Draxis realized that there must be some kind of magic in Boric's axe, some power that did exactly what the Darga warriors had hoped to do by eating his heart. He laughed as he cut through their numbers, mercilessly rending them limb from limb and bathing in the blood that turned the ground to mud beneath their dying bodies. It was not long before Draxis found himself standing alone in a sea of reptilian flesh and blood, having killed every single one of the upstart Darga clan. Even though he had gained so much strength and speed, he was still winded from the effort of killing so many, but his breath returned quickly and with a powerful swing of the axe, he flung the blood off the weapon then rested it back on his shoulder and continued onward, walking through the empty camp and into the forest on the far side, wondering where he might find stronger foes, whose power he could make his own.
CHAPTER FIVE
"I cannot fathom this Maramyrian penchant for prudery," Toren said with a mischievous grin. He gulped the last of the ale from his mug and slammed it on the great, wooden table then pointed at the empty vessel and a serving boy ran forward to refill it. Wiping the foam from his beard, Toren turned in his chair to take a better look at the man who sat next to him in the seat of honor.
Carlis had grown enough of a beard that he had finally been invited to dine in the palace hall, but it appeared that the Maramyrian merchant, who was now the captain of a missing ship, which was a matter of no small embarrassment, was still having a difficult time finding his rhythm upon the waves of Aghlar society. And Toren was not making it easier for him either for he had taken to teasing Carlis much the way an older brother might torment a sibling. Carlis was determined not to let the sailor king get the better of him, although with the Aghlar tendency to make a toast and drink to just about everything, the effects of the large amount of ale he had consumed was making it that much more difficult for him to maintain his composure.
"There are certain things that are not done at Maramyr, if one is of the noble sort," Carlis said.
Toren snorted but held back a laugh and he saw that the serving boy had refilled his mug, so he drank some ale to drown his mirth for a moment, while he pondered his best angle of approach.
"You are a trading man, yes?"
"I am," Carlis said. "What of it?"
"What things have you traded?"
"All manner of things. Cloth, weapons, foodstuffs, even land; I have bought and sold many things." Carlis was not sure what the Aghlar was getting at.
"The cloth," Toren said. "What manner of cloth have you dealt in? Hemp or cotton for sails and shirts or the silks of the worms for finer things like a lady's fine tunic or her much finer undergarments?"
"All of these and more," Cerric said, shaking his head at the Aghlar king's suggestiveness. "I once invested some gold in a clothworks that makes many different kinds of material." Truth be told, he had made a small fortune in the cloth business, and it was through that enterprise many years ago that he had become closer to Lady Valamyr, who employed many of the tailors of Maramyr. Their partnership had been a very profitable one for them both.
"And when you invest your gold in these things, do you not keep an eye to quality?" Toren asked.
"Of course," Carlis told him. "Every cloth must be of a quality to suit its intended purpose. A sail must be strong to hold the power of the wind, while a noble lady's garment must be fine so as not to offend her delicate skin."
Toren drank more of his ale to choke down another laugh, and he noticed many of the men and women seated at the great table doing the same.
"This fine cloth, when it is made, do you inspect its quality? Do you touch it? Do you feel it, to see how fine it might feel against delicate skin?"
"I suppose, yes," Carlis said, though he was fairly certain where Toren was going with the conversation. He glanced over at Elaine, who sat silently on the others side of him, her face almost expressionless. Carlis nervously took another drink, worried that he would either offend her, or Toren, or both, though he was beginning to worry less about the latter of the two.
"And what of the sailcloth?" Toren asked, seeming to change tack. "Do you tug on it and handle it as would the firm hands of a sailor to see if it can hold up to some rough use?"
Carlis felt his eyes rolling back in his head, partly from the ale, which was quickly affecting him even more, and partly from the knowledge that Toren was back on course to shipwreck him in front of the assembled guests. All he could do at this point was to agree with the man, and hope that he survived the conversation.
