The Missing Mage (13 page)

When Howard realized Everet had accepted his challenge, he smiled. He was the finest dualist in the kingdom. Killing this foreigner would be easy. Howard walked away to retrieve his sword.

While Howard was yelling his insults at Everet, Plavan walked up and joined Bryant to watch the display. When Howard stormed off, Plavan spoke to Everet. “It would seem you are in need of a sword.” 

Everet frowned, this was a decidedly bad turn of events but he must see it through to its completion. “It would seem that you are correct, Plavan. I don’t suppose you have one I can borrow.”

Plavan smiled for the first time that evening. “Actually, I do. I shall meet you in the gardens.”

When Plavan walked off to retrieve his weapon, Everet turned to Bryant. “I don’t suppose Lord Howard will change his mind in the next few minutes?”

“No, I am afraid not. If there is one thing the Lord Howard values less than the virtue of the women he entertains, it is the lives of those he deems to be below him.”

Everet could only smile at the irony of the situation. In his previous life, he could have easily been the obnoxious lord trampling those below him. Everet sighed. “I suppose he is good with his sword.”

“None better in the kingdom,” was Bryant’s honest answer.

“Well at least it shall be an interesting contest then. Tell me, if I win will I be immediately thrown in the dungeons for killing a member of the royal family?”

Bryant shook his head. “No, the king takes duels very seriously. You will most certainly find the king unhappy at the turn of events if you do succeed, but death or jail will not be a concern. No, your only concern is dying at the hands of a pretentious, arrogant, womanizing swordsman.”

“Gods, that sounds too much like me killing me… no that will not do. Let us go take another look at these gardens. I hope Plavan has a decent weapon.”

Bryant took Everet to the well-lit area commonly used for such occasions. Already word of the event was circulating through the guests, and a few members of the royal family and guests were migrating towards the dueling grounds.

“Well, I guess the chances of this being a quiet event are out the window,” quipped Everet as he studied the space. With its spacious proportions and relatively bright lights, the fight would not be won or lost on knowledge of terrain. This battle would come down to skill with a blade. The idea did not faze Everet. While many lords learned the sword and were adept in battle, Everet had been born to it. In his youth, Everet had been a member of the army during the wars to unify Progoh. Everet earned the title of duke while in service to the current king. His prowess on the battlefield was unmatched, and even when promoted through the ranks, he always fought in the front lines. His skill with a sword was well tested.

Plavan soon returned, handing over his sword to Everet he gave a wiry smile. “Good luck.”

Everet examined the sword. It was a good weapon, sharp, made with high quality steel, and well balanced with a comfortable grip. Plavan had given him an excellent weapon to use. “Thank you, Plavan, this shall do nicely.”

Everet rocked back and forth on his heels, moving his weight around to stretch his muscles. To a casual observer it might appear he was just fidgeting, but in reality, he was visualizing the moves he may make during the fight and remembering the combinations of strikes and counters that accompanied each set of footwork positions he was using.

By the time, Lord Howard returned Everet was ready for battle.

Walking into the garden Lord Howard wasted little time with small talk. “Defend yourself, you worthless swine.”

Everet was amused and aghast, he thought back to all the times he had said something equally trite in the past. He hoped that it at the very least he sounded sinister. Lord Howard sounded petulant. As Howard approached with his sword drawn, Plavan, Bryant, and all the others watching quickly moved away, giving the two combatants room. No one wanted to receive an errant strike from a wayward sword.

When Howard was within striking distance, he swiftly brought his sword into a stabbing attack. If Everet had not been ready, or even just a step slow, the quick move would have pierced him in the chest. However, Everet was prepared and he deftly brought his sword up to parry the attack. Howard moved quickly and smoothly into his next attack. Everet had to give the man credit; while his vocabulary might need improvement, his sword fighting technique was excellent. Everet continued to take a defensive approach, blocking and parrying his opponent. Everet was soon starting to see a pattern in the Lord Howard’s attacks. The royal family may have brought in the best swordsman they had to teach him as a youth, but it was apparent that Lord Howard had only learned one style of fighting. This lack of variety created patterns that allowed Everet to time and anticipate the blows. Lord Howard attacked again with a backhanded swing across his body. Twice now, he had followed this attack up with a reverse to a low attack. Once Everet saw Howard’s shoulder drop for his intended counter swing, Everet launched himself forward, jumping into the air. Howard’s sword sliced through the air underneath Everet, while Everet’s sword stabbed into Lord Howard’s exposed chest. Lord Howard passed from this life quickly, so too did Everet’s hopes of gaining favor in the royal courts of King Ganus. 

