The Descendants Book One: The Broken Scroll

by Kurtis Smith

  All of the other Advisors mumbled under their breath, dismayed that their King had let this disrespect go. One Advisor called Gregory of Slainte, the Shiprunners Guild Leader, expressed his feelings.

  “This is outrageous. First Captain Deverell has insulted you and you do nothing to put him in his place.”

  O’Hara raised his voice as loud as he could without yelling. It strained him so he chose his words carefully. “Now I am afraid that you too have overstepped your bounds, Advisor. You will stand down before your King.”

  Gregory’s face grew red. He was embarrassed about his sudden lack of judgment. He knelt down on one knee, giving O’Hara the highest form of silent respect a King could receive.

  “I am sorry, Highness. It will not happen again,” he said weakly.

  O’Hara was satisfied. His voice returned to its calm state. “Rise, Advisor Gregory, it is forgotten. Let us move onto more important matters.”

  No one said anything while they waited to begin, not even Deverell. The Advisors didn’t want to upset the King again, but Deverell had a different motive.

  The group retreated to the Council Table on the left side of the room. O’Hara was the last to arrive and took his seat gingerly.

  Not wanting to prolong the proceedings, O’Hara began. “How does the search for the strange document go, Commander?”

  Deverell rose when he spoke as was custom. “I have three regiments out in the kingdom scouring every possible hiding place. If the rest of it exists, which I believe it does, they will find it. Also, the governors are keeping their city’s army dispatches informed of the movement of these Descendants.”

  O’Hara nodded and smiled. “See that they do not fail on either of these missions. It is of utmost importance.” He paused as he lost his breath for a moment. If his conditioned worsened he was going to have to stay with a Cureist permanently. After a moment he continued.

  “What is the current status of these Descendants, First Captain?”

  Deverell moved forward in his seat again. “I have word that they were last spotted in Slainte. They were found at the home of a Scholar by part of a garrison I left there, but escaped before we could detain them. They killed several of our men. I do not know where they have gone now. We have lost them again.”

  “We are going to need a more effective solution to this matter. See to that, promptly. They must be detained and brought to me by any means necessary,” O’Hara commanded.

  Deverell nodded. O’Hara turned to the other men in the chamber. They needed to move onto other business. As he opened his mouth to speak Deverell called out.

  “Excuse me, Majesty, but there is something else you might want to know,” he said silkily, hoping to tease O’Hara enough to be allowed to continue.

  O’Hara glared at his First Captain, but then he gaze faltered. A renewed interest kindled in his mind.

  After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, O’Hara addressed Deverell. “This had better be good, Cygnus.”

  Deverell hesitated slightly. He wasn’t used to being called by his first name. Only nobles carried surnames, so he relished every chance he had to use it. He looked over at the Advisors, whom were fidgeting impatiently in their seats.

  He talked slowly as to make sure the king understood everything that was being said. “One of the soldiers stationed in Slainte mentioned that he was missing something important. It was his sketch of the piece we have with us. After the Scholar was killed and the Descendants escaped, the Scholar’s house was scoured. They found the copy piece that was stolen as well as records that told the legend of the Scroll.”

  O’Hara had to restrain himself from jumping out of his chair. “Did these records tell of where the other pieces were hidden, Captain?”

  “No, it seems we still have the upper hand as far as their exact locations. But we now have indication that they are searching for the other pieces as well.”

  The others in the room were now listening very carefully as well. This going on affected them too.

  “They are more dangerous than I previously thought,” O’Hara said, his brows furrowed in mental strain. “This cannot go on. They may not know my purpose for finding their kin, but it will not deter them from gathering my people on their side.”

  Advisor Randall broke into the conversation with an irritable tone. “Your Majesty, with all due respect, I do not understand your obsession with these magic users. Your army is greater than ever. You have complete control over this kingdom, and could begin to take dominion the others.”

  “I agree,” Advisor Jalen of Eire, leader of the Builders Guild, added. “This is a wasteful use of manpower. We have already lost a governor by making them our enemy.”

  O’Hara shifted in pain, but kept his voice hard. “I do not have complete power yet, but it will not be long. I’m sorry Advisors, I will not give up this search.”

  “My King,” Callum of Callum, leader of the Political Guild and Governor of the Capital said, soft-spoken but full of contempt like the others. “These sorcerers cannot be controlled and the same will be with their kin. How many more loyal must die before you see that?”

  The other Advisors sounded their agreement and several began to speak at once.

  “Quiet, all of you!” Deverell shouted suddenly, slamming his fist down on the table with a reverberating echo. The King and the nine other men looked at him. Deverell’s face was contorted in a grotesque manner.

  Regretting his outburst, he appeared flustered momentarily. Within seconds, though, he regained his composure. “Forgive me, my lords; I am quite passionate about this plan.”

  “See that it doesn’t happen again,” O’Hara said, frowning.

  The arrogant smile returned to Deverell’s face and he once again looked at completely at ease. Ignoring the Advisors’ prior comments, he addressed O’Hara’s concern. “My Lord, these Descendants would not go that far as to persuade entire cities, I will assure you. I do not believe they have the means, even if they wanted to. Your people fear you. They will not rise against you.”

