Dragons and Demons, page 2
Rezkin nodded toward Kai, and Kai knelt beside the bundle of Tieran to unravel him. Once freed, Tieran lurched toward Rezkin and threw his arms around him. “Thank the Maker, Rez. I thought you were going to leave me to clean up your mess.”
“Lord Tieran,” said Kai, keeping his voice steady and low. “Perhaps you should back away from Rezkin. He is still … adjusting.”
Tieran backed up a step and looked at Rezkin who was staring at his cousin with a predatory gaze. Tieran ran his hands down the front of his shirt and backed away several more steps as he said, “Uh, sorry, Rez, I did not mean to overstep. Ah … please refrain from killing me.”
Rezkin glanced at each of the others again, then looked back at Tieran. He said, “Are you going to marry her?”
“What?”
Rezkin took an aggressive step toward him and practically growled, “Are you going to marry her?”
Tieran backpedaled and threw up his hands. “Stop! I mean, I, um … do not know.”
“Why?” snapped Rezkin. “Is she not good enough for you?”
“No, no, it is not that. I will marry her … if she will have me.”
Rezkin’s shoulders relaxed, and he stepped back into the corner again. Healer Jespia shuffled into the room bearing a stack of black clothing. Nestled atop the stack was a gold crown. She settled the stack on the bed and placed a pair of black boots on the floor. Then she asked Rezkin to sit on the bed so she could assess his condition before he dressed.
She looked toward Kai and said, “Shoo, all of you out. There are too many people in here.” She glanced at the shielreyah and said, “You, too. Out.”
The shielreyah took one last look at Rezkin then vanished in a wisp of light. Farson moved toward the door with Tieran on his heals, but Kai hung back.
“Someone should stay with you,” he said with a pointed look for the healer. “He is still out of sorts.”
Healer Jespia nodded curtly then turned to Rezkin expectantly. Rezkin slowly walked forward and sat on the bed. He watched the healer’s every motion with avid attention and glanced at Kai frequently.
“What was wrong with me?” Rezkin said, his voice soft so as not to startle the healer who was leaning over him.
Kai said, “It seems you were poisoned. None one could identify it.”
“I take it you do not know who poisoned me?”
“No, and we do not know how it got into your system, either.”
Rezkin had a vague memory of a pain in his neck just before he collapsed into the corveua. “It was a dart.”
“A dart?”
“A blow dart.”
“Surely not,” said Jespia. “Blow darts are very small, and you were near unto death. It would have been very strong poison indeed.”
“Perhaps a venom?” said Farson from the doorway.
Rezkin nodded. “It is possible, but as you know, I am immune or resistant to the poisons and venoms that could have taken effect that quickly. This had to be something new.”
Jespia put her hands on her hips and looked down at him with a frown. “Well, you seem well enough now, though I cannot explain it.” With a shrug, she said, “Sometimes this happens. People pull through by some miracle of the Maker. I would suggest you take it easy for at least a week—no strenuous activity and plenty of sleep—but I doubt you will take the advice.”
Rezkin stood and began dressing. He pulled on the black pants, then held up the black long-sleeved tunic embroidered with green and gold lightning bolts and looked at the woman quizzically.
“Lady Frisha left those for you,” said Jespia. “She said you should look your best when you wake to reassure your people.”
“And the crown?” he said, holding it up so the candlelight glinted off its golden curves.
She smirked. “You have your grandfather to thank for that.”
Rezkin considered leaving it. A crown was impractical for any rigorous activity. Then he reconsidered her words. Frisha thought he needed to look the part of the king for his people. He ran his fingers through his hair, and Kai grunted. Rezkin glanced up to find the striker holding out a brush. With nothing to tie his hair back, it hung loose around his shoulders. The crown settled uncomfortably over his brow. He did not care for the metal ring or its weight upon his head, but he wore it anyway because it was expected of him.
“Where are my weapons?” He did not ask about the small stone he had grown accustomed to wearing around his neck.
