The Archon's Apprentice (29 page)

“Yes, he meant Voletain.”

“He’s not here. What do they want him to do?”

“They want him to lead the dead to rest. But more than just Voletain, the Archon is more than a man. He is a symbol of our nation. He is the symbol of power. He has touched everyone with his power.”

“But he
is
just a man. Why are they praying to him right now? He’s not here.”

“He does not need to be present to deliver them. To many he is more than a symbol. He is an ascended being that is as close to being a god as those pagans in the Savage Kingdoms believe in.”

“He is not a god. I have trained with him, eaten with him. And I know he does things that I would consider to be less than divine.”

Dervo laughed.

“Yes, he is a man. I know that, I have served with him for longer than I can remember. But what would you call a man who grants unlimited power to others, knows things no one else knows, and lives forever?”

Mikol said nothing. Nothing had prepared him for this. Voletain had not mentioned anything like this before. Mikol could not look at Dervo any longer. He instead looked out across the sea.

“You know ...” Mikol looked back without actually looking at Dervo. “I am next to be the Archon. Do you consider me to be a god?”

“Since I have been with Voletain, I have been able to watch you from afar. I knew you as a child. You are not without faults.” Dervo laughed quietly. “But once you take on the mantle of Archon, you will be the Archon. I know Voletain has been the Archon and master of the Sanctuary since before I was born. The masters who trained me to be a Warden knew Voletain was Archon before they were born. His being Archon is older than memory will permit. It is written in texts that there have been Archons before him. Only the King lives as long as the Archon.”

“Why don’t the people worship the king?”

“Well, some do. But the king is the rock of the kingdom. He is the center. The Archon is power around the king. He is what keeps the kingdom safe. Only a few people know the true power of the king and Archon. It seems fewer still know the Archon follows the king. Many think the king does what the Archon says. I have been privileged to be able to see both happen.”

“You haven’t answered my question. Do you consider me a god?”

It was Dervo’s turn to look out to the sea.

“No. But I do believe that you have the spark of the divine. You were able to give us our magic back after it disappeared. Only someone close to the divine would have been able to do that.”

Mikol could not say anything more. He was too afraid of breaking down whatever wall Dervo had erected to cope with what was happening. Very few people knew of the power of the runic sword. Mikol placed his hand on Dervo’s shoulder.

“I’m truly sorry about Nilo. I wish I could have known him more.”

Dervo nodded and Mikol walked away.
 

Lorvan gave Mikol the captain’s quarters. He told him it was bad luck to have a new captain sleep in the old quarters until it could be blessed in port. Mikol did not question this and thanked him instead. The crew had done a decent enough job cleaning the blood from the floor. Even still, Mikol was saddened every time he looked at the floor. He told Bayle he needed time to process everything. Bayle understood and kept everyone away from his quarters. His only contact with others was when Bayle brought him food. Mikol spent the time reflecting on all that he knew about his world. By the time they reached port, Mikol felt he knew what he had to do to become what these people needed him to be. It had only taken five days to get to port though Mikol had hardly registered any passage of time.

The port town was only a day’s ride from Valefort. Mikol had been to this port once but remembered almost nothing, though he did recall seeing more people than were present today. Lorvan bade them farewell and turned to the crew to get ready to leave port as soon as they could. Mikol inquired where they would go. Lorvan told him they would traverse the rivers to the west. They were mostly uncharted. Until the war was ended there would be no trade anywhere in the Crystal Sea.
 

Mikol purchased horses for himself and the Wardens, still in awe at the blood magic coins that had turned back into Ternian gold. They rode in silence. No one was sure what would be awaiting them when they arrived home. Mikol hoped his father had already heard of Perim’s death, as he did not want to give such grim news. Even during a war, Mikol expected the roads to be busy. They encountered no one on the roads, friend or enemy.

