The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1

by AJ Martin

  Thadius looked to Matthias. “What is wrong with him?”

  Matthias didn’t take his eyes from where Grimm lay. He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

  Thadius growled, and anchored his sword further on the man’s neck. “Speak sense!” he growled. “Tell us, Taico Grimm, why did you try and kill us? If you do not I will slice your throat this instant! I swear it!”

  Grimm swallowed, his constricting neck muscles pressing harder against the blade before he continued. “I was meant to stop you...” he paused as he coughed up some phlegm, which dribbled down his neck. Josephine wrinkled her nose in disgust as she wiped mud from her cheeks. “I was to stop you from leaving Rina. I have to stop you! Please,” he whispered. “You have to stop!”

  “Are you a wizard?” Matthias questioned. The man shook his head.

  “No.” He chuckled. “Oh no!”

  “But you wield energy?” Matthias continued.

  “I only wield that which was given to me to do my job! I was imbued with power so that I might stop you.”

  “That’s not true,” Matthias exclaimed. “You’re lying.”

  “What’s wrong?” Thadius asked, confused.

  “Borrowed energy is a myth. There was a suggestion made centuries ago that it may be possible to give someone who should not be able to wield the ability to do so. But that has never been proven to be possible even after thousands of attempts by my people. Those who can use the world’s four energies do so because they are born with the ability.”

  “I was not born with this ability,” Josephine commented.

  “With respect Your Highness we don’t know much about your abilities yet. Besides, you seem to be a unique case.” Matthias shook his head. “Depending on what or who creatures and people are descended from, many can wield one of the other four powers. They channel them through their bodies like a conductor. The idea that someone, somewhere could grant another access to one of those powers and pass them like a sword to be wielded…” Matthias shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

  “It’s true!” Taico exclaimed. “Oh wizard, you are but a minnow in this world! You think you know so much! But you are clueless.” He shook his head and began scolding himself. “Stop talking!” he winced. “Stupid man! After all this time you still cannot help yourself!”

  Matthias stepped over Grimm again. “Who gave you the ability? If it is true, you will tell me their name!”

  Grimm stared up at Matthias. “No!” He barked. “So young. There is so much more...” he closed his eyes, and a tear slid from between his lashes. “You cannot stop it.” He began to wail uncontrollably. “How I wished you could stop what is yet to come, Matthias of Mahalia! How many times you disappointed me!”

  Matthias knelt down. “You know me somehow?” he asked calmly.

  “Know you? Oh, how I know you all! You have been a part of me for so long. Your names have become like a poison to me, eating away at my very soul!” He began sobbing again.

  “Grimm, tell me,” Matthias whispered. “I can help you, if you will tell me what I need to know.”

  Suddenly Grimm’s eyes shot open and he shook his head manically. “No you fool!! It cannot be! You are a liar! Empty promises of a thousand nightmares! This is a trick!”

  “He’s mad, wizard!” Thadius whispered. “A lunatic.”

  Matthias nodded. “I think you might be right. But the question is, what truths lie behind that madness?”

  “I am afraid,” Josephine whispered.

  “We should cut his throat and be done with it. Put him out of his misery,” Thadius said. “He is making little sense as it is.”

  “He will be no use to us at all if he’s dead,” Matthias said. “Take your sword from his neck.”

  “What?” Thadius exclaimed.

  “Remove the sword! Matthias barked. “Or must I remove it myself?”

  Thadius looked at Matthias with fire in his eyes. But then he removed the steel from Grimm’s throat. The man calmed, and after a moment, he sat up, gingerly, feeling his neck.

  “Taico Grimm is not your name,” Matthias said. “It is ancient Sumerian, the oldest language known to exist. It stands for ‘Fated Warrior.’ It is not a name.”

  “I am Taico Grimm,” he whispered. “The Four anointed me in the name of the Master as the one who would bring about the return.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Josephine asked.

