by Laura Lond
Kellemar’s jaw went down once more.
“Your Majesty knows?...”
“Of course. I offered him knighthood, but he refused it. We made up the name Lakeland Knight and call him so, unofficially.”
“Ah! So you do not know his real name?”
“No, he has reasons to conceal it, which is not unusual for a hero. What is the matter, my friend? Why are you so agitated?”
Kellemar squared his shoulders.
“Because I know exactly what those reasons are! Your Majesty, you are deceived, and you are in grave danger! I do not know how this man has managed to gain your trust, posing as a hero, but he is not what you believe him to be! He is a treacherous villain, I would not be surprised if he is after your treasury and your crown!”
King Osmund looked shocked, angered, and embarrassed at the same time.
“…What are you saying, my dear prince?? You must be unwell. Do you have any proof of these outrageous accusations?”
The prince opened his mouth to say something and closed it. I smiled, figuring it all out. He might have had proof, but he’d never use it. His claim to fame rested on defeating Lord Arkus—on killing him, to be exact. Revealing my identity would shatter the only valiant deed he had under his belt. I was beginning to like it. This was far better than drowning!
“Your Highness,” I interfered, “I will be the first person to tell you that there is nothing heroic about me.”
“He is confirming it!..” half-asked, half-exclaimed Kellemar, with an utterly lost expression.
King Osmund rose from his throne.
“Yes, of course he is confirming it! Shame on you, prince! ‘Posing as a hero’—what a thing to say to a man who had refused to be called so from the very beginning, yet whose deeds speak for themselves! He has rescued my daughter, he has been helping my people in more ways than I probably know, he offered sincere friendship to my son, and…” the king’s gaze fell on Jarvi. “…and he has a sparkling in attendance! What more do you want? I believe you owe our friend an apology.”
“An apology?! Never! And his sparkling must be just as fake as he is!”
The king frowned.
“Now, I’d be more careful, if I were you. It is dangerous to insult a spirit.”
“Let him first prove that he is indeed a spirit!”
Jarvi stepped forward. He was up to the challenge.
“What proof will you take?”
His determination impressed Kellemar; the prince shifted in a rather nervous way.
“I don’t know, but it’d better be a good one! Do something no human can do.”
Jarvi lit up with bright orange and slowly floated up in the air. Everyone gasped, including the king. Even though the royal family knew who Jarvi was, they never saw him manifest his nature before, and it was quite a sight.
“Is this good enough?” the sparkling asked.
Poor Kellemar could only give a weak nod. Did I just say “poor”? Sorry, that was a lie. I did not pity him one bit.
Jarvi lowered himself to the floor and returned back to normal.
“…But this is not possible!” Kellemar insisted. “It is a sparkling, yes, but he cannot be with this man! He—he must have tricked him somehow, or captured him and forced him to obey!”
Now, this made me a little tense. The darn prince was too smart.
King Osmund shook his head.
“My dear Prince Kellemar, let me assure you that it is impossible. No one can capture a sparkling. Even if there was a way, and anyone dared to try it, they’d be dead in an instant. Faradin himself would see to it. Isn’t that right, Jarvi?”
I thought everything was going to crumble at that moment. But Jarvi made a slight bow to the king and said,
“That is true, Your Majesty. Sparklings serve Faradin and him alone. If anyone wished to have one for themselves, they would be challenging the king of spirits—which is more than any mortal can handle.”
Kellemar blinked. And blinked again.
“So you mean to say that… you help this man out of your own free will?” he asked.
“The details of our arrangement are between me, him, and Faradin,” the sparkling replied. “But yes, I can confirm that I help him because I wish to.”
My mind was racing. Why did Jarvi say these things? He wouldn’t lie. That meant everything he said was true, but how could it be?...
“Prince Kellemar, you know that sparklings don’t lie,” King Osmund said, echoing my very thoughts. “I suppose that settles the dispute, and not in your favor. I must ask you again to apologize to the Lakeland Knight, who, I am sure, has not yet challenged you for a duel only out of consideration for me and the laws of hospitality. You gave him more than enough grounds for it.”
A duel? That was a great idea! I hoped Kellemar was mad enough to grab it and challenge me himself.
Unfortunately, he didn’t.
“I apologize to the sparkling for doubting him,” he said, glaring at me, “but not to this man! I insist that I told the truth, and I will find a way to unmask him! You will all see!”
“I wish I was old enough to challenge you for a duel!” sounded Prince Philip’s indignant voice.
Everyone turned to him. The boy stood with his fists clenched, eyes flashing with anger. It was clear that it took all his willpower to restrain himself until that moment.
“Yes, I know I shouldn’t say it,” he went on. “Forgive me, father; Prince Kellemar is our guest and almost a part of the family, but he should not be allowed to insult our friend and protector!”
You know, I’m not the sentimental type, but I was touched by how this lad stood up for me. He did exactly what Jarvi would have done… The Jarvi from my past.
“Well… Philip, uh…” King Osmund appeared at a loss for words, obviously not knowing whether he should correct his son for this breaching of etiquette.
