The Changing (24 page)

As Garret entered the war room he apologized openly for his delay, and relayed the tale of Vladmere's flight from the kingdom as he rounded the massive table to take his seat beside Karishtala, the leader of the white-robed clerics. Each regarded him patiently taking his words at face value, each waiting for him to seat himself. Garret reached his chair feeling that the atmosphere in the room was far different than it had been the previous night, though he attributed this to the tension mounting with the dire need to choose the king's successor.

"Lord Garret," Sulvis, the grizzled old general greeted. "The guards filled us in on Vladmere's tirade after they had informed you, so we are all aware of the situation. You have no need to explain your delay to us. You are a valiant man and a hero, Garret, so if we may continue, I shall give you the floor," Sulvis concluded.

Garret found the quiet faces around him, all staring in his direction, very odd, as if he had walked in upon a conversation not meant for his ears and all mouths had snapped shut mid-sentence. Even so, Garret believed it to be his imagination and so stood to address the council.

"Honored members of the royal council, It would be my absolute honor to present to you for the position of king..." Garret began, but was interrupted by the man he was about to place up for a vote.

Sulvis coughed loudly into his fist, both interrupting Garret and getting the knight’s attention. Garret watched as the old man, shaking his head, began to speak.

"The announcement has already been made in your absence so please just give us your vote Lord Garret," Sulvis informed him.

"Indeed, my apologies again," Garret said somewhat embarrassed. "In that case I vote ‘aye’ to the elevation to the position of king," Garret concluded casting his vote.

The room exploded into applause, each and every member of the council joining in, except of course Vladmere whose seat was obviously empty. They all turned to face Garret with smiles upon their faces.

"Well done, your majesty, well done!" Sulvis shouted over the tumultuous clapping and now cheers as well.

"Wait?" Garret said confused. "What’s going on?"

Realization began to dawn on him. Garret had been tricked, a ploy of the wise Sulvis no doubt, but tricked none the less. Garret had walked into an already completed vote that had been carried out in his absence, and trusting in General Sulvis, he had unwittingly cast the final vote to elect himself the successor to the king. As the applause began to die down and Garret began to feel the vast weight of the kingdom upon his shoulders, he sought to object.

"Wait, I cannot be king, I have no experience," Garret pleaded.

"That is why you have a council, your majesty," General Sulvis replied, then as an afterthought he continued. "Don't think you will step down either leaving the position to another man. We have each already declined the position, so you see, you have no choice in the matter." Sulvis finished with a devious smile and a wink.

"But I know nothing of kingdoms, I was raised at an inn for crying out loud," Garret protested again, hoping to gain traction.

"Do you know what your predecessor did before he became king?" This time it was Karishtala who spoke, and continued before awaiting a reply. "The King Valdadore before you was the son of a pig farmer. Knowing that, do you think any less of him?" Karishtala asked.

"Of course not," Garret replied, stepping directly into the trap she had created for him.

"So you see, your majesty, no matter how humble the beginnings, it is the individual character that makes a king," Karishtala concluded.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Sulvis agreed. "So what say you, your majesty? What should be our next order of business?"

Garret thought a moment, his head spinning, still unable to comprehend all that had befallen him in a matter of moments.

"The mages’ tower needs to be repaired and we need to relocate all who live there until the work is completed," Garret said, though his tone made it sound more of a question than a statement.

"Indeed your majesty, the council will see that it is taken care of. Is there anything else?" Sulvis asked again.

"Send out a party to track Vladmere and his cronies, though do not have them engage. I want to know what he is up to but from a distance." Garret said mulling over what he thought the kingdom required within his mind.

With that order, the new leader of the Knights of Valdadore, Jordin, and two of the army's captains began speaking in hushed tones before one of them abruptly stood and rushed out the door.

"Well, that is being taken care of. Is there anything else of immediate concern that you should wish us to see to, your majesty?" Sulvis asked yet again.