  O’Hara squinted at the Captain. He was not as convinced. The idea of these two powerful beings running around his kingdom causing riots in the cities made him sick. It was not supposed to be so hard to bring them in. But yet it was.

  With a touch of fury in his tone he lashed out at Deverell. “It is time you stopped underestimating these men. They have eluded you and your soldiers more times than should be allowed. You promised me results, Cygnus, and thus far you have produced none.”

  The King’s words would have bit any other man hard, but Deverell was stronger than most. He bowed deeply to O’Hara. “I apologize, Majesty, I have allowed them to best me for too long, this much is true. But if I may, I do have a couple of ideas that may prove worthwhile, though I would like to keep one secret. I only request that you allow me to use any means I have available.”

  Deverell didn’t stay beaten for long.

  “I do not understand the need to hide something from me, Cygnus.” He paused. “Very well, I will grant this request.”

  O’Hara still felt reluctant and it showed.

  “Thank you, King. You will not be disappointed.”

  Deverell didn’t say anything after that. O’Hara felt his patience beginning to waver, but couldn’t bring himself to reprimand Deverell again.

  “What of the other solution you wanted to propose to me?” the king asked.

  The other Advisors were highly invested in this topic. Their attention didn’t waver from the dialogue between O’Hara and Deverell.

  “We have provided an emotional strain on the man called Egan that may bring him to us sooner rather than later. Although not originally intended, the Scholar was killed, as you know, while our men tried to detain the Descendants. I have learned that they were very close.”

  He waited for those words to sink in, and then continued. “My suggestion is that we do the same to the young man as well. We have in our custody his godfather. This can be g
reatly used to our advantage. If we hold an execution ceremony, and place his name on the list, it may provide enough leverage to bring them to us. I can handle them once that happens.”

  O’Hara took a moment to respond. This was a drastic measure, and if it failed then a man who didn’t deserve death would die and they would have nothing to show for it. When he looked back up at Deverell he saw the First Captain’s eyes were glaring at him again. O’Hara looked away, though it took all of his effort.

  Deverell suddenly approached him and put a hand on his hand and kissed it as though he was a subject. Bending over, he whispered into O’Hara’s ear silkily. “They will not escape again, my king.”

  O’Hara nodded, his previously impatience at Deverell and hesitance about his plans wearing away. He replied solemnly, “Make it so, First Captain. But know this, if we are found out that this man is innocent then there will be an uprising. My people will not stay on my side if innocents are murdered. Fear is not all it takes to keep subjects in line.”

  Deverell nodded with relish and spoke in at a normal volume again. “Leave it to me, Highness. I will make all the arrangements and will keep you informed of all developments.”

  Deverell looked quite pleased with the King’s decision. It was as if he had had this goal in mind since he entered the Royal Chamber. This made the King even more nervous about carrying this plan through. His First Captain was too overzealous and it may end up costing them all. But he couldn’t seem to deny the man’s persuasive way.

  “See that you do. And Cygnus, of the two in our care, make sure they are kept comfortable. We need them both still,” was O’Hara’s final reply.

  He turned to the other men in the room. It was time to change topics. He wanted the previous matter to not weigh heavily on their minds. Mustering all of the strength he could in his voice, he addressed them.

  “Gentlemen, let us speak of the business of industry. What news do you have for me?”

  Chapter 17 The Girl in the Slums

  The three travelers awoke late morning and were on the way north out of Cruud within a half an hour. Davin had tried to see if Niahm was around as they started out so he could say an official goodbye. He never spotted her, to his dismay. The fact that she was nowhere in sight told him that she was probably gone already.

  He knew that it was late when they talked the night before, but he didn’t understand why she had left their talk so hastily. Certainly nothing was wrong; she had probably wanted to get an early start.

  When Davin told Egan about his meeting with Niahm and his plan for her, the response wasn’t what he’d expected. Egan was an impulsive person and it seemed that he would praise Davin for being so bold. But instead, the older Descendant remained silent with a troubled look on his face.

  When it became clear that Egan wasn’t going to be timely in answering, Davin began discussing with Teague about the Greenlands. Teague spoke proudly, as if glad at last to be of some use.

  “There are fairly complicated systems of roads that connected one town to another. They were all paved in brick and wide enough for several people to travel side by side at the same time. Once you came upon one of these roads from outside the region, you are practically never alone. Thousands of people travel from city to city everyday. No matter where you are in the Greenlands you were not far from a fellow traveler, civilization, lush landscape, or wide expanses of rivers…”

  Davin grew more impressed with every word Teague told him. About such things, he was sad he had never taken the time to learn. This was probably common knowledge to even the most foreign of travelers, but he’d never seen the heart of the kingdom for himself.

  By the time Egan was ready to again to speak, Davin had forgotten all about their earlier conversation. He cleared his throat as if getting Davin and Teague’s attention.

  He waited for them to grow silent and then said, “No matter how long I think on it, I cannot tell what the outcome will be. This may be the smartest or the stupidest thing you could have done. But for now we will leave it. We will cross that river when the time comes, I suppose.”

  Davin smirked, placing a hand over his mouth as he did so. His statement sounded very vague.

