The Gully Snipe (The Dual World Book 1)

by JF Smith

  Gully paused and then sighed heavily. He closed his eyes and continued, “...was a good and honorable man. The best honor that I can show to my ancestors, to Colnor my father, and to Ollon my father, and so very many before them, is to do right for those that come after me, to the very best of my abilities. And this path forward is right.”

  Without even realizing the words were coming from his mouth, Gully added, “The future can only be what it can because the past is what it was.”

  Strafe’s chest continued to heave in and out and he pretended to ignore Gully’s comments.

  “But then, a closed and bitter mind can only be freed from its gaol by the prisoner himself,” said Gully.

  Strafe only glared at Gully in response.

  The king said, “Strafe, I respect your decision. If it please you, will you wait a few minutes and join me in my chambers to discuss your decision?”

  Strafe nodded curtly and stormed through the hall without so much as a glance back.

  Gully watched him leave, a little sad, but having expected no other response from veWarrnest. He turned back to those gathered around him and gazed at the earnest faces looking to him for a long while, gauging the sincerity of their pledges, and finding not one lacking.

  He held out his hands at those gathered around him and said, “I am the seed of Bal’Iisen. All of you have crossed the line separating the past from what is to come and have now joined me. Together, we become the sprout of Bal’Iisen. By pledging your loyalty to Bal’Iisen, you have pledged your fealty not only to me, but to one another. There is no more Balmorea or Iisen between us. Here, together in this room, we are one people, and I expect us all to comport ourselves accordingly from this day on, to trust and support each other in what is to come. We will grow to a greater land, a better people... a nobler realm. I thank both of my fathers for each of you here with me.”

  Chapter 43 — The Constellations Shift

  Gully walked into his private chambers behind the Throne Hall, a fuming veWarrnest following behind him. After veWarrnest, still furious and puzzled at being asked to attend him, were the patriarch, Exoutur, and Encender. Gallun and Gellen insisted on being close to the king as well. Gully had almost asked them to stay outside, but he had promised Roald and he needed to keep his promise. They would never allow him to be alone with veWarrnest, anyway.

  Before Gully could even reach the far side of the table, Strafe threw at him, “I hope that Your Highness is quite satisfied with himself! The lengths that you seem willing to go to accomplish no more than to back me into a corner, to force me to be a toady like the rest, or to be the only man in this kingdom willing to stand up against your—”

  “Be quiet, Strafe,” said Gully, irritated and very tired of the man. “Of course it follows that you would see everything that I spoke of as no more than a conspiracy against you, as a knife that I could dig into your side. Of course you would never deign to consider the merits of what I have proposed for their own value.”

  veWarrnest’s neck throbbed and his face began turning red. “There is no value in what—”

  Gully ignored him and interrupted once again, “Noblesir veWarrnest, I said I would honor your decision and I do. I will honor your wish to be no part of this even as I do not respect your opinion. By the last day of winter, you will leave this land. Your fief is forfeit to the crown. Your family constellation, the Victory Rose, is also forfeit. All of your wealth and possessions are yours to take, either west, or across the sea to the south, or wherever you prefer to go, so long as you are at least ten day-lengths outside the borders of this land. If you abide by these conditions, and do not seek to cause discord, directly or indirectly, then you are not an enemy, and you will not be treated as such. If any of your family or anyone on your land wishes to stay, and will swear an oath to Bal’Iisen, then they will be welcomed, but otherwise, they must be gone with you before the sun sets on the last day of this year.”

  veWarrnest’s face twisted into an acidic grin. He said, “So this is how you grab more power, is it? Slowly pushing each noble family out and taking their fiefs for yourself so that veLohrdan is the only ruling family left? I must say, I am appalled at the thirst for power that is now showing so manifest in you. Delavoor had nothing on your ambitions!”

  Gully looked stupefied for a brief moment, but rather than become angry, he then started laughing. “Strafe, one of us is deluded indeed, but it is not me. The very last thing I want is to get rid of the noble families. I need the noble families. Iisen and Bal’Iisen need the structure and governance they provide, despite their irksome sense of inborn superiority. What I will not abide, though, is a noble lord who has already made up his mind to work against me in every decision, merely for the sake of undermining a king to whom he has taken a disliking.”

  veWarrnest shook his head and said tersely, “You will one day regret this hubris of yours, Thief King.”

  “I am but a man, veWarrnest, given an opportunity... a choice... to make something more than what is today. I do not think I will regret that,” said Gully. “Gallun and Gellen, will you show our guest, Strafe Warrnest, out?”

  The two men grabbed Strafe by each arm a little more roughly than was strictly necessary, but the former nobleman immediately understood the message that the king would hold no more discussion on the matter.

  While they escorted the former nobleman out, Gully shifted his attention to the patriarch and his two sons. Encender and Exoutur appeared supremely uncomfortable at what they had witnessed between Strafe and Gully, but the patriarch seemed unperturbed by any of it. Gully regarded them in silence for a brief period while he composed himself.

