The Crown Of Yensupov (Book 3) (4 page)

“Back to bed? I can’t sleep if you’re up traipsing around all night. You’re not turning to that black magic stuff, are you? I ain’t working here if you’re getting into that crap.” His sleepy eyes suddenly twinkled.

“Now, Aleman, don’t get yourself in an uproar over nothing.”

“Nothing! You call black magic nothing?” Aleman puffed up his defiant chest facing the sorcerer with his hands on his hips.

Memlatec shook his head. “Now Aleman, don’t get all wound up standing there like some old bull about to scratch the ground, with head down, ready to charge.”

“We just ain’t getting mixed up with the likes of that Miss Earwig. I’ll be packing my bags, if you mess in black magic.”

Nothing to say then until the storm blows itself out, the wizard thought. “We fight against the dark forces here, don’t we, Aleman?”

Aleman relaxed a bit, and let his arms drop to his side. “Indeed we does.” He cocked his head and leered at Memlatec. “You ain’t pulling something over on me, are you?”

“I’ll take some tea if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Thought you didn’t want nothing?”

“Well, I do now. Come on, I’ll walk you to the kitchen so the trolls don’t get you.”

Aleman did a double take at Memlatec, one eye leering, “Who told you where the kitchen was?”

Memlatec laughed. “I followed you one dark night during a thunderstorm so you wouldn’t hear my footsteps.”

Aleman’s mouth dropped open at first before he realized Memlatec was teasing. By then the wizard was at the door and the two of them headed off toward the kitchen.

“Followed me in a storm indeed. I’ll fix you some tea, but now that you’ve shook me up, I’ll be needing something stronger to help me sleep.”

Memlatec put his hand on Aleman’s shoulder. “You need something to settle your nerves, what with all the pacing going on around here.”

“Yes, indeed.” Aleman’s head nodded. “What with all these orcs in the kingdom, it’s a wonder a body gets any sleep at all.”

Memlatec stopped and turned Aleman to him in the hallway. “What do you mean all these orcs in the kingdom?”

“They be everywhere, from what I hears.”

“Well, don’t you repeat that to anyone. We don’t want panic over imaginary orcs.”

“Who’s to tell? I seldom get out of this dust trap except to market, and no one comes to see me.”

Memlatec smiled, and the two walked on to the kitchen, where Aleman fixed the wizard tea and himself a tankard of ale. While Aleman buzzed at the fireplace, Memlatec reflected back to his earlier thoughts.

I wonder how far south the infiltrations reached. Has Dreaddrac compromised Sengenwha as well? I must request an audience with the queen tomorrow.

*

“Welcome to our noble wizard whose timely action saved our northern provinces of Talok and Lemnos,” Queen Eleatsubetsvyertsin said. Prince Consort Augusteros stood by the enthroned queen. The great throne room had emptied following the formal audience. Memlatec stepped forward and bowed.

“Greetings and good health to your majesties,” the wizard said.

I see no visible excitement or distress, she thought. “What did you wished to speak with us about, Memlatec?”

“Your Majesty, I am deeply concerned about the northern defenses. If the Dark Lord has infiltrated both our northern strongholds, he has penetrated a lot further around the peninsula. We must learn the extent of his influence and warn the neighboring kingdoms to beware.”

“Agreed.”

“First, let me recommend you make no new appointments of anyone without a thorough investigation of their background. Second, I urge you to send a letter to King Calamidese of Sengenwha, informing him of our discoveries here, and urging him to examine any recent appoints within his own household.”

“King Calamidese? You know well the history of our two kingdoms, Memlatec. You can’t imagine King Calamidese would listen to our counsel.”

“Your Majesty must warn him.”

“Very well, anything else you wish to propose?”

“I suggest you send a similar letter to King Grekenbach of Graushdem and make every effort to forge a bond between your majesties.”

She nodded. “Yes, we agree wholeheartedly. It’s long past time Graushdem and Neuyokkasin reconciled.”

