Plague of Tyrants E-Book

M.J. Sewall

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Two young kings now rule the Kingdom of the Thirteen, surrounded by enemies.

Facing a threat unlike anything the world has ever seen, the two have discovered that their prized airships can't protect them against all dangers. One must leave to find the source of the new threat, while the other stays and faces enemies on all fronts.

But even with the corrupt old rulers gone, their work is far from finished. Loyalties are tested and boundaries broken, as the kings try to establish who they can trust in the new world. With enemies both old and new, their Kingdom has never been more vulnerable.

At the heart of it all stand the kings themselves. Neither asked to be king, but both have done their best. As they push themselves to new limits, they'll need to dig deeper than ever before to unite their people, defeat the enemies at their door, and remain true to themselves. 

But can they answer the call of destiny?

Leseprobe

Plague of Tyrants

Chosen King Book III

M.J. Sewall

Copyright (C) 2016 M.J. Sewall

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2022 by Next Chapter

Published 2022 by Next Chapter

Cover design by Fiona Jayde Media ~ fionajaydemedia.com

Edited by Mindy T. Conde & Natalie McDermott of TheCrimsonQuill.com

Map by Angelina La Pointe

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

This book is dedicated to my daughter Hillary. She knows why.

The tale of two kings continues

But not as before

Fate turns

Twisting mankind with it

Always there is change

No time is less certain

Than after the fall of a tyrant

Bad things often grow in empty places

~ Llawes the Younger

Chapter 1: Maker of Death

Seefer made his way into the darkening cave. The vast army of creatures echoed their welcome. The darkness grew, swallowing him as he went farther into the cave, and his thoughts turned to his journey. He had a powerful master now, even if he was mad. People were being flung from the cliffs every day now. No one was even allowed to see him anymore, this living god amongst them. What do I care? As long as I make my little toys, I am safe. The cave walls echoed with the chirping of his friends, the little monsters that gave him their precious gifts.

Seefer didn't worry about anyone stopping him as he gathered his ingredients, he was protected now. The beatings and teasing he suffered as a child were distant, yet still painful memories. My mind saved me, he thought as the cave drew darker, I can build things, and I know how to be important to powerful people. Besides, he had nothing of value, not to anyone else. He laughed to himself as he realized that even if he was robbed, no marauder would ever understand what he had in his hands. But Seefer knew that he held the ingredients to create another batch of the most dangerous, and therefore the most valuable substances in the world.

As soon as the world finds out about it, that is.

The chirping sounds were getting louder, the noises bouncing around the great cave. They mostly stopped during the day, but these were easy creatures to frighten from their slumber. Quick to awaken. He was always quiet, never desiring to waken the horde all at once. Seefer only wanted what was left behind after their night of hunting. Precious droppings, valuable waste.

He wondered why the man had shared the secret. No, it wasn't a man that gave me this secret. That fact bothered Seefer a great deal. The secret that three ingredients could make such a powerful weapon was now his. But why? Seefer decided to let that constant question sink into the lower waters of his mind, churning as always. Focus on the task.

There was little light this deep into the cave, but he had grown accustomed to that in his many recent visits. He opened his sack and took out his scraping knife. Seefer knew that he was made for this kind of work, not minding the smell or the way the droppings felt in his hands. All he could think about was what he was going to make it into, after it dried.

The beautiful destruction.

Above him, the horde of creatures hung upside down, their wings wrapped around their bodies, no doubt uneasy with dreams of last night's kill. As he gathered his ingredient, his mind wandered to the problem of gods and men. Was his need to create worth the growing madness of his new master? Worse, could he deceive the Queen that he truly believed in the living god that she worshiped? The god was getting crueler by the day. Men thrown from the cliffs for even the smallest mistake, or slip of the tongue, or no reason at all. But he would have to pretend to love the monster and build more toys.

He collected all he would need for the next batch, and stood up with his sack, making his way back to the light. It would be a long journey back to his jungle home. Seefer smiled, thinking of the secret he had been shown. Now he had to focus on the task, calculating how fast he could make the dark powder. The god was demanding more and more. He kept just enough powder to protect himself, in case he was summoned to the tower and the cliffs. He wondered if the workmen even knew they were building a monument to death.

He stood at the mouth of the cave, finally back into full daylight. He let the wind whip at his face, knowing he was headed back to the heat and dark. He relished the fresh air as he looked out at his world. It would soon change forever. Seeing the distant mountains gave him a chill; the inner rings held monsters and men. He wondered how the distant rulers felt about this new god in the jungle. The old stories say they don't let anyone rise above them. How long before they came and struck down this new god?

