The Sleeping King (88 page)

“What say you?” the lizardman girl demanded in what sounded like shock. “White it be? Not black or red?”

“Nope. It's as white as Raina's tabard,” Rosana replied. “It looks nice against your, uhh, scales.”

“A mirror? Where find I a mirror in this mausoleum?”

Sha'Li rushed off to have a look at her mark, and came back looking angrier that Will would ever remember seeing her. He asked, “Didn't you say the white mark in your Tribe of the Moon is for those of pure heart and a healing bent?”

Sha'Li actually snarled at him, and he grinned unrepentantly. “I knew all along you had it in you. Congratulations.”

“Not one more word, pink skin. Or die you will—”

Rosana cut off Sha'Li's threat cheerfully. “As long as your Tribe lets you travel with us, I'm delighted you got your mark, white or otherwise.”

Sha'Li shot back, “The Heart, upon this quest it lets you go?”

The gypsy smiled broadly. “My superiors cannot say no to a question I do not ask. I was told to watch over Will.” She shrugged. “He's not done running around chasing crazy quests, so I still have to watch over him.”

Will grinned. “Flawless gypsy logic.”

“You don't like having a gypsy traveling companion?” Rosana demanded.

He swept her into his arms for a quick kiss. “I like it plenty,” he murmured against her neck.

Light laughter sounded across the bailey, and Will looked up to see a flash of white trimmed in blue. Will was relieved.
Raina
. “Where's Cicero?” he asked her.

Sadness crossed her face. “Now that I wear these colors, I have no need of his protection. He had reason to remove himself from so much Imperial presence and has already left.”

“I will miss him,” Will replied soberly.

“Me, too,” she sighed.

“We are all here, then,” Will said. “What say we impose upon our host for provisions and be on our way?”

“Not so fast,” a deep voice said from the doorway. Will looked up to see Landsgrave Hyland standing there. “While I applaud your eagerness to be on your way, you must be prepared for what lies ahead of you. Success in your future endeavors is more important than ever. The stakes have gone up considerably now that you have taken the first step.”

Will looked around at the determination on the faces of his friends and pride filled him. He didn't think they'd done too badly so far. Anton was deposed, disgraced and on the run. The first brick in the wall of Kothite power had fallen. Now to turn that one brick into a mighty avalanche … and Will knew just the man to do it. They'd found the Sleeping King. It remained only to wake him. Somehow, someway, they
would
rouse Gawaine. Will vowed silently to his parents' fallen spirits that he would finish the second part of their quest. Soon.

Soon the king would sleep no more and freedom would awaken at long last.

 

EPILOGUE

Anton cursed as the underbrush caught at his rough clothing. He hated roaming around in the woods like a fugitive. Oh, wait, he was a fugitive. He alternately cursed Kodo, Ceridwyn, Selea Rouge, Aurelius, Hyland, and especially that talkative White Heart healer. They would all rue the day they'd crossed Anton Constantine. He would rule Dupree once more, and when he did he would crush them all.

Or maybe he should not wait and just crush them all now.

Yes, he liked that plan better.

Where was Ki'Raiden, anyway? The greenskin had been clear. Anton was to make his way to the Forest of Thorns and the Boki would find him. So where was the cursed whoreson? Anton had been wandering around out here for two days. He was nearly out of provisions.

As if his curses had conjured the Boki thane, a voice abruptly said from in front of him, “An-ton. Why you heah?”

He pulled up sharply, twisting his ankle in a cursed hole in the doing. “About time you showed yourself. I have a proposition for you.”

“Wha' that?”

“I need supplies. Safe haven in these woods for a while.”

“Why? You guvnuh.”

“Not anymore!” he retorted bitterly.

If orcs were capable of surprise, that emotion flashed across the thane's face. “Why help you, if you not guvnuh?”

“Because I still have information you need.”

“You tell. If good, I let you stay heah.”

Anton scowled. He hated negotiating from a position of weakness, but he had no choice. He had to show his cards to the orc first. “Fine. But you have to give me supplies, too.”

The orc grunted his assent. And then, “Tell.”

“You may have killed the Dragon. But his son yet lives.”

Ki'Raiden growled deep in his chest. “Wheah? Wheah spawn of dragon? I kill now!”

That was more like it. Anton smiled coldly. “Let us speak more, my friend.…”

*   *   *

Anton and a Boki thane walked away from Kerryl's hiding place, deep in conversation. He had no care for that which they spoke of. Today was a joyous day. His mission was to find the servants of his enemy and free them. The dryads.

His wife had been one of them, so he knew them well. They were like family to him. He'd worked long to ascertain how to set them free of their bondage to the trees, and the magic was tricky. He would, in fact, be binding them to him instead, but at least they would not be trapped in their groves and would have freedom of movement. It was an improvement, at any rate.

Normally, killing a dryad's tree killed her as well. But if he used his magical dagger to pierce the heartwood and destroy only the tree's spirit, the bond between dryad and tree should be broken before the fae female perished.

As he'd suspected, they, too, had been eavesdropping on the meeting just concluded.
Nosy wenches.
He shook his head fondly. As more dryads popped out of the trees they'd been hiding in around the Boki and Anton, Kerryl crept forward.

Now
. When his quarry were clustered together and distracted, chattering animatedly among themselves.

He raced around the edges of the clearing piercing tree after tree straight to the heartwood with his rune-covered black iron dagger in the shape of an edged spike. The fae screamed as they felt their trees die and the bonds break. They ran for the trees, and he roared with laughter as they slammed into the trunks, unable to pass into the wood.

One of them turned to him, wailing, “What is wrong with the trees, Moonrunner?”

“You are free now. No longer are you bound to the wood, trapped in this grove. You are bound only to me and may travel as you wish.”

The dryads stared as one at him, horror writ upon their faces. The leader declared, “You are supposed to guard nature. What have you done? What have you become?”

He answered grimly, letting the darkness that consumed his spirit come forth, “I do what I must. You have no idea what comes this way, my lovelies. No idea at all.”

 

A
UTHORS'
A
FTERWORD

The world of Dragon Crest is real. This book describes actual characters and events from the ongoing, live, interactive game of the same name. The problems, politics, and story lines you've just read about are active today and continue to unfold.

A very special thanks goes out to Sue Keany, one of the original authors of the Dragon Crest game and wildly creative, for all her help and support over the years.

Our warmest thanks to the Dragon Crest players who have created the marvelous characters it has been our privilege to populate this book with:

Bill Flippin, creator and player of Guildmaster Aurelius, creator and player of Lord Justinius, and creator and player of Gawaine

Sterling Bates, creator and player of Selea Rouge

Mark Legere, player of Anton Constantine, player of Tyviden Starfire (and Mark's actually a really nice guy in spite of carrying Anton and Starfire around in his head)

Kevin Keany, creator and player of Captain Krugar

Patrick O'Neal, player of Rudath, the troll king, and Balthazar of the White Heart

Susan Keany, player of Ceridwyn Nightshade and Syreena Wingblade