Traitor to the King

by Clare SM Keating

  “Shut up! I don’t want to hear your lies… I know of your hatred for the king and I know the kind of shit my uncle used to defecate into your ears!” Anouk snapped, violently and rudely as she writhed to get herself into a sitting position without hurting her legs more. She hated to look weak in this place, especially in front of him and yet at the same time she understood Lutas was probably right. Few knew the truth of what had happened at his father’s death, but he’d been willing to tell Anouk that for running the king himself had cursed him as a coward trapped by the stones. Lutas could never flee to the sanctuary and would fall when the kingdom fell, the price for cowardice amongst the nobles. He would not have been foolish enough to remove a stone but then again, he had never done anything so obvious in his life.

  “Upon the life of my long-lost lover I swear that I did not do anything Anouk… but now that I have your attention I’m going to ask you a question and you will have to answer it do you understand old friend?” At his mention of the woman he had loved that had begged him to run away from Virenheim with her, Anouk tightened her jaw in frustration at the memory of that missing friend. When she seemed to hold back from swearing at him more and more, the young male gave a soft chuckle before beaming with a curious grin as he looked down at her in amusement. “Then tell me dear friend, what would you do for ultimate power?”

  At his question Anouk narrowed her green eyes and felt her body bunching up with hatred and sickness. Who in their right mind would want power? She growled slightly in frustration at the thought of needing something so stupid when it only seemed to make everyone who had it angry or upset. Anouk looked toward Lutas with a sudden flicker of fascination in her eyes and he beamed down at her in utter delight.

  “That’s not what I want… but for someone stuck in a position where they could never get higher or stronger….” There were so many people within the council that could easily be stuck in that kind of situation and they all knew that Anouk would stop it. As she considered it all the red-head began to understand exactly what the truth was and who the traitor could be and yet she was surprised that Lutas had not chosen to speak about it. She assumed he was probably only aware of the knowledge the same way he always knew things but then her eyes narrowed again. Lutas was a snoop, yes, but the only way he could get this information was by being double-agent or a willing traitor to save his own skin. “How do you know all of this?”

  “Well on this occasion I had suspected that Leridan had been acting a little stranger than normal… you’re aware that he’s one of my friends and recently he’d begun to question what I would do for someone to break my curse. Naturally I was curious but what I learnt from him was terrifying. Especially considering it’s all been caused by Zehna’s guilt over his rejected, mentally unstable but impressively powerful son.” Lutas sighed pitifully before looking down at Anouk and noticing the flickering frustration within her eyes once again. “You still think I would get involved with someone that has been communicating with someone so dangerous? Come now Anouk… I’m not a traitor, just smart enough to know who not to piss off.”

  “I never claimed you were a fool Lutas… but you should be careful not to talk too loud, Zehna is always listening in.” Anouk growled softly, but now she knew who needed to be watched and even if Lutas was not going to speak out and put himself in trouble, Anouk’s companions needed to know. But Leridan was one problem… Zehna could be another… if he had anything to do with it.

  Fifteen: Damara’s Turn

  “When the Human was made by the great dragon child of Nabuto, he was sent out to the world to fight the dark gods and keep them underground… but the Imperials were not blessed by Nabuto. Instead he shunned them as he mourned and they walked in the twilight, unsure of their purpose or what they could achieve. Being made by a non-god they were mortal and fragile. The demons used this to trick them into letting them out, to causing trouble and to sharing their life force so that the dark ones could rise again and defeat all others. If it had not been for the sun turning away from the lonely Imperial, the Orcreich would never have been shown the light of the dawn…”

  - The Myths and Legends of Virenheim

  Stepping into the corridor of squirming nightmares had made both Droy and Martum leap and turn on their heels to gallop off before the Karayan caught them both by their cloaks in his clawed hands and held them in place. The image of a corpse melting up ahead as it was being eaten away by the bugs was nothing compared to the sudden jolt of fear they developed at the sensation of the great claws hooking their clothing neatly, practically stroking their flesh. Recently they had noticed that the Karayan was becoming more and more terrifying, if only because it was so obvious he was much more than some cursed being taking control of the Core. But when he made a point of everything being illusions, the Karayan led the two onwards to the great narrow cave past the corpse. All the while Droy was trying to climb up Martum’s back to avoid touching anything.

