King Of Souls (Book 2) (6 page)

Mistress Pell smiled. “It was no trouble. He ate two full plates of roast pork.”

Davin tipped his head toward Mistress Pell. “Thank you mistress.”

Mistress Pell returned his nod and faced Ronan. “Good evening to you Your Majesty.” She curtsied before lifting the hem of her pale blue dress and gliding out the kitchen door.

Davin Keel remained bent in honorific before Ronan, his gaze locked on the kitchen’s rough stone floor.

“Private Keel, please be at ease,” Ronan said.

“Yes, sir, I mean Your Majesty sir.” Davin stood with his eyes still locked on the kitchen floor avoiding Ronan’s direct gaze. He appeared as relaxed as a condemned prisoner marching grim-faced toward the gallows.

“Private Keel, have a seat and finish your meal.” Ronan stepped backward and gestured for the entire group to sit at the long kitchen table. “Everyone take a seat, please.”

Sir Alcott, Jeremy, Devery, and Rika slid onto the bench vacated by Mistress Pell.

Davin sat perched on the edge of his seat, still avoiding direct eye contact while Ronan sat in the seat across from him. “Davin, can I call you Davin?”

Davin’s cheeks blushed. “You can call me whatever you want,” he said. “You’re the king.” He finally looked up, and his eyes widened as he took notice of those seated at the table. Davin’s gaze locked on Rika, and his jaw dropped open while he gawked.

“Davin, I’d like to introduce you to Sir Alcott Agers, Knight Jeremy Brooks, and Lady Rika Finn.” Ronan gestured toward each person in turn. “I believe you’ve already met Commander Tyrell.”

Davin’s face flushed, and he gaped slack-jawed at Rika. “I… that is… it’s a pleasure to meet you Lady Finn.” He scooped up his napkin and mopped slick perspiration beading on his brow. He barked out a short nervous laugh. “The guys at Redkeep will never believe me when I tell them I met you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Rika said and smiled.

Ronan had seen that star-struck look many times before in his years spent with Rika. She had a habit of leaving young men tongue-tied no matter their station. “Davin, why don’t you tell us what happened in Porthleven, and what led you to Freehold.”

As Ronan spoke, Davin’s gaze tore free from Rika, and he blinked staring ahead emotionless. A moment later he spoke. “Happened in Porthleven?” When the word Porthleven crossed his lips, his eyes retreated, and the rings under his eyes darkened.

“Isn’t that why you came to find me?” Ronan said.

“Yes.” The word came out in a hoarse whisper, and he shook his head. “Harry told me to run. He said ‘Davin don’t stop until you find the king’.” He choked out a bitter laugh. “After what I saw, it was the easiest order I ever followed.” He licked his dry lips and wrapped a trembling hand around a pewter mug before raising it to his lips.

“Easy lad,” Devery said. “Take a deep breath, and calm yourself. Let’s go back a little further, and tell us why Sergeant Reed sent you to Freehold.”

Davin’s eyes closed, and he took a long breath while easing the mug onto the worn tabletop. “Harry, I mean Sergeant Reed, sent me a letter last fall. He told me about a job opening working for him in the local guard. He talked it up real good. Told me I could see the ocean. Mountains that went on forever, right on my doorstep.” He shook his head, his eyes unfocused as if reliving the past. “It was only after I got there, did I see he’d brought me to the middle of nowhere.”

“Why did he send you to Freehold?” Ronan said.

Davin’s gazed jerked at the sound of Ronan’s voice. “Because of the ship.”

“The ship?” Sir Alcott said.

“Twenty-eight nights ago, Harry and I were on night watch,” Davin said, his eyes slipping back in time. “Out to sea, he saw a huge ship approach the harbor mouth. He let me see it through a pair of field glasses he took from Redkeep.” He glanced at Devery. “He meant no harm by it Lord Tyrell. Harry was a good man. He thought they’d come in handy scouting the shipping lanes.”

Devery nodded. “He made the right choice.”

“The ship was black as a moonless night and enormous by any man’s measure.” Davin’s eyes flickered toward Ronan. “Harry said Meranthia didn’t have a ship so big. He said he had a horrible feeling about it.”