Seefer shook off his fear, thinking of the future world where his toys might be used by vast armies. The thought disturbed him and excited him at the same time. He felt a vibration, as though his very thoughts of the future shook the living world around him. Dark times are coming, and I will sit at the table. Like a dark omen, the fluttering chirping sound got louder, until the entire flying army exploded out of the cave, flying all around him. Something strange and unknown had awoken them.

Seefer closed his eyes, not afraid of the tiny flying monsters. He stood still, imagining the future world where his dangerous toys would bring down kingdoms.

Chapter 2: Late Visitors

“Again, my King,” said Mantuan, and Gordon charged him with his curved longknife.

“Which one are you talking to?” Gordon said as he ducked under Mantuan's swing and tried to get behind him, “Asa or me?”

Mantuan said, “Very funny,” and pivoted to meet his blow. Their longknives met with a loud clang, “you're getting better, King for a day.”

Gordon smiled, “I've heard that one. The people who write the daily pamphlets have been saying some nasty things about their two kings.” He lunged at Mantuan.

“Nice try,” Mantuan knocked his knife away easily, “People will always gossip. This was the best way to start healing the kingdom. The people were all for it at the beginning. It's just a few troublemakers talking through their little papers.”

Gordon tried to get at Mantuan from behind, staying in the training circle etched on the ground, “What do you think, my fellow king? Do you mind sharing the crown?”

At the next training circle, Asa tried to concentrate with his long wooden staff in hand, “I like it. Should we ask Skyler to move in too? Three kings to out shine the two kings of Artoth?”

Gordon laughed, “That would be fun. We could fly kites from the balcony…” he cut off as Mantuan saw his strategy and swung his longknife for his kingly head. Gordon bent down, missing the blow.

“Almost took your head off. Stay alert Gordon,” said Mantuan, turning his head slightly, “and how is King Asa doing?”

“Better every day,” said Brenddel as he circled the smaller boy king, only a few feet away from Gordon and Mantuan's fighting circle.

Asa had his long wooden staff in front of him and was slowly backing away from Brenddel. “That's what he keeps telling me, but I'm not so sure.” Asa realized how close he was to Gordon. They were now back to back in Gordon's circle.

“Switching circles won't help you now,” said Brenddel, smiling darkly. Asa still couldn't tell when his Firstman was jesting.

Gordon pushed with all his might against Mantuan's long knife and Mantuan took a step back. The two warrior trainers were now walking in a slow circle around the two boys as they stood back to back.

“What do you think, my King, want to switch trainers?” asked Gordon.

“It wouldn't help,” he lowered his voice to whisper, “both terrify me,” said Asa as he watched the two men give some sort of signal with their eyes.

Still circling, Brenddel asked, “Remember what I said yesterday?”

Asa furrowed his brow, keeping his eyes on Brenddel. “You mean… that your enemy will give you no warning before he attacks?”

Brenddel just smiled.

A loud yell arose. Gordon and Asa both looked up to see the warrior girl Aline leaping down at them from the nearest balcony. They both protected their heads. Gordon was afraid that she might fall on his long knife. That was not what should have worried him as Aline landed on both boys, bringing them to the ground, forcing both to drop their weapons.

Brenddel was putting his long knife away, “No my King, I meant about keeping your eyes open to all that is around you. But both lessons will serve.”

Mantuan laughed as both boys stumbled to get up on their feet. Aline smiled as she punched Gordon on the arm, before politely turning to King Asa, “my King.”

Gordon rubbed his arm, “Why don't you punch him?”

Aline simply said, “He's the King. I can't punch the King.”

Gordon protested, “But, I'm a king too!”

“Oops. Must have forgotten,” smiled Aline as she bowed to Gordon, “my King.”

“Sorry to interrupt your fun,” said Gordon's mother Ellice, as she strode into the courtyard.

“Hello mother. It wasn't that much fun,” Gordon replied, rubbing his arm.

“Training is always hard work,” said Ellice, “You should probably go see Loren and get your blood tested.”

Gordon knew better than to argue about testing his sweetblood after training, so he simply nodded as Ellice turned to Asa. “After you finish, King Asa and Gordon, two envoys just arrived and insist on seeing you.”

“At this hour? That's unusual.” Brenddel looked concerned, “Can't it wait until morning?”

Ellice gave Brenddel a quick, polite look. She did not answer.

Asa asked, “Who are they, Queen Ellice? I'm kind of sweaty right now.”

Ellice replied, “They say they are from the Outlands, a place called Ossmalan.”

“Never heard of it,” said Brenddel.

“Probably not,” she said coldly, “Since the Outlands are almost totally unexplored.”