  He said to them, “I’m sorry for the things that man has said today, but I’m not sorry for his decision. A small benefit of ending this kingdom is that it forced him to take a side, and he could no longer pretend to be looking out for Iisen’s interests while serving his own narrow ones.”

  “If I did not know better, Your Highness,” said the patriarch, his eyes smiling, “I would say that Strafe was right that this was entirely designed to force him to choose without further prevarication.”

  “No,” said Gully with a weak smile, “In blunt candor, I can say that he is the least of my worries and almost last in my mind for the last several days. What I want for Bal’Iisen will not be easy or as straightforward as it seems. What I want for Bal’Iisen far eclipses any concern for forcing him into line or ridding myself of him.”

  Gallun and Gellen stepped back into Gully’s chambers and resumed their place behind the king. From the grins on their faces, Gully suspected the treatment of Strafe improved none after they had removed him from the room.

  Gully said, “It will not be easy on you, either, I hope you understand. The people of Iisen will not take to you simply because they are told to do so. I firmly believe that it is critical that they do, though. We must become one people.”

  “To that end,” said Gully, “I now get to the point of why I had you accompany me here. On the first day of the next year, the family line of Mercher will become one of the noble families of Bal’Iisen. You and your families will be veMercher. Encender, Exoutur... as it so happens, there are now two fiefs without noble lords. You will gain claim to one of these fiefs each to run as your own. Patriarch, my friend, you are free to travel between them, or stay here as one of my most honored guests, anytime you wish and without the need of any further invitation. What I said outside is true... I will have a dire need for your counsel on many topics, but I also know you will want to see your families often. Exoutur and Encender, of course, you and your families are always welcome here in Lohrdanwuld at the Folly as well. To speak openly, I worry that I will not get to see you often enough.”

  The patriarch and Exoutur both seemed very pleased at Gully’s pronouncement. Encender, though, looked down at his feet.

  “How is it, Your Highness, that you would reward someone who has shown so little faith in you? My conscience… it… I am not so sur
e I can accept this offer,” he said in no more than a mumble after a moment.

  “There is no doubt we’ve had our different opinions. Contrary to what Strafe insists, I prefer honesty and sincerity to flowers and flummery that hide the thorns beneath. All you’ve been is honest with me, Encender, and you’ve had reason to doubt me,” said Gully. He came around the stone table and put his hand on Encender’s shoulder. “Encender, you have suffered long under the task of keeping the Mercher clan safe without it breaking you. It is time for you to be able to take much of that weight off of your back while knowing those of Balmorean descent are safe and have a real home. I will ask of you in return, though, that you offer your skills to Roald to help improve our own Kingdom Guard so that we will all benefit from your knowledge and techniques.”

  Instead of encouraged, Encender seemed even more beaten. “I...” he stammered, wiping another tear from his eye. Even the patriarch and Exoutur watched him in surprise, puzzled about the emotional reaction he was having at Gully’s offer.

  “I... do not know what to say, Your Majesty,” insisted Encender without looking up.

  Exoutur placed his hand on his brother’s back, “’Cender, you need not say anything. Accept the offer given you.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, Encender,” added Gully, “there is another motive behind my offer.”

  Exoutur and the patriarch both looked to the king with the question in their eyes.

  “Bal’Iisen,” said Gully, “will not advance in joining the two bloodlines very well if they are not mingled in both the noble and peasant classes — the class into which I was born and the class in which I was raised. The people look to the nobility to see what is acceptable and proper, and what is not. Your families will be of immense value in bringing our cultures together.”

  “Will you accept, Encender? I will not force you,” said Gully, nodding at him and encouraging him.

  Encender nodded and barely managed to choke out his response, “Yes... Your Highness.”

  “It is done, then. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to your father in private for a moment,” said Gully.

  Encender and Exoutur bowed briefly and took their leave while the patriarch remained behind.

  Gully motioned to the only chair in the room, the one reserved for the monarch, and said, “Please take the seat, patriarch.”

  “Your Highness, I feel we will forever argue about these particular etiquettes between us,” said the patriarch with a smile.

  “Fine then, Aian, I shall sit on the desk and the chair will remain useless and empty.” Gully perched up on the side of the table with a knowing smirk. “Gallun, Gellen, you have probably gone all day without eating. Go and get yourselves a meal, please.”

  The two men looked at each other suspiciously and refused to leave.

  Gully laughed and said, “Have I so thoroughly earned your mistrust that I cannot even have a private conversation with the patriarch? I give you my word, I will not run away and hide from you. And I have already given Roald my word on this matter, too.”

  The two fighters still looked in doubt, but they finally relented and left Gully alone with the patriarch. Once alone, the patriarch moved behind the desk and took the seat.

  “Thank you,” said Gully in exaggerated relief.

  “I have perhaps done a disservice to you by not consulting you first about giving Exoutur and Encender the two fiefs. I beg your forgiveness if I have acted hastily, patriarch. If you would prefer to have one for yourself, I will go back on my promise to your sons,” said Gully.

  “Now, Gully, you know better than that,” said Aian. “I am most pleased with your decision, and if I may be so bold in saying, in a way, I feel as if I have been blessed with three families that I may now share my time amongst.”

