Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (87 page)

Key members of the military and their families were next, numbering 900 souls. With the other 6,000 seats filled, it would be the biggest assassination ever witnessed.

Double D peeked through the curtain and rolled his hands together. If not for his greed, the gathering was large enough that he would have killed Aaron for free. This was his chance to make the ultimate statement. Assassins for ages to come would always aspire to match his greatness. Upon the Peak of his passing, he would leave behind a note that revealed the truth that he was the one who slew the king and the general. The Scrolls of Old would read: Dawson Drake, the Assassin Who Single-handedly Changed the Face of the Kingdom of Brandor.

Many moments passed before the theatre settled. Double D watched as Sam stood from his seat and kissed his wife’s hand before he walked to the center of the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Sam shouted. “Please! Everyone take your seats!”

The crowd quieted.

“In a few moments, your king will arrive to make his way through the theatre. He has requested that no one speak until he has said goodbye to his father. Once the king has left the building, you may talk amongst yourselves. You’ll be told when it’s your turn to pay your respects. I ask that you show respect for the passed, as well as for your king.”

A young, well-dressed servant ran up the steps of the stage and stopped next to Sam. “The king has arrived,” he whispered. “He is waiting to be introduced.”

Sam signaled the trumpeters and shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen! Rise for your king, Aaron Brandor!”

The sound of the trumpets filled the expansive room with wonderful music as Aaron entered through the double doors and made his way to the stage.

Sam lowered to one knee and bowed his head. It was agreed that Sam’s acknowledgement would symbolize the respect of the audience who could not kneel at their seats. Sam kissed the king’s hand before he was signaled to rise, whereupon Aaron embraced his advisor as he whispered in Sam’s ear, “I find much strength in you, Sam. Thank you.”

The advisor was touched by the king’s sentiment. Sam nodded and then returned to his seat.

Aaron turned to face the audience and began his address.

Shalee listened from her seat, still bothered by Mosley’s words. They had left her with a heightened sense of awareness. She scanned the theatre, looking for something out of the ordinary, but she could not find anything. The sorceress gripped Precious with white knuckles as she directed her attention toward Aaron as he finished his address.

“...You’ll always be remembered, My Great King.” These were the last words Aaron spoke as he turned to say goodbye to his father.

Double D looked across Keldwin’s body as Aaron approached the casket. The same knife he used to kill the barbarian in Gessler was in his hand, and he had laced the blade with poison to ensure the job was completed if he made an imperfect thrust. He moved his arm into position, and made sure his mask was secure. He did not want his actions to cause it to shift and ruin his escape.

As Aaron stood above his father, tears fell from his cheeks and landed on Keldwin’s cold hands, but the assassin felt no compassion. On the contrary, the pain filling the king’s eyes excited Dawson Drake. Double D licked his lips as the grieving monarch leaned over to kiss his father on the forehead.

As the young king straightened up, the assassin plunged his knife under Aaron’s chin, thrusting so hard that the tip of the blade pierced the top of Aaron’s head. Double D savored the penetration.

Shalee watched as the king moved across the stage toward the coffin. Her gut was telling her something was not right. As the sorceress watched the king bend over to kiss his father, she exhaled with relief, but then the hole in the king’s head opened and blood spurted everywhere.

Double D decided to leave the barbarian’s knife buried in the king’s skull to punctuate his statement of artistry.
Let’s go get my money
, he thought as he let go of the knife and turned to run.

Seeing the blade appear in Aaron’s head, Shalee immediately slammed Precious against the floor of the stage and screamed, “Precious,
illuvu sol!
” Everyone and everything within the theatre stopped moving, both seen and unseen.

The sorceress stood from her chair and rushed across the stage. Blood was everywhere, and the drops that were falling from the knife were suspended in air. Shalee gathered her emotions and took a closer look.
How could a knife just appear like this?
she thought.

Shalee went to Sam and released him from her magic. She placed a finger over his mouth and explained the situation.

With Shalee in tow, Sam studied the scene. He moved around the guards to the backside of the coffin. As he did, he tripped over the extended foot of the assassin. “Something’s here!” he exclaimed as he picked himself up off the floor.

Shalee reached out to feel around. Her hand touched Double D’s stomach. As she moved it beyond his chest, her fingers touched the scruff on the bottom of the assassin’s chin. “Oh, my gosh, it’s a man!”

Sam responded. “Step aside.”

She did as Sam instructed. A moment later, Sam’s hand bumped the mask. The mask shifted upward, and Double D appeared. “Holy,” Sam said as he pulled his hand away.

