“It could have gone a lot worse for us. We could have been separated and questioned. We haven’t agreed upon a story yet and would have betrayed ourselves.” Torroth admonished Inadar but didn't manage to dampen her good spirits.
“Fine. If anyone asks then we can say that you are my father and we are going to visit your elderly mother in Cercha.” Inadar offered.
“Father? I'm not that old. I would have been an early teenager when...” Torroth stopped talking as a shade of red crept up his neck
“I didn’t mean to make you feel old but now that you mention it.” Inadar smirked mischievously.
“You can be my younger sister. Another question that might be asked is why we were down this far south if our mother is so elderly.”
“Because... we... were... I got nothing. What about you?”
“Hmm. Me neither. Perhaps if we removed the elderly part altogether it would be better. Another thing is we don’t want to give our real destination away. Maintain continuity but adjust it as we continue. For example, this is a main road and would be used by anyone from the south going to Cercha. At this point it is also the main road to Warton. If we say we are going to Warton then if anyone figures out who we are then they won’t be going to Cercha.” Torroth explained.
“What if we are orphans and I'm going with you because you can’t find blacksmith work in... wherever it is we came from.” Inadar offered an idea.
“That might work. They might ask why we aren’t going to try The Forks because that city is far closer than Cercha. Unless... If we said we were from The Forks then that would explain that.”
“How do we explain not having a wagon load of possessions with us?” Inadar pointed out a flaw that she saw in the story.
“We are too poor to have anything. Either that or we sold everything before leaving The Forks.” Torroth patched the flaw.
“If we go with second option then we won’t have to explain our new clothes.” Inadar pondered the picture of their past that they were painting.
“I hadn’t thought about that. We would have to at least buy or trade an old cloak from a beggar each in order to look the part. If we say we sold everything before leaving then we can say that we used some of the proceeds to outfit ourselves. That is actually a pretty good idea.” Torroth rubbed his chin as he thought.
“We are only going to be in Cercha for a little while. Why don’t we say that we are just wanderers passing through?” Inadar proposed a new idea.
“Na, I used to help hunt people like us. You always want to be able to give a definite destination. If you don’t then they start to suspect that you aren’t who you say that you are.”
“Ok. So we will have to pick a new destination once we get to Cercha.” Inadar was getting into the process.
“Not right off the top. For a little while we can get by saying that we are checking out the prospects of work and housing. We can keep that up for a week or two tops. By then we might be able to figure out if who or what we are looking for is there. By the way, how are we going to find one person in a city if we don’t even know what he looks like?”
“How should I know? I am hoping that I can sense him like I can sense the dragons. As far as the soul forged weapons go, the dragons don’t even know what they look like. How we are supposed to find them is beyond me.” Inadar scowled at Torroth when he began muttering something about a fool’s errand.
*****
Reigns pondered the stacks of opened and read letters in front of him. The news was not encouraging. Nothing was going as planned. A few days after the discovery that the Asgare was in the Draeld a letter had been received that indicated the man had been seen heading north on the west side of the midlands. From past experiences Reigns knew that the Asgare was a difficult man to find in the best of circumstances. The last time had only been through trickery and subterfuge. The Asgare was not likely to fall for the same trick twice though.
Reigns had flinched in apprehension when he had first read the dispatch indicating the northern route. The Asgare was sure to have found out Reign’s hand in the whole fiasco and likely wanted revenge of some sort. The fact that never had an assassination been carried out within the walls of Shienhin was reassuring. Guards of Reign’s own selection patrolled continuously and wanted posters adorned most free spaces in the city now. One could never be too careful when dealing with the legendary Shadow Reaper. The fact that the enigmatic man wielded the coveted dwarven blade only made him all the more dangerous.
It was not only the whispered prophesies that mentioned the part that these blades play in the return of the dragon Lords that angered Reigns. There was also the fact that humans were capable of accessing the ancient powers the weapons wield. Relinquished to humans but hid from Reign’s elven blood. It irked the man to think that mere humans of the short lives were capable of more than he.
Reigns picked up one of the documents and scanned it again. It was the report concerning the sighting of the Asgare. He pondered the possibilities associated with the document. Received more than a week ago Reigns had reacted to the Intel and sent revised orders. He had not dismissed the possibility that the sighting could have been a mistake. Careful scrutiny had not uncovered anything amiss about the message. At first Reigns had thought it a fraud because it had been written in advance of the news that the Asgare roamed the lands. Reigns had been attempting to control that information as best as he could. He had finally decided that the message never mentioned the Asgare specifically but only gave details that could have been given only by someone who had seen the pair being searched for. In fact it had details that Reigns was sure only he knew about the assassin.
Reigns was a suspicious man by nature. Not entirely trusting the document he had only ordered the majority of the men stationed in The Forks north. Still a large number of men combed the Draeld searching for signs of life. This had proven an exercise in futility. Close to three dozen men were simply missing and another dozen had been found lying in their campsites dead. The reports said that not a mark was on them but blood was observed having leaked from eyes, nose, mouth and ears. There were reports of venomous reptiles having claimed the lives of ten men and a couple reports that giant snakes had hidden in swamps and seized passing soldiers crushing them in the vile creature’s coils and sinking back into the ponds before any attempt of rescue could be initiated. One of the reports had been from a distraught captain who had exited the swamps with only two of the ten men he had lead in.
