The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2) (24 page)

BOOK: The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2)
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The elf sage looked upon Elroa with sad, burdened eyes.

“Tell him where it is,” Jahre said in a voice that only the elf could hear. “He is our only hope.”

Elroa shook his head.

“Still won’t tell me?” the man mocked aloud. “Well then, I suppose I could start at your toes and work my way up. Have you ever been hung by your toenails before?”

Jahre stepped up to the bed. Elroa glanced from the apparition to the man sitting on top of him, wondering if the human could see the ghost as well.

“He can’t see me,” Jahre said. “He can’t hear me either.”

Elroa groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his hip. He looked down to see that the human had stabbed into him from the side.

“Oh, goodness,” the man said in mocking apology. “That is not your toe, is it?”

Elroa hollered into the hand clasped over his mouth in protest. The man leaned in close and smiled widely.

“I can do this all day. Tell me what I want to know, and it will be quick.”

“Tell him, Elroa,” Jahre said again. “Let him take the ring.”

Elroa shook his head. He saw absolutely no sense in telling this madman anything.

The human sighed again and leaned back, digging his knee deeper into Elroa’s stomach. A moment later the knife twisted in Elroa’s hip. The burning agony tore through the elf so fiercely that he nearly lost consciousness. His vision closed in, growing dark around the edges and the image of the man became fuzzy. Sounds slowed, and he couldn’t understand what the human was saying now, only that he was speaking.

A harsh slap crashed into Elroa’s cheek. The sting brought him back to his senses.

“I asked if you are ready to talk yet.”

Elroa’s eyes went to Jahre. The sage nodded.

“He is my grandson,” Jahre said. “I know it doesn’t look like it now, but he has the power to save us all. Give him the ring, and trust me. I have a plan.”

“Well?” the human asked as he shook Elroa.

Elroa sat motionless for a moment. Tears filled his eyes and then he nodded. The hand backed away from his mouth. The human grinned widely again and cocked his head to the side slightly.

“Well then, tell me where it is. I promise I will end it quickly.”

“It is buried at the foot of a great oak tree,” Elroa said. “It is a ten minute walk from here. Go east into the forest. When you come to a bluff that overlooks a small valley with a tear-shaped pond, you will know you are in the right place. Turn to the south and you will see a majestic oak tree. The dirt is freshly dug. I put the ring there only this morning.”

The man leaned in and narrowed his eyes. Elroa felt pressure on the knife in his hip.

“How do I know this isn’t another trick?” the man asked.

Jahre moved in closer and spoke to Elroa. “Tell him that his grandfather still has hope for him. Call him by his name, Talon, and tell him that I am here.”

“Look at me when I am speaking to you!” the man growled.

Elroa nodded and looked back to Talon. “Your name is Talon, you are Jahre’s grandson. You may trust that I am telling you the truth because the only reason I have disclosed the location of the ring is because Jahre is here with us now. He is telling me that he still has hope for you, and he has instructed me to tell you where it is.”

Talon placed a hand over Elroa’s mouth and sat back. He stared hard at Elroa, but he didn’t say anything for the space of a minute.

“If he wanted me to have the ring, then why not come to you days ago when he died and tell you to hand it over without a fight?” Talon pressed. “Seems like a false friend, if he willingly let you go through all of this when he wanted me to have the ring anyway.”

Elroa looked to Jahre.

The sage nodded. “Tell him that the plane of the dead is not the same as that of the living. It took me some time to tend to business before I could return to find you, Elroa. Tell him that there is still good in him.”

Elroa nodded and looked to Talon. Talon removed his hand.

“Jahre says he wasn’t able to reach me until now, but that he still sees good in you.”

Talon shook his head. “Enough games.”

Jahre stepped in and spoke again. “Tell him that I did not die by the hist rose. Tell him that it drained much of my blood, but in the end it was the fire that took me.”

Elroa was quick to speak. “The hist rose didn’t kill him,” he said. “Jahre says that while the flower drank much of his blood, it was the fire that killed him.”

“Let him think on it for a moment,” Jahre told Elroa.

Talon sat back. “How do you know about the hist rose?” Talon asked. “The plant would have been destroyed in the fire as well, so you wouldn’t have heard it from anyone who found Jahre’s body.”

“Tell him that the hist rose was latched onto my left hand.”

Elroa described where the hist rose was placed.

Talon stiffened.

Jahre continued. “Now tell him that the hist rose grew upon his mother’s grave.”

Elroa nodded. “Jahre says that the hist rose grew upon your mother’s grave.”

Talon clenched his jaw and shook his head.

Elroa grimaced and arched his back as the knife was ripped out of his hip. A moment later everything went dark for the elf as the knife was plunged deep into his heart.

“Enough games,” Talon said as he rose from the dead elf’s body. He looked around the room, contemplating whether Jahre was truly in the room with him.

Talon pulled the list of relics out from a small satchel on his belt and looked at the third item on the list. The Skeleton Key. The simplicity of the name amused him a bit. “First to dig up the ring, and then I’ll go for the key.”

He slipped out through the window, the same way he had entered the room. As before, he disarmed all of the traps effortlessly. He looked around to ensure no one saw him, and then he hurried out to the forest. He found the bluff and the oak tree easily enough. Digging up the ring was not as hard as he had feared it would be. He removed the dirt from it with his fingers and blew on it before polishing the gem on his cloak. This one appeared to be the genuine article. He fit the chain over his head and tucked the ring under his tunic.

He then took a moment to think about what had happened in the room at the Golden Leaf Inn. As he thought about it, his hand fell down to rest upon the hilt of Drekk’hul.

“Don’t listen to those nasty elves,”
Drekk’hul chided.
“They will trick your mind and confuse you. That’s their way. No honor to fight with steel, so they use guile and cunning.”

