The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (32 page)

“Men, I am Lord Cristoff Bradswellen the Third of Saint Erinsburg, and I need to speak to your capitans.” He gestured with a calm hand and voice.

“I don’t think they calls em’
capitans
here in Shanador, ye’ need to---“ Tannek stopped his corrections as two of the men nodded, in awe almost, and let them pass through their line.

Dalliunn growled a feline acknowledgement out to Tannek and Cristoff, then nodded to the little man in the middle. “
Egloo hormiinii athy shiinbi athy vunnoo triiiliss rrriiiotii
.”

“W
hat did he say?” Cristoff was on
guard now, the sounds of arguing and fighting beyond a
mere
tavern dispute lingered outside.

“He said he smells
Saberrak
, Shinayne, and Zen. Right here at this table, and that be his axe in the hands of the pygmy there.” Tannek approached the table slowly.

Tubrey o’ Tarnobb stared at the lewirja, his big round eyes directly into the speckled feline curved orbs and cat-like irises that seemed to smile at him. He looked familiar, though he had never met one of these creatures in person. He thought hard, looked to the axe, then back up to the smiling lewirja.
Tubrey squinted his eyes, saw the lion-man sniff the air again, and then felt an elbow from Sir Jardayne.

“So, are you and yours joining us to meet the low king of Evermont? Sitting here in misery, flipping
those coins and drinking, will not
lift your spirits little one.” The Knight General of Evermont smiled, yet drew a dagger under the table, hearing the commotion and seeing unknown visitors pass into their room.
These ones were staring, not just passing through to get a glimpse of the famous Shans.

“I say
Tubrey
, you Shans o’ Little Door must travel with us, to do our great travels honor and song. I assure you, we shall find adventure in our routes, at least some dangers for you to write verse about. Thieves, bandits, something that I can---“ Sir Codaius was cut off from trying to lift the spirits of poor Tubrey, who had done nothing but mope since his heroes had turned west to the curselands.

“I wanted to follow them, do you not understand? To my death or whatever end, but I cannot. I am small, weak, slower than even a dwarf with such a small stride. I can barely lift this axe with two hands.
Should I sing a song of that? I have half a mind to turn round, caravan or no, and seek my bravery to the west.” Tubrey drank another slug of ale, looked to the foreign
man in gleaming armor, the menacing
looking dwarf beside him, and then back to the lewirja.

“
What?
!
What do you want?
!
A song? T
o stare at the little man until I dance? Be off!” He shouted at the three passersby, like so many others that had asked for a tune from the famous minstrels. Without his word, the band would not play, and Tubrey would not give the word
in his sorrows
.

“
I believe
you have me friends’
axe there
. Ye’ want to head west
,
Tubrey is it
?
Then show us which way the king o’ Kakisteele and his four friends headed. Ye’
can come with
us
then.” Tannek Anduvann though
t he had broke him for a moment, for tears welled in the eyes of the little man at the table.
His face went from fear, to shock, to sorrow, all at once.

Tubrey looked again at the lewirja, then the axe of stone Zen had given hi
m. His eyes went wide and dropped a tear
as he remembered who his dwarven hero had said he had gotten it from.
He looked again to the red bearded warrior, then to the armored Harlian man, and then back to the four legged feline savage. They were all smiling back at him.

“
Dalliunn…Dalliunn Cloudwatcher
? You led them through the Misathi Mountains. And you, you must be from Marlennak? And you, are you the one
Sir
James
Andellis
spoke of, the
noble
Harlian lord of…?” Tubrey choked on his words, it was like a dream. The stories he had heard of Chazzrynn, Harlaheim, Willborne, the trek through Deadman’s Pass, and here were their friends, in Freemoore. The lewirja rounded the table, tail bobbing, and licked Tubrey all over his face.

“Saint Erinsburg, yes. Do you know where we need to go, little friend?
We need to find them, soon.
” Cristoff bowed to the men on either side of him, then felt a vibration
from his pyramid pommeled blade, five throbs of warning radiated from his weapon into his hand.
The longsword of Kendari
had never done that before.

Jardayne of Highmont stood, lifted his blade from the table, and signaled for Codaius of Norninne to do the same.“I do not know who you three
are, and I trust no one on the matter at hand
.
You know of the five that headed west?”

“We do, we f
ollow them and their quest
, to Kakisteele and the lost city of Mooncrest, aye. I am Tannek Anduvann, this is Dalliunn, and Lord Cristoff Bradswellen o’ Harlaheim.” Tannek smiled big under his red braids of beard. The two knights of Evermont smiled back, looked to each other, then to the Shans o’ Little Door. Everyone felt something, a fleeting hope, and inspiration just from the chance of them meeting here at No Kings Well.
Words could do it little justice, f
or everyone present simply knew
that they each knew, and that was enough.

“I am Sir Jardayne of
--“ The Knight General was cut off by the appearance of fifty armed Armondi men that now cornered them and their ten soldiers
inside
.
People scrambled out of their way, toppling over one another to keep distance.

Silence, followed by the drawing of many blades, then silence again with but a set of bootsteps
on weathered wooden floor
to break it.
Golden steel rings over fine fitting leather, golden shoulderplates and greaves to match, Prince Rohne Viorius, heir of Armondeen , was intimidating even at sixteen years of age.
His tight slick hair pulled back into a black tail,
a
deep brown merciless stare emnated disgust, and his hand rested on his jeweled scimitar pommel as the scabbard toyed with his indigo cloak. His eyes radiated wickedness with their blue tinge of royal paint around them, and his breath seemed to hold for better air to arrive.

“
Make way for the Prince of Armondeen
!” Hi
s guards yelled in unison, one hand
clutched
in salute
over their breastplates with the crossed talons holding the lance and scepter of
their kingdom. Their other hand
gripped their hilts of curved steel, as
if they knew blood was about to
be shed.