“That's right. The maps we use for our studies just stop at the Outlands,” Asa commented.

“Must be important if Outlanders came all this way,” said Gordon.

“Umm, let me just get cleaned up while Gordon goes to test,” said King Asa, “Tell our guests we'll be there shortly. All right with you?”

“Sounds good,“ Gordon answered.

Ellice announced, “I will bring the envoys to the King chairs in one hour,” she nodded to the Kings and gave another cold look to Brenddel before leaving.

When Ellice was gone, Asa asked, “Is she still angry?”

“I'm sure she was hoping the trial would end with me in prison, or worse.” said Brenddel, “I don't blame her for hating me.”

Aline agreed, “You did kill her husband.”

“Yes. But that is in the past,” Mantuan said. “Brenddel's trial has ended. The people decided that Trunculin was to blame. Brenddel is firstman again, that's the end of the tale.”

Gordon said nothing. He knew how his mother felt. It had been hard adjusting to Brenddel after the trial. He knew well all that had happened in the past half year. But the man standing only feet from him did kill his father, and he almost killed me, Gordon thought.

Betraying no emotion, Brenddel simply walked off as they all went to clean up after training. Gordon didn't know what to expect from the mysterious Outlanders any more than Asa did. His books only hinted at what they might be like.

As the others went to clean up, Gordon left for the healing rooms. Mantuan found Ellice. He was tempted to speak about Brenddel, and moving on from the past, but he let that be, instead asking, “Why would two envoys from the Outlands need to speak to the king so urgently? We've never had any formal contact with the Outlanders.”

“It gets stranger,” said Ellice, “the one envoy won't speak at all, almost like he doesn't want to be here. He only reluctantly gave up his weapons for this meeting. Tolan insisted on searching the men himself.”

Mantuan said, “Tolan is a good secondman. Brenddel chose well.”

Ellice continued, “It's just worrying. I'm not fearful for the kings with you around, but we should definitely keep both eyes on the younger envoy. Something feels wrong about this.”

Mantuan nodded as he pondered the possibilities of what such a meeting could mean. Soon they were all ready to see the visitors. The great doors to the room of the king chairs opened, and the visitors were welcomed. The two envoys were brought in front of the boy kings. The room was grand in size, and no one knew the Kings' personal room was just down a hidden hallway behind the chairs. It was nearly round, and built to impress any visitor. The older of the two envoys looked around in wonder, the younger looked bored.

Asa still felt terribly uncomfortable sitting on the King's chair. He understood why anyone might be unimpressed by him. It had been over half a year since Trunculin died. The Firstcouncilor's evil deeds had been unwound slowly, the people shocked at each new discovery, which had all been widely published in the numerous daily pamphlets. Bold papers told the story of how far Trunculin had gone, all in secret, for so many years. With the two councils struggling to undo Trunculin's laws fast enough for the public's taste, it seemed like everybody was printing pamphlets filled with news and gossip. Angry opinions and arguments happened daily in the streets. Former King Stathen, Mantuan, and Ellice assured the boy kings that this was the price of true freedom.

When they announced a new Choosing ceremony to the crowds, instead of wanting a new king chosen, they insisted the two boys rule equally until their five trials were up. The stories of Asa's journey had been read by half of the kingdom, and the crowds cheered his name. Asa felt he had no choice but to stay king at least until his first five trials were over. He knew that only meant four more years, but it felt like he was in a prison sometimes. Especially when he had to pretend to know what he was doing for visitors, like now. He was glad he could share his responsibilities with someone else. Gordon's story had already become like a legend. But Gordon was uneasy too, and they privately talked about it often.

The only thing that had changed was that Asa started to actually like his lessons, and he had grown nearly half a foot. Asa and Gordon were about the same height now. It started to become a game between Asa and Gordon: who would end up taller? Asa tried to force his thoughts back to the events at hand.

Brenddel stood between the two Kings' chairs, ready for anything. Mantuan and Aline stood against a wall of the nearly round room, having no official position in the Palace Guard. King Gordon had tried to convince Mantuan to come back on duty, but he claimed he was having too much fun helping Queen Ellice and Stathen root out the corrupt men from the two councils. There were so many openings on the councils, and so many corruption trials, that choosing new councilors was put on hold. Lots of pamphlets had been angry at this as well, but they were working as fast as they could. They had still not elected a new Firstcouncilor. There was still much to be done. No one seemed to want the position.

The two envoys stood still, and it was obvious who was in charge. Both men were dressed in strange clothing. The Outlands must be warm, Asa thought, because there was a lot of skin showing. The clothes they wore were mostly of the same color, similar to the color of sand, but the older man had some extra clothing of solid black wrapped around his neck and waist.

