“Aldrick, there you are. Have a seat. How are you this morning?”
“Fine,” Aldrick replied, his tone a bit more brusque than normal. “You may miss registration if we don’t leave soon.”
Brodan waved off his concern. “You worry too much. Have a seat. Have you met my advisor Felinus?”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” Felinus murmured in an overly honeyed tone.
“Nice to meet you,” Aldrick replied, and reluctantly took the one empty chair in front of the desk. “I see you have employed several new guards.”
Brodan sipped his wine and smiled. “With all of the recent attacks, a man as important as myself can’t be too careful. I’ve taken steps to protect myself, as any sane man would.”
The regent pointed towards the men on the side of the room and continued. “That is the very subject I wish to discuss. Why don’t you tell these men exactly what happened yesterday.”
Aldrick glanced at the group of scowling men. “I gave my report to the city guards, and the search for the killers has already begun. No offense, but these men look more like mercenaries than palace guards.”
“How dare you speak to the Regent that way!” Felinus exclaimed.
The tallest brute on one end stood, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, but Brodan gestured for him to sit back down.
“Never mind Felinus. Aldrick, I realize you have a report already, but the more help we have the better. The city guards will do their job, and my guards will do theirs. Humor me, and go over it again.”
Aldrick described the attack and subsequent murder, along with a description of the mask-wearing assassin and his cohorts. Considering the present company, he did not mention his belief that the three could be another Triad.
By request Aldrick also described the attack on his family on the road to Akkadia, yet something instinctual kept him from mentioning the items he had discovered on the gray robed man. Circumstances had kept him from telling Brodan about them thus far, and now did not feel like the time to do so.
Felinus and the guards listened intently as he spoke, yet contrary to the standard techniques of interrogation, asked no questions. After prompting him for the account, Brodan sipped on his glass of dark red wine and stared at the ceiling, paying little attention to the narration, and seeming to care even less.
“I don’t see you gentlemen taking notes,” Aldrick addressed the leader. “What sort of investigative methods do you use?”
When none of the three responded, Brodan interjected, “Don’t worry about them, Aldrick. They have their own methods.”
Aldrick was unsatisfied with that response, but with only suspicions, he let the matter drop. The silence hanging heavily in the room had the oppressive feel of the air just before a thunderstorm.
Eventually Brodan broke the silence. “That’s it? Good enough, I’m sure.” Addressing his new guards he added, “You know what to do.”
Their only reply was a simple nod by the leader. They stood and left without a word.
“They don’t talk much, do they?” Aldrick could not help but wonder if these men were also missing their tongues.
Brodan stared at Aldrick with a blank expression for a moment, and then grinned. “Now Aldrick, I know you are an investigator back in Ubarra, but this is Akkadia and not your jurisdiction. Let my men do their job. I don’t know how they do it, but they are the experts, not me. Besides, you are on holiday! You should relax and spend time with your family; not worry about other people’s business.”
“If those men are investigators, I’m a traveling circus performer.”
“Regent, you should not let this commoner speak to you that way,” Felinus spoke up.
“I’ll have you know…” Aldrick began.
Brodan held up a hand, cutting him off. His face tightened in a flash of anger and appeared about to speak, but he stopped himself and took a deep breath. “Aldrick, I swear one day you will be the death of me. How about this once, you let me run the country.”
Aldrick nodded, and changed the subject. “If your new guard dog is finished insulting me, shall we go and register for the Tournament?’
Brodan drained his wine goblet, and gestured towards the door. “Lead the way.” They started towards the door, and Brodan added, “Felinus, get started on what we discussed, and we’ll chat later.”
“As you command sire,” Felinus murmured, bowing deeply as they strode out of the room.
As they walked, Brodan chatted idly, acting as though nothing unusual had occurred. They talked about the upcoming Tournament, minor city gossip and rumors concerning nobles that he did not like.
The two brutes from the palace trailing along in their wake were diametric to the light and cheery banter of the regent. They reminded Aldrick of stalking predators.
The Tournament grounds were located in the grassy areas and fallow fields on the eastern side of the city, opposite the Tianna River. Now well past mid-morning, they arrived to find a long line of men waiting to register and receive their physical exams.
Although any noble, or candidate sponsored by a noble family could register to compete in the Tournament, only those fit enough to pass the physical exam would be allowed to contend through the trials.
Aldrick whistled. “All Father’s beard, look how long the line is! We’ll be standing here for most of the day.”
Brodan grunted. “I am much too busy and important to stand in line with the peasants.” Without pause, he strolled ahead of the others.
“What about the line?” Aldrick said, eyeing the long line of men shivering in the cold morning air.
Brodan spun and grabbed his arm. “Look Aldrick, I’m the king, or soon will be. I will not stand here in the freezing cold like some common mongrel. I’m going in to register. Why don’t you go spend the rest of the day with your wife and son; I’m sure they miss you. I think we are done here.”