"Yes, of course," Carlis said.
"And you would do this before you accepted the hard earned gold of those you bargain with? That would be the right thing to do, yes? You would not want an angry captain coming back with his sword drawn and looking to cut you because you gave him a bad sail."
"No, I would not want that. I have always made sure that my affairs are conducted with the utmost honor and courtesy, and always with an eye for quality."
"I do not doubt that. It would be most sensible to make sure of every detail," Toren agreed and Carlis nodded. "But it makes little sense to me that you would make such effort over a piece of cloth, to touch it, to pull on it, to caress it, and yet you would not do the same with a woman."
"One does not wear a woman like a piece of clothing," Carlis said.
"Not quite, but if the cloth isn't right, you'd best know it before you set sail," Toren said. He turned to Elaine. "Lady Elaine, indulge me. Are you of the same mind as Captain Carlis? Would you not want to check the mast of the ship to see if it can take a hard wind?"
"Toren." Elaine looked over at him. "You know better than to try to draw me into such talk."
"Right," he said and turned to Carlis and lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "Captain, since it's obvious to just about everyone that you're completely besotted with the lady who sits beside you, I'll let you in on a little secret. She's like silk, smooth and fine and strong as any ship and methinks she's built for rougher seas."
Carlis stood up, lurching from his seat, and the heavy wooden chair slid hard against the stone floor of the hall. The way Toren described Elaine, not only conjured up images of what he had long wondered, but it suggested that Toren himself had first hand knowledge of the lady and that was too much for Carlis to handle. The room tilted and swayed as he tried to keep his feet and he managed to bite back the angry words that threatened to spill from his mouth. As offended as he was, Carlis was still a guest in the hall of a king, though at this point, he truly wished he were somewhere and anywhere else would do.
"If you will excuse me," Carlis said, his words now running together as the ale began to make his thoughts swim. "I thank you for your hospitality, King Toren, and I bid you a good evening. Lady Valamyr, will you accompany me or do you wish to remain?"
"I will be along shortly, Captain," Elaine said.
"Right," Carlis said then he stumbled his way past the many chairs and guests and made his way from the king's table toward the exit of the hall.
"That was not very kind of you, Toren," Elaine told the Aghlar king. "Carlis is a most honorable man."
"I know," Toren said, watching him leave. "Everything I have learned of him speaks well of his character, but I could not resist the chance to have a little sport with him. It was especially amusing to see him struggle from the effects of the strong brew he has been drinking."
"You are incorrigible as ever," Elaine said. "It is no wonder you do not yet have a wife."
"I'll not change my ways, Elaine. If a woman will take me as I am, then so it will be. If not, then so be it."
"You should have married my sister," Elaine said.
"That is one of my regrets," Toren told her. "I would have wedded her, you know, but Elara refused."
"It is no wonder, with the way you carry on."
"She refused because she knew she would not long be of this world," Toren said, the mirth fading completely from his face. "Elara told me that, just before she died. She refused me to
spare me."
"How could she have known she would die? How can anyone know such a thing?"
"She knew many things," Toren said. "I did not question her, I merely accepted her word. I loved her dearly, and part of me wishes she had let our luck run its course, while another is grateful to her for what she did. I do not think I would be smiling and joking here if we had become any closer than she allowed us to be."
"At least you still have Ehlena."
"Aye, now that's a truth, and the girl is a constant trouble though I suppose I'm to blame for a little of that," Toren said thoughtfully then he looked at Elaine. "The days are always too short and tomorrow may never come. We might set sail with fair winds on pleasant seas only to meet our end in a sudden storm. Such is the way of things and, looking back, the wasted days are the ones that make the heart hurt."