“Sir Jardayne, Knight General of Evermont, h
iding in the slums of Freemoore?
You are a hard man to find, harder still to find those you are protecting.” Rohne Viorius smiled at the men of Evermont, then the group of little folk, and lastly at the dwarf and his companions.

“You are at the wrong tavern, Prince of Armondeen. You should learn to read someday, perhaps
before
you are king.” Sir Codaius walked forward with Jardayne, next to Cristoff, Tannek, and Dalliunn.
“No King’s Well, so get out.”

“By all means, speak freely here, it is still a free city.
Not for long
, but today it remains as such.”

“What is it you want of me, your highness?” Jardayne spoke up, both hands resting on his greatsword now. He peered out the window, his forty men were surrounded by two hundred fifty at least. The prince had brought quite a force to have just a simple discussion.

“I want those five fugitives from Harlaheim, the ones you are hiding. The seekers of fame and treasure in
my unfortunate southern domain. Y
ou know of what I speak
, they stayed with you in Evermont for a time
.They have plans to make incursions into my kingdom.
Incursions
, Sir Codaius, are
unwarranted
movements or actions into the lands of another. I assumed by the stupid look on your face that you were confused by the word.”
Rohne glared at the man twice his size and strength. Yet with fifty men scouting the streets, fifty in here next to him, and two hundred fifty surrounding the No Kings Well, he felt immensely more powerful.

Cristoff put his arm out just in time to stop the large Shanadorian man from a rash act. “I am Lord Cristoff Bradswellen,
from Harlaheim
. And there are no fugitives from my kingdom here.”

“That is because they are hidden, by knights of Evermont. Turn them over, and no one needs to bleed.” Rohne raised his chin to this foreign lord, then spat on the floor.

“Perhaps my greatsword needs a bit of
incursion
up your princely little ars, we could settle this outside, were you a man.” Codaius, the Bear of Evermont as he was known, spat over the guarding arm of the Harlian lord.

“Truly? And even if you bested me with the blade, you are but a knight. When Armondeen seeks justice for a their prince assaulted
, and my mother the queen sits in Acelinne before your kings, what praetell do you think your punishment would be,
mighty bear
?
They would likely trade you to be hanged, if you were lucky.
”

“Cowadice with words, not wothy of noble blood.” Codaius raised his voice and growled.

“You assume that word will leave Freemoore
, here at No Kings Well. I would wager it does not,
Prince Rohne
.” Jardayne put his hand on Codaius’ shoulder, trying to avoid a fight they were most outmatched to engage.

“Your men outside? Fifty I believe,
and look there
, I think the only words not escaping Freemoore will be yours.” He gestured toward the surround, well in place outside the windows. “You should have taken the Lord Amirak’s off
er. Denying Harron Vir Magaste
several times, w
a
s not a wise choice, Knight General.”

“I do not turn traitor to my kingdom, unlike your ruling lord.”

“Mind your words, Shanadorian, Evermont and Freemoore combined could not match the forces of Armondeen. Lord Harron would pleasure in leading them here, I assure you.”

“I have eight thousand people just north of this city, prince of Armondeen. If it is numbers you wish to threaten upon my friends, I would withdraw, were I in your boots.” Cristoff drew his blade, looked to the corners and shadows, he felt them and saw, five of them. Shaggy men with dark eyes and blades, waiting, hidden to everyone else here it seemed. He pointed with his longsword as he spoke. “And tell your dark spectres, those in the corners there and there, that I see them plain as daylight.”

“So a lord from Harlaheim with the rabble of peasants and wagons I heard of from my scouts, wishes to side with Evermont in a free city? You are far from home, and a fool.
You have no soldiers, just
sunburnt
refugees.
” Rohne nodded to his men. Ten went out and began to bring in a hundred more, another ten of his men tossed small pouches of coins into the crowd. Within moments, the coins of gold were confiscated by many a man, and more blades drew in the tavern. “I say, gold buys much assistance, and silence here.
These men
are planning an assault on Armondi soil, and I ask you fine folk to make it as if they never were.”

Hundreds of Armondi soldiers crowded in, then hundreds of patrons with daggers and hidden swords and maces stepped forward
. Cornered with nowhere to go, t
he lord, the knights, their guards, and the mismatched troupe of minstrels backed up against the walls. Dalliunn growled low, Tannek drew his shield and tapped his axe t
o it twice, then Cristoff stood
over th
e crowd, up on a chair, with an undeniable presence that seemed brighter
and stronger than it should normally be. His armor glowed and hummed, ever so slightly.
Fifteen on nearly four hundred, half of them drunk or no, Cristoff had to distract as long as he could
to avoid their slaughter
.

“
Ye’ may have
had point there Cristoff, this may not o’ been the clearest path o’ action for our survival then. Besides hacking it out to our deaths and standing on a chair, g
o
t any good ideas?
” Tannek whispered. He thought of his brother, the five headed to Kakisteele, and of dying bravely in a few moments.

“
I am Lord Cristoff Bradswellen the Third, exiled from Harlaheim, man before Alden, and seeker of a new freedom here in the west.
I search for
ancient Mooncrest and lost Kakisteele, and follow the bravest of souls to a greater glory.
Would there be any honor in
No Kings Well
?
!
Honor to stand against a conquering prince who
would
cowardly
steal
the dreams
of others?!
Honor to fight against the son of a king who buys loyalty now, and once
king
himself,
may merely
demand it tomorrow?
! Is this not a
free
city? Does not the
intrusion on hope inspire
you to retaliation? Or, would the men of Freemoore
simply be bought
?! If no,
and I know the answer is a
mighty nay
,
stand here with me
now
and let us not bleed alone
!”