  It took him that long to come up with that answer?

  Teague posed a question that loomed over Davin’s head too. “Egan, how will we find this Scholar once we reach the Greenlands?”

  “Liam informed me that he lives in Tilea, in the central area of the Greenlands.”

  Teague interjected. “There is nothing exciting about that place. It’s one of the biggest and most run down cities in the Greenlands.”

  Egan raised his hands, stopping Teague’s complaint. “Liam sent Post to him immediately after we knew where we would be heading. If the message was received then he will be waiting for us on the edge of town. We may not have to go far into the interior.”

  “I hope he didn’t say too much in the letter, did he?” Davin grumbled. “The Royal Postmen have been allowed to check mail now. I saw the notice in Cruud.”

  Egan shook his head. “Liam was smart enough to be very cryptic.”

  This brought Davin much relief. He didn’t feel like wasting his time scouring the land for this mystery Scholar, or worse, finding him dead. It wasn’t that he hated the travelling. He was enjoying the being on the road much more than he ever thought he would. It was only that time seemed so pressing.

  “What is his name?” Davin asked, figuring that they would have discussed that before anything else.

  Egan hesitated, but Davin wasn’t sure if Egan ignoring him or if he was simply trying to remember. The look on his face told nothing.

  “Oaem,” he answered finally. “His name escaped me for a moment.”

  Davin eyeballed him. Egan kept the situation light, brushing the moment off as a short term memory slip. He smiled at Davin sheepishly. Davin smiled back weakly and then turned away before his face became too red. He was always more uncomfortable under a warm gaze from anyone than an angry one.

  They weren’t, by any means, more than acquaintances just yet. But Davin couldn’t deny that they had bonded. He never imagined himself becoming friends with the man that had rescued him from his captivity. Not including their distant kinship, they had already experienced so much together that would cause even the coldest heart to feel a small sense of closeness.

  Egan kept them moving at a break neck pace, pushing the animals to their physical limit. They saw a couple more small towns on the way, but didn’t stop to rest in any of them.

  Teague and Davin found themselves silently agreeing that this was not their favorite plan, but they knew time was precious. There was no other option. They had to embrace this hardship for now.

  They only stopped long enough to rest the animals and get a more fulfilling meal. Davin was grateful. All of the jostling around he had received was wearing on him. His muscles kept cramping from the tense riding. This was the longest he’d spent riding in his entire life and it showed.

  “We have started the climb. Once we level out again it will not be long before we are in the Greenlands,” he told them before Davin had the chance to mention it.

  Davin asked, “Why is it called the Greenlands?”

  “You’d have to be dense not to riddle that one out.”

  It only took Davin a moment to respond. “Because it is the lushest land in the entire kingdom. It was probably why so many have settled here over the years. The climate is mild year round and the land is more fertile than the others in the land.”

  “Right. Glad to know you can think for yourself.”

  Davin turned away while he tried to stifle a grin. Yes, I suppose I am getting quite used to him.

  “The question is why would anyone live anywhere else?”

  “Why did you choose to live in the foothills by yourself? Egan said flatly. “Not everyone likes to be surrounded by great cities and endless people.”

  Davin pictured rows of houses and building as far as the eye c
ould see, with very little open land. That probably wouldn’t be the case, but was still a saddening thought. He secretly hoped the world would never grow that developed. There will be no more privacy for anyone.

  After several hours of trudging up and down rolling hills for several nights since Cruud, there was a little light in the eastern sky and green as far as they could see.

  Davin had begun to point out the sight when this pooka fell to the ground, tongue hanging from its mouth. Davin rolled onto the ground, but didn’t linger there. He shot up with inhuman speed, alarmed, but unhurt.

  Egan was calm. He and Teague pulled their pookas around to him.

  “What just happened?” Davin asked dramatically.

  “Nothing serious,” Egan replied, frowning. “Your pooka is exhausted is all. Ours are as well, but it looks as if yours was the first to give up. We need to give them a break.”

  They set up camp and let their animals rest. It felt odd because the sun was coming up, not going down. None the less, both he and Teague were grateful for a rest after riding for so long straight.

  ***

  When Davin woke again the sun was fully in the sky. Teague hadn’t stirred yet so Davin rose and came over to sit by Egan. Egan was whittling a stick with his knife again. He looked grumpy and Davin thought he knew why.

  “Teague has become somewhat of a burden hasn’t he,” Davin started. Egan jerked his head toward him, not expecting those words. “If he wasn’t with us we wouldn’t need these beasts. We could travel under our own strength.”

  Egan let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yes, we could travel without rest and at an increased rate, but we would have no strength once we reached our destination. What if we were attacked? We wouldn’t even be able to hold a sword in our hands, much less fight enemies.”

  Davin stared at him skeptically. He could see behind Egan’s eyes and knew the truth of what he was thinking. He had begun to occupy himself with the fading stars in the sky when Egan continued.

  “Our journey is meant to be shared with him.” A renewed vigor crept into his voice. “Plus, he is just and true and the next in line to the throne. He must survive to succeed his father. We can help make sure that happens more than anyone. It has become our duty. Can you handle that?”