This time Garret was ready for the question and had thought of a response for the grizzled old war veteran.

"Indeed there is, General Sulvis, and I should like for you to oversee this task personally," Garret declared, his eyes fierce with determination. "See to it that no man or woman among this council ever, and I mean by fear of punishment of death, ever...calls me ‘your majesty’ again. At least behind closed doors, it’s simply too much." Garret watched the concern clear from all the members of the council as they began to laugh and smile at his jest.

The council meeting concluded, each member came to congratulate their new king before filing out of the room to get a well-deserved night's rest before a busy day ahead. After all, with a new king there had to be a celebration filled with more ceremony. Garret watched as the final council members vacated the giant stone chamber, though he stopped Sulvis once again and pulled him aside for a few private words.

"You have done me an honor beyond my value," Garret said solemnly. "I wish to show my gratitude for your high estimation of me."

"Me?" Sulvis asked. "It was unanimous, the entire council backed you," Sulvis explained. "I fear you underestimate yourself, Garret. Follow your heart and your gut and you will do just fine."

The new king and his grizzled old general spent a couple hours talking, much to Garret’s relief. Garret learned that most things in the day to day running of the castle would be seen to by the council without any need for Garret to intercede. Only things of import were brought to the king's attention, and even then it was usually only for a decision to be made which the council would then ensure was upheld. Sulvis explained that the main duty of the king was to make decisions. Though he could always rely upon the council for their wisdom, ultimately it was up to the king. In return, it was the king’s duty to bear the burden when those decisions led to failure, and savor the victories when they met success.

"I have another order to give, though I don't know who to give it to," Garret stated honestly.

"Go ahead Garret, I'll see to it that it reaches the appropriate ears," Sulvis replied.

"Postpone the crowning ceremony a few weeks to let the people mourn the passing of King Valdadore. If you wish, or think it wise, the town criers can be sent out to spread the word of my election. However let the people know that I will not be crowned until my predecessor has had an appropriate mourning period, befitting his honorable leadership of this kingdom," Garret said.

"Spoken like a true king already," Sulvis replied.

Garret already knew the kind of king he wanted to be. He wanted the people to love him, and not for his vanity, but because they prospered under his rule. If Garret could make that dream a reality, he knew his time as king would be a success. For now however, Garret felt the need to tell his only friend within the castle his news. Excusing Sulvis and wishing him a restful night, Garret followed him out the door, though he did not leave the castle. Instead he crept silently down the empty stone corridors and up the stairs to Linaya’s chamber, hoping beyond hope that the woman in all of her beauty was still awake.

* * * * *

Seth battled back as many as the insect creatures as he was able time and time again but his every effort seemed wasted. Each wave of the creatures he vanquished to ash or blasted with magical fire was replaced within seconds by another incessantly. It appeared to Seth that there was no end to the vastness of the insect army. Reaching out again as he had done dozens of times with tendrils of his power, preparing to obliterate tens of thousands of the large insects, Seth felt something familiar, and for the first time in half an hour he was filled once again with hope. Borrik and his troops had arrived and were now racing boldly through the mass of biting and pinching monsters to meet their master. Seth decided to greet the return of his troops by clearing a path for them, and while one instant the wolf men raced across the barren land atop the cracking shells of their foes, the next instant the insects had vanished and plumes of ash rose with each footfall of the wolf men. Burning carcasses still littered the ground everywhere, having been torched by magical fire, and though the hundreds of thousands of small flames lent light to the darkness so too did they add smoke to the air which lay in a thick, foul smelling blanket upon the battlefield.

Seth watched as Borrik and his wolf troops came into sight while Sara danced between them nimbly swinging her blade this way and that, striking down the insects from both the air and the ground. Though Borrik continued to his master, the troops he led spread out bashing, smashing, squashing, clawing and stomping their foes into oblivion. Borrik came to stand beside his master, realizing Seth not only needed to communicate, but also concentrate on his power.

