The Ancient Ones (The Legacy Trilogy Book 3) (45 page)

‘Fine,’ Leopold said, surveying the corpses that littered the timber decking, leaving her to run back to her work.

Captain Merryweather was walking amongst the bodies, dismayed, while Daneel strode about, poking at men with the tip of his sword to be sure they were dead. The Turian soldiers were sorting the Eudan dead from their own, and tossing the fallen enemy overboard.

‘And why didn’t the sorcerer try to escape?’ Leopold said, returning his anger to Salu. ‘Why did he stand there and let you cut him in half?’

‘He was curious to see if I would. I did,’ was Salu’s reply, and he shrugged.

‘You magicians are nothing but trouble. We’d be better off without you.’

Toby turned his head, his nose still running and the water dripping from his hair, and he laughed. Old Salu only looked at his feet and muttered. The old man was hunching over before Leopold’s eyes, rolling up and returning to his former feeble self.

‘And why, if you were capable of cutting half the Eudan army apart, did you not do something before they captured the ship? Don’t you know how many have died already?’

‘I don’t,’ Salu admitted. ‘Life and death are so similar, I sometimes find it hard to tell them apart.’

‘I’ll give you a clue!’ Leopold shouted. ‘Those ones are dead!’ he said, pointing to the fallen. ‘The ones still walking and talking are alive. It’s not so complicated.’

The old man descended further into his mumbling and would not reply.

Eudans remained on the nearby craft around the Farstride, their crews aware of the uprising, with little they could do. Flaming arrows sent arching across the gap soon had them hurrying away. Several ships were already burning to the waterline.

Commander Riggadardian came to Leopold, looking weary, half-crazed, but with hope in his eyes. He had been bruised and battered, with a swollen bottom lip, but that did not account for his concern. He was sick with worry.

‘Emperor Leopold!’ he said. ‘You saved us! How glad I am, and how much like your father you are. Tell me—tell me! Where is Lord Samuel? Where is Lady Wind?’

‘She was captured along with all the rest,’ Leopold said. ‘Likewise, Samuel is their captive. I was the only one to escape.’

Leopold witnessed Riggadardian’s heart explode in his chest. The man was emotionally spent, his last vestige of hope shattered.

‘Wh—what can we do to save them?’ he asked, floundering. ‘Is ... is she still alive?’

‘We will go and save them,’ Daneel stated resolutely, approaching. ‘Leopold, you can show us the way.’

Leopold felt his plans beginning to unravel. ‘Ah, I think it is better that we escape while we can. Even Lord Samuel could not defeat them. There are too many of them and their sorcerers are stronger than he expected.’

‘Nonsense!’ Daneel declared. ‘We are not defeated so easily. Look what you have done already, oh Mighty Emperor.’ He made no effort to hide the satire in his words. ‘You have returned and freed us singlehandedly from overwhelming odds. The least we can do is attempt the same for the others.’

‘They will be expecting such a move,’ Leopold said. ‘I’m sure they will know soon, if not already, that we have retaken our ship.’

‘It matters not,’ Daneel said. ‘By the time they get here we shall be gone.’

Leopold could not bring himself to imagine what would happen if Samuel got his hands on him. Being an emperor would not save him from the magician’s fury. ‘We should move away and take stock of the situation,’ he said, nodding in attempt to convince the others.

‘No,’ Riggadardian said with haggard eyes. ‘We go now, while there is still hope.’ He had lost his Turian manner altogether, not noticing or caring that he disagreed with his Emperor.

‘We must get him into his box,’ stated the voice of Salu. He was still sitting there beside them, his voice soft and gruff, but they all heard his words. ‘His demons are close to victory. I feel they would be upon us already, but Samuel holds on—in some deep slumber.’

‘Gas,’ Leopold said. ‘The Eudans subdued him.’

‘Then perhaps he meant to put himself to sleep?’ Daneel pondered, but Leopold was not about to blurt out the answer and give himself away.

‘Perhaps,’ Salu admitted with his weary, husky voice. ‘Without his casket, a deep slumber is the next best thing. But it will not last for long.’

‘We must reach him before it is too late,’ Daneel stated with worry.

