The Archon's Apprentice

by Neil Breault

  “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “Probably not. There is not much need to hide who you are while in Valefort or Ternia.”

  “That’ll do. I don’t see any tattoos on anyone,” said Bayle.

  “Ok, we need to load ship. Grab crates, follow.”

  They each picked up a crate and followed Grano. Mikol was worried about the people walking around but he found there was a natural flow towards the ships. It did not take them long to reach the Crystal Glory, as the warehouse was only one street over from where it was moored. There were more crew waiting for them at the ship, and they passed the crates up the gangplank to those waiting on the ship. Mikol and Dervo brought up the last crate, but before they could hand it off a soldier stepped forward. Mikol noted the soldier wore a lighter armor. Considering they would be at sea, it made sense to be more mobile instead of being heavily armored. The sword, on the other hand, was no less lethal and pointed directly at him.

  “Who are you? What are you doing with these crates?” asked the soldier.

  Mikol looked at Dervo and then back at the soldier. They had not discussed what to do if they were questioned. Thranik had told them they should be able to walk right on deck without incident. The soldier moved closer to Mikol and pressed the tip of his sword on the crate. This almost caused Mikol to lose his grip.

  “Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?”

  Before Mikol could give a response, Thranik walked over.

  “Captain Hiko, if I recall correctly, this is still my ship.”

  “It is only yours until you displease the king. Do you know who these men are?”

  “Yes. I hired them yesterday.”

  “You don’t need more crew.”

  “It’s not your head if I can’t deliver promptly. We were ordered to leave quickly and with four times as much cargo as usual. If you recall, the Warlord likes results.”

  “He is King.” The man seemed to spit the words at Thranik. “You best remember that when you see him again.”

  “Yes, Captain, I will. If you will allow them to finish loading the ship we can depart soon. If not I will tell the ... king ... that you have delayed us.”

  Hiko stared at the Thranik for a long moment before waving at Mikol. He stomped away, calling for one of his soldiers. Mikol was glad when a crewman took his crate, as he did not think he could have held it much longer. They made three more trips to the warehouse before they had all the crates loaded. When they left port, Mikol and his party stood back and watched the crew work. He thought he understood what each member of the crew did but hoped he would not be needed for anything besides lifting crates.

  Once they were out to sea the crew kept giving them anxious glares and they were told to go below deck. Mikol was relieved to be away from the constant glares from the soldiers on deck. Two in particular had been watching them closely. No doubt they had been told by Hiko to keep an eye on them. Below deck was a completely different experience. The gentle rocking of the boat was able to be stomached when you could see the horizon, but with nothing to focus on Mikol felt nauseated. Somehow, even with the nausea, Mikol was able to catch a small nap.

  When Bayle woke him up later, the cabin was dim. Mikol could see that someone else had entered the cabin. Bayle whispered, “First mate,” as he climbed down. Dervo was sitting at a table with Lorvan and they were talking quietly. Mikol sat down opposite them and listened.

  “At midnight, the crew has a shift change. The soldiers wait a few minutes and when they don’t see anything amiss they go to their cabin.”

  “There are no soldiers after midnight?”

  “No. After a couple hours there are a few soldiers that will come on deck and be there until morning. Hiko does not approve but has not caught them yet. When the soldiers go below deck, wait an hour and they will all be asleep. Their cabin is on the floor above us.”

  There was a silent agreement as all men nodded. Lorvan left as quietly as he had come.

  “We need to gather our weapons to fight the soldiers,” said Bayle.

  “We can probably get rid of them all with magic. It does help to have a blade even so,” said Dervo.

  In pairs they made discreet trips to the hold. With so many soldiers on board it was surprising that the hold was not guarded. But the longer he thought about it, the more Mikol understood that the soldiers thought a guard was unnecessary. There was nowhere for a thief to go. Even so, they were careful to avoid soldiers and any attention. They retrieved their weapons without incident.