  Matthias’ eyes narrowed. “The Four?” Matthias asked. “The Four what?”

  “No! I will not tell you!” he hissed, shaking his head back and forth. “How can this be happening? So clear... everything was so clear, and then now... I should not be talking to you! And yet... I always longed for this moment that could never come!”

  Matthias sighed. “I want to help you. It is clear you are not well. But I can’t help you unless you tell me who sent you and for what purpose? You must tell me!”

  Grimm smiled. “You have fire enough in you! But it will not be enough!” He thrust out a hand quicker than could be seen, and gripped Matthias’ neck tightly, catching him off guard. Grimm sneered. “Oh very nearly wizard did you force me to divulge my gift!” He threw the wizard back before Matthias could wield the power enough to repel him, and spun to his feet. “But the second chance they gave me has provided me with the clarity to see what must be done!” He outstretched a hand and a swirling green light erupted from his palm, straight towards the princess. Matthias threw his arm up towards Josephine and before the energy could strike, a bubble of white enveloped her. It sparked as the energy surged into the barrier Matthias erected. “The girl must be extinguished! There is no other option!”

  Thadius swung his sword hard and fast and the blade met the back of Grimm’s neck. It took a split second for it to part the man’s head from his body and with the severance, the energy stopped, the body falling to its knees, and then collapsing sideways into the wet grass. Grimm’s head rolled a few paces, and then came to rest by Josephine’s feet, his features pressed into the dirt. Matthias let his hand drop, and the bubble around Josephine vanished.

  “Your Highness,” Thadius cried, and rushed to her side, grasping her by the shoulders and kicking the head away. “You are safe now.”

  Matthias stood up, staring at the body that lay in the ground in front of him. He exhaled, and covered his mouth with a hand pensively.

  “This is your fault,” Thadius barked. “You should never have let him loose from my sword!”

  “I needed information,” Matthias said, as he looked at the body, which still twitched, before he turned back to them. “I thought he could give it to us. I was wrong.”

  “Your error very nearly cost Josephine her life! Why would you trust a madman and his lies anyway? He never had any intention of helping us! He was trying to kill us!”

  “I had a feeling,” Matthias replied. “I can’t explain it. There was more to him than just a madman.” He shook his head. “His eyes were old. Knowing.”

  “And what would you know of such things?” Thadius retorted. “You are barely older than the princess you escort!”

  Matthias looked at Thadius a moment, as if to respond, but then he relaxed, and simply nodded. “Perhaps you are right.”

  “We should go back,” Thadius said. “Back to Rina.”

  “If we go back the princess will be in more danger,” Matthias said calmly.

  “She is in more than enough danger with you making fool decisions!” Thadius growled.

  “What did he mean, ‘she must be extinguished?’ Who was he? Why does someone I have never met want to kill me so much?” she asked.

  Matthias knelt by her side. “Because they are afraid of you, Your Highness. You are strong, and whoever these people are who are trying to release the dragon, you can stop them.” He sighed. “You may be the only one these people are afraid of.” He sighed. “I am sorry. I should not have allowed that to happen. Thadius is right about that. Whatever this madman could have tol
d us about the people who are after you, it was not worth your life. And you should not have had to see that.” He glanced back at the severed head, its features buried in the grass.

  Josephine nodded. “You are forgiven,” she whispered, after a pause. “After all, you did save me from him. Twice.” She took a breath, “And a beheading, though unpleasant, is not uncommon for me to see, ambassador. My father used to take me to Traitor’s Gate to watch the punishment of criminals.” She stood and stared down at the body. “Mister Grimm got what he deserved for trying to kill me, whatever his motives were. Thadius, we cannot return. As much as I wish to, this must be done. If I can stop people like him, then we will press on. Gods know we have lingered here for long enough.”

  Grudgingly Thadius nodded his agreement. “What should we do with the body?” he asked. “We can’t leave it here for anyone to find it. We could burn it?”

