Black Kerthon's Doom (20 page)

"I certainly don't know," said Gareth. "Perhaps her confidant, Serada could tell us."

"I know nothing," said Serada, his voice rising.

"You have been very quiet since that night," said Gareth, biting off his words. "Perhaps you have fallen to the same fate as Macelan."

"No, I am my own man, but Neheva bothers me and I don't know why."

"She's a witch," said Daura.

"Besides that. There is something happening for which she has waited centuries and I do not think it will be beneficial to us."

"You do not encourage me," said Gareth. "It was bad judgment which led me to take you and Macelan with us. I should have killed you then and there and we wouldn't be in this trouble."

"I did not volunteer for your rebellion!"

"Why did you come to us? Who sent you?" Gareth stepped toward Serada but Brice held him back.

"Gareth!" cried Daura. "How could you say that?"

"My plans were ripening. We were close to taking over the throne. Then they came and everything went wrong."

"Coincidence. That's all," said Daura. "You are overtired."

"Overtired! I am not overtired. That is your answer for everything! My plans have gone sour and too many lives have been lost. Mark my words, Serada. I am watching you." He grumbled to himself, hopped over a log, glanced back at Serada and hid behind a mound of dirt to see what Neheva was doing. He saw her black shape glide from tree to tree. She moved without a sound and Gareth could not take his eyes off her. She did not seem to have substance and her clothes did not ripple in the breeze; instead, they floated on unknown currents. There was something that moved him when he thought of her, something that defied words. He thought he was dancing with her during a warm summer night and a tune came to his head and he saw her smiling at him. He shook his head and saw the dark figure wave at him and she was gone.

He watched longer and saw movement to Neheva's left. Red figures. Soldiers! She was drawing them off. He retreated to the group.

"She has moved quite far. I could not see her anymore but I did see a couple soldiers following her. I don't like it. Something is not right. There are too few. I expected to find a squadron."

A sudden noise behind and to their right revealed soldiers with their swords drawn and silent. Horeth stood before them. A couple rebels moved to repel them but were quickly struck down. The other rebels backed away, but did not drop their weapons.

"It is foolish to resist, Gareth," said Horeth. "We have the advantage. Do not risk any more of your follower's lives. I prefer you dead, but the High King does not, and alas, it is his will that must prevail. For now."

"I can think of better men to surrender to, in fact, anyone would do. You have always been a liar and a thief, cousin. I suppose that qualifies you for your current position."

Horeth reddened. He sheathed his sword and spat.

"I shall not kill you, yet. Your fate is for the High King to decide. But I do not doubt that you will be given to me and I will treat you as you deserve."

Suddenly, Brice swung his sword and beheaded the nearest Calendian soldier. The rebels burst into action and met the startled soldiers head on. Gareth clubbed Horeth with the flat of his blade and led the way towards the river. Daura ran after him. Brice killed another soldier and then he encountered two more.

The first thrust was blocked by his sword but the other's blade caught Brice on the hairline and peeled back skin and hair. Brice thrust his sword through the second soldier and rolled on the ground to avoid the still active sword of the remaining Calendian soldier. He hopped to his feet like a cat. He feinted a strike to the man's head and then cut his legs out from under him. A quick thrust finished him and Brice was running after Gareth. The figures were far ahead but the blood blurred his vision. He gritted his teeth and ran.

Gareth could see the boats left by Horeth's men and there were only three men defending them. But they saw the rebels running toward them and they began knocking holes in all the boats and that urged Gareth's efforts for speed. By the time he crashed into the first guard, only two boats remained and the rebels climbed into them and paddled out in the current.

The soldiers were not far behind but could only send arrows after the fleeing rebels who were soon out of range.

"How many did we leave behind?" shouted Gareth.

"Ten at least," said Brice, wiping the blood from his brow. "But I haven't counted them all. Mira did not make it to the boats."

The river moved quickly and the riverbank changed from the dry grasses to the woodland as they neared the long slopes down to the crossroads to Nantitet. The sun was warm upon them, but they resisted sleep.

