Heir to the Sundered Crown (5 page)

Rason smiled wickedly.

“Yes my brothers that is exactly what we got. Instead of taking charge, of asserting your authority over the realm, you allowed it to be torn apart by the barons and their petty squabbles. Now we have six claimants all tearing Delfinnia apart, this is something...” His voice rose in volume until he shouted out, ‘This is something that I cannot allow!”

He put a boot on the neck of one of the terrified councillors. “Do none of you contest my judgement? That you are all sniffling cowards, that I am the only one who can bring order back to this realm, that only I can save Delfinnia?” he sneered. Only sobs and pitiful cries answered him.

He laughed, mocking their weakness.

“No one has courage to stop me? ‘He spoke disbelievingly. He was amazed at himself that he had been willing to follow their orders for so long. He was the last general willing to do what was necessary. If he did not force the realm to heel under his boot then Delfinnia would surely be lost.

“You have no right to the crown,” Said a deep voice from the crowd of onlookers.

Rason spun to face the cowering peasants. His face grew purple with rage at the audacity that a peasant no less would speak out against him. He raised his fist and thrust it at the crowd, immediately the legionaries drew their swords. Women and children screamed and the men shouted in protest as the soldiers waded into the crowd violently shoving and punching whoever got in their way. The peasants scattered, fleeing back down the cliff path and to safety. All of them save one.

A hooded cloaked man stood his ground.

“And who are you to say such a thing?” Rason said menacingly as his men approached the man, his legionaries smirked to one another. The man was obviously mad to defy their general in so public a place.

The man threw back his hood to reveal the face of a ghost. Rason took an involuntary step backwards as he recognised the former commander of the king’s bodyguard.

The great warrior Davik stood before him.

He looked the same as he had always done save for a scar that ran from his left cheek and down into his neck.  The grizzled old veteran glared at Rason and the legionaries as though daring them to attack.

“You’re supposed to be dead Davik. You died the same night as the King and his family.” Rason sputtered in disbelieve. A thousand thoughts whirled through the general’s mind. Davik had been a friend, where had he been all this time? Doubts over his actions crept into his head.

“I got better.” Davik replied simply.

The legionaries looked to each in confusion unsure how to react at this revelation.

“This war has raged on for long enough. I had hoped to wait and see who the realms true enemies were, but now I see that before I will have a chance to do so we will destroy ourselves by infighting.

An heir to the Sundered Crown yet lives Rason.”

The general took another step back at his former comrade’s revelation. He had been planning this coup for two years he could not stop now, not with the crown so close to his grasp, besides if he freed the Privy Council or welcomed this heir he would no doubt lose his head. Too much blood had been spilt for him to stop now.

“I have put too much on the line to stop now my old friend.
I
will be king, and
I
will save our realm.’ Rason paused offering a hand to Davik, ‘join me, and together we can restore order to Delfinnia.”

Davik glared at the man he had once called friend. He glanced from legionary to legionary catching each of the men’s eyes in turn. None could bare to hold his gaze for long.

“You pledged your loyalty to the King’s legion and I say a true king yet lives, enemies greater than the barons are waiting in the wings. Would you forsake it all for your general’s lust for power?”

No one answered him.

“My men are loyal to me Davik. Under my rule all enemies, whether real, or the ones concocted in your age addled mind will be destroyed.’ A sad look crossed Rason’s face. ‘I am sorry my friend but I cannot allow you to leave this place alive, if word of this so called heir got out then...well my rule would not be accepted by the people now would it?”

Davik frowned; he knew what would happen now. His right hand edged to the sword on his hip, unseen under the cloak.

“Kill him,” Barked Rason as he drew his own sword.

With a speed that startled the legionaries Davik whipped his blade out of its scabbard and buried it deep into the nearest legionary’s throat. Blood erupted from the dying mans throat as Davik ripped his sword out of the man’s flesh. He spun countering a thrust and brought his knee hard into the face of another attacker who fell to the ground, his nose shattered.