Chapter seventeen

AS EVERET SAT IN his bed staring at the stark ceiling of the inn’s room, he pondered how he had gotten himself into this predicament. An entire lifetime dedicated to raw unfiltered ambition had led him here and yet when he was closest to gaining entry into power he betrayed himself for the sake of a woman. It was amusing and incredibly ironic that he would fall victim to love. The number of times he had looked at other men, seen their love and used it against them was countless. Even the fumbled kidnapping of the girls of Elderwood was an attempt to gain advantage over Nathan, that mysterious son of royals living as a commoner in the woods. Was it worth it for those parents, leaving the spoils of the courts for love? A few short days ago, Everet would have laughed at the very idea. Now as he sat there thinking about Severa, a flicker of understanding was starting to seep into his consciousness. Everet gave the ceiling a small smirk; he enjoyed the irony as he drifted off to sleep.

The next day Everet returned to the dark dangerous confines of the thieves’ pub. With his killing of the king’s cousin, Everet would need a new plan. His scheme to gain power through manipulation of royal family members died with the arrogance of a womanizing lord. With no fresh ideas in his mind, he was going to have a few drinks, wallow in defeat, and wait for a new opportunity. If nothing else, the dingy dive of a pub did create opportunities.

Everet was on his third mug of ale when the door to the bar opened slowly and a cloaked figure entered the room. Everet gave the new body little mind, he was busy brooding and not yet worried about focusing on finding his next venture for power. When the shadow of the cloaked stranger darkened his table, Everet was surprised.

“Drinking to the memory of Lord Howard? I would not waste tears nor drink on such an endeavor. He was hardly worth a thought when alive, even less so now,” spoke the stranger.

Everet recognized the voice, and looked up at the cloaked figure. The hood hid most of his features but with last night’s events so fresh in his mind, Everet had no problem recognizing the voice of Plavan. “I am drinking to the death of opportunity and ambition, a far greater loss than the life of an arrogant pup of a lord,” replied Everet as he lifted his mug in mock salute to the death of his goals.

“Ah, well that is something worth drinking too. Might I join you?”

“Of course, misery does love company. You can revel in the thought of your sword entering the great Lord Howard while I despair at my victory,” replied Everet.

Plavan set himself down in the chair against the wall before lowering his cloak.

Everet smiled, Plavan was a cautious individual, it was a trait he respected.

“Forgive me for being so bold, but would it be safe to presume your intentions were to use last night’s ball as a way of gaining favor among members of the royal courts so that you could use those newly formed friendships to your advantage in gaining power and influence in Meron?”

Everet look carefully at Plavan. His direct and dangerous question could get him executed if the wrong person heard a truthful answer. Plavan’s face held no clues as to what thoughts were lying behind his eyes. Everet decided if he was going to put his trust into man without having leverage against him, now was as good as time as any. “Yes. That sums up my ambitions very well. I wanted to find ways of gaining favor in the royal family so that I could gain power. But that ambition died with the good Lord Howard.”

“An ambitious and daring plot, I assume the Lady Severa and Bryant Bingham were involved to a certain degree.” Plavan paused, seeing the dangerous look Everet gave him at the mention of Severa. “Don’t worry, I am likely the only one who guessed something was afoot, and I have no intentions of using that knowledge against you. Quite the opposite actually, I am here to resurrect your recently deceased ambition. I can offer you a means to great influence and power in Meron. But it will be even more dangerous than your original plan.”

More dangerous than deceiving and manipulating members of the royal family, thought Everet. He smiled, it seemed his faith in returning to the dark dingy bar had been rewarded already. “Tell me more.”