“We put them in your quarters,” said Kai. “We figured you would not want weapons lying around for anyone to pick up and use while you slept.”
Rezkin felt a welling of anxiety in his stomach but stamped it down quickly. It would do no good to dwell on all the things that could have happened to him while he slept. He was still alive, and he had important tasks, not the least of which was figuring out who had poisoned him.
As he walked out of the room, Tieran stepped up to stride beside him. The two strikers followed, and Rezkin was uncomfortable with them at his back. He knew that if they had wanted him dead, they would have killed him while he was most vulnerable. Still, he did not know what protocols were in place. There was a chance that they simply had not had the opportunity.
Tieran said, “Rezkin, you cannot believe how relieved I am that you are well.”
“You have been granted a temporary reprieve from having to lead.”
“No, not just because of that, Rez. I was really worried about you. You are my cousin and, more importantly, my friend.” Rezkin said nothing, but Tieran was not deterred. “Your mother and grandfather wanted to see you, but we decided it was best for them to wait until you woke.”
“Good,” said Rezkin. “I do not trust either of them.”
“I know,” said Tieran. “I kept it to just the strikers and healers and, um, Frisha—”
“You allowed Frisha into my room while I slept?”
“Yes, well, I know she is not a threat, and she would not be deterred. She was beside herself when we found you. I think she blames herself.”
Rezkin abruptly stopped and turned to him. “Why? Did she poison me?”
Tieran’s eyes widened. “No, of course not!”
“No,” Rezkin said, turning back down the corridor. “She does not have skills with a blow tube, nor knowledge of poisons or venoms.”
“No, but why would she want to?”
Rezkin stopped again. He nodded for the strikers to fall back and then stared into Tieran’s eyes. “What has she told you about me?”
“What do you mean?” said Tieran, suddenly appearing anxious.
Rezkin closed the distance between them and held Tieran’s gaze as he watched the man’s pupils contract. “What has she confided in you?”
Tieran shook his head. “I know not what you are expecting to hear, but I assure you she has said nothing disparaging about you.” Rezkin narrowed his eyes, and Tieran said, “I mean, she did say she had learned things about you that had made her reconsider marrying you, but she did not tell me what those things were. I swear, she kept your secrets. I know nothing more than I did before; and, I admit, it is a source of some distress for me.”
Shifting away, Rezkin said, “I have forbidden her from speaking of it, so do not press her.”
Tieran swallowed hard, “I understand, but I do hope that you will eventually feel comfortable enough to confide in me.”
“I did not confide in her,” Rezkin said. “She stumbled upon something dangerous, and I would sooner keep you from it.”
“Dangerous? How dangerous? More dangerous than you?” Rezkin looked down the corridor to see that others had begun to gather in the hall at its end. Tieran said, “Does this have to do with Lus following her around all the time?”
“He is now her guard.”
“Is she in immediate danger? For how long?”
Frisha appeared at the end of the corridor, her reluctant shadow not far behind.
Rezkin looked back at Tieran as the woman closed the distance and said, “Forever.”
Chapter 2
Rezkin met Frisha with open arms. He knew that she, like Tieran, would wish to embrace him and had prepared himself for it. She wrapped herself around him and cried into his chest. When she backed up, wiping her tears, her accompanying smile could have lit the corridor.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so happy you’re alive.”
“I am well,” he replied.
She nodded and patted his chest as though she were making sure he was real. Then she glanced at Tieran and abruptly pulled away. She took a step to the side, then another to place herself beside his cousin. Tieran awkwardly took her hand but did not hesitate to meet Rezkin’s gaze.
Rezkin once again felt the pain in his chest, the one he had come to know as loss, and he did not know why. He was glad Frisha was with Tieran. No matter what happened, she would be cared for, and Tieran would make sure that everyone treated her with the utmost respect. Still, Rezkin could not shake the feeling that he was also personally affected by that turn of events—something that went beyond the failure to fulfill the expectation of a marital contract. He stretched, attempting to relieve some of the tension from the pain in his chest, then pushed the issue aside.