  “How did you know it was an illusion sir?” Martum questioned, grunting as Droy managed to elbow his bald head as they stepped out onto the rocky escarpment that sat before the prison. He soon regretted opening his mouth at the horrendous stench of the mud pools that bubbled upward and seemed to hiss evilly towards him. Practically smothering his mouth to prevent himself vomiting, Martum wobbled forward and Droy slid off his back and nearly straight down into a steaming pit, but the Karayan lunged out and caught him by the ankle before the Core members guarding the entrance spotted it. They came rushing over, hollering to Droy to stay perfectly still as they scrabbled up the roughly hewn pathway of stone to stretch and grab the third in command of the Core. “Sorry Droy… I wasn’t expecting the smell.”

  Droy did not give a response to that, his mouth seemingly frozen in a grimace with his eyes wide open as he was released to the guards and straightened on his feet. Once they patted his back and ushered him back to life, he turned towards Martum and swiftly bent forward to slap his own backside. The moment he did Martum gave a bark of frustration and moved to swear about Droy’s heritage that got him another gesture with a curled fist flicking at Droy’s chin. This gesture was a clear invitation for a fight to prove Martum was not impotent, but when Karayan noticed their ridiculous gestures he slapped them both firmly on the shoulder as they stepped over to face each other. Now that he had returned the sanity and taken control of the situation, he steered them back towards the path and breathed a sigh of relief, only for the other core members that had come to the gatehouse to bow.

  “Oh Lord Karayan, blessed to have touched a stone, we are not worthy of your command or your presence… to be looked upon by your eyes is our greatest honour!” The seven men that had emerged from the turrets had all hollered together as they’d lifted themselves and then slapped themselves upon the floor. It was not the first time the Core had done this to Karayan, but it reminded him how much time had passed and how long these poor fools had been stuck in this wretched place. But then the two to have assisted Droy quickly stepped in front of him and collapsed on their knees to grasp at his slippers and try to kiss his feet, though he swiftly stepped back with a growl of anger. “Oh great Karayan… so wise and brave and swift to have rescued one of our unworthy number. We are your servants…”

  “Oh, shut up! I came here on official business not to give you all an employee assessment!” The Karayan grunted, using a term he’d picked up from having had Talon around the household trying to explain things to him. The Karayan’s words startled them all, they all seemed to stand up more rigid than before as they seemed even more in awe of him. He groaned in frustration, how could he oversee this rabble and make them greater when all they wanted was to be praised by him. With a soft snort he considered what it must have been like for many of them as orphans seeking a father-figure and why the death of Higatso had caused some to leave. “Right… gentlemen, lead me to the traitor named Loteg and then the rest of you need to start strengthening the line of the Dams and assist the patrols coming in. We ne
ed to be ready for attack at any time.”

  “Loteg is in his usual cell, sir, but I suggest you go in to see him completely alone otherwise he won’t talk to you.” The Karayan was startled when he spotted Skabrat staring at him from the little hut door leading inside. He eyed her up curiously with a sneer upon his face, annoyed that she had been friends with Anouk and yet seemed content to isolate herself from that knowledge. But she could see that Karayan was thinking that kind of thing and Skabrat gave a soft sigh of frustration. “Follow me and I’ll take you to him. I might just also sneak you a meeting with Anouk afterwards…”

  The Karayan’s citron eyes seemed to shine with appreciation and interest at the words but to his surprise Skabrat dared to wink playfully at him. He gave a soft grunt of appreciation and understanding before turning to his men, encouraging them to do whatever it was he’d told them to do a second ago and then he stepped over to Skabrat’s side. He tried to step into the little booth but was forced to crouch down and bend his body about so much that Skabrat could not stop herself from giggling as the little box began to sink downwards. It was clear to her the terrifying beast was stuck and with a snigger of amusement when the box stopped and a warden within opened the door, she rolled onto her back and kicked out with her legs.

