Bacorium Legacy (56 page)

Luca frowned. No, he couldn't imagine Emila being comfortable with something like that at all. He could only imagine the lecherous way those girls must have been treated by the guests.

“Here we are,” Emila said excitedly.

Having been lost in his thoughts, Luca looked up and found they were now standing at the front door of the three-storey inn. He saw a sign hanging above the door, which had a painted picture of a anthropomorphic mug wearing a crown. Below that was the caption,
The Tipsy Troglodyte
.
 

Emila took a deep breath. She said quietly to herself, “I can do this.” And she opened the door and stepped inside.

The inn was crowded. Almost all the tables were occupied by boisterous patrons and travellers, who drank from heavy mugs of frothing ale, or told stories to one another that drew up loud gales of laughter. Some music was playing from somewhere, but Luca couldn't see a bard.

“It's busy...” Emila muttered. “Ah! I see him over at the bar. Let's go!” Before Luca could say anything, Emila took his hand and led him through the inn over to the bar.

A large man with a thick moustache was there, polishing a mug with a rag. When he saw Emila approaching him, he raised an eyebrow.

“Well, look who it is,” he said. “Never thought I'd see you again.”

“Trent,” Emila said, smiling. “It's good to see you again.”

“It's good to see you too, uh...”

Her smile dropped. “You haven't forgotten my name, have you?”

“Emma? Um - Emily? No...”

Emila looked devastated. The innkeeper started to laugh.

“I haven't forgotten your name, Emila,” he reassured her. He stepped out from behind the bar, and gave Emila a big hug. “I've not seen you in what - six months? How have you been?”

“I've been alright,” Emila said. She beckoned to Luca. “This is Luca. I've been travelling with him since I left.”

“Well met,” Trent said to him.

“Uh - likewise,” Luca muttered awkwardly.

“So what are you doing back in T'Saw?” Trent asked Emila.

“Just passing through, actually,” she said. “I figured we would stay the night here, for old time's sake.”

“Of course,” Trent said, heading back behind the bar and fishing around until he found  a key. “Here. It's for room number six. Don't worry about paying. It's on me.”

“Are you sure?” Emila asked, as she took the key.

“Absolutely. I owe you, girl. All those nights you slept up in the attic? You deserved better than that. So you and your friend can stay here tonight, free of charge.”

“Wow,” Emila said. “Trent, thank you so much.”

Emila took a seat at the bar, and Trent got her a drink. The two started to talk, and Emila gave him a rough account of their adventure so far, leaving out any details that couldn't be shared. Luca stood nearby, not sure what to do with himself.

After a few minutes of this, Luca was jostled by a large, bearded patron, who was making his way across the room. The man gave him a dirty look, and said, “Watch what you're doing, boy,” but even as the words left his mouth, he discreetly put his hand into Luca's and took it away just as quickly. The man was gone before Luca could say anything, and he found that he was holding a smooth, unsealed envelope.

Luca looked around, but nobody in the inn was looking at him. He waited a few moments, again making sure nobody was watching, before opening the envelope and reading the short letter it contained.

Son of Lodin,

I wish to speak with you. There is an abandoned house three blocks south from where you are. Meet me there as soon as you can. Bring no one, and tell no one you are coming.

~A friend.

Luca thought about it for a moment, and almost laughed. Someone was clearly trying to lure him out so they could kill him, but they weren't trying very hard. Only a fool would actually follow instructions like that.

And he was no fool. The smart thing to do would be to tell Emila that someone was after him, and the two of them would go back to the palace and tell Selphie.

He very nearly did that, but as he looked to Emila, he saw her laughing with her bartender friend. She looked happier than she had been in some time. She had looked in better spirits since they had arrived in T'Saw, being away from the Acarians and all the things she was afraid of. The thought of taking her away from this momentary joy, and filling her with those fears and doubts again...

