by M. J. Sewall
They bowed to the two kings, but both Brenddel and Mantuan noticed that the younger man bowed only as much as he was required. He seemed not just bored, but a little hostile. Brenddel stood ready, staring into the eyes of the young man, hand on his knife. Before the meeting, the two kings had agreed that Asa would be in charge tonight. Asa tried to speak loudly and clearly, “It is an honor to have two distinguished men traveling so far, to come visit our kingdom.”
To everyone's surprise it was the younger man who replied, “My king, of the great Kingdom of the Thirteen, it is our honor to be here. The living god has sent us here…”
“My companion…” said the older man interrupting, speaking slowly and deliberately, “…is a young man, like yourselves my two kings, and he speaks rashly. Since neither I, nor my young friend, speak directly with the living god, it is debatable whether we were sent here by him or by his Queen mother.”
The young man cut in “But we are here to make the first step towards friendship between our great people….”
“That may be possible,” the old man smiled, “but exactly how we begin this friendship is unclear. My two Kings, the living god is fair and just. But we are divided on how to move forward.”
“Not everyone agrees we should move into the larger world,” the young man said, taking a step toward the two kings, “As for our new god…”
The old man made a quick movement to the younger, thrusting something into his neck. The young man jerked, grabbing at his neck. He groaned and crumpled to the ground, dead. King Asa and King Gordon shot to their feet. Brenddel had already drawn his longknife and was in front of the kings. Mantuan drew his knife, as had Aline and all of the guards. The old man was surrounded.
The man did not attack. Instead, he stood still, and his face turned hard, “It is not for men to say what the living god wants. I told the Queen this was a mistake,” pushing whatever was in his hand into his own stomach. He winced at the pain, but said, “But that mistake dies here with us. I bring a warning. Stay away from our god or we will blow you from the skies.”
The man made a terrible sound. No one was sure if it was rage, or simply the last gasp of his life before he fell. The guards surrounded the two dead envoys as Brenddel rushed to open the man's hand. It was a small wooden spike, now stained with the blood of two men. Brenddel smelled it carefully but could not tell what poison was used.
Asa stood there in stunned silence. Gordon's mother had come between them and realized she had grabbed the hand of each king.
“Take them to the healing rooms,” said Brenddel, “I want Loren to tell me what killed these men. Tolan, take a dozen men and get aboard their ship. I want answers.”
Tolan nodded and headed for the docks. Brenddel had the room cleared quickly until only Asa, Ellice, Aline, Gordon, and Mantuan were there.
“What was this? What just happened?” asked Asa, staring at the spot on the floor where the men had died.
Mantuan said, “I'm guessing whoever this living god and his queen mother are, not everyone agrees we should be friends.”
“Well, that older man made it clear how dedicated he was,” said Ellice, “He might have killed the other envoy on board the ship but did it in front of us instead. He obviously wanted to make a very direct point.”
“Well, he made it,” offered Brenddel.
Mantuan said, “The Outlanders have kept to themselves for centuries. There are persistent rumors that Extatumm does some trading with them, but other than that, why do this?”
“This was horrible. We will all have nightmares. Let me know what Tolan finds out about that ship. I'll go see what Loren can tell us,” Ellice said, “Tolan should have checked the old man more carefully.”
Brenddel said, “The poison stick was tiny. He could have hidden it anywhere. Besides, he said he was busy taking weapons from the younger one.”
Ellice's anger flared, “And what if he'd killed one of our kings? More blood on your hands, Firstman.”
Brenddel said, “Queen Ellice, none of ours were hurt. He seemed to be a feeble old man,” Ellice stood there, saying nothing. “Please, my Queen, go see Loren and find out what you can. We will help them search the Outlander ship.”
Mantuan looked from one to the other. Ellice walked out without a word. This was no time to worry about the rift between Ellice and his adopted son. He nodded to Brenddel, “I think that's a good idea, son. Let's go.”
