by Quil Carter
“How can I believe you? You’re talking to a king with that folly bullshit talk; tell me and make me believe it. You know what shek I’m in, Sweeny. You know my head and my crown is the gods for the taking. Gods, Sweeny… GODS!” Erick’s voice started to raise.
Sweeny cowered; he hid his hands behind his back to keep Erick from seeing them shake. He fully expected Erick to start hitting or throwing things at him again, it was so common now he had even trained himself to no longer duck. It angered his king when he missed.
Sweeny inhaled a deep breath, the room smelling sweet from the wine and fruit, and warm from the roaring fire.
Erick watched Sweeny raise his head and look at him. His soft face was serious and, for the first time, Erick could see him trying to hide the worry that always seemed present on his face.
His blue-green eyes met Erick’s red ones.
“I am loyal to you… Erick Zahn, you’re… you’re my friend.” His voice was so quiet it was barely audible; he was trying so hard to be brave. If Erick had the power-induced rage inside him he’d had for the last several years he would’ve found it pathetic. But now – now it was so much of a relief Erick felt as weak as the day Xalis and Darsheive had brought him here.
“Thank you, Sweeny,” Erick said. He grabbed his cloak and gave Sweeny his cup before heading for the door.
“Where are we going?” Sweeny asked. Erick clasped his ruby-incrusted gold clasps and opened the heavy oak doors.
“I need some cold air,” Erick said quietly. “To clear my head. I have so many thoughts pulling me in so many directions. I wish I had someone…” he sighed and shook his head. “… sometimes I wish I had someone to talk to about this. Someone I could really trust.”
Sweeny was silent for a moment. He shifted his feet. “You can talk to me, Your Grace. You can trust me.”
Erick looked over at him and pulled his cloak closer to his body. He watched the hibrid stand there, the squire looking uncomfortable under his gaze.
“You… you may come out onto the balcony with me,” Erick said.
27
Ben jerked awake before closing his eyes as a jolt of pain ripped itself up his stomach to his chest. Just moments ago he had been sleeping peacefully, before a jare had decided to attack him in his dreams.
It didn’t take him long to realize he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. So, with a relenting sigh, he shifted himself into the sitting position and pulled his blanket up to his chest.
Ben jumped as he heard a horse snort and shake its head near him. He looked towards the noise to see Malagant’s horse walking steadily in pace with his own. He smiled to himself as he saw his friend leaning forward in his saddle, dozing soundly. Malagant must’ve arrived while he was sleeping. He’d been fighting drowsiness since he’d awoken the previous day, all thanks to Teal’s serums and tonics.
Ben lifted himself up from his litter, ignoring the painful protests of his injuries, and looked ahead.
In front of them was quite an impressive scene. Over a dozen escorts, all dressed entirely in armour, some polished steel, some oiled black leather, and all brandishing the Firemane crest: a red rearing lion with a vine of thorns in its jaws. The emblem was either embroidered on their capes, or on a banner being held high on wooden poles.
Even the horses were wearing armour and, from the looks of it – Ben stood up in his litter and looked ahead – Yep, both Gorat and Grady were dressed in armour so polished it reflected brightly in the winter sun. And Gorat even had a menacing battle-axe which was strapped to his back. Grady had a longsword that looked to be almost the length of Ben.
From friendly elves travelling with them to full-on Lords, Ben was taken aback by the transformation in the two. They looked stoic and in control and ready for anything Erick threw at them.
“Impressive, eh?” Malagant mumbled. Ben looked over, but Malagant’s eyes were still closed; he must’ve heard Ben shifting around.
“We never got to see this sort of thing in Lelan,” Ben said in awe. Even though there were a lot of them, everyone was riding in silence. Only the horses’ hooves and the shifting of armour could be heard as they carried on.
“Oh, the Lelanders are worse than this.” Malagant yawned and stretched before he reached behind his horse for the waterskin. “Over this ridge we’re coming up towards is the last hill we will see before the descent. Then it’s downhill until we reach the town. We’ll be there before long.”