"How far do you think we should stay in the river?" asked Daura.

"Today and most of tomorrow," said Gareth. "We are far from the crossroads. It will be dark before we reach the halfway point between Rhath and Mayse. Rest as much as possible. Tomorrow everyone must keep a watch for good places to disembark. I want to leave the river a couple miles before the crossroads."

"You still plan to march to Nantitet?" asked Daura.

"I've no choice. Our forces were small to begin with and now they are a handful. I must defeat the High King from within his palace or I will not. It would take too long to raise even a small army. And with Horeth chasing me I won't have enough time to recruit anyone."

"Why didn't you kill him?" asked Brice.

"I don't want to talk about it."

The river weaved through the rolling hills and trees clustered along its banks. The clear sky was not welcome by mid- afternoon when the sun and its reflections off the water burned bare skin and strained eyes. Daura borrowed cloaks to cover herself when she wasn't paddling but the heat brought her to a near faint. Brice found his throbbing head to be unbearable but he did not ask for relief from his paddling shift. When it was his turn to relax, he slumped over unconscious and it wasn't until after nightfall that he awoke, his scalp had been tended by Daura.

They continued south until darkness settled in around them. The boats were tied again to the bank and the rebels slept in their boats, they would take no chances on land. Gareth would have continued but with nightfall the clouds formed and the moonlight was not bright. The shadows on the river were treacherous and they had run aground once and had to rock the boat off the bar. It was then that they decided to stop for the remainder of the night.

They were well out of the main current of the river and the gentle rocking of the boats welcomed sleep to the rebels. There were two sentries, one in each boat and they sat in the shadows cast by the trees on the bank. Their long wispy branches hung low and danced slowly in the night air.

By mid-afternoon the following day, they had left the river and two hours later, they passed the crossroads and entered the coastal forest between Mayse and Nantitet. The air was cooler and clouds more prevalent along the coast. In two days, they would be in Nantitet.

"Keep a watch on the door. I don't expect trouble, here, not this soon. But our intentions will be revealed if anyone walks in unexpectedly. Once we are prepared, we will strike quickly and not allow the High King to react. By next week Ransal shall be High King and he shall be mine."

"Excellent, Kaell," said Didran. "I shall look forward to it. What do you want my men to do?"

"I want to know Mulane's movements and plans. He must be removed first and then the High King shall be ours. Spy out the guard posts and intervals of changes. Let me know what the boy, Ransal does and bring any news of the rebels."

"What about Prosty?" asked Didran. "Won't he find us out?"

"Do not worry about him. He has plans of his own. Somehow he has the ear of Michak despite the fact the High King knows of Prosty's efforts to undermine his power. But I can handle Prosty if he crosses our path. He is not interested in the throne; it is just another curiosity in his life. Still, be careful if you encounter him. Do not trust him."

Didran and three men left Kaell alone in the dungeon. Kaell walked down the narrow corridor, ducked his head under an archway, and stopped in front of a cell. He pulled out a key and opened the door.

"Hello, Parean."

"Go away."

"Come on, be reasonable. All I'm offering is a chance to see Daura again."

"I don't believe she's alive."

"But if she is, would my proposal be agreeable."

"It sounds like treason."

"How can it be treason? The rebels are already committing treason. To stop their threat would be patriotic."

"I don't know. I don't want them hurt."

"They will die without your help. Already they are cut down to a few dozen. Fifty soldiers could die for each one of the remaining rebels and there would still be thousands of soldiers left to fight. There is no hope for your friends. Unless you could persuade them to surrender or lead me to them for a quick defeat by merely displaying superior numbers."

"Pure speculation. Daura is dead!"

"Ah, but that's where you are wrong. The dead girl was the messenger sent to meet you. Daura escaped. I can send you to her, but only if you help me."

"I do not know what to say."

"Sleep on it. I shall return in the morning for your decision."

A man coughed behind Kaell.

"Yes, Didran?"

