Ascent of the Unwanted (The Chronicle of Unfortunate Heroes Book 1) (21 page)

“Going for a knife? Isn’t it a little late to be guarding your maidenhood?” the monster asked crushing her harder against the wall.

Gordon grabbed the front of her bodice and tried to tear it down. The strategically placed dagger point stopped him, but not before the blade bit deep. He screamed as the blood dribbled freely from the large gash in his hand.

“Can’t you men figure out a different move than that?”

The surprise and pain caused Gordon to step back. She pulled the mirror free from be her back. The small hand held mirror of the Warden’s daughter, a gift from a doting father. The moan that pierced the air shot through Miranda’s spine. Gordon’s face drained of blood and distorted in terror. He backed away from Miranda, trembling.

“That anguish is yours! He is hunting for you!” Miranda said. She waited behind in that horrible room to take something from the murdered girl. She recognized the girl’s murderer, the same man who started all her pain. She ran to the window and screamed, “He is up here! Your daughter’s killer! Her mirror! It’s all up here!”

“No!” Gordon screamed charging at her in blind rage and fear.

Miranda waited for the charge of the man, she held the small mirror like a dagger. His arms outstretched grabbed for her neck. He slammed into her, almost shoving her out the window. She felt the glass in the mirror break at the same time the handle of the mirror snap. The sudden give of Gordon’s abdomen and the sickening feeling of him sliding down the remainder of the handle trembled through her hands. The man grimaced in pain and pulled up. Miranda followed his eyes down to his stomach, the mirror protruding oddly out of his body.

Black tendrils began to creep out of the shadows, running into each other like inky water. Quickly the shadows coalesced, growing darker and gaining substance. Climbing higher and higher forming the skeletal figure of the ghastly former captain.

Gordon turned around in time to see the ghoul take complete form. The black shadows giving way to the unholy lit fog that accompanied the spirit of vengeance. Gordon pulled the mirror out of his gut, holding his bloody trophy in his hand.

“Please, show mercy,” Gordon begged, tears streaming down his face.

The undead captain pealed a scream of furious anguish that forced Miranda to her knees quaking in fear. “I’m sorry, Gordon!” Miranda screamed. The vengeance the Fynes would bestow upon Gordon would be beyond Miranda’s imagining.

Gordon never moved, but the puddle of urine beneath him grew. The fog curled like tentacles around him, crawling up his legs, arms, and finally around his body and neck. Slowly they grabbed him, not with the softness expected from the intangible, but with the strength of a giant’s fist. The fog slid Gordon towards the ghoul. Tears and snot ran down Gordon’s face as he blubbered incoherently. As the young earl reached his captor the floor grew dark. The shadows appeared, this time as tentacles reaching like a great sea monster from the bedroom floor. They pulled both ghoul and man down through the floor. Miranda was not sure if the cracking sounds were from the floor or bones shattering.

The room exploded from where they disappeared and Miranda felt her legs leave the ground. She saw the window fly past her and the ground far below her. She twisted to catch hold of the window ledge before she plummeted to her death. It was just out of reach. After her long quest her life would end by a fall.              

She felt arms reaching around her wrist and she screamed. Its hunger was not subsided, it wanted her, too! She closed her eyes and prepared for the end but the arms that held her never moved. “It’s okay, dear,” a woman’s voice said. “It’s gone. You’re safe. He can’t get you anymore.”

Miranda looked up and saw Ramona looking down at her. The woman’s face was white, a sickly alabaster. She pulled Miranda back through the window.

“I followed you as best I could. I heard you scream. I saw the Fynes. I am so sorry,” Ramona said, holding Miranda to her. Miranda cried. She cried from relief, from joy, from fear and its final release.

Erik was tired of answering questions. It seemed no one could make a decision for themselves without ulterior motives. Two weeks of constant questions. He could not even eat without people asking his permission for anything. Perhaps he had set down the precedent too strongly. People grasped at whatever power they could get but did he really have to confirm the remaining guards who had sided with them whether the hands could continue to feed livestock?

Everyone had a question and it had not ceased since the fighting had stopped. Oswald was invaluable. The man seemed to see what the true purpose was for each query. Oswald never recommended a course of action, he just told Erik what the motives were behind what appeared to be simple questions. The only person it appeared he could trust was Sergeant Nephram, the guardsman who’d evened the odds in the palace great room.

He still could not believe the tale that Ramona had told him. It appeared that Miranda had disposed of both Gordon and the supernatural being that had plagued these people. The cursed captain of the guard had not reappeared since that night and the air did not seem as dim at night.

Erik hated being inside the main household. Besides, for what probably was going to need to be done, being out in the courtyard was the best place. The pleasant sun and warmth belied the ominous feeling that surrounded him.