“I believe Prince Saxthor has visited Graushdemheimer. I heard of his acclaim even in Hoya as he and his companions slew a number of trolls that plagued the village of Hern. Prince Saxthor is a national hero in Graushdem. This would be a most auspicious time to open diplomatic communications with the king.”

“Prince Saxthor is a hero here on the continent?” Eleatsubetsvyertsin bolted up from her throne, her scepter tumbling to the floor. “We demand details of the events. How is it they know of my son’s accomplishments in Graushdem, and we here in Neuyokkasin do not? Why would he be in Graushdem and not here at Konnotan after seven years?” The queen turned to the chamberlain. “Send for Chatra Rakmar at once!”

“Forgive us, Your Majesty, for the prince’s sake, we’ve tried to avoid publicity as much as possible,” Memlatec bowed.

The queen sat back down, accepted the scepter from a guard, crossing it in front of her, and listened with pinched lips and furrowed brows. “Continue.”

The wizard bowed again. “Send like letters to Duke Jedrac of Hador and the Duke of Heggolstockin, copying King Grekenbach as their overlord with similar offers of diplomatic communications. All the peninsula’s kingdoms must work together as one to confront Dreaddrac.”

“There’s something else?”

“You might put the prince consort in active charge of the army. He can command a thorough investigation of the rank and file to ensure loyalty here. We must begin defensive preparations for the future confrontation with Dreaddrac. It will come soon. The situations in Hoya and the Talok Tower are sufficient warning the Dark Lord intends to move in the foreseeable future, perhaps as early as the coming spring.”

A silence fell over the room. The queen cleared her throat.

“We presume you’ll present extensive resolutions to the council. You know there will be arguments over which policy to take for this and that. We will have to exert our authority to force the resolutions and actions. Many of the councilors will refuse to see the threat or do not want to face its severity. They will resist expensing funds on a military expansion they deem unnecessary at present.”

“One more thing, Highness, if I may be so bold.”

“You’ve asked for the world thus far, one more thing cannot matter,” The queen squeezed Prince Augusteros’ hand.

“I expect Your Majesty would like to name Prince Saxthor the Prince of Hoya. I urge you to postpone the appointment for now.”

“Why would you make that request, Memlatec? You’ve been the prince’s greatest proponent.”

“He’s on a most important journey at present, and he wouldn’t be able to take up his responsibilities right away. Naming him to the title would only draw dangerous notoriety to him far from home and exposed.”

“You know of the journey; you sent him on it,” the queen said with a stern glare. “We think you have failed to tell us much about this mission; but we shall not press you, since we know you’ve the prince’s best interests at heart. Let us warn you that no harm had better befall Prince Saxthor while on this mysterious mission.”

“Your Majesty, I can only tell you that it’s a most important undertaking, and that it’s dangerous. I cannot protect the prince while he’s traveling. Still, I have confidence that he’ll succeed in his objective and bring more to Neuyokkasin than you can fathom.”

Eleatsubetsvyertsin noted the wizard’s intense expression, his violet eyes bright. Even she knew better than to argue when the sorcerer had such an intense stare.

“Come with us to the council chamber.” She rose and led Augusteros and her wizard to the room behind the throne room. When the door closed, she continued.

“What of Crown Prince Augusteros?” the queen asked. “How shall we convince him to return? We summoned him home from Powteros months ago, but he refuses to return. It would be a diplomatic disaster to have to ask the Emperor of Powteros to force our own crown prince to return home. Either Augusteros doesn’t want the responsibility of ruling here, or he aspires to rule in Imperial Powteros.”

“To be frank, Your Majesty, I fear Crown Prince Augusteros would be better left at the Powterosian court. He’s too ineffectual to govern this, the largest state on the peninsula. Under his rule, the kingdom would collapse into warring states within a year ending the dynasty.”

“You’re bold, wizard.”

Eleatsubetsvyertsin sat down at the head of the council table. The prince consort stood behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder. The queen put her hand on his, but held her gaze on Memlatec.

