Euleilla considered him curiously. “If it wasn’t for the demands of royal life, would you want children?”
Maelgyn paused for a few moments before answering. “Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t exactly appreciate the idea of it being a duty, but I’m not so against it that I fear it will become a burden.”
“I was never really sure if I wanted children, myself,” Euleilla mused. “But, as you said, it’s not something that feels like it will be a burden.”
“Yes, perhaps,” Maelgyn admitted. “I am not in any hurry, however. Anyway, with your new senses do you think you can take your walk without me?”
Euleilla thought about how to answer that for a moment. “Well... perhaps I could. I’d rather have your company, however.”
“I would, too,” he replied. The smile was obvious in his voice.
Maelgyn finally tore his eyes off his wife as she walked around the deck. She had said, once their normal walk was done, that she wanted to show people that she wasn’t “seasick” anymore. She figured the best way to do that was to walk around deck unaided, or at least unaided to all outside appearances. He was still concerned about her, however – he knew the extra senses her schlipf was granting her were very new, and that she probably wasn’t quite used to it yet. Until she demonstrated she was comfortable with it, he would keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.
Thankfully, she was being very cautious as she walked. To someone who didn’t know better, she’d look like someone who was just getting over their seasickness, which fortunately meant fewer questions about her sudden recovery. However, her tentative movements warned him that at least some of his fears were not unfounded.
So, he kept watch over her even while talking with Rudel about... something he couldn’t really recall, as he hadn’t been paying attention. A commotion taking place below decks eventually was enough of a distraction for him to break his vigil and try to find out what was going on.
Silently vowing to make this as brief as possible so that he could go back to keeping an eye on his wife, Maelgyn descended to the lower decks of the ship. The sounds sorted themselves out into the clash of heavy steal and the forceful sounds of several people training in swordplay. However, as he discovered when he entered the room all the noise was coming from, much more than swords were being trained with.
“What’s going on in here?” he demanded, seeing El’Athras and Tur’Ba wielding absurdly large (for them) battle axes against Rykeifer and Sir Leno, neither of whom were armed. Wangdu and Onayari were standing at the side of the room, looking on with an unusual expression on his face that Maelgyn could not identify. It almost looked like an assassination attempt, though he could hardly believe it.
There was a brief pause as all four men in the center of the room stared each other down before El’Athras stepped back and slung the axe over his shoulders. Tur’Ba followed his lead, and then all five of them turned to the Sword Prince.
“I’m sorry we didn’t inform you, your highness,” Sir Leno explained. “Tur’Ba, here, was feeling rather bored, or so he says – there’s only so much a half-trained Dwarven servant such as he can do for someone like yourself, and... ahem, you were neglecting him a bit.”
Maelgyn flushed a bit at the rebuke, but nodded in agreement. The fact that the foursome were no longer actively fighting had allowed him to pause and take stock of the situation, so he figured he could be patient with their answer for the moment. “That’s true, I’m afraid. I apologize, Tur’Ba, but I’ve had other things on my mind, and quite honestly I’m not sure what to do with you. I wasn’t sure I’d have a use for you when El’Ba demanded I take you on, but—”
“But the old man can be mighty persuasive when he wants to be,” Tur’Ba finished for him. “I understand, your highness – and furthermore I can’t really say you’ve had much of a chance to do many of the things Pops asked of you – but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go looking for something to do when you don’t need me.”
Maelgyn nodded. “I have no problem with that, but surely you don’t think killing my other advisors is an acceptable use of your time?”
Leno laughed at Maelgyn’s sarcasm. “I suppose it does look like that, doesn’t it?”
“Well, I know that isn’t really what you were trying to do,” Maelgyn agreed, “But what in the world were you doing? That certainly didn’t look like any kind of training exercise I’d ever seen!”