They had arrived in port around midday. Dervo made them camp before they approached Valefort. He did not want to ride into an ambush or hostile territory at night. Mikol did not sleep well and did not believe anyone else had either. They broke camp as the sky began to lighten. The landscape gradually shifted to be more familiar to Mikol. As they rode up the last hill before Valefort, they saw smoke over the horizon. Mikol urged his horse faster and held his breath. When he saw the city intact in the distance he let out his breath slowly. The smoke arose from a large fire to the east of the city.
 

Bayle handed Mikol the spyglass. There were soldiers around the fire. He could not tell exactly who the soldiers fought for but could not see any Ternian symbols. Nor could he make out what was being burned. The blaze was large. He did not want to think about it.
 

“There is no way we can get close enough to make it to the city without being seen by those soldiers,” said Dervo.

“I know of a way in the back of the city that will bring us up through the dungeons. Maybe if we ride fast we can make it there before they catch us,” said Mikol.

“No. That would be too dangerous and they would know someone went into the city. With soldiers this close to the city there is no telling what is going on inside.”

“We need get inside. My father is inside. The Archon could be inside. We need to make it to them.”

“I agree. You need to make it inside. It is our duty to see that you have a chance to make it into the city. I want you to ride down this hill and circle around to the north. When you reach the next crest I want you to wait until the soldiers are distracted and then ride for the city.”

“How will we know when they are distracted?”

“We are going to engage them. You will know.”

Mikol and Dervo grasped forearms. Mikol had much to say, but Dervo nodded quickly and turned away. Mikol and Bayle rode down the hill. The grasses had grown deep. Without the help of a road it took them some time before they reached the next hill. They crested the hill and saw Dervo and the Wardens still behind them. They all looked in Mikol’s direction and bowed before riding straight at the soldiers.

“Do we go now?” asked Bayle.

“No, not yet.”

They waited nervously, watching Dervo lead his men to almost certain death to give Mikol a chance to make it in to the city. Soon enough they saw the soldiers turn to the Wardens and charge. Mikol gripped his saddle tensely, waiting for Dervo to release his magic on the men. They could not have traveled more than a hundred yards before light erupted, followed by explosions. Mikol could not see through the smoke and debris that erupted from the land. There was nothing more that he could do. He turned his horse and rode straight for the hidden entrance below the dungeons.
 

They took the few supplies they had left and sent the horses away. Inside, a sconce sensed their presence and lit itself. Mikol sighed. He created a shrouding rune. It was not as powerful as the spell he had used before, but did not want to waste any more power than he needed. The spell would mask their presence to anyone that was not specifically looking for them.

When they entered the dungeon Mikol felt a chill run up his spine as he remembered the corpse of the emissary. The cell had been empty but as they got close they saw people inside. Mikol recognized many faces. He dropped the shrouding and created a small light orb. Some of the prisoners moved closer to the light. He had expected to see fear in their eyes but instead saw awe. He heard his name spoken quietly by a few of the prisoners.

“What happened here?”

No one answered him. They continued to stare at him like he was a ghost. Mikol drew a rune on the lock. When he said the binding, it made a small explosion. Opening the cell door caused those inside to scoot away from him. He hushed them and placed his hand on the nearest one. Speaking a few runic words, he drew a small mending rune on the man. Whatever pain the man had been suffering from left his face and he looked at Mikol with understanding.

“It is you. We had thought you were dead too.”

“Who else is dead?”

“The king. The princes. Everyone.”

“Is Voletain alive?”

The man looked him for a moment.

“The Archon. Is the Archon alive?”

“No. He ... He’s dead too.”

“What happened here? Tell me everything.”

The man swallowed hard. He was not going to speak. Mikol did not want to hurt the man but needed answers. Mikol used a rune to compel the man to speak. The man looked up at Mikol and words rushed out.

“Some time back ... there was a small group of soldiers ... they encamped outside the city. They did ... nothing. Made no threats. No demands. They only waited. The Wardens ... kept the city locked down since the soldiers appeared. I walked the parapets one day ... saw some of the soldiers make their way to the city. They walked ... they walked up to the door and it exploded open. All of the Wardens ... rushed to meet the soldiers.... They were struck down quickly by strong magic. None of the Wardens ... used any magic in return. Why did they not use runes?”

