Last Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 2) (19 page)

              “What does it do?” Conner asked.

              Tarcious shook his head.  “I cannot reveal that.  There are some things in this world that simply cannot be shared.  They must remain secret for the protection of all.  This is one of them.”

              “You brought me here to ask me to steal this artifact of yours from my queen?” Conner asked.  “I cannot do that.  That would be betraying Queen Elissa and my kingdom.  I can talk to her and help you get it back, but I won’t steal it.”

“I am afraid that is out of the question.  If it became known that the artifact is in the castle at South Karmon, then one of two things will happen.  Either the queen will keep it for herself and use it as leverage against us, or others will try and take it.  That would mean an invasion from any of a number of kingdoms.  If the barbarian tribes to our north discovered that this artifact is available for the taking, they would be the first to attack.  And if they did capture it, then they would use it against us in our war.  And what about your neighbors to the north?  Do you not think that they would like to make use of this artifact?”

“I could do it quietly, with her alone.  No one would know anything,” Conner said.

Tarcious let out a loud snort.  “Naïve.  You are but a naïve child.  Even if you could get alone with her, what makes you think that you could convince her to hand over this artifact?”

“I know her,” Conner said.  “We are friends.”

“There are no friends in politics,” Tarcious said.  “No, I cannot risk you revealing this artifact to her.  It must remain a secret.  Which is why you will steal it for me.”

              “I am not going to steal something from my kingdom for you.  You can find someone else.”

              Tarcious stood up and straightened his robes.  He was not used to anyone defying his commands.  And if they had, he would have killed them on the spot.  But he was running out of time and options, so he would have to come up with a different way to motivate Conner to take up the task.  Being nice was one way.  He would have to resort to the other way.

              “Very well,” Tarcious said with an angry sneer.

              Hibold took a step back and muttered, “Oh no.”

              Tarcious stepped down from the throne and walked forward until he stood directly in front of Conner.  He was several inches taller and looked down at Conner with a stoic gaze.  “You will come with me.”

Tarcious spun on his heel and headed straight for the door in the corner of the room.

              Hibold had to pull Conner to get him to follow.  “Do you not understand?” Hibold said to Conner with a sharp whisper.  “He will kill you without a thought. You must do as he asks!”

              Conner did understand the power that Prince Tarcious held.  He didn’t fear for his life, but he also knew what someone like the prince could be capable of.  After dealing with the treacherous activities of Neffenmark and even the misguided actions of Brace Hawkden, Conner knew there was nothing that someone wouldn’t do if they were properly motivated.  But he wasn’t going to end up like Brace, a good soul that tried to do something good the wrong way.  He was going to do good the right way and whatever he chose to do, it was not going to hurt anyone, especially his friends.

              With Hibold grasping onto Conner’s sleeve, making sure he kept moving as fast as Tarcious walked, they were led through the palace halls.  As they walked, servants and other workers stopped to bow as the prince passed by.  Tarcious did not acknowledge any of them.

              They stopped briefly at an iron door that was barred shut.  A centurion in full armor stood guard on either side.  Just as the prince approached, one guard lifted the bar and the other opened the door.  As soon as the prince, Hibold, and Conner walked through, the door was shut and barred behind them.  Another centurion stood guard inside the door.  He lit a torch from a small brazier set in the center of the wide hallway.

              “The lowest level,” the prince said to the guard.

              “As you wish, Your Imperial Highness,” the guard said.  He started down the hallway with the prince directly behind him.  Hibold prodded Conner to follow.

              The hallway ended in stairs that led them down to the next level.  Lamps lit their way down the hallway, but the centurion continued to lead them with his lit torch.

              Conner could only stare in wonder as they passed the cells full of prisoners.  At first, they called out, but one look from the centurion silenced them.  The prince marched past, his eyes straight ahead.

              Soon they came to another stairwell that led down to another level.  After descending three more sets of stairs, they came to a chamber so dark, they could not see any of its walls.  It was the first place they had entered that did not already have lanterns already lit.

              Tarcious, Hibold, and Conner waited at the opening to the chamber while the centurion touched his torch to lamps that were mounted to the chamber’s walls.  After the centurion lit the last lamp, he turned and waited for the prince.

              The freshly lit lamps exposed ten crudely carved tunnels which led out from this main chamber.  The prince motioned to one tunnel in particular.  The centurion walked down that tunnel and lit three more lamps along the way.  After the lamps of the tunnel were lit, he returned back to the main chamber and took up a position at the bottom of the stairs.

              “Come,” Tarcious said to Hibold and Conner.

              They followed the prince down the tunnel.  At the end was a wooden door build directly into the stone wall.  Tarcious produced a key and unlocked the door.  Light from the tunnel lit up the cell enough for them to see a pile of hay in the far corner.

              A thin figured stood and ambled forward.  As he moved from the shadows and into the light, Conner let out a gasp and started to run forward.  But an incredibly strong grip on his shoulder held him still.

              “You recognize him?” Tarcious asked.  He squeezed Conner’s shoulder sharply, reminding him that he needed to stay put.

              “Master Goshin?” Conner asked softly.  “Is that you?”

              Goshin cleared his throat and replied, “Indeed.  It is good to see you, Conner.”

              “What have you done to him?” Conner exclaimed.

Goshin stood hunched over in tattered clothes that hung from his thin frame.  His hair was wild and unkempt.  Patches of thin facial hair covered his cheeks and chin.

              “Goshin and I have had some very nice talks,” Tarcious said.  “Well, unfortunately for him, I have done most of the talking.  He has not been very cooperative and uncooperativeness makes me slightly angry.”