‘How can we get such an unwieldy thing to him?’ Riggadardian asked. ‘It’s hard enough just getting it in and out of his cabin. And we would have to somehow breach the walls of the palace to reach him. We don’t have nearly enough men remaining for an assault. We have black powder, but that would surely bring the wrath of their sorcerers upon us. Stealth will be out of the question as well. They will be expecting some kind of attack once they learn we are on the move.’

Daneel nodded. ‘Commander, do not worry. We will save your lady and the others. Go. Rest. You have given your all for your men, but you need to recover your strength.’

‘Yes, but we need to move the ship closer to the city,’ the old commander went on stubbornly.

‘Captain Merryweather can see to it all. But where would we put ashore?’ Daneel mused aloud.

‘In the city,’ Salu said. He drew himself upright before their eyes, growing tall and straight as before, like a machine building itself together from the ruins of its own form. His eyes were wide and open, absorbing everything that came into their field of view, staring straight past them towards the east—towards Samuel.

‘That’s right,’ Daneel agreed. ‘We take the box and the ship to Samuel together.’

‘Into the city?’ Riggadardian said. ‘That is madness.’

‘Then trust a madman to think of it!’ Salu snapped. He paced up and down animatedly as he talked, as if impatient to take advantage of his returned strength. ‘Do as I say, young whelp! If we do not act swiftly all life upon this world will be snuffed out before the sun next sets, so hark my words—unless you think you know better?’

Riggadardian flushed. ‘So be it. I trust you have some plan for us, Magician. You’ve been the bane of the Empire all your life. I hope you have nothing treacherous in mind.’

‘I have a plan of a plan. Just get us there and I will do the rest.’ The old magician moved away from them to return staring to the east. It was not the faint glow of the rising sun he was observing; it was the swelling, disturbing energy that drew his attention, an ominous presence that Leopold could feel just as well, pulling at his innards as if a fishing hook had become lodged there, snagged in his flesh and tugging on its line.

They split up to commence their work. Captain Merryweather directed the ship, while Riggadardian went to his cabin to rest as directed. Daneel was barking orders like a madman, getting their landing team prepared. Leopold was left standing idle. Finally, he decided to change his clothes and find some boots.

‘Hold it there,’ Daneel called after him, and the man’s tone was enough for Leopold to know he was in trouble. He turned to await whatever would be dished out. ‘Whatever it is, we’re going to find out,’ Daneel said grimly. ‘You have guilt written all over your face, so I know you’re up to something. Emperor or not, I’ll see to you myself if you lead us into any mischief, or I discover you’ve already been up to any.’

Leopold moved his mouth, waiting for some excuse to fumble its way out, but Daneel had no time to wait and hastened away. There was nothing Leopold could do to avert his fate, so he continued to his cabin as planned, and tried to push all thought of consequences from his mind.

****

The Farstride set sail as quickly as possible. The crew did a valiant job, coming together amidst the scene of slaughter at Captain Merryweather’s and Mr Chapman’s commands, stepping over the dead—friend and foe alike—to get to their work. Of Lieutenant Fillius there was no sign.

The soldiers worked at clearing the decks, now tossing the corpses overboard one after the other, so they left a trail of floating bodies in their wake. They abandoned any option of keeping their fallen comrades aboard for a proper funeral. There was simply no time.

Kali and her three warrior sisters were also skilled medics, and they traversed the expanse of the ship, stripping sail cloth into bandaging and wrapping the wounds with a concoction of various fluids—vinegar, honey and herbs and such that they sourced from the galley. No one but Leopold could understand what they said, so the women took what they needed without hesitation.

Leopold stood on the main deck and watched the moon and stars high above them fading into dawn. He knew what would happen: they would somehow rescue Samuel and the others, and then the magician would reveal his treachery. Could they harm their own Emperor? Would they kill him? Riggadardian would surely never allow such a thing, but Daneel was no Turian. He was capable of anything and he was a Truthseeker. All the Empire could not keep Leopold from harm if Daneel and Samuel decided otherwise.

