by Matt Wilk
“Quite the display Father. I see why Prinn wanted a specimen for his own.”
“Are you finished boy?”
“Yes sir, I apologize.”
“Very well. Please remove your shield and gloves. Step completely into the light. Good, now with both hands grasp the radial tightly and don’t let go.”
Atop the pedestal was a small fountain of still water with such a high salt content that pink crystals had formed along the surface around the bowl. Inside was a gaggle of metal that aligned into that perfect whirling pattern I had begun seeing everywhere, though, only once your eyes were directly above the bowl. That same pattern was on the floor and the sun crystal itself was formed by the pattern all throughout its pure white depths. They were waiting patiently, observing my behavior with as much curiosity as I was exhibiting.
“Sorry again sir. He we are, found your radial thing and it’s already warmed up.”
“Excellent. We begin with a single question in our minds.”
“Look away boy. I will know what you know and the truth will be exposed.”
The oldest was also the angriest, further proving the Lantos were no more than men. However, given the way Kane guided the princess through my testing, I remained mindful of the way men use ancient secrets to perform modern sorcery. Even the secret of the Drakkah Monuments could be uncovered, and that of the gauntlets along with it. All together, they lifted their hands and then slowly dipped them into a bowl of their own.
A flash of white filled the room and my vision turned to a dull grey. My breath was pulled out through the pedestal. Though the water remained still, I felt it beginning to boil. Then the visions began to surface in my mind. Unlike recalling a memory for my own use, these visions were perfectly clear and accurate. Just behind my eyes I saw my life, as viewed in reverse- so did they.
“Ah yes, Doctor Prinn has more than enough samples to share.”
There was the good doctor, stroking his extravagant mustache just deep enough in my eyes to remain immune to my blinking. The fun ended early and I was suddenly reliving being hung up on a noose.
“Quite the kick! Good show Master Swiftblade.”
“Ah, this is his second offense is as many months. A note; remove Benson’s Corporal Status, effective immediately.”
“If that tall disobeys a direct order again, I will give him the mark of shame myself.”
I felt my nose pop and expected to see blood drip into the pool. I even leaned further over it to keep from contaminating the water. They had conjured my impression of the incident at Red Heart Falls.
“Just look at those reflexes. I tell you, if Lieutenant Frostborn were one of ours…”
“He was nearly killed. Lucky he payed attention to his training.”
The brightest images were enhanced by the power of the intense physical and emotional pain in which they had been imprinted. I understood the Lantos could see and hear as I had done at the time, but they felt none of the embarrassment, the breach of privacy, the public judgements, and certainly none of the physical pain they were making me relive.
“Disgusting. That Major Talon has no respect for the dead.”
“Ah, we see the reasoning here. Though, he clearly had no idea of his duty as the fallen son of Gojinus. Ashes to ashes dear.”
“Agreed. I see only much reverence for Carolus. Quite the twist of fate.”
“Speaking of which. There goes the pup.”
“Right off a cliff with no thought about pride and purpose. Nearly died for a runt.”
“I am, a runt, sir. And, He-olt…taught us to revere…life itself.”
I was shaking from the pain and still struggling to breathe. From the reactions on their faces, most men would not have been able to interject. One of the notaries even jumped to his feet to verify that it had truly been the little barbarian whom had spoken.
“Almost to the bloody mess at East Point.”
“That Lazarus is a natural, isn’t he father? I’ll bet he makes a career officer.”
“Yes, with the Bloodaxe as a mentor, the possibilities for advancement would be too obvious to overlook. Aha, these roadblocks are appearing uniformed in their construction and with greater frequency. A note; Reclaimed loot chest, spring four-zero-four, absolved for public expenditure.”
“A vote; I move to drop both counts of espionage.”
“In favor.”
“Agreed.”
“Begrudgingly so.”
Once the majority of the council had agreed that I was not guilty of spying on their union, my vision returned and I was able to peel my hands from the radial. My brow was covered with sweat and my stomach moaned for sustenance. While I caught my breath, they quietly discussed a separate issue amongst themselves. Major Swiftblade nodded and mocked a silent clap with Bratley. I was very sure of myself until the council addressed me further.
“Very well. On to the next case. You have been charged with smuggling ore from the mine in Ulfbar, as well as purposely unleashing the pox in the kingdoms of Slorrick. How do you plea?”
“What? Sir, not guilty on both counts.”
“Bratley, bring out the accuser. Let the scrolls show Priest First Class Sloan of Ulfbar Proper arrives to bear witness.”
“What could the underpriest tell you with accuracy? His word is poisoned by a deep hatred for myself and the other boys of the home. Since when are you from the north side of the high way? Have you no sense of pride?”
“So, we could not have chosen a better disciplinarian?”
The oldest Lantos, seated in the middle, shared the same expression Sloan wore as he entered through the side door. Their faces twisted into a smile of evil pleasures, and they began shouting about the nation’s pride and my proven insolence.
“There is a grave separation between disobedience and disrespect Father. This man wishes only to recuse himself by way of a scapegoat.”
“Do not speak about me girl, nor even to me. Your words mean that little.”
“Silence!”
