Malcor's Story

by Eric K. Barnum

  “Did I…?”

  “Win? Yes, you killed your challenger. He is part of the Tor family, an influential one from the Merchant Guild. Your friend killed his horse. I have already questioned him and his witness stands. As such, you two are basically free to go.”

  “What about Tor? Will others…?”

  “Come for you? Yes. Well, who knows. These things tend to burn themselves out quickly.”

  Malcor looked at her and felt there was more to tell. “What else? Is there a way to make it stop?”

  R’Dar Ora looked carefully at Malcor and reached out her hand to help him stand. “Try to stand. You’re healed and so are fine but will feel weak for some time. You need to get some food and rest.”

  Malcor stood up unsteadily. She was gorgeous. Not unlike Dar Shara, her closeness made it hard to think. It dazzled him. She continued, “As to the other matter, there are two ways the lords deal with these. The first way is to decimate the family so as to remove their ability to strike back. The other way is to convince them you do not need to be attacked, like a truce.” She shrugged and Malcor fell forward into her embrace. “You know because either you are dead, innocent, or worth letting live. Any of that work you?”

  Malcor touched his own arms and felt an electric tingle. He pushed himself back and tested his legs. Still wobbly, but he could manage. He let go. None of those really worked. He had killed R’Dar Tor. He looked at the dead body and the charger. “Is it too late to heal them?”

  “The man is beyond healing. And resurrection is not something I can do without an edict. Or payment.” She walked over to the charger. “The horse though. This is quality. It is dying but can be saved. Is that what you want?”

  Malcor replied, “I want both saved but have nothing to pay you with.”

  “What is a horse like that worth?” Calvin asked.

  “Lots. I’ve never had a need for a horse like this and a war-trained charger with this type of armor. Easily thousands of gold pieces. The armor could be magical and worth even more. Speaking of…” She held her hands out over the horse and prayed. Slowly, the horse’s armor and then hooves began to glow. She smiled and turned her attention to the corpse. His boots, belt, something within a belt pouch, and three rings on the man’s fingers glowed. “You know, I did not call for the Law and neither have you. If he did not…” she shrugged. “You could just take all this stuff.” She opened the pouch and withdrew a glowing potion flask. “Healing potion,” she said. “All the glowing stuff is magical. Collectively, this is all worth a fortune.”

  Calvin spoke up, “We’ll trade you the healing potion in exchange for your healing the horse.” He smiled trying to be clever and persuasive at the same time. Compared to the girls back in Klenna, this priestess was amazing.

  “No,” Malcor said. “We need to let this play out. None of these options free me from ongoing entanglement. It’ll have to be what it will be. Maybe we can make this less than it has to be though. Can we send a message to the Tor family instead of calling the Law?”

  The priestess thought about it. “Yes, all of these estates belong to wealthy and powerful members of the nobility. You could probably hire a servant to take a message.”

  “What about you?” Malcor asked.

  “What about me? I serve Sai R’Dar. I’m a priestess, not a messenger. The Goddess favors you which is why you are healed. The magical item check is just a bonus because I was curious for myself. You’ll have to get your own messenger. Maybe your friend Calvin here. I can tell him how to get to the Tor family.”

  “I don’t think so. The message has to bring them here before the Law arrives. This only works if it saves them legal entanglements.”

  “Oh, I see. Clever boy.” She looked at him again, noting his handsome and chiseled features. “I don’t remember seeing you two here before. You must be something special to warrant this assault.”

  “Malcor and I are going to the Temple,” Calvin said pointing over his shoulder towards the Temple. “Dar Shara sent us," he added trying to sound important. "Though, just before that, Mal here was challenged by a member of the Tor family and killed him. Mal won. Obviously.”

  “You’re knight initiates?”

  They nodded yes.

  She pursed her lips. Malcor could not but help stare. Her lips suddenly seemed narcotic in their beauty, perfect, red, and curved. He tried to look away at anything else before she caught him staring and then it was too late. She noticed, and smiled. “Paladins? Well maybe knights. Dar Shara though. Give me a moment.”

