Winds of Fate

by Andrey Vasilyev

  “My friends are all special,” I answered, matching his tone. “Something unique about all of them. What are you doing here, though? You decided to see what’s going on in the könig’s palace?”

  “Yup.” The smile spread even wider, engulfing his face. “I’ve been trying to come for a while now, and I just haven’t had the time. But what a small world! No sooner did I get here than I saw you. Great, no?”

  “You’re telling me!” I exclaimed happily. “I’m just not sure if you’re aware that strangers aren’t allowed in here.”

  “Oh, come on, we’re clan mates,” Hopkins replied, acting ashamed. “I got in by accident…”

  Skeggy laughed.

  “What’s he going on about?” asked Hopkins.

  “Oh, he’s just surprised how you can pull off a string of lies like that without a single word of truth,” I explained.

  Hopkins realized that his ploy hadn’t worked, so he changed tack. “Okay, fine, you got me. What now? We’re clan mates, so you can’t touch me.”

  “I can’t,” I agreed. “And I definitely won’t touch you. Has Elina told you anything about me?”

  “No,” he responded darkly.

  “That’s a shame. If she had, she could have mentioned what a nasty temperament I have. Sven, call the guards.”

  “You’re going to turn me over to the guards?” Hopkins’ eyes bugged out of his head. “Ha, you scared me for a second!”

  “Brave little guy you are,” I responded with a laugh. “Okay, just remember what I want you to tell Elina, ‘Well-played, and now it’s my move.’”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he muttered, his facial expression absent even the pretense of confusion.

  “You don’t have to. You’re going to have other problems, anyway. Ah, there they are.”

  Sven walked up with two brutish-looking Sea Kings.

  “Gentlemen, here’s the spy we caught.” I pushed Hopkins toward them. “He may be a thief, too, but you can figure that out yourselves.”

  Hopkins' face paled as the guards’ hands gripped his elbows.

  “Thanks!” barked one of them. “We’ll be off to see what’s what then. There’s a nice little tool we have to make people like you talk.”

  “Hagen, are you kidding me?” squealed Hopkins. “What are you trying to do?”

  “Stay on the right side of the law, that’s all,” I replied with a shrug. “What else can I do?”

  “Let that thief have it!” Ulfrida said, snapping out of her trance. “How dare he come trying to steal from us!”

  “Hagen, you bitch!” I heard from the stairs. “I won’t forget this!”

  “To each his own!” I yelled back.

  That taken care of, I glanced over our little group and barked out a few orders, “Sven, Gunther, you make sure the könig is safe. Orm, if anything happens, keep an eye on our Ulfrida here. Gudrun, your job is to do whatever the situation requires. Flosy, cover my back. Nobody talks besides me. Everything make sense?”

  “What are we supposed to keep the könig safe from?” asked Gunther.

  “You’ll see. If I’m right, we’re about to have a problem on our hands,” I replied, squinting my left eye. “Any other questions? No? All right, then let’s go in.”

  Lucky the doors were thicker than I first imagined, I breathed a sigh of relief when they creaked open, and Ulfrida burst into the room with a happy shriek. She may not have had any easy life, but he was still her father, and he seemed to have heard nothing of what happened moments before.

  Sentimental Gunther nearly broke down in tears as he watched the pair embrace, while I kept a close eye on Ingvar. He stood near the throne, and I didn’t see a single emotion cross his face.

  “My baby girl! You’re alive!” the könig choked out, his arms around Ulfrida. “And here I thought you were gone forever.”

  “Yeah, right, father.” Ulfrida laughed. “You can’t get rid of me that easily!”

  “Beautiful,” Gunther whispered to me. “What a beautiful relationship.”

  “Yup,” I responded with a smile. “So, könig, is my service complete?”

  He pulled himself away from his daughter and came over to me.

  “Indeed, it is.”

  You completed a quest: Liberate the König’s Daughter

  Reward:

  1500 experience

  +10 respect among the peoples of the North

  Gebo Rune

  “And now it’s time for your just desserts,” the könig announced ceremoniously.

