The False King: The Cerith Kingdom Chronicles: Book III (The Cerith Kingdom Chronicles 3)

by Jude Marquez

  “Do you know how to get away?” Evander asked Paige.

  She nodded but her eyes were on Alyx.

  Serlo took off his cloak and laid it over a chair and then pulled out his sword. It was as sharp and gleaming as Eamon’s but lacked a dignity that the other prince had.

  “Did you know about this?” Josette asked.

  “No. I was too busy trying to stay alive,” Evander said.

  “Does he have a chance?” Gia asked.

  No one answered. They didn’t have the heart to. They all knew the answer anyway. Though Alyx was able to fight and defend himself, he wasn’t a warrior.

  Alyx turned and looked to Evander. It was a single moment of clarity for Evander and he wanted to die from it.

  “It figures that you would set it up so that another goes in your stead,” Serlo said out loud. He admired his sword before turning his back on Evander.

  Evander wanted to wrap his hands around Serlo’s neck and feel the warm blood pour over his hands.

  “I knew when you were a boy that you were a coward and not even a useful one like your brother. No, you were just pretty, nothing else there. You always asked why, why, why. It was as constant as a gnat in my ear. Why couldn’t we talk to our enemy? Why couldn’t we figure out a way not to fight or kill?” Serlo pointed at Alyx with his sword but looked to Evander. “Here is your answer to not fighting your own fights. You send in your own husband as a lamb for me to sacrifice.”

  Alyx looked so small compared to Serlo.

  “Have you nothing to say?” Serlo said and looked over to Alyx.

  “You like to think that your words mean something, that you might hurt me with them. Someone taught you that. That’s not what I learned. Elewisa only had one lesson. Silence and blood,” Alyx said.

  “How is she? That old hag, she loved torture more than anyone I knew. She was always too happy to take up a blade against anyone; man, woman, or child. That’s why I chose her to raise you, you know. If anyone would happily break a child, it was her,” Serlo said.

  He took Alyx’s silence as a detriment. That he was slow or could not understand the implications of what was about to happen.

  Serlo did not understand that Alyx’s silence was a calculation.

  “I killed her. Sliced through her like a pig,” Alyx said.

  That stopped even Serlo.

  But not for long.

  “Then let’s begin,” he said and ran for Alyx.

  Chapter 20

  There was no air left in the room. Evander could not remember how to breathe and the only thing keeping him in place was Lissandra’s arm around his waist and then Alik, both holding him up. He swore he lost consciousness the minute Serlo rushed Alyx and only realized what he was seeing when Alyx walked away easily, as though he were strolling through the castle gardens.

  When Serlo turned back, his nose was bleeding.

  “What- what happened-” Evander gasped. His vision was swimming. He couldn’t breathe. He could feel his midday meal at the back of his throat.

  “He dodged it and punched him,” Alik whispered.

  “What?” Evander said. He could no more process the explanation than he could the action.

  “You did not say he could fight,” Alik choked out.

  “I did not know he could fight like that,” Evander said and he sounded strangled to himself.

  Lissandra remained silent and when Evander looked to her, for some sort of explanation, her narrowed eyes and expression told him she suspected something that neither he nor Alik could guess at.

  But his eyes were drawn back to the fight when Serlo again attacked and Alyx stepped in and used his arms to block the attack, completely ignoring the sword in Serlo’s hands, only blocking Serlo’s arm. It brought Alyx scarily close to Serlo but Alyx had no time to waste. He drew back one arm and landed three quick blows to Serlo’s chest and the men around them, those that had been in a fight, winced at the sounds. It sounded like a battering ram hitting flesh.

  Alyx pushed Serlo away from him, strode to the edge of the crowd.

  Serlo was breathless, his nose bled freely, and Alyx looked like he was out for a brisk walk.

  He hadn’t even pulled his blades yet.

  As though he just remembered, Alyx flexed his arms against the leather harnesses.

  There was movement at the edge of the crowd and Evander saw Eamon turning to Edmond.

