Bacorium Legacy (40 page)

“How are the leaves gold?” Luca asked Wiosna as they walked.

“Magick, I would guess,” she replied uncertainly.

“You would be right,” Brand told them. “The magi of Serenite are known for being able to do a number of things not commonly seen anywhere else in the world. One of these is growing trees with golden leaves. It's a source of pride for the people of Saeticia.”

“It's quite a sight,” Wiosna said.

“Just wait until night falls,” Brand said. “You see those strange lines running along the walls? Those are what they call 'neon'. When night falls, those lines light up in many different colours, providing illumination to the entire city. Against the contrast of the dark night, it is a very incredible sight.”

“I believe I read about that once...” Wiosna muttered.

The people of the city watched with wide eyes as they passed, merchants and peddlers and those who had come to buy from them. While the clothes Selphie were wearing were no cleaner or finer than what the commoners had on, she carried herself in a dignified fashion that Luca had not yet seen of her. She was undoubtedly royalty.

As they drew near the palace, they ascended the steps up to the palace gate, passing a stone balcony that overlooked the entire city. A man stood there on that balcony, polishing a blade.

“What's that about?” Luca quietly asked Brand.

“Executions, it would seem,” he replied. “Notice the grate beneath him, to catch the blood?”

Luca looked, and saw that there was indeed a sewer grate at the man's feet, which was stained a dirty brown, in contrast to the white marble around it.

It would seem not every bit of the city was so white and pure.

The guards at the gate moved and opened the doors for them, allowing them into the hall. The palace was a fine place with long tables at either side and a large fire in the centre. At the far end of the hall, upon the throne, sat the king - an ageing man in fine clothes, who had a sheathed blade at his side. The queen was in her seat beside his, and two young men stood nearby.

As Selphie entered, the king rose from the throne and stepped down to meet her. A warm smile crossed his bearded face.

“I was told you were on your way through our kingdom, and I wondered if you would stop by,” he said to her. “My, I haven't seen you in - how many years has it been?”

“Twelve, your majesty,” Selphie said, with a low curtsy.

“Please, take a seat,” King Marcus said, gesturing to the tables. “You and your entourage are welcome here.” The king sat down, with the queen, and his two sons.

Luca found a place to sit on the right side, with Selphie and the other members of their group. He found himself between Ash and Brand, with Emila on the far end of the table, as far from him as she could be.

“We've received word of what happened at Allma Temple,” Marcus said to Selphie. “I cannot say how relieved I am that you're alright.”

“I have my companions to thank for that,” the princess said. “Without them, I would never have made it. The Acarians were not the real danger, your majesty. There was treachery within the temple.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow as he took a drink. “Treachery? You get right to the point as always, Princess. What sort of treachery was this?”

“We do not know why, but Allma the third made some sort of deal with the Acarians,” Selphie told him. “The temple was caught off guard in a way it should not have been. Allma seemed to be expecting something that the Acarians did not deliver, and when they tried to betrayed him, he retreated into his sanctum and tried to kill me. He killed the guards my father sent to protect me - Jared here was the only survivor. If it were not for the intervention of these two,” she beckoned to Luca and Brand, “I might not have survived.”

“I see,” Marcus said, ruminating. “So you do not know why Allma attacked you?”

“We do not know for certain, but we suspect that Allma planned to have me killed and place the blame on the Acarians,” Selphie said. “We believe he hoped to start a war between Sono and Acaria, that he might profit from by sending his students to assist in.”

“Allma Temple would indeed benefit from a war,” said one of Marcus' sons. “They certainly did in the last.”

“Aye, I remember it well,” Marcus said. “You were just a boy then, Halt, were you not?”

“I was but eleven,” his son replied. “Gera was only seven.”

“I do remember you talking about it, though,” the younger son, Gera, spoke up. “You had a lot of meetings regarding whether or not to help Sono. You said that it was not an Alliance concern unless Zaow requested your help.”

“I did,” Marcus said. “But Sono needed no help. Manorith certainly had the numbers, but his men were poorly trained and even more poorly armed. And Manorith was a stranger to the battlefield. He led many of his men to their deaths. He did not even order a proper retreat, he just told his men to save themselves and run. The war was already in Zaow's hand before the Allmans even showed up - once they were there, the Acarians had no chance.”