Lawt had been busy training the guards on methods of better enforcement without bullying the people. They met several times a day to compare notes and talk about any new situations that needed to be resolved. It seemed once one problem was fixed four others took its place. There was proof that someone was interfering, and yesterday Sergeant Nephram brought proof as to who. The man was being fetched now.

Ramona also busied herself with the wounded of the confrontation. Many men died that night, many more were injured. Erik wished Ramona was available more for counsel. She may be argumentative and rude but she was smart, and the few times she was available she had come up with ingenious solutions.

“We have him, sir,” Sergeant Nephram said, approaching Erik from behind.

“You sure this is the man?” Erik asked.

“Yes, sir,” Nephram said. “My soldier, one I highly trust, received the unique dagger for your assassination. My man also confirms this is the man one who gave it to him with the orders to kill you.”

“Is this truth, Oswald?” Erik asked the little man. Erik had gotten so used to dog the man’s mount was part of his new trusted aid.

“As far as Nephram knows,” Oswald said cautiously.

“I need to know beyond any shadow of doubt this is the conspirator, Oswald,” Erik stated Why couldn’t anyone see the obvious? If he was going to choose a course of action which ended a life, he needed to make sure the person posed a threat justifying it. The tediousness of the constant barrage of troubles frayed his nerves.

“You can get him to talk. I’ll do the rest.” Oswald said.

“What’s your name, man?” Erik asked his suspect.

“I am Krim. I am just a clergyman. I only wish to serve.”

Erik looked at Oswald, expecting an answer. Oswald said nothing but looked at Erik as if he expected more.

“Did you conspire to have a guardsman close to me attempt to kill me with this?” Erik threw the dagger into the ground in front of the man, the blade sticking cleanly into the dirt. The etched silver oak tree on the hilt and handle of the blade clearly visible.

“I do not know what you mean,” the man said, standing taller.

“You planned to murder me. Impose terror on these people with this symbol of your control,” Erik said.

“I would not do that. I am just a man of the people, meant to serve,” Krim stuttered.

“Oh, he did it all right,” Oswald said behind Erik.

“I need him to confess it! The words have to come from him, not from you.” Erik said.

Oswald’s hands moved in the familiar but awkward archaic symbols Erik had seen the little man make so often lately. Somehow the man could get people to speak the truth no matter how reluctant. If they spoke, they told the truth intentionally or not. Erik was hesitant to believe in magic, but he knew he had been on the receiving end at least once from Oswald’s bag of tricks.

“Did you conspire to kill me?” Erik asked again.

“Yes, you should be dead by now. I will suffer for this,” Krim said. Shock and disgust flashed across his face unable to fathom how his tongue would betray him.

Erik had taken lives in battle. He did not relish doing it then, but this was a calculated maneuver. These people would not rest easy until they were certain there was no chance of the province being taken back from their oppressors. Erik pulled his sword from the scabbard. “Are there others conspiring with you?”

“There are always others, but I do not know who they are. We each have separate missions,” Krim said, again with the stunned face.

Erik’s sword flew, severing Krim’s head as cleanly and quickly as he could. The body fell to its knees, then slowly fell forward.

“Hang his head in the square. Write a proclamation. Anyone conspiring to interfere with appointed personnel of my business will face punishment.”

Sergeant Nephram and his men dragged the body out of the yard. Miranda walked past them, not even giving notice to the headless corpse being pulled past her. Erik snatched the parchment from Miranda. He did not mean to be rude. He was agitated and felt sick at the same time. He never thought of himself as an executioner.

“Lawt wanted me to give you that. He says you need to know as soon as possible. I can see the mantle of the noble folk fits you.” Miranda said. Erik could tell it was not meant as a compliment.

“Miranda, it’s not like that.”

“I know. I am being overly sensitive.” Miranda looked at the trail of blood. “I have lived under the yolk of people who think they know better than me. I have determined only I know where my place is. I think it’s time I were off. I don’t have anything left here for me. Thank you for helping me avenge my family. I have something more personal to do.”

“You are an amazing person, Miranda. I hope the best for you.” Erik meant it. The resilience of this woman humbled him.

Miranda walked off leaving Erik to look at the message Lawt had deemed so urgent.

It could not be right. He reread the message to confirm the news. He would have to speak with Lawt about this after dinner. Erik finished his duties for the day but still each item seemed to drag into the next. He had to make sure every little detail was addressed. One thread left open could unwind all his work. He ate dinner alone. The meat was cold and the bread was stale but it filled him. He went to Lawt’s room to address the orders Miranda delivered to him.

Lawt was already preparing his travel gear.

“We can’t just leave,” Erik said.

“You don’t think I know that? Those may not be official orders in your hand, but we have been told to follow whatever fake orders we receive as if they were real. We need to draw out the traitor.”

“This province can be swayed at any time. We can’t risk letting these people fall back into that terror.”

“I think the example you left of Krim should buy these people a little bit of time, and we can’t stay here indefinitely.”