They bowed to the two kings, but both Brenddel and Mantuan noticed that the younger man bowed only as much as he was required. He seemed not just bored, but a little hostile. Brenddel stood ready, staring into the eyes of the young man, hand on his knife. Before the meeting, the two kings had agreed that Asa would be in charge tonight. Asa tried to speak loudly and clearly, “It is an honor to have two distinguished men traveling so far, to come visit our kingdom.”

To everyone's surprise it was the younger man who replied, “My king, of the great Kingdom of the Thirteen, it is our honor to be here. The living god has sent us here…”

“My companion…” said the older man interrupting, speaking slowly and deliberately, “…is a young man, like yourselves my two kings, and he speaks rashly. Since neither I, nor my young friend, speak directly with the living god, it is debatable whether we were sent here by him or by his Queen mother.”

The young man cut in “But we are here to make the first step towards friendship between our great people….”

“That may be possible,” the old man smiled, “but exactly how we begin this friendship is unclear. My two Kings, the living god is fair and just. But we are divided on how to move forward.”

“Not everyone agrees we should move into the larger world,” the young man said, taking a step toward the two kings, “As for our new god…”

The old man made a quick movement to the younger, thrusting something into his neck. The young man jerked, grabbing at his neck. He groaned and crumpled to the ground, dead. King Asa and King Gordon shot to their feet. Brenddel had already drawn his longknife and was in front of the kings. Mantuan drew his knife, as had Aline and all of the guards. The old man was surrounded.

The man did not attack. Instead, he stood still, and his face turned hard, “It is not for men to say what the living god wants. I told the Queen this was a mistake,” pushing whatever was in his hand into his own stomach. He winced at the pain, but said, “But that mistake dies here with us. I bring a warning. Stay away from our god or we will blow you from the skies.”

The man made a terrible sound. No one was sure if it was rage, or simply the last gasp of his life before he fell. The guards surrounded the two dead envoys as Brenddel rushed to open the man's hand. It was a small wooden spike, now stained with the blood of two men. Brenddel smelled it carefully but could not tell what poison was used.

Asa stood there in stunned silence. Gordon's mother had come between them and realized she had grabbed the hand of each king.

“Take them to the healing rooms,” said Brenddel, “I want Loren to tell me what killed these men. Tolan, take a dozen men and get aboard their ship. I want answers.”

Tolan nodded and headed for the docks. Brenddel had the room cleared quickly until only Asa, Ellice, Aline, Gordon, and Mantuan were there.

“What was this? What just happened?” asked Asa, staring at the spot on the floor where the men had died.

Mantuan said, “I'm guessing whoever this living god and his queen mother are, not everyone agrees we should be friends.”

“Well, that older man made it clear how dedicated he was,” said Ellice, “He might have killed the other envoy on board the ship but did it in front of us instead. He obviously wanted to make a very direct point.”

“Well, he made it,” offered Brenddel.

Mantuan said, “The Outlanders have kept to themselves for centuries. There are persistent rumors that Extatumm does some trading with them, but other than that, why do this?”

“This was horrible. We will all have nightmares. Let me know what Tolan finds out about that ship. I'll go see what Loren can tell us,” Ellice said, “Tolan should have checked the old man more carefully.”

Brenddel said, “The poison stick was tiny. He could have hidden it anywhere. Besides, he said he was busy taking weapons from the younger one.”

Ellice's anger flared, “And what if he'd killed one of our kings? More blood on your hands, Firstman.”

Brenddel said, “Queen Ellice, none of ours were hurt. He seemed to be a feeble old man,” Ellice stood there, saying nothing. “Please, my Queen, go see Loren and find out what you can. We will help them search the Outlander ship.”

Mantuan looked from one to the other. Ellice walked out without a word. This was no time to worry about the rift between Ellice and his adopted son. He nodded to Brenddel, “I think that's a good idea, son. Let's go.”

Chapter 3: Blue Poison

“Finally named it. I call it the pin.” said Loren.

“Umm, that's a lot bigger that a pin for sewing,” Gordon said, staring at the new tool to help him with his sweetblood illness. “I'm just glad you got it smaller. The ones you made me use before really hurt. You'd better show me again.”

“It still has to go in your arm, or even better, in your stomach. The metal pin is hollow, and the healing oil gets drawn into the glass part here. Then you press this plunger with your thumb, and the liquid shoots under your skin, where it gets absorbed into your blood. It's more complicated than that, but I see your eyes glazing over already. Anyway, it's faster than eating sour cakes, since it goes right into your system.”