  Edmond ignored the look his brother was giving him. He kept his eyes on Alyx, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

  With a roar of frustration, Serlo charged in once more, and this time Alyx did pull his blades out. One for each hand and he parried the blow. As he stepped aside, he dragged his blade across Serlo’s shoulder.

  This time, Serlo did not pause. He charged in again and again, making Alyx dance out of his way, parry blow after blow, and Evander was gripping Lissandra’s hand so hard, both of their hands were shaking and white.

  Then Alyx made a misstep.

  There was a slightly raised stone, something that Evander himself had stumbled over more than once in his life.

  That split second cost him.

  Serlo advanced, pulled a smaller blade hidden in a belt and slammed it into Alyx’s shoulder.

  Alyx’s entire scream filled Evander’s head.

  Serlo did not stop. It was his way. He pushed his advantage, knocked the blade from Alyx’s now useless hand and landed a heavy blow to Alyx’s stomach.

  Evander felt it like it was his own body.

  Alyx collapsed in front of Serlo and then Serlo stood over him, gathered his tunic in his hand and punched him in his face, over and over. Serlo had his back to Evander and Evander could see Alyx’s face from where he stood.

  It was like a nightmare that Evander could not wake from.

  Alyx did not cry out but for that first time, remained silent at Serlo’s feet, and it seemed to enrage him even further. Serlo threw him and Alyx landed like a limp doll at Evander’s feet.

  Serlo, his face still bleeding freely, walked over to Alyx as Alyx struggled to stand and reached down. He pulled Alyx to his knees once more but in his hand was his sword.

  Evander knew what would happen.

  Serlo would plunge that blade into Alyx’s chest and it would be all over.

  For everyone. Evander would die, as surely as he was the one under the blade. Gael would be on the run for the rest of his life with Cordelia and Kielan. Cade would die fighting for Evander, no matter what he promised. Auelina and Aldous would also be on the run, and the gods only knew where they would have their baby.

  Eamon would abandon his own borders, the Vresal army would invade, and take the Storm Isles. Eamon and his siblings would die fighting for Evander and his family.

  Alik would never make it more than a year into the war.

  Paige would be conscripted into some kind of horrible service once more in her young life.

  Evander would never see any of them, not ever again.

  ∞∞∞

  Alyx’s vision was a haze of blood. His shoulder was on fire, his face throbbed with each beat of his heart, and his body screamed for some kind of relief. And that was not even the worst part.

  The worst part was knowing that he was at Evander’s feet and that Evander would have a perfect view of his death. The worst part was knowing that he would never wake up to Evander again.

  The worst part was, he would do it all over again, with the same ending, if it meant that he got to have that same time with Evander.

  “Surely you understand that the unwanted child of weak parents could have never stopped me,” Serlo said to him.

  “Have faith,” Alyx whispered, the only words left to him. He hoped the goddess above him heard him. He had faith that no matter what the outcome, it was as it was supposed to be.

  “Faith never stopped a sword,” Serlo said and he grinned. It was obscene, wide teeth red with blood, and Alyx didn’t want that to be the last thing he saw.

  Then somethin
g jerked him backwards, so hard that he thought that Serlo had actually taken his head off instead of stabbing him through the chest, but when he looked up, he only saw Alik and Lissandra reaching down for him.

  In the empty spot where Evander was only seconds earlier.

  They dragged Alyx to his feet and what he saw, he wished he hadn’t.

  “This is treachery! There was to be no help!” Serlo cried out.

  No one in the crowd moved. Not a single soul made a move to stop Evander, his sword in his hand, from advancing on Serlo. No one whispered a word of cheating.

  Evander screamed, his swings were wild, but he pushed Serlo back away from Alyx.

  “No help from soldiers!” Evander said as one more of his swings was blocked. “But you told me over and over, I am no soldier, didn’t you father? You said I am a coward, over and over!”