The man he sought was only a few feet away, hovering at the edge of the group. He tilted his head. “Lus, I would speak with you privately.” Xa, known as Lus to most of the others, glanced toward Frisha and then back to Rezkin with a silent question. “She will be fine,” said Rezkin. “Lead the way to my office.”
Xa tilted his head and turned toward the gathered crowd at the end of the corridor. He wore the uniform of a royal guardsman, and the onlookers parted as he passed through their midst. Kai and Farson flanked Rezkin to keep people away, their gazes constantly roving over potential threats just as Rezkin’s did. Rezkin, however, donned a pleasant smile and nodded toward his people, who showed signs of elation at seeing him well. He noticed Mage Nanessy Threll standing anxiously at the back of the crowd. She looked as if she needed to speak with him, so he nodded for her to join Frisha and Tieran in the rear. Her face lit up and she scurried over to join their group.
Once past the crowd, Rezkin turned a corner and came to an abrupt stop. At his feet and surrounding Xa were half a dozen of the little white creatures known as ictali. They grinned up at him with their sharp little teeth exposed beneath overlarge blue eyes. Two of them struggled forward with Kingslayer in their tiny little grips. The ictali were abnormally strong for their size, but even so, the sword was much too long for one of them to carry without it dragging on the ground. Rezkin took the longsword from them, then a second set of ictali came forward with Bladesunder. A final two handed him his belt and favorite belt knife. Rezkin glanced at Kai who only shrugged. He seemed just as surprised as anyone else. The ictali, on the other hand, took to celebrating as Rezkin strapped the swords around his hips. They hopped up and down chittering with glee before running down the corridor.
“Those things unnerve me,” said Tieran.
“I think they’re darling,” said Nanessy. He gave her a scornful look, and she added, “Since they’re not trying to kill us, I mean.”
Rezkin said, “They were some of the original inhabitants of this citadel and were servants to the Eihelvanan. It pleases them to serve us in their stead.”
“I suppose they are good at that,” said Tieran begrudgingly. “They never complain and when they tire, there are plenty more to replace them.”
When they reached Rezkin’s office, he turned to survey the group. He said, “I will speak with Frisha, Farson, and Lus first.” He looked to Kai. “Then, I will get an update from Tieran. You decide who should speak with me next.”
Kai frowned. “You just awoke from a week-long coma not twenty minutes ago. You should be resting, not conducting business or holding court.”
“I do not intend to hold court, but I am sure there are urgent matters that need to be addressed.”
“We are capable of running this place without you for a few days,” protested Kai.
“Speak for yourself,” said Tieran. “Some of these people have me at my wit’s end.”
“I will help with what I can,” said Rezkin, “but I leave tomorrow.”
“What?” said Tieran. “Where do you intend to go on such short notice.”
Rezkin glanced between Tieran and Frisha. “I have not forgotten that, before I was taken ill, I was ordered to retrieve Tam.”
Frisha flushed. “It wasn’t an order—”
“Was it not?” Rezkin said with a pointed look. He turned to Kai. “Make preparations on one of the ships. Unless you have new information, we leave for the Isle of Sand in the morning.”
Frisha and Farson followed him into his office where Xa awaited them. Rezkin told them to sit before he rounded the desk and took his own high-backed chair. He liked this particular chair because the interior was lined with iron to his specifications to make it more difficult for someone to stab him in the back.
He looked to Xa. “What happened?”
Xa appeared genuinely surprised. “How could I know?”
“You were there, watching Frisha. I left and only seconds later, I was attacked. It was either by you or you should have seen who did it.”
The jeng’ri shook his head. “I did not. I was keeping an eye on her”—he pointed to Frisha—“and you had rounded the bend. I saw nothing.”
Rezkin looked to Frisha. “Was he there? Was he with you?”
She appeared uncomfortable as she glanced from Xa to him. “I think so. I didn’t see him move from the tree he was in until we started down the path. It was at least five minutes after you walked away.”