  “And light a beacon for anyone nearby to see?” Matthias shook his head. “We will have to leave him. We don’t have the time to dig him a grave.”

  Thadius frowned at him and nodded. “Boiling his blood, wizard? One moment you were ready to turn him to steamed pork and the next you wanted to help him. You are far more dangerous and unpredictable than I could have believed.”

  “Says the man who cut his head off with one blow,” Matthias retorted.

  “Perhaps when you have quite finished squabbling, we could carry on?” Josephine interrupted. “I have had more than enough fighting for one night without you starting another!”

  Matthias smiled and nodded. “As you wish, Your Highness,” he said. “Come on, let’s go.”

  They carried on through the night, leaving the body of Taico Grimm to bleed into the soil.

  Feelings of Helplessness

  115th Day of the Cycle, 495 N.E. (New Era)

  King Arwell sat in his chair by the fire, a delicate glass of whisky in his hand. The vessel had been a gift from the Tekritian ambassador, made of fine crystal of the like not seen anywhere else in the world. It was one of a set he had now acquired over the years from the man and he cherished them. Despite the achievements of his own kingdom, nothing of the like had ever been produced in Aralia. Such delicate frosted leaves winding around the glass. Some nights he would simply sit and stare at the beauty of it. Tonight though, he cared not for the glass, but for the alcohol within, which he had drained and replenished several times over in the last hour.

  He had been roused from his sleep with news that the princess had up and left in the middle of the night accompanied by Thadius and the wizard. Several of his men had been hurt in the fracas and Lady Pombar, one of his most trusted of servants, had been incapacitated with some incantation that had frozen her to the spot. He had ordered an immediate search of the city for his daughter and now, in the early hours of the morning, the streets were alive with soldiers. The people of Rina watched apprehensively as the men hammered on doors and checked down alleyways, unsure of the reason for the unrest.

  Waiting as patiently as he could, the king sat and stared into space, thoughts of all manner of horrors filling his mind. The sky outside was still dark, though it would not be long until sunrise now. He swigged from the glass again and the strong liquid caught in his throat before a burning warmth spread down to his stomach. As he stood to refill the glass again, the door to his chambers burst open and a young soldier strode in.

  “Your Grace!” he saluted.

  “What news have you?” Arwell asked.

  The soldier shook his head. “I regret there is nothing good to report, Your Grace. A gatekeeper has been found severely injured on the east side of the city. He’s had his throat slit and is unconscious, though he does appear, by some miracle, to still be alive, even if it is just barely. The gate he guarded leading onto the plains was wide open.” The soldier looked apprehensive.

  “What else?” Arwell beckoned. “By the look on your face I know there is more. Out with it man!”

  “We’ve also found the remains of several creatures nearby. They appear to be helspawn of some kind. Captain Tiberius says they are of a breed he has never seen before. They are larger and look much more ferocious.”

  “More ferocious?” the king spat. “We’re talking of helspawn here man! They already look ferocious!”

  The guard shook his head. “Yes Your Grace. As I say, I am relaying only what Captain Tiberius has told me.

  “Where is Tiberius now?” the king asked.

  “He is surveying the rest of the city as we speak, but it appears that your daughter may no longer be in Rina.”

  The king exhaled heavily. “Gods damn you wizard!” he growled. “This is not what was planned!”

  “Your Grace, with your permission I will prepare a search party immediately to scour the lands around the city. We will find her.”

  “At once!” the king snapped. The man bowed and turned to go. “Wait!” Arwell ordered suddenly. “No. No, you must not prepare a search party. You must do nothing of the like.”

  The soldier looked puzzled. “No, Your Majesty?”

  Arwell nodded and closed his eyes a moment. “We must not look for her.”

  “Your Grace, do I understand you correctly? You wish for us to stop our search?”