Kane held up his hand in a very kingly way and all the shouting ceased abruptly.
“Are you willing to be tested again son?”
“Father please, he is barely able to stand.”
“Willing and able sire. I have nothing to hide from the council.”
“Very well, you may proceed.”
I was not prepared for another round of that pain, but, I met Sloan’s gaze, and grabbed the radial without fear. In my weakened state, the Lantos could exercise much more control and I could not even so much as focus on catching my breath. A painful ringing filled my ears as we sped past the initiation ceremony. My head jolted and they viewed the dead woods of Ulfbar south.
“Time and again, these talls prove they have no honor.”
“Here is evidence of the first lie. He told the Tonney- over a hundred pound.”
“Sir, it-agh.”
They were struck harder by my ability to resist again, but the king prompted me to finish.
“Would’ve been…a hundred thirty…before I left.”
“Liar.”
“Liar.”
“I am leading this review. No matter what the Warden says, it’s your report that showed a stockpile of thirty pound. Boy, think to the mine. Focus on the tunnel in which you buried your escape fund. Feel the floor beneath you- there! That is at least one hundred pound.”
The room went ominously quiet. The memory they had conjured was still displaying itself in reverse and they caught Nikolas and I sharing a drink with the priest Harold. We had agreed to take him with us, and he would certainly be made to suffer after having been caught.
“So, the Cyclops moved the rest sir. That speaks only on the skill of those that searched for the hidden bounty. Surely it can still be found in its new location and we will renew the search post haste.”
“Wait. Do not move Priest. My Father has given you no such orders to flee now you’ve been caught in your lie.”
“Hold your tongue gi
rl. You are the little princess of no land.”
“No man speaks to my daughter this way! No man, big or small! None!”
I wanted to laugh at Sloan, but my knees were shaking and my eyes burned with a sweat that carried the extra salt that I had smeared across my own brow. Major Swiftblade raised half his nose while squinting that eye, and I had seen that face before. Bratley confirmed my suspicions.
“Yes, he does stink of fear, doesn’t he?”
Priest Sloan chose to ignore Bratley- a most telling reaction. They left me no time at all to ponder his role in the theft before peeling back my mind to the extent of their power. The bowl was nearly filled with my own vomit as my stomach felt months of starvation in a matter of moments. But then, we had reached the moment of interest. The entire council had their eyes closed in focus. They heard Sloan threaten to whip Leiza next, and I dropped to my knees. Over and over, they forced me to relive the final strike of the whip- a Niner tipped with talons. The gash cut through to the bone, and the crowd of lords cheered for more. My legs went limp from the shock as they tried to decipher what was happening before and after the incident. It was all too clear to me, only Kane and Caliya could see in colors. I was finished, dangling and limp on the whipping post. Sheriff Wellings grabbed Leiza’s arm, and the world turned to red. The chain snapped from my power, I was on Sloan, and he would never walk without a limp again.
“Something’s off, but I can’t place it.”
“Nothing’s off, he got what he deserved.”
“Don’t stop searching my king. There’s something in there for you.”
I tried to pull myself out of their spell with no success. Though Priest Sloan could not see as they saw, he was thoroughly enjoying watching me squirm from having to relive everything.
“That is enough.”
“Mind your place, Swift-black.”
“Father please, we have what we want.”
“Ah, I see how the chain broke. This is the first instance of the blood rage.”
“Powerful forces lurking in the blood sire. Prinn’s got his sample, I say we finish him off before the Emperor gains control. The Lexicon calls to him, won’t be long before he learns to do its bidding.”
“What did the Lexicon of Potentiality tell you of my coming?”
“The gods said it- if we let you live, Ulfbar will burn. It was true.”
“You made me this way! We were north of the road.”
“Shut it. My king,-”
“You wanted this! You wanted the red shadow! You did this to me! You are the reason she left us. You took her from me!”
The blood drenched shadow spilled over from my memories to consume everything I saw. The room took on a glow that persisted with my eyes closed. Whatever the Lantos were looking for, they had taken long enough. Though it seemed impossible to resist them, I refused to let Sloan enjoy the show any longer. They tried to ignore me but I shook, and I stood, and I roared out to them in a rage like no other. I felt the whip tear across my back one final time, then I tore their precious radial from its post and was free to fall to my knees. The whole council shouted out in pain and fell off their chairs as if that last strike had landed on them as well. There I was, bare from above the pants, shaking on the floor, allowing them to see what they had missed. The notaries were on their feet to get a proper account of the incident. Out of instinct, Priest Sloan showed them all firsthand why we were convinced he worshipped the king of the underworld.
“Destruction of UNF property. You’ll pay boy.”
“No don’t-”
After a few steps, Sloan stopped mid-stride. His face turned truly evil and he turned to stare at the princess. The center-seated elder leaned around the king to yell at her.
“You dare to exert control over an ally?”
She looked down at her hands and then quickly looked away to hide her tears. Sloan was released from the strange sorcery and threw open his robe. He had barely unrolled his favorite whip when Major Swiftblade ripped it from his hand and punched him right in the teeth. Bratley ran in between them and then dove to the floor. We were all so confused that he managed to gain the full attentions of everyone in the room.
