Authors: Kate Hill
TheRedKing (37 page)
“Then why did you mark him?” asked a third advisor. At
Hippolytos’s glare, he quickly added, “Your Majesty.”
“What exactly does the challenge entail?” Hippolytos asked,
seeing now that there was no way out of it.
“Either you or a stand-in of your choosing must fight him to
the death. The one who survives assumes leadership.”
“A stand-in of my choosing?” Hippolytos smiled wickedly. His
icy gaze fixed on Hypatios. “Fine. I choose my personal guard to stand in for
me.”
“Which one?” Leo asked.
“I choose the guard as a collective.”
Ten elite guards protected the king day and night, taking
shifts. Other than Hypatios, they were the most highly skilled and deadly
warriors in Zaltana.
“Is that allowed?” Leo demanded.
Hippolytos turned to Perticus with a sneer. “You’re the
expert.”
Perticus drew a deep breath. “There is no rule stating it is
not.”
“Good. Have the great hall cleared now and summon the rest
of the elite guard. I want this over with directly.” Hippolytos waved his hand
toward the guard who still stood at the door. Then he glared at Hypatios. “When
this is over, your head will be mounted on a pike in my throne room and your
traitorous carcass dragged through Zaltana until your limbs fall off. It’s the
same for both of you.” He pointed from Leo to Blaze.
“I’ll see you in the great hall.” Hypatios turned and strode
out, his heart racing, though more from rage than fear.
He had expected to fight one elite guard, not ten, but it
didn’t matter. The way he felt at that moment, he would have faced the entire
Zaltanian army alone.
In the great hall, anxious servants pushed the long tables
to the sides of the enormous room, clearing the stone floor.
Hypatios removed his cloak and Blaze took it. The Knight and
Leo stood nearby as Hypatios limbered up for the fight.
Hippolytos, his advisors and the ten guards soon appeared.
Other servants and guests assembled to watch. Their whispers
of disbelief filled the room.
“Silence!” Hippolytos roared and the room stilled.
The ten guards, wearing chainmail and carrying swords, faced
Hypatios.
“I understand that it’s your sworn duty to defend your
king,” Hypatios said. “But I offer you the chance to stand down now. Do so and
I’ll spare your lives.”
The guards didn’t waver.
“I admire your loyalty,” Hypatios said. “It will bring me no
pleasure to kill you.”
“Destroy that arrogant fool,” Hippolytos roared.
The guards raced at Hypatios who carried a sword in each
hand. He kept his back to one of the stone walls, making it impossible for the guards
to surround him, at least at first. He injured one and killed three before they
drove him toward the center of the room.
Other warriors appeared—spirits—mingling with the guards to
hinder Hypatios. He tried to ignore them, block them out, but it was difficult
while defending himself against attack. Though able to discern the spirit warriors
by their grayish-green glow, they were still a dangerous distraction.
Then as quickly as they’d come, the ghost warriors
disappeared. Hypatios didn’t have time to consider why they’d vanished, but he
had an inkling.
Hypatios shifted stances, blocking and attacking with two blades.
The elite guards were powerful and skilled. Several times their blades found
their mark, the force of the blows bruising him through his mail. A shallow but
painful slash marked his thigh. Blood dripped down his leg, but he ignored it.
The floor was already slick with the blood of the dead guards.
The stench of it filled the air.
Hypatios’s arms ached from blocking the blows. His heart
pounded.
Other than the clash of steel, grunts of pain and the ragged
breathing of the warriors, the room was silent.
Hypatios blocked two cuts, thrust his blade at a guard and
disarmed him, but a hard blow to his back staggered him. With just three guards
left, he felt his strength waning. He turned just before another blade took his
head off. He missed the brunt of it and stabbed the guard who had swung,
finding a chink in his armor. The guard fell, blood leaking from a mortal
wound.
The final two guards attacked relentlessly, driving Hypatios
toward the stairs. He backed up the steps, both men in front of him. Halfway
up, he dropped and kicked the front guard’s legs out from under him. He fell,
knocking into the second guard and they both tumbled down the stairs, landing
in a heap. One was dead on impact, his neck broken, the second was too injured
to move. Hypatios quickly put him out of his misery.
He pulled off his helmet. Breathing hard.
“Look out!” Blaze roared.
At that moment, Hypatios shifted his stance. A dagger flew
by his head.
Hippolytos, who had flung the dagger in a last attempt to
kill Hypatios, gasped in agony as Leo’s dagger sank into his chest.
“He killed the king,” someone shouted.
“No,” Perticus announced. “Hypatios won the challenge and in
doing so, is the King of Zaltana. Whether Leo is punished is up to him.”
“Leo is the new Captain of the Elite guard,” Hypatios
announced. “He has done his duty by protecting me. Now get rid of these bodies.
The guards will receive the honored funerals of warriors killed in the line of duty.”
“And your father?” asked one of the advisors.
“Burn that carcass or feed it to the riverbeasts for all I
care. He was a rapist, a torturer and a tyrant. Zaltana has a violent history,
but we are a strong kingdom and we will become stronger, though not through
more bloodshed. It’s the beginning of a new age for us. To a strong and
prosperous Zaltana.”