“What happened next?” Rika said.

“That’s when Harry told me to run,” Davin said. “He said no good was going to come from that ship, and I should go fetch the king.”

“But you didn’t come straight away did you?” Ronan said.

Davin lowered his eyes and shook his head. “I thought Harry might have overreacted, and I’d spend a month traipsing through the woods for nothing. So I hid in the bluffs overlooking Porthleven.”

“What did you see Davin?” Ronan said.

Davin paused, his eyes glued to the tabletop. “I watched Harry die.” His words came out just above a whisper.

“Can you tell us what happened to Harry?” Rika said.

“He, Ollie, and Fitz went down to the harbor to see about the ship,” Davin said. “I couldn’t hear much, but I could see Fitz strutting around like a rooster in a hen house his chest all puffed out. The next thing you know a crossbow bolt as thick as a man’s wrist catches Harry in the throat.” Davin remained motionless his breathing labored. “A second later, they shot Ollie in the chest.”

“Davin, who are Ollie and Fitz?” Ronan said.

Davin’s gaze drifted upward until he met Ronan’s. “I’m sorry Your Majesty. Ollie grew up in Porthleven, but he worked in the militia with me and Harry. Fitz is Porthleven’s harbor master.” His gaze drifted upward as if searching for a memory. “His full name is Fitzgerald Montgomery.”

“What happened to Fitz?” Rika said.

Davin shook his head. “I ran off. You would’ve too, if you’d seen them.”

“Who killed Harry?” Ronan said.

Davin swallowed hard his face a mask of pain. “You’ll never believe me. I’m not sure I believe it myself.”

“We need to know,” Ronan said.

“It was a dark night, and I had trouble making sense of anything from the bluffs,” Davin said licking his lips. “I saw three of them. The tallest stood at least ten feet tall and as thick as a tree trunk.”

Ronan’s gaze flickered to Sir Alcott awaiting his reaction, but his face remained stoic. “What did they look like?”

Davin mopped away fresh beads of sweat streaking his forehead. “Their skin looked thin, almost transparent. The tallest creature had black scales under his skin, and his nose was flat.” Davin touched his fingertips to his cheek. “His eyes glowed gold in the darkness.”

“Did he speak to Master Montgomery?” Sir Alcott said.

Davin nodded. “I think so.”

“I saw a woman on the ship too,” Davin said.

“Like the others?” Ronan said.

Davin shook his head. “She looked as human as you or me, but she didn’t look bothered by the creatures.”

Ronan glanced at Sir Alcott, but the scholar appeared as confused as Ronan felt.

“In fact, it looked like she was ordering them around. She was a tiny thing,” Davin said. “Maybe five feet tall if she stood on her tiptoes.”

“What happened next?” Ronan said.

“I ran like Elan Himself couldn’t save me,” Davin said. “I stayed off the roads in case they followed me. Here I am a month later.”

Ronan nodded. “Thank you Private Keel. You’ve done your country a great service, and you’ve brought honor to Sergeant Reed.”

Davin sat up straight and half-smiled. “Thank you Your Majesty.”

“Jeremy, would you show Private Keel to the guest quarters? I’m sure he’d like to clean up and get some rest.”

Jeremy nodded and stood. “Yes Your Majesty.” He motioned for Davin to follow.

After they’d left the room, Ronan slid onto the bench where Davin Keel sat moments earlier. He looked between Sir Alcott, Devery Tyrell, and Rika. “Well, what do you think?”

“I believe he thinks he saw something,” Sir Alcott said. “But, his story sounded like one you’d hear around a midsummer campfire. I’ve never read any accounts of these creatures he described.”

“We owe it to him to at least check it out,” Rika said. “I believe he saw Sergeant Reed die, and we should go for that reason if no other.”

“Devery?” Ronan said.

Devery Tyrell’s expression appeared haunted almost as if he’d seen the strange creature himself. “I believe every word of it.”

“You do?” Ronan said taken aback by the levelheaded commander’s strong words.