He hoped Samuel would refrain from physical harm, but the magician’s wrath, in whatever form it took, was enough to make him shiver with dread. He felt tears welling up inside him. He bit them down, holding onto the railing and watching the moon slipping about on the wave tops as they pushed towards The Heavenly City. He squeezed the smooth wood under his fingers as hard as he could, feeling his arms tremble with the exertion. ‘I forgive you, Leopold’, the magician had said. Damn that infernal man! If only he had never come to their island. If only Leopold was with his mother and father now, or sitting on his dumb, boring rock netting fish. He would give anything to be there again. The world could burn around him!

He felt a string of profanities swelling up in his throat, and he was about to shout them out as loud as he could to vent his bitter rage when he realised he was not alone.

‘Are you injured?’ sounded a voice behind him and Leopold quickly turned about and stood straight. It was Kali.

He supposed he may have looked hurt, bent over and clinging to the side of the ship, probably with his face contorted in pain. He swallowed his anger, for he had no wish to let her see him pining for better days like a spoilt child.

‘Are you injured?’ she repeated, looking him over with concern. She had a bucket of foamy water in one hand and a roll of white cloth in the other.

‘Oh ... no,’ he replied.

She nodded and went to continue on her way.

‘Wait!’ he said, stepping after her.

She hesitated. ‘What is it?’

‘I need to ask you something. It will be quick,’ he added, sensing her desire to be back to her work. ‘I don’t really know how to be an emperor. All this is very strange to me.’ She tilted her head, as if trying to find meaning in his words, and set down her bucket. ‘What I am trying to say is, I think I have made an awful mistake.’

‘What did you do?’ she asked him apathetically.

‘I was scared and I ran. Lord Samuel asked me for help, and I could have stayed—I should have stayed—but I was afraid. I couldn’t stop thinking how much I hated him, so ... so I ran away.’ He waited for her to reply reassuringly, but she continued scrutinising him closely. Was that contempt in her eyes?

‘Are you asking for my opinion?’

‘Yes!’ he said quickly. His response was so painfully enthusiastic as to attract glances from some of the passing crew. He knew no one else on the ship could understand what he may say to her, but he was still mindful of keeping his voice lowered.

‘When one suffers from one’s mistakes,’ she told him, ‘every undertaking must be pursued to correct them. Do not let haste be the cause of further errors after the first. After all has been settled, penance should be sought.’ She rattled out her statements as if reciting from memory, then looked at him directly, more acutely. ‘During my training, I was taught that the ruling class of Koia had no faults and could never err, not because they were perfect, but because no one would admit any different. A thousand people would be put to death if an error was made in the collection of taxes. It was easier to reduce the population than admit mistake. When I look at you, I do not see an emperor, such as I am accustomed. Neither do I see a warrior. I see a child in a man’s body, hiding from manhood, from what he is, seeking to avoid responsibility, but I see a child that is inherently good. If you are really going to be a good emperor—not just an emperor—then you must realise that these people are yours. You own them, as they own you, and you must accept that fact in order to become a man. Any harm that comes to them is harm unto yourself. They are here for you, but you have not yet learnt to be here for them, Emperor Leopold.’

‘So are you saying I have nothing to fear?’

‘No,’ she stated. ‘I am saying that, from what I can tell, you are a coward, but that you possess the capacity to overcome that weakness. A Koian emperor would not flee. A Koian emperor would valiantly go to battle, sending his armies before him to undo his wrongs, while sipping hot tea safely behind the lines. But you are not a Koian emperor. You seem to be something better, despite your failings, and for that I am glad.’ Leopold nodded as he mulled over her words. ‘Now if that is all, I have a question for you,’ she said.

‘What is it?’ he asked, looking back to her.

‘Phoenix and the others—are they truly alive?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘At least, they were when I last saw them.’

Kali nodded. ‘Then we will save them.’

And with that she picked up her bucket and left him.

****

‘Take the ship close, up the river mouth,’ Salu directed, standing beside them upon the foredeck, flicking the back of his hand in the general direction.

The madman in him had not yet returned, and he appeared as noble as any general or commander, certainly looking more capable than Commander Riggadardian, given that man’s degraded state.

Riggadardian had reappeared from his cabin earlier, unable to find rest. He made attempts to help them, but inevitably trailed off and sat his rear upon the deck, shaking his head in his hands, incapacitated by his grief. It appeared he had taken a bump to the head during the attack, and that was not helping to settle the turmoil in his mind.