"Tell your men to watch out for our allies," Seth stated before unleashing another torrent of flaming death upon the enemy. After finishing his blast Seth motioned a dozen or so yards away at the nearest battle group of the miniature men to him.

"Done," Borrik replied, eyeing the small wooden structure with canine curiosity, his head tilting to one side slightly.

"I have missed you, Borrik. What news do you bring?" Seth asked, preparing his next assault.

"The battle was won, though many were lost," Borrik stated as Seth turned yet another wave of insects to ash.

"And my brother?" Seth asked, fearing the answer.

"He lives, though the king was lost," Borrik replied.

"I believed as much," Seth stated, pausing to release another wave of fire causing the small shelled creatures in his path to pop, some of them leaving the ground with force as their bodies exploded before catching fire.

"How am I favored now that I have killed the king?" Seth asked out of curiosity as Borrik began to stomp around him, smashing an enemy with each step.

"This I don't know, m’lord," Borrik began to explain. "All of your loyal troops left directly following the battle. We split up in all directions to seek you out."

Seeking with his innate ability Seth counted his troops before responding to Borrik.

"Is this all the men we have remaining?" Seth asked.

"No m’lord, there are more. As I said we split up, though I sent runners to collect the others when I knew we would find you," Borrik reported, straight to the point.

"Did you see an end to our enemy as you crossed this dead stretch of land?" Seth asked, hoping for some insight.

"No m’lord, their numbers seem to be endless," Borrik answered. "Worse than that, these are only the small ones, perhaps their infantry?" Borrik both stated and questioned.

"Explain," Seth ordered, again leveling thousands of the creatures with a thought and drawing their life into himself.

"As we crossed the barren plain some of the troops, and I myself, saw larger forces about halfway across!" Borrik yelled over the raging inferno Seth now unleashed from his hands.

"How many?" Seth asked, concluding the blast.

"Just one that we saw but I would assume there are many," Borrik replied.

"Assume nothing Borrik. Now hold them off for a moment," Seth replied turning his attention from their enemies to the woman he loved.

"Sara!" Seth shouted, and watched as she lithely danced among the enemy, springing into the air to unreachable heights to strike down airborne foes, only to land lightly again, spinning and twirling like a dancer of death. Seth found it sexy the way she killed and that both amused and worried him.

"Find the chief. We are changing tactics," Seth shouted before returning his focus to the enemy. What Seth saw next was both disturbing but also probably one of the funniest stories he would ever recount.

Redirecting his concentration back to the task of slaying oversized insects in multitudes, Seth witnessed Borrik killing the creatures in a manner that simply did not suit the giant wolf man well, though he was forced to admit it was quite effective. Like an enormous puppy rolling in so much grass, the immense wolf man would spring forward, using all four of his powerful limbs to propel him. Then rolling into a ball of claws and fur, Borrik used his momentum to carve out a path through the insects, crushing them beneath his weight a hundred or more at a time. What was worse, as his troops witnessed the tactic whether with their eyes or telepathically, they too joined in on the sport making a gruesome circus show of the roll and tumble tactic. Seth actually found himself smiling and shaking his head at the deadliest man he would ever know besides himself.

For many moments Seth balanced his time between blasting the enemy, watching the wolves in their sickening game, and waiting for Sara’s return. If he was correct, and he thought he was, either the battle would be over soon or the enemy troops would become increasingly aggressive and angry. Either way Seth figured it was a gamble, but he felt secure that his decision was the right one.

Near a half an hour passed as Seth battled on, continually siphoning power only to again release it in a torrent of fire to devastate the enemy by thousands upon thousands, time and time again, but to little effect. Eventually Sara returned and quickly behind her one of the miniature armored units commanded by the chief of the tiny unnamed race appeared. Borrik and his men kept up their gruesome game while Seth made an attempt to speak to the chief.