The Pinnacle Of Empire (Book 6) (20 page)

The lady-in-waiting flinched then bowed, turned in haste, and left.

* * *

Just after little Saxthor was born, Xthilleon was fuming in his tower.

“All these fools are in play, but nothing is moving forward,” Xthilleon said to Morphenius. The servant nodded his head. “You stupid oaf, you don’t understand what I’m saying.” Morphenius shook his agreeing head again as he did anytime the sorcerer mumbled.

“Governor Hedrak failed to kill Saxthor when he had the chance years ago. I must remind him Saxthor executed his cousin the treasurer for corruption, ending his hope for nepotism to elevate him closer to the throne. He’s afraid of being discovered for his treasonous activities. We do keep the letter he sent to Nindax in case blackmail is ever needed to encourage him to do our bidding. The last letter I sent him reminded him that his distant relationship to Emperor Engwan still gives him a remote claim to the throne should anything happen to Saxthor or his progeny. That feeds his ambition and keeps him in our service, for the present.”

“Nindax is king,” the oaf said.

“Yes, Nindax, he’s my means to the throne. It’s time we elevated that fool a step closer.”

Xthilleon went to the palace where he found King Nindax dismissing the court for the day.

*

“I should like to speak with you privately, Majesty,” Xthilleon said.

“Very well,” Nindax complied. “Come with us to the private audience hall. But this mustn’t take long. I’m going hunting in the forest before dark.” Nindax dismissed the chamberlain at Xthilleon’s insistence and the two talked in private.

“Your Majesty has subdued the rebels in Velstorbokkin and assimilated the kingdom into Senoshesvas. Now that you’ve stabilized the kingdom and established servility, shouldn’t Your Majesty declare yourself Emperor of Senoshesvas?”

Nindax scratched his beard. He studied the wizard’s face for a moment as if looking for some ulterior motive. Xthilleon gave a rare smile.

“Emperor of Senoshesvas, that sounds good.”

“Your Majesty was quite enraged when word came that the kingdoms of the peninsula consolidated into the Graushdem-Sengenwhan Empire. Surely Your Majesty is as worthy and powerful as that empire.”

“Yes, why shouldn’t I proclaim Senoshesvas an empire? I conquered our oldest rival and brought it under my rule. But to proclaim myself emperor in the west might provoke Emperor Saxthor to initiate war against us. Emperor Grekenbach was Saxthor’s close friend, so they say, and they say he loved Empress Dagmar. He’d let them proclaim empire without feeling threatened, but we almost went to war with the empire over the invasion of Velstorbokkin.”

“The Velstorbokkin fleet is almost equal to the imperial fleet, at least the northern imperial fleet on the Tixosian Sea. Your army is experienced in battle and your mountains almost impregnable. Surely, Emperor Saxthor would think twice before attempting to cross those mountains to invade Senoshesvas, where his superior numbers would be neutralized in the pass. He’s not likely to take on the Velstorbokkin fleet over your elevation to emperor.”

“Yes, and I’m as good a warrior as Saxthor, though he’s said to hold unknown powers in the Crown of Yensupov. But if the stories are true of his riding a golden dragon at the end of the Great War, then the dragon ring is a power we can’t confront.”

“Your Majesty just won a war that doubled your kingdom. Will you now cower at the thought of a crown and a ring?”

“You’re right! I’ll have the court chamberlain make the preparations for my investiture as Emperor of Senoshesvas.

“And the dowager empress… isn’t it time you renewed wooing her.”

“She’s still enraged I tricked and crushed her father. She’ll not forgive me for that.”

“She’s a foolish woman and susceptible to an irresistible warrior like yourself. Who else could court a former empress? I’m sure Your Majesty could use your superior charms to overcome her anger and regain her favor.”

“Superior charms you say,” Nindax repeated, cleared his throat, smiled, and continued. “Yes, I’m a magnificent specimen of a man, more of a man than Saxthor. She couldn’t refuse me if I made the slightest advance.”

“Then you will renew your courtship?”

