeping bag and pulled the covers back up to his head. The nightmares were getting worse.

  ◆◆◆

  "Your Highness, it is our honor to meet you," The patrol leader said as she led her squad kneeling before Kai in the darkness. As the sun hadn't risen into the sky yet, all he could make out were silhouettes in the small nearby fire's light.

  "Please rise, I've never been much for kneeling," Kai brushed aside the formality. "I understand that my family has not done many favours to this city and this region. I will do my best to ensure that I repay the favour you provide me these coming days many times over. What is your name, patrol leader?"

  "My name is Paige, Your Highness. You are also far too kind. Any City Guard, regardless of circumstance, would consider this task an honor."

  "I somehow doubt that is the case here," Kai laughed. "So, as a local, what is the condition of Tipana's people?" Kai asked.

  "Tipana has a higher level of comfort than any other city east of Karsdal. Quality of life is acceptable, almost entirely due to Terrell's guidance and supplies. He intercepts shipments of medicine and other goods meant for the western parts of the country, and he releases them to the residents. Almost entirely because of him an
d his efforts, the city has expanded very quickly. It's gone from roughly one hundred and fifty thousand people up to two hundred and fifty thousand people in the last year and a half. It's been a struggle to keep up with the constant flow of people into the city."

  "That's utterly remarkable," Mason said in awe.

  "You will not have an easy time here, Your Highness. Around forty thousand of the new residents are fighting-age males from around Stura," Paige continued. "The city is not an excellent location to pick a fight in the name of the royal family. Terrell sends food and medicine to the recruits' home villages and cities in return for fighting for him. He has turned Tipana into an efficient distribution network that would almost rival the Capital itself.

  "We've heard many people around town talking, so please allow me to inform you of what I know about the man himself. The little time he doesn't spend attending to Tipana, he uses to lecture the citizens on the evils of the royal family and emphasize the need to fight them. He's not dumb, however. He knows that west of Karsdal holds three-quarters of the kingdom's population. If he took his existing troops and attacked you right now, he would be whittled down considerably battle by battle before he reached the Capital. That doesn't even take into account fighting against elite opposition such as the Knights of Mercy or General Ashentide, so he is taking his time to get it right."

  "Thank you for the information, it will prove useful," Mason gratefully said. "A fine start to the intelligence-gathering process. Do you know where Terrell stays in the city?"

  Paige shook her head. "His location when not in public is a highly guarded secret within his circle. He usually makes a public appearance every two weeks or so. I'm sorry to say his last appearance was recent, only a few days ago."

  "That means he probably won't show himself for another week and a half. Spies would probably notice that someone is staying in the inn and not leaving their room," Hayleigh calculated. "That means we can't just wait for him to show himself."

  "That would be the correct conclusion," Paige confirmed. "I informed my superiors that I would be taking my patrol on a scouting trip that would last around a week to keep the true nature of our purpose here a secret. Anything more than that, the Garrison would get suspicious and send a search party out for us. So I would encourage you to finish up before then."

  "That fits within the general time frame we have. I guess it will have to do." Mason turned to his companions. "Are you ready to end this?"

  "Yeah!" Kai and Hayleigh cheered in unison. This caused laughter from Mason and the guard patrol. The group said goodbye to the guard patrol and set off towards Tipana.

  ◆◆◆

  The early morning sun rose from the forest canopy's horizon as the group rounded the final corner of the road, leaving the forest just outside Tipana's limits. The land took a steep drop off to reveal Tipana in all its glory. Their eyes were naturally drawn to follow the road as it stretched off towards the city's protection fence. The river that supplied the city with its water could hardly be seen behind the sprawling housing developments built to keep up with the influx of new residents.

  The central part of the city, or "Old Tipana" as Paige referred to it, stood tall with buildings made of stone and rock. Though similar, Tipana featured more rounded designs and sweeping streets compared to Erkau's rigid grid structure. Across the nearby river, the densely built "New Tipana" was made entirely of wood so it could be built faster to keep up with the migrant boom. Tipana's blacksmiths and tradespeople were skilled far beyond normal smiths, and their exceptional tools and new inventions made keeping up with the demand possible. It made Kai upset that a city with such wondrous possibilities would harbour such ill-will towards him.

  The negative emotions caused Kai to anticipate his return to the castle and his carefree life, but quickly realized his desires conflicted with the reason he was here. He wondered if, when the mission was successful, he would use the accomplishment as justification to rest on his laurels and let others take on these kinds of tasks instead? Rather than living and fighting for the dead that fell by his side in battle, he secretly wanted to return to luxury and servants. He hated himself for the selfish thoughts that cycled through his head. The pompous, plump king that Kai had exiled that day with the half-giant crept back into a distant view. Thankfully, for now, he was far from that disgusting outstretched hand. But for how long?