Chapter 3: Blue Poison
“Finally named it. I call it the pin.” said Loren.
“Umm, that's a lot bigger that a pin for sewing,” Gordon said, staring at the new tool to help him with his sweetblood illness. “I'm just glad you got it smaller. The ones you made me use before really hurt. You'd better show me again.”
“It still has to go in your arm, or even better, in your stomach. The metal pin is hollow, and the healing oil gets drawn into the glass part here. Then you press this plunger with your thumb, and the liquid shoots under your skin, where it gets absorbed into your blood. It's more complicated than that, but I see your eyes glazing over already. Anyway, it's faster than eating sour cakes, since it goes right into your system.”
“Okay. That sounds awful,” said Gordon staring at the new tool for his illness, “No offence.”
“None taken,” Loren chuckled, “I had an amazing craftsman make it. The pin is as small as he could craft it, and still pierce the skin without snapping in two. And this counter is even better.”
“This little box will help me know how sweet my blood is, whenever I want?” asked Gordon, picking up the small metal box.
“Yes, Corinn helped me with the design before she left the palace.”
“Why did she leave as Firsthealer?”
“She was close with Trunculin,” Loren explained, “After she spoke against him at the trial, she said there were too many memories here at the palace. But, before she left, we finally got the machine to work properly.” He grabbed the small box. It was square and had a hole in the middle, with a set of three numbers on the top, “Here, you poke your finger, put a drop of blood on this area, and the numbers click into place. Depending on the number, you will know if you have to eat something, or if you need healing oil to bring the sweetblood numbers down.”
“Wait, how often will I have to stick my finger for a drop of blood?” asked Gordon.
“To be sure, it should be at least three times a day…”
“Three times a day?” repeated Gordon. “How will I use my fingers?”
Loren assured him, “You will need very little blood. You're young, the tiny wounds will heal in a few hours.”
“Just in time for me to stick myself again. Great.” Gordon looked at the new pin device and sweetblood number machine, saying nothing more, imagining the future.
Loren said, “I know it'll be hard, but this will keep you alive, and much healthier. See here, I'll go over it again.”
A small timing bell sounded. Loren turned to his glass tubes. One had turned blue, the other was a light red from the blood on the poisoned stick. The stick that had killed two men floated in the light red liquid. Gordon stared, always fascinated with Loren's special mixtures. He looked back to the two dead men on the beds, “I wonder why he did it.”
Ellice walked in to the healing rooms. “Loren, what have you discovered? Do you know what poison was used?”
“Actually, I don't,” said Loren, looking confused. He picked up his blue glass tube. “I've been mixing different known ingredients, seeing how they react. I've isolated the poison. But it must come from a plant in the Outlands we don't know about. All we know is that it's blue.”
“That doesn't help much,” said Ellice, “it doesn't help us with the why of the thing.”
“No. And I've never seen this purple blue reaction around the wound. It's a very small hole. I almost wouldn't have noticed it except for the color.” He listened to the men's hearts and put his fingers to their necks. “I can only tell you that they are definitely dead.
”
“Hopefully we'll find answers on their ship,” said Ellice, sighing heavily, sitting next to Gordon.
“Mother, why do you think they would come all this way?”
“I have no idea,” Ellice said, brushing Gordon's hair from his forehead. “You need a haircut. You look more like your father every day. Brenddel and Mantuan are on the Outlander's ship by now. It's anchored in the King's Port. We should know something soon.”
“I still can't find… wait, here's the wound on the older man. Hmm, there is no discoloration around his wound. Why stab his own stomach with the poison? The neck would have been faster. Strange.” said Loren.
“He said a few words before he died. Maybe he needed that time to say them,” Gordon offered.
“Maybe. I'll keep looking,” said Loren, “I have a few older books on poisons I can consult. Maybe one will mention this type of blue plant. Let me know what Brenddel and Mantuan find.”
Ellice nodded. “Come on son, let Loren do his work.”