  Serlo missed the smaller blade in Evander’s hand and Alyx recognized it as the one that Serlo stabbed him with. Lissandra was pressing hard down on Alyx’s shoulder as he sat on the steps of the dais and that was the first time he realized that Evander had pulled it out of him.

  Evander flipped it in his hand once and when he caught it, he reversed his hold and slammed it expertly into Serlo’s shoulder, exactly where he stabbed Alyx only moments earlier.

  “I am a Crown Prince of Cerith, warrior of my nation, protector of my people, King of one of three kingdoms. I am no soldier,” Evander hissed and took a step back.

  Alyx thought he was backing away, but Evander saw what Alyx missed.

  Gael was striding from the edge of the crowd, his own sword in hand and plunged it through Serlo’s back.

  “I am not a soldier either, father. I am the sickly child that you said was worthless. I am also a prince of Cerith and hereby condemn you to death,” Gael roared.

  His words echoed through the chamber. But he did not let go of the sword and Alyx watched Cade cross the room, his sword in hand. He came at his father from the side, slid the blade into his father’s dying body as though he were cutting through butter.

  “I am not a soldier but a prince of Cerith. I was lucky to avoid the poison of your person. I hereby condemn you to death,” Cade said. He did not move away, helped Gael hold their father as though he were on a skewer.

  Auelina approached and though she was so heavily pregnant, she could not look more murderous. “The only memory I have of you is you beating me. Evander killed you when I was two summers past. What kind of man beats a two year old girl?” She asked.

  Serlo opened his mouth and for a moment, Alyx thought that Serlo really would answer her.

  Instead, she slid a blade slowly into his belly.

  “A dead man, that’s what kind. I am the princess of the Cerith kingdom. I hereby condemn you to death,” Auelina told him matter of factly.

  Cade and Gael let Serlo drop to their feet.

  Alyx shook Alik and Lissandra’s hold off and went over to Serlo. He had to wipe his face several times in his short journey. When he got there, he stepped aside to avoid the blades that were impaled Serlo’s body.

  “My faith was in my love. I see now that you could never understand that,” Alyx told him.

  “You are no king,” Serlo said and grasped at one of the many blades in his body.

  “Perhaps not. But it is enough that you are not either,” Alyx said.

  He stepped back and stood next to Evander. He was soaked in blood, some of it his own, and both he and Evander stood and watched as Serlo choked on his own blood and died.

  “I will not make the same mistake twice. Do as Eamon said. Hack his body apart. Burn it. I do not want a single memory of him in this castle,” Evander said.

  No one moved.

  Evander took a step backwards and Alyx was there to catch him as he fell to his knees.

  “He’s gone,” Evander gasped.

  “Yes,” Alyx agreed.

  “He is?” Evander asked.

  “There is no coming back from what you and your brothers and sister did,” Alyx said.

  “Good,” Evander whispered and though his eyes were wide and there were tears on his cheeks, Alyx knew that he did not see anything in front of him.

  It was as it should be. There was nothing more to be done here.

  Epilogue

  There was no celebration like Eamon promised. But it was done as Evander asked. Someone had the unpleasant task of hacking Serlo apart and others built a fire.

  Lissandra attended to Alyx’s shoulder and face. She tutted over him and sighed that he would not be as beautiful as he once was.

  Margrave expressed disappointment that he would have no one to torture that day.

  Alik promised him a new enemy that he could spend time with. The gods knew that they made them everywhere they went.

  That night, Alyx woke from a drugged sleep to find himself alone in bed. When he sat up, he saw a glow in the window and stood. When he looked out, he saw four figures standing in front of a large fire, unmoving.

  Auelina leaned into Cade and he had an arm around her shoulders. Gael had a hand on Evander’s shoulder and Evander was staring at the fire that roared high above any of their heads.

  Alyx wasn’t sure how long he stood there, if it was mere minutes or hours, but he finally had to turn away and go back to bed or risk collapsing under the weight of the drugs in him.

  The entire time, none of the siblings moved from their view of the fire.

  Alyx understood their burning desire to see it through to the end.

