by M. J. Sewall
* * *
The riders reached the barn at the docks. Two men were waiting for them. As they dismounted, Gordon noticed that both men had necklaces of the kingdom's triangle symbol, but they wore them upside down. As Loren got off the horse he made a sound, “Ungg.”
Aline said, “Loren! Loren, you're shot.” Then Gordon saw the small arrow from Brenddel's wrist gun sticking out of the back of Loren's leg.
Loren said, “I know. Hurry.”
Gordon started to protest, but Loren just pushed him forward, taking a cloth from his saddle and began tying it around his leg.
Loren said a few words to the men, and then turned back to Aline and Gordon. “We need to get on the ship quickly. Soldiers will be everywhere soon. I doubt Brenddel will wait for the airship to land before he searches the docks. They will probably rope down.”
They all put their hoods back up and boarded their ship. Gordon noticed that several of the men also wore their triangular necklaces upside down. He noticed how much blood had soaked into Uncle Loren's pants.
The airship was getting lower, right over the docks. Loren could see the palace guards on the ropes and said to the pilot, “Now.”
The pilot blew a very high-pitched whistle as they cast off. Aline looked as puzzled as Gordon.
* * *
Above the docks, Brenddel ignored the sun that was almost down, and slowly descended on his rope. He was going over in his mind what he would do first, when he had Loren in his interrogation rooms. Then he heard a strange, high-pitched whistle sound. He looked at the ships. There were very few ships in the wide harbor, and none were coming in. But he saw that seven ships were leaving the docks.
They were leaving at the exact same speed, but leaving in all different directions. It was like a hand slowly spreading wide and shooting off a ship from each finger.
Brenddel gave out a shout, but it did not form any word. Brenddel's rage made forming any real words impossible. The fingers kept spreading, each ship going at exactly the same speed in seven different directions. The sun made its last gasp of light before it sunk into the ocean, the only comment was Brenddel's rage.
Chapter 10: Misdirection
Aboard their watership, they went quickly below deck. Loren insisted, so that Brenddel couldn't spot them on deck by chance. Loren also had to see to his wound. It appeared the plan had worked; the airship was not pursuing any of the seven ships. It had headed to a landing field close to the docks instead.
Loren knew that Brenddel would find out the names of each ship and where they were headed soon enough. The plan bought time, but only a little. They were led to the pilot's room on the ship. The room was cramped, but at least they were able to talk. A few moments later the pilot sent some healing supplies.
Gordon wanted to ask a million questions, but he was very concerned about Uncle Loren's leg. “Here, let me help,” said Gordon as he made Loren sit on the stool, “Um… Aline, right?”
“Yes, my king.” Aline said as she looked at him with her deep blue eyes.
“Um, would you mind leaving the room? I have to take Uncle Loren's pants off to help him,” said Gordon.
Loren snapped, “No! She stays…” Loren broke off to groan in pain. Gordon could tell he was in more pain that he was letting on. “We need to stay together at all times while aboard.”
Gordon said, “Okay, could you… could you turn your back then?”
Aline nodded and turned her back.
“Okay, what do we do?” asked Gordon as he looked at the short arrow. Loren simply ripped his pants around the arrow.
“Stupid…” Loren said with a groan, “I should have gotten you out of there faster, Brenddel was on us too fast. You'll have to let me pull it out Gordon. It didn't go as deep as I first thought. Over there, pour some of that on the wound. That should keep it from getting infected.”
“Okay,” said Gordon as he poured the liquid around the shaft of the small, thick arrow. Loren sucked air in as the healing liquid stung him.
“Agghh…” Loren said and started pulling. It slid out slowly and Loren kept his yell as quiet as he could. The arrow was free and Gordon had a clean healing cloth ready to wrap the leg. Uncle Loren's eyes were tightly shut. He whispered, “Wrap it tight,” Loren said through gritted teeth.