“Okay. That sounds awful,” said Gordon staring at the new tool for his illness, “No offence.”

“None taken,” Loren chuckled, “I had an amazing craftsman make it. The pin is as small as he could craft it, and still pierce the skin without snapping in two. And this counter is even better.”

“This little box will help me know how sweet my blood is, whenever I want?” asked Gordon, picking up the small metal box.

“Yes, Corinn helped me with the design before she left the palace.”

“Why did she leave as Firsthealer?”

“She was close with Trunculin,” Loren explained, “After she spoke against him at the trial, she said there were too many memories here at the palace. But, before she left, we finally got the machine to work properly.” He grabbed the small box. It was square and had a hole in the middle, with a set of three numbers on the top, “Here, you poke your finger, put a drop of blood on this area, and the numbers click into place. Depending on the number, you will know if you have to eat something, or if you need healing oil to bring the sweetblood numbers down.”

“Wait, how often will I have to stick my finger for a drop of blood?” asked Gordon.

“To be sure, it should be at least three times a day…”

“Three times a day?” repeated Gordon. “How will I use my fingers?”

Loren assured him, “You will need very little blood. You're young, the tiny wounds will heal in a few hours.”

“Just in time for me to stick myself again. Great.” Gordon looked at the new pin device and sweetblood number machine, saying nothing more, imagining the future.

Loren said, “I know it'll be hard, but this will keep you alive, and much healthier. See here, I'll go over it again.”

A small timing bell sounded. Loren turned to his glass tubes. One had turned blue, the other was a light red from the blood on the poisoned stick. The stick that had killed two men floated in the light red liquid. Gordon stared, always fascinated with Loren's special mixtures. He looked back to the two dead men on the beds, “I wonder why he did it.”

Ellice walked in to the healing rooms. “Loren, what have you discovered? Do you know what poison was used?”

“Actually, I don't,” said Loren, looking confused. He picked up his blue glass tube. “I've been mixing different known ingredients, seeing how they react. I've isolated the poison. But it must come from a plant in the Outlands we don't know about. All we know is that it's blue.”

“That doesn't help much,” said Ellice, “it doesn't help us with the why of the thing.”

“No. And I've never seen this purple blue reaction around the wound. It's a very small hole. I almost wouldn't have noticed it except for the color.” He listened to the men's hearts and put his fingers to their necks. “I can only tell you that they are definitely dead.”

“Hopefully we'll find answers on their ship,” said Ellice, sighing heavily, sitting next to Gordon.

“Mother, why do you think they would come all this way?”

“I have no idea,” Ellice said, brushing Gordon's hair from his forehead. “You need a haircut. You look more like your father every day. Brenddel and Mantuan are on the Outlander's ship by now. It's anchored in the King's Port. We should know something soon.”

“I still can't find… wait, here's the wound on the older man. Hmm, there is no discoloration around his wound. Why stab his own stomach with the poison? The neck would have been faster. Strange.” said Loren.

“He said a few words before he died. Maybe he needed that time to say them,” Gordon offered.

“Maybe. I'll keep looking,” said Loren, “I have a few older books on poisons I can consult. Maybe one will mention this type of blue plant. Let me know what Brenddel and Mantuan find.”

Ellice nodded. “Come on son, let Loren do his work.”

Gordon left the room with his mother, but glanced back, noting the similarity between Loren's new pin tool for him, and the poisoned stick the old man used as a weapon.

A lifetime of sticking myself, a lifetime of bloody fingers, Gordon thought. But he knew his uncle was right. One pin was for death, the other one would keep him alive.

Chapter 4: To Kill a King

The Outlander ship was gone. They decided to search by airship in the morning, since it was already deep into the night. They all went to bed uneasy. Mantuan suggested more guards at all the outer doors and windows of the palace. Brenddel and Tolan agreed. Brenddel would get a few hours' sleep and start out on the airship at first light. His airships could catch any watership, no matter how far a lead they had.

Loren had the bodies of the two men moved to the coldest part of the palace, where the dead would decay slower. Loren hoped he could use them for more study in the following days.

Two guards stood outside the entrance to the room of the king chairs, and Asa's room beyond. Gordon stayed with his mother in another part of the palace. Gordon had insisted Asa use the traditional king's chamber, since he'd used it longer. Plus, Gordon had only slept there one night.

The two heavy wooden doors stood barred, and the guards tried to stay alert deep into the night. As the guards stood with their back to the barred doors, they looked out the large window overlooking the Kingdom.