He couldn't die. The tether was still there, between them. If it was indeed a trap, as it most likely was, the worst that would happen was that he would get stabbed or captured - nothing he wasn't used to. And if there was a conspiracy to kill him, he would need to know who was behind it.

Going on his own was foolish, and he knew it was, but if he could potentially resolve this business without Emila knowing, he would prefer that. The time they spent in T'Saw was going to be their last, and he didn't want anything ruining that. Ignoring this message could lead to more direct efforts later, and he didn't want Emila to be dragged into that.

He took one last glance at Emila. She was laughing, talking with Trent, and drinking from her mug of ale. She had more or less forgotten him, which hurt a little, but was better for them both in the end. Hopefully she could forget him just as easily when he was on his way to Acaria.

He left the bar, slipping away from Emila and leaving as quietly as he could. On his way out, he checked for the bearded patron who had given him the note, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps that was the man he was going to see, or perhaps he was simply the messenger. Luca would know soon enough. In any case, he put the letter back in the envelope and placed it in his pocket.

Luca was back on the streets of T'Saw, where the sun had set completely. Only a few people were out now. He checked the direction that the sun had set, and used that to figure out which way was south. He made his way in that direction, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword, and his eyes sharp.

It didn't take him long to find the abandoned building. Thankfully, nobody was around to watch him break in. The door was jammed from disuse, so he had to push it with his shoulder to get it open.

There seemed to be no one waiting for him inside, but it was too dark to be sure. He didn't dare use his illumination magick, so he instead proceeded carefully into the empty derelict, his hand ready to draw his sword at a single moving shadow.

It took a few minutes before his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Only when he could see confidently enough did he start to search the empty building. It was devoid of all furnishings, which left few places for someone to hide.

Nobody had yet come out to greet him, so they must have been waiting for him. Certainly that was what they would do if it was a trap. They must have been aware of his presence after he had knocked open the door. Still, his searching revealed there was nobody on the first floor.

So Luca went upstairs.

Searching upstairs revealed nothing but dust and cobwebs. He was starting to wonder if he'd somehow gone to the wrong abandoned house, when he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

The footsteps were too loud. They were not the steps of someone sneaking. Either this person was announcing their presence to him, or they did not know he was there.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be the latter. The man who appeared at the top of the stairs saw him with a start, reaching for his blade in surprise. Luca did the same, and there was a tense second where Luca nearly drew his blade and attacked. But the man let go of his own sword without drawing it, and sighed in relief.

“Ah, it is only you, son of Lodin,” he said. “I'm glad you got my note, but I'm a bit surprised you got here before me.”

The man was dressed in a tattered travel cloak, and leather armour beneath that. He had a long, slightly curved sword at his hip. His hair was long, reaching almost to his shoulders, and his chin was rough and unshaven, but not yet a full beard. Both were beginning to grey.

“Who are you and what do you want with me?” Luca asked him. This was looking less and less like an assassination attempt. Now he was curious.

“Before I continue, I want you to understand a few things,” the man said to him. “The first is why I asked you to come alone, and to tell no one you were coming. Did you do this?”

Luca hesitated. “I did.”

“Good, because even the knowledge of us meeting is enough to tear apart everything I am trying to accomplish,” the man said. “If anyone were to know, even your own companions, it could destroy everything. The second thing you must do is you must agree to hear me out, to set aside any judgements or prejudices until I have finished telling you what I have come here to. When I am done, you can decide whatever you want. If you wish to kill me, that is fine. But not until you've heard what I have to say. Can you make that promise before I tell you who I am?”

Luca was immensely curious now. “Very well. I'll hear you out.”

“Thank you,” the man said. He brushed his long hair back, revealing a single braided lock over his left ear. “My name is Gordon. I am one of the five acolytes of Zinoro, and I have come to beg for your help.”

Chapter XVIII

The Man in the Shadows

Captain Gareth made his way through the halls of the Ivory Palace, on his usual night patrol. He was restless, but tired at the same time. After the events of the long day - the protester in the streets, Princess Selphie's return, and the king's announcement that he would be leaving for the Elder Hall in only a few days - it was little wonder that he was so uneasy.

