The House of Yeel (18 page)

***

“A highly organized group of fighters riding
on the backs of larger creatures have arrived at our camp,” Yeel
pointed out to Jymoor. “Luckily, they seem to be friendly. Have
they come to fight the barbarians? Is there an attack
imminent?”

“They’re here to escort us
to the capital,” Jymoor said. “You and I will travel in carriages
the rest of the way. Some of the others from the garden can ride
horses, and the others will travel with us by wagon. The king is
eager to meet with us and discuss plans for stopping the
invasion.”

Yeel settled back while
Jymoor’s countrymen took over the band of refugees. For the last
two days since their arrival at Nolleguard, Yeel had been treated
with great deference, though he detected the primitives might be
behaving out of fear more than admiration. Jymoor, in the moon
armor, was also something of a sensation. Couriers had been
dispatched to Maristaple with news of their return.

Jymoor spoke to the refugees.

“These soldiers are here to
escort us to the capital. We’ll be meeting with Aruscetar there.
Likely we’ll be asked to help out with the war.”

“Who is Aruscetar?” asked one of the soldiers
who had been captured by Slevander.

“The reigning king of
Riken,” Jymoor said loudly so many could overhear. “That is, unless
something has happened since I left so long ago.”

“He is still king,” one of the cavalrymen
said.

Another soldier came to lead Jymoor and Yeel
to their carriage. Once inside, Yeel started to talk freely.

“Tell me of your leader
Aruscetar; if it pleases you, it would please me, if you could
describe him to me so that I could familiarize myself with this
important figure and perhaps remember something of him. I assume he
will play a pivotal role in the upcoming challenges we
face?”

Jymoor smiled.

“It would please me to tell
you. Aruscetar is a war hero of Riken and now the nation’s king,
ruling from Maristaple. He is wise, though sometimes has a temper.
Stories say he was lost in the north on a campaign and drank the
blood of the leader of a wolf pack to survive, which gave him
special powers of command.”

“His right to leadership is derived from a
hardship involving animals?”

“Ah, not exactly. He was an
officer. His role in a successful war enabled him to make a bid for
the throne when a previous royal family fell from power. One of the
things that’s made him stand out is a mysterious ability to compel
obedience. Some say this ability has its origins in the
hardship.”

“Fascinating! How has he been resisting the
invasion?”

“He’s been engaging the
barbarians wherever he can, and we’ve had some limited success. But
we can’t see a way to win the war.”

Jymoor peered out a window of the carriage
and called to a lieutenant sitting above them with the driver.

“Lieutenant, would you care to join us for a
while?”

“Yes…my lady,” the
lieutenant said, struggling to select an honorific.

“The garrison soldiers told us the barbarians
are still migrating south toward the capital.”

“Yes. We’ve been harassing
them as best we can, though on some days I wonder if we’re doing
any good.”

“Of course, I’ve been gone a
while. What rumors are there these days of the king?” Jymoor asked
the lieutenant.

“He’s employed a seer named
Yune, who studied the moon sight at the Liscenium Temple. She’s
going to help us predict when the barbarians will next attack. Or
so the king believes.”

“And you don’t believe in
her?”

The lieutenant
shrugged.

“I’m more concerned with
stopping them, regardless of when they arrive. There are too many
of them.”

***

Yeel caught a glimpse of
Maristaple’s walls in the distance. Even though the walls were just
visible on the far side of the valley, people were already lined up
by the road to see the arrival of the Crescent Knight and the Great
Yeel. Farm children ran alongside the carriages for a time before
tiring and falling back.

A mass of people waited outside the gates.
Jymoor and Yeel moved out to the top of the carriage to wave at
everyone. Cheers greeted them. The people were ecstatic to see
their heroes return.

Not surprising, given the
dire situation.

Inside the gates, even more people waited.
They packed the streets, the shop fronts, even the roofs. Soldiers
watched from the towers flanking the main gate.