Gordon left the room with his mother, but glanced back, noting the similarity between Loren's new pin tool for him, and the poisoned stick the old man used as a weapon.
A lifetime of sticking myself, a lifetime of bloody fingers, Gordon thought. But he knew his uncle was right. One pin was for death, the other one would keep him alive.
Chapter 4: To Kill a King
The Outlander ship was gone. They decided to search by airship in the morning, since it was already deep into the night. They all went to bed uneasy. Mantuan suggested more guards at all the outer doors and windows of the palace. Brenddel and Tolan agreed. Brenddel would get a few hours' sleep and start out on the airship at first light. His airships could catch any watership, no matter how far a lead they had.
Loren had the bodies of the two men moved to the coldest part of the palace, where the dead would decay slower. Loren hoped he could use them for more study in the following days.
Two guards stood outside the entrance to the room of the king chairs, and Asa's room beyond. Gordon stayed with his mother in another part of the palace. Gordon had insisted Asa use the traditional king's chamber, since he'd used it longer. Plus, Gordon had only slept there one night.
The two heavy wooden doors stood barred, and the guards tried to stay alert deep into the night. As the guards stood with their back to the barred doors, they looked out the large window overlooking the Kingdom.
One guard said, “I need to go relieve myself.” but stopped when he heard a strange sound. Both guards kept both hands on their long weapons, muscles tight and ready for anything.
A long metal tube rolled out of the darkness. One guard bent to pick it up and it blew apart at his feet. Killing the two guards instantly, it also blew the doors to the room inward. One door was blown off its massive hinges and landed on one of the king chairs.
The older dead envoy moved quickly, removing the bits of cloth from inside his ears. He moved carefully through the chunks of wood scattered on the floor. Having committed the palace plans to memory, he went around the two king chairs, toward the king's chamber just behind.
There were guards along the curving hallways, but they were still covering their ears from the sound of the blast. With the smoke from the black powder filling the room, they couldn't see him coming, so the old man dispatched them quickly with his small, lethal knife. The guards barely registered movement before they all fell, dead.
In the King's chamber, the room was well lit by the moonlight streaming through the large window. The dead man could not see anyone in the king's bed, but the blankets were rumpled. He felt the still warm bedding. He spun around and felt the crack of the long wooden staff connect with his hand. His knife fell to the floor.
The dead man kicked Asa in the stomach before the King could block the blow with his staff. Asa went tumbling backwards. The old man took a fist across his cheek from someone new, landing next to the bed side table under the window. Asa's oldest brother Vance turned the gas lamp up on the wall. Another boy, Asa's youngest brother Devver stood next to Asa, helping him up. The room was brighter now, and they saw the old man reaching into his cloak. The dead man spotted the gas lamp on the table and turned it up. The flame jumped up the wick, brightening the room farther and threw strange shadows on his face.
The old man put his hand next to the flame and stood up, holding a black tube. A wick attached to the black pipe burned brightly as it got closer to the weapon.
“Pray to your Gods boy…!” The man held it above his head.
Asa's other brother Devver acted. The man was met with a foot to his chest before he could finish. and went tumbling backwards into the window. The window gave way and the man fell through, accompanied by broken shards of glass. When he was only a few feet out the window, the black pipe in his hand came apart. Exploding with a sound like thunder, it blew the glass of the remaining window into the King's room, showering the three boys with shards big and small.
The man's remains showered the courtyard below.
The boys were blown to the floor, their ears feeling the force of the explosion. They slowly got up as others rushed in. Their ears were ringing so badly; they could not hear any words. Mantuan and Brenddel shouted, “Are you hurt? Asa? Devver, Vance?”
Tolan came in with more guards, checking to see if any of the other guards on the floor had lived. All were dead. When Tolan reached the King's chamber and saw Brenddel carry King Asa to his large bed, he sent two guards to get Loren. Devver and Vance could hear a little better by then as they stood over their brother Asa.
Mantuan turned to the brothers, “Healers are on their way. Are you all right?”
