The Dread King: Book One of The Larken Chronicles

by R. L. Poston

  Melona told him that the heavy workload was much the same for Healers. Each type of personality and disease required a slightly different approach, and some conditions did not respond to Healing at all. New conditions and illnesses appeared each month, and new treatments were discovered almost as frequently. Therefore, the studies and training went on endlessly. Plus, the Healers were not content to just treat the sick. They were also active in the prevention of disease and continual attempts to lift the quality of life for Shropanshire’s citizens through public health efforts, education, and training. They worked with planning groups and civic engineers to ensure proper drainage and sanitation. In any matter concerning health or welfare, Healers were the law. Most Warders would not hear a case that involved anything even remotely concerned with health or public welfare without the assistance of a Healer. This meant that Healers were also burdened with the necessity of hearing many cases brought to the Warders.

  Amanda had taken a personal interest in Melona. Melona had a unique ability to blend physical and psychological Healing into a unified whole. Also, Melona’s level of Talent was growing far more rapidly than had been expected. It was expected that Warders and Healers in close relationships would grow to a similar level of Talent, but Melona was already one of the strongest Healers in Shropanshire, if not the strongest. Because of this, Amanda insisted that Melona attend whenever an interesting case or discussion was presented. In their late-night discussions, Larken and Melona concluded that Melona was also being groomed for a leadership position.

  Melona did not talk much about the politics that Healers engaged in, but Larken did learn that the Healer political organization did not limit itself to one kingdom. While Warders generally regarded each kingdom as separate entities, the Healers of all three kingdoms shared a common organization and allegiance. One result of this was that the Healers had an excellent communication system between the kingdoms, of which the king and the Council frequently took advantage. The Healers were more than happy to oblige since it meant that they were privy to communications they otherwise might have missed.

  Healers encouraged both official and social messages to all points of the kingdoms since frequent use would keep the lines of communication strong. Melona took advantage of this system and amazed Larken with the volume of letters and messages that she exchanged with her mother and Ox Run friends. Melona did tell Larken, however, that the communication system was being strained in some areas due to the crisis over the invasion and the possible rebirth of the Dread King.

  Even though Larken was invited to many conferences and planning sessions, he was not invited to all of the Council’s planning sessions. There were some to which he was expressly not invited. Larken understood his exclusion from these sessions. As First Chair Henkri had advised him, “You may be our greatest ally and asset, but you’re potentially our greatest danger also. Also, there are some things that we do not wish to share with our Elven brethren, and it would be unfair to burden you with them. You’ll understand if we have to make plans that need to be kept private from you.”

  Larken understood all too well. He no longer felt the overpowering urge to use his powers since the Source’s awakening, but the vague sense of darkness just beyond his reach had reappeared shortly after his marriage. Melona’s constant presence in the evenings helped, but there were times even she grew frustrated by Larken’s darker moods.

  Fortunately, Larken was kept too busy for much introspection, and his schedule was about to be even more crowded. Larken and Melona were walking on the grounds one afternoon when Larken got a telepathic message from Tragen.

  “Come to the Council’s meeting room, and bring Melona with you. While you’re coming, notice the direction of the wind. It has shifted,” Tragen sent. “Our Elven friends have sent a message that there was rain on the desert three days ago!”

  Melona and Larken hurried to the Council room to find the Council in the midst of a heated discussion. “And I say that it is preposterous!” exclaimed a Council member as he leaned forward on the table. “Sending troops to chase every freak rainstorm will bankrupt the kingdom. We’ve got enough expense with our increased recruitment program without worrying about fighting thunderstorms in the desert.”

  “Your point is well taken, Councilor Dirkston,” returned Henkri. “But here is Warder Larken. Perhaps we should hear his opinion, and we might even gain some new facts.” Henkri had allowed his voice to rise so that the last two words were almost a shout. Any situation that would shake Henkri’s proverbial calmness and good humor wasn’t good, and Larken and Melona traded anxious looks at his outburst.”

