The Crown Of Yensupov (Book 3) (30 page)

Saxthor bent down, lifting the ambassador from the floor, and brushed him off. He patted the ambassador on the back.

“You mustn’t apologize so. You’ve done nothing wrong. I thank you for your steady nerves in this crisis and for your kindness to strangers.”

The ambassador continued bowing, asking for forgiveness, all the while blotting his sweating brow.

“I’m so sorry about your mother, the queen,” the ambassador blurted out.

Saxthor’s eyes flashed and he grabbed the ambassador with both hands. “Sorry? Sorry for what about my mother?”

The ambassador paled, looked at Tournak, then at Bodrin, and back to Saxthor. “Could it be that Your Highness doesn’t know about the queen?” He looked back again to Tournak, his eyes, pleading for help.

“Of course he doesn’t know, we’ve been away for years,” Tournak said. He went to the ambassador and Saxthor released him. “What’s happened to the queen?”

The shaking ambassador took Tournak aside. “Now I’ve blurted it out, and someone will have to tell him. In his pain, he’ll have me executed.” The ambassador turned back to Saxthor again and fell to the floor, “I’m so sorry, Your Highness.”

“Stand up man, what’re you sorry about?”

Bodrin stood up beside Saxthor putting his hand on his shoulder.

“I am so sorry to be the one to tell you, Your Highness,” the ambassador said, through chattering teeth. “The queen -- your mother just passed away. We’ve just received the news here. Your Highness’ father, Prince Augusteros is Prince Regent in Konnotan now.”

Saxthor stumbled, falling backward into a chair.

“Mother died?” Saxthor stared at the ambassador, his eyes searching for a mistake.

The ambassador nodded.

Saxthor’s wet eyes blurred his vision. My memories of her show so much vitality, he thought. She can't be dead. I’ve not seen her since I was a child, and now I’ll never see her again.

Bodrin, Tonelia, and Tournak rushed to Saxthor’s side as the ambassador collapsed prostrate on the floor. Saxthor recovered his composure and stood up. His cleared his throat, but spoke in a broken voice. “Please get up ambassador; it isn’t your fault that mother passed away.”

Hesitant, the ambassador rose, watching Saxthor. Bodrin remained by Saxthor as Tournak and Tonelia sank back in their seats.

“Did she suffer?” Saxthor asked.

“We think not.”

There’s nothing I can do for her now, Saxthor thought. I’ll do as mother would want me to do. I must concentrate on my responsibilities and my mission for her and our people. Success on this mission is all I can do for her now. I’ll double my efforts to succeed, honoring her memory.

“Are you okay, Saxthor?” Tonelia asked.

“All these years and I never got to see her again… We must complete our mission and return home as fast as possible.”

“What may I do to help you, Your Highness?” the ambassador asked.

“What’s the situation in the city?”

“Last night the nobles and ambassadors assembled at the king’s dinner, when the banquet hall doors flew open, revealing the dead guards sprawled there. Dreaddrac’s ambassador stormed in with the most horrible of wraiths. The phantom seized the ambassador’s body, demanding to know why the king closed Sengenwha’s borders to his ally’s troops. The king wasn’t intimidated but restrained his anger behind narrowed eyes and pursed lips, facing down that hybrid monster.”

“The king faced down a wraith?” Bodrin asked.

The ambassador nodded, took a deep breath and continued. “Facing the wraith-ambassador, the king said he didn’t answer to anyone. He told the wraith he’d closed the borders and that was final. The wraith sizzled. It was as horrible a sight as I’ve ever seen. We were all terrified, but no one dared move. The wraith shot a wizard-fire bolt at the king, who dodged it, but panic erupted and guests raced for the doors.”

“Having finally returned, the king’s wizard stood between the king and the wraith. He shot a fire bolt at the ambassador-wraith, but the specter deflected it and it hit a Sengenwhan merchant, killing him. The wizard held up his hand, mumbling some incantation. The wraith laughed and shot a fire-bolt at the wizard, whose power was no match for the wraith. The wizard fluttered to the floor as ash. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, the rest of us jumped up and ran for the exit. You can well imagine.” The ambassador looked at Tournak, and then turned back to Saxthor.