“That is because no human alive has ever seen a Dwarven Axeman train, it is,” Wangdu spoke forcefully. “And so when young Tur’Ba said just how bored he was, he did, I decided to teach him the ancient Dwarven art of the war axe, I did, as well as to the only other Dwarf on this ship. I have seen it in my days, I have, and I always wanted to teach it, I did, but it is rare that a Dwarf trusts an Elf enough to ask about such things, it is. Tur’Ba seems to have some talent for it, he does.”
“Unlike me,” El’Athras admitted ruefully. “Although I suppose I’m a bit old for picking up a new skill like that. Master Wangdu’s training, however, may prove useful if it means we can restore Axemen to the Dwarves.”
“I thought Oregal had tried that and failed,” Maelgyn mused.
“They failed, they did,” Wangdu agreed. “But they lack the knowledge I have, they do. I know how to train a Dwarf to fight, I do, and I know when an axe is to be used, I do. A Dwarven axeman does not attack, he doesn’t, but rather remains defensive, he does. Something Oregal never realized, they didn’t.”
“Apparently you need an enclosed environment, like a cave – or, say, the inside of a ship – to properly grasp the skill,” Rykeifer added, gesturing around them. “And you need someone with a good military eye on the other end, while you perfect your stances. Tur’Ba seems to have grasped them quite well, and despite whatever he says, El’Athras is doing fine. The two of them will have a reasonable set of rudimentary axe skills fairly soon – at least, they’ll have enough so that they aren’t a liability in battle. Must be in their blood – no Human could learn those skills this fast.”
Maelgyn looked on curiously at all the faces around him. They were still hiding something, he felt, but he didn’t know what it was. “And just how long have you been training like this, so far?” he asked, trying to figure out where his suspicions were leading him.
“Since before leaving Sopan,” Tur’Ba noted. “While you were injured. Lady Euleilla and your chief steward, Reltney, refused to let me take care of you like a good servant should, and so I started looking for other things to do. I had the axes made at a magic-forging shop – paid a fairly good price for them, too, and I probably don’t lose as much of the quality for the cheap manufacture as I would if I had bought, say, a sword, or even a spearhead. Wangdu suggested it all to me. Sir Leno started helping, and Rykeifer decided to join us when he found out about it.”
Maelgyn slowly nodded. He recalled his conversation with the Dwarven boy on his sickbed, and realized that this was just a cover story. He didn’t know why Tur’Ba was being so secretive about this, but he wouldn’t pry too far into it. “I understand. But why haven’t you said anything to me about all this?”
“You were too busy, you were,” Wangdu replied. “If you had not been, you hadn’t, then Tur’Ba would not have needed to look elsewhere to keep busy, he wouldn’t.”
“Very well,” Maelgyn sighed, still convinced they were keeping something from him. He was unable to prove anything, however, and decided he wanted to go back and check on Euleilla again. “I think I’ll head back on deck. Keep me informed as to your progress, would you?”
It may have been his imagination, but there was definitely some relief in all of their faces as he left.
Chapter 26
“Well, we are finally where we wanted to be,” Maelgyn announced to the assembled officers and crew of the Greyholden. “The first expedition ashore will be led by Sir Leno, and he has asked for five volunteers to accompany him. This will be a dangerous mission and there is
significant risk of capture. If you are captured, you are not to reveal anything, regardless of what threats they hold over you. Do I have any volunteers?”
There was a pause, and shifting among the crew. Finally, Wangdu stepped forward. “I’ll go, I will. After all, I know the land better than anyone here, I do!”
Maelgyn tried not to let his surprise show, but felt he couldn’t help it. “Master Wangdu, Sir Leno was not invited to our planning sessions for a reason. We did not want him to have any knowledge which might endanger us upon capture. You have a great deal of knowledge about our plans both here an on the mainland.”
“Your highness,” Wangdu intoned drolly. “I am an Elf, I am. We do not speak when captured, we don’t. You can be assured of that, you can.”
Maelgyn paused, then nodded in concession. “Very well, you may join them. Who else?”