  There was a choking sound and a thud as the shrouded being was cast out of the box and down the corridor into the dirt. The warden stood frozen in shock before he began to tremble in terror as the great beast gave a violent rumbling growl as he pulled himself upward. There had been a sound of wailing and pain within the prison but at the growl that seemed to run through the earth to every cell about, silence reigned and Skabrat gave a smirk of amusement. She strolled out, apologised and then gently patted at the great figure’s shoulder before she ushered him to follow her on down the long lonely corridor and towards the pits. Just as with Anouk she pulled up the hatch and ushered the Karayan to climb down; she did not ask for weapons or to remove things because she was smart enough not to request it from him.

  The Karayan gave a grumble of frustration as he barely prevented himself from skidding down the steep ladder and forced himself to jump the last part. He turned about swiftly to enter the cave where there was dim light from a lamp and the scratching sound of a quill, only to smack his head with a hard-crunching sound on the wall. He growled again before ducking down and slowly clambering into the cell with his great clawed fingers reaching out to clasp the furniture and find a place to settle. He found a bed to pull his body onto and sat down with a groan although the figure within seemed to take no notice at all. When the Karayan turned about to look at him he grimaced in frustration at the blue hair, the gaunt form and the vivid eyes that finally turned about to look at him with clear distaste.

  “You should have come to see me a month ago… I hope you’re happy Anouk’s in such a state.” Loteg snorted towards the figure, showing no respect and no kindness as he hissed at him. The Karayan could have lunged forward to choke the figure, but he could not deny that there was some truth in the being’s words. Even so, the Karayan found himself angry that such a thing could be blamed on him when he’d tried very hard to keep her safe. His silence but vibrating aura of rage made Loteg give a soft smirk and chuckle as he returned to his writing and then the Karayan attempted to speak. At that moment, the long bony finger with its long, yellowed nail lifted upward to silence him as the being growled softly. “Just one moment… I know you are the Karayan and I know that for some reason Anouk trusts you more than she trusts me… which is highly insulting. I am Loteg and there is no need for us to get to know each other any better until we deal with whatever it is that has brought you to me now. By Thraine you’ve taken too long and I’m almost unwilling to talk with you.”

  The mention of another god’s name within Virenheim made the other elves listening in shudder at the top of the ladder and the Karayan scowled at them. Thraine was the Deep Elf God of the Underworld, the opposite of Nabuto but said to have come from a place very similar to Virenheim. Not to mention, Thraine was held as the kind of god you did not upset, he was not bad or good but had a representation of justice and that was important here. The Karayan had assumed that, like with many other elf cultures, this god was worshiped in quiet without any temples or mention because it was deemed a gateway to his attention and that of the unsettled spirits. The Karayan was also confused that Loteg would mention a god’s name when he was in prison for being a heretic as well as a traitor… more reason Karayan’s job and Floryas’ could not be considered easy by anyone’s standard in this rather restrictive place.

  “I’m not here to talk about Anouk… I’m here to ask about why you’re a traitor and why someone else might be. Basically, I need to figure out who stole the stone…” But the moment the Karayan mentioned it, Loteg paused and looked over his shoulder at the figure with the most malevolent and sadistic grin that the Karayan had ever seen. All the energy around Loteg was horrendously erratic, his insanity was mingling with his intelligence to create the kind of mania expected in these death cells and that worried the Karayan. However, he had the most uncomfortable feeling that Loteg already knew the truth about the stone’s safety that only those present at the time it was decided could know about….

  …maybe he was as intelligent as Anouk praised him to be.

  “How about we make this situation as simple as possible… my lord. You can ask me five questions and I’ll tell you what I know without a single lie. My only request being that you come to see me once a week to tell me all about your experiences outside Virenheim.” Loteg turned about slowly to face the Karayan with another maniacal grin. The Karayan nearly swore aloud to see the way the golden eyes beamed with some unhinged sense of reality that made him feel aggressive. Perhaps it was just what happened in prison, or perhaps there was more to it than that as Loteg’s fingers caressed some journal in his lap. The Karayan did not have much of a choice and with a gentle nod of his head he tried to figure out a way to ask the right questions to get the answers he needed. Loteg knew something about everyone and most importantly he was a traitor….