“Wow.” Ben turned around and laid back down in his litter. “Gorat won’t make me lay in the litter as we ride through town, right?” He felt humiliated at the mere thought. All the escort guards and all this comradery would attract attention as it was meant to. He dearly hoped he didn’t have to be stuck in a litter looking pathetic for all of Rhastt to see.
Malagant shook his head and Ben let out a relieved sigh. “No, you’ll share a horse with me. I’ll keep you steady but I don’t think you’ll fall off. The litter has done its duty, you’ll be Torasen the healer’s problem soon.”
And because of the hard nights’ ride, it wasn’t long at all. After a few more hours at a brisk pace, Gorat halted the party. Grady, Malagant, and Teal detached the litter from Ben’s mason horse and dragged it out of view into the trees. Ben bid it a quick farewell and thanked it for dragging his sorry self through the Valewind forest, before being lifted onto Malagant’s horse.
Then, as they reached the top of the last hill, Ben saw the town of Rhastt in the not far off distance.
The view was breathtaking. The town of Rhastt was completely protected by a grey stone wall, with more guard towers than Ben could count. The houses and structures looked small in the distance but were numerous. Every inch of the town was either a road or a building save small areas Ben assumed were for farm animals. The buildings all looked like they had been whitewashed and even the roads looked white as well.
The impressive size of the town was nothing compared to Castle Rhastt though. The castle was made of white brick and looked more fort-like than Lelan Castle had. It had many storeys with towers that stretched up to the sky, some with pointed roofs of black and others flat with battlements. Each tower proudly held the red flags of the Firemanes and the Alcovian green and blue flag as well.
“There is a hidden keep inside that castle as well,” Malagant explained. He pointed to the castle but at the angle they approached Ben couldn’t spot it. “It’s surrounded by a secondary wall that goes right through a bailey. That’s where they go if there is a war; it’s never been penetrated.”
Ben watched with a quiver inside of his chest as the thick walls of Rhastt came closer and closer. He couldn’t help but make excited comments to Malagant as they rode on. Teal even joined in too after he had woken. He himself had never been to Rhastt either.
Of course there was no need to alert the gatekeepers this time. As the party approached Ben saw the iron gates begin to creak open. Then, moments later, a young elfling boy with a horn let out a long drawn-out trumpet. The sound filling the air to announce the lord’s arrival back into his town and his hold.
Before the boy had even stopped blowing the horn, towns-elves had started to gather. Malagant had told Ben to keep his eyes forward, as not to stand out, which he knew he would if he was looking around wildly trying to take everything in. Ben found it hard though; there were a lot of races of elves and demi-elves he had never seen before. He even saw a daraphin out of the corner of his eye but the daraphin was soon out of sight as they rode through the main road, towards the castle.
“Anea bless you, my lord!” elves cried out. “Bless Lord Lhogen, Bless Lordling Grady, bless your daughters!”
“Anea sent the Lord of Valewind!”
“Long live the Lords of Valewind!”
“All hail King Malagant!” Teal’s small voice mocked from beside them. Ben looked at him confused as Malagant shot him a glare.
“That’s enough out of you, feral,” Malagant hissed. Teal stifled a laugh.
“I shared a dream wi
th Teal, once. I caution you if you plan on doing the same,” Malagant said airily.
Ben laughed and they rode on.
“Beautiful, eh, Ben?” Grady said, slowing his horse down so he was beside the three. He was dressed in his full armour and a flowing red cape, his flaming red hair drawn back into a ponytail though locks fell over his deep green eyes.
Grady shifted his horse so the three of them were riding in a line. The main road was wide, easily fitting three horses side by side. Even with the gathering of elves in front of the white wash shop buildings there was more than enough room.
“It is, Lordling Grady. I’ve never seen a place so beautiful. I love the white,” Ben said. He wanted to also add how much better it smelled compared to the smaller villages he had been in, but decided against it.