Talon pulled his hand away from the sword. He pulled the list out from his belt once more and looked at it carefully. The Skeleton Key was listed as being held in an old drow castle. The once mighty capitol of King Lemork’s empire was now nothing more than ruins, a shell of the once mighty Sierri’Tai nation that reigned on this island before they were banished.

He was closer now than ever before. He had two of the three relics needed to release the Sierri’Tai. After that, he would be able to make his move against Basei. He would avenge his mother’s death, and destroy the false god that had answered his mother’s plea with death and blood.

If he hurried along on his way, he might even be able to get most of the way to the drow castle before anyone ever discovered Elroa’s body.

 

 

*****

 

Iron shackles bound Kai and Seldaric as they stood in the center of the round room. The marble floor beneath them was patterned with the image of a bright, six pointed star, with the bottom point elongated. The star was gold and set against a plain white background. The outer rim of the floor was dark blue. Ancient runes were emblazoned on the blue stone in silver. There were two doors in the room. The first was just beyond the elongated point of the star. It was a large, arched door, painted black. Kai and Seldaric had entered through that door. The second door was smaller and rectangular. It was situated on the opposite side of the room from the large door. Eight chairs of iron with high backs and slender armrests lined the rim of the floor. Four chairs were positioned to the right of the door, while the other four were placed on the left. The council members had entered from the smaller door and one by one they filtered in to sit in the iron chairs.

The last person to enter the room was one of the elves from the patrol. He wore gleaming chainmail with a star emblazoned across the chest and a blue sash running from left shoulder to right hip. A golden chain linked across his chest held a forest green cloak on the elf. His black pants were tucked into his polished, high-topped leather boots that clicked every time his heel connected with the stone floor. He strode into the room confidently and moved to stand next to Seldaric. Kai looked to the elf and locked with the elf’s cold, glaring stare. There was no kindness in those black eyes of his. In the elf’s left hand was a rolled parchment, sealed with a silver ribbon around it.

Kai looked up and noticed the other members of the council wore light blue robes that almost covered their feet as they sat. They each had dark blue sashes that were worn like the patrolman’s. There were no designs sewn into the robes, and no fancy brooches or chains either. Each of the council members looked as grim and plain as their clothes. Their faces were long, gaunt and void of emotion. Kai squirmed in his chair, wishing he could melt and slither away. At last, one of the elves held up an old, pale hand and spoke.

“Garfule,” the elf called out as he addressed the elf standing near Seldaric. “Name the accused.”

“The accused will name themselves,” Garfule replied without looking at Kai or Seldaric.

Kai glanced to his companion nervously.

“Remember, do as I do,” Seldaric whispered to him before turning to address the council. He had explained the courtesies that were to be observed in front of the council, but now Kai was nervous, and was afraid he had forgotten some of them. Seldaric stepped forward, chains rattling as he moved. “I am Seldaric Gendarion of the house Flinn,” he announced. “I am the former Captain of the Guard of Bluewater. Now I am an agent of Liloriel, priestess of the Svetli’Tai Kruks.”

“So let it be written,” the councilman said loudly.

Kai noticed that the councilman seated farthest to the right pulled out a parchment and began to scrawl on it. Then the council looked to him. He knew they were waiting for him to announce himself. He felt very uneasy speaking, but he found his voice and announced himself as best as he could after rising to his feet and offering a slight bow of his head.

“I am Kai Thendarr,” Kai announced. “I am also an agent of Liloriel, priestess of the Svetli’Tai Kruks. I am here as comrade in arms to Seldaric Gendarion.”

The councilmen looked to each other and whispered.

The elf seated on the farthest right pointed a bony finger at Kai. “
You
claim to be an agent of the Svetli’Tai Kruks, but, you are human.”

Kai nodded. “I am her agent.” He held his arm out, displaying the magical tattoo upon the back of his hand.

“What house are you from?” the councilman asked.

“I am not from any house of consequence, sir,” Kai replied. His words were followed by a moment of tense silence. Kai remained calm in appearance, but he was squirming so much inside that his stomach was doing flips. A thousand thoughts ran through his head at once. He felt as though the old elf’s eyes were boring into his very soul.

“Whence do you hail?”

“I was born in Rasselin, in the kingdom of Zinferth,” Kai replied. The councilman nodded his head and again a long pause of silence followed. Finally, the councilman on the far right looked to the presiding officer expectantly.

“So let it be written,” the councilman instructed. “Kai Thendarr, a low-born human of no house, and with no title, who hails from Rasselin and is now somehow bestowed the honor of being an agent of the Kruks.”

The junior officer quickly scribbled on the parchment.

“The council would be pleased to know if the enforcer has verified the identities of the accused.”

“I have verified part of their claims,” Garfule reported. “I sent a falcon to Bluewater. It was confirmed that Seldaric is on assignment to track down the assassin who killed Jahre the Wise. The human, Kai, is his charge and comrade in arms. However, Liloriel has not responded as of yet.”

“Have you sent a falcon to Rasselin?” the councilman asked.

“I have not,” Garfule replied. “I thought the reply from Bluewater was sufficient to vouch for the human, until we have word from Liloriel.”

“Very well,” the presiding officer replied with a grim nod. “Seldaric, where is Liloriel now?”

“She is here on Selemet,” Seldaric said with a deferential nod of his head. “She should be here in Telshir soon.”

“She should have announced your presence upon arrival,” the councilman said. “Better yet, she should have notified us in advance.”

Seldaric kept his gaze averted to the floor, but did not reply to the councilman.

The councilman sighed and motioned to the record keeper. “Let it be written that the identities of the accused have been verified by the council, pending confirmation from Liloriel.”

BOOK: The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2)
7.89Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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