  Henkri quickly brought them up to date on the news from the Elven Council. Rain had begun in the desert five days ago. The first rain had lasted only half an hour but had been followed by longer spells of rain each day thereafter. The Elven Council had tried to scan the desert using a mind meld, but had found their scan blocked by a power greater than their own. All they could tell was that the wind now blew from the Dristan Mountains, carrying moisture with it, and that there was something on the far edge of the desert that was shielded into such a way that their perception of it was limited. Whatever it was, it was large enough to be an army, and it was crossing the desert at a pace that would be consistent with the pace of armed forces.

  The Elven Council had sent word only late this afternoon of these developments. They believed this portended a new and larger invasion of the three kingdoms. They asked for assistance from each kingdom to meet and stop the unseen force out in the Seagrave Desert. Debate in the Council was evenly split between those in favor of granting the request for assistance and those opposed.

  Larken asked if he could meet with the Elves who had brought the message from the Elven Council. Henkri indicated that he was welcome to query the Elves, and Larken was guided to a small room near the Council chambers, where he found two unfamiliar Elves waiting patiently. After introductions, Larken lowered his mental shields and began to converse silently with them. As he suspected, he gained more detailed information than the Elves had communicated to the Council verbally.

  On returning to the Council, Larken relayed the information that he had discovered in the Elven communication. “The shields in the desert do not block all information from the Elves,” he began. “They can tell that there is a living presence enforcing the shield. They also can sense a large number of living beings behind the shield. Unless you believe that a herd of deer has gained the ability to shield themselves from Elven perception, the only conclusion is that there is a large group of humans or Elves behind that shield, moving slowly eastward.”

  “Also,” he hurriedly continued lest anyone interrupt him, “the feel of the shield has the same feel as the darkness that they felt in me when I joined in their meld. The only conclusion that I can draw is that the Dark One, as they call him, has sent a force into the desert and is shielding it from their perception.”

  “Sub-commander Larken,” interrupted Councilor Dirkston, “are you telling us that an enemy that has been dead for three hundred years has gained control of the weather and is crossing the Seagrave to invade us? Will you next be telling us that we must post guards on all our graveyards to protect ourselves from vapors and mad spirits? I, for one, do not put much credence in all this mumbo-jumbo. I think that the Elves have become confused by a freak weather pattern. Do you really expect us to empty our barracks and our coffers to chase a long-dead ghost and a few thunderclouds?”

  Larken looked straight at Dirkston and said calmly, “I have felt the Elves’ fear. Elves do not lie, and they are masters of being able to predict the weather. I think that they can tell the difference between an army and a thunderstorm. Unless you want to jeopardize the safety of the three kingdoms, I suggest you act on the best information we have at hand. To do else is to court disaster.”

  Larken saw several heads nod, but also saw several faces set in the scowl of denial. Henkri was already on his feet, and he raised a hand to cut off
debate. “Is there anything else you can tell us, Warder Larken?”

  “No, sir, except that the Elves are truly worried about this.”

  “In that case, we thank you for your presence. We may need your assistance later, so please keep yourselves available,” Henkri said, clearly but politely asking Larken and Melona to leave.

  As they walked down the hall away from the Council chambers, Melona asked, “What do you think?”

  “I think that we are in for real trouble. I also think that we have enough problems without dissension in the Council. I wonder…” Larken’s words trailed off into silence.

  “What?” urged Melona. “What do you wonder?”

  “Oh, nothing, probably,” said Larken. “But, Melona, could a traitor or spy be in the Council without the Healers knowing of it?”

  “Actually, yes,” replied Melona. “Some people have a natural shield around their minds that even our most Talented Healers can’t penetrate. Others can train their minds to be shielded or just be hard to read. Anyway, most Healers with thought perception are barred from the castle and especially from the Council except by request, and those that attend have sworn not to use their mind-reading abilities on Council members. It would be very easy for someone to avoid being scanned. Do you think that Dirkston is a traitor?”