“What’s happened to King Calamidese?” Saxthor asked.

“As I was leaving, I saw King Calamidese rushing from the banquet hall by another door. The king’s personal bodyguards tried to restrain the wraith, but it slaughtered them. I think the king escaped, but no one knows for sure.”

“Is the king still in the Sekcmet Palace?”

“The wraith released his fury around the banquet hall, hurling wizard-fire, creating total chaos. The king took advantage of the delay to gather his family. Rumor has it they fled the palace with the dignitaries.”

Tournak and Saxthor exchanged worried looks. The ambassador continued. “Word spread about the guards’ destruction and the banquet hall chaos. The royal family’s escape and the palace panic spread turmoil through the city. Everyone packed and is now fleeing. The last to leave are looting the city, with the orcs just behind, sacking what’s left. It’s the end of Sengenwhapolis.”

“And the wraith-ambassador?” Tournak asked. “What of him?”

“No one knows where the wraith is. Reports have him all over the city. I think he’s still here.”

“And the orcs, how did they get into the city to sack it?” Saxthor asked.

“Many were already in the city. Dreaddrac’s ambassador requested that orcs be admitted to guard their embassy long before the wraith arrived.

The ambassador walked to the window.

“King Calamidese had permitted two cohorts as for any embassy, but as soon as Calamidese granted permission, the ambassador began bringing in large numbers of orcs every few days. No one knows how many got in. Orcs continued to enter the city until the wraith and ambassador made their demands known to the king. The king didn’t close the city gates to them until just days ago. Now it’s too late. The city’s defense is crumbling. We must all leave soon or be trapped here.”

Saxthor turned to his companions. “Bodrin, take the ambassador and try to find the royal family. If you can, bring them here and hide them until I return. Tournak, you come with me to the palace. I must get to the queen’s apartments and find the Pool of Truth there.”

The ambassador’s head jerked around, staring at him. “How do you know about the Pool of Truth in the queen’s apartments?”

“He has friends in high places,” Bodrin said, before anyone else could answer.

“I have so many questions, Your Highness,” the ambassador said.

“I’m sorry, I must leave soon,” Saxthor said. “You must go ahead to locate the king and his family. You would know where to search.”

Saxthor nodded to Bodrin, who took the ambassador by the arm and led him to the door. Saxthor took Tournak and they made their way through the streets, past the looting, to the palace. Twice they had to defend themselves with their staffs from parties of crazed looters, but mostly those people were interested in grabbing what they could, without confrontation.

A block from the Sekcmet Palace, Saxthor and Tournak rounded a corner to find a group of orcs loaded down with plunder. When they saw two men with staffs, they were at first wary. In a hurry, Saxthor tried to avoid them, but the orcs decided to take on the two men. They dropped their loot and came after Saxthor and Tournak.

Citizens, who had hidden in terror only moments before, rushed out to grab and run off with the treasures. That only infuriated the orcs more. Half the orcs took off after the spoils, and half stayed with the ogres in charge to attack Saxthor and Tournak, who unsheathed their swords, defending themselves.

Sorblade’s glow terrified the orcs, and they fought half-heartedly. The men dispatched six before the remaining orcs gave in to their fears and fled. The captain, an ogre, was twice Saxthor’s size and he wielded a large rapier. He had a nasty scar across the left side of his face that had just missed his eye. An evil grin showed his large, yellowed teeth. His red eyes indicated he was either hyped in some spell’s aggressive trance or under the influence of some powerful herb. The creature was going to fight to the death, but Saxthor wouldn’t back down either.

The two of them charged each other. The clanging of steel rang up and down the street. No one dared set foot in the road as the fight raged. One orc returned to help his captain, but Tournak shot an arrow, and the orc fell in the street, as Saxthor and the ogre fought to exhaustion.