  She walked off a few steps and closed her eyes facing to the sun. She seemed to be praying or casting another spell. After what felt longer than it was, R’Dar Ora turned back and with a gentler expression said, “I will help you Malcor and Calvin.”

  She walked over to the charger and touched it, praying. Her prayer came out as a softly whispered song and Mal tried to see it from the River, but was too wiped out to make it. The ragged wounds and strained breathing smoothed out as, before their eyes, the wounds healed into fresh hairless but healthy horse. It whinnied and stood.

  “Put his body on the horse. I’m going to calm it.” While she held the charger's head, her song changed and it visibly calmed enough for the boys to lift and secure the rider to its back. When done, they looked at her and she said, “Lets go call on a friend of mine at Sai’s.”

  Though they only covered two more estates, it took almost 2 hours before they reached the estate of Sai R’Dar. The horse followed the priestess trailing a few steps behind. Its slow and steady clops gave a cadence to their two hour trek. Malcor, tired as he was, struggled to keep pace. After a brief period of silence, Calvin found his stride and began trying to engage the priestess in conversation. “You must be special to have attained R’Dar rank so young!” and so it continued as he tried to catch her attention. Mal had seen this behavior before but it struck him how childish Calvin seemed with this priestess. Things that would have had Klennan girls swooning, she barely acknowledged.

  Her polite responses and the sound of her voice helped pass the time and then they came around to the front of Sai’s estate. A couple steps before the main gate and the compound appeared to be vacant parkland. Standing right in front of the gate, the estate suddenly appeared as a baroque metallic drawbridge anchored by stone columns adorned with metal statues arching over a chasm of water. R’Dar Ora pointed and said, “This is where I serve. Please stay here. I’m going to consult with a friend and hopefully, that’ll be that.”

  She turned and walked onto the drawbridge. A faint ripple of a magical barrier pulsed between the stone columns and then the boys saw the hundreds of metal statues turn to watch her. Two metal statues, larger than life, regarded her but let her cross unchallenged. An oversized statue of a bird, huffed and glared at them. When moving, the statues had a keen silvery appearance, but the instant they stopped, they took on a cast grey tone.

  After a few moments, R’Dar Ora emerged along the drawbridge and passed through the shimmering barrier. A falcon statue of pure silver rested on her arm. “This falcon will summon a Tor representative to meet us on the road to the Temple. This way we can continue. They will not refuse a request from my master.” She threw the statue into the air where it flew off south and east.

  Turning onto the road, they resumed their trek. Calvin asked about Sai R’Dar. She explained that Sai was created by the dragon emperor and the mage’s guild. “Though they have tried and tried, the true spark of life has yet to emerge. Sai is unique. He is a master golemsmith, the master if you will. That falcon is one of his creations. His golems are throughout the empire now. They watch over important places and guard the empire's most important secrets.”

  "And, you're a priestess and you serve there, for a golem? Does it serve the Goddess?" Calvin's follow up had a touch of incredulity to it.

  "Sai does not worship anyone though he regards the dragon emperor as his father, the emperor's sons as his brothers. As a created being, neither
he nor the emperor is sure how religion matters for him. By the way, he hates being referred to as an "it". If you ever meet him Calvin, you'd do well to remember that."

  They continued even as the sun began setting behind them. The Temple appeared no closer than before though the road cut through the estates to the base of the emperor's mountain, which served as a useful landmark. Ora had said they would stop at a nearby shrine before nightfall. They had made progress, just not as much as it would seem. Soon, sunset turned to twilight. They passed few other travelers all of whom gave them wide berth and made it very clear they had no desire to interact. They had just started talking about Dar Shara and Malcor was wondering how much to tell, when a voice from the shadows of a side road called out. “Are you R’Dar Ora and Malcor?”

  Malcor stepped forward his hand on his sword and replied, “I am Malcor.”