  “Boy, there is nothing more I would like than to rouse every damned soldier in this city – every man with eyes and order them to look over every blade of grass to find my daughter. I would leave this very instant myself and come with you if I went with my heart. But I cannot allow my fear and selfish instinct to overcome what I know is to be the course of action that must be taken. If we start looking for her, we might lead more of those creatures straight to her.” He took another gulp of his drink.

  “Your Grace, I think I am missing something here. I do not understand your reason? The princess is gone! Kidnapped, perhaps!”

  “My daughter must not be found. Not by us, or anyone else. And she is not kidnapped. She is with Thadius and the wizard, the man who was here these past days. They will take care of her.”

  “Your Grace, as I understood it, the ambassador from Mahalia was dragged before you in chains not two days ago! How can you trust this man?”

  “I trust Thadius and he assured me he trusts the wizard, even if I don’t.”

  “But… where are they going?” the soldier continued to ask.

  “Somewhere I cannot disclose.” He nodded. “She will come home when all this is done. In the meantime, we must defend the city.”

  “When all is done? Your Grace, what are we to defend Rina against?” He scratched his head. “My pardon, but I am deeply confused.”

  “Things more deadly than your young mind can imagine,” the king said bluntly.

  “But Your Grace-”

  “Do you intend to make it a habit of questioning the words of your king?” Arwell barked.

  The soldier stepped back. “No. Of course not, Your Grace. My apologies.”

  The king waved him away. “Tell Tiberius to come back and speak with me. We must fortify Rina.”

  The man took one last look at his king in stunned silence, before bowing again.

  “Of course, Your Grace. By your leave.”

  King Arwell watched the man go and then, with a cry of despair, he threw the glass to the floor. It shattered to pieces and with a thud he sank back into his chair and stared at the floor.

  “Be safe my daughter,” he whispered. “And when your work is done, come back to me.”

  Emalin Noire

  115th Day of the Cycle, 495 N.E. (New Era)

  It took the rest of the night walking for the three travellers to reach the nearest village to Rina. Emalin Noire was a small town with a small population. The sheep in the outlying fields outnumbered the people inside the village by three to one, and the small number of quaint houses the people lived in, built of grey stone with thatched roofs and window boxes full of flowers, were spaced out around a cobbled square, through which a steadily flowing stream ran its length: an offshoot from th
e river Iden that flowed onwards to the fields, spilling off into irrigation ditches dug along its length. Colourful, painted wooden shutters were closed to ward off the night breeze, the windows having not glass but a diamond latticework of bound canes which did little to stop the cold.

  Matthias, Josephine and Thadius moved through the quiet town square. It was still early, dawn having just broken the darkness, and a grey haze still hung across the town. No - one was around and Josephine cupped her hands into the cold, clear water and drank gratefully. Her throat was as dry and scratchy as a briar patch. She could have plunged her head into the stream.

  “Thirsty?” Matthias asked, standing over her, a rakish grin on his face.

  Josephine stopped a moment, nodded silently, and then drank some more. The water kept spilling between her fingers before she could drink a good handful. Matthias chuckled.

  “I probably wouldn’t drink too much of that water, if I were you,” he continued.

  “Why?” The princess spluttered, dipping her hands in to the water again.

  “We’re downstream from Rina and this water comes from the river on the outskirts of your city.”

  “And why is that a problem?” she asked tersely, between sips.

  “Where do you think your sewage is dumped?”

  Josephine stopped mid - gulp and her face paled over.

  “It’s fine princess,” Thadius interrupted. “The water is filtered further upstream. Continue drinking if you wish.” Josephine gave Matthias a scolding stare, and continued.

  “In that case, I think we could do with filling these.” the wizard knelt by Josephine’s side, and began dipping two canisters in the water. “I didn’t have any time to prepare them before we left Rina.” When they were full, he strapped them around his waist. “How exactly do you filter the water?” Matthias asked.

  “After all that has happened to us overnight, you are interested in our plumbing and drainage solutions?” Thadius retorted.