  “I doubt it. Sometimes I wish that I hadn’t promised Jaris and Amanda that I wouldn’t use my Talent to read people around the castle. It would really help in this case, but I’m probably letting my frustration with Dirkston color my judgment.”

  “I don’t know,” mused Melona. “Your hunches are almost always correct. Do you mind if I mention your feelings to Amanda?”

  “I kind of do mind,” said Larken. “Why don’t we ask Taz and Gahen first? Since they invited us to their house, it won’t be such a big deal to raise the question.”

  Later that evening in Taz and Gahen’s apartment, Larken told them of their thoughts. He were surprised to see Taz and Gahen exchange a long gaze that seemed to carry much thought with it.

  After a moment, Taz said, “Dirkston is a funny fellow, but I don’t know if…Oh, never mind, excuse me while I fix the coffee.”

  Gahen began to make some small conversation, when Melona interrupted, “Gahen, what’s going on?”

  Gahen looked like a thief caught in the act. Gahen finally said, “Um, well, why don’t we wait for Taz to get back?”

  Melona responded, “OK, we’ll wait.

  Taz soon came back with a tray of coffee and mugs. Gahen took the tray from her, saying, “Forget the coffee. Melona suspects us of being in a sinister plot.”

  Taz primly smoothed her skirt. She smiled a disarming smile at Gahen and said, “Some people just don’t know whom they can trust.”

  Gahen thought that was uproariously funny. His laughter left Melona and Larken trading wondering looks. Taz evidently was pleased with her statement and amused at Gahen’s reaction. Larken wondered what else had been going on that he was not privy to.

  Gahen’s laughter subsided and Taz began to tell them that the Healers had been watching Dirkston for some time. “He has this frustrating natural shield on his mind that no one can penetrate. In fact, we’ve been considering approaching you for assistance, Larken.”

  Larken said, “I’ll be happy to help if I’m needed, but what about Tragen? Has he tried?”

  “We don’t think that the Warders should be involved in this kind of internal politics,” said Taz.

  “But what about Gahen?” asked Larken. “He already knows, and he’s a Warder. And what about me—I’m a Warder.”

  “Gahen is a special case, just as I am, and just as you two will be,” returned Taz.

  Larken turned to Melona. “Are you following this? Or am I the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on?”

  “I think I’m beginning to understand,” said Melona. “You didn’t just invite us here again because you like our company. You’ve got an ulterior motive.”

  “Oh, dear,” exclaimed Taz. “That makes it seem so harsh. Of course, we like you! But…Well, maybe you’d better explain, Gahen.”

  Gahen grinned and said, “That’s another part of my job—to explain things when there’s a chance that they will turn out wrong. Then I get blamed for not explaining it right.”

  Taz had returned to smoothing her skirt. She said, “Some people might get in trouble for such remarks.”

  Gahen laughed again. “That means I’m in real trouble and that I’ll be eating meals at the castle for some time. But never mind—that’s my problem. Let me try to explain our situation. You know that both the Warders and the Healers need to keep internal secrets. There’s a long tradition that Healers and Warders will cooperate but will each keep their own secrets. It’s not totally a matter of mistrust, but one of managing how many people know of things that don’t need to be spread. The more people that know, the more we’ve compromised our security. Keeping the Healers and Warders separate also provides a check on the ability of either to go far astray.

  “This becomes a problem when Healers and Warders marry each other. When that happens, the couple is, at first, not given access to any secrets that should not cross to the other organization. That’s only fair for newlyweds. Eventually the couple is approached with a solution. The solution is that they are free to share with each other any concerns that are going to affect their relationship or even going to cause them enough worry that they might want to talk about it. To do otherwise would be to violate our marriage oaths. But,” he said, “each has to pledge to the other’s organization that no information that is learned in this way will be passed to his or her own organization. If both organizations honor that, and so far, they have, it prevents a lot of problems.”