  Killing the monster from their nightmares required vigilance until there was nothing more than dust and Tobey left.

  ∞∞∞

  The next few days were a blur for Alyx. Eamon and his army were packing up and he had to say goodbye to the family that kept him sane during the worst moments of his life. The lands were put to right after being used for so many months by Eamon’s men.

  “When will I see you again?” Avelina asked Alyx as he escorted her down to the front gates.

  “When the country is settled, I imagine. I would love more than anything to see your lands, all your wolves, the waters that you speak of,” Alyx said. “And I believe my husband owes me a real honeymoon. One that does not end in an attempt on our lives.”

  Avelina smiled and nodded. “You deserve a holiday. I look forward to you coming to visit.”

  At the front gates, Evander was speaking to Eamon. They both turned when they saw Alyx and Avelina approaching them.

  “Eamon tells me that you were taking secret fighting lessons from Edmond,” Evander said, as way of greeting them.

  “I do not know what you speak of. When you saw me fighting, it was all me,” Alyx said haughtily.

  “We sparred every morning at dawn. He was terrible at first, but picked up on a great many things in our short time together,” Edmond said as he approached the group as well.

  “Traitor,” Alyx hissed.

  Edmond laughed.

  “Where is Lissandra? We told her to be here,” Eamon said and turned to the castle. He waved at one of his men and instructed him to go find the princess when Paige burst from the front doors, hair flying behind her, heaving in great gasps of air.

  “What?” Evander asked. He cast a look around, as though there was an approaching army he had not taken note of.

  “Auelina- she’s having the baby, right now!” Paige yelled and then spun around on her heel.

  Avelina did not wait for anyone else, but ran after Paige.

  ∞∞∞

  Eamon and his siblings did not leave until the following day, after Auelina had her daughter, as Lissandra insisted on staying and threatened anyone with a horrible, slow death if they tried to get her to leave.

  That night, Princess Rosalind De Loughrey was born.

  “She certainly knows how to make an entrance,” Alik remarked.

  The three families were gathered in Auelina’s room after she had given the word that they were to be let in.

  “She missed
out on all the excitement,” Paige said softly. She was nestled between Evander and Alyx, her new favorite spot to be.

  All they could see of the brand new princess was her downy head and one small hand wrapped around her mother’s index finger. Aldous hovered over them both and Evander could swear he looked less panicked when he announced Serlo’s arrival.

  “She was born into a better, brighter world. One with fewer monsters and more hope,” Alyx said.

  They remained silent and then Paige whispered, “I like the sound of that.”

  ∞∞∞

  The next morning they all rode out to the neighboring town where Eamon’s ships were docked.

  “Should you need my assistance again, please do not call,” Eamon said and grinned at Evander. The sun was just rising over the horizon and the water gleamed a molten gold.

  “But should you need us, for whatever reason, know that we are forever in your debt,” Evander said.

  “Brothers are not in each other’s debt. We do not keep count,” Eamon said and embraced Evander and then Alyx. Then he was boarding his own ship and waving at Alyx and Evander.

  Alik was next and he seemed slightly less enthusiastic about leaving.

  “What is it?” Alyx asked.

  “My parents bid me marry when I return. It’s part of the reason that I left with Josette. I thought perhaps I would be killed and taken and could avoid talk of marriage for a bit longer,” Alik said.

  “Your plan was an abject failure,” Alyx noted.

  Alik frowned at him.

  “To who? Who would have you?” Evander said, gently teasing him.

  Alik gave him a wane smile. “That is the question indeed, my King. Perhaps Eamon will let me marry one of his sisters. They seemed to tolerate me just fine after a bit of time.”

  Alyx grasped Alik’s upper arm. “You are not to be tolerated. You are a good man and deserve more than tolerance.”

  “Well you haven’t seen me before my morning coffee, Your Highness. You might change your mind then,” Alik remarked and before Alyx could correct him, he was striding away to join Margrave and Issat on his own ship.