“Your Majesty asked for my counsel. May I continue?”

“Yes, yes, continue.”

“Augusteros insists on remaining in the imperial capital. If Prince Saxthor returns in time, request, perhaps insist, Crown Prince Augusteros renounce his claim to the throne in favor of Prince Saxthor. If you must expedite it, have Crown Prince Augusteros renounce in favor of Prince Consort Augusteros, to rule for his son Prince Saxthor should anything happen to Your Majesty. For the present, do nothing and hope Prince Saxthor returns in time to make this unnecessary.”

“We shall consider all you have said, Memlatec.” The queen looked up at the prince consort. “You must know we value your counsel above all others, but this has been unexpected and troubling.”

“I’m honored, Majesty.”

*

Memlatec bowed, backed out of the chamber and turned down the hall. The guards weren’t at the doors.

Has the queen sent them on some errand so our conversation wouldn’t be overheard, he thought. There are no guards in the hallway or at the door at the far end. That’s odd. She wouldn’t have sent them all on errands.

Memlatec turned back to the queen’s audience chamber and knocked.

“Enter.”

“Your Majesty, excuse my intrusion. I was leaving and wondered why you dismissed all your guards?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we dismiss the guards, we’ve servants close enough if we need assistance.”

After her last words trailed off, she looked up wide-eyed at Memlatec. Memlatec was equally alarmed. He checked the side door, but it was locked. He moved to the queen’s ornate council chair.

“Will your majesties withdraw behind this chair? Summon a lady-in-waiting.”

When the courtier didn’t respond, Memlatec rang the bell pull for a servant, but again no one came.

“Your Highness,” Memlatec said to the Prince Consort, “would you help me move these council chairs from around the walls to block movement within the room?” The prince and Memlatec immediately began moving the heavy mahogany chairs in a checkerboard pattern on either side of the council table. They put pairs of chairs together in front of the monarch’s. “An intruder won't be able to tell where the queen is.”

Memlatec went to the window’s edge and peeked out to see if there were any guards training in the courtyard. Whoever arranged to have the area around the council chamber cleared knows the palace and the queen’s activities, he thought. He grabbed pen and paper.

“Majesty, please write ‘Come at once to the private audience chamber.’ She wrote and signed it. Memlatec opened the window and tossed out the note wrapped around a paperweight. When he turned back, he detected a trace if sulfur in the air.

“Will Your Majesty take refuge in that cabinet at the back of the room?”

“We won’t hide in our own palace, Memlatec.”

“You must be prudent, my dear,” Augusteros said.

The queen looked first at her husband, then at Memlatec. Her lip quivered as she turned and ducked into the cabinet. Wizard and prince consort sat in chairs facing the throne. Memlatec peeked around the side. The doorknob turned without sound.

“Did you see that?” Augusteros said.

Memlatec nodded, but raised his finger to his lips. No one would dare enter a room, where the queen might be without first knocking and requesting permission to enter, he thought. Whoever is on the other side of the door is the Dark Lord’s agent.

The door slid open; it seemed like slow motion. One of the queen’s councilors entered the room. Prince Augusteros stood up.

“You must leave. We’re expecting trouble,” the prince said before Memlatec could react.

The councilor, a nobleman and advisor for years, had yellow eyes that flashed before narrowing and locking onto Augusteros. Memlatec snatched Augusteros down as a blue fire bolt zipped from the councilor striking the wall beyond the prince.

“What’re you doing?” Augusteros said, before seeing smoke rising from the charred wall. He spoke no more.

The man moved straight toward the prince, knocking over heavy chairs in his way.

“Stop!” Memlatec jumped up, hurling a wizard-fire bolt at the councilor. The man was dazed as well as possessed. The wraith controlling the nobleman had him focused on the queen and prince consort.

The man-wraith hurled a wizard-fire bolt at Memlatec, but rushed on toward the royal couple through sulfurous smoke swirling in the room. Wizard and wraith exchanged fire bolts, but each seemed immune to the other’s strikes.