Rezkin clenched his fist then opened it. He did not feel ill or weak. Actually, he felt no different than if he had woken from a night’s sleep. He considered asking the assassin more questions, but he knew Xa would stick to his story of knowing nothing. He waved at the two of them and said, “You may go.”
Frisha started to rise then paused. “Um, Rezkin, there is something else. It is quite concerning.”
“What is it?”
“Well, as you know, Brandt went with us on the voyage.” He nodded. “It seems, he was also here.”
His brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”
“There are now two Brandts. We discovered them after you fell ill. They look identical, speak the same, and seem to have the same memories—at least, up until we left the island. Even the healers cannot tell the difference between them.”
This was strange news indeed and yet it sparked a memory. It was not the first time there had been two of his companions. In fact, it had happened more than once. That information was not known by the others, though. “Where are these Brandts?” he said.
“We created some holding cells for them.”
“Very well. Tell Tieran to wait a minute before he enters.”
Frisha nodded and followed Xa into the hallway.
Once they were gone, Rezkin turned to Farson. He said, “I was unconscious for a week, and you were one of my guards?” Farson nodded once. “Why did you not kill me?”
Farson leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “Believe it or not, Rez, I am not out to kill you.”
“Since when?”
The man took a deep breath. “Since I realized what chaos would ensue across the Souelian if you were to die suddenly. You have made yourself the keystone of an empire, and there are now perhaps millions of people dependent on you.”
Rezkin frowned. “There are a few thousand on Cael at this point. My association with the other kingdoms—”
“Your kingship.”
“—is new and weak. If I were to fall, things could go back to how they were with little trouble.”
Farson shook his head. “I do not believe that. Queen Erisial and Moldovan both upset their courts—what is left of them. Without you, Erisial will be killed and Moldovan no longer has an heir. King Regent Coledon will be overthrown. I still do not understand why you appointed him. You barely know the man.”
“It was convenient.”
Farson grumbled under his breath but said, “There are other problems you have caused as well.”
“What now?”
“The unrest in Serret has spread. Channería is now officially at war with Jerea, and both countries are enduring internal struggles between factions.”
“That has little to do with me,” Rezkin said. “I did not even go to Jerea.”
“It has everything to do with you. King Ionius gave Dark Tidings—that is you—Prince Nyan’s intended bride. Nyan was angered when his father King Vargos would not go to war with Ionius, so he instigated a coup that has caused Jerea to fall into civil unrest. Meanwhile, the Fishers in Channería have finally acquired enough power with the support of the Raven—also you—and Channería is now also enduring a civil war.”
Rezkin waved his hand. “Those kettles were already simmering. I was merely the catalyst that caused them to boil over.”
“Which might not have happened had you not been involved. There are rumors, now, that Vargos desires a meeting with Dark Tidings, and the Fishers are calling on the Raven. On top of that, several representatives from Gendishen are here. They arrived a few days ago but refuse to state their business to anyone but you.”
Rezkin tapped his finger on the desk, then said, “Fine. Set a meeting with the Gendishen for tomorrow morning. Actually, we will have court.”
Farson stood to leave. He stopped but did not turn back as he said, “I am relieved that you are not dead.” As the striker left the room, Rezkin thought he might even believe him.
Tieran slipped through the doorway after avoiding the brooding striker. He sauntered over to the side table and poured himself a glass of something dark that had not been in the room the last time Rezkin had been there. His cousin sat on the sofa and crossed his legs as he sipped the amber-brown liquor. Upon noticing Rezkin staring at him, he said, “Oh, did you want one?”
“No,” said Rezkin, eyeing the vessel that was easily accessible to anyone desiring to tamper with it. Tieran did not seem concerned, but he had not been in a coma for a week due to poisoning. “What news?” Rezkin said. He quickly raised a hand to forestall Tieran’s response and said, “Only the pertinent things.” Although he had been unconscious for merely a week, Rezkin had been journeying for two months prior to that, and he was sure there was much Tieran would discuss.