One guard said, “I need to go relieve myself.” but stopped when he heard a strange sound. Both guards kept both hands on their long weapons, muscles tight and ready for anything.

A long metal tube rolled out of the darkness. One guard bent to pick it up and it blew apart at his feet. Killing the two guards instantly, it also blew the doors to the room inward. One door was blown off its massive hinges and landed on one of the king chairs.

The older dead envoy moved quickly, removing the bits of cloth from inside his ears. He moved carefully through the chunks of wood scattered on the floor. Having committed the palace plans to memory, he went around the two king chairs, toward the king's chamber just behind.

There were guards along the curving hallways, but they were still covering their ears from the sound of the blast. With the smoke from the black powder filling the room, they couldn't see him coming, so the old man dispatched them quickly with his small, lethal knife. The guards barely registered movement before they all fell, dead.

In the King's chamber, the room was well lit by the moonlight streaming through the large window. The dead man could not see anyone in the king's bed, but the blankets were rumpled. He felt the still warm bedding. He spun around and felt the crack of the long wooden staff connect with his hand. His knife fell to the floor.

The dead man kicked Asa in the stomach before the King could block the blow with his staff. Asa went tumbling backwards. The old man took a fist across his cheek from someone new, landing next to the bed side table under the window. Asa's oldest brother Vance turned the gas lamp up on the wall. Another boy, Asa's youngest brother Devver stood next to Asa, helping him up. The room was brighter now, and they saw the old man reaching into his cloak. The dead man spotted the gas lamp on the table and turned it up. The flame jumped up the wick, brightening the room farther and threw strange shadows on his face.

The old man put his hand next to the flame and stood up, holding a black tube. A wick attached to the black pipe burned brightly as it got closer to the weapon.

“Pray to your Gods boy…!” The man held it above his head.

Asa's other brother Devver acted. The man was met with a foot to his chest before he could finish. and went tumbling backwards into the window. The window gave way and the man fell through, accompanied by broken shards of glass. When he was only a few feet out the window, the black pipe in his hand came apart. Exploding with a sound like thunder, it blew the glass of the remaining window into the King's room, showering the three boys with shards big and small.

The man's remains showered the courtyard below.

The boys were blown to the floor, their ears feeling the force of the explosion. They slowly got up as others rushed in. Their ears were ringing so badly; they could not hear any words. Mantuan and Brenddel shouted, “Are you hurt? Asa? Devver, Vance?”

Tolan came in with more guards, checking to see if any of the other guards on the floor had lived. All were dead. When Tolan reached the King's chamber and saw Brenddel carry King Asa to his large bed, he sent two guards to get Loren. Devver and Vance could hear a little better by then as they stood over their brother Asa.

Mantuan turned to the brothers, “Healers are on their way. Are you all right?”

Devver said, “I think I'm okay. Asa? How are you feeling?” They all had blood on them from several spots where fine glass had hit. Asa looked the least bloody, but he had his hands over his face.

Asa said, “I can hear you now. But, my eyes hurt.”

Vance tried to pry them away, to see if there was any damage, but Asa kept his hands tight.

“Asa…” said Vance gently, “Let me see.”

King Asa let his hands go, “Vance. I can't see anything. I… I think I'm blind.”

Brenddel wouldn't wait for Loren and took Asa into his arms. Rushing to the healing rooms was not easy. By this time, everyone in the palace was awake. When he finally got Asa into the healing rooms, Asa still had his hands over his eyes. Loren got to work.

Asa's brothers had small shards of glass that had to be removed, mostly from their arms since they held them up to protect their faces. The assistant healers worked on them as Loren finally got Asa to show his eyes. After washing them out repeatedly with special healing liquids, Asa could keep them open without pain.

But he still couldn't see.

“It's not as bad as it seems, my king,” said Loren, “There are no shards of glass in your eyes. If anything, only the outer layer of the eye was hurt. It will heal. I think the force of that explosion caused your eyes to go into a sort of defensive sleep. The blindness is only temporary. In time, your eyesight should return.”

The worst of the pain over, Asa offered, “I can wear patches like Mantuan for a while.”

The room laughed softly, despite the terrible attack. Asa's brothers, Mantuan, Brenddel, Aline, Gordon, and Ellice were all there.

Loren said, “That's very brave, my king. I think a healing cloth around your eyes for now, to let your eyes rest from any strain of trying to see.”

Asa asked, “Brenddel, can you send word to my family that…”

“Already done, my King. Tolan sent some men to tell them,” said Brenddel.

“I think we should tell only them,” said Mantuan, “We don't need the people thinking one of our kings is weakened.”

Asa said, “Maybe they will take pity on me, and stop calling me King Ass in some of the pamphlets.”