He may be old but Davik had been in more battles than he could count and the young legionaries didn’t have his skill or experience. He pivoted on his left foot spinning him around to face the rest of his attackers. He glanced behind him to see a full platoon of troops hastily marching up the hill, their spears at the ready.

Davik swore under his breath. He had been far too reckless. Two legionnaires charged towards him, he ducked the first’s wild swing and stabbed his own blade savagely into the man’s gut. The metal slid in underneath the legionary armour and deep into meat. The man squealed in agony, crumpling to the ground in a messy heap.

Davik stepped over the corpse, ducked the second attackers thrust, rotated his wrists and brought his sword down onto the legionaries wrist, slicing clean through the bone and sending him crashing to ground in a whimper. 

Rason felt a twinge of fear at seeing his men being bested by the famous warrior but breathed a sigh of relief as the cohort crested the hill. One man against fifty, the old fool wouldn’t stand a chance.

Arrogantly he turned his back on his new enemy and turned his attention back to the councillors who sat stunned at the sight of the legendary old commander battling his former comrades. The general gestured to the two legionaries guarding the councillors.

“Kill them too.” He said with not a hint of emotion in his voice. If murder was what it took to become king then it didn’t bother him. Rather he was king than some fool baron or some mysterious claimant and the lady’s prophecy had to be fulfilled.

The soldiers drew their swords, setting upon the defenceless councillors with a brutal determination. Each of their screams was silenced as cold steel took their lives in a spray of blood.

“NO!” Davik screamed at the sight. He was holding off the cohort who edged towards him wearily, the sight of their dead colleagues checking any foolish charge. He stood stunned at the slight of the slaughter. Madness had descended upon Delfinnia, a madness that would play into the hands of the realms true enemies.

With a roar of anger Davik attacked the cohort. His arm was a flurry of swings and thrusts as he hacked and slashed his way through the soldiers, a single thought was in his mind. Rason would pay. Despair filled him. He had been counting on Rason to hear him out about his fears, about that night when the royal family died.

Foolishly he had hoped that together they would restore the legion and exact vengeance upon those who had hired the assassins, now all that was left of the man he had once trusted was a lust for power, a man who had lost his soul through murder and savagery.

A spear stabbed painfully into his side knocking the wind out of his chest. He staggered grabbing the spear shaft to steady him-self and plunged his sword into the spearman’s throat. Blood poured from the wound; if he didn’t find a way to escape then he would surely die. He edged the fight toward the steep cliff edge. Below the path lay the sprawling city of Sunguard its high towers glinting in the sunlight. On any other day he would be thanking the gods for such a splendid sight, now however he prayed for something else entirely.

He pressed his attack forcing the soldiers back until they reached the side of the steep path. Madly he glanced downwards; the drop must have been over 200 feet at least. He closed his eyes in acceptance. There was no other way.

With one last look at Rason, Davik whispered a silent prayer to Niveren before stepping backwards off of the cliffs edge.

***

5.

The journey took almost four whole days and on the eve of the last they finally could see the priory of Niveren. The two high towers of its battlements made an imposing sight compared to the beauty of its surroundings. The priory was in some respects like a small town; it contained a variety of craftsman and it owned the surrounding farmland. The large walls and castle stood on a hill that allowed it to tower above the other buildings needed to keep the order of Niveren running. Surrounding it was the lake of Sumil, its shimmering waters only adding to the scenes beauty.

Kaiden stopped the horse and admired the view. He turned to Alira “Only Gods could have made such a place. A fitting home for our order is it not?” Happy that he was close to his home; he saw Alira had a sad look on her face. The ordeal on the road had scared her deeply.

“What’s the matter?” Kaiden asked, concern showing on his face.

Alira slumped in the saddle.

“I won’t be safe there. You’re a knight of Niveren and I am a mage. You people hunt down my kind. And I fear I would hurt someone else. The power I felt was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It scares me.’ She wiped a tear from her eye, ‘No it terrifies me.” She said tearfully.