              Conner was speechless.  Seeing his master in this shape was so surprising, so shocking, that he could not think straight.  There was no anger, at least not yet.  His mind was numb and his emotions could not really comprehend what he was seeing.

              “He is alive, at least his heart beats and his lungs breathe.  Whether one could call this living, well, I am not sure if you could.  But he will remain alive for as long as I see fit.  But the moment that I tire of our conversation, I will kill him.  And it won’t be painless.  It will be the most horrible and painful death that anyone could imagine.”

              “No!” Conner exclaimed.  He tried to rush forward, but the prince’s grip on his shoulder held him fast.

              “Yes,” Tarcious said.  He gave a Conner another squeeze on the shoulder.  “But it doesn’t have to be this way.  He can live.  And I don’t mean live in this cell, but live a comfortable life where he can take long walks in the summer and enjoy a warm fire in the winter.  I just need you to cooperate.”

              “No, Conner,” Goshin croaked out.  “Do not do anything he says.  Do not agree to anything.  I can handle this.  I have lived a full life, so do not feel sorry for me.  I am prepared to die.”

              Tarcious pulled the door closed and locked it.  He turned to Conner and said, “You can save him.  He does not have to die.  Fetch the artifact, and he will be let go.”

              He had only known Goshin for less than a year, but for the time that he knew him, they had shared much together.  Goshin was tough, as tough as any man he had ever met.  Conner knew the old man would not be broken and his last words confirmed it.  Goshin was a warrior and it was always the warrior’s desire to leave this world on his own terms and not on the terms of someone else.  If Goshin decided that he was ready to die, then Conner would not stand in his way.  As hard as it would be for him to do it, he knew it was the right thing.

              “No,” Conner said firmly.  “I will still not steal this thing of yours.  I will not betray my kingdom for you.”

              “You would rather see your friend die than do a simple task for me?”

              “Master Goshin is Sak’hurai.  He is a warrior with an honor that you could never understand.  He knows that his life is not worth that of others.  He would willingly give his life for the right thing.  You cannot threaten me with his life.”

              “I don’t think you understand, boy,” Tarcious said with a growl.  “Maybe a demonstration of power is in order.”

              Hibold jumped away from them both, and hid in the shadows.

              Prince Tarcious turned towards the entrance to the tunnel.  They could see the centurion standing still next to the stairwell.  The prince lifted his right hand and closed his eyes.  His lips moved, but no sounds came from them.  An electricity filled the room, sending all their hairs to stand on end.  The moment Prince Tarcious’ lips stopped moving, a bolt of blue and white light exploded from his fingertips and streaked down through the tunnel, striking the centurion directly in the chest.  He was lifted up and slammed against the wall behind him.  He fell to the ground unmoving.  A burnt hole in his chest exposed the bones in his chest.

              Conner had jumped back from the bright light and was temporarily blinded.  When his eyes cleared up, he saw the dead centurion at the end of the tunnel.  A burning scent filled the room.  His eyes were focused on the dead man and not on Prince Tarcious, so he missed the prince taking an exhausted step back and almost fainting.

              By the time Conner had regained his senses, Prince Tarcious had recovered enough strength to stand tall.  “My power is great,” Tarcious said, trying to speak with strength that he did not have.  “Greater than anything that has ever existed on this earth.  You might think that you can stand up to me, but you will lose.  You will lose with your life, your friend’s life, and the life of everyone that you know.  So you can stand there and defy me all you want, but know that in the end, you will die and I will have my way.”

              “Ask him what it is!”  The voice was faint, coming through the thick wooden door.  But it was clear enough for Conner to hear.  “He will not tell you, for he is afraid to tell you the truth.”

              Conner turned to Tarcious and asked, “What is it?  What is this thing that you want me to get?”

              Tarcious stood tall and looked down at Conner.  “The artifact is a piece of Taran’s ancient history.  It is our property that I would have back in our possession.”

              “Why is it that Master Goshin will give his life to keep you from having it?” Conner asked.  “He would not do so if it were just some artifact of history. What is it?”

              “Tell him, Tarcious,” Goshin said, his voice gaining strength.  “Tell him what it is.  Tell him what the Ark of Life is.”

              Prince Tarcious’s face turned red.  “I will not have my authority questioned.  I am the leader of the greatest empire the world has ever known!”

              Laughter erupted from behind the door.  “If you only knew.”

              Prince Tarcious turned towards the door and lifted his right hand and thrust it towards the door.  The words of the spell came to his lips and then with the last word, a ball of flame appeared in the palm of his hand and he threw it at the door.  The ball of fire struck the door, exploding it into thousands of pieces.  Hibold was closest to the door and his body took the brunt of the explosive force from the door.  Shards of wood tore through his body and he died before he hit the ground.  Conner was thrown back from the concussive force, but Hibold’s body had protected him.  His head struck the wall behind him and he slumped down, unconscious.

Prince Tarcious was thrown back against the back wall.  The explosive force of the fireball had dissipated around him, as he was protected from the force of his own spell.  But he was not protected from the explosion of the door.  Wood shards struck him across the face and chest.  His thick wool robe protected most of his body, but his exposed face was cut up.

The moment he let the fireball go, he knew he had made one of the most classic mistakes of a wizard.  He had let his emotions get in the way of his spell casting.  So many times he had been warned by his master, and he had thought he had listened.  But in the heat of the moment, when his anger was burning hot, he could not control his power.  He should have died from his mistake.  But now, as he leaned up against the wall, he feared he still might die.  He had tapped too deeply and too quickly into the web of magic.  As he slid down the wall into a sitting position, he knew he would have to do a better job of controlling his emotions, especially his anger.  He could not let this happen again, if he survived it.  But it had been so easy to do.  He cast the spell without thinking, purely as a reaction to Goshin’s words.