  For supper, they ate with the crew and soldiers. Afterward they went back to the cabin to wait. Mikol wanted to talk about what they were going to do, but other members of the crew were present and he was not sure whom to trust. Nilo and some of the Wardens had joined in a game with the crew to pass the time. Mikol could see their strained smiles and forced laughs. After what seemed like days but was in reality only a couple hours, the evening crew came down from their shift. Mikol looked at Dervo and received a nod. They had hidden their weapons on them in the loose clothing. They all got up to leave. Mikol wondered if any of the crew would shout an alarm or fight them. None of them paid attention to Mikol or anyone else. Whether this was a good or bad sign was yet to be determined.

  They passed by the other cabins quietly and made it to the deck above them. Mikol had not drawn his sword yet, but his hand rested on the handle. When they reached the soldiers’ cabin they all drew swords and prepared spells. The light in the hall was dim but they could all see better with runic sight spells. Bayle was in the back, the only mundane of the group. Mikol knew he did not need any spells to hit anyone with his crossbow. Dervo opened the door to the cabin slowly and the Wardens rushed in quietly. Inside the cabin was empty. They knew they were in the right cabin. It was clearly inhabited by soldiers. Nothing was out of place, except for the empty beds.

  “The first mate said all the soldiers would be asleep. Where are they?” said Dervo.

  “I don’t think Thranik’s crew was all loyal to him,” said Mikol.

  “Let’s go topside and see what awaits us. We need to finish this. There’s not going to be a way to escape the soldiers on this ship.”

  Dervo led them onto the deck of the ship. The moon was out in full and the whole of the ship could be seen. Mikol did not see anyone on deck at all. The sails were limp and the ship was only moving with the current. When they were all on deck the door slammed behind them and they all turned. The soldiers were standing above the cabin area and behind it. They fanned out to circle the Wardens, pointing crossbows at the group.

  “I wasn’t sure why Thranik had hired more crew when he had a full crew already, but I guess I see now,” said Hiko.

  Hiko walked up to Mikol and Dervo, inspecting them.

  “One would think you were the leader of this little coup,” Hiko said, jabbing a finger in Dervo’s chest, “but they would be wrong. Wouldn’t they, Prince Mikol?”

  Mikol took a step back. It was then he noticed the runes were visible on Dervo and the rest. The obfuscation had dropped when they had prepared their spells. Even being a prince, he was not well known. At least, he did not think he was. His royal tattoos were just visible underneath his shirt. But surely this man did not know what they meant.

  “Don’t worry. It won’t matter for long. If it makes you feel better, I will bring your body back to Ternia. After all, I need to show the king what I have caught for him.”

  Hiko took a few steps back with a smug smile of triumph. He raised his hand in a quick gesture. The thrum of crossbows being fired echoed across the deck. The bolts flew at them but bounced off of shields and armor. The next moment chaos erupted. The Wardens released their own volley of missiles at the soldiers. With no shields to protect them many of the soldiers dropped. The remaining drew blades and rushed forward. Mikol drew Raythrael and met Hiko’s attack with a blade similarly large to some he had seen before. The amount of force behind Hiko’s attacks put Mikol on the defensive ri
ght away. The was no doubting Hiko was augmented with blood magic, but to what extent Mikol did not know.

  After the initial fright of fighting another blood mage, Mikol calmed his thoughts. He refocused on the fight itself. This was one of his favorite types of opponents. They always had so much power and energy but lacked any real skill. The overconfidence of the fighter was always their undoing. Mikol’s defensive stance melded into a true offensive stance. The look of confusion on Hiko’s face as he was forced to block attacks brought a smile to Mikol’s lips. With a roar, Hiko tried to force the fight in his favor with more power. Instead, his swings became wild and savage. Mikol blocked and parried the attacks with ease and soon found an opening that he pressed. With a parry and a riposte, Raythrael cut deep into Hiko’s thigh. Instead of attacking again, Hiko dropped his hulking, misshapen sword and turned to run. Mikol quickly fired a missile, and it flew true in to Hiko’s back, exploding out the other side. He was dead before his body hit the deck.