"The High King's taken ill. Bayernal rushed to his rooms. I didn't see him, but it is said that the High King's face was bluish."

"Excellent. Think about what I've said, Parean."

Kaell and Didran left the dungeon and walked up to the next level of the palace. Kaell did not try to disguise himself and no one tried to stop him. Except for the personal guard of the High King and Mulane's most loyal men, the remainder of the security guards of the palace were in Didran's control and Didran answered to Kaell.

They came to the third floor where the High King's rooms were and waited at the far end of the hall inside a doorway. Mulane's voice could be heard posting guards and requesting the presence of Ransal.

"I don't care if he's not in his rooms. Find him! He was the last one to visit his father before the illness started. Find him!"

Kaell smiled to himself. "Good. Better than I had hoped, and so quickly, too!"

He told Didran to signal his men to strike and establish control of the palace. Kaell stood by himself and waited until Mulane left the corridor. Then Kaell moved along the wall and began a small spell that tightened around the throat of the guard until his air was short and he passed out. Kaell dragged him back down the hall to where he had waited and folded the guard's arms and legs out of immediate sight. He returned and opened the door to the High King's rooms. There was no one in the sitting room but he heard two voices in the bedroom. One was Bayernal's, the other was not clear. Perhaps the High King regained consciousness, although it was unlikely. The poison Ransal used was very potent and had never failed to bring death within two hours. Kaell had watched many people die such a death, including his wife. He could still see her blue-black face, the bulging eyes and the helplessness. He was her provider, her protector, but his magic could not save her and she died, pleading for him to end her misery. He did nothing. But how did Ransal happen to have such a rare and expensive poison?

The moment his hand touched the door latch he perceived a presence on the other side so powerful that he shrank back to shake off its effects. It must have been the melancholy thoughts of his that darkened his perception of the room's occupants. He opened the door and walked in.

"Kaell!" said Bayernal. "This is your doing. The High King is dead."

"Who is this person?" Kaell pointed to the other man.

"My cousin's grandson, Macelan, from Dale."

"Perhaps we should hang him for the murder? What do you think? Or perhaps the one who actually did the deed, young Ransal?"

"If Ransal did this your hand guided him." Bayernal wanted to escape and sound the alarm but Kaell was between him and the door.

"Calm yourself. I will need a court physician when Ransal becomes High King. You never know when the young High King might become grievously ill."

"Mulane will kill you where you stand."

"If the chance arose I do not doubt that. But alas for Mulane, my men outnumber his and are at this moment assuming control of this palace. Ransal shall swing and I will be High King!"

Macelan stood by the window and did not look at Kaell while the latter spoke which irritated Kaell and he shot furious glances at Macelan. Finally, he strode over to the tall man, put his hand on his shoulder, and spun Macelan around to face him.

There was a sudden darkening of the room and a voice rose from the depths of the earth and shattered Kaell's skull with echoes of years turned to dust. Macelan no longer stood in front of him, instead a larger black figure with flowing robes and glowing eyes raised its arms and cried in a voice not heard in the world for centuries and in a tongue unknown to god-fearing men.

Terrible pain shot through Kaell's body as he felt his soul burn away. He was falling and falling and eternity would pass before his terror ended.

Macelan felt nauseous and slumped to the floor. Bayernal shrank back against the wall, his hands shook and he did not believe what he saw.

The shape, which had been Kaell's, had become the image of what he had seen in Macelan's body, but Kaell had left it forever. From a corner of the room Scithers appeared.

"Thank you, Macelan," said the smooth icy voice. "You may go on your way, for now. You have brought my master to a body whose power he can use to enhance his own. Unfortunately, he couldn't assume his normal shape in your body. A curious thing, but of no more consequence. This one suits nicely. It is time for us to part. Be gone, and do not let me see you again."

The dark figure bent over the still form of the High King and laughed and then followed Scithers through the doorway and was gone. Macelan couldn't look at the twisted face of what once was Kaell. The horror struck him in the pit of his stomach. Kerthon had returned to the living.