Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1) (47 page)

“You didn’t unlock it until after you touched the sword?” Obvious confusion could be heard in his voice as Caleb spoke.

“Think back to the cleansing. After it was discovered that you are a prophet, I remarked that the Blood of Kirakath was not fully dormant within you,” Sir Edmond said pointedly. “It would have remained fully dormant if you had not been a prophet.”

Caleb looked down as he took that information in. If he had not had the gift of prophecy, he would have ended up as a slave on the Isle of Akabar alongside Katie.

“Within a year of obtaining the Sword of Kirakath, I removed the blade from the sword and affixed it to the hilt that is on it now. You are free to do the same now that the sword has passed to your possession,” Sir Edmond stated. “Also, keep in mind that the Sword of Kirakath is its true name, but it has been referred to by two other names over the years. It was called Magebane by those that witnessed Archmage Kyran use it against mages in battle. And it was called Oathbreaker by the Empire during the Arcadian Rebellion. A third name may be added now that you wield it, but that remains to be seen.”

Personally, Caleb thought the first name had a ring to it, but he was not particularly fond of the second one. That was hardly surprising though. It simply was not a name that anyone with integrity would have wanted their sword to be known as.

“Now, it is time to begin your training,” Sir Edmond said as he unsheathed his sword. “You are a fair hand with a blade and have already discovered how to use the Sword of Kirakath’s magic. All that is left is to teach you to control the Blood of Kirakath. You use its power recklessly now, but you will not once I am done with you. You will learn to enhance your strength, speed, agility, stamina, and healing rate individually instead of all at once.

“There are two major reasons that you must learn to do this. One, this will allow you to focus more power into a single attribute. And two, this will allow you to conserve your power. The Blood of Kirakath is not a source of limitless power. Once you use it all up, you won’t be able to use the Blood of Kirakath again. After a good night of sleep, it will be replenished, but that does you no good in the middle of a sustained battle.”

“What happens after I get it down?” Caleb asked as he took in the information.

“After you can control it adequately, I will depart this world. I chose to remain amongst the living after you freed me from Draesa, but I miss my wife and my children. Once you are trained, I wish to move on so that I may see them on the other side.”

Caleb did not say a word. He could not find it in him to do so. Instead, he simply nodded and embraced the Blood of Kirakath so that he could begin his training.

Chapter 7

“So where did you run off to the other day,” Nicolas asked as he walked into Katie’s temporary room.

Katie turned to look at her closest friend. She had not seen much of him since she returned to town a few days earlier. Vincent spent a great deal of time training him in the way of the sword.

Already after the short stay in Laus, he had changed noticeably. He no longer looked as though he was a noble, much less a well dressed fence. The hard leather breastplate he wore and the cutlass at his left hip made him look much more like a fighter than a former member of the Caldreth Thieves’ Guild.

“I helped Caleb deal with a necromancer and a lich in the Dark Caverns,” Katie answered with a smirk.

Nicolas was unable to stop his jaw from dropping as he stared at her in disbelief. “You did what?”

“You heard me,” Katie retorted. “He had to get this tome before they could remove the taint from the Blood of Kirakath, so I decided to help him.”

“Of course you did,” Nicolas said, rolling his eyes. “You’re just hoping he’ll notice that you like him.”

Katie leveled a glare at him that would have sent a lesser man running. “It’s none of your business if I have feelings for him or not. We are friends. That’s all there is between us. I did what any other friend would do. Besides, it gave me a chance to tell him the truth.”

“Do you mean
that truth
?” Nicolas asked, taken aback. “You seriously told him?”

“Yes, I did,” Katie replied matter-of-factly. “He did not care. I told you he wouldn’t. He’s a good man.”

“Yes, he is,” Nicolas agreed, though he still looked shocked. “Is that all you told him?”

“Well, I did tell him I’d go with him when we returned to Arcadia,” Katie answered with a small smile. “I didn’t say much of anything other than that.”

“You’re already planning your return?” he asked with a frown. “Katie, what do you think is going to happen if anyone sees you two return? Killing a count is one of the greatest offenses you could possibly commit.”

“We have to return,” Katie stated firmly. “There are questions we need answers to… like who was really behind the Massacre of Kirakath. Count Clovis was clearly working for someone above his station, and he mentioned something about serving his country to Caleb. The only people that are above his station are the King, the Princess, the Duke of Vendae, the Duke of Reinsae, and the High General of Arcadia. While it’s true that he may have been working for a rebel faction of some sort, it’s unlikely.”

“She’s correct.”

They both turned to the door and saw that Vincent was standing in the doorway. Neither had heard his approach. It was unnerving for two former thieves to have someone to come so close without them noticing.

“When the time comes, Caleb must return to Arcadia. He has no choice, though you two do,” Vincent said as he stepped into the room and closed the door. “The Order of Kyran has been waiting for the Last Son of Kirakath to appear. Based on the written record of prophecies from Archmage Kyran’s era, we know that the Last Son of Kirakath has a great purpose. Certain details of the prophecies indicate that he must return. The written records of the prophecies are not reliable enough to give us anything but ideas, so we will not directly interfere with your friend. If he asks for our assistance, we will grant it, but he does not appear to be the type that would welcome meddling.”

Nicolas snorted, no doubt thinking of Caleb’s reaction to a secret order meddling in his life.

“Can the Order discover who was behind the Massacre of Kirakath?” Katie asked curiously.

“I have a friend that may be able to find out who Clovis was taking orders from,” Vincent admitted. “I’ll contact him and see what he can come up with.”

“And can you try to find out where a certain individual is for me?” Katie asked after a moment of thought.

“Who is it?” Vincent asked, surprised by the question.

