The Disinherited Prince

by Guy Antibes

  “Petition denied.” Pol struggled to relay his father’s message.

  “I know.” Malden put his hand on Pol’s forehead. The stitches stung when the magician touched them. “That probably was cause for the attack. Landon probably wanted to punish someone, and with the Emperor calling you ‘Prince Poldon’, you were the best target.

  “No test,” Pol said slowly. “King knows.”

  “Ranno doesn’t know if your father told Landon. It doesn’t matter at this point, but staying silent is your best path, after all.”

  Pol thought about it through his dazed mind. Ranno had talked about what was best. Pol tried to assemble a pattern where that kind of behavior would fit. He did and recognized it as a defensive one. Malden had other duties, and his father hadn’t even suggested a bodyguard. Perhaps it was time to ask for one.

  “I’m going to give you something to make you sleep,” Malden said. He lifted Pol’s head and poured some foul tasting liquid down Pol’s throat.

  The magician didn’t say a word, but Pol began to drift.

  ~

  Pol woke in the sunlight. He squinted as he looked at the bright light. His puffy eyes must have gone down since his early morning talk with Malden. He also felt a bit better. Malden might have done more work on his injuries before he left.

  A healer poked her head in the room. “You are awake?”

  “I feel enough pain to know I’m awake,” Pol said. His words didn’t come out as mumbles. He touched his upper arm and felt a couple of lumps underneath the skin. They throbbed to this touch, but Pol remembered how badly his arm hurt the previous night.

  “I’ll fetch your mother.”

  Queen Molissa rushed into the room, brushing her fingers through her disheveled hair. She sat on the bed and adjusted her dress. “The healers let me spend the night. You have Malden to thank again. I observed him working on you.”

  “I’m fortunate,” Pol said. He wished Malden had been around when Siggon had been found. Perhaps he could have saved his life, even though Ranno had said Siggon’s injuries were too great for the magician to heal.

  “You are. We are all amazed that you were able to get to the servant’s bell. You left a trail of blood across the room.”

  “I didn’t want to end up like Siggon Horstel. I still feel responsible for his death, but Father agreed to a generous pension for his family.”

  “He told me when he stopped by early this morning. He is attending to the Emperor who had demanded that he join him observing the castle testing.”

  “I told him that I can perform magic and gave him a demonstration. I’d be caught out today, anyway.”

  “No, you won’t,” his mother said.

  “Malden said he would have to declare me tested. I didn’t have a choice. That’s why I gave Father a demonstration, so he would know ahead of time.”

  His mother looked worried. “We will need to talk as soon as Emperor Hazett leaves. I have something important to tell you. I wanted to put it off for years, but I can’t any longer, not after this.”

  “Whatever you want,” Pol said. “I think we both need bodyguards.”

  “Your father asked if I wanted one this morning.”

  “Say yes,” Pol grabbed at his mother’s arm with his good hand.

  She took his hand and kissed it. “I will if you will.”

  “I decided when I woke up for a few minutes this morning that a bodyguard would have helped. The castle is presently a dangerous place.”

  “I know, Poldon. Once this business with Landon is over, perhaps life will settle down.”

  Pol nodded, but he didn’t think that would happen. He seldom yearned to be fully grown, but he did this morning. His body protested every time he turned or changed position in his bed. If he was bigger and stronger, he might not have suffered so many injuries, but then his heart sank as he remembered how Siggon fared against his attackers. As he thought of losing his friend, Pol shook his head.

  “Are you in pain, dear?” his mother asked.

  “My head, my body, and my heart,” Pol said, and truly meant it. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his mother gently shook him awake.

  “Emperor Hazett is here,” she said.

  Pol looked up to see Ranno and the Emperor standing at the foot of his bed. He tried to get up, but his mother pushed him back down.

  “No need, Prince Poldon,” Hazett said. “I see you went to extreme lengths to avoid testing today.” The Emperor chuckled while his mother gave Pol an indulgent smile and patted his healing arm.

  “Malden—” Pol said.