Mikol had to adjust the rune as the man started to hyperventilate. After a moment the man calmed down and continued.

 
“The city guard ... tried to protect the city.... With so many magical enemies and without the support of the Wardens ... they were cut down quickly. All of the nobles ... were rounded up and put in the cells. Anyone who refused to cooperate ... killed. The king had died the day the soldiers attacked ... he was on the throne. No one struck him down ... just died.”

“Has there been any word from Arceri or Turos?”

The man shook his head. Mikol looked over the remaining prisoners and did what little he could do. He needed to save power to fight whatever they found deeper in the castle. He was able to help enough of the prisoners they could make it to the hidden exit.
 

“Are you coming with us?”

“No. I need to put a stop to this war. Ternia needs me. Go north and west. See if the Sanctuary is safe.”

They headed away from Valefort as Mikol watched. They made it far enough into the fields he was certain they had not been seen. Mikol and Bayle readied themselves to delve in to the castle.

Mikol had never seen the halls so devoid of life. Even in the dead of night, he had always come across a servant or someone wandering the halls. They made sure to explore every hallway they came across, looking for anyone. Eventually, they found obvious locations where there had been a fight. The dried blood marked the death of many unknown persons. The Wardens’ quarters were empty, save for bodies that still littered the floor. The smell told them they had been dead awhile. He knew some of these men. When they entered the throne room they were surprised to find it empty of anybody, living or dead.
 

“Who could have done all of this?” asked Bayle.

“I don’t know. But I think I caused it.”

“No you didn’t. Why would you say that?”

“He said the soldiers marched on the city and the Wardens didn’t use any magic. Why would they not use any runes?”

Bayle’s face fell as he understood.

“Dervo and his Wardens couldn’t use runes either. I had to remove their attunement runes before they could. When I broke the obelisk it caused everyone to be blocked from the flow of magic and from using runes.”

“There’s no way you could have known that would happen.”

“That’s little comfort now. I destroyed my kingdom. For what? Some childish notion that I would find weapons that would win a war?”

The doors to the throne room were open. They heard voices in the hall. Bayle grabbed Mikol’s shirt and pulled him. Mikol pushed Bayle’s hand away and shook his head.

“I’m done running.”

 
Mikol prepared several runic wards and looked to Bayle. Sighing heavily, Bayle cast the only defensive spell he knew and hid behind the columns that lined the back of the room. Mikol walked to the throne and sat down. He waited for his enemies to come to him.

Chapter 20

Warlord

As the voices came closer, Mikol could hear talk of troop movements, supplies, and similar military talk. He did not recognize any of the voices. Four men rounded the corner into the short hall leading to the throne room. They had not seen Mikol yet but he watched them intently. He gripped the edge of the throne tightly, barely feeling the power in his hands. The four men were about halfway in the throne room when they spotted Mikol. Three of them stepped in front of the last, swords bared, pointing at him. Mikol did not flinch. They stared at each other for a tense moment before they stepped aside. The fourth man stepped forward with confidence. The cropped hair and stately manner in which the man walked spoke volumes about him. They locked eyes in a silent struggle for power. Even though the man looked away first, Mikol felt he had lost.
 

Mikol stood up slowly. His gaze never leaving any of them, he bowed slightly to the man.

“I presume you are the warlord Kagarin,” said Mikol.

“Warlord is such a presumptuous title. I prefer Emperor Kagarin.” The man flashed a toothy grin at Mikol, motioning for his guards to put away their swords.
 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Mikol. I have heard plenty about you recently. I never expected to have a cousin be so ... influential in helping me to take back what is rightfully mine.”

“Cousin?”

“Yes. Cousin. I see we have much to discuss. Get us some wine.” One of his guards darted away towards the kitchens. “I am the heir to this throne. Descended from Tanris Elderson himself.”