As Gordon finished wrapping the last of the cloth, he tied it off as Loren had shown him, just like when a boy in the village had cut his arm. “Loren, what is going on? Why did they try to kill us? What is happening?”
Loren put his hand on Gordon's shoulder. “Where to begin? Firstly, this is Aline. You can turn around now, Aline. She saved your life… and put it in danger…”
“I told you, Mantuan thought…” Aline started.
“Mantuan thought of the cause before the safety of my nephew,” stated Loren firmly, looking hard into Aline's eyes. “But that is something I will discuss with him,” he looked back to Gordon. “Aline and I are part of a group that is trying to stop the corruption of our kingdom.”
“Is that why they all wear our triangle symbol upside down?” asked Gordon.
“Clever boy,” Loren groaned as he tried to straighten his leg. “Yes, we wear it upside down just as a ship in trouble flies their banner upside down. The kingdom of the thirteen is in mortal danger. The choosing has been corrupt for many years. It seems like a random choice, but Trunculin really picks the king. No one knows that but Trunculin and Brenddel, maybe a few others. Those that are loyal to Trunculin have their child's name removed before the choosing, in fear that their child will be controlled by Trunculin.”
“For a price, of course.” added Aline.
Loren said, “Oh yes. He's grown quite rich playing a game that he has rigged. He collects their fees, but chooses who he wants.”
Gordon asked, “But how? The tower is in the courtyard with people around all the time…”
“There are tunnels under the tower,” said Aline. “The night before the choosing, it is emptied from below the tower. The name they want chosen is placed in front of all the doors from the inside, and only by the doors. The rest of the tower is empty. Since the stage has been put over the top, no one can see that. When the child reaches in, all the name boards have the same name, the one that Trunculin wants to be picked.”
Loren continued, “They choose a boy that is easy to control. They send men out all year to scout for weaker boys. Always boys. We don't know why Trunculin doesn't choose girls.”
“Maybe he's afraid of them,” Aline offered, “He should be.”
Loren's smile turned into a wince of pain instead, “Trunculin is the one that actually runs the kingdom. He controls both the Upper Council and the Lower Council, and the soldiers. He is destroying our great kingdom from the inside.”
Gordon felt something change. “I think we stopped.”
“Yes, it's time to change ships,” said Loren as they gathered their things.
Loren started out for the deck when Aline said, “Loren?”
She was looking at Gordon, who was sweating and looking straight ahead. Aline asked, “Is this… a sweetblood attack?”
Gordon was breathing heavily, and turned to look at his uncle. “She knows a lot, Gordon,” Loren said.
“But I've never seen it. Does he need a sweet, or a sour cake?” asked Aline.
“He needs something sweet.” Loren pulled two sweets from his bag. “Eat both of these Gordon. I should have given you something to eat sooner.”
Gordon began eating the sweets.
Aline got him some water. “So he needs sweet, not sour cake…”
Loren looked into Gordon's eyes, but spoke to Aline. “Right now he doesn't have enough sweet. We don't know a lot about this illness, but it's all about balance. Many things are in your blood that you can't see. In most people, the body balances how much sweet is in the blood naturally. In some, the blood can get too sweet, or not sweet enough. Almost like the body's not making whatever cancels out the sweet. Too sweet and the blood gets t
oo thick, and goes slower through the body. Over time, blood stops getting to the places farthest from the heart, like fingers and toes. Not enough sweet, and he can feel dizzy, hungry, tired. We just have to keep our king in balance. I have been experimenting with a new liquid, an oil from animals. It's complicated, but it balances the sweet like his body is supposed to. I just wish there was a faster way to get it into his body than sour cakes.”
“And they taste awful…” Gordon added, trying to smile.
“I know,” said his uncle. “No way around it.”
Aline asked, “Feeling better?”
Gordon nodded and said, “Yes. Thank you. If I stay balanced, I'm just like everyone else.”
Aline smiled a bit. “Except you are the king.”
Gordon said, “Yeah… except for that.”