  Hazett raised his hand. “I was told of your potential before I even arrived. There is no need to test, but I would like a demonstration. I heard from King Colvin that you were able to move things.”

  Pol nodded slightly. “I can. I’m not up to much, but I’ll try.” Pol struggled to sit up, and Ranno rushed to help.

  “Take it easy, boy.”

  “Here,” the Emperor pulled a small knife from his pocket and laid it on the foot of the bed. “Can you put this in my hand?”

  “I can when I’m in better shape.” Pol concentrated and found the pattern in the room that he needed. He tweaked the position of the knife from the bed to above the Emperor’s outstretched hand and let it drop. He could feel his energy level lower. “It made me a bit tired, but I did it.”

  “See, Ranno?” Hazett said. “That is at least a Third level spell, not only horizontal, but vertical.” The Emperor grinned at Pol. “It is too bad you are so frail, but don’t give up hope! You can get stronger.”

  Frail. Pol kept his mouth shut. He had nearly prevailed in the swordsman competition for his age group, but the first words out of the Emperor’s mouth after seeing him do something good was a description of his physical state.

  “He just performed while severely injured,” Ranno said.

  Hazett nodded and looked at the small knife in his hand. “There is that.” He looked back to Pol. “We will speak again before I leave tomorrow, if you are up to it.”

  Pol blinked. “You don’t have to, My Emperor.”

  “I want to, Prince Poldon.” Hazett nodded to his mother and left without Ranno.

  Farthia’s father looked back at the doorway. “He likes you, Pol.”

  “That only makes things more dangerous for my son,” Molissa said.

  “I know. He needs a bodyguard and the best one I know he’s already met.”

  “I have?”

  Ranno nodded. “I’ve contacted Valiso Gasibli. He had already intended to come back to Borstall to train you. With your friend Siggon’s death, you will need to continue training in stealth and other things. Val has worked for me in the past and can serve as your bodyguard, and as your tutor, and he already knows Malden Gastoria and Kelso Beastwell.”

  At this point, Pol didn’t know if he could still trust Kelso, but at least Val came highly recommended from two people that he currently trusted.

  “I accept,” Pol said. “Have you found any more evidence of my attackers?”

  Ranno sighed. “Enough. I’ve talked to Banson Hisswood about the men who did it, except for one, and he will keep an eye on them. Their sort can’t keep still.”

  Pol knew who the one was, Landon, and he figured his brother to be untouchable.

  “I’ve got to get back to His Excellency.” Ranno made the title sound like a joke. “Valiso should arrive in Borstall in a few days. We caught him on the road, and my men sent a bird back to say he is hurrying to get back to Borstall.” Ranno bowed to his mother and pinched Pol’s toes as he left.

  “Farthia certainly has a colorful father,” Molissa said. “He works for Hazett, but he insists on doing so in his own way. He must be very good to avoid reprimand from the Emperor for his antics.”

  “I think he is,” Pol said. “I’m sure he does more than accompany Hazett III,” Pol said. “Kelso introduced me to Valiso Gasibli. Val is a dangerous man, I’m sure of it. If he worked for Ranno, I
guess that Ranno is some kind of spy master.”

  His mother giggled. “Spy master. That sounds so sinister. That would be only one of his duties as the Emperor’s Instrument.”

  “Look at me, mother. I hurt and would hurt a lot less if Magician Malden hadn’t helped treat me. I need a sinister person to look after me, and help me look after you.”

  ~

  Pol had just finished some honeyed gruel for his midday meal, when the Emperor walked into his rooms. He entered by himself and closed the door behind him.

  “My Emperor,” Pol said scrambling to sit up.

  The Emperor put his hand on Pol’s shoulder. “Relax. You still have some healing to do. I must say you look better today. It’s a wonder what a day can do to one’s constitution. I’ve taken care of a few things for you, but I will be leaving soon, and I wanted one last chat with you. Just you and me, Prince Poldon.”

  Pol recognized the Emperor’s style of banter and tried to keep from smiling.