Reigns considered rescinding the order to search the swamps but decided that it could wait. Right now Reigns needed to attend to matters of more importance. He lifted himself out of his chair and drew his robes a little tighter around him. It may be spring but still the occasional spell of cold weather would drift down from the silent sea and blanket the north under a clammy fog. The stone halls of Shienhin seemed to radiate the chill and no amount of fire in the hearth could banish the dampness.
The door to Reign’s study opened soundlessly and the guard on duty snapped to attention as the Chancellor passed through. With a wave of his hand the guard remained at his post and Reigns moved off through the castle. His destination was on the far side of the ancient structure so he walked quickly. The servants that saw him passing through made way for him. On entering the east wing of the castle Reigns no longer saw any servants. The few individuals that walked these vacant halls were loyal to Reigns. All accept one that is.
On seeing Reigns approach the two guards dressed in the King’s personal guard uniforms snapped to attention. Reigns was mildly irritated that the guards were never ready for his appearance. Their constant inattention was uncalled for. Perhaps, thought Reigns, he would have a word with the captain of the guard about the matter. Entering the door Reigns observed that the chamber was warm and comfortable. A fire burned brightly in the hearth and one could almost forget the inclement climate if they avoided looking out the window at the fog obscured landscape. On a clear day you could almost see the silent sea
from here. It was that silvery grey-blue thread where the sky met the land. Today you could hardly see the ground ten stories below. The outer courtyard wall was but a dim ghostly shape.
Reigns himself would have taken this room for his own long ago. A cool sea breeze blew in the windows when they were open and the view was inspiring in the summer. Fields dotted with cottages extended as far as the eye could see. On top of that the room was cool in the summer but could be warmed adequately in the winter as now was an example. The reason Reigns hadn’t taken the room was that the castle smithy was located in the courtyard below. Normally this room was reserved for lesser nobles who stayed at the castle on occasion. Smaller than most rooms but with the amenities that nobles demanded. Turning from the window Reign’s eyes narrowed as he spied the slight form seated on the edge of the bed.
She was no longer the child that Reigns remembered. Em'risi was now a thin girl with her mother’s soft brown eyes and auburn curls. The princess glanced toward the Chancellor as if she felt his eyes on her. The face that he saw was that of a young woman. The annoying thing was that with her cultured smile, purplish eyes and flawless skin Em'risi betrayed nothing of what was in her mind on her face. It had been months since he had last seen more than her skirts disappearing around a corner. Despite living in the same castle she could always manage to avoid him.
“Princess Em'risi, you are radiant today. Perhaps that is what has driven the chill from this chamber.”
“Lord High Chancellor, it is kind of you to visit my father today. The inclement weather is wearing heavily on his soul.” Em’risi smiled graciously and ignored Reign's compliment.
“Aye, it is true. The fog is a burden to us all but fear not, summer is almost here. Perhaps with its return the King will also regain his health.” Reigns chafed at the charade of civility. Em'risi was one of the few people that he had to maintain the veneer with. Most knew that he could have their heads cut off and acted accordingly. Only the King and the princess seemed to think themselves above his authority and so the charade was played.
“Perhaps then I will be well enough to go boar hunting again. I haven’t had a chance to teach my daughter that glorious sport.” Reigns chuckled at the image of the fair skinned princess riding a charger through the woods with her auburn hair flying in the wind. He doubted that she would concede to such an undignified spectacle.
“Perhaps she would also enjoy a few horse races.” Reigns stepped sideways enough to see the King laying in the bed. He maintained his smiling mask when he saw the white and drawn visage of the King. He was going to have to require the chamberlain reduce the dosage if the King was to survive to see the summer. Heretofore only four drops a meal had been enough to keep the King quiet abed but now half that amount would be enough to do the trick.
“She would, she would. My girl was telling about a ride she had the other day. Where was it darling that you went?” The King frowned as he tried to remember something once told to him. Reigns knew one of the side effects of the potion that he used on the King was a poor memory.
“Just around the courtyard father. The stable boy had his reigns the whole way.” Em'risi smiled at her father and held one of his hands in her own.
“I was sure you said something about the forest. Or was it about jumping a stone wall. I can’t seem to remember.” Illiad muttered something incoherent.
“Father! I could never. I was terrified as it was.” Em'risi looked horrified at the idea. Reigns smirked knowing that it was tantamount to suicide for the princess to be seen with a single hair out of place. Let alone leaping a stone wall astride a charger.
“Perhaps, your majesty, you are recalling your own exploits? I recall you having fallen after such an escapade and breaking your arm.” Reigns asked condescendingly.