  “The honor is mine if you now consider me family, Aian.”

  “I am very proud of you, Di’taro. I am proud of what you have become, and that you now fully accept your rightful place. I am...” The patriarch paused as a hint of regret seeped into the lines of his face. “I am only sorry that your father, Ollon, is still missing and not here with us. He would be as proud of you as I am.”

  “I must let go, patriarch. I can still look for him, and will probably have help now, but I cannot focus solely on the past. I have a future that is in desperate need of my attention.”

  “You have made the choice laid before you, then, even at the cost it comes. Fate chose you well, Your Highness,” said the patriarch softly.

  “Chosen me well?” asked Gully. “I have done nothing yet except daydream. Fate is not interested in wishes and good intentions, Aian. I would have a much harder time with all that is ahead of me without your wisdom to call upon. Thank you for that.”

  Gully laughed and added, “And I suppose I should thank you for not letting ’Cender feed me to Raybb my first night among you, too! Sometimes I feel like he still wishes to do so! Until today, at least.”

  “Oh, Encender is fierce in his determination to protect the clan, you are well aware. But he crossed the line to be with you today. You saw his reaction to your offer. He will continue to challenge you, but you may have full faith that he is now with you.”

  The patriarch leaned over from his chair and took Gully’s hand. He held it and said again, “Fate has chosen well, Gully.”

  Gully tried to believe the patriarch, but there were still so many doubts, so much he did not understand, and too many things that were not in his control. His face faltered for a moment and he admitted, “Then why do I still have this nagging void between myself and those that care so much about me? Why do I feel more alone now with more people who care very deeply for me than I have ever had before, and I for them?”

  The patriarch sat back in the carved chair of Gully’s and looked on the king in deep sympathy. “What would I give to be able to tell you how to fully bridge that gulf, Gully? Part of it is the hole left by your father’s disappearance. And part of it is the position you now hold. No one, no matter how much they love you, will ever be able to fully understand the burden now upon you because of the Iisen crown and the Balmorean sigil. It sets you apart from even those closest to you in a way that the rest of us can only vaguely see and understand.”

  He sighed and shook his head and told Gully, “I fear it is a burden only someone in your position will ever fully comprehend, and there has never been anyone in your position before. But I also believe that even if you always feel the emptiness and separation, you will come to learn to accept it, as you do the scar left by Krayell’s blade on your arm.”

  The patriarch stood. He took Gully’s hand and had him stand from the stone desk as well, and he embraced the young king tightly. He said, “You have begun to let us into your heart, Gully, and that will help fill this emptiness you feel, even if it is never quite enough to eliminate it. That is the gift given to you, Di’taro... so many people now who care for you in ways that you would never have expected in your previous life. You are learning that Ollon is not the only one that could love you. Accept that gift given to you, Di’taro.”

  They held each other for a moment longer, Gully fighting back the dampness in his eyes.

  When the patriarch stepped back, he said, “I must thank you again. Today was a day I thought neither myself nor any of my family would ever see come. To know that the best of our culture, the best parts of Balmorea, will live again and become more than what it was, and to have that happen through the unbroken imperial bloodline, is almost more of a gift than I can withstand. Thank you.”

  For the first time that day, Gully felt like things were falling into their intended places. For the first time that day, he felt like he could begin to relax a little bit. There was so much to do, so much to accomplish, so much that lay ahead, but he had successfully taken the first step. The patriarch’s smile and sparkling eyes spread their way to Gully.

  The patriarch offered his arm to the king. “Come, Your Highness. Let us go find your constant wo
lves before they worry themselves sick that they are not watching over you!”

  Chapter 44 — Things Begin To Fall Into Place

  Wyael came running up, out of breath. “These trees are not ripe yet, but the cherries on the farther side are very good, King Gully.” He held out the small basket that had been filled with dark red cherries.

  Gully put his hand on Wyael’s back and said, “Thank you, Wyael. You didn’t eat so many yourself that you’re going to get sick, are you?”

  Wyael shook his head and said with a laugh, “No!”

  “You didn’t swallow the pits, did you?”

  Wyael laughed again at Gully’s teases and said, “I know how to eat cherries!”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Gully spotted the Archbishop strolling down the orchard path towards them. It wasn’t the stroll of someone out for a leisurely walk, it was a gait with purpose and Gully knew to whom the Archbishop wished to speak.

  He said, “I’m afraid the Archbishop is going to want to speak to me, Wyael. Will you take the cherries and go back to the Folly and let Roald know I will be up soon to see him?”

  Wyael nodded. Gully looked thoughtful and added, “That is, unless you wish to have the conversation with the Archbishop in my place, and I will take the cherries to Roald?”

  Wyael looked horrified. He shook his head and said, “No, Gully! You’re the king, not me!” Before Gully could insist that Wyael remain and conduct the conversation with the Archbishop, Wyael took off running down the path past him.

  Gully called after him, “Don’t spill them, Wyael, please!”

  The Archbishop approached, a dark cloud of concern upon his weathered face, and he bowed deeply before the king.

  Gully said, “Ho there, Nellist, it is good to see you!”