“That was only one pamphlet. Filled with lies and hateful words,” said Mantuan.

King Gordon asked, “Brenddel, please report. How bad was the palace hurt?”

“Six guards, my king. I will contact their families in the morning,” Brenddel turned to Loren, “How did this happen Loren? You said he was dead.” asked Brenddel, a little more sharply than he intended.

Loren replied, “I'm sorry. I failed you. That man was dead, I'm sure of it. His heart was not beating.”

Mantuan offered, “Well he's surely dead now. What's left of him fell to the King's courtyard.”

Loren said, “There are rare poisons that slow the heartbeat, even stop it for a short while. It may be that the old man stabbed the younger with the full force of poison and then he got a lesser dose, just putting him in a kind of sleep. I should have thought of that.”

Mantuan said, “I once saw a man saved from drowning in the sea. We didn't know he was saved until he woke up the next day at his funeral. What about this poison?”

“It's none I recognize. I will have to test it further. How did the man get around the palace? And what were those exploding pipes?” Loren asked.

Brenddel replied, “We don't know yet. Tolan searched him carefully. No one has had contact with the Outlands, it can't be a spy in the palace. Most of the men were guarding against people getting into the palace. We never considered an attack from inside. That was my failure, my two Kings.”

“I'm glad Gordon stays in my rooms on the other side of the palace.” Offered Ellice, feeling the need to be close to Gordon after their long separation.

“It's no one's fault. The man was dead, we all thought so. You couldn't have known Brenddel,” said Gordon, “What were those things he used?”

“We don't know that either,” Mantuan said, scratching at his patch, “I've never seen anything like it. I've seen oil explosions before, but this left some sort of black burn marks. It's a powerful weapon the Outlanders have.”

Gordon said, “Well, the other man isn't talking. We checked on him, he's still very dead.”

Vance said, “Good, then we can get some sleep after all. It was lucky you sent for us after your meeting with the Outlander envoys, Asa. I mean, my king. I still can't get used to that, little brother.”

“I didn't want to be alone after that strange meeting.” Asa said, trying not to rub his eyes.

Devver offered, “Of course it was my king brother that gave him a good whack to get him to drop the knife. Your training with the staff is improving.”

“Thanks, big brothers,” Asa said.

“It's just lucky we were up late playing king's dice,” said Devver.

Ellice shot him a disapproving glance.

He continued, “No money involved, my Queen, just for fun.”

“But why? Why would anyone from the Outlands go to this much trouble to hurt one of our kings?” asked Aline.

Mantuan said, “I have no idea. But we must find out. It's still too dark to search now.”

“No.” Said Brenddel firmly, “we need to leave right away. My men are already getting two airships ready. Mantuan and I will take the airships out and find the Outlanders.”

Gordon asked, “Are you sure? There have been two sightings of shadow fins in just the last week. You won't see them coming at night.”

“Forgive me for interrupting, my King, but it must be now. They tried to kill Asa.” said Brenddel.

Gordon said, “All right, if you must. Just be extra careful.”

Loren said, “And we'll keep watch over our kings here in the healing rooms. You can sleep in here boys.”

“Ugg,” complained Devver, “But the king bed is so much more comfortable. So soft, and it could fit the whole family.”

“Go ahead, if you want to sleep on blood and glass,” offered the oldest brother Vance.

Devver gave Vance a scowl. Asa smiled to himself, glad to have family close again, no matter what the reason.

Chapter 5: Fallen

It was a bad idea and Mantuan knew it.

Brenddel argued that even if the Outlander ship had left, it couldn't have gotten far. Mantuan knew it was a risky idea flying in the dark, especially with the shadow fin creatures always listening for their airship rotators. But Asa had been hurt, so Mantuan didn't argue. He knew that Asa had become as much of a son to Brenddel as the fierce Firstman had been to Mantuan.

Brenddel took the large airship that Asa had named The Justice. Mantuan took The Shield. Since the young king had named the largest airship, the idea had caught on. A few of the older pilots still called the ships by their numbers, but unofficially all the airships now had names.

The Outlands were the farthest distance from their kingdom in this part of the world, and so unexplored that the entire area was not on any maps, but they knew the general direction the ship would be heading. Mantuan wondered briefly what they called their own lands; they surely weren't called the Outlands if you lived there. Brenddel just thought of what he'd do to them when he caught them. Brenddel had been working on his anger, trying to find ways to cool it, but was having trouble with those practices at this moment. He popped a bit of chocolate in his mouth, but it didn't help.