“But Zinoro is not as foolish as his father was,” Selphie told them. “He is a very clever strategist. He knew exactly what to do to bring Allma Temple down.”

“News spread fast,” said Marcus. “We have heard that Dori fought them mounted on his dragon, and even that was not enough to stop them. Is this true?”

“It is,” Tranom said regretfully. “Dori and Austille are both dead. As is Allma, and almost everyone who was there. I am likely the last surviving master, and the small group of students I brought with me are all I could save. It was a massacre.”

“In that case, Zinoro has made his first move,” Halt said. “And it was against the kingdom of Torachi.”

“The temple was on neutral ground,” Selphie pointed out. “It was not officially part of the Torachi kingdom.”

“That doesn't matter,” Gera told her. “They still would have had to cross Torachi soil to get from Acaria to the temple.”

“Either way, Edmund will not simply ignore this,” Marcus said. “He has been itching for battle ever since he inherited the throne from his father. I have already received letters from him. He wants to gather at the Elder Hall.”

Those last two words caught Luca's attention. The Elder Hall - the sacred ground where the Alliance kings met in times of war. If the king of Torachi wanted to meet with the other two kings there, then there was no doubting he wanted war.

“Will you be gathering?” Selphie asked.

“I have not yet received word from your father,” Marcus replied. “As you know, if we both were to demand it, he would have no choice but to come.”

Selphie seemed surprised. “But you have not yet?”

“Zinoro has been a rising threat for some time now,” Marcus said to her, taking another drink from his cup. “The destruction of Allma Temple is too great an act to ignore. Who knows what else he is capable of? Allma Temple had some of the best trained fighters in all of Torachi, if not all of Bacoria, and yet it fell in a single day. The Alliance cannot ignore someone capable of this, especially with the knowledge that he has already expressed hatred towards Sono.

“And yet, I trust in your father's judgement. I consider myself a wise man, but I know that Zaow is wiser than I. It is not fear that stays his hand. So I am waiting. I hope I will not have to force your father's hand, but if Zinoro becomes too much of a threat to ignore, and Zaow continues insisting that we do ignore it, I may have to.”

There was a strange mix of relief and disappointment in Selphie's eyes. Her mission - to prevent a war with Acaria - was successful, at least for the moment. However, that did not guarantee that it would stay that way.

As much as Zaow sought to avoid war with Acaria, if both Torachi and Saeticia declared war, Sono would have no choice but to aid them. Declining that would make Sono an enemy as well. The Alliance of Kingdoms was as much a burden as it was protection.

“I take it that is what you have come here to do?” Marcus asked her. “To ask me not to go to war with Acaria?”

“It is.”

“Your father has told me of your mission, and how he plans to keep the peace,” Marcus continued. “Are you still planning to go through with this, even after what happened at the temple?”

Selphie hesitated, and then nodded slowly.

“I see,” Marcus said. “You are far more forgiving than I am.”

An uncomfortable silence settled over the hall. There was something more to those words. Marcus seemed to be disappointed in something, and Selphie seemed very regretful. Luca looked over at her, and saw Jared meet her gaze and give her a reassuring nod.

“I have heard another rumour regarding the attack on the temple,” the younger son, Gera, said suddenly. “As we all have, I am sure. It is said that during the attack, one of the temple's students received a mortal wound from the Acarian general, but did not die.” He looked over to Ash and Luca.

Marcus looked up from his meal and said to Selphie, “Ah, now that my son mentions it, I also heard such a rumour. At the time, I dismissed it as silly.”

“It is no rumour, your majesty,” Selphie said. “It's the truth.”

“Was it really the son of Lodin?” Gera asked.

“It was,” the princess replied. “He is here with us now.”

All the eyes in the room slowly drifted over to Luca and Ash.

Luca, having not touched a single bite of the plate before him, slowly stood.

“It is true,” he said to them. “My name is Luca, son of Lodin. During the battle, I was stabbed in the heart by Zinoro's acolyte.”