Tur’Ba was the next to step forward. “Your highness, I also never attended those meetings. I would like to volunteer as well.”
The sword prince considered this for a moment. It was true, the boy had no information to spill if captured, but he hardly had any other skills which would be useful... save perhaps his developing talents with the axe. “Do you truly think you are ready for such a mission?” he asked sharply.
“Yes, your highness,” Tur’Ba submitted steadily. “I am.”
Maelgyn took a deep breath, but nodded. “Very well. You may go.”
Two others from the crew volunteered, but then the volunteers dried up. Maelgyn was about to draft someone from the crew when one last person stepped forward.
“I could go,” Euleilla said from his side.
Fear seized his heart, and all sense of formality left him instantly. “Wh— what!?” he exclaimed, spinning on her.
“You know my past. Nothing they could do would be able to make me talk,” she calmly explained. “And of everyone here, I am the most likely to ensure this mission will succeed. My magic is strong enough that no-one will be able to sneak up on us without our knowledge. You have seen me in combat, yourself. If we are trapped, Wangdu, Sir Leno and I together will be able to stop a small army... and no matter what happens, I will finally be off this accursed ship.”
Maelgyn couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I can’t... you can’t... look. You can’t ask this of me – you can’t ask me to send you out into something like this without me. Not after I only agreed to let you come because you didn’t want to be separated from me!”
“I agree with his highness, Euly,” Ruznak said from the other side, startling the prince. After Euleilla had volunteered, Maelgyn had lost all perception of the others around him, and hadn’t noticed the old man approaching them. “It is unfair of you to demand he take you with him when he goes into danger, and then chose to leave him for a danger he cannot follow.”
“I know you are both afraid for me,” Euleilla intoned, “but this is my choice. Gramps, do you doubt how well you trained me?”
“No,” Ruznak answered sharply, taking in a deep breath. “You are more than capable of fighting with your magic and the other skills I have taught you. But if you wish to use those talents, use them to protect your husband. Your husband is going to war, and is the Sword Prince and Duke of Sopan. His protection should be your priority, if you must insist on fighting.”
Euleilla stepped back from the both of them. “So I have been training for almost half my life to fight, and the only thing I am supposed to do with these skills is to act as a bodyguard? Is that my role in life?”
“No!” Maelgyn snapped. “Your role in life should be to live. And, I would hope, to live by my side. Perhaps to fight by my side. Perhaps, even, to... to die at my side. But not this. This is not your role. This is more than fighting – this is subterfuge, and secrecy, and—”
“And you think I lack these skills?” she asked softly, stepping towards him. “You believe I cannot be subtle, or keep secrets, or any of the other things this mission requires?”
Maelgyn eyed her closely. He saw her face, her sincerity, and knew – much to his chagrin – the only thing he could say. “No.” He swallowed as his voice broke. “No, I don’t think you lack any of those things, so....” He almost couldn’t believe himself, but she was right. She really was the best person for the job. “I will be afraid for you – very afraid – but if you insist on volunteering I cannot refuse your request. I will ask, one last time, for you to reconsider... but I won’t force you either way.”
She smiled, sadly, letting him know she understood just how much it hurt to let her go like that in one quick moment. “Thank you, husband. I promise that I will do whatever I can to make it through this unscathed. And I will come back to you, whatever happens.”
“Hey, what—” Ruznak protested.
“No, gramps,” Euleilla snapped. “Please, respect me enough to let me do what you say I can. Respect me enough to let me prove myself to the others. I won’t voluntarily leave my husband again in this war, but I need to do this to prove to the rest of the world that I have the talents needed to be to Maelgyn what Amberry was to Agaeb.”
Ruznak hesitated for a long moment, then turned and stormed away without a word. As he left, the assembled crew started making their way below decks.
“He is not happy,” she muttered under his breath.
“I’m not, either,” Maelgyn agreed, his voice still trembling. “But I accept that you believe you have to do this. And I even know in my heart, damn it, that you will be a valuable asset on this mission. I love you, and I still don’t want you to risk yourself like this, but I accept it.”