  A hand clasped onto Kai's shoulder that dispersed his thoughts. Hayleigh stood in front of him with a worried look on her face.

  "Prince Kai, what's wrong? You're ignoring Mason and I."

  "Oh. I'm sorry Hayleigh. I was just getting lost in my thoughts. I have a bad habit of doing that when I'm nervous or uneasy."

  "I understand how you might be feeling," Hayleigh consoled him. "But, we're too close for any of us to be anything but on the highest alert. If someone catches us off guard, the odds of us dying is extremely high. Can we count on you, just like how you count on us?" Kai shook his head. His bad habit of petty moping had a real chance to be dangerous to those around him. Hayleigh's eyes were filled with worry, not just for a man she cared for as a friend, but for her own life. It was that sight that snapped him back into focus. He never wanted to see that look in Hayleigh's eyes again, even if it meant never going back to that life of luxury he missed.

  "Don't worry. I'll be a prince you can depend on with your life. I promise."

  Smiles spread across each of their faces at Kai's words but were quickly replaced by more stoic expressions as they steeled themselves to enter the city's gates that laid less than 200m away. As they approached the entrance, the guards stood at attention with wire bows in their hands and quivers full of arrows stationed beside them. With the faint possibility of a military response to the attack, they would have to be paying attention at all times. City Guards stood at the sides of the gates on the lookout for suspicious characters, which made Kai raise his head a little. The City Guard were not his enemies, and having his head buried in his chest seemed like the epitome of suspicion. As they crossed the city threshold, the guards did nothing but a cursory up and down glance. Kai had never been thankful for City Guards who lacked attention at their posts, but he was now.

  The group walked down the street as jovial citizens walked the streets, often with children trailing at their heels. Kai couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness, not that the city was happy, but that they were pleased despite him. The group immediately noticed many anti-royal posters adhered to the walls of buildings and fences, all with cuss words and expletives written on them. Thankfully, the people seemed to be too happy or busy to notice the three hooded figures traversing their streets. Many other hooded figures walked the streets as well, and Kai made a note to thank the Gods later. It was apparent this city held many who did not wish to be identified either.

  The group quickly made it through the new portion of Tipana and had crossed into the old area lined with stone buildings. One of the buildings had a sign hanging over it, written in bright red letters, and it read 'The Hanging Royal.' Kai couldn't help but chuckle at how morbid and literal the location would be if someone discovered him as they made it through the inn's swinging wood doors.

  Hayleigh and Kai hung back as Mason approached the Inn Keeper's desk and immediately made the woman laugh. Mason used his manly charm to significant effect, and it annoyed Kai even when it helped his situation. Mason paid for the room and wandered back over to Kai and Hayleigh. He confidently nodded his head in the direction of the stairs and winked. They climbed the stone stairs up to the third floor where they found their room. Kai immediately noticed that the place only locked from the inside, which helped put everyone at ease.

  Much like the stairway and halls leading to their room, it was sparsely decorated but had the required furniture. There were two medium beds against the far wall, along with a table and four chairs. A small window allowed the sun in but was too high to look out. The cushions, linens, and fabrics in the rooms were a magnificent green and s
ilver, and Kai couldn't help but think he had seen this color combination before. He quickly swatted the thought from his mind as he tossed his luggage onto his bed.

  "Mason, what did you say to the Innkeeper to make her laugh like that?" Kai wondered.

  "I just complimented her on the name of her establishment." Kai and Hayleigh both looked in his direction, but he quickly waved them off. "You have to fit in here to avoid suspicion. It's a nice and simple way to do it. Now, do you two need anything?" Two head shakes later, and Mason sighed.

  "All right, Hayleigh will be off to collect some information while we put our things away. Hayleigh ... well, just behave. Or don't, it's up to you." One hearty laugh later, Hayleigh had closed the door behind her. Kai and Mason briefly exchanged confident looks before the latter walked over and locked the door, and then went about unpacking the small bags they had brought with them.

  ◆◆◆

  A ruckus group of people dined at a table in the massive dining hall. The stone walls raised nearly a dozen meters before finally being capped by an incredible painted mural. Green and silver accents could be found everywhere, from table clothes to uniforms the waitresses wore. Several empty plates that had been picked clean laid strewn about the table, with dark stains that reeked of wine peppered across the tablecloth. All eight people at the table joyously toasted, cracked jokes and consumed the wine in their glasses at a brisk pace. A cooking fire that burned behind the head of the table as several maids served the next dish.