So many prying eyes…so many
minds. I haven’t had to obscure my true appearance from so many at
once for…well, since last time I came here. Unless I forgot some
times.

“Is anything wrong, Yeel?” Jymoor asked.

“Nothing, just taking it all in. What happens
next?” Yeel deflected.

“We’re going to meet King
Aruscetar.”

“Good. We can speak with him about
coordinating a defense with Vot.”

“No. Not this time. It’s a
public event. A formal meeting. We’ll have to wait and give him our
proposal behind closed doors.”

“We’re meeting him, but we
can’t talk to him? Your kind is so very closed mouthed already,
this sounds like an even more extreme form—”

“You can talk. Just stick
with pleasantries. If he asks about the trip we can share a few
adventures, but mostly just talk about trivial things unless he
asks. We could only speak about the defense and a possible alliance
with Vot if he brings it up, which he won’t, not in this
venue.”

The procession moved through the primitive
city toward a massive fortress on a hill. They passed two more
walled gates before leaving the carriage and going into the castle,
flanked by soldiers. Jymoor and Yeel were escorted through stone
passages, past a courtyard, and through three massive sets of
double doors.

They walked into a large
chamber obviously meant to impress. It rivaled the size of Yeel’s
own fountain room. Vibrant tapestries and carpets lined the walls
and the floor. Seating lined both sides of the room, occupied by
humans who looked wealthier than those outside. Soldiers in mail
armed with shiny new halberds guarded the doors.

Yeel spotted the leader
immediately. The man sat at the far end of the room on a raised
stone platform, flanked by more soldiers. He was an older man, tall
and fit, with gray hair at the temples. His face was angular with a
slightly pointed chin.

That’s presumably his mate sitting next to
him.

Queen Ralia had long, wavy
raven hair. Something looked a bit different about her. The curve
of her eyes, a dark tint to her skin, made her stand
out.

“Surely this queen is from another land?”
Yeel guessed.

“Yes. She’s from Greater
Talcitt, a land to the south. The king has married her to seal the
peace between our nations. She’s already sent a request for help to
her homeland, but we received only a thousand axe men in response.
Still, they are brave men who came here to defend
Riken.”

The king stood up to receive them.

“The Crescent Knight and the
Great Yeel,” a voice behind them announced.

The king motioned them forward. Yeel walked
up with Jymoor beside him. It was quite a distance. The entire
flock of wealthy and powerful Rikenese watched quietly as Jymoor
strode over and Yeel slid along beside her. He carefully planted
the idea in their minds of a tall man walking with her.

“My king,” Jymoor said, dropping to her knee.
Yeel projected the idea that he copied her position to everyone in
the room. In fact he simply squatted lower on his wide foot.

I hope my slime doesn’t
ruin that red carpet.

The king regarded Jymoor first.

“Tell me, did Avorn die well?”

Jymoor’s eyes grew wide for
a moment. Yeel jumped in to give her a moment to
recover.

“He fell victim to those who
sought to imprison me on the Far Coast,” Yeel said. “Fortunately,
the armor didn’t fall into their hands for long.”

King Aruscetar nodded. “I
can see that. I’m glad we have a new champion.” His voice was calm.
Queen Ralia smiled.

“I present the Great Yeel,”
Jymoor said. “The very same being who saved Maristaple so long
ago.”

King Aruscetar and Queen
Ralia examined Yeel openly.

“So, you’re the mighty
Yeel,” the king said.

Something in his voice…I
think he doubts my identity.

“I am indeed Yeel. It’s been
a long time since I was in Maristaple. I’m pleased to be in your
presence, and I’ve brought a gift for you.”

The king’s eyebrow rose.
Suddenly, Yeel held a three-foot golden rod in his hand, extended
toward the king.

Two guards stepped forward, their hands on
their pommels.

Oops. I forgot to include
that in my appearance.

The king defused the situation by accepting
the rod. He examined it.

“It’s real gold,” he
noted.

