My Royal Pain Quest (The Lakeland Knight series, #2) (12 page)

Cassandra coughed, choking with laughter. “Oh, I bet he was mad!”

“Not so much as the next time, when he’d hired himself yet another pair.”

“Dare I ask what you did with those?”

“Ambushed them in the forest and sent back wearing dresses.”

“You didn’t!”

“Oh yeah. Believe me, Kellemar has enough reasons to hate me.”

Cassandra grew serious. “Well, from what I’ve heard, you have even more reasons. The last time you met, he’d attacked you when you were unarmed, isn’t that so? And wounded you.”

“You are surprisingly well informed. How do you know this?”

She seemed caught off guard. “I… heard people talk, I guess. Don’t remember where. You’re quite famous, you know.”

Not many people knew what had happened between me and Kellemar that day when he nearly killed Prince Philip. In fact, I couldn’t imagine anyone knowing besides Philip and Kellemar. Kellemar wouldn’t be sharing this story, and if Philip talked, he’d be talking about The Lakeland Knight saving him, not Lord Arkus. He had promised to keep my identity secret.

“Are you sure you can’t remember whom you heard talking about it?” I asked. “Because I would really like to know.”

Cassandra shook her head. “No, can’t recall.”

The sun was starting to set outside when we finally made it through the tunnel. The exit was nearly blocked with shrubbery. A Swirg would have no problem sneaking in or out; two humans on horseback were a different story. Thankfully, the shrubs had no thorns, and the branches were not intertwined. We were able to part them and make our way out without doing any damage to the shrubs or ourselves.

A tall man stood waiting a few steps away, leaning against a tree. It had been a while since I saw Ellar in his human form, but his bright green hair helped me recognize him at once.

“Hi there,” I said. “Long time, no see. You forgot the hair again.”

“Oops.” He ran his hand over the hair, instantly turning it black. “I can’t believe I did it again. This is rather embarrassing, for a spirit. We normally don’t forget stuff.”

“Wait till you ruin some errand of Faradin’s because of it, he’ll get you shaved.”

I noticed Cassandra’s astonished gaze fixed on the sparkling.

“This is Ellar, a sparkling, Jarvi’s friend. He’s helped me out of a tough situation a couple of times, but unfortunately he is not very reliable.” I turned to him. “And this is Cassandra, a compassionate soul who helps me stay sane through this whole mess.”

“An unusual name for a lad,” Ellar said. His smile indicated he knew much more than he was showing.

“Come on, drop the pretense. I bet you already know all about her.”

“Indeed I do.” He bowed his head to her. “Pleasure to meet you. And why, if I may ask, have you just called me unreliable?” he asked, turning to me.

“I kind of hoped to see you on the island, you know. Or when we were crossing the sea.”

A hint of a smile playing in Ellar’s eyes vanished. “I would have come if I could. There were reasons I didn’t. You must take my word for it.”

“Of course I must, what choice do I have?”

Ellar ignored my remark. He kept looking at me, his expression serious. “You stood quite a test there on the island. I am proud of you.”

I regarded him with a degree of suspicion. He didn’t appear to be joking.

“If it will help to redeem myself in your eyes,” the sparkling continued, “I’ll say that I
was
protecting her.”

Deep down, I had known it all along. It might have felt that Cassandra and I were left to our own devices out there, but we weren’t.

“It will,” I nodded. “So what brings you here now? In the human form, no less. From my experience, you usually show up when there’s imminent danger. Are we in trouble?”

“Not yet, but that can easily change. You’re near the
Tenebrous
Valley
, remember? Not exactly the safest place. You both are in dire need of rest, I doubt it either one of you can keep watch. I am here to guard your sleep.”

***

[Back to Table of Contents]

Ellar was right, we were exhausted. Having gratefully accepted his help, we both collapsed and slept until the morning. When I woke up, I saw that Ellar hadn’t been only guarding: our horses were watered and brushed, supplies already loaded. Two steaming bowls of something that smelled delicious were waiting for us. Since there was no fire or any other sign of cooking being done, I figured Ellar didn’t go through such troubles and simply “conjured” the food, as they called it.

“Enjoy your breakfast, and good luck with your task. I must leave now.” The sparkling smiled. “I’m not saying ‘give my regards to Prince Kellemar’ since I doubt he would care for them.”

“After you’d knocked him down and set the beast to chase him, I don’t think he would,” I agreed. “Thanks, Ellar.”

The sparkling pointed us to the white tower we needed, bowed, lit up with green light and disappeared with a loud
Crack!
. Cassandra seemed transfixed by the sight.

“Did your sparkling, Jarvi, do this too?” she asked.

I nodded. “He did. That’s how they dematerialize.”

“Amazing.”

“It is. Annoying, too, when they do this
Crack!
on you without warning.”

