Death of a King Read online

  “Fortunately for you, no.” Rem stared at it in surprise relief, “I recruit for my earthly bidding.” The demon clenched his fist in front of him while staring at the frightened Half-Elf.

  Wispy smoke-like shadows drifted on the snow-covered ground from B’gailum towards Rem. It rapidly raced on his limbs and wrapped itself around his neck forming a glowing ring then turned into a collar. From the collar, a small chain extended along his shoulder searing through his leather armor, padding, and on to his flesh. It continued burning the materials to his deltoid, trailing to his bicep where another glowing ring appeared forming a band as his skin smoked. The chain continued fashioning a third and larger band on his forearm sporting an elongated bronzed book. The edges of the band sizzled his skin as parts of his leather armor and padding burnt off in small chunks. “Now… serve me well, and I will free you upon your final task,” he chuckled maliciously, never losing his pleasant smile, then faded.

  ***

  They bid their goodnights as the burning logs gently snap and popped in the background. Seeker followed Tuke out. They glanced at one another with smiles. He enjoyed spending the evening with her and the others. The priest wanted to say how much he enjoyed her company but stopped himself. Instead, he watched her disappear into the night.

  She had little success finding Dregous’s chamber. With the princess’s return, they cautioned arousing her suspicion. Tuke returned and studied the princess, she tried to behave as though all is well, however, all could see the sorrow in her near-white eyes. Tatiana’s emotions staggered the priest. He struggled to keep from being swept away in her sorrow. He’d sensed others loving feelings, but this was beyond anything he had experienced.

  Tatiana stared at the candle shade, oblivious to everyone but Tuke. “Princess…?”

  Without looking, “I miss him so,” her voice cracked, “I pray they treat him well….” Her grief was crushing.

  Tuke scooted beside her, “Oh princess, why do you say that?”

  Tatiana glanced at him, “I plead you, do not…”

  He interrupted, “Oh dear child, you know me better than that,” he hugged her shoulders. “Come, what troubles you?”

  The broken smile didn’t diminish her lovely face, “I dreamt Dregous’s mother shows me his ill treatment,” she confessed.

  Meredith’s heart skipped, her hands went cold and trembled as she cleared the table. She glanced at the princess, “Forgive me your highness, perhaps it is your fear for his safety, you dream it so,” she said, Tuke agreed.

  Tatiana smiled, “I expect that from him,” she cocked her head toward the priest.

  “At first, I thought as so, then the dreams grew dyer,” she sniffed and tried taming the lump in her throat. “I saw him dying…” she squealed as her hands trembled and tears streamed, “Ukko forbid.”

  Tuke discretely glanced at Meredith. He wondered if the princess could actually sense Dregous? “Come, I will escort you, your highness.” Tuke guided the princess to the main doors. “Goodnight Meredith.”

  “Goodnight Tuke, Princess,” she replied then realized Tatiana left her candle and shade, “Oh your highness, your candle.”

  Tatiana glanced at it and feared the wind will snuff out the flame if she took it, “Would you please be so kind and tend it?” she asked. The princess wanted to leave a marker for Dregous wherever she went, so he may find his way back.

  Meredith saw the pain in her eyes, “Of course my lady. Is it permissible to relocate it to my room?” Rem was silent and remained behind, contemplating his own dilemma.

  The princess nodded with a fragmented smile, “Of course, so long as the candle is not extinguished,” she explained. With a gentle nod, Tatiana turned with Tuke beside her and exited the inn, then strolled back to the mansion. Once the princess was safe, the priest returned to the inn.

  Tatiana watched Tuke walk away, then headed straight to her room. She stepped to a night table and opened a small lockbox, then drew the candle and shade she’s had since childhood. After lighting it and drawing the shade, she placed them at the windowsill. With a deep concentration on the glowing shade, she undressed and knelt. Her heart skipped thinking of Dregous as she whispered a prayer for his wellbeing, “Oh mighty and merciful Ukko, this night the guiding light is for a dear…” she thought a moment, “…for my love, who sacrificed his freedom to be at my side. I pray your divine grace shines upon him.” Her heart swelled. “I beseech you on his behalf, watch over and protect him,” her tears streamed as she clutched her chest where she felt a deep emptiness. It was a hole Dregous left behind when they took him away.