Gravity grabbed the weight of the mask and forced it back into position over Double D’s eyes. The assassin vanished.

“Oh, my gosh, Sam, that’s it. Take it off.”

Sam reached out, felt around and then yanked the mask off Double D’s head. The assassin was in stride, and his intended path was for the curtains behind the coffin.

Sam handed the magical item to Shalee. “I think this is in your arena. Put it on.”

Shalee’s brow furrowed as she studied the skull. “No!” she rebutted. “Look at it. It’s creepy.”

“Just put it on and see what happens.”

The sorceress examined the mask. After a fair series of moments, she shrugged and then placed it against her face. Just like Double D, she vanished. “Can you see me?”

Sam shook his head. For the moment, he forgot about the prince’s death. “Whoa! That’s amazing. What kind of magic is that?”

Shalee pulled the mask away from her face. As she reappeared, she responded. “I think it’s dark magic. What should we do with him? We can’t let him get away.”

Sam did not respond. Instead, he circled the frozen figure and rifled through Double D’s pockets. “I want to know who we’re dealing with.”

“Be careful,” the sorceress urged.

“Why? He’s not going anywhere.”

“I don’t know. Just be careful. He’s a killer.”

Shalee’s warning was accurate. Sam pulled out a small, wooden case that was filled with poisonous darts. Their points were capped with leather sleeves, and as he closed the case, he noticed that the initials DD were burned into the lid. “Hmmm ... DD ... I wonder what it stands for.”

“Who cares?” Shalee snapped. “What are we gonna do with this creep? I can’t keep everyone frozen forever. And don’t forget, Aaron’s gone.”

Sam put the case in his pocket and then lifted the assassin off the floor. He turned Double D around and carried him back to the coffin. He adjusted Double D’s posture until he was in the perfect position and then placed the assassin’s hand back on the handle of the knife that was still buried into the king’s skewered head.

“ Goodness gracious, Sam, what are you doing?” Shalee whispered.

“I’m making him look guilty. You said we don’t want him to get away, right?”

“That’s a great idea. Make him look guilty.” As Sam continued to adjust Double D’s posture, Shalee held up the mask in front of her and rolled her eyes. “There’s blood on this thing. I can’t believe I put it on.”

“Would you please focus?” Sam snapped. “Help me.”

With Double D in the ideal position, Sam adjusted Aaron’s weight to fall toward the coffin while Shalee hung the mask from the assassin’s belt, and then they reclaimed their seats.

Shalee slammed Precious against the floor and released everyone from her magic.

The next thing Double D knew, he was standing with the knife in his hand, and the weight of the king was falling toward him. He released the blade and looked at the crowd. Everyone could see him.

Sam shouted, “Guards, seize him!”

Double D instinctively reached up for his mask, but there was nothing to grab. “Garesh,” he blurted as he turned to run for the curtain.

One of the guards tackled Double D before he could take his second step. A moment later, nine swords of the king’s guard were pointed at his throat. The murderer was captured.

The theatre was frantic. Everyone screamed as the king’s legs buckled. As Aaron slid off of his father’s body and the handle of the assassin’s knife caught on the edge of the coffin and left Aaron dangling. A moment later, the bone at the top of the king’s skull cracked. Aaron slowly slid off the blade and crumbled to the floor in a heap. The assassin’s dagger toppled off the edge of the coffin and stuck into the stage next to the young king’s shoulder.

Sam rushed to the center of the stage and shouted with all his might. “People of Brandor, sit and be quiet!”

Everyone stopped to look. Most of them did not realize it, but Sam was now their new king, and he was about to make the chain of authority known. He shouted again. “King Aaron has been murdered! I won’t allow this gathering to make a mockery of his death! Sit down! NOW!”

The nobles and the members of the military were the first to comply. Seeing their reaction to Sam’s command, the rest of the theatre followed.

Sam ordered four of the guards to clear Aaron’s body from the stage. He then commanded two others to wheel Keldwin’s casket behind the curtain with Aaron. Sam snatched the assassin’s dagger and pulled it clear of the stage, and then he ordered the morticians to take the bodies from the theatre, and return with the kings in clean attire and fresh coffins.

Once this had been accomplished, Sam ordered the four remaining guards to bring Double D to the front of the stage. The guards complied.

Sam faced the crowd. “People of Brandor, you will remain seated until our kings have been returned! Justice must be delivered. I intend to give the fallen the vengeance they deserve! You will not leave until the command is given! Do you understand?”