I figured it was up to me to help him make up his mind and keep the boy out of trouble.
“Thank you, Prince Philip,” I said loud and clear, for all to hear.
Kellemar jerked his chin up.
“You will all see,” he repeated. “And for now, goodbye. I will not stay in a place where I am considered a liar.”
He made a sharp turn and left.
King Osmund was so devastated that I spent a good half hour trying to comfort him, assuring the royal family that I did not hold it against them. The queen and the princess, who said nothing during the incident, were nevertheless just as shocked, and kept offering apologies as well. Prince Philip declared that he knew why Kellemar acted this way, he said it was because of jealousy. Despite the facts unknown to him, he probably was not very far from truth.
When I finally managed to disengage, I was in a rather strange, confused state. On one hand, I felt vindicated; on the other, what had just happened was still based on one big misunderstanding that would have to be cleared up at some point. And to top it off, I certainly needed some explanations from Jarvi.
“Why did you say that it is impossible to capture a sparkling?” I asked him in the carriage, on the way home.
“King Osmund said that,” Jarvi corrected. “I only confirmed it because it is true.” He smiled at my bewilderment and continued, “Generally true. Our situation is a unique one, Lord Arkus. Sparklings do not come to swim in the lake. I only ended up in the water because of my fight with Ragnar. There were instances of mortals trying to use other ways to catch sparklings… Each time Faradin’s judgment was swift.”
I felt this unpleasant chill.
“…Why wasn’t it swift in my case?”
“He spared you because you did not know that you were after a sparkling.”
“He does not mind people catching gormacks, then?”
“He does, very much. But gormacks are a different story. They are evil spirits, they refuse to serve Faradin and try to break his laws as much as they can get away with. For that reason, if humans manage to capture them, they are without his protection. T
hey can’t appeal to him to be released.”
“Could you?”
“Yes.”
“And why didn’t you do that?”
Jarvi smiled again.
“I liked you. No, seriously. I thought you deserved a chance.”
I didn’t think I was so likeable, especially from a sparkling’s point of view…
“I bet you don’t like me that much anymore, now that you’ve gotten to know me better. I suppose I am lucky that you can no longer appeal… Or can you?”
“At any time.”
I stared at him, trying to process it. I thought he’d been putting up with my moods because he had no choice. Now it turned out that all this time he had a way out? And yet stayed with me because—because he wanted? Just like he’d said to Kellemar…
“I don’t understand. If that’s the case, then how does the promise thing work? You vowed to serve me for six years, did you not?”
“Five. You knocked one year off.”
“Yes, I remember; I’m not trying to go back on it. Still, you promised. Does it mean nothing?”
“It means exactly what it means: five years of service. Unless Faradin interferes.”
I remained silent for a long time. This was not easy to come to terms with.
“Is this what Ellar, your friend, wants you to do?”
Jarvi nodded.
“Yes. He thinks I should ask Faradin to release me.”
“And why don’t you listen to your old friend?”
“Because I think I have gotten a new one who needs me more right now.”
***
In a couple of days I was urgently summoned to the royal palace for a private audience. King Osmund met me alone. He looked sad but composed.
“I have called you, my dear Lakeland Knight, to tell you that we had to banish Prince Kellemar of Dalvanna from our land. His engagement to my daughter is off.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
“Your Majesty, you shouldn’t —”
“Oh, it is not because of how he behaved here. There is something else. My men caught him… I am embarrassed to say it. They caught him trying to destroy one of the white towers you built. Now, this crosses all borders. Such a senseless, mean-spirited act has no excuse. The princess called off the engagement the moment she heard about it. I had no choice but to order him out of the country.”
“A hard decision, I’m sure,” I muttered.
“This could mean war with Dalvanna.” The king sighed and looked at me. “If so, I am willing to face it.”
***
Chapter 8
With Kellemar banished, I didn’t have to worry about him causing trouble and trying to unmask me again. King Osmund, concerned with the possibility of war with Dalvanna, asked me to help get his warriors in shape. Boy, did they need it! When I first began working with them, only a few could stand an hour long training session. I did not ask for anything extraordinary, yet they complained that the sessions were too intense. To shame them, Jarvi and I paired up and fenced for three hours straight, quite vigorously, too. The whole palace gathered to watch, which was not something I planned or appreciated, but by the end, I achieved the desired result: the warriors vowed to do anything it takes to become that good.
Jarvi and I spent our days at the training ground, from morning to evening. I separated the warriors based on their age, height, weight, and skill, and gave each group their own set of exercises. My “army,” if I may call it that, did not want to be left out and joined the training as well. I figured it wouldn’t hurt, although it increased my workload considerably. Most of these men had little or no experience with the sword, so I had to teach them the basics. They were strong though and they were catching up fast.