“Impossible,” Halt said. “How could you have survived that?”

“I cannot say,” Luca said. “But it is not the first time I should have died.”

“The blade must have missed your heart,” Halt said. “Or perhaps those who saw you were fooled by some sort of optic illusion. You could not have survived that.”

“I was there,” Brand said. “I saw him right after it happened. There was a hole in his chest, one you could see out the other side of.”

“Well, I will not believe it until I see it,” Halt said, sitting back down.

“It would seem everyone in your family is special,” Marcus said, with a hint of amusement. “Your father has quite the reputation. I've often wondered what happened to him. After the war, he seemingly just disappeared. I hear he is dead now.”

“He is,” Luca said.

“A shame, I suppose,” Marcus said, looking deep into his drink. “He was quite an idol in Allma, as well as here in Saeticia, where he was born.”

Marcus set down the drink and looked right at Luca. “When I was young, I was a paladin. Do you know who the paladins are, son of Lodin?”

“I have heard of them,” Luca replied.

Marcus frowned, for some reason, then continued. “The paladins are a holy order, who dedicate themselves to the Way of Uro and fight to keep the evils of the world at bay. They are an elite group, who accept only the most skilled of light-form swordsmen. Did you know that in his youth, your father was one of them?”

Luca blinked, as did Ash. “No, I did not,” he said.

“Right, I doubted you would, as it was not something Lodin was proud of,” Marcus continued, his frown nearly a scowl now. “Your late grandfather was a lifelong member of our order. He raised your father to be a paladin since he was a child. When your father was a young man, he betrayed the order and deserted them during a battle. He stole one of our two great treasures, a potion of Absolute Truth. From that day forth, Lodin was branded an enemy of the order, and a servant of evil. That potion he carried was too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. I don't suppose he gave it to you?”

“He did not,” Luca said.

“I figured as much.” Marcus chuckled mirthlessly. “Doubtless he drank it himself and foresaw something that drove him mad.”

“My father was no madman,” Luca said through his teeth.

“Then did he abandon his wife and youngest son and hike off into the wilderness with his firstborn?” Marcus asked, disdain clear on his features. “Did he ever tell you, boy?”

Luca said nothing. He noticed that Selphie was staring at him, with a look in her eyes telling him to drop the matter. Too much was at stake to argue this, he realised. He could not fight with the king of Saeticia. Looking away from Marcus, he sat back down.

The king snorted. “Like father, like son. When Lodin betrayed the paladins he consorted with dark beings. I have heard he travelled with a vampire lord. I'll bet the reason his son cheated death is because of some demonic contract he made.”

Lies, all of it.

The king was quite worked up, but nobody in the room dared to say anything.

“Lodin was scum,” Marcus continued, unable to let it go. “He stabbed Manorith in the back, but was too afraid of what would happen because of that. Instead he lied and let Zaow take credit for it, and then he ran away. But the past caught up with him, didn't it? Well, good riddance, I say. I'll bet he died like the coward he was.”

Rage filled Luca. He started to rise from his seat, a thousand curses on his tongue, but he was unable to. A firm grip found his sleeve and pulled him back down. Ash let go of him, and then stood up in his place.

“A lot of the things you say are true, your majesty,” Ash said to the king. “Our father was certainly a thief and a coward. But in the eyes of many I have known, he was a hero for killing Manorith. I have spent my whole life being judged by the things my father has done, both honourably and otherwise. And my brother has, as well. But we are not Lodin, nor are we responsible for what he has done. My brother fought with honour when the temple was attacked, and he saved lives in doing so. I would ask that you judge him by his own actions, not by those of his father. It is largely thanks to him that Princess Selphie is here today.”

Marcus stared at Ash for a moment, blinked a few times, and then he started to laugh. “I like you. You're certainly made of better stuff than your brother.”

There was no apology, but Ash's words seemed to have calmed Marcus down. Ash sat back down, and Luca all but glared at him, in spite of his help. He would rather have had the king's ire than to have Ash further insult their father.

“It's getting late, and I've grown tired,” Marcus said, finishing off his glass. “Princess, I would be honoured if you would stay here the night.”