Kaiden was about to try and reassure her that she would be safe, that he would protect her, when a rider in a sergeant’s uniform hailed them.

“Stay here. We can discuss this later when we’ve had a good meal and a sleep. That’s the least I can do for the lady who saved my life.”

He dismounted and the sergeant trotted closer.

“Hail Sir Kaiden, one of our scouts saw you yesterday whilst travelling back from Retbit.”

“Ah yes the rider we saw yesterday, he gave us some wine but didn’t have time to share any news. He seemed to be in quite a hurry.”

“Yes, the Grand master sent him to deliver a message to the baron of Retbit demanding your release, but on his arrival you had already been set free. The Grand master has recalled all of the knights back to the priory.” The sergeant was a young man of no more than eighteen. On seeing Alira he seemed to forget Kaiden was even there.

“Yes she is a pretty one, now sergeant; please tell me, why is the Grand master recalling the order?”

The sergeant snapped his attention back to Kaiden.

“Sorry” he said blushing before regaining his composure. “The Grand Master is recalling the order because he is preparing to go to war!”

“War? By god what has happened?” Kaiden asked, a sense of dread knotting in his stomach.

“New intelligence has come to the master’s attention; apparently he knows who was responsible for hiring the assassins that murdered the royal family and started the war for the crown.”

*

It was an ominous looking day as Kaiden awoke. Large dark clouds filled the sky bringing the promise of rain. It was nice to be back in a comfortable bed and to be fed well, but he was most happy about his chance to clean and trim his beard.

The bell for Morning Prayer rang out of the courtyard, a tradition that had existed since the orders founding. He pulled on his tunic, breeches and boots before walking to his closet and taking out a brand new mantle. The white and gold almost shone it was so new. Finally, he picked up his sword and attached the scabbard to his belt.

He was still tired after having to stay up until midnight talking with the masters of the order about his imprisonment and Alira. None of them liked the idea of having a woman capable of magic in the priory, but they all agreed they would allow her to stay for a time in respect for her rescue of their brother knight. As for the baron of Retbit he could wait as other events were taking place.

The baronies were on the verge of escalating the war, with the baron of Balnor’s defeat in the Gold Hills the route to the capital was now open for the baron of Champia to make his move northwards, and Retbit would surely not waste his chance to try and take Sunguard. Hiding behind the capital’s walls was the Privy Council who was rapidly losing control of the realm. Even those in the king’s legion that remained loyal were said to be manoeuvring to launch a coup d’état.

Rumours were also spreading that the baronies of Bison and Robinta had fallen under attack from rampaging warlords and in the far North; the mountain kingdom of Eclin had sent messages for aid to the rest of the realm stating that fell beasts had been ravaging its towns and villages. The details were far too vague for the knights to understand and so only a few scouts had been dispatched to the region.

Kaiden walked down the chapter houses long passageway passing several other knights and squires along the way. Eventually he reached the small room where Alira had been billeted; he gently tapped on the door.

“Come in.” came her voice.

Kaiden opened the large oak door, and saw Alira sitting at a small dressing table brushing her long golden hair. She wore a long shift dress of royal blue and smiled as she saw him. His heart almost skipped a beat, she was beautiful. Composing himself by clearing his throat he said; “Morning, I hope you slept well. Have my brother knights treated you well? I am sorry I haven’t come to see you before now, but I’ve been very busy.”

She smiled. “I understand. I’ve been treated very well, and for an order that isn’t supposed to have women I was surprised to see such a lovely collection of dresses.”

Despite her happiness Kaiden could see the rings under her eyes. She had been having nightmares ever since the incident on the road. It was something she had to deal with and accept, it would come in time he knew.

He still remembered the first time he had killed a man. He could see his face every time he fell asleep, but over time he had come to accept what he had done. Killing to save others was something he could live with, after all that was what Niveren commanded. Kaiden laughed and pushed those thoughts out of his mind.