  “We received your message. I speak for the House of Tor. The message said to meet with urgent secrecy if we wish to avoid humiliation. I see my uncle’s horse and a body. Is this the humiliation you wrote of?” A man stepped out of the shadows. Unlike the earlier combatant, this one wore the clothing of a merchant, a noble one, but a merchant nonetheless. Like R’Dar Tor though and the rider, Malcor assumed he could summon weapons and if not deadly, probably had not come alone. His words held a dangerous edge to them.

  Malcor bowed to the man and said, “My lord, I served at the Tor armory in Klenna until my Age Ceremony. I was chosen by Dar Shara and Dar Rojo to enter the knighthood. R’Dar Tor felt otherwise…”

  “Yes, yes. I know this. So, that corpse is R’Dar Tor’s brother.” The man sighed. “It would seem you are lethal to members of the Tor family young man. I may or may not have a grudge for this. How did it happen?” he asked pointing to the corpse.

  Malcor almost answered when R’Dar Ora stepped forward. “I am Ora, of Sai R’Dar’s estate and servant of the Takhissis. It is in the Queen's best interest that her paladins are not bound to the affairs of merchants, commerce, and politicking. I have asked and been satisfied that this boy was challenged, fought with honor and mercy, and won the duel. It was properly witnessed by this other here Calvin. My master wishes to repay a debt to House Tor by offering you this chance to keep your own losses from view. Both Tor and his brother were renowned for their sword skill. And their tempers. Malcor,” she pointed to him, "was challenged by Tor before Dar Rojo and Dar Shara and the emperor's son Blaze. It was a fair fight and one much witnessed. The normal rules of vengeance should not have applied. To the extent these are still boys, the Law of Innocence applies first." She pointed to the body on the horse, "As this one should have known."

  The man nodded. “An interesting offer. The horse and the gear alone would repay Tor several times for that debt. And yet, this man and his brother are not well known outside the Merchant's Guild. I will have to consider if avoiding possible humiliation and Tor's recovered items is sufficient to repay such a debt.” He stepped back and a figure materialized next to him from the darkness. They began whispering.

  The priestess indicated that last year, the Tor family had redirected several shipments of raw materials to Sai and as a courtesy had not charged extra. “They opted out of receiving a premium fee but Sai has felt a burden of obligation since. They, of course, knew this would happen. Lets see if they bite. Either way, Sai’s involvement will shield you Malcor.”

  "What is the Law of Innocence?" Malcor asked. It suggested a difference in governing between him and the House of Tor. He did not remember ever having heard that term before.

  "At some point, in any heroes' journey, they reach an elevated place in the Empire. Wealth, heroic deeds, might in magic and combat, fame, glory – any of these can elevate your above what the emperor considers the normal people and citizens of Tania. For you, as a nineteen year old just barely finishing your Ceremony but not yet arrived at the Temple, you are an Innocent in the eyes of the law, as it applies to the higher law of the R’Dar and the Dar. The term literally means that you're Innocent of understanding the higher laws."

  Calvin chimed in, "This was part of my studies. Yeah. For a Dar to attack an Innocent, it's a big deal. I didn't even think about that. It's one of the few times that the Empire really cracks down on the ruling class."

  Ora nodded, "Indeed. Both the emperor and the Temple are particular about the affairs of the rulers not negatively impacting the Innocents. The emperor uses this separation to remind his rulers of their duties and obligations to the people. Too many times, our history shows the mighty becoming destructive. He's seen this play out over millennia."

  "Because Malcor won, he could take the entire House of Tor and do what he wants with it, were he a R’Dar."

  "He could, but doing so would elevate him out of the Law of Innocents. He'd be fair game to assassination, plots to overthrow him, the financial tools of the Merchant's Guild to lay claim on him, his property, and other "resources" like his family." Ora pointed to where the Tor representatives were talking. "Or, you could self-elevate and remove any thoughts they might have by attacking them now. It's what most Dar would do in this circumstance, but then I am no lawyer. So long as you only attacked their leadership and any of their retinue directly loyal to them, you'd be fine. Probably."

  Magical glowing orbs of light ignited and bathed the street in a moonlit glow. The Tor representative walked over to them. “Very well, we accept your offer but on one condition.”