  “Why would anyone want to betray the king?”

  “That question has countless answers and we’ve barely the time to discuss it all now. But I’ll tell you the main reasons as I see it, although I’m quite sure you know most of the answers already. First, there are the strict traditions and rules that prevent development and reduce our population growth as well as the movement of non-nobles into any political position of power. He tells the healers what they can do and that’s why they can’t help women. Secondly, he has lived so very long and people have a great fondness for immortality and a hatred for eternal despots. Thirdly, the stone gives exceptional power to the king so whoever sits on the throne could manipulate themselves into a being as akin to a god. Fourthly the king has no heir, if he died the Benaga would inherit and with no male heir if they both die it goes to the next high-ranking lord… which would either be Zehna or Vasagar I believe. And finally, if you are authority there will always be one anarchist out there or staunch republican to hate what you symbolise. Does that answer the question?”

  “Not exactly. But why would a demon want Virenheim?” It seemed a stupid kind of question to ask, surely the answer would be because of the stones and yet why would stones powerful enough to kill a demon be wanted? Surely, they would be better off left to scatter to the nine winds! The Karayan noticed the way Loteg was staring at him with expectation and it was obvious he’d not asked the correct question. The traitor was curiously smug though and the Karayan gave a snort. “What affect does the stone have on a demon?”

  “It’s not clear but there is the assumption that it can change them into a god in the same way it potentially can to an elf. For a demon there is no escape from the slavery of the Fallen unless they become a god of equal measure and do not have to be afraid of the light anymore. Plus, what they can give mortal beings is untold and in Virenheim the wants of the people may be as simple as hav
ing a son to inherit the farm.” Loteg smiled with a warmer expression and then he eyed the Karayan curiously. There was something both pleasing and despicable about him that Loteg could not quite fathom although he was quite sure the Karayan could be trusted. “It all comes down to the forbidden text held in the king’s private library – a very old piece that I was lucky enough to gain knowledge of when I dared to plant a hidden spell on Saravona one evening – the incantation that produces a power enough to kill can be rearranged to give something greater.”

  “Immortality… or something better for a demon. I can see why anyone would want a stone and they do speak to the holder of cruel things. They also have a habit of showing the future to those who don’t want it… but it’s done something to everyone whose touched it so far but Anouk… it didn’t even…” The Karayan was speaking to himself more than to Loteg and he froze the moment he heard a pen scratching away. Perhaps he should not have thought to be cautious around Loteg, but did not feel ready to trust him so completely just yet. “Sorry – I know you’re going to ask who was granted a vision and that was Karani. She saw Anouk in prison but also someone opening the gate to an army of demons… hence I need to find this traitor. My next question is about the suspects – Anouk suspects Lutas, I suspect a mage and Molwessa. Why would Anouk hate Lutas enough to consider him capable of being a traitor? Bear in mind he was responsible in part for the stone’s return with a possessed being but was innocent of trying to steal it from the palace.”

  “Well I don’t think he’s the traitor on this occasion either and it’s a selfish waste of a question.” Loteg snorted and swiftly turned about to face his work once more and ignore the Karayan. At first his guest assumed he was fetching some notes, but when Loteg remained silent the Karayan produced a growl of irritation and Loteg sighed. He swatted a seemingly weak wrist to the air and then turned back around with a bored expression upon his face. “Lutas was responsible for his father’s death. He allowed a demon to kill his family and profited in exchange for something Anouk has yet to discover and I have not learnt either. Some curse sits on him as punishment so that he cannot leave the city but that is of little consequence when he has allies everywhere to tell him what he’s missing out on. He is probably likely to have arranged Anouk to be framed for the sake of stealing her victory… but he is troublesome for anyone who does not wish for change and I’d say if he had arranged for Kirlia’s death, it had been with the intent to frame old Lord Kelvis.”