“Correct, sir, but that
isn’t the source of its true value. The rod absorbs a measure of
its holder’s strongest characteristics. If you rule with the rod
for a few years, then it becomes attuned to your…skills. I believe
you are renowned for your ability to command men. The rod will
mimic your aura. Then, you can pass it on to your son. It will
imbue him with a measure of your own special skills.”

“This rod can…pass on my
abilities to my son?” King Aruscetar asked.

“It has that potential, provided you keep it
near you for a good fraction of the next three or four years.”

“That’s the most wonderful
gift we’ve ever received,” Queen Ralia said. “Thank you very much,
Great Yeel.”

The king nodded his agreement, though he
seemed less ready to speak his thanks.

“I’ll have Yune examine it
carefully,” he said. He handed the rod to a soldier who walked to
the side and gave it to a woman in a blue dress. She wore a silver
circlet over her long black hair. Her quick, clear eyes were glued
onto Yeel.

“We’re glad to see you
return, both of you,” Aruscetar said. “Riken needs you. And here
you are. Two heroes to lend their swords—and their magic—to tip the
scales in the fight for our lives.”

The court gave their applause.

“Please, relate to us details of your trip,”
Queen Ralia asked. As she asked the question, Yune stepped a bit
closer to Jymoor and Yeel.

“The trip out was difficult
and fraught with danger,” Jymoor started. Yeel stood by patiently
as Jymoor spoke of her random encounters with predators, a slide
down a short cliff, her discovery of Yeel’s house, and their
journey back to Riken. She left out many details about Avorn but
related most of what had happened in the stone garden and spoke of
the survivors they’d brought back. She mentioned Vot and the
Ascarans, though did not go into detail of their plight or any
chance of aid from them. Here and there, Yeel took the opportunity
to permanently remember a detail or two he’d already
forgotten.

If it’s important enough
to mention in such a brief summary to the king, I’d better be able
to recall it,
he thought.

The entire tale took only a
dozen minutes to finish. Yeel was sure even with his own very
limited memory he could have stretched it out over days. The
audience was captive to Jymoor’s description, and a few of those
present even gasped or clapped as she spoke of a danger or a
victory.

King Aruscetar listened carefully. He seemed
in a bit of a better mood by the end of the tale, though Yeel could
not guess why.

“An impressive tale of heroism,” he said.

“Yes, you’ve inspired us
all,” Ralia agreed.

“Now, then, I will let you rest and wash away
the road,” Aruscetar said. “We can speak of other matters in the
next day or two.”

Jymoor bowed, so Yeel copied
her display of obeisance. The steward ushered them out of the
throne room.

“Your rooms are this way,” the steward said.
He snapped his fingers. A boy rushed up to assist him.

“Show them the rooms we prepared,” the
steward ordered. The boy nodded.

“This way, my lady—Your
Knightship, and…Great Yeel!” the boy said. The steward rolled his
eyes and went back into the throne room.

Jymoor and Yeel chatted as they followed the
boy.

“Well, I guess that went well enough,” Jymoor
said.

“The king seems reasonable,”
Yeel agreed. “Though he doubts I am really who I say I am. We need
to decide how to convince him that our plan is sound. First,
perhaps we should convince ourselves that the plan is sound. That
way, we won’t have to battle our own doubts as we convince the
king. It would lend the weight of our convictions to the
persuasion.”

“The seer seems to think Riken stands a
chance.”

“Ah yes, Seer Yune.
Aruscetar’s mistress, as well,” Yeel said.

“What? How? Shush, don’t let
anyone overhear that now! What makes you think she is his
mistress?”

“A simple matter of careful observation of
body language, analysis of intent, opportunity, together with
several chemical tracers that—”

“Have you ever thought about taking a
mistress yourself, Yeel?” Jymoor said.

“Well. I, um, no,” Yeel
stuttered. “When you wield great power, um, as I do, you…shy away
from becoming attached so that you can…make clear decisions about
what’s best for all.”