  ***

  Seeker was determined to find the prince, then realized she forgot something. She snuck back in and kissed Crystal’s forehead, then slipped out undetected and headed for the foreboding walls of the academy. The night sky with grey-white clouds in the backdrop gave the school an ominous appearance. She gingerly made her way over and picked up where she left off. The search was slow and repetitive. Many of the windows remained closed. Cautiously scaling the walls to avoid tripping any alarms or magical traps demanded her full attention.

  Disappointed, she turned to leave when she noticed an open shutter that has been close since she started. Seeker carefully approached the window and peeked in. Her frustration doubled when she noted the occupant wasn’t Drouwen.

  She patiently waited, hoping another shutter would open. A window she had spied previously drew its curtains closed, drawing her attention. The room had always been empty, though occasionally someone would come in and exit shortly after. “Curious,” she muttered. Seeker leaned to leave, then looked back debating, “Nothing ventured nothing gained,” she recited an ancient Drouwen proverb.

  On her approach, she heard a slight whimper, though she couldn’t tell where it came from. The Dark Elf assassin pulled open the curtain and peeked in. It was the first time she’s seen the person. It was the young student she played with to gather information from. She frowned and gave an exasperating look.

  The whimper came again, freezing her in place. She tried to follow the sound but lost it. After passing a partially open window she heard the moan again. The assassin didn’t understand why the cries tugged at her heart. The invisible strings pulled her in the direction of a partially open window and peeked in. The pit of her stomach went cold when she saw Dregous toss, covered in sweat. He seemed to have aged since she last saw him. His cheeks drawn in, his hair lacked shine, his skin dank. “Great abyss!” she breathed. It was unmistakable, a sleep vision terrorized him.

  Agonizing tears streamed down his inky blackface as he stared at his son’s body. He vowed the empire will suffer his pain a thousand times a thousandfold. Dregous leaned over and gently stroked his daughters and son's cheeks. He carefully set their hair clear of their blood-stained faces. His soul cried for vengeance, revenge for his lost family as he whispered their names. His brutally beaten wife held their mangled bodies in a final loving embrace. Her eyes were open, as though she somehow found peace.

  Numbed, reactionless, he blubbered before them, crying for his mother’s guidance. His lovely little world, his family, his legacy, came to a painful end. An end he didn’t want to imagine but did. He hadn’t enough tears to satisfy his pain, not in a thousand lifetimes.

  The room began to tremble violently as it rolled over. He cursed all the gods above and below for disturbing his mourning. For that infraction, he will sacrifice himself to slay the gods. The walls and the floor seem to break away as he tumbled several times before bashing his head. Then bolted upright on his cot. His surroundings were alien, he wasn’t home. He cradled his head as his temple throbbed. He was grateful it was a horrible sleep vision. He hugged his knees hoping to fill the emptiness that threatened to consume him. Dregous never thought he would ever cry, cry so much and hard that his eyes burned. The prince wondered if his eyes bled, if they did, he didn’t care. It felt as though he lost his family.

  Chapter 6

  I could ill den
y the danger of my integrity, the damage to my word. If my word is threatened, it is the same if I were. Words failed to describe Lord Dregous's despondency. My heart caved with the sorrow of his experience. I desperately wish to aid him…, he saved our town. How could I do any less for him in his hour of need?

  Personal thoughts of his High Lord Knight, Gunthar Tarbak

  Seeker felt for the prince. She wanted to draw his attention but feared detection or setting off a magical alarm. His state forced her hand, “Psss,” she whispered.

  Within moments someone called out, “Who is there?” asked a familiar voice.

