The Crown Of Yensupov (Book 3) (28 page)

*

The letter reached the palace in Konnotan just days after her death. The Prince Regent Augusteros read the epistle, as her successor, and his heart broke at the timing.

Augusteros wrote back to King Calamidese, expressing his profound sorrow that his wife, the queen, never had the opportunity to know her cousin better. There was no mention of the ‘mistake.’ Neuyokkasin would indeed welcome the opportunity to repair relations and build an alliance with Sengenwha for mutual defense and commercial success.

*

King Calamidese would see no one for two days, after he read the reply. His sorrow at the lost opportunity to reconcile with his cousin was overwhelming. He returned to visit the dowager queen. He read her Augusteros’ response. At the end, his hand fell to his side, still clutching the letter. He looked up at the silent dowager only to see a tear roll down her pink cheek.

“I never even saw my niece.” The dowager blotted the tear.

“I vow never again to let pride grow out of proportion, nurturing misguided blame and hatred,” Calamidese said. “Prince Augusteros’ final words will haunt me for the rest of my life. It is every man’s fate to make mistakes. It is an exceptional man who can admit and correct them. If I live, I shall correct my mistakes with Dreaddrac and Neuyokkasin.”

*

The Sengenwhan chatra sat alone in his private study, contemplating the new development. As a child, Dreaddrac’s agents placed the future chatra in the house of an impoverished but prominent noble. Reared as the most solid of Sengenwha’s citizens, his loyalty to the king and state were beyond question. As the kingdom’s highest-ranking citizen after the monarch, the chatra was responsible for the kingdom’s day-to-day administration. Chief of those responsibilities was to steer the king’s policies as head of his council of advisers. It took years to maneuver the Dark Lord’s creature into the position of chatra, and years more of his subtle stoking to foster the king’s embryonic need for revenge. All the while, he disabled the king’s fear of Dreaddrac. His years of work bore fruit in the alliance. Now one stroke had swept it aside.

What abysmal luck, the chatra thought. He slammed his fist on the desk, then rose pacing. At this most critical juncture, the king reverses his policy and closes the borders to Dreaddrac’s army, cutting off the orcs in southern Sengenwha. With Dreaddrac’s forces divided, Neuyokkasin or Calamidese could challenge those forces before they can attain full strength. Dreaddrac’s residual army will have to fight their way south from Prertsten, giving critical time for the Southern forces to unite.

After time for the king to reconsider his actions, the chatra requested an audience to discuss the Dreaddrac treaty.

*

Calamidese was shocked. He went at once to the dowager. “The chatra wishes to discuss Dreaddrac. He will most certainly want to repair severed relations.”

The dowager’s eyes narrowed and focused. “The first person of high office to approach you about the wisdom of your change of heart will be the Dark Lord’s traitor-servant.”

The king didn’t have long to wait. When the chatra appeared at the audience, he looked fatigued and bowed excessively.

“Your Majesty’s decision to close the borders now will only bring Dreaddrac’s wrath,” the chatra said. “Enraged orcs now within Sengenwha will march on the capital. Your Majesty must open the borders again to Dreaddrac, and Prertsten, and honor your treaty.”

King Calamidese VII, Lord of Upper and Lower Sengenwha, Keeper of the Serenity of the State, and Lord of the Eastern Tixosian Sea would not be intimidated by the chatra’s pleas to recant his border closing and cancellation of Dreaddrac’s treaty. Rigid on his throne, Calamidese watched the chatra fidget, while pleading for a reunion with Dreaddrac, as though his life depended on it. His beginning assurances claimed benefits for Sengenwha, but Calamidese sat cold and unmoved. The appeals became more desperate, the tone more threatening. Walking back and forth before the throne, the man thrust his hands at the king with each point, supporting his argument. The tone grew more desperate.

“Your Majesty’s actions will bring Dreaddrac’s rage down on the people of Sengenwha. If Dreaddrac’s forces now in the kingdom feel cut off and threatened, they may storm Sengenwhapolis.”