“Aye, was my great great grandfather who decided to whitewash everything. Thought it made the town look more regal, more uniform and together. Creates jobs too since it has to be re-painted every few years,” Grady said, then he inclined his head. “We’ll be heading to the castle soon enough. Torasen has word of your arrival to check out your injuries.”
Grady looked ahead, Ben did too and saw an old, firm-faced elf keeping pace with Gorat’s horse as he spoke to the lord. “That’s Isaldon Ballas,” Grady said. “I better listen in. He’s our Captain. Excuse me.”
And with that he was gone.
Just when Ben thought he might go deaf from all the cheering and shouting welcoming their lord and the party, he could see another iron gate come into view.
In front of the gate, and standing guard all the way up to the steps, stood statues almost as impressive as the ones in Lelan. They were towering over them on pedestals, surrounded by carefully manicured winter bushes and shrubs. The stone statues, mostly of burly large elves who could only be Firemane ancestors, looked like they had been freshly dusted of snow and washed. They stood in all the honour they deserved, wielding axes, longswords, and shields. As the horses rode past them, Ben could see that fresh flowers had been laid on each of the stone statues, and also what looked like polished rocks, and even bottles of wine.
“Here we are!” Malagant said when they had reached the stone steps of the castle. “Castle Rhastt.”
Teal slid off his horse and helped Ben down. Ben looked up at the large castle in awe.
Up close Ben could see it was smaller than the castle in Lelan, and even more fortified than he had originally thought. He could tell the sturdy fort-like castle had been built for war. It was imposing and strong, and from the looks of it he could tell it had experienced its share of battles. Repairs could be seen in the brick work and the unmistakable char of scorched stone.
“Beautiful,” Ben said, shaking his head; he didn’t know what else to say.
“It took decades to make but it was worth the labour.” Malagant smiled, admiring the castle. “It’s one of the safest castles in all of Alcove.”
Ben was about to make another comment when a figure caught his eye.
He looked over to the vast steps leading up to the entrance of the castle. He saw a short little elf, about half Malagant’s height, scurrying down the steps. He was dressed in white and red, and was holding a scroll and quill. He looked extremely flustered and exasperated.
“Sire, Sire!” the elf sputtered. He seemed to be the high-strung type. “Sergeant Theriant is here regarding the assassination. I trust Captain Ballas found you?”
“Don’t throw that word around, Rylet,” Gorat warned. “We don’t want to cause a panic.”
“My apologies, my lord.” Rylet bowed so low Ben half-expected the short elf to fall over.
“Is he in the council room?”
Rylet nodded, before looking over at Malagant, Ben, and Teal.
“The guests Lordling Grady told me about… do you want me to find them suitable quarters?”
“Honoured guests, yes,” Gorat said. “This one needs medical attention –” He motioned to Ben. “– and make sure he’s treated with the upmost honour and also secrecy. No one is to know of their arrival until I see it fit.”
The lord then turned to Malagant. “But you’re coming with me, boy. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” Malagant said, looking surprised. He turned to Teal and Ben and shrugged. “Catch up with you soon, looks like I’m a privileged guest.” He winked at them and then he, Gorat, and Grady walked off into the palace, a handful of the guards following behind them.
“Follow me then,” Rylet said with another, albeit not as embellished, bow. Teal helped steady Ben and the two of them followed the high-strung little elf into the castle.
“My name is Rylet Dieri, I am the lord’s secretary,” Rylet said, leading them up the stairs. He walked slow enough that Ben could almost manage to walk on his own, but Teal still remained close to him. Ben’s legs had grown fond of randomly giving out from under him.
“Here we boast one of the best physician wings since the War of Tears. Some say if it wasn’t for our knowledgeable physicians and healers, we could have lost the war.”
“Kar’Endia and Al’Anea were at war. Supposedly it was huge,” Teal explained to Ben. Rylet lead them to a side door hidden behind a grey pillar; it was tucked out of the way from the towering wooden doors that led to the main part of the castle.
Rylet opened the door and held it for Ben and Teal. With a smile and a polite thank you, they walked inside.