  It was the mage student she slept with, “dec fa dreum,” she whispered, hoping he heard she will return for him, then pulled away and quickly scaled down the building within the shadows. With her feet firmly on the ground, she felt something she experienced once before. A discomfort in her chest, the same discomfort held her when she first found Crystal. Her tears swelled, and eyes filled with impudent rage.

  To leave her ally behind, bothered her more than she expected. This was no way to treat an Imperial Ducal Prince. With effort, she pushed the thought aside and had to be satisfied discovering his location. Tuke will no doubt be upset after her report, she contemplated while stealthily making her way back.

  ***

  Dregous thought he heard a familiar voice at the edge of his awareness. It has been days since he last slept when a frightful sleep vision awoke him. Considering his state of mind, he figured it was part of his sleep vision. He stared in the darkness, thinking of his family. It made him feel better. The princess came to mind, lifting his spirit a bit, which made him miss her all the more. He spoke to the image of her in his mind, asking her if she would use her influence to free him. He continued replaying the fantasy till the first ray of light broke his sill when he heard his mother, “Dregouc,” she whispered. His head teetered from fatigue. His mother’s silhouette blocked the suns’ rays. “Mother?” and wonder if he was hallucinating.

  ***

  “Angel,” a low raspy voice hissed. Tatiana rolled in bed restlessly. “Angel,” the voice repeated a bit clearer.

  It sounded like Dregous, but far away. With a sudden realization it may be him, the princess sat up on her bed with a start, “Dregous?” she scanned her bedchambers.

  “Angel… help me…” he called again. He sounded as though he was moving away from her.

  Dreadful worry creased her lovely pale features, “Oh Ukko…, Dregous is it you?” she flung her bedsheet aside and ran for the door with only her nightgown. The small garment clung to her white skin, “I am coming love,” she grabbed her weapon as she opened the door ready to fight. The door led to the hall of a dormitory. Cautiously, the Ayrian beauty looked both ways.

  “Angel…,” he breathed.

  Tatiana was convinced the Drouwen prince was trying to reach her. She surmised that when he fell from the mountain, and what she wants to believe, the last words he sent. Angel, I love you. Since then the princess suspected he could communicate mentally, but never mentioned it, “Dregous, I am coming.” His voice came from the right. She didn’t hesitate like she did, when the undead witch attacked him, then continued up a stairwell. With firm and determine confidence, she ascended. To her left on a mezzanine landing a large stain glass frame version of herself with an inscription. ‘Our Angel Tatiana.’

  She passed a door, hesitated, then stepped back. The door opened on its own. The princess’s heart skipped at the sight within. Dregous sat on the stone floor leaning against the wall with his arms stretched out by chains. He looked older. “Oh Ukko,” she breathed, then charged when the door suddenly slammed shut, almost smashing her face. “Ukko, NO!” she shouted. Dregous's agonizing cry’s singed a hole in her chest. Her eyes burned as she tried to open the door. The full fury of her pain was overwhelming. “No, not again,” she whispered. “Leave him be!” she strained. “I will gut you all!”

  “Angel help me…!” Dregous's voice waned as if weakening.

  Tatiana charged the door, “Dregous!” it held. She desperately stepped back, readying her legs. “I am coming love,” she whispered. With grim determination and a prayer to her divine patron, she stepped forward with a powerful kick to the door, ripping it from its hinges but one. It teetered on its remaining hinge.

  Dregous was on the floor covered in sweat, his clothes draped loosely making the prince look thinner. He was shouting in Drouwen. Her heart ached to see him so distraught. “Dregous,” she whispered as she stepped closer.

  An invisible force yanked the princess from the room, down the corridor, down the stairs, and out the main doors. The denizen went about their business as though she didn’t exist. Tatiana landed and tumbled back. Her delicate sleeping gown was almost tattered near exposing her left breast. She stood defiantly and stared at the academy then ran for the doors. More people passed her without a glance. They delayed her from reaching the building. The monolithic doors shut with a thundering echo. “No!” she beat the doors. “Dregous!” she awoke shouting. The emptiness in her heart returned. His death-like sleep and fall from the mountain rushed back assaulting her.

