Timothy Boggs - Hercules Legendary Joureneys 01 (8 page)

Curious, Hercules thought. He hadn't thought the king had such a formidable reputation; certainly not among those who rode with Zorin. He was impressed. Yet all attempts to speak with the raider were met with sullen grunts, and a handful of glances that suggested he mind his own business.

An hour later the escort leader swerved off the main road onto a wider, better-maintained one. It led across a broad plain directly toward a low, flat-topped rise in the middle distance and, it seemed from here, continued straight up the near slope. Huts began to appear along the roadside, and the escort was forced to slow as pedestrian traffic, mostly traders and merchants, began to grow.

Far to the left was a mountain range, clouded by a haze that almost concealed the barren upper slopes.

Finally Hercules could stand the thumping no longer and, with thanks to the driver, jumped to the ground. His legs wobbled a little from inaction, but his stomach and head calmed almost instantly. The prisoner escort was slow enough now that it was easy to keep up.

Nikos soon joined him. On foot.

"Another story to tell Bestor?" Hercules said, swerving to walk behind the wagon.

The innkeeper massaged his rump gingerly with both hands. "I don't think so. Those beasts ought to be outlawed. Do you know that thing tried to bite me? Ye gods, what teeth!" He slapped at his slightly bowed knees and groaned theatrically. "I feel like I've been strapped to a barrel and rolled from the top of Olympus."

Ahead they could hear the escort leader snarling at people to get out of his way.

The prisoners kept their heads down, although Hercules couldn't help but notice that once in a while Theo glanced in his direction.

"Wow," Nikos exclaimed when another hour had passed. "Will you look at that?"

"At what?"

Nikos pointed at the rise. "I was here once, you know. Quite a long time ago. I decided it would be fun to pay my taxes in person, just so I could see where the king lived." He grimaced. "Not that it was fun to pay the taxes, of course. The trip probably cost me more than 1 actually paid in tax money. But it was interesting. They actually thanked me when they took my money. Now it's all changed. Wow."

Hercules wasn't sure what the man meant.

The rise was quite long from east to west and, according to Nikos, easily that same distance from north to south. A small community, a veritable new city, was in the process of expanding around the base, permanent and temporary buildings of both stone and wood; yet there was nothing at all on the grassy slope.

On top was what appeared to be a single structure, of massively blocked gray stone and granite; the west end sprouted what he figured would eventually become a corner tower, and elaborate scaffolding had already been erected at the other corner he could see. When it was finished, it would be a truly impressive palace.

"It's bigger," Nikos said in awe. He tapped Hercules' arm. "Much bigger."

"How much bigger?"

"A lot."

Hercules nodded.

"It wasn't that way in the old days," Nikos finished.

There were fewer breaks along the shoulders now. Merchant stands, temporary lodgings, food stalls, money changers, the beginnings of alleys and streets. The road itself had been sealed with rounded paving stones, making the horses' hooves sound like whip cracks and causing the wagon to bounce and sway even more. Although the number of people wasn't large, the way still seemed crowded, and Hercules moved closer to the wagon.

Theo the Mangier glanced at him again, but did nothing more than scowl menacingly when Hercules raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"The old king, now, he had a really simple place," Nikos explained with a hint of nostalgia. He waved a hand at the palace ahead. "Nothing really fancy, you know? A couple of rooms, a courtyard, a place for parties, things like that. And the dungeons, of course. He didn't want the people to think he was out of touch with their needs."

Hercules looked at him.

Nikos shrugged. "I don't know what he meant, either. He was a king. Kings talk funny sometimes."

The closer they drew to the rise, the more detail they could see in the new palace walls, mainly that there were no windows, no archer slits, no gaps at all.

Not a palace, Hercules thought; a fortress.

I think I don't like this.

"Amazing," Nikos said, his tone indicating that he wasn't sure whether he liked the new look or not.

Hercules slowed to allow the soldiers and wagon to pull ahead. "You said the old king."

"Sure. King Arclin the First. King Arclin the Second is his son."

The cluster of buildings came to an abrupt end, as if an invisible wall had been reached. Two hundred yards of open ground surrounded the king's rise, and the road did not continue on to the top, as Hercules had thought.

The road ended at the base; from there to the top were broad marble steps leading to a gap in the palace wall. Colorful pennants flew from the top. He could see guards stationed around the base. There were also long and low wood structures where the slope ended at the top, but he couldn't figure out what they were.

Nikos pointed at the way up. "One hundred"—a frown, and one eye closed in thought—"and thirty-two steps." A grin now, proud. "I counted them as I went up."

"You must have been exhausted."

"Nah. I was younger then. And"—he scowled at his feet—"my legs were straight."

Hercules smiled briefly. "Nothing fancy here," he said, frowning as he scanned the blank wall.

"New king, new ideas."

The escort dismounted at the base of the steps, and as they hustled the prisoners out of the wagon, Hercules noticed that no one had followed them from the new city. That puzzled him. In other places, even those ruled by the worst tyrants, there are always crowds near the gates—beggars, petitioners, con men, hawkers, supplicants, mercenaries looking for work, thieves, and simple travelers.

This arrangement was strange.

A horn blew a single commanding note.

The soldiers immediately arranged themselves in two straight lines extending from the bottom step. The prisoners were forced to kneel, facing the steps.

Hercules and Nikos stood to one side at a silent order from the leader.