Aline asked, “So you've never told me. What happens if the blood gets too sweet or not sweet enough for too long?”
Loren didn't answer, but Gordon looked at Aline and said, “I die.”
Loren gave a look to Aline and said, “Gordon will be fine. Now, let's go.”
Back on deck it was very dark. Loren managed the steps up with some difficulty. Another, larger ship was next to theirs. Gordon quietly realized this was the first time he'd been so far from home. The only light was a few lanterns that had a cover over the top, so the light only went downward. “So the airships can't spot us,” Aline said, guessing why Gordon looked puzzled.
“Why are we changing ships?” asked Gordon.
Loren said, “This ship will go to a port in Aspora, as planned. They may track the ship to there. We are going to Thure, the old kingdom. Farther away, less obvious.”
Aboard the new ship, there were more men. They looked harder, meaner somehow to Gordon. They only spoke to Loren, and Gordon noticed several men look at Loren's leg. The blood had soaked through most of the cloth. They were led to a cabin below, where Loren gave a gold coin to the man that showed them to the room. The man grunted and walked away.
The cabin was small, with three rope beds and two old tree stumps for chairs. “Close the door, and lock it,” said Loren. Aline did. “This ship will get us to Thure. We need to get supplies from a few people that are friendly to us there. Thure is called the old kingdom, Gordon, as you've read. It's a place where favors and 'who you know' are the best currency.”
“Will this 'Manchuan' be there?” Gordon asked.
“Man-tu-an,” Aline said, smiling. “He hates his name pronounced wrong.”
“He is not shy about what he hates,” Loren said. “No, he is on the move now. When the time is right, he will find his way to us.”
“When you finally meet him, don't look at the patch. He hates that too,” offered Aline.
Gordon asked, “Patch? Is he a big man, really fierce, with a very big axe?”
“Yes, except he lost the axe a long time ago. How did you know that? He has been erased from the histories,” asked Loren.
Gordon told them more details about what he saw in his mind at the crowning.
Loren got very serious. He worried, “I don't know what it means, but if you are having visions with Mantuan and Brenddel… the shadow is Trunculin. That part makes sense. But if he is, he has bigger plans that any of us thought.”
“The law keeper will know what it means,” offered Aline.
“We have enough problems now, we don't need to add searching for a ghost,” offered Loren.
Aline said, “Mantuan thinks he's real. He's been searching for years.”
“I know, but we have more pressing issues now,” said Loren.
“What do you think is happening back in the kingdom right now?” asked Gordon.
Loren groaned, adjusting his leg. He said, “Why don't you tell me, Gordon? Puzzle it out. You have begun your first trial, my king. There will be nothing but trials from now on, wherever we go. What do you think will be happening?”
Gordon thought for a moment and said, “Well, I was crowned, so I am king. They can't hold another choosing while the crowned king lives. They will need to find me, or the kingdom has only the councils to lead it…”
Aline and Loren gave a knowing glance to each other. Gordon didn't notice. “But the crazy firstman Brenddel tried to kill us, even though I am the king. Something… bigger must be going on.”
“I knew you would make a good king,” said Aline.
Loren glanced at her and back to Gordon. “Brenddel is the toughest man I have ever known, besides Mantuan. He does not give up, ever. I don't think he had orders to kill us. If Trunculin didn't need him so much, he might have been… dealt with a long time ago. He has a fierce anger, even Trunculin can't control him completely.”
“I am king. If I went back I could order his trial before the courts. I could find out what was really going on…” said Gordon.
Loren said, “If you went back, Trunculin would have you killed just like king Daymer.”
“Daymer? Was he the slaver king? There isn't much about him in the books at school,” said Gordon.
“No, there wouldn't be. He died of Brenddel's shortknife on an airship. I know, I was there. I left the palace shortly after. They only let me live because they don't understand how much I really know.”
Gordon asked, “Why wasn't it in my history…?”
