The Tomni'Tai Scroll (Book 1) (33 page)

Kai sucked in a huge breath and fought with all of his strength to flip his body. He managed to move his hips up enough that the stick-bow fell into his waiting hand. He flexed his wrist upward and used his thumb to depress the button.

Ku-klack!
The end of the stick-bow erupted as a steel bolt ejected through the bottom and blasted into Boots’ throat and disappeared into his skull. Boots barely made a sound before he fell back and slammed onto the floor, twitching furiously.

Kai sighed with relief and his hips fell back down. His body was exhausted, and it ached fiercely. There was no way for him to do any more than he already had. He panted heavily, fighting the burning in his lungs and the spasm in his spine. He knew he would have to regain his strength if he wanted to survive. He forced his head to turn and peer down at Boots. He scanned for any sign of that vial Boots had been giving him to drink from, but he couldn’t see anything.

The door burst open and in came Horkin, stooping low so as not to bash his head against the top of the doorjamb. “Boots!” he shouted. “We have to…” the giant’s mouth fell ajar. “What in the…” Horkin looked from Boots to Kai and his face flushed red. A hand drew a wickedly curved machete from its sheath and Horkin stepped menacingly toward Kai.

“I’m going to end you, maggot,” Horkin swore.

Kai saw something move behind Horkin and then Horkin’s face distorted in pain. A red, wet object protruded through Horkin’s abdomen for a moment, then it went back inside only to erupt through Horkin’s skin a moment later a little higher up. Horkin fell to a knee and the object disappeared again. A man whirled around Horkin’s massively wide shoulders and thrust a blade through Horkin’s heart. The mountainous thug gasped like a fish stranded on the beach before slumping to the floor.

“You’re early,” Kelden said with a grin. “I told you to come here at six.”

Kai sighed. “Is it over?” he asked.

Kelden nodded. “Gurn no longer walks among the living,” he replied. “It is finished. You can rest easy now, and once you have your strength back I’ll get you on a ship for Bluewater.” Redbeard and Pinhead bounded into the room, each excited to see Kai.

“We got ‘em all,” Redbeard said. Blood covered the dwarf’s beard and bits of red and pink streaked across his axe.

“And he broke his nose again,” Pinhead laughed, slapping Redbeard on the back.

Kai would have smiled but he didn’t have the strength. He barely heard Redbeard yell something about “sleeping on the job,” before his eyes rolled back in his head and fatigue overcame him.

“With respect,” Karmt began. “I believe a more tempered response is in order.”

“Bah,” General Tehrigg scoffed with a wave of his massive hand. “You can’t tip-toe around like some little girl,” he bellowed.

“That is quite enough, General Tehrigg,” Queen Dalynn said.

The general bowed his head in deference, but shot Karmt a menacing glare of ice. “With respect, we must answer this with force. We cannot show any weakness or apathy.”

Queen Dalynn rose from her throne and clasped her hands behind her back. “What would you do, General?”

“I would march on Valiv with ten thousand men,” Tehrigg stated.

“That is over eighty percent of our regular army,” Karmt pointed out. “That would leave Kobhir vulnerable for a counter attack. It would leave all of our major cities vulnerable to attack!”

“King Sarito would be too busy shielding himself like a coward in his castle to plan a counter offensive,” Tehrigg rebutted.

Queen Dalynn held her hand up to silence them and then turned to Karmt. “What would you do?” she asked.

“I would let the acting governor handle it. Have him use the Rangers to ascertain the size of the force at Hart’s Bridge, or perhaps send an emissary to them.”

“We are beyond diplomacy,” Tehrigg spat. “And the Rangers are for enforcing the law, they are not equipped for warfare, nor are they trained for it.”

“But, they make excellent scouts and spies,” Karmt countered.

“No,” Queen Dalynn said calmly. “We are beyond diplomacy, about that Tehrigg is correct.” She shook her head and moved to a small table and poured over the map of the two kingdoms. “Sarito’s men sent a dismembered corpse to Rasselin. That is more than just a misunderstanding.”

“It is a declaration of war,” Tehrigg stated.

“Perhaps,” Dalynn allowed. “But, it is possible that it is simply soldiers behaving poorly. You and I have read the annals of wars past, general.” Queen Dalynn looked up from the map and made sure she had his attention. “Such deeds, while dishonorable and horrid, are not uncommon on the battlefield, and they reflect more upon the group of men who perform them than they do upon the ruler of their nation.”

“Perhaps this time is different,” Tehrigg argued.

Dalynn shrugged. “If I send ten thousand men to assault Valiv, we will have no chance of resolving this conflict in the near term. We would be talking about a long term struggle, fighting for every inch beyond Hart’s Bridge and then laying siege to Valiv. Meanwhile, Sarito would be free to send a counter offensive by sea to our ports here in Kobhir.”

