The Awakened Book Two (32 page)

Kael followed his example and tried to keep up, but managed only to stay several paces behind. He wondered why the need for such secrecy, but had a feeling that he would find out soon.

There’s no way you can hide in a house!

Regardless of the man’s unusual behavior, Kael was relieved to be out of the city, and thankful for his help. But he couldn’t let his guard down and watched the man carefully, while taking mental notes of his surroundings with nothing more than a glance. The house was a simple wooden structure with one door facing the beach. Kael hung back as the man opened it and entered the darkness. Seconds later, a soft glow shown around the silhouette of the door.

“Please come in,” came the voice from inside.

Kael looked for signs of ambush, but didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary. Though ordinary was becoming a strange word lately. Pushing the door inward, Kael saw a simple, but clean home, without any dividing walls. The kitchen and bedroom were off to the left, while a small sitting area occupied the right half of the dwelling. The man had his back turned and was pouring two glasses of wine.

“You have nothing to fear from an old man such as me. Please have a seat.”

Kael walked over and sat in a comfortable chair, exhaling as he did so. “You don’t move like an old man.”

The stranger turned around an offered a glass of wine to Kael. His face came into the light revealing a friend that Kael remembered vividly from his childhood.

“And I’ve heard that I don’t look like one as well!”

“Saba?” Kael said slowly.

“Hello Kael.”

The old man’s hair had been cropped short and his face was cleanly shaven. Only, he wasn’t an old man. Although his hair was white, he looked to be only forty or fifty years of age. Kael sat back quickly, as if he were looking at a ghost.

“Take the wine Kael; we have much to talk about.”

Chapter 23

Dacien sat in the Emperor’s war room, with the other Generals and Commanders. Kael’s strange behavior prompted the private meeting and it was clear that the Emperor was concerned.

“Frankly, I don’t understand it,” Dacien admitted.

The Emperor sat forward in his chair. “How long have you known him?”

Dacien thought for a moment before responding. “…since the attack on
Bastul
. We’ve been together ever since.”

“I see,” said the Emperor.

Dacien stopped short of explaining how they met. The more he thought about it, the worse it sounded.
If I tell him that Kael just showed up during the attack, it will sound suspicious. Actually, it might be more than suspicious.

“I’m told that he was instrumental in fending off the Syvaku. Is this true?”

“Yes,” Dacien replied quickly. “I’ve never seen such a warrior. He was a tremendous help. In fact, it was he who first suspected an invasion. I sent him inland to find proof of his theory, and he returned with that proof.” Dacien immediately thought of Caius, fatally wounded during the excursion.

“Yes, of course. And he returned without his escort.”

“That’s right,” Dacien admitted with a frown. His own fears were being echoed by the Emperor.
It’s almost as if he’s reading my thoughts! How could I have been so gullible?

“Does this all sound as devious to you as it does to me?” the Emperor asked.

“Well…” Dacien started, then trailed off. The others in the room looked betrayed and Dacien started to realize the gravity of his mistake in trusting Kael.
But how could it be? His story…it all sounded so honest.

“General Dacien, I suspect that this man is a professional. Such cowards can infiltrate even the very elite of governments. Let me ask you this, how well did you think you knew him?”

“Completely. He told me his entire life story. How he grew up in
Bastul
as the son of Colonel Adair Lorus and his wife Maeryn.”

At this, the Emperor’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“His father went missing and the position of Colonel was assigned to another man who was cruel. Colonel Lemus had Kael thrown in jail for coming to the aid of a friend and attacking the Colonel. Before he was executed for his crimes, he was taken away to another prison in the north. Then a mysterious man purchased him from the jailor and took him to a faraway monastery where he spent the rest of his childhood studying the arts of war.”

“Let me stop you there,” the Emperor said, holding up his hand. Looking around the room at the others, he spoke calmly. “This is obviously a made up story. After our initial conversation, I checked the census records and confirmed that such people existed in
Bastul
. But the jail records show one Kael Lorus being executed and even include details of when and where the body was disposed of. No, I suspect that your friend assumed the identity of an Orudan citizen in order to gain your confidence.”

Dacien protested. “But he went to war with us. And the gods will attest that he chased the Syvak warlord into the forest and brought the man back in two pieces!”

The Emperor nodded with a smirk on his face. “Yes, in order to gain access to the inner workings of the most powerful Empire on the face of the earth. Even to kill your own in exchange for the Emperor of the Orudan Empire and two of his Commanders. It seems a fair trade and a brilliant move.”

Dacien paused, considering the implications. “You think he was the assassin?”

“You said yourself that he left his post at the northern wall to go to the Palace. And he demanded entrance while the fires at the western wing provided a convenient distraction. Were you ever able to find the guard that supposedly accompanied him through the Palace?”

“No,” Dacien replied, his confidence lost. “He apparently disappeared shortly after.”

General Soren leaned forward in his chair. “Of course he did; it seems obvious to me.”

Dacien slid off his chair and knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty. I see now the error of my judgment and I plead for your forgiveness. I didn’t mean to endanger the lives of the Orudan leadership. And now I feel that their blood is on my hands.”

“No Dacien. Their blood is on the hands of the assassin who seeks to undermine the strength of this Empire. And we will not let that happen.”

Dacien looked to the floor in shame.