“Every book you've read is approved by the council and the courts, or written by them. Trunculin controls them all. Through Brenddel, he controls the army too. Kings haven't had any real power for a long time. The history you think you know is false. Mostly, anyway. The books I made you read are the real history. Many of my books are forbidden. Forget what you've learned in school. From now on, our kingdom will hunt us as law breakers.”
There was a sharp knock at the door.
Chapter 11: The Law Room
Trunculin paced in front of the king's chair, still wrestling with the best way to move forward. Corinn, the first healer, came into the room, holding a small jar. “This came from Gordon.”
“What do I care about Gordon's blood?” asked Trunculin.
She took the seal off. “Smell it.”
Trunculin looked confused as he took the jar. Corinn was the only person he could not see through, and he hated games. “It smells…”
“Sweet. The boy has the sweetblood illness. That could be a way to hold another choosing,” said Corinn.
“Interesting… maybe. Maybe not. If it comes out, it may build sympathy for the boy. 'A boy who fights a daily struggle with a terrible illness.' The people may love him more and demand he make an appearance. You know how easily the people are swayed by emotion. No one can find out he's left the kingdom,” said Trunculin.
“I told you I would help you control the new king,” said the firsthealer with the slight accent that Trunculin used to like hearing late at night in the dark. “My ways are a better control than some mystic slithering inside a person's mind.”
“That may be so. But I've told you that the control is not tight enough. I've sensed Stathen slipping away these last months. I wanted to be sure with Gordon. I know that made you angry. I know that's why you don't… why we don't…”
Corinn the firsthealer didn't let him finish, “There are many reasons why we don't…” Trunculin shot her an angry glance. “Oh, sorry, still hate to be interrupted?” Corinn smiled sweetly.
Trunculin hated that Corinn still had any power over him. He hated that he missed her. He has stayed away from women for so long, he was angry with himself for playing with fire again. “Yes, well… I need to consult the law room, to find a legal excuse that the people can swallow…”
“What do the mystics say about it?” asked Corinn, walking with him.
Trunculin answered, “They can't see him. They have been acting strange since all this happened.”
“If he's in the outlands, he may never be found. Or the outlanders may kill him for you. It's a big world to hide in,” said Corinn.
“I doubt they went that far. Brenddel is tracking ea
ch ship they may have been on. We have sent waterships to search,” said Trunculin.
“Saying what? That we lost our king?” asked the firsthealer.
“Of course not,” Trunculin reassured. “We are saying there is an escaped lunatic murderer named Loren, travelling with a girl and a boy… and that there is a reward.”
“That should do it. No one likes lunatics with children. What are you going to tell the people? There are even more crowds coming to the kingdom, worried for their new king…,” she continued, “He is our king, isn't he?”
“The crown was on his head and Stathen has returned to his village, a local hero no doubt. The law doesn't allow Stathen to return as king. I may be able to convince them Gordon wasn't properly crowned, but I have to consult the law book. If not, I will tell the crowds that he is being cared for by the best healer in our kingdom…” Trunculin said.
Corinn said, “And I would have been doing just that, if he was still here. Loren must be a better healer than I thought. The fact that he's kept his nephew well and secret with the sweetblood shows us that. It is always a death sentence. But I appreciate the complement, Trunc. Still hate being called that?”
“You know I do,” Trunculin said curtly through tight lips.
“Good,” Corinn said, as she walked away. “You should have chosen a queen this time.”
“You can't be serious,” Trunculin said. “Have you ever been around a teenaged girl?”
Corinn shook her head as they walked their separate ways.
Trunculin tried not to stare after her as she walked away. The firstcouncilor finally reached the law room. It was the only level that had just one purpose. He passed by guards and the waiting chamber, where dozens of people were waiting in line to see a law keeper.
One wall was three men high with a series of small rectangular wooden holes. There were hundreds of holes and a ladder leaned up against the wall to reach the higher ones. Each rectangle held a different blank form, depending on what law the person was trying to get clarified.