“I have had news of one or two other villages that were also destroyed, but without proof that the Black Arts were used, the intervention of sáffurtans, or any other creature from Némaldon.
“Indeed, that land will never set aside their weapons, but the situation is under control. Have you come to tell me only that? How many people do you think come to tell me fallacies just for the splendor of sitting before me? If you are one of them, one of those pagans who enjoy wasting my time, you will pay a very high price. Now, tell me once and for all: How far can I trust you?”
The king looked at him mercifully, which confused Mérdmerén. What did those gestures mean that contradicted his words and tone of voice? He did not know what to think. He was confused, but he had to prove himself agile, as he would not have a second chance. Lady Gertrude was fanning herself fiercely, which did not help to dispel the atmosphere.
“Everything I have told you is true, my king. You know me, although not as Arbitrator but by another name.”
The king half-closed his eyes. “The truth is that you remind me of someone, but I don’t know who.” He scratched his chin with feigned boredom, but the gleam in his eye showed his curiosity.
“You know me as Mérdmerén of the estate of Santiago de los Reyes. I was banished from the Empire because of a betrayal by Don Cantus de Aligar and Don Loredo Melda.”
The king clenched his teeth and straightened.
“But I haven’t come to get revenge, my king, not now. I have come for my Empire and my people. It’s the right thing—what I have to do prevent disaster. I’ve seen horrors, my king. Horrors that I don’t wish to see dominating your lands, our Empire.”
The king squirmed in his seat. His hand was grasping the pommel of his staff. His knuckles had gone white. His breathing could be heard. But he did not lose control. He must have been weighing the information and its possibilities.
“I am wondering what a deserter is doing in my palace. Nobody would be so stupid as to turn himself in, and I imagine you are aware of the price of your head. I know who you are, Mérdmerén.” He half-smiled. “Don Cantus de Aligar. I hate that counselor, as well as Don Loredo Melda. I have mistrusted them for a long time.”
Mérdmerén was so thrilled that he had to make an effort not to turn a somersault.
“I cannot stand the Council of Kings or its members,” the king continued. “It is a useless organ, full of interested parties who vet me constantly. Sons of ill-begotten traitors. If only I could—” He wrinkled his lips. “I should find my courage.”
The king was getting more upset. An escort approached, concerned, and it was as if the monarch had realized he was showing weakness. He composed himself.
“Mérdmerén,” he continued. “I cannot trust anybody, not even those who are part of the government. They have their interests, businesses, and they would cheat as much as necessary to stay there. Sometimes, I think I should only trust those who have nothing to lose, who give themselves up to a cause and without caring about the risk.”
The offer was not lost on Mérdmerén. The king was desperate to obtain allies and support. He needed to counter the power of the Council of Kings that did not let him rule. But what could he do? The moment Cantus or Loredo found out he was alive and in the city, they would fall on him in seconds and order his immediate public execution.
“I have decided to believe you, Mérdmerén. I have decided to accept that there is a serious threat camping at will within my borders, but here, within these walls, there is another danger that is closer and more real. I mean, convincing the Council of Kings to arm an army and unify the realm into a solid fist that will stop the threat.
“This would have been simpler centuries ago when a king ruled and the council advised, but now the tables have turned, and I—well, there is little I can do. I know everything, Mérdmerén.
“The Empire is in danger, and my hands and feet are tied. They will invade us, and it will be inevitable: We will die.”
The king sank in his seat, and that encouraged Mérdmerén, who stood up. He was going to propose a plan when the door to the hall crashed open.
“Stop! In the name of King Aheron III!”
Three heavily built soldiers lunged at Mérdmerén, who tried to shake them off like a worm caught in the beak of a bird. Lady Gertrude stepped back and ran away toward the corridors of the palace, screaming.
“What the hell are you doing?” the king bellowed. “I am in a private meeting! Do you not have any respect for your king?”
“We are protecting the king, even though this means going against him,” someone said from behind.
Mérdmerén felt a burning rage at recognizing the voice.
“Don Cantus de Aligar! Explain what is happening,” the monarch demanded.
Don Cantus smoothed his long mustache. “My king, this is one of the most wanted deserters. Are you going to tell me it does not alarm you that he is right here in the palace? You surely do not know what this means that you’re dealing with a criminal, with a rat that should be eliminated once and for all.
“That’s why the council must look out for you because you can’t even control a deserter who sneaks into your rooms. If something like that has slipped by you, what other mistakes will you make, my king?”