  The remaining soldiers quickly gave up after seeing their captain go down. Mikol was glad to see Bayle alive with only a small scratch. Dervo rushed to a wounded Warden. Dervo turned the man over and Mikol saw it was Nilo. He had been hit with a crossbow bolt in the chest and bleeding profusely. Dervo hurriedly created runes while Mikol and the rest gathered the remaining four soldiers and put them in a longboat. They launched it without any supplies or oars. Mikol did not care if they made it to shore alive. He just did not feel like there should be anymore killing right now.

  After scouting the top deck they found Thranik’s body tied to a chair in his quarters. He had been beaten and tortured to death. Mikol only guessed it was Thranik because of the quarters, as the face was too badly beaten to tell who it had been. Dervo entered shortly afterward, his face grim. Mikol looked up, hopeful for good news. Dervo closed his eyes and shook his head. Nilo was dead.

  Chapter 19

  Homecoming

  Lorvan took responsibility for the Crystal Glory. Mikol could only stand in awe of the discipline of the crew as they followed Lorvan’s orders without question. The ship altered its course, heading directly towards Ternia. The bodies of Nilo and Thranik were laid out on the deck of the ship and cleaned up as best they could be. Nilo’s body needed little done to it, but the crew of the Crystal Glory handled it with care and respect. Thranik’s body was cleaned and redressed. Even after all of the blood was washed away it was hard for Mikol to look at his face. Both bodies were wrapped in cloth and laid out on the deck. The crew stood by them and waited for the sun to rise.

  When the sun had risen just over the horizon fully, Captain Lorvan walked to the bow of the ship. Mikol had been to only a few funerals in his time. The most recent one was for the queen. He had not paid any attention to the actual ceremony and only mourned the loss. At the funerals he had been to prior to that, he had been more interested in the living. Mikol’s attention was brought back to the present as Lorvan turned to face the crew and Wardens. He raised his arms wide and started to speak.

  “We beseech you, Archon. Our brothers have had their lives cut short. We have all tried to serve you as best we could. The faithful among us know what it means to follow your ways. We beseech you to take their souls and give them back to the world, so that they may bless the world a second time. As we are part of your plan for the sea, we commit their bodies to the sea,” said Lorvan.

  When Lorvan lowered his arms the bodies of Nilo and Thranik were dropped into the water. Mikol saw everyone lower their heads in prayer. He did not know what to do but mimicked those around him so as not to offend. After a long moment of silence Lorvan barked orders to the crew. They dispersed quickly and the ship picked up speed as the sails were unfurled, catching the wind. Mikol followed Dervo for a moment before indicating he wanted to speak with him.

  “Dervo, I don’t know how to how to ask this properly. I have only been to a few funerals in my life. Mostly I was too young to really understand what was going on at the time. What did Lorvan mean by the Archon? Did he mean Voletain?”

  Mikol felt unnerved as Dervo stared at him unspeaking, searching out something with his gaze.

  “Yes, he meant Voletain.”

  “He’s not here. What do they want him to do?”

  “They want him to lead the dead to rest. But more than just Voletain, the Archon is more than a man. He is a symbol of our nation. He is the symbol of power. He has touched everyone with his power.”

  “But he is just a man. Why are they praying to him right now? He’s not here.”

  “He does not need to be present to deliver them. To many he is more than a symbol. He is an ascended being that is as close to being a god as those pagans in the Savage Kingdoms believe in.”

  “He is not a god. I have trained with him, eaten with him. And I know he does things that I would consider to be less than divine.”

  Dervo laughed.

  “Yes, he is a man. I know that, I have served with him for longer than I can remember. But what would you call a man who grants unlimited power to others, knows things no one else knows, and lives forever?”

  Mikol said nothing. Nothing had prepared him for this. Voletain had not mentioned anything like this before. Mikol could not look at Dervo any longer. He instead looked out across the sea.