“All right we go, but we don’t leave until we select our replacements.”

“We leave tomorrow,” Lawt said.

“I think Sergeant Nephram would be suitable until the nobility decides who the next land holder is here. I will write a message to the king explaining the situation and my best recommendation for the area,” Erik said.

“Agreed. Should we allow Miranda and Oswald to stay in the castle until the new lord of the manor takes over?” Lawt asked.

“I don’t see why not. It will at least give them time to figure out what they want to do.”

Ramona stomped into the room her face red. Oswald came trailing behind her with Sampson, as always, acting as his legs. How the dog managed to look angry at him without growling threw Erik off guard.

“Why is Miranda leaving?” Ramona asked.

“She told me she had a mission of personal importance to take care of,” Erik said.

“What could be more personal than avenging her family’s murder?” Ramona asked.

“We need to get her back,” Oswald broke in. “Things will get worse for all of us if we don’t stay together.”

“Look, little man,” Ramona said. “Just because you tagged along with us to Wyne, doesn’t mean you’re Roh’Darharim. You’re don’t need to be where we are going.”

“Yes, I do. We were drawn together for a reason bigger than us. Miranda was as well.”

“What do you mean?” Erik asked.

“Everybody take out your stones,” Oswald said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large emerald.

Lawt pulled out his diamond with a puzzled look. “I just thought it was a pretty stone. What does this have to do with anything, and how did you know I had one?”

“We all have one.” Oswald said. “You have the diamond. Erik has the ruby. Ramona here, has the pearl, and Miranda has a sapphire. They are the weapons the Roh’Darharim guarded long ago.”

Erik felt the ruby in his pocket, hesitant to expose such a personal object. “We have recovered and collected what the ancient guardians couldn’t protect?”

“I would more likely say they collected us Erik,” Oswald said.

“You need to stop being cryptic and explain, old man,” Ramona said, with her hand fiddling in her skirt pocket.

“The great kings of the past duped everyone,” Oswald began with a sigh setting in for a long explanation. “They created the Roh’Darharim to stop the great wars, but needed a ruse to prevent their heirs from restarting any wars they tried so hard to stop. They put these worthless gems in a box and told their kingdoms about these weapons of great power.”

“If they are just pieces of rock, why did you just tell us they collected us?” Erik asked.

“Beshra’s spirit flows through everything in existence, except the minions of hell. It unites all of us and everything. That is how I can manipulate energies and do the things I can do. The entire world believed these stones were weapons far exceeding what they were. This worldwide belief over centuries, almost a millennia flowed through these stones as well. They are more than what they started as, and capable of more than I can tell you.”

“Can you tell us something of what they can do?” Lawt asked.

“They manipulate events so they can determine who holds them. These gems chose all of us. Every scholar who has written about them were wielders of the stones. I am certain the stones chose them just so we would get a better understanding of them. Two or three of the greater magic users whose works I have read were able to communicate with the stones they held. Well, communicate in a fashion.”

“That’s not very powerful.” Ramona said. “They decide who carries them, and can talk to great wielders of magic.”

“Their purpose was to keep the kingdoms from going to war, Ramona.” Oswald said. “That’s still their goal. It’s not a coincidence that the holders of these gems usually rise to considerable authority. One cannot affect great change without great power.”

“None of us fit that description, Oswald.” Erik said with a laugh.

“The stones aren’t done with us. I would wager you all are much more respected than you were before you came to possess them.”

“I was just a young man when I got my stone from my mother, of course I am.” Erik said. His anger started to grow. “My mother had the stone before me, and she was not a person of great respect or power.” He did not need to hear any fairy tales about magic stones.

“It’s not exact Erik, the stone may have only moved through your mother to get to you.”

“So the stones give us opportunities we would not normally receive without them?” Lawt asked.

“No, that would involve manipulating others, and the stones don’t like to do that. They manipulate their holders.” Oswald clarified.

“So how do people become these figures of great importance?” Ramona asked, arching her eyebrow.

“It’s going to sound silly.” Oswald adjusted his collar. “It gives the holder the insight to see what opportunities are out there, and strengthens their will to follow through.”

“Even if all of this is true, this doesn’t explain why we have to get Miranda.” Erik said.

“The stones don’t like to be together, unless they feel they can bring peace to all the kingdoms. At that point they will manipulate events for better or worse to get all the holders together. We should not be this close together unless it were time.”

“This is great,” Erik said. “Issuing in an era of peace isn’t a bad thing.”

“Peace can be attained by killing every person in the world, Erik.” Oswald said.

“We aren’t going to do that,” Lawt said.

“There are six great kingdoms, young Cavalier. There are only five of us. The sixth stone is the problem. It appears to be against the five others. It has the same goal of peace, but differs on how best to accomplish it.”

“So if we don’t go get Miranda to come back we will face other complications.” Erik said finally grasping the situation.