  She sat up on the bed feeling the ache in her chest, then hugged her knees weeping, praying to Ukko for strength and guidance. It was a dreadful dream, she thought. A distant tug in the back of her mind continued bringing the Drouwen prince in. “Oh Dregous… Ukko watch, and protect him,” she prayed and rested her forehead on her knees.

  “Angel… help me…”

  Tatiana stilled with mounting fear as the moments passed. She remembered what Tuke told him when he doubted his reality and dug her fingernails into her palms. The pain was surprisingly sharp and realized she wasn’t dreaming. Somehow, he called her, “Dregous?” Tatiana lifter her head, her heart raced wildly as she palmed her tears away like a stubborn child.

  “Angel, please…”

  He sounded as though he was standing outside her door and wondered if she was still dreaming. No, she thought. Tatiana had no doubt he was there and rushed to the door. A servant was passing when the door slammed open, startling the girl. Dressed in her sleeping gown, the princess was ready to fight. the servant gasped, “Your highness!” and dropped to her knees.

  Tatiana glanced at the girl when she heard Dregous call again, “Did you hear that?”

  She looked at her curiously and shook her head. “Nay your highness.”

  At that moment, she realized without a doubt, Dregous belonged to her. An overwhelming urge to rejoin the Ducal prince filled and swelled her chest painfully. “Gather the others,” she ordered sternly.

  “Who your grace?”

  With a firm but gentle stare, “My friends.”

  “As you…”

  Tatiana interrupted, “With haste, my Dregous calls me,” she returned to her room while pulling the gown over her head and tossed it on the bed. Dregous was the first outsider that had aided putting on her armor. For a moment she thought she saw him ready to aid in the corner of her eye. He is not here, she thought while assembling her gear.

  The princess wasn't concerned with the academy, she was determined to get Dregous out of their hands. They had him for a month, that’s all she was going to allow. He was calling her for help, “I am coming love… and will crush any who bars me.”

  ***

  Tuke finished his grace for the morning meal when Rem joined him, “Good day.”

  “Top of the morning my friend,” he said as Rem pulled a chair. Tuke noticed the odd bracelet on Rem's arm. The black leather band sported a finely detailed bronze book. You could almost see the individual pages. Though it looked nice, Tuke didn’t like the bracelet, “Interesting piece you have there.”

  “Well, I thought of making a personal change,” he forced a smile and hoped no one would see through him.

  It was like someone slapped Tuke, but didn’t react, “Where did you acquire it?”

  “It was a gift.” Rem wasn’t going to lie, but he wasn’t going to volunteer any i
nformation.

  “A lady friend?” Tuke unknowingly lied for him.

  Rem figured the priest was poking fun. He wanted to return the jest, “It was someone…,” he started.

  Tuke sensed the near-invisible restraint in his voice. He was about to speak when a young maiden rushed to their table with a worried expression. He recognized the girl, it was one of Tatiana’s servants. They greeted the girl as Seeker followed her in.

  “You must gather the others with haste,” she said panting as she looked between them, then noticed the dark woman in tow, and stepped aside.

  “Take care child, with calm,” Tuke gently grasped her shoulders.

  “Woo, what he said?” Rem said, for a brief moment he felt all was well with him, as Seeker approached.

  Tuke gave Rem a sidelong glance, “Explain.”

  “The princess requests your presence…” she started.

  “Princess? Is she well?” Seeker asked.

  “What now?” Rem blurted with concern. The first Ayrian seen in centuries and a friend may be in danger. Tuke addressed Seeker, then thought the princess may be in jeopardy.

  “She wishes you and the others,” the handmaiden stuttered nervously.

  “What is the matter?” Seeker asked.

  “The princess…, she is not herself.”

  “What do you mean, not herself?” Tuke jumped in.

  “The princess said something about getting the dark one out,” her voice trembled.