Elaine searched the eyes of the Aghlar king and she knew that he felt the loss of her sister and his half-brother Matthius, who was a kind of godfather to Ehlena and who had been killed while escorting her to Maramyr. Elaine could see the regret in Toren's face and her opinion of him changed somewhat. Though he carried on like a buffoon much of the time and his sense of humor left much to be desired, she knew his heart was true. It was something she had always known, though she had never wanted to admit it. Elaine pondered what he had said and she thought about Carlis, stumbling his way to the inn where they had taken up residence after Ehlena had taken the ship. She worried about her niece, and hoped she would return safely from wherever she had gone, but for now, she worried more about Carlis.
Elaine knew enough about Aghlar spirits and their many ales to know that the amount of strong brew Carlis had consumed would surely put him in a sorry state and she decided that she should go and find him before he embarrassed himself. The Aghlar people prided themselves on their ability to drink and still function, but even they did not venture far from their beds when drinking sweet water or strong brew. As far as Elaine was concerned, Carlis was twice the man that Toren was, and it would not do for Carlis to be looked down upon simply because of an Aghlar prank.
"While I disapprove of the little game you played with Carlis, and I very much disapprove of being compared to a piece of sail cloth, I am glad to know that you cared about my sister and that you care about your daughter. I still think you are uncouth and a ruffian who happens to wear a crown, but you have my thanks for telling me about Elara. I respect her even more now and I dislike you a little less."
Toren stared at her for a moment. A smile slowly spread across his face and, a moment later, Elaine felt his large muscular arms around her, in a powerful embrace that made her think of what it might feel like to be hugged by a bear. Toren let her go and laughed as he picked up his mug from the table and held it up to her.
"That is as close to a compliment as I have ever had from you, Elaine," he said. "I will gladly drink to that."
Elaine smiled and picked up her cup of wine, which was almost empty. She stood from her seat, held it up to the Aghlar king then finished the last mouthful.
"I will leave you to your feast," she told him as she put the cup down on the wood of the table. "I do not believe that Carlis has every tasted strong brew before, and we both know what can happen when people from Maramyr get into trouble with Aghlar spirits."
"A recipe for adventure, that," Toren said as Elaine gave him a polite nod and walked away. "Give my regards to Carlis."
Carlis stormed down the passage from the palace banquet hall, his cheeks red with anger and frustration. So flustered was he by the Aghlar king's lack of manners that he almost did not recognize Ehlena when she appeared in the long corridor before him. A living picture of serenity, the young girl appeared to be as calm as Carlis was upset, which flustered him even more. She stared at him with a look of bemusement then she smiled.
"Carlis," Ehlena said. "You seem upset."
"That man," Carlis began angrily then he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "King Toren has a particular sense of humor that I cannot abide. I can see why your aunt dreaded the idea of coming to Aghlar, and I do not know how she is able to tolerate the disrespectful way people carry on."
"Carlis, it is good to see you too."
He stared at her then realized that she had returned from whatever fool journey she had taken, with his ship no less.
"Ehlena, I am relieved to see you safe and sound. We are going to have a little talk about you taking my ship, but I cannot seem to think straight after drinking that damn Aghlar ale."
Ehlena saw her aunt walking down the hall toward them.
"Aunt Elaine," she said, smiling at her, though she did not return the greeting.
"Ehlena," she said. "You gave everyone quite a fright disappearing with the Al-Andor While I am pleased to see you are safe, there are some things we will most certainly discuss, young lady."
"Aunt Elaine, Carlis," Ehlena turned and gestured to the grey robed mage who had stood quietly off to her side, unnoticed. "This is Stavros, he is the former head of the Council of Mages."
Carlis looked at the bearded mage more closely through his increasingly blurring vision and his eyes widened in recognition.
"Stavros?"
"Carlis," the mage said with a slight smile. "The last time I saw you, you were a fresh faced young magistrate in King Gregor's court." Stavros turned to Elaine. "Lady Valamyr, we have never met, but I am honored to greet a member of the five royal lines of Maramyr. As ever, it is my pleasure to serve those loyal to the kingdom, especially in these difficult times."