Brodan released his arm and stomped off towards the registration tent, leaving a stunned Aldrick standing in the cold by himself.
Chapter 9
The following day, Aldrick accompanied his father to the tented area east of the city, where Tiberius was assisting with the second stage of the Tournament. It was here that the hopeful contestants, who had successfully registered and passed their physical exams the previous day, would be tested on their knowledge.
The answers this section of the trials sought were twofold. The first, and arguably most important attributes of any ruler were sanity, mental clarity and wise decision making skills. The first set of exams was designed to determine if the candidate displayed these qualities. The second set of exams addressed general knowledge, laws, customs and traditions, with special attention on the history of Asturia and surrounding lands.
Tiberius was in charge of the latter section. His position as advisor to the king for law and tradition made him the ideal candidate to prepare the test and judge the results. He had warned Aldrick that he would be unable to assist in the research of the golden artifact or its symbology for the next few days, as he would be administering the knowledge test and subsequent evaluations.
Interested in perusing the knowledge exam, and in need of a break from constant research, Aldrick decided to accompany his father to the tents. The walk through the city also gave him a chance to discuss his concerns about Brodan.
Aldrick took a deep breath. “It’s nice to walk early, before the streets are crowded.”
“It is pleasant,” Tiberius nodded. “Once the physical trials begin, people will attend those outside the city, but for now they have nothing to do but crowd the marketplace.”
“I doubt many besides you and I would find the knowledge test all that interesting,” Aldrick chuckled. “What are your thoughts on Brodan’s odd behavior?”
Tiberius grunted. “He is more anxious about the Tournament than he has let on, especially now that it has begun. He does not know of the list, but based on what happened to you and Brandt, he now believes he may be a target for ass
assination. Considering the way his father died, and that he could easily be our next king, I’m not surprised Brodan feels he may be a target.”
Aldrick nodded thoughtfully. “I still question my decision not to discuss my discoveries with him. With his name on the list, I can’t help but wonder if I shouldn’t tell him of that much at least.”
“I disagree,” Tiberius argued. “With the recent attacks he already believes he may be a target, and has taken the appropriate steps to protect himself. Telling him of the list now would only raise suspicions. I’m sure he’d wonder why you hadn’t mentioned the list before, and if there are other things you are neglecting to mention. He will have nothing but questions you won’t wish to answer.”
Aldrick nodded. “You may be right. After all, the main reason to warn him would be so he takes extra precaution, which he already has.”
Tiberius grinned. “In addition, he was never the best student, and the last thing he needs now is a distraction during the knowledge testing.”
They arrived at one particularly large tent, its peak bearing a brightly colored pinion, snapping in the cool morning breeze. Pulling back the flap, Tiberius said, “Here we are. Are you coming in?”
Aldrick nodded. “I would like to see the test, if I could.”
“That should be alright. Wondering how you’d fare against the competition?”
“Never!” Aldrick replied in mock seriousness. “It’s nothing more than intellectual curiosity.”
They entered the dark tent, and had to strain to see. Even with light peeking inside from flaps open high on the sides, it was still quite dim within the cavernous canvas hall. Men were starting to arrive with lamps that would provide the contenders enough light to complete the testing, but in the near dark Aldrick tripped over a stray crate and had to grab onto a table to keep from falling.
Tiberius lit a lamp on his desk in the back of the tent and, unlocking a large nearby wooden chest, retrieved a copy of the test for Aldrick. Pulling up an extra chair, Tiberius indicated for his son to sit. “I need to begin the preparations. I’ll be right back.”
Aldrick sat by the flickering light of the desk lamp and began flipping through the test. He was surprised how easy most of the questions were, finding only a few he had to stop and think about. After a while he grew weary, and after securing the test back in the chest he decided to return to the palace.
Crossing the tent, Aldrick saw several men enter whom he presumed to be Tournament candidates arriving for the testing. Scanning the arrivals, he was startled to recognize the same scoundrel who had accosted his son, skulking about the entrance. Their eyes met, and with a startled expression the scrawny man turned and fled.
Aldrick shouted, “Stop that man!” but it was too late; the man had disappeared and the recent arrivals only looked about in confusion. He ran to the opening, but was delayed by another group of candidates arriving. By the time he extricated himself from the cluster, the skinny assailant had fled.
Aldrick desperately scanned the surrounding crowd and several small nearby tents, but he could see no sign of his quarry. In frustration, he cursed out loud; a very rare act indeed.
Tiberius caught up to him. “What happened?”
“I saw that little runt who attacked my son, but he escaped before I could stop him.” Aldrick sighed.
“You should return to the safety of the palace. If he is here to finish the job, you’ll be safer there.”
“I don’t think he expected to see me here, but I’ll be careful. I’ll report him to the guards, before I return to the library.” Aldrick waved to his father and strolled off. He had gone several paces before being forced to return to ask his father, “Which way…?”