  “This also makes it easier for the Warders and Healers to cooperate in some things, like this Dirkston matter. If we use married couples for most of the cooperative work, it’s easier to coordinate information. No one gets suspicious if couples seem to spend a lot of time with each other.”

  “That makes sense,” said Melona. “I’ve wondered why I seemed to be excluded from some meetings. I thought that I was just being pampered as a new bride. If we agree to this, do we have to sign something?”

  “No, just tell us that you’ll be bound by those rules, and Taz will tell Amanda, and I will tell Jaris. Do you agree?” asked Gahen.

  “Of course,” said Larken.

  “Yes,” said Melona.

  “Then we’ll pass that on. You will want to tell Jaris and Amanda yourself, of course. That’s your check that Taz and I have passed your word to them. Now that’s done. Welcome to the club. Taz, what’s the plan on Dirkston? Can we string him up?”

  “Personally, I wouldn’t mind if you did,” said Taz. “But you might not like the food they serve to prisoners. No, the plan is to first see if Larken can read his mind. If not, we’ll just do what we have been doing—wait for him to prove us right or wrong, one way or another.”

  “I’ll be willing to help,” said Larken, “but does this go over the line of the agreement we just made? And how will we know what can be passed on, anyway?”

  “Sharp lad.” Gahen nodded. “Yes, it would, except that the Healers and Warders have been jointly watching Dirkston and another rat that we’ll tell you about later. As far as the line, the rules are basically simple. You don’t pass anything on that you learn from Melona. Unless, of course, she tells you to pass it on. Right now, let’s drop this whole business. One of our house rules is that no business is discussed at home. So, what do you think about married life so far?”

  Chapter 17: Desert Campaign

  The next morning, Larken and Melona met with Amanda, Jaris, Gahen, and Taz. They concocted a simple plan of having Jaris call Dirkston to his office to discuss Dirkston’s objections to sending forces to the Seagrave. The meeting would look completely innocent, especially if Larken were not present. Sometime during their discussion, Larken would drop by apparently for another discussion. Jari
s would ask him to sit and wait while he thanked Dirkston for his time and said his good-byes. This would give Larken enough time to scan Dirkston’s thoughts.

  Amanda had only one concern. “There have been cases where an individual could feel the attempt to read their thoughts. If Dirkston reacts in such a way, Commander Jaris will have to publicly discipline you for a breach of conduct. Are you willing to accept such a reprimand?”

  “My oath is to the good of the kingdom, not to myself,” answered Larken.

  Amanda nodded in appreciation, and the plan was put into action. Everything went well at first. Larken dropped by Jaris’ office at the appointed time with a request for Jaris’ presence at a surprise party for Gahen, whose birthday was approaching. Jaris waved Larken to a chair, apologized to Dirkston, and began to summarize his stance on the need to send forces to the desert.

  Larken stretched out his mind toward Dirkston. At first, all he could sense was a vague barrier. Then he felt oily darkness radiating from Dirkston’s mental shield, and nausea welled up within Larken. Dirkston’s head snapped around, and he locked eyes with Larken with a malevolent glare. Suddenly Larken felt himself attacked by the same type of dark force that he had felt at his Bonding. He pushed back at Dirkston in panic. Then, he felt himself attacked from within his own mind as well as by Dirkston. Darkness came at him both from within as well as from without. Larken’s panic grew as he couldn’t find a stable place from which he could defend himself.

  Larken lurched from his seat, falling to his knees as he was overpowered. As he fell, he drew his Blade and plunged it deep within the stone floor to give him something on which to support himself. The Blade burst forth with a blinding blue light that flooded his eyes and his mind, banishing the attack from within. Using the freedom from the internal attack, Larken gathered his Talent and sent a burst of power into Dirkston’s mind that lanced through his shielding and left Dirkston unconscious. Larken then opened his mind fully to the light from his Blade and let it sweep away all the remnants of the darkness. The light cleansed him internally. When the light subsided, Larken felt clean and empty, as if something had been removed that had brought with it a subtle, creeping corruption.