The Emperor rose from his chair and pulled Dacien to his feet, looking straight into his eyes. “I’m a good judge of character. And I can see that there was no malice in you intentions or actions. I have also had the privilege of going to war with you and I believe that you are more than worthy of the position of General. That is why I need you. The Empire cannot afford any more turmoil.”

Dacien took a deep breath and straightened his stance.

The Emperor put his hand on Dacien’s shoulder. “This coward, this assassin still sees you as a tool to be used for his purposes. No doubt he will try to contact you and offer an explanation for his behavior. We can turn this to our advantage and use it to lure him back where we will be waiting.”

Dacien nodded, then stopped after some thought. “…that could be extremely dangerous.”

“What do you mean?” asked Commander Horace, now on his feet as well.

Dacien turned to the man. “I’ve never seen his equal in combat. It is as if the gods themselves drive his actions.”

Soren, still seated, replied calmly. “You just bring him here, and we’ll do the rest.”

* * * *

After escorting Dacien out of the room, Magnus turned back to his pupils.

“…son of Maeryn Lorus?” Soren asked.

“Yes,” Magnus replied. “That does complicate things. I never questioned Ukiru about any of your lives prior to your redemption. Well, there is still much that she can do for me with the Resistance. Coen can use her help. She commands a great deal of respect among the slaves and her presence is critical to controlling them.”

Commander Arden sat back down in his chair. “Can we trust Dacien?”

Magnus smiled. “I have read his mind and his distrust of Kael goes deep, though his feelings of friendship are genuine. He can be manipulated for our purposes. Besides, with all of you in your positions, we don’t have anyone left who is loyal to our cause. Dacien will do just fine.”

Chapter 24

The flicker of candlelight reflected off Saba’s face. The bright blue eyes were just as Kael remembered. But it had been twenty years since he last saw his old teacher, and Saba had been an old man then.

“How is it possible that I’m staring into the face of a man who could be my father, when you were once old enough to be my grandfather?”

Saba smiled as he sat back into his chair. “How is it that I’m staring into the face of a child that was executed twenty years ago?” After a quick sip of wine, Saba cleared his throat. “There are many things that I must tell you, but that story will have to wait. There are more pressing matters at hand.”

“Oh?” Kael replied.

Saba nodded. “…such as the state of this Empire and the ones who have taken control of it.”

“Tell me what you know, and I will do the same,” Kael responded.

“Very well,” Saba said, downing the last of his wine before leaning forward in his chair. “Many years ago, while we still lived in
Bastul
, one of your father’s friends was found along the western shore, a few miles north of the city. He was badly wounded and it appeared as though his merchant ship had been attacked. He was taken to the temple in
Bastul
to be cared for where he eventually died. But before his death, his nurse removed an arrowhead from his leg, bearing a symbol upon its broken shaft. Your father gave it to me to research and find some connection between the symbol and his friend’s suspicious death.”

“Shortly thereafter, your father disappeared. And the local council appointed Lemus to be his replacement. You are, of course, familiar with this part. But after you were sent to jail, Lemus forced me to leave. I stayed in the city for a while and found that your father was able to determine the approximate location of his friend’s attack. And I also found out that he and a small crew took a ship from the
Bastul
navy and went to search the far side of the
reef
for an explanation. This is when he disappeared.”

Kael put his hand over his mouth, starting to put the pieces together.

“After being caught and released, my investigation took me to
Orud
,” Saba explained with outstretched hands, indicating the place they were now in. “In the great libraries, I researched the symbol, but to no avail. Then one evening while walking through these city streets, I was ambushed and captured by many cloaked men. They put a cover over my head and put me into a wagon. I was taken north to a mountainous area where a confinement camp had been constructed. There I was held captive for many years. It wasn’t until after my escape that I learned that these men were members of an ancient cult known as the Kaliel.”

Kael wanted to interrupt, but he held his tongue and let Saba finish his story.

“The Kaliel worship an ancient and powerful demon god named Rameel, who has been imprisoned for thousands of years. They are seeking to free him. And during my capture I met their High Priest, who acts as a surrogate for this demon. Its spirit can only have contact with this world through the use of this surrogate, who is in and of himself a powerful force. And tonight, I saw this man for the second time in my life. He addressed the crowd as the new Emperor.”

Kael took this as his cue. “I know. I used to be a member, though I didn’t know them by that name. And they called him the All Powerful.”

Saba’s eyebrows shot upward as he lifted his head.

“Let me explain,” Kael said quickly. “After my imprisonment in
Bastul
, I was taken by ship to another prison in the north. I spent a few days there with other boys my age until a man by the name of Ukiru paid the jailor to release us. Ukiru took us to an island monastery in the north. We were educated and trained in combat. All the while, they told us that we would be instruments of the All Powerful to reclaim this world that abandoned him. Finally, after we all reached the age of eighteen, Ukiru took us on a long journey to the High Temple to meet the High Priest. It was to be a coming of age ceremony where the High Priest would officially introduce us to the All Powerful. We were supposed to open ourselves up to him so that he could reside in us and speak to us. We were told to yield to his presence in our lives so that he could work through us and make us powerful. But I didn’t. I resisted.”

Saba smiled with satisfaction.

“It was during this ceremony that I met the All Powerful and I fought against him. I…” Kael struggled for the words. “I cannot describe to you the overwhelming presence of evil that I felt. Not even with Lemus did I feel such a thing. It is indescribable.” Kael paused as his voice faltered. When he resumed, his voice was shaky. “As soon as we got back to the monastery, I escaped.”