“Hector Green,” Katie answered, thinking back to her conversations with Caleb. “Caleb was his apprentice.”

Vincent let out soft laughter as he heard the name. “I don’t need to ask around about him. Eric sends me messages frequently so I know what’s going on in Arcadia. His last message said that Hector arrived in Caldreth while you were on the ship to the island.”

“Is he in the Order of Kyran?” Nicolas asked curiously.

“Not anymore. He left the Order before he moved to Arcadia,” Vincent said. His tone indicated that it was not a subject he wished to discuss, so they both refrained from saying anything further about it.

“Did you want to tell us something?” Katie asked suddenly. While it was his manor and Nicolas did leave the door ajar, she found herself wondering why he really stopped by. The guest rooms were in their own part of the manor, after all.

“Yes, I did,” Vincent said, his eyes brightening considerably. “I was planning on getting you some new armor and weapons. If you have nothing planned, we can get that taken care of today.”

“I’d like that,” Katie said with a smile. Excitement could be seen in her eyes.

“Our Katie always loves getting sharp new toys,” Nicolas remarked, earning a half-hearted glare from his old friend.

“I can relate,” Vincent chuckled as he stroked the hilt of his scimitar.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” Katie said, shaking her head in amusement.

Vincent grew thoughtful for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes. “I knew I was forgetting something. I had another reason for seeking you two out. I heard some news from Arcadia that I thought you might like to hear.”

The pair exchanged a look before they nodded their heads in agreement. They were not used to having to hear about news from someone like Vincent. There was no other way for them to hear the news from Arcadia though.

“The biggest news from the mainland seems to be the murder of Clovis Averill, Count of Caldreth. It’s said that four people carried out the assassination, but only two of them are known. The first is Caleb Sullivan, son of Michael Sullivan and sole survivor of the Massacre of Kirakath. And the second is Nicolas Edge, former thief and kinslayer,” Vincent stated impassively. “You should know that Eric informed me of the circumstances behind those, so I know the truth.”

Nicolas exhaled a sigh of relief upon hearing Vincent’s words.

“Count Clovis was succeeded by his younger sister, Meredith Averill. As Countess of Caldreth, she issued a bounty on Caleb and Nicolas. They are both wanted dead. Caleb’s bounty is five thousand crowns, and Nicolas’s bounty is a thousand.”

Katie let out a soft whistle as she heard that amount. Both figures were much higher than she had ever expected. She had never heard of anyone who received more than a one thousand crown bounty for killing a count. Five thousand was more appropriate for killing a duke.

“Because of his nephew’s actions, Jason Edge almost lost his position as magistrate. Fortunately, Eric White used his influence to stop it,” Vincent said, looking at Nicolas.

The former fence smiled at the news, relieved to hear that his uncle had not lost his position because of him.

“Also, word has it that people have been trying to arrange to have Caleb assassinated. I am told that only the remnants of the Night Blades would be willing to accept, though no deal has been made as of yet. Caleb’s reputation is enough to keep him safe from normal assassins.”

“What about the Crimson Arrows?” Nicolas asked curiously. With the Night Blades all but destroyed, they were the most efficient guild of assassins in Arcadia. Personally, Nicolas had believed that they were the most dangerous guild even before the Night Blades were dealt with.

“After the near collapse of the Night Blades, they declared that they would have nothing to do with Caleb. He ruined their biggest source of competition, so why would they want to get rid of him?” Vincent asked with a laugh. “If anything, they might decide to send one of their archers to keep an eye on him.”

“If that’s all, let’s go,” Katie interjected. The news was better than she had expected, in all honesty. After growing up among nobility, she knew exactly how bad things could have gone. With the crimes that Caleb and Nicolas were accused of, they would certainly be hunted by soldiers and bounty hunters, but those crimes were not as severe as they could have been.

“That is all from the mainland,” Vincent said with a nod of his head. “That’s not
all
the news I have though. I’ve heard that Isaac Abrams is asking around the island about Caleb. Yours names have not been mentioned at all, though that may simply be because they assume you are with him.”

“What happens if they find out where he is?” Nicolas asked with a frown.

“He has hundreds of bandits under his command. What do you think would happen?” Vincent countered. Shaking his head, he gestured to Katie. “It’s time to go.”

Katie followed Vincent out of the room wordlessly. Vincent’s words still rang in her head though. The thought of hundreds of bandits heading up to Mount Akabar… it unnerved her. If they learned of where he was, it would turn into a very bad situation. She had no doubt that Caleb was talented, but she was unsure as to whether or not he could overcome such an adversary.

* * * * *

To the west of Laus in Northport, Isaac Abrams stared at a beggar with calculating eyes. Looking like an identical, if heavily scarred, copy of his brother Victor, the man could easily intimidate most people. A single glance at the sputtering beggar before him was proof of that.

“You saw four people arrive the other day and head for Laus?” he asked impatiently, growing tired of the beggar’s whimpering. “What can you tell me about them?”

“There were four of them,” the beggar managed to say, nodding jerkily. “I couldn’t see them because of their cloaks, but two were men and one was a girl. I saw the last one’s face, but he looked like a statue.”

“Describe them,” Isaac demanded angrily.

“One of the men had long black hair. It looked like the other had golden hair. And the girl had red hair. They looked young. I don’t know anything else. Please spare me, milord,” the beggar pleaded.

In one smooth motion, Isaac drew a sword from his hip and beheaded the beggar. He had outlived his uses. That was enough cause to kill him for a man like Isaac.

“Laus has caused me problems for the last time,” he said as he sheathed his blade and turned to look at one of the bandits behind him. “We will gather some of my forces and deal with Laus once and for all. Then, I can deal with them. Those fools should have known better than to make a mockery of the Abrams name.”