“Well, first I’ll proclaim myself emperor of Senoshesvas. Then I’ll woo the dowager as an equal. I shall have her father write to her and encourage the match.”

“Yes, that would put you one step closer to the Powetersian throne,” Xthilleon added as a further incentive.

“As emperor of the entire continent south of the peninsula, I could then easily crush the insignificant Graushdem-Sengenwhan Empire and rule the world.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.”

* * *

King Nemenese sailed the precarious seas around the western continental edge rather than risk crossing the Urgenak Forest again. Such a journey would have been impossible in any case with such a large entourage. With him were the nobles specified by King Nindax who had betrayed their Velstorbokkin monarchy and sided with Nindax when they saw the war going badly. They now flocked to pay homage to the new Senoshesvasian emperor at his investiture, much to the disgust of Nemenese.

The voyage was rough and risky, but seven Velstorbokkin ships landed at the most northwestern port of Senoshesvas. The entourage traveled by coach and carriage over very rough roads to the capital.

Nindax showed his contempt by sending his chatra rather than himself to greet the subservient arrivals at Varnakak’s intimidating gate. Only at the feast the night before the investiture did King Nindax greet his guests who had traveled so far. Xthilleon sat on the king’s left and the Senoshesvasian chatra on the right. King Nemenese was seated at the far end of the head table. His nobles found their seats at the table farthest from the head table to further the insult.

Following the investiture the next morning, the Senoshesvasian army paraded by in force before the royal palace, now the imperial palace. Nemenese stood watching the parade, knowing the crippling war reparations Nindax demanded paid for the splendor, copying Saxthor’s coronation.

“Emperor Nindax seems well prepared to defend the western empire against potential Powterosian aggression,” Nemenese said, initiating polite conversation with Xthilleon, who stood next to him on the balcony from which Nindax required they review the military might of the new empire.

“Defend?” Xthilleon said. The wizard didn’t even look at the king.

“Nindax isn’t thinking of invading the empire is he?” Nemenese asked, careful his voice didn’t betray his alarm. Xthilleon didn’t respond, but a slight smirk curled the corner of his thin, tight lips. “Who is that man at the end of the reviewing line? I don’t think anyone introduced him to me.”

“That would be Lord Hedrak, Governor of Mendenow.”

“Mendenow, that’s a Powterosian province, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Is he Emperor Saxthor’s representative?”

“Not exactly,” Xthilleon said, the sinister smirk returned.

* * *

That evening Emperor Nindax held a secret audience with Governor Hedrak.

“Your responsibility is to get Emperor Saxthor to travel to his palace on the southern sea for a holiday,” Nindax said.

Hedrak glistened with sweat and bowed repeatedly. “Your Highness, the emperor, I meant Emperor Saxthor is reluctant to return to Mendenow since that unfortunate incident that occurred there on his tour of the provinces.”

“You mean your bungled attempt to assassinate him.”

Hedrak said nothing in response but bowed again. Nindax handed Hedrak a goblet of wine, which the fidgeting man took and gulped down.

“Surely you can exert some influence on your cousin, Dowager Helgamyr, to persuade Saxthor to vacation with the family at the sea shore.”

“Helgamyr hates Saxthor. She refuses even to see him.” Hedrak extended the goblet, but Nindax didn’t offer to refill it. He returned the goblet to the crude wooden table.

“Yes, we know of her hatred; we promote that too. But the dowager still has some influence with her daughter the empress. You must convince Helgamyr that her family should go to the seashore for the sake of the children’s health. They have a palace by the seashore I believe.”

“I shall try to convince Her Majesty to exert her influence, Exalted One.”

“Try isn’t a word I like, Hedrak. You either do it or you don’t. Failure to get them to visit the coast will be interpreted by us as a lack of your support for this imperial throne. We could reveal your involvement in the earlier attack on Saxthor. Treason is a capital offense in the Powterosian Empire, is it not?”

“But Your Imperial Highness…”

“Stop whimpering and make it happen. Saxthor must visit the coast at Mendenow with his family. You will inform us when to expect that visit.”