“This is a Niner, with talon hooks.”
“Their plenty legal in Slorrick. Now,-”
“But, it’s still tainted with the boy’s blood. Sire, this must be the source of the contagion. All those women, you gave them the pox. This whole time, it was you.”
Sloan smacked the whip from Bratley’s hand but immediately stopped moving. Caliya was rising to her feet and trembling with anger. I could see the red shadow was taking control of her.
“You bring arms into my domain. You commit great evils in the name of the crown- my crown. And you would bring a pox on my house to feed your own lust for power.”
“Release me girl.”
“I will release you…from this world!”
Her high pitched scream filled the dome and shook the very ground beneath our feet. Sloan’s hands betrayed him then, and they clamped down around his own throat. She choked the life out of him until she was the one out of breath. The king stood and put a hand over the forward hilt of her crown. As if the Soul Glass were the source of her power, she immediately fell silent and sat down. Sloan gasped and gulped in air while moaning in fear and pain. He was scrambling to his feet when Bratley opened the side door.
“Daaron, can you please remove the underpriest before he so foolishly insults the princess any further.”
The man who followed Bratley out of the side room was Sloan’s worst nightmare. His skin was blacker than Major Swiftblade’s and, at a whole head taller, was nearly the size of Major Bloodaxe. He was a Nubian Tall Black, one of the last. He walked over to the gasping priest and snatched him up by the back of the neck. Just like the pup being carried by the scruff, Sloan went limp in Daaron’s grasp.
“Sire, if he truly worships the underKing, should I not simply brake him?”
“Wha-oh. Just a slip of the tongue. Very catchy boy, you are good at those.”
“Very well.”
Bratley snatched up the whip and ran it to the next room while Daaron carried the underpriest out of the dome, holding him out like a piece of rotting garbage.
“A vote; I move to drop one count of grand theft, and one count of spreading plague.”
“Second.”
“This proves nothing.”
“Agreed.”
“He does not deserve the chance to prove us wrong.”
“I already have, you tired old traitor. You knew what the underpriest was up to and only your authority could have convinced a guard to silence a witness.”
“How dare you?”
I spoke out of turn, which was my way. When the little red haired man shouted a non-answer, Major Swiftblade finished the line of accusation.
“Under whose authority were the guards ordered to kill spotted children on sight? And, for which crime? Having been born, or, having borne witness to your crimes?”
The old one stood and shook his fist at me. My tired body was unaffected by his weak mind, which only angered him further. He slammed his fist down and grabbed his cane, stomping off as best he could for a man of such age.
“Good show child. Very good.”
The lady on the far right nodded and left the room with much more grace. I crawled back to the crystal’s beam of light and soaked it in. After a few breaths, someone closed the dome’s opening. Without even looking back I knew it to be the other old man with a red-tipped beard. I stared at the wall while I got dressed and flexed my horribly scarred back muscles at him. While I still had the attention of the king, I raised my hand to ask him a question.
“Yes I noticed this pattern. It’s very ancient, very primal. Even the Opa do this. Once the pain is over, he seeks to heal his mind the power learning something new. Am I correct?”
“Exactly right sir. May I?”
“Ask away.”
“Highness, he’s not one of us
. The Lexicon seeks to learn as well.”
“Unfortunately for the Magi and their precious Lexicon, I do not believe in ghosts.”
“Rather the Lexicon than chaos. I’ll focus on what I can see coming, you can fish for the golden hydra.”
Kane motioned for me to continue with the whole room listening.
“Sir, I understand the ‘why.’ Your enemies are older than your inventions, so I understand why the Drakkah are not powered by Swillian flash powder. My question is, how?”
“Whale oil boy, nothing more. Now go.”
I was not satisfied by the rude Lantos interjecting, so I turned and shut him down.
“Whale oil is not corrosive, nor explosive. The static lighters only ignite the fumes, thus allowing the globes to burn for an hour’s worth of air. I am no fool, sir.”
“Very good son, He-olt taught you well. Allow me to explain, the way a commoner would. There is an extinct sea monster once known as ‘The Shimmering Creeper.’ Have you heard of such a thing?”
“No sir. Is it like a shark that breathes fire?”
“Ha! Close enough. Though, much more frightening. They shock the water in a swarm and leave men paralyzed. Rather than drowning, they slowly sink into the darkness, still holding in their last breath, whilst being eaten alive.”
“Nasty. And you, harvest fire from this beast?”
“Precisely, we harvest their spines for processing. Makes an unstoppable gel called Nitrosus. You understand how the cartridge works?”
“Of course, contents under pressure and all that. But sir, if they’re extinct…”
“We are in possession of the last creepers in the world. But do keep an eye out for us.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir. Thought I was going crazy trying to smell for flash powder, but it wasn’t even there to begin with.”
“And there goes that smile. You see, his mind is all healed up, just like that. A natural knack for resisting sessions of torture.”
I turned red in the face but found it impossible to hide my smile. The princess blushed when I nodded goodbye and, once again, only the king returned my salute. Bratley led us out of the dome shaking his head.