  “You know ...” Mikol looked back without actually looking at Dervo. “I am next to be the Archon. Do you consider me to be a god?”

  “Since I have been with Voletain, I have been able to watch you from afar. I knew you as a child. You are not without faults.” Dervo laughed quietly. “But once you take on the mantle of Archon, you will be the Archon. I know Voletain has been the Archon and master of the Sanctuary since before I was born. The masters who trained me to be a Warden knew Voletain was Archon before they were born. His being Archon is older than memory will permit. It is written in texts that there have been Archons before him. Only the King lives as long as the Archon.”

  “Why don’t the people worship the king?”

  “Well, some do. But the king is the rock of the kingdom. He is the center. The Archon is power around the king. He is what keeps the kingdom safe. Only a few people know the true power of the king and Archon. It seems fewer still know the Archon follows the king. Many think the king does what the Archon says. I have been privileged to be able to see both happen.”

  “You haven’t answered my question. Do you consider me a god?”

  It was Dervo’s turn to look out to the sea.

  “No. But I do believe that you have the spark of the divine. You were able to give us our magic back after it disappeared. Only someone close to the divine would have been able to do that.”

  Mikol could not say anything more. He was too afraid of breaking down whatever wall Dervo had erected to cope with what was happening. Very few people knew of the power of the runic sword. Mikol placed his hand on Dervo’s shoulder.

  “I’m truly sorry about Nilo. I wish I could have known him more.”

  Dervo nodded and Mikol walked away.

  Lorvan gave Mikol the captain’s quarters. He told him it was bad luck to have a new captain sleep in the old quarters until it could be blessed in port. Mikol did not question this and thanked him instead. The crew had done a decent enough job cleaning the blood from the floor. Even still, Mikol was saddened every time he looked at the floor. He told Bayle he needed time to process everything. Bayle understood and kept everyone away from his quarters. His only contact with others was when Bayle brought him food. Mikol spent the time reflecting on all that he knew about his world. By the time they reached port, Mikol felt he knew what he had to do to become what these people needed him to be. It had only taken five days to get to port though Mikol had hardly registered any passage of time.

  The port town was only a day’s ride from Valefort. Mikol had been to this port once but remembered almost nothing, though he did recall seeing more people than were present today. Lorvan bade them farewell and turned to the crew to get ready to leave p
ort as soon as they could. Mikol inquired where they would go. Lorvan told him they would traverse the rivers to the west. They were mostly uncharted. Until the war was ended there would be no trade anywhere in the Crystal Sea.

  Mikol purchased horses for himself and the Wardens, still in awe at the blood magic coins that had turned back into Ternian gold. They rode in silence. No one was sure what would be awaiting them when they arrived home. Mikol hoped his father had already heard of Perim’s death, as he did not want to give such grim news. Even during a war, Mikol expected the roads to be busy. They encountered no one on the roads, friend or enemy.

  They had arrived in port around midday. Dervo made them camp before they approached Valefort. He did not want to ride into an ambush or hostile territory at night. Mikol did not sleep well and did not believe anyone else had either. They broke camp as the sky began to lighten. The landscape gradually shifted to be more familiar to Mikol. As they rode up the last hill before Valefort, they saw smoke over the horizon. Mikol urged his horse faster and held his breath. When he saw the city intact in the distance he let out his breath slowly. The smoke arose from a large fire to the east of the city.

  Bayle handed Mikol the spyglass. There were soldiers around the fire. He could not tell exactly who the soldiers fought for but could not see any Ternian symbols. Nor could he make out what was being burned. The blaze was large. He did not want to think about it.

  “There is no way we can get close enough to make it to the city without being seen by those soldiers,” said Dervo.

  “I know of a way in the back of the city that will bring us up through the dungeons. Maybe if we ride fast we can make it there before they catch us,” said Mikol.

  “No. That would be too dangerous and they would know someone went into the city. With soldiers this close to the city there is no telling what is going on inside.”