The more the chatra pleaded, the more it disgusted Calamidese. This man I trusted so long to build and protect my people has sold them all out from the beginning, he thought.

The chatra pleaded his case to exhaustion, but the king watched the proceedings through realistic eyes. “You are dismissed from this court forever more. We shall not look upon your face in Sengenwhapolis again.”

Calamidese soon made out his will. He instructed his mother as to his wishes for the state and policies should anything happen to him. Before returning to Sekcmet Palace, he looked to her again.

“Now that I’ve turned my back on the evil that’s surrounded me for so long, I know the wraith, or some other creature sympathetic to the Dark Lord, will attempt to assassinate me, as an obstacle. I’m determined that Sengenwha will not submit to Dreaddrac without a fight.”

* * *

Saxthor struggled to get up with the dawn. His restless night had been unusual for him. Considering the prior few days’ strain, he should’ve slept longer. Tonelia had prepared hot food, and brought some to him, noting that he still looked exhausted and upset. The friends ate and congratulated each other that they had selected a place out of the orcs’ sight for the night.

As usual, Saxthor was the one to prod the group to pack and to get on their way. All knew they were barely ahead of the Dark Lord’s minions, but it seemed important to take a few moments to play and joke with each other before starting the day’s long hike.

“Let’s go,” Saxthor said. “It’s urgent we get to Sengenwhapolis as soon as possible. I sense trouble brewing there, with all the orcs we’ve seen.”

As they were loading their packs for travel, Saxthor said, “We must travel in even more secrecy. We’ll travel closer to the Sengenwhan farms that the orcs must avoid.”

The others looked at Saxthor, nodded, then started the day’s journey.

“Twit, you’ll need to scout ahead now that Astorax is gone.”

The old bird flew up along the saplings and on boulders atop the ravine. Saxthor took the lead and the group followed. They walked the gully’s upper ledge. Late in the day, they saw the blue haze of mountains dividing upper from lower Sengenwha.

“Sengenwhapolis, the capital, is just on the other side of those mountains,” Saxthor said, studying the map he carried. “The mountains won’t be a problem to cross.”

The band traveled for a week without orcs attacking by avoiding larger forested areas, where orcs might be lurking in the daylight. One night they camped in a small grouping of boulders and scrub brush within sight of a farmhouse. Fearing they might attract the farmer’s attention, Tonelia again prepared their food without benefit of fire.

*

“Do you think an apple for each of us wouldn’t deprive the farmer of his livelihood?” Bodrin asked Saxthor. He was looking at a nearby orchard.

“I know everyone would like some fresh fruit after eating dried food for so long,” Saxthor said. “Perhaps we could persuade Tournak to give you a few coins to leave near the farmer’s cottage.”

“We only have Neuyokkasinian and Prertstenian money with us,” Bodrin said. “To leave either would alarm the farmer and start a vigilante search for us. Better to take the apples and leave some item of value in return. Don’t tell Tournak.” Saxthor nodded. Bodrin got a small pouch of salt from Tonelia, as she was packing their supplies, and he went off to get apples.

Bodrin snuck close to the house and dropped off the salt, where the farmer would find it in the morning. He crept to the trees and commandeered four apples from the ground. Looking up, he spotted the outline of an orc, with the same idea. Alarmed, Bodrin started creeping back to camp to warn the others. He was watching the orc and checking the horizon for others nearby, when someone stuck a staff in the back of his neck and pushed him to the ground.

“What you think you’re doing with those apples?” the farmer asked.

“Well, Sir, I thought you might not mind my having just these four apples that have already fallen to the ground and won’t be saleable at the market.” Bodrin tried to turn over and face his adversary. “I left you a bag of salt over on the block, where you chop your firewood as compensation.”

“How you expect me to make a living if all you thieves steal my fruit at night?” Again, the farmer’s staff pushed Bodrin to the ground.

Bodrin realized he was helping himself to the man’s fruit without permission, and offered no resistance. “I’ll be glad to pay you for the apples, if the salt isn’t enough, Sir. I took only the four apples. Those orcs are the real thieves.” He freed his arm to point to the horizon.