Plavan returned his smile. “In time, the less time I spend in here the better. For now you need to minimize the damage of last night’s events. I have already spoken to Bryant, he is going to petition the king, protesting the shoddy welcome you, a respectable business associate, endured during your visit to the palace. The king needs men like Bryant and he will likely reach out to you to let you know that the king does hopes the death of Lord Howard won’t negatively impact your decision to do business in Meron. You will not gain the access you wanted to the royal courts, but you will be able to establish your presence in Meron as a wealthy merchant. I have also had a few gossipy souls spread word of their dislike of the way Lord Howard acted. The king will have to distance himself from his cousin’s memory.”

Everet was impressed. Whatever Plavan had planned, he was intelligent, quick acting and saw the angles very well. Plavan was a dangerous man, Everet decided. Whatever he was plotting, Everet wanted in on. “What do you suggest I do now?”

“Continue drinking, mourn the loss of a strong adversary, but do it in the right setting. Go to the Sauntering Soldier, it is a much better setting for our goals. Sit at the bar, make friends with the bartender, and drink to the memory of Lord Howard. I shall take care of the rest.”

Everet reassessed his opinion of Plavan from being a dangerous man to a very dangerous man, he liked him more by the minute.

.

The Sauntering Soldier was half-full when Everet walked in. He could see recognition on several faces as he perused the room. Apparently, more people had been paying attention the previous night than he might have thought. It shouldn’t have been a surprise though; duels always drew attention, duels involving royalty even more so.

When Everet completed his survey of the bars, he didn’t spot any obvious threats, nor did he see outright hostility. It seemed the good Lord Howard might not have been a beloved man missed by the masses. Everet strategically sat himself at the corner of the bar, following Plavan’s directive to sit in front of it, while giving himself at least one wall to set his back against. Even in a nicer establishment like the Soldier, Everet would not drop his guard. Lord Howard might not have been popular but he would have allies angry at his loss, Everet could not afford to find out the hard way if they wanted him dead.

When the bartender, a gaunt, balding gentleman, called out to Everet in a friendly tone, “What are you drinking friend?” Everet remembered he was again playing a role and quickly moved to get into character. “Something strong good, sir, I have had the most horrendous couple of days and need relief.”

The bartender smiled back at Everet. “One burnt bourbon coming up.” When the bartender returned to Everet, he slid the glass across the highly polished oak bars surface. “There you go, sir.”

Everet accepted the drink, lifting it to toast to the bartender. “May you never offend a noble,” he said before taking a healthy sip of the potent liquor.

The bartender, grasping the significance of Everet’s comment, nodded his head in agreement. “Ah, now I see why you need a strong drink. I heard rumors about last evening’s royal ball, you wouldn’t happen to be the merchant that had a disagreement with Lord Howard would you?”

Everet bobbed his head in agreement. “Indeed I am. One minute I am asking a man about a beautiful marble statue, the next I am being shoved around and challenged to a sword fight. It was very traumatic let me tell you. Moreover, to think I, a guest of a royal family member, was treated so poorly. Let me tell you, this would not happen in Progoh. We have a tad more respect for our guests there.”

The bartender nodded. “That’s sort of the way we heard things here, except that the way we heard it there was a girl involved.”

Everet looked perplexed when he heard this. “A girl? Why the only woman I spoke to last night was the Lady Severa, and it was only the second time we have met. Don’t get me wrong she is a rare beauty, but I danced one song with her, if that is an offense worth killing for I am doing business with the wrong people.”

A man at the bar who, among others, had been listening in on the conversation between Everet and the bartender spoke up. “I wouldn’t take too much offense if I was you. The late Lord Howard had a bit of a reputation as a hot head and a womanizer. That he would challenge you to a duel over a woman is not surprising. The surprising part is that he failed to defeat you. This was not the lord’s first duel over a woman.”

Everet nodded, as if he were just starting to understand what had happened the previous night. “Well, I thank you both for enlightening me on my predicament. I had come to Meron in hopes of establishing trade, not brawling and dueling. Barkeep another drink and one for my friend here.”