“We could position our navy in Blundfish,” Tehrigg said.

Karmt shook his head. “No, Blundfish does not have the capacity to harbor our navy. It can accommodate trading vessels in its port, but it is not equipped to moor our larger naval vessels. Besides, Sarito would send his navy around the north shores through Khatthun first before sailing here.”

“How can you be sure?” Tehrigg asked.

“Because,” Queen Dalynn started, “Sarito’s navy is based in Valiv, which is on the north side of his kingdom. It would be faster for them to navigate the northern seas, sacking Khatthun en route.”

Karmt nodded. “Additionally, the southern seas are rougher, and prone to storms. Sarito’s navy would risk losing a good portion of their ships if they encountered a single storm.”

Tehrigg nodded. “I’m no admiral, but it seems to me a chance on a storm would be smarter than purposefully going through our naval stronghold in Khatthun.”

“No admiral would risk his men in a storm that could be avoided,” Karmt said. “Storms could sink all of the ships involved much faster than a battle ever could, and there is nothing to fight back against. It is an extremely one-sided battle to foolishly tempt the goddess of the seas.”

“Also, King Sarito has enough men in the south that he could send an army overland through the south to engage Blundfish if he wanted,” Queen Dalynn stated dryly. “We have better weapons and armor, but they have more men. If we were left with only twenty percent of our regulars, it would be a hard fight.”

“Not an impossible one though,” Tehrigg pointed out. “Our officers would have the men prepare the fields with pits and traps. Plus, the enemy would have to lay siege to each of our cities. I am confident we could get to Valiv before any army could overtake Blundfish.”

Queen Dalynn nodded. “That may be true, but that is a very large gamble.”

“And it is one we don’t have to take,” Karmt reminded her.

“What does that mean?” General Tehrigg asked.

Queen Dalynn tapped her finger on the map and called their attention to where she was pointing. “General, I have decided how we shall handle this matter.” The two men closed their mouths for the first time in hours and stepped up to the table. “I will send three thousand men with you to Rasselin. Your orders are to secure the city and to make sure that no Shausmatian force crosses Hart’s Bridge into Zinferth territory. You are not to attack the bridge, is that clear?”

Tehrigg nodded slowly. “Yes, milady, it is clear.”

“This will present the necessary show of force while still allowing for an alternative solution,” she said.

“May I ask what this ‘alternative solution’ is, milady?”

Queen Dalynn shot a glance to Karmt before saying, “No, you may not. I will inform you when the time is right, but that time has not yet come.”

Tehrigg bristled, but said nothing.

“One more thing general,” Dalynn said. “Be sure to give the acting governor any support he requires, but do not overtake his authority. The people will need to see a stable, capable leader at this time after my cousin’s murder. If you were to dismiss him and institute martial law it would only create panic, and I will not allow that.”

“I would not think of it, milady,” Tehrigg said with a deep bow. “Besides, he has the Rangers to assist him with internal city matters. I am sure he can manage with the resources at hand, but we will of course be at his disposal should he need anything from us.”

Queen Dalynn nodded. “That will be all for now. Go and see to it that you and your chosen three thousand men are on your way as soon as possible.”

“We shall depart before the sunset,” Tehrigg promised.

“Thank you, General Tehrigg,” Queen Dalynn offered.

Tehrigg saluted her, bowed, and then exited the throne room. His heavy steps echoed through the chamber as his steel-plated boots clanked atop the marble floor.

“I believe you have made the right decision,” Karmt commented. “Hopefully this will buy us the time we need to open the cube and claim the reunification of the empire.”

Queen Dalynn sighed and moved toward one of the great, arched windows. “I worry that it is already too late for that.”

“Even if it is, which I don’t think is the case, you have still made the wiser choice.” Karmt moved up to stand alongside her. “If we allow the enemy to come to us, then we will conserve our strength and provide better protection for your citizens. The desert will create hardship for the enemy as they march toward us, and our superior weapons and armor will enable our armies to defeat them.”

Queen Dalynn looked out over the grand city of Kobhir. She lowered her head as the reality of war sank in. “I want you to send for Sir Alexander,” she said after a moment. Karmt didn’t respond. She turned to regard her advisor. “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you, milady,” Karmt said. His tone let her know that he disapproved.

“He knows the land better than General Tehrigg,” Queen Dalynn stated. “And, his knights are the best we have ever produced. If we are to fight a war, then I want him to lead the rest of the army.”

“What of General Tehrigg?” Karmt asked.