King Osmund came to check on us every day, often staying for a while to watch, and he was very pleased with the progress. Prince Philip, needless to say, used every opportunity to sneak to the training ground as well. He’d spend all day with us if he could, and I didn’t mind, but His Highness had classes and numerous other responsibilities to attend to. The princess, on the other hand, was not so busy, and I often saw her and Madame Clementina watching us from a balcony. Jarvi told me that Princess Litinia had quickly recovered from the broken engagement since her attachment to Kellemar was only based on respect and obligation. With the former gone, it was not hard to lose him.
“What about him?” I asked. “Did he love her?”
“No. It was supposed to be an arranged marriage. But it stings him nevertheless.”
“I bet it does. Well then, for her sake, I am glad it’s over.”
I fenced a lot, too, and by the end of the day I’d barely have enough strength left to ride home. Jarvi, who knew nothing about being tired, would get the fire in the hearth going, make supper and then entertain me with reading while I rested. Life wasn’t that bad, I must say.
It was on one such evening, quite late, after our reading time was over, that Jarvi came in and announced that someone wished to see me. Visitors kept flocking to my castle, but I rarely had to deal with them myself, I had men assigned for it.
“Send them to Captain Zordan, as usual,” I said. “Why are you bothering me, Jarvi? You know how tired I am.”
“This visitor is different from the rest,” the sparkling replied. “It is not the Lakeland Knight he wants to see. He is asking for Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle.”
That instantly got my attention. Someone who knew me??
“What does he look like?”
“A tall man, black hair tied back. He is wrapped in a dark gray cloak, but it happened to part at the collar, and I noticed a skull embroidered on the shirt.”
I recognized the description. It was Shabriak, a colleague of mine. His obsession with skulls and bones was often a subject of jokes at the annual villain’s conference. How did he find me and why?...
“Do you know him?”
“Yes, I think I do. Ask him in.”
“I don’t like him, Lord Arkus.”
“Neither do I. But I have to find out what he wants.”
Shabriak entered, tall, gaunt, sharp-featured. He looked at me, and his lips formed a dry smile.
“Arkus, my friend, it is indeed you. I never believed the monster story. I always said that Lord Arkus was too smart and too strong to go down like that.”
We never were friends, only colleagues. However, we weren’t enemies, either.
“Thank you, Shabriak. How did you find me?”
He smiled again.
“I have my sources, just like you.”
Yes, of course. And no good villain will reveal those.
“Have a seat,” I offered. “What brings you here? Not business, I hope? Ulkaria is under my protection, I have to say that to you upfront.”
He sat down.
“No, no, nothing of that sort. You can keep this lovely land to yourself. It’s been a long journey for me, so, uh… Can you spare some food?”
“Of course.”
I called Jarvi and asked him to bring something to eat. Shabriak removed his cloak. Not only he sported a skull on the chest, two more were grinning from his shoulders.
“I see you still love your bones, Shabriak,” I commented.
“They can be very handy, if you know how to use them.”
From what I heard, he did. In critical moments of battle he was said to reinforce his army with skeletal warriors, and by “skeletal” I don’t mean “skinny.”
Jarvi brought some food, set it on the table and left the room. Shabriak watched him with keen attention.
“Is that him? Your sparklng?”
“…Your sources are indeed good,” I said. “Yes, it is him. So what can I do for you?”
“I think the question is what I can do for you. It appears that you’ve got a bit of a problem, Arkus, and I can take it off your hands.”
“A problem? What are you talking about?”
“Let’s be honest, shall we? You are stuck with a sparkling who wo
n’t let you do any business. Not only that, he has put you in a ridiculous situation, making you look like some kind of a hero and forcing you to help a bunch of idiots. Well, I happen to know how to handle spirits. I’ll be glad to take care of yours, plus compensate you for whatever decent service he does provide.”
So that’s what he was after. My Jarvi.
“I’m sorry, Shabriak, but you are very mistaken. Look at this, I’ve got a castle, with free staff and maintenance. I am best friends with the king of Ulkaria who listens to my every word. I am training a dedicated army that I don’t have to pay for, either. As to Jarvi, I’ve never had a better attendant. I’d say I’ve got it pretty good. I wouldn’t call it ‘a problem.’”
He was silent for a few moments, thinking.
“Very well, Arkus, let us be completely honest. I have been searching for a way to obtain a sparkling for years. How did you get him?”
See, that’s something to know about villains. We can be honest, and then we can be completely honest. Those are two different things, and the latter does not guarantee full sincerity, either.
I smiled.
“Shabriak… You should know better than ask such a question. What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours. I am not asking you how you make your skeletons move.”
“I can teach you that, in exchange for the sparkling.”
Wow. He was willing to share one of his most powerful secrets? It looked like Shabriak knew a sparkling’s worth…
“Thanks, but no thanks. I have no need for walking bones. I don’t think I’d be able to put up with all the clatter.”
“What do you want for him, then?”
“Who says I want something? He is not for sale.”
Shabriak narrowed his eyes.
“Think about it, Arkus. Such offers do not come twice. You know that I am quite powerful, not to mention wealthy, and I am willing to let you name your price.”
Had this happened a few weeks ago, I might have agreed. Not now though.
“Yes, Shabriak, I understand. It is very generous of you. However, my answer is still the same.”