“I shall do my best, Highness.” Hedrak glanced at Nindax who glared at him.

“Do it!”

* * *

Nindax met with Xthilleon at the wizard’s tower some weeks later.

“Now that I’ve repaired the break with Helgamyr, I have a bold plan to further extend the Senoshesvasian Empire. I need your assistance, wizard. I’ve sent that fool Hedrak back home to apply his influence and to insist that Saxthor take the imperial family to the seashore at Mendenow.”

Xthilleon raised his eyebrows. “You imagine that idiot Hedrak can have such influence? He has such connections?”

“He hates the emperor. I’ve encouraged him to imagine himself as succeeding to the Powterosian throne in event of the royal family’s demise.”

“Emperor Hedrak. That’s rather funny.”

“Isn’t it?”

“What could induce him to perform such treason again?”

“He hates Saxthor for executing his corrupt cousin. Hedrak is distantly related to the former Emperor Engwan III. Thus, with my fanning his imagination, he sees himself as the true successor to the Powterosian throne. His unrestrained ambition and his fear of us will ensure he convinces the imperial family to go to Mendenow’s imperial palace on the Southern Sea.”

“And what do you need from me?”

“I need an assassin that can be certain to kill them all there.”

Xthilleon twirled a dagger on his desk. “Certain to kill them all without fail. I see. It will have to be something of extreme power, lethal, and totally unexpected. Emperor Saxthor will be alert to anything unusual trying to get to his family after that previous disaster in Mendenow.”

“Yes, make certain whatever you devise for this mission is powerful enough it can’t fail. We’ll not get another chance. Saxthor has too many attendants around him at all times. He has that tittletot that watches for approaching evil. Perhaps you could eliminate the tittletot first?”

“I think not, tittletots are still elves. He would recognize any attack coming before it could reach the intended victim.”

“I hear Saxthor wears a phoenix medallion at all times as well. I’ve seen it when Helgamyr confronts Saxthor. There is something alert to danger in that medallion.”

“What do you mean, ‘you’ve seen it?’”

“Never mind that. We’ll only get this one chance as you say.”

“I’ll get the imperial family to the coast; you must see to it they don’t return.”

*

Xthilleon had left the tumultuous crowds in the capital and traveled west to the Senoshesvasian coast to consider Nindax’s demand for some sort of assassin that couldn’t fail. The sorcerer stood with Morphenius on the rock precipice overlooking waves smashing on the steep slope below. He stared out to sea with the wind blowing in his face and whipping his stringy hair. There, he contemplated the requirements and possible solutions.

“This thing must be taken to Mendenow, and to do so will mean it must travel by sea or air. Any attempt to creep through the mountains and then across the imperial provinces undetected would be impossible. It must be large and powerful enough to overpower Saxthor’s already alert defenses and kill all the Powterosian imperial family. What could accomplish such an objective?”

“A dragon, master, you needs a dragon,” Morphenius suggested. Xthilleon patted the oaf’s head.

“Yes, a dragon would do best, but I haven’t yet the power necessary to form a dragon. There’s no assurance a dragon could overpower Yamma-Mira Heedra, the supreme golden dragon Saxthor commands. No, this must be something exceptional… something different.”

The sea breeze suppressed the incoming waves for an instant and Xthilleon saw a black and yellow banded sea snake just beyond the breakers.

“Seas snakes are extremely lethal, more so than most land snakes,” the wizard mumbled.

Morphenius’s broken yellow teeth showed as he chuckled, staring into the sea. “Nasty creatures, I hears. They can kills a fisherman with one bite. Kills him before he can gets to shore if he grabs hold of one. They don’t goes after you like water moccasins does. Little mouths, hard to bite.”

“As yet, I can’t conjure a dragon again, but perhaps I can grow something powerful enough. Those sea snakes, they come on land to lay their eggs, I’m sure of it. Go down below and search for caves. It’s the season for snakes to lay their eggs.”

“Does these sea snakes lays eggs or has live little’uns?”