Read Dragonlance 15 - Dragons Of A Fallen Sun Online
Authors: Margaret Weis
be a puppet king like my poor cousin Gilthas. However, the
Regent Glaucous gave me to understand that he will not be the
ruler. He will be the person to smooth the way so that my wishes
and commands are carried out."
Kiryn was silent, made no answer. He looked around the
room as if making up his mind to something. Drawing a step
nearer Silvan, he said, in a low voice, "May I suggest that Your
Majesty dismiss the servants?"
Silvan regarded Kiryn in troubled astonishment, suddenly
wary, suspicious. Glaucous had told him that Kiryn himself had
designs upon the throne. What if this were a ploy to catch him
alone and helpless. . . .
Silvan looked at Kiryn, who was slender and delicate of build,
with the soft, smooth hands of the scholar. Silvan compared his
cousin to himself, whose body was hardened, well-muscled.
Kiryn was unarmed. He could hardly represent a threat.
"Very well," Silvan said and sent away the servants, who had
been tidying the room and laying out the clothes he would wear
at the formal dance given in his honor this evening.
"There, Cousin. We are alone. What is it you have to say to
me?" Silvan's voice and manner were cool.
"Your Majesty, Cousin," Kiryn spoke earnestly, keeping his
voice low, despite the fact that the two of them were alone in the
large and echoing room, "I came here today with one fixed pur-
pose and that is to warn you against this Glaucous."
" Ah," said Silvan, with a knowing air. "I see."
"You don't seem surprised, Your Majesty."
"I am not, Cousin. Disappointed, I confess, but not surprised.
Glaucous himself warned me that you might be jealous of both
him and of me. He told me quite candidly that you seemed to dis-
like him. The feeling is not mutual. Glaucous speaks of you with
the highest regard and is deeply saddened that the two of you
cannot be friends."
"I am afraid I cannot return the compliment," Kiryn said.
"The man is not worthy to be regent, Your Majesty. He is not of
House Royal. He is . . . or was. . . a wizard who tended the Tower
of Shalost. I know that my Uncle Konnal suggested him, but. . ."
He stopped talking, as if he found it difficult to proceed. "I tell
you what I have never told anyone else, Your Majesty. I believe
that Glaucous has some sort of strange hold upon my uncle.
"My uncle is a good man, Your Majesty. He fought bravely
during the War of the Lance. He fought the dream alongside
Porthios, your father. What he saw during those awful times has
caused him to live in constant fear, unreasoning fear. He is terri-
fied of the evil days returning. He believes that this shield will
save the Silvanesti from the coming darkness. Glaucous controls
the magic of the shield and through threats of lowering it, he con-
trols my uncle. I would not want to see Glaucous control you in
the same way.
"Perhaps you think, Cousin, that I am already under his con-
trol. Perhaps you think that you would be a better Speaker of
Stars?" Silvan asked with mounting anger.
"I could have been Speaker, Cousin," Kiryn said with quiet
dignity. "Glaucous sought to make me Speaker. I refused. I knew
your mother and your father. I loved them both. The throne is
yours by right. I would not usurp it."
Silvan felt he deserved the rebuke. "Forgive me, Cousin. I
spoke before my brain had time to guide my tongue. But I believe
that you are mistaken about Glaucous. He has only the best in-
terests of the Silvanesti at heart. The fact that he has risen to his
high estate from a low one is to his credit and to the credit of your
uncle for seeing his true worth and not being blinded by class as
we elves have been in the past. My mother said often that we
have harmed ourselves by keeping people of talent from fulfilling
their true potential by judging a person only by birth and not by
ability. One of my mother's most trusted advisers was Samar,
who began life as a soldier in the ranks."
"If Glaucous had come to us with expertise in the governing
of our people, I would be the first to support him, no matter what
his background. But all he has done is to plant a magical tree,"
Kiryn said wryly, "and cause a shield to be raised over us."
"The shield is for our protection," Silvanoshei argued.
"Just as prisoners in their jail cells are protected," Kiryn
returned.
Silvan was thoughtful. He could not doubt his cousin's sin-
cerity and his earnestness. Silvan did not want to hear anything
against the regent. Quite honestly, Silvan was overwhelmed by
the new responsibilities that had been thrust so suddenly upon
him. He found it comforting to think that someone like Glaucous
was there to advise and counsel him. Someone as formal and
polite and charming as Glaucous.
"Let us not quarrel over this, Cousin," Silvan said. "1 will
consider your words, and I thank you for speaking from your
heart, for I know that this cannot have been an easy task for you."
He extended his hand.
Kiryn took his cousin's hand with true goodwill and pressed
it warmly. The two talked of other matters, of the ceremonies of
the forthcoming coronation, of the current fashions in elven danc-
ing. Kiryn then took his leave, promising to return to escort his
cousin to his crowning.
"I will be wearing the crown that last graced the head of my
grandfather," said Silvan.
"May it bring you better fortune than it brought him, Your
Majesty," said Kiryn. With a grave expression, he took his
departure.
Silvan was sorry to see his cousin leave, for he was very pleased
with Kiryn's warm friendliness and lively nature, even though he
felt rather resentful at Kiryn for spoiling the morning. On this day
of all days, a new king should experience nothing but joy.
"He is just envious," Silvan said to himself. "Perfectly natural.
I am sure I would feel the same."
"Your Majesty," said one of his servants, "I grieve to report
that it is starting to rain."
"Well, and what do you think of our new king?" General
Konnal asked his companion as they ascended the stairs of the
royal palace to pay homage to His Majesty on the morning of his
coronation. The rain was steady and heavy now, had drawn a
curtain of gray over the sun.