“Perhaps that is it. If I recall, it was in the middle of the hunting season. Couldn’t hunt again until the following year.” Illiad gave his daughter’s hand a squeeze before rambling on at great lengths about the exploits of his youth. Reigns recalled many of them with better clarity than the teller of the tales. After enduring several minutes of the exaggerated tales he excused himself. The King could still be heard when Reigns paused at the door to inquire of the guard as to how often Em'risi visited and if the King was ever coherent. He was informed that Em'risi visited every day, usually at different times but every day none the less. Illiad was want to ramble on about the great boar hunts of the past every time the guard was able to hear him. Beyond that it didn’t seem like the King ever talked about anything with clarity.
Satisfied that everything was as it should be Reigns departed for the chamberlain’s quarters with the intent of giving instruction as to the new dosage. The weakened dose was going to make the King feel better although not to the point that he could get up or think clearly. It would just make sure that he didn’t accidently die. It would be more trouble than Reigns wanted to deal with to train Em'risi as the new puppet monarch. Hopefully the King would linger on for a number of years before doing the great inconvenience of expiring.
*****
“Is he gone my darling?” Illiad abruptly stopped his rambling and whispered the question.
“Yes father, Reigns left a few minutes ago.” Em'risi gave an audible sigh.
“Does it really pain you when he is near?” The King looked over at the princess with a sorrowful expression.
“It isn’t really pain, just tiring. I have to force myself to not look at him like I see anything out of the ordinary.” Em'risi closed her eyes a moment.
“What is it that you see about him?” Illiad tried to prop himself up but fell helplessly back into the bed. Em'risi moved some pillows behind him and made him a little more comfortable.
“It is strange and hard to explain. I see pale grayish skin most times. Every now and then I see long pointed ears and eyes so dark they verge on black. Other times they seem to glow with an inner fire that steals the light. The strangest thing is the black shadow that seems to hover around him.”
“If only I had had your Gift when I became King. The Gift of being able to see people for what they are is valuable. I would have had that half elf slain long before he became so powerful.” Em'risi flinched as a black thread that ran through Illiad’s normally glowing facets flared to life before fading away.
“He means you no good. I can feel it.” Em'risi saw the black thread flair momentarily before Illiad responded.
“He is the reason that I am in this bed. Why I can’t even run my own Kingdom. I have failed my people. I hoped to unite all mankind and create a peace but now it seems I have only managed to enslave them under Reign’s yoke.”
“Don’t say that father. Perhaps there is a way that I can get you better.” Em'risi looked distraught.
“There is no way. If I don’t eat the food then it is in the water. If I don’t drink the water then a candle burns beside my bed. There is no escaping my fate.” Illiad was reconciled to his doom.
“There has to be a way. What if I bring food and water and sit with you at nights?” Em'risi wrung her hands a moment before folding them and dropping them in her lap.
“If Reigns suspected that you were trying to thwart him then you would be as sick as I in a heartbeat. No, I must accept my fate and make the best of it. You on the other hand I will not consign to the same ignominy.”
“I just wish that...” Em'risi fastened her gaze on a tapestry on one wall. “I should go. Sir Balinor will not come in as long as I am here.” Em'risi got up and left the room quietly.
Illiad didn’t have to wait long before the aforementioned knight slipped out from behind the tapestry. He well knew the workings of the mechanism that enable the knight access to the room. Behind the tapestry was a door hewn into the stone. A small hole in both the stone and the tapestry allowed a hidden person the ability to see the entire room before making his entry. Another feature was that another mechanism silently latched the main door closed while the hidden door was open preventing unwanted gue
sts.
In the old castle the access had been used for spying on guests of the crown. Now the system was used to allow the King to confer with his friends without the Chancellor’s knowledge.
“Your highness, Em'risi was here today?” Sir Balinor asked quietly.
“She just left. She is worried about me. I think she can sense that I am dying. It frustrates her that she can’t help me any more than she does.”
“That viper’s poison is killing you. I wish you would let me take you away and hide you until you are better” Balinor’s words were uttered with the deepest sincerity.
“No I told you that would do nothing. The poison only muddles my mind and makes me weak. It is something else that is killing me. Something deep inside me is wrong. I probably won’t last the summer here or another place. Even if I did get well without the poison, Reigns would just declare the King dead and me an imposter. I am only supposed to be fifty. No one would recognize me as the King as old and feeble as I look.”
“As you wish your highness.”
“Don’t be like that Balinor. My fate is sealed. Em'risi’s is not. I charge you with ensuring that Reigns does not get his grubby claws on her when I am gone. Now tell me what you have learned.” Illiad waited for Balinor to update him on the progress of one of his plans.
“I have to be extremely careful. Reigns had a very active intelligence network. He is informed of almost anything. Without a network of our own we are mostly blind. Fortunately as a general a fair amount of information passes through me. However when we implement the plan then I will no longer be receiving the info. I have been working on planting people loyal to you throughout the army so hopefully I will still be able to receive intelligence.”
“That is good. The part about you getting information is at least. Reign’s intelligence net used to be mine. I gave it over to him before I learned what he was.” Illiad muttered something incoherently.