Eventually, the ogre’s spent energy caused him to hesitate a fraction of a second, when withdrawing from a sword lunge. Saxthor took advantage of the exposure and drove his knife up into the ogre’s gut while forcing the ogre’s sword aside with Sorblade. A surprised look flashed on the ogre’s face. He looked down at the blood pouring down over his belt then looked up at Saxthor and struck once more at the prince. Saxthor was prepared and drove Sorblade into the ogre’s chest. The ogre stood there for a second. Saxthor jerked back his sword, and the ogre fell forward, dead, on the street.

Sword in hand, Tournak came up beside Saxthor, looking down at the monster.

“Where were you?” Saxthor asked, hunched over breathing hard.

“I was right behind you,” Tournak said. He grinned. “After sneaking around the country, it was good to see some action.”

“Great help there,” Saxthor said, “Next one’s yours.”

At the palace gates, guards held back the crowds, but most people were jostling past. In the confusion, Saxthor and Tournak slipped by the guards, engaged with the crowd. The two men hurried through the deserted palace. They occasionally passed servants, trying to hide valuable treasures from orcs and other looters, but most servants had abandoned the palace after the royal family fled.

Saxthor stopped one woman, scurrying past with a vase. “Where are the queen’s apartments?”

Restrained by Saxthor, the woman struggled, refusing to give out any information to strangers.

“I assure you I don’t mean to harm anyone or plunder the palace,” Saxthor said.

The woman was shaking, and finally gave Saxthor directions. Released, she disappeared down the corridor.

Saxthor and Tournak hurried up the grand staircase to the next level. They went through the demolished banquet hall at the head of the stairs. True to the rumors, there were several sprawled bodies around the room amid lots of overturned and charred furniture.

The two men rushed through the banquet hall to the lesser of two doors at the back, leading to the women’s quarters for her entrance. They followed the corridor through the keep and up levels to the royal women’s enclave. The queen’s apartments were at the very end of the gallery. Saxthor and Tournak entered through the previously guarded door. Delicate treasures that had adorned the entrance hall were shattered or missing from their niches. Rich garments and other larger valuables were scattered through the rooms. The long-gone servants had taken the finer, smaller things with them.

In the third room, they found a marble basin, containing a pool of clear water in a large, elegantly carved alcove. Saxthor looked into the pool; the water was pristine. Not knowing what power was in the water, the two men drained and refilled it with the water from a silver ewer, above the basin.

“It’s a wonder they didn’t take this ewer too. Keep watch at the door,” Saxthor said.

Tournak stood guard, while Saxthor performed his ritual. The prince drew out the Peldentak Wand and waved it over the basin. Nothing happened. He then touched the wand to the water and ripples rolled out from the point of contact. The water turned black as coal, then red, then powder blue. Still nothing happened, so Saxthor thought of one other thing to try. He touched the Dragon Ring to the blue pool and again, there were ripples on the water. When the ripples smoothed out, the water turned to royal blue and a message appeared to float, as gold lettering on the blue water.

Of Sekcmet Palace, there were three,

The first built by a king new to be.

The second palace o’er top the first,

Covered all but the gatehouse sunburst.

The second palace burned you see,

All was saved was daylight’s key,

And that was used above the throne,

Its beam is cast for you alone.

Go to the metal disk on the wall,

Pointed out where the beam does fall,

And tap the ring you showed me here,

Upon the figure of the deer.

“Well, this riddle makes no sense to me,” Saxthor said.

“We’d better get moving,” Tournak said. “There seems to be more activity in the palace from the sounds coming up from below.”

They hurried back down the corridor and down the stairs to the banquet hall. They rushed through and over to the next official room, the grand audience chamber. There they found the splendid throne of Sengenwha’s monarchs. It stood in a large bay that enhanced the king’s aura as he sat enthroned. At the alcove’s apex was a huge golden sunburst, surrounding a large crystal. The sunburst was too high for daylight to strike it. Puzzled, Saxthor couldn’t see how it would cast a beam.