  “I want you to stay alive, Prince Poldon.” Hazett waggled a finger at Pol. “That’s not an easy command to fulfill, is it?”

  Pol shook his head. He knew the Emperor had to know everything about his family, and that made Pol feel disgraced.

  “It doesn’t look like you will ever rule North Salvan, or even Listya where you have the right to rule, after your mother, of course. Don’t lose hope, though, Prince Poldon. I look after exceptional people, and you, my boy, are an exceptional person.” The Emperor waved away his comment. “Of course, this is between you and me, only. If you ever need my help, in any way, seek Ranno or me. I can always use someone with your honor and sensitivity.”

  “I’m only a boy, My Emperor,” Pol said.

  “And I am only a man, really no different than any you might pass on a Borstall street.”

  Pol knew the Emperor didn’t really mean that, but he understood his point.

  “Endure and follow the counsel of Malden Gastoria and Valiso Gasibli. They are both good men, although Valiso has a certain sinister style, I admit.”

  The Emperor rose and patted Pol on his leg. “Get well, and come see me when you are older. I can always find something for you to do.” He smiled enigmatically to Pol. “Keep our talk a secret, even from our friends?”

  Pol nodded, so astonished that he couldn’t speak.

  The Emperor gave him a tiny wave and quietly left his room.

  ~~~

  Chapter Twenty

  ~

  “SO FATHER AND THE EMPEROR DECIDED TO KEEP MY RESULTS A SECRET, after all?”

  Malden nodded to Pol, who had just been moved to his rooms. “Since you weren’t tested, there is no reason to think otherwise.”

  “The Emperor said he’d take care of things when we talked in the infirmary just before he left. I didn’t believe him. I guess I should have,” Pol said, amazed that his magic hadn’t been revealed after all. “Still, a lot of people know I can do magic.”

  “Those that do, know how to keep quiet. Farthia, your mother, and I have no reason to blurt it out to anyone. Your father won’t, for obvious reasons.”

  “Paki knows.” Pol said. “I’d like to talk to him about it, but—”

  “Don’t say anything. Paki might not be the most reliable confidant. Not at this point, anyway,” Malden said. “Interestingly enough, Paki showed some talent in the test. Not enough to get the Emperor excited, but just enough to justify sending him to a monastery with you for further training, but not enough where he could attain an exalted level, like you.” Malden grinned.

  Pol snorted. How could he live long enough to be exalted at anything? “Paki’s good at doing simple non-magical things. He wants to be a scout like his father.”

  “Why don’t you let him train with you and Valiso? The man’s not a woodsman, but much of what he has to teach a scout could be put to good use. Paki gives you an extra bodyguard, although he’s still a bit small.”

  “Bigger than me,” Pol said. “But then isn’t everybody?”

  “Give it all some time. That’s one thing you have, time. I’d still give a monastery some thought. With Paki’s talent, he could justify going along with you.”

  If Paki could go with Pol, then a monastery wouldn’t be so bad. Perhaps Val could protect his mother, the Queen. With Pol out of the way, there might be less pressure on his siblings. Why did there have to be pressure at all?

  “Even with evidence that Landon beat me up, Father still refuses to act? Doesn’t he love my mother?”

  Malden toyed with a penknife. “Colvin is not a perfect man.”

  “That’s not an answer.” Pol instantly regretted the sharpness of his words, but Malden didn’t seem put out.

  The magician sighed. “He loved his first wife more than he does your mother. His four children are all that he has left of her, so he is reticent to do anything that will damage her memory. That is what I think, anyway. When confronted with Grostin hiring the peashooter, Colvin brushed it off as a foible of Grostin’s youth. He did reprimand him. Of course, you wouldn’t know it.”

  Pol understood that. Grostin was hard as rock.

  “Landon was a different story. Listya is where Colvin thinks Landon should be. If he hadn’t submitted the petition to the Emperor, your father might have acted differently, but in this case, he told Ranno that it was his prerogative to ignore Landon’s involvement. I’m sorry, My Prince.”