  Reward for completing the Missing Daughter series of quests:

  5000 experience

  3000 gold

  +30 respect among the peoples of the North

  Two random items from the König of the North’s personal armory matching your class

  Title: Friend of the König

  “Let’s go,” the könig beckoned.

  “Go where?”

  “Where we’re supposed to go. You’re going to argue with me?” The könig tugged on his beard.

  “Gunther, remember, Ingvar can’t leave the room,” I quickly whispered to my friend. He immediately went over to the door.

  The könig took me out of the hall through a side exit and led me down one winding corridor after another until we got to a small room with an iron door.

  “My personal armory,” he explained. “I don’t let anyone in here, and I don’t give anyone anything from here. You won’t be coming in either, no offense, but I will give you something. You’re quite the guy!”

  The könig sniffed, fiddled with the locks, went in, and closed the door behind him.

  While I had some time, I decided to see if my calculations were correct. Did I have the reputation I needed for my plan to work? Unfortunately, it wasn’t as high as I would have liked. Sure, 130 points in a couple weeks wasn’t bad at all, and the bonus I got from the order would help, but… Gunther’s credibility will help, and the situation should play out without my help. If I have everything right, of course.

  “Here, take these.” The könig popped out of the armory covered in dust. “I want you to have them. They’re the stuff dreams are made of!”

  I found myself holding a shield prominently featuring a spider web and some dirty boots. It certainly looked like the könig had just gone digging in a back corner until he found whatever he didn’t think he needed. Nicely played, my friend.

  We headed back toward the main hall.

  “Ah, now we can have a drink,” the könig said happily, rubbing his hands together. “And then we can—”

  “Hold on a second,” I cut in. “You still haven’t heard who gave the order to kidnap your daughter.”

  “Who was it?” the könig muttered in frustration. “Enemies, of course!”

  “Agreed,” I replied. “And that’s just the half of it.”

  The könig fell silent and appeared to be thinking about something.

  We walked into the hall to see Ingvar standing by the window. Flosy had joined Gunther by the door.

  “Did Ingvar try to leave, by any chance?” I asked innocently.

  Gunther confirmed my suspicions. “Yes, he wanted to. He said he had things to do that couldn’t wait.”

  “You’re leaving already, Ingvar?” I asked the könig’s confidant reproachfully. “We still have more questions to ask, and I want to start with the most important one. König, would you mind if I asked your assistant just a few tiny things?”

  “I wouldn’t think Ingvar could help you with everything that’s going on.” Harald stroked his beard. “He’s been gone.”

  “Maybe there will be something.” I pointed at my troops, letting them know that it was time to assume their positions. Gunther moved toward the könig, while Orm covered a seated Ulfrida with his body.

  “Let’s begin with something simple. Where’s Ingvar’s body?” I asked softly, looking at the person standing by the window. “Buried in the basement of his house or somewhere in the Iro
n Forest?”

  “What’s going on, Harald?” Ingvar said indignantly. “This is a disgrace!”

  The könig looked at me in confusion, but just then, Skeggy grinned and joined the conversation.

  “Oh, come on, witch. You know who I am, so what’s the point?”

  “Why couldn’t all you henchmen of the god have left with him? Things would be so much easier.” Ingvar’s voice took on the querulous tone of an old woman. In other words, it wasn’t Ingvar.

  In front of us stood an old crone dressed in some rags.

  “Gedran!” screeched Ulfrida, who Orm quickly shielded again.

  The könig spun to one side, grabbing an ax of the wall (he was fast—I didn’t even notice the movement) and brandishing it in front of him. Sven and Gunther, swords at the ready, stood on either side of him. Flosy took a step toward the door, pulled out his ax, and looked at me.

  Only the einherjar and the valkyrie remained unfazed by the witch.

  I couldn’t help but note that I felt more surprise than fear—I recognized the old woman. She’d first crossed paths with me back when I was walking along the yellow-brick road in the direction of Fladridge. Her name then was Gerda, and she asked me to carry her bundle of sticks. Ah-ha! Gerda, Gedran. I wonder what they call her in the East. Gulchatai?