We finished our breakfast, mounted and set off, heading to the tower that stood at the mouth of the valley, lonely and tall, the crown-like top making it look just like the rook in chess.

“What do you know about these towers?” I asked. For, even though I had been using the towers’ protection for years and even build a couple of them, I did not know that much myself.

“Same things everyone knows, I suppose,” Cassandra replied, shrugging. “That they are towers of good will, said to be watched over by sparklings and Faradin, king of spirits. The towers provide temporary shelter to those who need it. Some people bring food and leave it there for the hungry. It is also said that one can talk to sparklings in a white tower; don’t know whether it’s true or not, I never tried. Hmm, what else?” She thought for a moment. “Oh, and I’ve also heard that evil spirits fear the towers and won’t come near them.”

I knew the latter was true. That’s why the monster that used to haunt me and now haunted Kellemar wouldn’t approach one.

“Am I missing anything?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. At least I don’t have anything to add. I thought maybe you knew something about their supernatural power and how it works.”

“No. I’m not Triar. You should have asked him, he knows such stuff.”

I probably should have. Somehow it had totally slipped my mind.

At last we arrived. I saw a couple of tents near the tower, four tethered horses, a campfire with a cooking pot hanging over it. A beefy fellow stood guard at the tower door, well armed. That told me His Highness was inside.

“Well… Here we are.” I
so
wasn’t looking forward to this. “Have you got the invisibility berries ready?”

Cassandra nodded.

“Good. If things go bad, use them, as we’d agreed.”

The guard saw us. He gave a sharp whistle, obviously a signal, and two more men came out of the tent, eyeing us with grim suspicion. I was right: all three were new, I didn’t recall seeing them before, and they showed no sign of recognizing me, either.

I motioned to Cassandra to dismount. When we did, I handed the reins of my horse over to her and stepped closer to the guards.

“Greetings. Please relay to your master that someone here wishes to see him, to offer help with his monster problem.”

“We don’t allow no ‘someones’,” the first guard grunted. “Your name?”

“Dragon Knight, if you insist.” Well, neither ‘Lord Arkus’ nor ‘Lakeland Knight’ would have worked, so I had to come up with something.

“And what is your promised solution? Do you claim you can kill the beast?”

“I didn’t say
solution
, I said
help
. As to the nature of this help, I will reveal it only to His Highness, in person and in private.”

The guard considered it, frowning.

“Very well. I’ll go in and report.”

He did. A couple of minutes later he stepped back outside.

“His Royal Highness Prince Kellemar will see you. You alone; the servant stays here. Leave your weapon with him, too.”

My long cloak concealed the swords I carried. I nodded, turned to Cassandra, unfastened the new blade and gave it to her, leaving Jarvi’s sword with me. The fool of a guard did not check whether I had any other weapons. Why Kellemar always hired such inept bodyguards was beyond me.

I entered the tower.

His Royal Pain In The Rear was standing in the middle of the empty hall, arms crossed, eyes burning with anticipation. He was ready for help, all right.

I stepped closer, from the darker area near the entrance into bright rays of sunlight streaming through the narrow windows. Recognition flashed in the prince’s eyes, instantly killing the hope and replacing it with fury.

“You!!”

He snatched his sword and flew at me.

I was ready for that, my hand on the sword hilt. I parried the blow, striking hard, sending him back a few steps. Not waiting for the prince to regroup, I went after him, grabbed his sword arm and twisted it, forcing him on his knees and simultaneously relieving him of his weapon.

“Guards!!” he yelled.

When the three idiots burst in, I had my arm locked around Kellemar’s neck, holding a blade to his throat—
his
blade, of course. I had Jarvi’s sword safely sheathed.

The bodyguards froze on the spot. Two of them just gasped, the third one tried to communicate.

“Release His Highness this minute or—”

“This is
Lord Arkus
, you fools!” the prince said through his teeth. “Do what he says.”

“Thank you, Your Highness, this was most helpful.” I had my eyes fixed on the guards. “Drop your swords and kick them aside, all the way to that wall. Now take off your belts.”

They obeyed. Cassandra was already standing behind them, blade drawn.

“Archie, tie their hands behind their backs. And get them out of here. Like I said, I wish to speak to His Highness in private.”

Cassandra took the belts from the fellows and used them to tie their hands. Picking up the three swords, she led the guards outside.

When the door closed behind them, I released Kellemar.

 
“All right, let’s try again.”

He glared at me. “Arkus, you despicable snake. I know what you’re here for.”

“I’d bet my castle you don’t.”

“You’ve come to gloat,” he went on. “I was surprised you hadn’t done it sooner.”

“Well, I’ve been rather busy.”

“I can imagine. Playing your hero sham, deceiving honest folks. And you’re still walking around with the sparkling’s sword. I thought so. That’s what you’d wanted all along.”

I realized we could go on like this forever. We had a lot to say to each other.