  Pol had always thought that his father loved his siblings more than him. He knew that his mother loved the king and that the king loved her, but he couldn’t really comprehend a man loving more than one woman. Pol had never thought such things through, but Malden made sense, even though it was hard for him to accept.

  “He will still let Mother have a bodyguard?”

  “She arrives in a few days. Her bodyguard is a female scout from the forces stationed on the border with Tarida. She comes highly recommended by Kelso and a number of officers. That guard, paid directly by Ranno, will be your mother’s shadow when she is out and about.”

  “Ranno?”

  “Another gift from Hazett. The Emperor’s advisor also pays Valiso. That will reduce the possibility of your brothers bribing them to look the other way. Your father agreed to it all. I don’t know how he could refuse Hazett, since the Emperor holds the granting of the petition over Colvin’s head.”

  “Since you know everything, and I know nothing, has my schedule been changed?”

  “Instead of instruction from Siggon early every morning, you will get your instruction from Valiso then and again in the late afternoon. Farthia from mid-morning until noon, and then after lunch for another hour. Mid-afternoon, you and I will delve into other things, shall we say?”

  “There is enough to teach me all that time?”

  “You know less than you think you do, My Prince. There is even more to learn at a monastery.”

  Pol groaned. It all sounded so boring and tedious.

  ~

  Valiso didn’t arrive for three more days. Paki had agreed to train with Pol, and they both showed up in the morning to meet with Pol’s new bodyguard.

  “You’re going to be awful sick of me, Pol.” Val said. He turned his eyes at Paki. “You’ll not be quite as sick since you won’t have me sticking on you like a leech.”

  That made Paki laugh. “It’s Pol who needs it.”

  Val glared at Paki, and that was enough to make Paki shrink at that look.

  “We will learn a bit each day.” He ticked off the list on his fingers. “Fighting with knives, throwing knives—“

  “Kelso taught me how to do that,” Pol said.

  Val turned up his lip. “Not like what you’ll learn from me. Let’s see…poisons, potions, observation, deduction, sword fighting.” Val looked at Pol. “Not like Kelso taught, and the defensive and offensive art of using magic. Malden might join us when we get to that.”

  Paki’s jaw dropped. “Are you a magician, too?”

  Val’s eyes glazed and a bright ball of
flame appeared between the three of them.

  Paki’s eyes grew. “I can learn that?”

  “Maybe not a ball that big, but Malden says you should at least produce something to see by. You’ll get a few sessions on basic magic from him in the afternoons after you have done your gardening job.”

  Pol’s friend frowned. “I still have to do that?”

  Val nodded. “It gives your family a bit more coin to work with. Are you against helping your mother and your siblings?”

  Paki shook his head.

  Pol now had a sense of what Malden had told him a few days ago about having enough to learn.

  “We will start with knives.” Val took them to a cloth-covered table. Pol could see lumps underneath, and then Val removed the cloth to reveal at least twenty kinds of knives. “Let’s talk about what these are and what they are good for.”

  ~

  “I don’t know why you have to bring him into the family dining room,” Grostin said. “He looks like a criminal.”

  Pol sat down to eat while Val sat on a chair against the wall, munching on a plate of food he had served himself.

  “Valiso is not a criminal. He has worked for Emperor Hazett III. He is both a tutor and a bodyguard.”

  “You need a bodyguard?” Honna said, quickly putting food in her mouth so she could leave.

  “I guess you haven’t noticed what’s been going on around here. I’ve been beaten up in my own rooms and had to fight my way out of an attack in the city.” Pol didn’t mention the peashooter or Siggon’s death. “Father suggested it.”

  Grostin snorted. “I heard Hazett, our Emperor, forced him to agree to bodyguards.”

  “How often have you been beaten up, Grostin? When were you ever attacked?” Pol said.

  Pol’s brother jumped to his feet. “Are you accusing me of something?” Grostin had balled his fists.

  “I’ve accused you of nothing. You have received no injuries of any kind, so you don’t need a bodyguard. What about you, Honna?” Pol looked her in the eyes as calmly as he could. He refused to lose his temper or make a direct accusation.