  “Well, warrior, didn’t I tell you that we’d meet again?” Gedran was obviously enjoying the situation.

  “Here we are. What now?” I grunted. “I’m still not carrying your firewood for you.”

  “Who cares about that anymore? You have a lot more to answer for. You killed my sister, didn’t you? You even had that iron fool with you. Don’t worry, I’ll get to you,” she continued, pointing at Gunther. “And you killed the Landlord, too. Do you have any idea how long it took me to summon him from the land of shadows? And here, you ruined everything for me. You’re going to die a slow, painful death, warrior…”

  “Oh, come on, old lady, you can’t scare me with all that,” I replied calmly. “You have enough to worry about just getting out of here in one piece.”

  “Who’s going to stop me?” The witch chortled. “You?”

  “Why not?” I got up, figuring there was no avoiding a fight. “My steel is as good as anyone’s, no?”

  “I don’t have time to prove how wrong you are there. Too busy. But I think you’ll see for yourself soon, here in this hall.” She started toward the window. “Only then, I’ll be sitting on that throne, and you’ll be on your knees in front of me. In chains!”

  “Where’s Ingvar, you old witch?” roared the könig. He was clearly afraid of her, but he still wanted to know what happened to his advisor.

  “Oh, the beasts in my forest have long since shredded your Ingvar’s bones.” The witch laughed.

  “As I thought,” I said to the könig. “She killed him.”

  He frowned, the light of anger and battle kindling in his eyes.

  It was time for the finishing stroke.

  “Gedran, what makes you think the Great Fomor will just give you the Holfstrig throne? Why wouldn’t he just take it himself?”

  “Why?” the old hag hissed. “Because we signed an agreement even an ancient evil like him wouldn’t break! I know what to write in those things, so there’s no getting out of it. Oh, you’re going to answer for all this!”

  “My throne!” Harald roared like a wounded bear. “I’m going to—”

  “And I’ll have you castrated, you animal,” Gedran responded, pointing at the könig. Then she pulled a broomstick out of a hiding place under the windowsill. She had apparently made it for just such an occasion. She whistled shrilly and took off out the window.

  “She’s getting away!” I bellowed, hurling myself at the window.

  A second later, she’d picked up speed and was already crossing the city walls, soon to be just a small dot on the horizon.

  A bowstring twanged next to my ear. Gudrun implacably relaxed her grip on her bow.

  The broomstick-riding old woman dipped suddenly before spiraling down to the ground.

  “Yes!” I yelled happily. “A hit!”

  “You can’t kill her,” Gudrun said evenly. “I just took out her broomstick.”

  It was true. No sooner had she hit the ground than a chariot hitched to nearly indistinguishable goats took off in the distance. Old Gedran shook her fist at us as she shot off.

  “The old witch got away, like always,” Skeggy said. “Well, Jarl, will you be needing us anymore?”

  “No, that’s it. Thank you.” I shook his hand. “We would have been in trouble if it weren’t for you. I don’t think we would have made it.”

  “Then see you later, everyone.” Skeggy waved, and three mounds of snow melted into the floor.

  “You have quite the interesting friends, Hagen,” Gunther said, shaking his head and sheathing his sword. “That crook was right.”

  “For sure,” I agreed. “A knight, a toilet worker, a pirate, a könig, einherjar, and valkyrie. Plus, a vila fiancée.”

  “Wait, really?” Sven made a face. “Of your own free will?”

  “Yep.” I smiled crookedly.

  “Well, you’re an idiot!”

  Yes, I’m aware of that, thank you very much.

  The könig went back to the table and attached himself to the mug sitting on it. A quiet Ulfrida watched her father’s Adam’s apple rise and fall with a scared look on her face.

  “What was that she said about the throne?” barked the könig, wiping his mouth.

  “Just that.” My key moment had arrived. “She’s going to send you to see your ancestors, seize your throne, sit down under the horns, and be done with it. That’s her deal with Fomor.”