The farmer looked, where Bodrin pointed and saw the orcs, stealing all the fruit they could carry. Disgusted, he released Bodrin, then spat.

“It’s them orcs that’re stealing my livelihood.” The farmer’s voice was deep, his face gruff. “The king’s agents say we’re not to fight with them orcs, but they don’t say who's going to pay for our stolen goods either.”

“If you like, I’ll help you drive them off for these apples.”

The farmer perked up and grinned at Bodrin. Bodrin grinned back and put down his apples … noting where, in case the farmer would allow him to take them later.

“You ain’t one of the king’s agents, then?” the farmer asked. He spat again, having mentioned the orc tolerance policy.

“Well, they may be allowed to pass across the land, but I doubt the king expects you to let them steal your livelihood.”

The two men snuck across the field staying close to the ground. Bodrin led, knowing the farmer was still suspicious of his motives.

Bodrin crept close to a large orc, trying to hold onto more apples than he could carry, replacing a fallen one only to have another topple. Focused on the apple dilemma, the orcs didn’t see Bodrin hide behind the apple tree. He slid his staff out just above the ground. When the orc passed by the tree, Bodrin jerked his staff up between the orcs legs. The orc lurched forward, stumbling to the ground. Before the stunned orc could get up, Bodrin cracked him on the head with his staff, knocking him out. “One down.”

The farmer slipped behind a tree and moved around it, as another orc passed by. When the farmer was behind the orc, he came around the tree, cracked the second orc on the head with his staff, and knocked him out as well. Bodrin whacked a third orc about the same time.

The farmer pulled some rope from his belt and the two of them tied the three orcs together. The two men then collected all the apples the orcs had stolen and took them back to the farmer’s cottage. By the farmhouse light, the farmer studied Bodrin

“You ain’t from ‘round here, are you boy?” The grinning farmer handed Bodrin an apple.

“No, Sir, I’ve been traveling around.” Bodrin accepted the apple. “Some friends and I are traveling south. We’ve been eating dried, cold food so the orcs won’t discover us by a campfire.” Bodrin cut a slice of his apple.

“I’d say from your skill with the knife, you must be a country boy like me.” The farmer got out his knife and cut his apple in sections. They ate the apples, studying each other.

“Them orcs won’t be raiding orchards anytime soon,” the farmer said. “I figure after they set in the sun half the day tomorrow, they’ll be able to untie themselves and scramble back to them others. They’ll warn them not to mess with my orchard again.” The farmer nodded.

“I bet their heads hurt when they come to,” Bodrin said, chuckling. He looked up at the farmer. “I reckon they won’t be able to identify who hit them, so they can’t complain to anyone about us either.”

They finished their apples and Bodrin got up to go.

“Would it be all right if I took those apples I found on the ground back to my friends?”

“Come with me.”

The farmer led Bodrin to his barn. There he took a sack and filled it with nuts and food from the barn and then pulled some edible roots from the garden that were wintering under a layer of straw. The man went to his smokehouse and took out some savory sausages, adding them to the sack as well. He handed the sack to Bodrin, and slapped him on the back.

“Get them apples on your way back to your friends,” the farmer said. “Thanks again for helping me discourage them orcs.”

As Bodrin headed back to his companions, the farmer yelled out, “Don’t you be trying to get my apples!”

Bodrin waved back to the waving farmer. He knew that was meant for the orcs hidden further out, waiting impatiently for their foragers, who were long overdue from their raid. When Bodrin got back to the camp and his friends, he first met Tournak. “Evening, Tournak.”

“Where’ve you been? What’ve you been up to, wandering off like that, and exposing the group to discovery?”

Bodrin slumped forward, hunching his broad shoulders slightly and looked down at the ground. Tournak would lighten up on him if he looked pitiful. After the mandatory tongue-lashing, Bodrin grinned.

“What you have there?” Tournak asked.

Bodrin opened up the bag of goodies for his friends. Tonelia and Saxthor began salivating, seeing the fresh food, but Tournak turned away. Bodrin stepped over and put his hand on his mentor’s shoulder.