“Let me explain,” Devery said. “People from the Lost Valley, soldiers, especially, live a plain life. They’re humble people not prone to exaggeration or gossip. They don’t lie, ever. When you’ve not two coppers to rub together, your word must hold weight. If Davin says he saw these creatures, then he saw them. If he’d any doubt, he would’ve kept his mouth shut.”

Ronan’s stomach sank. Devery’s words left him stunned. “You realize what you’re committing us to?”

Devery nodded. “I knew Davin’s father and his grandfather before that. They’re simple folk, but they aren’t liars.”

“Rika, how many guardians do we have in Freehold?” Ronan said.

“Besides me? None,” Rika said. “We received word from the Prime Guardian that he sent two guardians to Freehold a few days ago.”

“Were they flying straight here?”

Rika shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“If they flew straight here, I’d expect them in a day or two at the most,” Sir Alcott said.

“We can’t wait two days,” Ronan said. “Devery, as soon as the guardians arrive, I want you and Jeremy to fly to Porthleven. You’ll meet Rika and me there.”

“You’re not going alone,” Sir Alcott said.

“There’s nobody better equipped than Rika and I to deal with this situation,” Ronan said. “Sergeant Reed sent for his king, and I won’t let him down.”

Sir Alcott shook his head. “You’re jumping straight into a hornet’s nest.”

“Rika, are you okay leaving at first light?” Ronan said.

Rika nodded.

Ronan glanced between his three friends seated across the table. “It’s settled. We’ll leave for Porthleven in the morning and unravel this mystery.”

Desert High

As Danielle soared high above the southern desert, hundreds of miles of sand stretched in every direction. No living creature stirred in the drifting ocean of blowing and twisting sand. She and Keely had flown a half-day south from the central oasis, producing empty results for their hard effort. No sign of Arber. No sign of a single plant or animal for hours. Her self-imposed deadline ticked closer by the minute, and she planned on keeping that promise. She wouldn’t place Keely in further jeopardy and compromise their hard-earned information.

A quarter-mile westward, Keely glided a few feet over the ground searching between the rolling dunes. From a higher altitude, heat waves and ever undulating sand blurred cloaking ground movement. She flew a measured crisscross pattern using Danielle's high-altitude position as a short-range compass.

On the horizon, swirling clouds massed near ground level. The clouds’ black undertones gave them a menacing deadly presence. The clouds spun forming dozens of columns of twisting air shooting seventy-five feet off the ground in seconds.

Adrenaline spiked in Danielle’s body, sending a panic alarm racing down her spine. Arber had warned her of the infamous Chukchi sandstorms. He knew more about the southern desert than anyone inside Lora’s Guard. But, Danielle couldn’t recall him ever experiencing a sandstorm firsthand.

A sandstorm could strip flesh from an unprepared man or beast leaving behind a pile of bleached white bones. Even wardens equipped with extensive armor protection skills feared the high desert winds. The sandstorms remained the primary reason few Ayralens traveled into the deep desert.

Danielle understood they’d gotten lucky with the calm winter weather. Judging by the looming black clouds, their luck ended here. She pointed her beak downward and screeched a long high-pitched wail meant to raise a warning for Keely.

Keely ignored Danielle’s signal and arced right. She shrieked a short shrill cry before circling a deep valley nestled between a pair of dunes.

Danielle loosed a second earsplitting screech as she trained a wary eye on the rapidly closing storm. Could Keely see the storm clouds flying so low to the ground?

Keely pointed her beak ahead and drifted upward on the thermal current.

Danielle followed Keely's mark, and the short hair on her stomach bristled.

On the storm’s leading edge, six long-legged beasts carried ten robed figures atop their backs.

Danielle recalled Arber’s written words. He said he dreaded climbing aboard the Paka.

The convoy stopped, and a small robed figure seated atop the lead Paka pointed toward the approaching storm. The group dismounted and the short man opened a glittering case strapped across the lanky animal’s flank.

Danielle pinned back her wings and shot past Keely gaining all the speed she could muster. As she flew over Keely’s head, she screeched arcing toward the pitch-black horizon.

Keely’s neck jerked toward the horizon, and her eyes widened. She beat her wings and pushed downward following Danielle into the deep valley between the dunes.