Devver said, “I think I'm okay. Asa? How are you feeling?” They all had blood on them from several spots where fine glass had hit. Asa looked the least bloody, but he had his hands over his face.
Asa said, “I can hear you now. But, my eyes hurt.”
Vance tried to pry them away, to see if there was any damage, but Asa kept his hands tight.
“Asa…” said Vance gently, “Let me see.”
King Asa let his hands go, “Vance. I can't see anything. I… I think I'm blind.”
Brenddel wouldn't wait for Loren and took Asa into his arms. Rushing to the healing rooms was not easy. By this time, everyone in the palace was awake. When he finally got Asa into the healing rooms, Asa still had his hands over his eyes. Loren got to work.
Asa's brothers had small shards of glass that had to be removed, mostly from their arms since they held them up to protect their faces. The assistant healers worked on them as Loren finally got Asa to show his eyes. After washing them out repeatedly with special healing liquids, Asa could keep them open without pain.
But he still couldn't see.
“It's not as bad as it seems, my king,” said Loren, “There are no shards of glass in your eyes. If anything, only the outer layer of the eye was hurt. It will heal. I think the force of that explosion caused your eyes to go into a sort of defensive sleep. The blindness is only temporary. In time, your eyesight should return.”
The worst of the pain over, Asa offered, “I can wear patches like Mantuan for a while.”
The room laughed softly, despite the terrible attack. Asa's brothers, Mantuan, Brenddel, Aline, Gordon, and Ellice were all there.
Loren said, “That's very brave, my king. I think a healing cloth around your eyes for now, to let your eyes rest from any strain of trying to see.”
Asa asked, “Brenddel, can you send word to my family that…”
“Already done, my King. Tolan sent some men to tell them,” said Brenddel.
“I think we should tell only them,” said Mantuan, “We don't need the people thinking one of our kings is weakened.”
Asa said, “Maybe they will take pity on me, and stop calling me King Ass in some of the pamphlets.”
“That was only one pamphlet. Filled with lies and hateful words,” said Mantuan.
King Gordon asked, “Brenddel, please r
eport. How bad was the palace hurt?”
“Six guards, my king. I will contact their families in the morning,” Brenddel turned to Loren, “How did this happen Loren? You said he was dead.” asked Brenddel, a little more sharply than he intended.
Loren replied, “I'm sorry. I failed you. That man was dead, I'm sure of it. His heart was not beating.”
Mantuan offered, “Well he's surely dead now. What's left of him fell to the King's courtyard.”
Loren said, “There are rare poisons that slow the heartbeat, even stop it for a short while. It may be that the old man stabbed the younger with the full force of poison and then he got a lesser dose, just putting him in a kind of sleep. I should have thought of that.”
Mantuan said, “I once saw a man saved from drowning in the sea. We didn't know he was saved until he woke up the next day at his funeral. What about this poison?”
“It's none I recognize. I will have to test it further. How did the man get around the palace? And what were those exploding pipes?” Loren asked.
Brenddel replied, “We don't know yet. Tolan searched him carefully. No one has had contact with the Outlands, it can't be a spy in the palace. Most of the men were guarding against people getting into the palace. We never considered an attack from inside. That was my failure, my two Kings.”
“I'm glad Gordon stays in my rooms on the other side of the palace.” Offered Ellice, feeling the need to be close to Gordon after their long separation.
“It's no one's fault. The man was dead, we all thought so. You couldn't have known Brenddel,” said Gordon, “What were those things he used?”
“We don't know that either,” Mantuan said, scratching at his patch, “I've never seen anything like it. I've seen oil explosions before, but this left some sort of black burn marks. It's a powerful weapon the Outlanders have.”
Gordon said, “Well, the other man isn't talking. We checked on him, he's still very dead.”
Vance said, “Good, then we can get some sleep after all. It was lucky you sent for us after your meeting with the Outlander envoys, Asa. I mean, my king. I still can't get used to that, little brother.”