“Let us not waste time,” I suggested. “You don’t have much of it left. This is the last day, if I’m not mistaken? Morgard is probably already preparing to make good on his threat.”

“And what is it to you? Are you his messenger?”

“No, I come of my own accord. Here’s my offer: I will take you through the
Tenebrous
Valley
, to Morgard, and back. If you remember the arrangement, the beast who now haunts you is forbidden to come near me. He will be burned alive if he does. So as long as you’re with me, you will be safe.”

The prince studied me for a moment, his face a mask of contempt. “You’ve lost your mind if you think I’m going to fall for this trap.”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe it, so here is proof.”

I pulled out Jarvi’s sword. Kellemar backed away—as if I wouldn’t have killed him already had this been my intention.

“I propose to accompany Prince Kellemar of Dalvanna on his way through the
Tenebrous
Valley
,” I said, “serving as his protection from the monster. I do not plot to kill or betray the prince. I will see to it that he makes it safely to Morgard, the chieftain of Pergalacks, and back to this tower. May this sword sing if I have said the truth, or punish me if I’ve lied.”

I touched the blade; the sword turned and let out a clear ringing sound, just like it had done back in the Swirgs’ caves.

Kellemar stared. He still couldn’t believe it.

“…What do you ask in return?”

“Not much. Just don’t get on my nerves.”

The prince narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got some personal interest in it, I demand to know what it is. What’s your gain?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to demand anything, Your Highness. Of course I am looking after my own interests, I’m not going to deny that. What they are is none of your business. Suffice it to say that at the moment my interests happen to coincide with yours.”

“I will not be a pawn in some game of yours.”

I shrugged. “Fine. I won’t insist. You’re the one who has no options, not me. I’ll give you five minutes to think and leave.”

I stepped back to the door and stood there watching him. Kellemar glowered at me some more, then looked away, crossed his arms again and began studying the nearest window. He was struggling, I could see it. The decision was not an easy one, I’d give him that.

“Time’s up,” I said. I didn’t care to actually count the minutes, I just decided it was enough.

Slowly, he turned his head to face me. “I accept your offer.”

“I thought you might. Let’s go, then.”

“My sword?”

I held it out; he grabbed it from my hand.

We walked out of the tower. Cassandra had the guards seated under a tree and stood nearby, peeling a carrot with a dagger and keeping an eye on them. She saw me, threw the carrot aside, and snapped to attention, like a good servant would. The guards stared as their master and I approached. They clearly didn’t expect to see the prince alive and unharmed, let alone us walking together.

“We are going to the valley with these two men,” Kellemar announced, his face dark. “Right now.” He turned to me, but wouldn’t meet my eye. “Have them untied so that they can get ready.”

I nodded to Cassandra. “Go ahead, Archibald.”

She proceeded to free the guards. They stood up, but showed no intention to start packing.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kellemar snapped. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

The three exchanged looks.

“We’re not going, Your Highness,” one of them said, looking down.

“What?!” The prince stepped closer to the man, fists clenched. “This is
treason!
I don’t think you want to answer for
that
, in addition to failing to guard me!”

They stood silent.

“You know what the penalty for treason is, don’t you?”

The guard kept looking at the ground. “I’d rather be executed back in Dalvanna than eaten in the valley.”

The other two appeared to be of the same opinion.

“Their concern is valid,” I said. “If Morgard offered you safe passage, the offer very likely does not include your men.”

“I don’t recall asking for your input, Arkus.”

“I give it whenever I wish, asked or not. Get used to it.”

The prince gave another glare to each of his guards. “Fine. I’ll deal with you in Dalvanna. Get my horse ready.”

“No horses,” I said. “We’ll be going on foot. Unless whatever you’re taking to Morgard is too heavy to carry.”

Poor Kellemar, his patience was being sorely tested today.

“Why on foot?” he growled.

I couldn’t tell him that having horses with us would make using berries rather complicated. And knowing Morgard, I was almost certain we’d have to resort to berries at some point.

“Because Morgard likes horses, and yours is fine enough to tempt him. So is mine. I’m leaving it here.”

He sneered. “What, the great and powerful Lord Arkus who carries a sparkling’s sword is afraid that a fellow villain will take away his horse?”

“Of course not, I could easily kill Morgard and his several thousand men, I just don’t want to get in trouble with the Villains League. Now, if we’re done bickering, let’s get going.”

For once, Kellemar listened to reason.

“Let me take some things,” he grunted and walked into one of the tents.

We waited, the guards standing uncomfortably before us.

“Give them their weapons back, Archie,” I said.

Cassandra went to the water well where she had laid the swords, picked them up and brought them to the guards. Each accepted his blade with a respectful bow.

“Take good care of our horses,” I told them. “When I return, I’ll give them a thorough examination, and if I find any sign of neglect… Let’s just say you won’t have to worry about being tried for treason back in Dalvanna. Is that understood?”