"You are not one of those black robed priests then?" Carlis said, his expression skeptical and his voice beginning to slur.
"No," Stavros replied. "I serve the Lady, and the ideals of the Council of Mages."
"Stavros," Elaine said. "I have heard of you. It is said you disappeared after the death of King Gregor and Queen Aria." She had also heard rumors among the nobility that the mage was somehow involved in what happened, though she was beginning to question such stories as Cerric was their likely source.
"No doubt you have heard many things," Stavros said. "It no longer matters what has been said, only what must be done."
One of Carlis' legs gave way and he almost fell from his feet, but he caught himself and managed to get his balance again. He took in a deep breath then exhaled and the smell of Aghlar brew filled the air.
"The first thing that must be done is getting Carlis off his feet. I fear that Toren has played a little trick on him by serving him Aghlar strong brew."
"Aghlar strong brew?" Carlis asked.
"Powerful stuff," Stavros said as he watched Carlis swaying on his feet. "It's as strong as sweet water, but goes down like ale. From the looks of things, you've had quite a lot of it. 'Tis wise to go easy with such powerful spirits."
"If Toren wasn't toasting every thought that popped into his head, I surely would not have had so much. I do not regularly imbibe."
"So much the worse, then," Stavros said with a chuckle. "Like a sailor on a ship, it takes some practice to keep one's legs in the frothing sea."
"I do not relish the thought of drinking or being at sea," Carlis said, followed by a hiccup.
"Come, Carlis," Elaine said, taking his arm. As she guided him forward, she looked at her niece and the mage. "We will talk on the morrow."
"Lady Valamyr," Stavros said, bowing his head.
"Good night aunt Elaine," Ehlena said. "Carlis, I hope you feel better."
Stavros turned to Ehlena, shaking his head with a smile.
"With luck he will sleep through most of the cannon fire that will be blasting inside his head, come morning."
"Poor Carlis," Ehlena said. "Toren is always playing tricks. I really should have a talk with him."
"No doubt he will wish to have a talk with you. You did not tell me that you commandeered the Al-Andor."
"There was little time to explain," she said. "I knew what I had to do and the crew understood. Carlis, my aunt, and Toren would have dela
yed me with their questions. Likely they would have had me performing miracles just to prove myself."
"Perception is often little more than an illusion, though its effects can shape the future."
Ehlena nodded. She knew that Elaine and Carlis were as yet unaware of the changes she had undergone, which was something she would have to explain in a way that would hopefully not cause them alarm. Toren, on the other hand, would require a more direct approach.
"Let us go see my father," she said. "The night is still young so he will not be too drunken with ale."
Behind them, at the far end of the passage, Elaine helped Carlis through the door and down the short flight of steps outside to the palace yard. Carlis breathed deep in the cool night air and he felt his head clear a little, though his vision continued to blur. He glanced at Elaine under the bright, starlit night and felt a melancholy regret growing inside him.
"We should marry," Carlis said.
"What's this?" Elaine asked, a little surprised by such directness.
"I mean, I think it might be something to consider." Carlis sounded less sure.
Elaine smiled at the confounded expression on his face. It was clear that his thoughts were in disarray from the effects of the drink, but she found it amusing to hear him struggle to talk about something that she knew had been on his mind for so long. Always eloquent and sure in his speech on a good many subjects, when it came to matters of the heart, particularly his own, Carlis was always at a loss. It was something that had both frustrated and amused Elaine for many years, but given all that had happened to them both, it was pleasing to hear him bring up the subject of marriage.
"You think we would make suitable match?" she teased.
"I haven't the slightest idea, Elaine," he said as they made their way past the guards at the gate and out into the streets of the city. "Everything I knew about such things has been torn asunder and here we are in a faraway land full of drunken pirates and the only thing I can be sure about is that we are both the same people we always were, though I'm now a ship's captain and you are my partner in this mad venture."
Book of One 04: A Child of Fire Page 8