Aldrick was completely surrounded by a dark, almost tangible swirling shadow. He found himself inside the heart of an angry, raging thunderstorm, and tenebrous clouds whipped at him like ethereal claws, tearing at his clothes. Buffeted by the living darkness, Aldrick lost all sense of direction and stumbled about aimlessly. He found breathing was nearly impossible, and he felt around blindly in a vain attempt to find an anchor in the storm.
The living gale had slowly begun to dissipate when Aldrick abruptly bumped into an object obscured in shadow. Gasping for breath, he began to see the detail of his surroundings amidst the swirling eddies of darkness. He now saw he had collided with another man, who also stumbled about trying to recover from the storm. Oddly, he was attired in an antique uniform of a soldier, as if he was part of an historical presentation.
The swirling ebon haze lightened further and Aldrick saw he was on a grassy hill surrounded by more soldiers, also dressed in ancient uniforms. The men moved slowly and with great effort while they struggled to recover from the black storm, like insects trapped in syrup. Sergeants shouted orders to reorganize their troops, but Aldrick could only hear the tumult faintly as if he were underwater. He shook his head to clear the mysterious fog penetrating his senses.
The mass of soldiers around him began to surge up the hill, brandishing their army-issue swords and shields. Their faces were contorted with shouted battle cries. The forward swell of the army forced Aldrick along in its wake. He was neither armed nor aware of what was transpiring, but carried along with the onslaught found he could do little but scramble up the hill and avoid being trampled as best he could.
The expressions of the men around him showed fear, terror and excitement, but Aldrick felt nothing except curiosity and a mild sense of urgency. He strained to see their destination, but a living darkness obscured the path ahead.
With startling force, they were blasted with a vicious force of shadow. Aldrick and those around him were knocked flat, and surrounded by another blanket of painful darkness. The ebon winds pummeled him with flashes of dark coruscating power, which appeared like lightning blasts seen through a blindfold.
By the time the churning darkness passed and Aldrick began to recover his senses, he could see the soldiers around him writhing in pain. Many had been ripped apart, and the grassy hill was littered with body parts and bloody gore. Those who had survived dismemberment were either contorted in pain or lay still. Scanning the area, Aldrick could see few that had escaped the carnage, yet he still felt strangely detached from the gruesome scene.
Aldrick stood and struggled up the featureless grassy slope, stepping over the remains of fallen soldiers. He reached the apex of the hill and, like an apparition revealed behind parting clouds, was confronted by a man who stood atop the crest.
He was clad in a long, dark robe and his hood was pushed back to reveal long black stringy hair with streaks of gray. His lips were pulled back in a malevolent sneer, and there was a violent glint in his eyes. His arms were out to the sides; the right gesticulated wildly, while the left held a gnarled wooden staff, topped by a golden glow.
Abruptly the robed man became aware of him, and the look of malice in his hooded eyes was slowly replaced by incredulity. Although his eyes widened in surprise, the reactions of the dark Magician were slow and surreal. Aldrick, still in a detached state, looked about casually. The appalling sight of writhing men and corpses littering the ground in a wide semi-circle around the crest of the hill did not instill in him the normal feelings of shock and terror he would have expected.
In this analytical state, his gaze was inexorably drawn to the golden glow atop the wooden staff held by the strange, malevolent man. The ambient light of the nebulous, stormy sky above reflected brightly off the pyramidal shaped top of the gnarled staff. Though the world around him seemed a hazy undulating morass, the three-sided headpiece was absolutely bright and clear.
Strange, that golden shape looks so familiar…
The thought was interrupted by the sinister voice of the dark robed man who whispered, “How?”
Aldrick found he was neither inclined, nor able to reply. He simply stared at the golden pyramid trying to place it, but he could not seem to think clearly. The Magician slowly raised his arms towards Aldrick, and everything went blac
k.
Aldrick sat up with a start. Confused, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. Seeing he was still in the library at Akkadia, he realized he had fallen asleep while reading. The vision he had just experienced seemed absolutely real, and it was difficult to accept it had only been a dream. During the daydream Aldrick had found himself in an unemotional detached state, but recalling the events now, emotions washed over him. His heart pounded in his chest. He put his hands on his head, feeling as if he might be sick.
Aldrick swallowed bile, but the nausea began to pass as the realization of what he had seen hit him like a bolt of lightning. The glowing golden pyramid atop the staff of that dark robed killer looked the same as the one he had discovered on the body of the man who attacked his wife. The two men were not the same, but the pyramid was clearly similar to the one he had found, if not the exact one. He did not know if his nightmare was one of his prophetic visions or simply a normal dream, but the realism and intensity of the images led him to believe it was the former.
The Key of Creation: Book 01 - Rise of the Destroyer Page 8