Perticus and Leo shouted, “A strong and prosperous Zaltana!”
The others soon joined in.
Blaze approached Hypatios, a faint smile on his lips.
“Thank you for driving off the spirits,” Hypatios said,
still breathing heavily from the fight.
“It wasn’t my doing, but the scholars.”
“Then thank them for me.”
Blaze nodded, his smile broadening, then he said, “Your
wounds need care. I’ll fetch my supplies.”
“A servant will show you to my chamber.”
While Leo took control of the room, Hypatios strode upstairs
to his chamber. He closed the door behind him, trudged to the nearest chair and
dropped into it. He closed his eyes and leaned back, his heart still racing.
Every inch of him ached and he doubted he’d ever been this tired in his life.
Then a faint smile tugged at his lips.
He was the King of Zaltana.
* * * * *
Areus didn’t stay long at the castle, but returned to the
border to await word from Zaltana. He hoped it would be a message from Hypatios
and not an attack.
Finally, after days of waiting, he was relieved when Sir
Blaze appeared.
Hypatios’s army was headed for them and would arrive by
noon.
Areus, the united northern army behind him, awaited their
approach.
His heart pounded with anticipation when the vast Zaltanian army
stopped. Hypatios, astride Notus, rode forward alone. Areus rode out to meet
him.
Both kings dismounted and faced each other.
Hypatios removed his helmet first. Areus did the same.
“You look none the worse for wear,” Areus said.
“Congratulations.”
He offered Hypatios his hand and the Zaltanian king grasped
it.
“Peace,” Hypatios said.
He and Areus embraced for all to see.
* * * * *
Delia was in the infirmary with Seth and Echo when a servant
announced that Areus and his men were riding toward the castle.
Filled with joy and anticipation, she hurried to meet him, Seth
and Echo behind her.
When he rode through the castle gates, their gazes locked
and they smiled. Her gaze shifted to the imposing man riding alongside him. No
doubt it was Hypatios. Like Areus, he was tall and lean with enormous green
eyes. His long black hair was bound at his nape. Half his face was covered in
scars, the other half was quite similar to Areus, handsome and chiseled. A
red-and-black snake coiled around his neck.
They dismounted and Areus introduced them. Delia eyed the snake
warily, but it seemed gentle enough at the moment.
“Forgive me, Queen Delia, but you look so much like another woman
I know,” Hypatios said.
“Surely not Mira,” Areus said.
Delia was stunned. “Mira? My sister’s name is Mira.”
“I’m sure it’s not your sister,” Areus said. “Mira is that woman
from Barnshill Village you told me about.”
“Yes. Once we’ve finished our peace talk, I intend to see
her.” Hypatios continued staring at Delia.
Areus nudged him and said in a soft but commanding tone,
“This one is mine, brother.”
“Most definitely,” Hypatios said, a faint smile tugging at
his lips.
Cosma stepped outside to greet her sons with joyous
embraces. She even stroked the snake.
After the men saw to their horses, they entered the castle
for refreshments, then disappeared into Areus’s meeting chamber to discuss
their treaty with advisors from both sides.
The talks went on for two days before Hypatios and the
Zaltanians departed.
Cosma had decided to stay in Lortia, but intended to visit Zaltana
once Hypatios was completely settled.
After seeing their guests off, Areus and Delia strolled hand
in hand to the great hall.
“You’re going to miss him, aren’t you?” Delia asked.
“Hypatios? I believe I will, but we’ll be traveling to Zaltana
for his official leadership ceremony.”
“And I wouldn’t be surprised if a wedding followed.”
“That woman Mira? It sounds like she’s a commoner. Do you
think he would take her as his queen?”
“He doesn’t talk much, but when he speaks of her, I see
something in his eyes.”
“And he did want me to take a message to her in the event of
his death.”
“What message?”
“Only that he intended to keep his promise, whatever it
was.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“That’s his concern, not mine. You, my beautiful queen, are
my main concern.”
Delia smiled and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“Am I really?”
“Absolutely.”
“I suppose you have training and meetings to attend, so
maybe you could show me later.”
“I intend to show you now.” He pulled her into his arms and
kissed her. “I love you, Delia.”
“You do realize you just said that right here in the great
hall?”
“I’ll shout it from the tower if you want me to.”
Delia chuckled. “No. I’d much rather have you tell me in the
bedchamber.”
“Whatever you wish, my love,” he said, tugging her toward
the stairs.
Delia gazed up at him and he smiled at her.
She had dreaded her marriage to Areus of Lortia, but she
would treasure her lifetime with this man she loved so much.
The End
A lifelong fan of action and romance, Kate Hill likes heroes
with a touch of something wicked and wild. Her short fiction and poetry have
appeared in publications both on and off the Internet. When she's not working
on her books, Kate enjoys dancing, martial arts, and researching vampires and
Viking history.
Kate welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website
and email addresses on her
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bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
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The Red King
ISBN 9781419993534
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The Red King Copyright © 2015 Kate Hill
Edited by Shannon Combs
Cover design by Allyse Leodra
Cover photography by Shutterstock
Electronic book publication July 2015
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