  “Yes?” Ora said back a bit more sharply than Malcor was about to.

  “We wish to interrogate him,” he said pointing to the corpse. “R’Dar Tor’s will left explicit instructions for his wealth to fall to his brothers, but the King’s message implied ownership of the armory going to Malcor – possibly. We just want to make certain. As a priestess, what is your price to assist?”

  She smiled and deferentially replied, “A token of your gratitude equal to the value of the information retrieved and offered in Sai’s name to the Temple is sufficient, but I dare not do this here. We must be on consecrated ground. Come with us to the Temple, it is where we are heading anyway.”

  Agreement reached, the representative and the figure from the shadows joined them. They refused conversation and kept to themselves.

  Chapter Nine – The Shrine

  Eventually, conversation returned to Dar Shara and their encounter with her. Ora hung on their every word and asked questions. Unlike the conversation before, her questions aimed at what the high priestess’ personality and reactions were like. The presence of Armageddon struck a note and fired her interest even more as she wondered if the dread lord had feelings for the priestess.

  “I dare not say,” Malcor said. “Armageddon has a demeanor like that but when I was with the dread lord, all I ever felt was a direct and pressing agenda to do whatever the lord’s purpose required. As her guardian, I would imagine that directness might be perceived as something not intended by either. The dread lord is awesome. My guess is that he is amused by Dar Shara and how we react to her, to him, to his guardianship.”

  This started Calvin asking questions and it occurred to Mal that Calvin had not even been aware of his proximity or time with the dread lord. “But, he is always with her right? And I have never heard that she took a lover… “ Ora continued.

  Mal cut her off. “R’Dar Ora, I can’t! Should I see Armageddon again, my focus needs to be on other things. Each moment I was with him, I felt my life’s worth being judged. People in my village couldn’t even make eye contact with him. His power was so… and when he dragonshifted and leapt into the sky, it felt like an angel of death had fallen over us. Without the Temple and the knights there, that feeling of death alone might have killed us all.”

  She touched his arm, lightly, and then grabbed it more firmly to walk with him. “You’re going to be a knight right? So, as a priestess, you really do have to do what I say. I want you to tell me EVERYTHING.” She smiled at him playfully. "Everything Malcor. I want it all."

  Calvin starte
d laughing and Malcor flinched. The Temple appeared to be at least two more hours away. Though night had fallen, the Temple stood alit by magical lights and fires. “Everything? All right.” He put his hand on hers. Her skin felt soft and small and warm on his arm.

  “I was standing on a hill, the day before the Coming of Age Ceremony. Across the valley of Klenna, I saw Dar Shara and the dread lord standing in the shrine’s entry way. I did not know he was a dread lord then. I assumed he was a bodyguard, probably a paladin.” He described it all, letting it all come out except the River. He slowed his pace to allow the Tor representatives within hearing range. “So there I was, standing with Calvin before King Rojo. Dar Shara sat off to the side on the shrine’s throne. Armageddon had taken to the sky. The priestesses spoke of prophecy and the king spoke of the empire’s future. There, before the entire village, the shrine of Takhissis, Dar Shara, Dar Rojo, five dread lords…” he looked back at the Tor representatives and stopped so that they walked into his words, “…including the dragon emperor’s eldest. R’Dar Tor kicked me in the back and mocked my desires to serve the Queen. I fell at the King’s feet and felt so incredibly angry.”

  The representatives kept their faces passive and blank but Mal saw his words had registered and they were paying attention. The level of insult, not just to Mal but to the King as well and on such a public stage, would have triggered civil war between even the smallest of families. “Dar Rojo stood me to my feet. Dread Lord Armageddon landed and human-shifted to my side. I was commanded to slay R’Dar Tor. In my heart, within the River, the dread lord and the Queen’s voice told me that my purpose, my destiny, would begin with his death.” He stared straight into the Tor representatives’ eyes without blinking or flinching. “Ora, truthsay my words. After all, how could a teen-aged boy be with such an august group or defeat a duelist of the renown held by my master? Or even have defeated my challenger there,” he pointed to the corpse carried on the charger.