His eyes widened as he realized what he just said. It was the first time he said those three little words to her, and it was a lot more public of a setting than he’d ever planned to say them. He saw Euleilla tense, but in the end she just smiled – one of the happiest and most sincere smiles he had ever seen – and pulled him into her arms.
“I know. I’m sorry, but I feel I must do this,” Euleilla sighed.
Maelgyn returned her embrace and kissed her tenderly. “Now go. Leno’s in charge of this one, and he’ll need to talk with you and the others before you leave.”
“I love you, too,” Euleilla whispered, so softly he could barely hear it, before turning to go.
Maelgyn couldn’t help but watch her leave, the dread gripping his heart tighter and tighter as she went.
Euleilla struggled under the burden of her pack. Travelling with Sir Leno and the others for these past two days was nothing like traveling with Maelgyn alone. Schedules were more set, the pace of travel was more rigorous, she had to carry more of her gear on her own, and there was little sympathy for her inability to see certain things – like tree branches in her path. She was scratched up, dirty, and exhausted, and she was starting to regret volunteering for this mission.
However, she knew she shouldn’t. When Wangdu came to her just an hour before they made the final landfall and asked her to join them for the mission, she couldn’t refuse him. He had explained, in no uncertain terms, what was needed to make this mission a success.
Apparently, Maelgyn had almost walked in on them when he, Leno, and Tur’Ba had been discussing the plan to ask her with Rykeifer, Onayari, and El’Athras. They passed it off as one of Tur’Ba’s training sessions with his axe, so he was still unaware they were the ones who had convinced her to go. She had agreed, and willingly, but she hated not being able to tell Maelgyn the real reason why: Wangdu had explained that she was essential to the mission’s success.
And so she had agreed to it. But now, she was starting to hate that she had. If she was so important to their success, why did they ignore her when she needed to rest? She couldn’t move as fast as them, and they should have expected that. But no, apparently they felt she should be able to keep up with them, and that was that.
“My apologies,” Wangdu said to her suddenly. “I know we have been inconsiderate of your needs, we have, but there was need, there was. We must move fast, we must, to avoid de
tection. But it will be over soon, it will.”
“How much longer until we’re there?” she asked.
“Do you sense anyone nearby, do you?” he asked, side-stepping her question.
She frowned, but stuck out her senses as far as they would go. “There may be a small village or something similar about three miles in front of us, but other than that it seems pretty quiet around here.”
There was a pause, and she noticed Wangdu fall behind a bit. He started forward again at a slightly faster pace, catching up in only a moment. “Three miles? You must have stronger magic than I thought, you must... but that is our destination, it is, I believe.”
“I’ve been pushing myself since I came ashore,” she admitted. She stumbled slightly over a low hanging branch. “Although I still have problems with sensing things like tree limbs in my path.”
“I find the ways you’ve developed magic to sense things from a distance quite fascinating,” Leno said from her other side. “I am a little uncertain as to how you use magic powder around you, however.”
Euleilla paused. She could tell that the only people in immediate earshot were Wangdu and Leno, though perhaps Tur’Ba could hear as well if Dwarven ears were better than Human. She trusted all three, and decided that perhaps she could reveal her secret to them. Perhaps then, they would understand her need to slow the pace.
“I’m blind,” she admitted, opting not to go into the usual “I’m not blind, I just can’t see” routine. She didn’t want to spend the effort to be flippant, as tired as she was. “The only thing which lets me ‘see’ the world around me is my magic. I think I’ve managed to hide it well.”
Leno paused. “That would explain some things. It’s said that one learns something best when they need it most, and it seems to me as if your magic falls into that category.”
“Yergwain learned of this earlier. He said it would have prevented him from accepting Maelgyn as Duke while I was his wife, if it had come down to his vote,” Euleilla noted sadly.
In Treachery Forged (The Law of Swords) Page 33