Since his trial, Brenddel felt he had a new personal mission to undo all the bad acts he had committed. Many believed that Trunculin was the only person responsible for the bad things done in the dark, but Brenddel knew the truth. Trunculin had warped him, true enough, but Brenddel knew very well the things he had done. He would spend the rest of his life trying to live up to the new man he wanted to be. But now someone had hurt Asa. The anger was like a fire he kept stoking in his chest. I need it now. I will put it out after this is done, he told himself.

The two airships kept in sight of each other but were far enough apart that they could search a lot more sea. Even in the dark, they could see much. The moon was high, its light untroubled by clouds. There were many islands big and small in the vast seas between their kingdom and the Outlands, but Brenddel wagered they would not try to find a safe port on some small island. In half a night's time, they couldn't have gotten too far. The fastest watership was only half the speed of any airship, and they had left in a hurry. They were definitely running.

The Outlander ship would be running dark as well, no lights aboard their ship. The moon's light helped, but the airship had the added advantage of height. They could see each other clearly in the distance from their own lamps, all lit, with a signal man on duty aboard both airships for messages. They had already spotted several fishing ships, out for delicacies that were best caught at night. Brenddel's spotter thought they saw a large sailing ship, perhaps a smuggler, but it was too big to be the Outlander ship. It slipped away into the night. They focused on finding the Outlanders.

Brenddel kept all the men on lookout. They were looking for the ship, but two men also scanned for shadow fins. Brenddel knew some of his men called them the old name from stories, Jhalgon fish, even fin monsters. Whatever you called them, Brenddel had no time for them tonight. But the moment I stop scanning for them, a fin will pop out of the water, attached to a monster, Brenddel thought.

One man was in the nest, a large basket on the top of the floating section of the airship they had added to a few in the fleet. It was much like a basket high on a watership, but instead of standing above sails, the man stood on top of the floating part that lifted the deck. The experiment had been successful, with an even higher view from the top of the ship. The nest man called down, “Watership! Watership ahead!”

Brenddel already had his spyglass out. He told the signal man to inform Mantuan. Mantuan saw the signal and headed The Shield toward the position of The Justice, which was nearly over the watership. Brenddel saw the crew working busily onboard the Outlander ship by moonlight. The back section was a long empty deck, and there was a lot of activity. They must know it's over.

The Outlanders were lighting something on the flat part of the deck. As they worked, Brenddel could see the objects being lit were many different colors, round and almost delicate looking. They were beginning to float off the deck. Two dozen or more delicate and colorful round objects took flight, the wind guiding them toward The Justice. Brenddel could see that they were small, no bigger than the gas lanterns that hung from the airships, like round lanterns made of paper. It was still full dark, only a few wisps of clouds beginning to wrap ribbons around the moon. The colorful lanterns glowed softly as they floated up into the night.

Brenddel was mesmerized by the floating balls of soft light as they got closer to his ship. The paper lanterns were blues, greens, and some as red as apples. He grew more concerned as they got closer. They reminded him of the strange sea creatures that floated like a blob of jelly, and he remembered that those jellied fish had a nasty sting. These people have killed his men, blinded Asa. They could not be trusted.

Brenddel ordered his own lanterns put out, to run dark. The order was given to climb in height as well, out of range of the floating lights, just in case. One lantern floated close by.

He looked at the small arrow gun strapped to his wrist, which had become his good luck charm on the airship, after killing a shadow fin with it not long before. He had a theory and shot a bolt from the arrow gun at one of the paper lanterns. It exploded. Damn! Just like that thing in Asa's room, he thought, as dozens more floated his way.

The large floating section sat above the flat open deck. The four heavy ropes that secured the two sections together strained as he ordered the pilot to turn hard left, and the other men to fire at the weapons with small arrow guns attached to the railings. A few exploded harmlessly, but many were still floating closer. Brenddel knew how easy these new weapons would tear the canvas that held the gas. Once it escaped, there was nowhere to go but down.

Their height was matched by the floating lanterns, the wind aiding them in their hunt for the airship. By now there were dozens. He could already imagine the floating gas escaping his airship as a red paper lantern exploded near the front of the floating section. Another exploded directly under the deck, catching the wood on fire.

Then more exploded, some hit by his men's arrows, others on their own. The effect was the same, a deafening bang, thick smoke that hung in the air, making it even harder to see.

His airship was going down. Brenddel grabbed his shoulder. Damn, he thought again. No time to test it. Another lantern exploded when it hit the floating section and Brenddel knew that the airship was lost. Brenddel saw several men blown over the railing by another explosion. He knew there was no hope for them. They were hundreds of feet over the water. At this height, they may as well have been landing on stone.