Aheron became red with rage. “Set him loose right away. It is my word! Respect my word! This man is my guest. Respect my word!”
“My lord, the word of the king is submitted to approval by the council. As long as the council does not say otherwise, this man is condemned to death. Take him to the dungeons at once. Let him occupy a high-security cell. He’s a traitor and a deserter. Most surely, he planned to murder the king. Murderer!” Don Cantus accused with an extra dose of drama.
The king felt faint, and he grasped his head. The butler and his retinue went to him, concerned about the health of the monarch. At that moment, Queen Eulalia ran into the hall.
“My love!” cried the afflicted Queen. She threw Cantus a glance like steel. “What is going on here?”
“This man is a deserter. Who knows what he came for, but it is nothing good, I’ll warrant. Perhaps he wanted to murder the king.”
“Let go of me!” Mérdmerén cried. A soldier punched him in the face and broke his nose. The white floor became soiled with red. Mérdmerén was not giving in easily. He kept struggling, getting more and more desperate like a madman.
“Let me go!” he bellowed.
This earned him another punch that fractured his left cheekbone and a kick in the mouth that split his lip, but he kept fighting. He spat at a soldier in his eye and got his face punched again in three different spots, where he ended up bruised.
The queen could not believe such a show of unjustified violence. Cantus wore a snake’s grin. He was enjoying the moment.
“I have come to save the Empire from destruction and imminent war. Némaldon is advancing! Listen to me, please! Nooooo!”
The soldiers dragged Mérdmerén out by his arms and legs. Cantus de Aligar was still grinning, satisfied, while he stroked a pendant in the shape of a raven. Noticing it was outside his clothes, he hastened to put it back in.
“Very well, we’ve protected the palace and the king form a very serious danger. We don’t know what this deserter would have been capable of.”
The queen lifted her gaze that was filled with frustration. The king was slowly recovering. Those fainting fits were getting more frequent. A dense cloud crossed the sky and darkened the hall. In the distance, they could hear thunder flooding the silent corridors of the palace. A servant came to mop up Mérdmerén’s blood, and as he made it disappear, the queen could not help feeling that something nefarious was coming.
Epilogue
Cantus de Aligar was aware of every detail of the scene as Mérdmerén’s lifeless body was dragged to the dungeon. He would never have imagined so much courage in his old rival. Before, he had simply been a nobleman imbued with stupid ideas. Now, he represented a true threat. Although he
had been more surprised by the order from Árath and Elkam, who was demanding the search, capture, and sacrifice of a certain Mérdmerén.
The councilor had rejoiced at the idea that his old rival had turned into his current adversary and that, as he had done then, he had eliminated him with a clever strategy. The threat Mérdmerén had come to report was real, but he was not going to let him or anybody else stop it. It had been a shrewd move to send the imperial general Leandro Deathslayer a long way away to San San-Tera on the pretext of investigating the destruction three years before.
How easy it was to convince the council, the noble reminisced. Now the Empire is defenseless without a military leader, politically turbulent, and disunited. Now, all that’s left is for the hosts of Némaldon to advance and conquer the grand Empire of Mandrake.
“Milord, the prisoner is in his cell now,” a soldier informed him.
“Excellent. Let it be known that the most wanted deserter of the Empire has been apprehended. And that it was Don Cantus de Aligar who caught him.”
“So it shall be done, milord.”
The councilor gave a twisted smile as he played with his mustache, savoring Mérdmerén’s absolute defeat. Once a political enemy and now a true adversary whom Elkam himself had demanded to be killed.
He left the visitors’ hall. As he went, his footsteps left behind marks of the blood which had smeared the soles of his shoes.
The End
THE GALACTIC CRUSADE
It’s the year 2095. The third world war rages on. The confederate states of the Megachine advance to impose their relentless totalitarian regimen on the world. If nobody stops them, our freedom will end. The allied powers have fled, the remainders of which have joined forces to create ÆTAS to confront the Megachine threat.
About the author
I am a Guatemalan author in the genre of fantasy and sci-fi. When not creating some strange fantasy or sci-fi world, I am an Internal Medicine Doctor by profession. I like coffee, meditation, cross-training—and reading, of course!
As far as I am concerned, there is no greater pleasure than knowing you, the person who has taken the time to read one of my works. Please send me an email at [email protected] Tell me what you think of my stories. It will be a pleasure to know you!
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Shepherd’s Awakening (Books 1-3) Page 58