  “What does Fomor have to do with anything?” The könig scratched his chin. “He’s way off there in his ice. What does he need here?”

  “He was sitting in his ice, yes,” I replied. “But now his plan is to gain control of the entire North. Everything that’s been happening in your lands the past few months, könig, has been part of one long chain. It’s a plot to take power.”

  “You wrapped that up nicely, Jarl!” Flosy clucked approvingly. “Do you mind if I run off for a minute?”

  I waved, and he disappeared.

  “What long chain? What’s he talking about?” The könig looked toward Gunther, Sven, and Ulfrida in the hope that I was off my rocker, though from their faces he could tell they agreed with me.

  “Talk.” He sighed heavily and plopped down on the bench.

  “What’s there to say?” I shrugged. “It’s all pretty simple. Fomor and Gedran made a deal, probably a long time ago, built on their mutual distaste for humans. With the deal in place, they’ve each been working on their side of things—Fomor is building an army, Gedran handles the espionage and diversionary tactics.”

  “Okay, stop with all your…diservonary… I can’t tell if you’re cursing them or me,” the könig said.

  “Fine. They killed Ingvar, and then used his identity to take out all the rixes to make sure there wouldn’t be anyone to lead a militia. The rixes may not have liked you, but they always fulfilled their vassal oaths. And then, just to make sure, they took your daughter. She’s your flesh and blood, and you’d have thought twice before going to war.”

  “What would they have done to stop me?” the könig asked gloomily.

  “They’d have sent you one of her fingers, maybe an ear,” replied Sven. “The usual. And if that didn’t help, you’d have gotten her head in the mail.”

  “That does it. As soon as all this is cleared up, you’re getting married. Let someone else worry about you,” the könig informed his daughter in a voice that didn’t brook disagreement. “What then?”

  “Next?” I sat down on the windowsill. “That probably would have been it. Maybe there would have been some other tricks, something like sending your troops out for field training or releasing rats to eat the city’s supply of grain. But that’s the gist of it.”

  The kö
nig sat for a while, lost in thought, before starting and looking at us. “So what now?”

  “What now?” I replied casually. “See what other machinations they have in store for you. They won’t give up that easy. They need your throne. Maybe poison, a hired assassin, a sudden fire…there are plenty of options.”

  “Great.” The könig glared at me. “So, I’m supposed to sit here and wait to die.”

  He dropped his head into his hands.

  “Ingvar, Ingvar. How could this happen?”

  You completed a quest: Speaking Truth to Power

  Reward:

  1200 experience

  +7 respect among the peoples of the North

  The next quest in the series

  Gunther stepped forward. “König, may I say something?”

  “Please do,” muttered the könig.

  “I’m just a simple knight, a soldier, and I don’t know much about all these plots and intrigues, but I do know one thing—if there’s a danger lurking out there, it’s better to meet it head on than sit at home waiting for it to come to you. It might be a good idea to summon the militia, wave your purse around, and hire the Sea Kings. I’ve seen what they can do. Our order will also give you men, I can tell you that right now. In other words, I think we should gather our forces and drive that ulcer out of the Ice Wall.”

  The könig grunted. “You think I have a choice? Hagen is right. Next time, I’m going to get a dagger in a back corridor at night, or maybe they’ll cut off my toilet seat, and I’ll drown in crap. Here, Laird, by the way… I don’t know what’s gotten into me today, but I’ve given you more than I give some girls.”

  The könig tossed me a ring, apparently the variable reward for the quest. Why hasn’t Gunther given me anything, the stingy bastard?

  “No, könig, you don’t have to worry about your toilet; everything’s working fine there.” A pair walked into the hall: Flosy and his newfound aroma. Oh, God, where’s the drakkar?

  “So, we’re going after Fomor?” I clarified, wanting to make sure my plan had worked.

  “Yes. Are you coming with us?” The könig looked at me.

  “Where else would I go?”

  “Excellent!” Gunther exclaimed happily. “Our adventures continue!”