The floor was white ceramic tile, polished so well Ben could see his face. He wished he couldn’t though, he was absolutely filthy and even bonier than usual. The dark circles under his eyes now resembled bruises more than anything.
The hallway was decorated in the same fancy, elaborate decor and decorations that he had seen in Lelan. There were oiled wooden tables, polished to a shine, with carvings of vines, roses, and intricate patterns he couldn’t put a name to.
What Ben found the most beautiful though were the portraits that were hanging up in the hall, much like Lelan Castle had. Detailed paintings of past lords were displayed with pride, done with so much detail that Ben could almost see them move. Below every portrait was a small gold plate that held the elf’s name and status and also their date of birth and death.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” Teal whispered.
Ben nodded soberly. It was rather overwhelming to take all of it in, and from the looks of the dates on some of these portraits, Alcove’s history went back thousands and thousands of years. Had the gods’ games really been played for so long? Even when the gods were supposedly gone from Elron? It made Ben’s head hurt to think about it.
“Why couldn’t my world have stayed so… pure?” Ben whispered, low enough that only Teal could hear. He wasn’t sure he was articulating what he really meant by those words, but he knew Teal understood what he was feeling.
Sure enough, Teal let out a small sigh and shrugged. “Because Anea shunned you, I suppose. But that being said not having gods interfering does have its perks; we have to entertain ours with the gods’ games when they grow bored, even if they supposedly left a long time ago.”
Eventually, after a many twist and turns, Rylet opened the door leading to the healing wing.
The room was large and open, with the same whitewash brick walls and white pillars that lined both sides of the room. The ceiling was slightly lower than the hallway had been, with several closed doors in between rows of books, medical supplies, and blankets.
The single beds were lined up in a row, each with a dark-coloured fur blanket tucked in and a wooden side table that held candles in silver holders. The main source of light though were the luma rocks, the small glowing rock that gave off a bluey-white glow. Ben had seen them in Lelan Castle and Malagant had even swiped a luma lamp from their quarters. They were rather handy little rocks and Teal had said they’d stay lit for ten years before needing to be soaked in a concoction of powders and serums.
“Our healer will be right with you; his name is Torasen,”
Rylet said as he came back into the room. He then turned to Teal. “Young master, if you would follow me I’ll take you to Torasen’s apprentice to look you over. You will not be far from your companion.”
Teal nodded and turned to Ben. “I’ll see you as soon as Malagant gets back.”
“Alright,” Ben said. After Teal and Rylet left he laid down on one of the beds and let out an exhausted sigh. It had been too long since he’d lain in a proper bed and this one felt like it was stuffed with feathers, much like the beds in Lelan. The litter had done its job but the poles that were laid underneath him were uncomfortable and uneven; even with all of their cloaks and blankets on and under him he could still feel the knots.
Ben leaned back and rested his head on the pillow. Another sigh slipped from his lips as he wrapped his cloak around him, though the downside of finally settling down was that the pains of his injuries were returning with vengeance. When he’d been walking or conversing he’d managed to forget about the dull and sometimes excruciating pain.
I fucking hate jare cats…
It didn’t take long for his mind to start wandering back to the painkillers, and he found himself fantasizing about swallowing a couple opiates.
Damn that would be so good right now, Ben said to himself. Not only to have the pain go away, but to have all the stress and trauma of the last several weeks just melt into a puddle of cozy.
Ben closed his eyes and let his body relax. He didn’t care if Torasen never came to greet him, he’d just stay here forever in this warmth and comfort.
Suddenly there was a loud crash. Ben, who had been relaxing happily just a few moments before, shot to his feet like he’d been bitten. Immediately he gave out a cry of pain as his chest and damaged arm gave an angry protest. He clenched his teeth and looked towards the source of the noise, ready to rip whoever had made it a new asshole.
But before he got a chance a middle-aged elf with greying brown hair came sprinting out yelling profanities. Without even seeing Ben he turned towards the source of the noise, swore again, and scratched his head.