Queen Dalynn sighed and shook her head. Her long, graying hair waved gently across her back. “I don’t know,” she said. “But there is just something about him the last few weeks that bothers me. I can’t put my finger on it, but I can’t help but feel that something is amiss.”

Karmt stroked his chin and shrugged. “I will do as you ask, you know that,” he said. “But, the others will not approve. Now may not be the best time to invite him back into your court.”

“We’ll deal with the others when that time comes,” Queen Dalynn said. “For now, I need my most capable officers, and my most trusted allies, to help me guide my kingdom through this time of conflict. I want you to send for Sir Alexander.”

Karmt bowed low. “As you command, milady.”

*****

Talon straightened the red tunic around the pillow he had stuffed under it and checked that the scimitar was free enough in its scabbard to be drawn quickly. Then he stepped toward the great building in front of him. The large, jaggedly sharp spires pointed to the heavens with gold tipped points over the pinkish hew of the tufa stone from which the building was erected. The great, green granite cupola, ribbed with golden cross beams sat perfectly nestled among the spires, five floors above the street. The large building before him bore the engraven image of an oak tree flanked by two blue roses, the seal of the Svetli’Tai council of Svatal Island, above its doorway. The famed council hall was rumored to be nearly impregnable, with only one route in and out. The walls were said to be three feet thick to protect from bombardment from either catapult or battering rams.

But none of that mattered to Talon.

He straightened the wig of golden hair he had made and let a bit of it fall over his face. The lone Svetli’Tai Kruk saw him approaching from a long way off and made sure to take several steps away from the door as Talon entered the building.

Once inside the building, another elf guard stood from a stool and requested Talon’s sword. Talon said nothing as he removed his scimitar and gave it to the elf.

The elf took the proffered weapon and then stopped and looked at Talon closely. “Wait, you’re not L’gorech,” he said. Talon sent a knife-hand strike to the elf’s windpipe and then shoved him up against the wall, using the scimitar as a bar to hold him until he strangled to death. Talon slid the elf back down the wall until his body was sitting on the stool again, propped against the wall. Talon drew the hood up and over the elf’s head and then put the scimitar in a rack that was hanging from the wall. He knew he would have to move quickly, but he trusted that his plan would work.

Talon dashed up the closest set of stairs and didn’t stop until he reached the top. Red, velvet carpets covered the pink stone stairs, held down with golden rods neatly bolted in place against the base of each step. Thick, dark wooden bannisters ascended up with the stairs, terminating at each floor with a large, carved egg with inlaid gold and silver crisscrossing it. Stained glass windows altered the sunlight that poured in from outside. The whole building smelled of cinnamon and vanilla, though he saw no sign of incense or candles as he flew up the stairs.

Finally Talon reached the top floor and walked through a pair of massive, oval shaped doors to find himself inside the large council hall where the Vishi’Tai elders meet for their council meetings. The room was a large, circle shaped hall with a long rectangular table situated in the middle. He looked up and realized that the chamber was capped with the cupola he had seen from outside. The underside of the cupola was held up with great brass ribs and covered in mosaics that depicted the genesis stories of Terramyr. Talon glanced briefly at a couple of the scenes of the Old Gods, and then he brought his gaze down to inspect the rest of the chamber. Ornate scimitars hung above the entrance and the walls were painted with scenes of forests and magical beasts. Talon saw that there were a couple of elders seated at the table. They were discussing fishing and the conditions of the sea over the past few days.

When they caught sight of him Talon heard one of them mumble something about how nepotism disgusted him. The other elder was quick to quiet the first down and they exited the chamber through a side door without so much as a single word to him. Talon sneered and reveled at how well his disguise was working.

Talon quickly crossed the chamber and opened a small, rectangular door at the opposite end. He walked inside and saw two elves in the room. This room was much smaller, with an old, hunch-backed elf seated at a round table, and another setting a tray of food down in front. A large, pillow-filled bed sat in the back of the room and a great fireplace was built into the other wall. A couple of dressers filled the rest of the space.

The old, wrinkled elf sat in a straight-backed, uncomfortably hard looking wooden chair and looked up expectantly at the other elf. Neither had noticed Talon enter the room yet. The old elf kept his eyes on the other as the younger, albeit gray haired elf tested the wine in the golden, gem-encrusted goblet before setting it down on the table.

“Thank you Uloren,” the old elf said to the other. “It is always a relief to have you around. The servant nodded and took a step back to remain behind the seated elf. The old elf took the goblet in his right hand and held it up to the seal above the fireplace on the opposite side of the room from him. “To the Council,” he cackled sarcastically. Then he put the goblet to his mouth and drained its contents entirely before setting it down.

Talon smiled wickedly and then entered the room and shut the door behind him.