"There's something I forgot to tell you about King Arclin," Nikos whispered nervously.

A small figure in white appeared at the gate. Behind it stood two others holding long gold poles topped with blue-and-yellow plumes. To either side were clusters of men and women in clothing those in the new city would probably kill for, given half a chance.

"What's that?"

The figure descended slowly.

The horn blew.

The soldiers stiffened to attention.

Theo glanced back at Hercules; his arrogance was gone.

"Well... I don't want to be disrespectful, you know, but I don't want you to get in trouble either."

The horn blew, not very well; in fact, it wavered a little, and missed a couple of grace notes.

The figure was midway down the steps.

"So tell me," Hercules said from the corner of his mouth.

"Well..."

Hercules looked at the figure, blinked, and said, "Never mind, I think I've got it."

The king wore a flowing white robe, elaborately embroidered with broad gold and silver bands at the hem and around the edges of the flowing sleeves. Around his neck he wore a jeweled medallion in the shape of a multipointed star; on his wrists were copper and gold bracelets studded with jewels; on his feet he wore gold-tasseled sandals that seemed determined to catch themselves on the gown's hem; and on his head he wore a small but impressively jeweled crown.

He seemed young, with dark brown hair cropped short and slightly curled above his nape. His eyes were a startling cold blue, and he was lean and angled, and probably even younger than he looked.

He was also the shortest king Hercules had ever seen in his life.

That's him? Hercules thought
i
n amazement; that's the king everyone's talking about? My gods, how do people keep from giggling?

"Willpower," Nikos whispered.

Hercules stifled a laugh, sobered immediately, and watched
a
s the king halted on the third step, clasped his hands in front of him, and said, "Captain of the Guard?"

The escort leader stepped forward; even on level ground, he wasn't much shorter than the king on the third step.

"Do you have the prisoners?"

"Aye, sire. They appear before you now in disgrace and humiliation."

The king looked down his pudgy nose at the kneeling raiders. "That one has horns, Captain."

"Yes, sire."

"I don't like horns."

The captain instantly reached out and slapped Theo's hat from his head.

"Thank you."

"Your wish, sire."

"And the man who captured them?"

The captain pointed. "Hercules, sire, and a man called Nikos of Markan."

"Bring them to me."

The captain gestured.

Hercules didn't move, and grabbed Nikos' arm to keep him at his side.

A moment passed.

"Captain, are they moving?"

The captain gestured again, a little frantically this time. "Uh, no, sire, they're not."

Nikos hissed a warning, but Hercules held his place.

"Are they dead, Captain?"

The captain's eyes widened as he tried to stare Hercules into moving, and the import of his gesture changed from
you 're going to get us killed
to
are you out of your bloody mind?

Another second passed before Hercules stepped into the road, practically dragging Nikos behind him until they stopped just behind the raiders.

"My apologies," Hercules said. "My friend and I aren't used to traveling so far, so fast." He smiled.

Quickly. "We're a little stiff."

Nikos nodded so hard Hercules had to stop him before he made them both dizzy.

The king finally deigned to meet Hercules' gaze. "1 am pleased that such a famous individual would help one of our little communities. It does us great honor."

"It's nothing," Hercules replied modestly.

"Oh, but no, it
is
something," the king insisted, his smile wide, his eyes nearly closing. "These scum"—and he nodded to the prisoners—"have caused us so much trouble, you just don't know. That you were able to defeat them is a wonder. A veritable wonder."

"You're too kind," Hercules replied. Modestly.

King Arclin preened, pudgy hands drifting over the folds of his royal gown. "Yes, well, I do try, you know. I do try." A gesture caused the captain to snap an order, which, in turn, caused his men to grab the prisoners, yank them to their feet, and haul them up the steps toward the palace. The captain remained at his sovereign's side, but one step below so the king still managed a full inch's advantage.

Hercules saw that he sweated a little.

Arclin reached into one sleeve and fumbled around a bit before pulling out a small sack. He bounced it on his hand so that all within hearing would know there was money inside, and tossed it to Hercules.

Hercules snatched it, handed it to Nikos, and said, "Very generous. Markan will be pleased."

The king waved the gratitude away with a languid gesture. "It is only a cap on today's wonderful news, Hercules."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes." Another gesture, this one over his shoulder. "The small community of Drethic has decided to embrace our protection against the vile incursions of the vile Zorin." He grinned. "Along with our other modest political and geographical gains lately, my mapmakers are working overtime. I think two of them are going blind."

The captain guffawed for exactly three seconds.

Nikos chuckled weakly, but frowned a lot.

Hercules merely smiled his not terribly sincere congratulations, knowing as he did that Drethic was no small community, and the last he had heard, was definitely not within this kingdom's boundaries. Still, it wouldn't be the first time a border town had switched its allegiance from one king to another. Providing safety for his citizens was one of a ruler's primary obligations.

That, however, wasn't what bothered him.

It was the implication that Drethic wasn't the only town that had sought Arclin's protection.

The king made a gesture.

The captain made a gesture.

The horn blew a single note, clear and strong.

"Ah," Arclin said regretfully, "duty calls, I'm afraid. Thank you ever so much, Hercules and Nikos.

You're always welcome at my table."

He turned, and Nikos stepped forward before Hercules could stop him.

"Sire?"

The king looked back, unpleasantly surprised. "Yes?"

The captain gestured and mugged frantically behind the king's back.