The kingdom was on the precipice of war, something that King Zaow had been fighting for years to prevent. The king was confident that he might be able to talk the other kings out of it, but in reality there was little chance their minds might be swayed. Even Zaow's own people no longer seemed to believe in his vision of peace. That man in the streets was proof enough of that. Gareth had heard whispers and quiet murmurs from people who didn't know he was listening, but it hadn't been until today that someone had actually gone out in public and spoken against their king. More would undoubtedly follow.

Zaow had always been a difficult king. For one, he had waited too long to have children, leaving the line of succession empty and vulnerable for over two decades. When he finally had married, at the age of fifty-five, it had not been for political gain, but rather for his own heart. Trist was born two years before the Acarian War, and Selphie a year after it. The queen, Sarah, had not survived the childbirth, and King Zaow had refused to marry again.

Gareth had been a guard since he was a young man, and he had been captain since the aftermath of the war. He had watched both of Zaow's children grow up, the princess in particular. The girl looked so much like her mother, who had always been dear to Gareth's heart.

Gareth reached the room where he knew Selphie and Jared were now. The door was open, and they could be seen inside, seated at a couch before a fire. He had passed them thrice already, and each time he glanced briefly inside to make sure they were alright. He wasn't sure if they were aware of his presence or not, but if they were they gave no indication. And as he glanced in the room once more, they did not look up at him.

Selphie was upset, and reasonably so. She had never seen her father in the state she had today - so tired and vulnerable and old. So close to death. She had done her best to hide her shock and pain while her companions were there, but once they had gone, she had let her so often-restrained emotions out. As always, Jared was there to comfort her. As always, Gareth had seen and said nothing.

When Selphie was just a young girl, she would come to Gareth at midday while her father was busy and he would give her lessons in swordplay. It was not unusual in Bacoria for women to be trained as hunters or soldiers, but Selphie was the princess of Sono. Such a thing was simply not proper, and Zaow would undoubtedly not approve if he knew. So the lessons were secret.

Gareth was a busy man, and what little free time he'd had available then went to secretly teaching the princess how to fight. However, she was not his only student. A few days before, a young boy had tried to pick his pocket in the market and had ended up spending the night in gaol. He'd found out the boy was an orphan, his father one of the few casualties Sono had suffered in the war, and his mother having died as well not long ago. He had pitied the boy, so he now allowed the boy to stay at his home, and was training him to be a guard as well.

The solution was obvious. The princess and Gareth's apprentice would train together. He didn't have the time to devote to them both, and they were around the same age and got along well. What could go wrong?

Of course, he should have seen it coming.

The first time he caught them, he told them off. He yelled and swore and even threatened to stop the lessons. They bowed their heads and apologised and promised it would never happen again. The lessons continued, and the princess and the orphan continued to train together and spent far too much time together than a princess and an orphan should.

Gareth knew that it didn't stop. They never let him catch them again, but he saw the looks they exchanged, the whispers they shared, and their fond smiles, and he knew. And every time he saw the two of them together, all he could see was himself and Sarah, all those years ago. And he saw the end of that story - Sarah married to the king, and himself left a heartbroken shell of a man.

And now, years later, the princess and the orphan were older now. They were grown and mature, and they also knew how their story would end. But still, as he peeked into that room to check and see if they were alright, what he saw was a princess and a guard, sitting beside one another, closer than a princess and a guard should have been.

And as always, he said nothing.

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“I am the one who is responsible for all the hardship you've endured,” Gordon said to Luca. “So many years ago, I was a soldier in the Acarian army. I was young then, and I looked up to King Manorith with reverence. When the war ended in absolute failure, and King Manorith ordered us to retreat, I was with him, in a small squad of men. We were trying our hardest to get back to Acaria, crossing over the mountains that separated our home from Sono.