"I find him to be intelligent, modest, unaffected," Glaucous
replied, smiling. "1 am extremely pleased with him. You?" ,
"He is an adolescent puppy," said Konnal, shrugging. "He will
give us no trouble." His tone softened. "Your advice was right, my
friend. We did well to place him on the throne. The people adore
him. I have not seen them so happy in a long time. The entire city
has turned out to celebrate. The streets are decked with flowers,
everyone is dressed in his or her finest clothes. There will be par-
ties that last for days. They are calling his coming a miracle. It is
being said that those afflicted with the wasting sickness feel life re-
stored to their limbs. There will be no more talk of lifting the
shield. No reason to do so now."
"Yes, we have uprooted the weed of rebellion the kirath were
attempting to plant in our lovely garden," Glaucous replied. "The
kirath imagine they have defeated you by placing Lorac's grand-
son on the throne. Do nothing to disillusion them. Let them cele-
brate. They have their king. They will trouble us no more."
"And if by some unfortunate chance the shield should fail
us," Konnal stated with a meaningful look at the wizard, "we
have settled his mother, as well. She will rush in with her troops,
armed to the teeth, to save her country and find it in the hands of
her very own son. It would almost be worth it just to see the ex-
pression on her face."
"Yes, well, perhaps." Glaucous did not seem to find this idea
all that amusing. "1, for one, can do very well without ever seeing
the witch's face again. I do not believe for a moment that she
would let her son remain on the throne. She wants that prize for
herself. Fortunately," he said smiling, his good humor restored,
"she is unlikely to ever find her way inside. The shield will keep
her out."
"Yet the shield admitted her son," said Konnal.
"Because I wanted it to do so," Glaucous reminded the
general.
"So you say."
"Do you doubt me, my friend?" ,
Glaucous halted, turned to face the general. The wizard's
white robes rippled around him.
"Yes," Konnal replied evenly. "Because I sense that you doubt
yourself."
Glaucous started to reply, closed his mouth on his words.
Clasping his hands behind him, he walked on.
"I am sorry," Konnal began.
"No, my friend." Glaucous halted, turned. "I am not angry. I
am hurt, that is all. Saddened."
"It's just that-"
"I will explain myself. Perhaps then you will believe me."
Konnal sighed. "You purposefully misunderstand me. But,
very well, I will hear your explanation."
"I will tell you how it came about. But not here. Too many
people." Glaucous indicated a servant carrying a large wreath
of laurel leaves. "Come into the library where we may talk
privately."
A large room lined with shelves of dark, polished wood filled
with books and scrolls, the library was quiet, the books seeming
to absorb the sounds of anyone who spoke, as if noting them
down for future reference.
"When I said that the shield acted according to my wishes,"
Glaucous explained, "I did not mean that I gave the shield a spe-
cific command to admit this young man. The magic of the shield
emanates from the tree in the Garden of Astarin. Acting on my di-
rection, the Woodshapers planted and nurtured the Shield Tree. I
instructed them in the magic that caused the tree to grow. The
magic is very much a part of me. I devote an immense amount of
my strength and energy to maintaining the magic and keeping
the shield in place. I feel sometimes," Glaucous added softly,"as
if I am the shield. The shield that keeps our people safe."
Konnal said nothing, waited to hear more.
"I have suspected before now that the shield has been react-
ing to my unspoken wishes," Glaucous continued, "wishes I did
not even know I was making. I have long wanted a king to sit
upon the throne. The shield knew that unconscious desire of
mine. Thus when Silvanoshei happened to be near it, the shield
embraced him."
The general wanted to believe this, but his doubts lingered.
Why has Glaucous said nothing of this before? Konnal wondered.
Why do his eyes avoid mine when he speaks of it? He knows
something. He is keeping something from me.
Konnal turned to Glaucous. "Can you assure me that no one
else will enter the shield?"
"I can assure you of that my dear General," Glaucous an-
swered. "I stake my life upon it."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE BLIND BEGGAR
Mina's troops left Sanction in good spirits, roaring out songs
to keep the cadence of the march and speaking of the bold
deeds they would do in Silvanesti in the name of their
idolized commander. Whenever Mina came in sight, riding her
blood-red horse, the soldiers cheered wildly, often breaking ranks
(braving the ire of their commanding officers) to cluster round
her and touch her for luck.
Galdar was gone. He had left several days earlier for Khur,
bearing Mina' s orders to General Dogah. Captain Samuval was in
command in the minotaur's absence. His command was easy at
this point. The sun shone. The summer days were warm. The
marching at this stage was safe and easy, for the Knights were
only a few days out of Sanction and still in friendly territory. Soon
they would enter the land of the ogres-once allies and now
bitter enemies. The thought of fighting even those savage mon-
sters could not cloud their spirits. Mina lit their shadows like a
cold, pale sun.
A veteran campaigner, Samuval knew that when the
weather broke and the rain set in, when the road narrowed,
the wind howled and the enemy nipped at their heels, the sol-
diers would begin to have second thoughts about this ven-
ture. They would start to grouse and grumble, and a few
might take it into their heads to start trouble. But, for now, his
duties were light. He marched at Mina's side-the envy of all
in the column. He stood next to her as she sat on her horse re-
viewing the troops as they passed by. He was in her tent every
night, studying the map and marking out the next day's route.
He slept near her tent, wrapped in his cloak, his hand on his
sword hilt, ready to rush to her defense should she have need
of him.
He did not fear any of the men would try to harm her. Lying
on his cloak one night, he stared into the stars in the clear sky and
wondered about that. She was a young woman-a very attractive
young woman. He was a man who loved women, all kinds of
women. He could not begin to count the number he had bedded.