The Merchant and the Menace (29 page)

Macin paused.

‘I tried to murder you, Brelg,’ mumbled the king
grimly. ‘I tried to murder you yet you stand here praising country and king.
It’s you who earned the right to wear this trinket, not I.’

Macin pulled his gold crown from his head and let
it fall to the ground.

‘I’m lost,’ groaned Macin sobbing into his hands.
‘Utterly lost.’

The doors to the chamber flew open and an old man
dressed in colorful garb stepped before the king’s throne relying heavily upon
a huge staff. He stood squinting at the scene before him, taking stock of it.
He waved a hand in the direction of the king’s guard arrayed behind him and
they immediately left the chamber. He stroked his white stubble with his free
hand and nodded his head with a grunt of approval. Macin’s eyes rose and he
glared at the tinker.

‘Old man,’ sobbed Macin. ‘I dismissed the court for
the day. We do not seek your entertainment or slight of hand. Everyone leave me
alone in my misery.’

‘Macin! King of the Zodra! Commander of the
Guardians and Protector of the Faith of Avra! Stand!’ bellowed the old man.

Macin cleared the tears from his red-rimmed eyes
and slowly stood.

‘My heart is troubled on this day,’ growled Macin.
‘However, I’ll not be spoken to by a simple tinker in this manner. You’re lucky
I wallow in self-pity at the moment and don’t possess the heart to drag you to
the...’

‘In your family’s two thousand year old grasp on
the throne of this kingdom, I definitely noticed one similarity in all its
members,” said the old man cutting Macin off, ‘they all talked far too much for
my taste. You, sir, may be the worst so far.’

‘What ... who are you?’ sputtered Macin.

‘As for Brelg forgiving you, he may do so. I can’t
control his actions. However, you should be asking forgiveness from a higher
source. This kingdom is in disrepair. Men’s lives sacrificed over vanity and
greed. A daughter’s life and love used as a bargaining chip for power. A people
shunned and suppressed. Valor and duty ignored. Hypocrisy rewarded. You will
one day be judged for your life and taken into the arms of your Creator, or shunned
and cast out into the realm of Chaos. Do you truly repent, Macin? Will you
really change?’ asked the old man.

Before Macin answered, the old man stepped within a
foot of the king and glared into his eyes. The tinker grew in stature as a
faint green light hovered about him.

‘It is deemed that you will suffer your penance
here on this world. You just rediscovered a love for your family, a family that
means everything to you. You will now lose that family. We shall see if you
truly repent.’

The old man spun to Brelg.

‘You’re a unique man, Brelg. You’re to become the
caretaker of a little package. No more war. No more battle. It’s time for you
to settle down, and we think you chose the perfect woman. Prince Manfir awaits
you at the Hold with instructions from me. He recently became my new protégé.
I’ll be along after I conclude some other business.’

Brelg hesitated, glanced at the king, then back to
the old man.

‘You do understand who I represent, don’t you,
sergeant?’ questioned the tinker.

Brelg bowed deeply then rose.

‘Yes, my lord,’ replied the sergeant. ‘I’ll go at
once.’

Macin spluttered a protest.

‘Macin of Zodra,’ interrupted the old man. ‘The
changes that are about to affect your life do not transform one fundamental
fact. You are the ruler of this land and the steward of its good fortune. What
you lose sight of is the fact that the people allow themselves to be ruled.
It’s the grace of the people that keeps you on the throne, for if you were
truly a bad king they would have removed you long ago. I charge you with
fulfilling the duties of your office to the best of your ability. Protect and
nurture this realm and you shall restore honor to your household.’

Macin stood speechless, staring at the tinker.

‘If that is all, your highness, I’ll take my leave,’
said the old man bowing to the king and turning.

‘Who are you?’ demanded Macin as the tinker reached
the chamber’s doors.

The old man slowly turned and smiled.

‘Lately, I use the name Jasper. However, I go by
many different names throughout the lands. The Borz Windriders call me Berbati.
The Ulrog fear me as Hdi, or “little Awoi”, and the Elves refer to me as Seraph
or “Keeper”,‘ the tinker paused. ‘Zodrians however, usually refer to me as
Ader, the voice of God. Good day.’

With that the old man turned and walked from the
room.

“Just like that you told him all,” came a voice
from the kitchen doorway.

Teeg’s eyes never left Kael as he smiled and
responded.

“Not all, but a good portion. However, there’s
still so much for him to learn. Your sister and her husband’s history are but a
small part.”

Kael turned to see Manfir framed by the kitchen
doorway.

“So, now you know,” said Manfir moving into the
dining hall.

The Zodrian prince stood before Kael staring with
his stony expression. A broad smile gradually crossed his face. A powerful hand
shot out and grabbed Kael by the forearm. The boy was yanked to his feet and
wrapped in the strong hold of Prince Manfir. As they embraced, Manfir whispered
into Kael’s ear.

“It’s been difficult not being able to talk to you
all these years.”

The big man released the boy and immediately turned
to Teeg.

“Ader may have your hide yet, Lord Elf.”

“Wisdom is not the sole property of the Seraph, my
friend. Occasionally, others must make decisions for themselves. Lord Ader
would rather the boy sleep soundly on full knowledge than the half facts
supplied by good man Hamly,” replied Teeg.

Manfir glanced at the wide-eyed, confused Kael and
laughed.

 “If you think that boy will sleep tonight, you
must redefine the meaning of wisdom!”

Manfir was correct. Kael lay awake for hours. Not
only did the evening’s news stun him, but the absence of his brother disturbed
his sleep as well. He was so used to the rumbled snoring of Aemmon, that its
absence unsettled him. After lying awake for several hours, Kael stole down to
his father’s room. He cuddled under the blankets of the oak four-poster and let
his mind relax. The scent of his father on the blankets comforted him. He also
detected the faint fragrance of his mother. Kael sobbed and drifted to sleep.

“... was already informed of his mother’s identity.
I felt it was necessary.”

“Your feelings often contradict mine, Lord Teeg. No
matter. What’s done is done. I’ve kept things from the boy for so long, perhaps
it becomes a habit,” replied Ader.

Kael rose and approached his father’s door, which
was recessed near the main stairway.

“It seems our young earl switched sleeping
accommodations in the evening,” said Teeg. “Please come out and join us, Kael.”

Kael slowly opened the door and entered the main
hall. Ader and Teeg stood in its center and Flair busily cleared the table.

“You slept late, my boy,” said Ader. “I was tempted
to send Flair up to rouse you.”

“Sorry,” said Kael.

“However, upon hearing of your eventful evening,”
continued Ader, “I realized sleep may have become a rare commodity for you.”

Kael stared at his bare feet and fidgeted. He knew
Ader was upset and he felt guilty of the way he manipulated old Hamly. He
desired to change the subject.

“Why did you call me that?” he directed at Teeg.

“Called you what?” asked the old Elf.

“Young Earl,” quoted Kael.

Ader frowned at the Elf.

“You seem to take so much pleasure in revelations,”
growled Ader. “Please continue with them.”

The Elf bowed lightly to Ader with a flourish of
his hand.

“As the son of the Duke of Kelky and his wife, a
princess of the realm, you are an earl,” began Teeg. “I believe your proper
title is ‘Kael Brelgson, the honorable Earl of Kelky’...”

“all right then ..” interrupted Ader.

“... fifth in line to the throne,” said Teeg
smiling.

“WHAT?” exclaimed Kael so loudly that Flair dropped
a tray filled with plates.

“He said that you’re fifth in line for the throne,”
sighed Ader, shaking his head.

“What throne?” asked Kael.

“My throne,” came a hearty laugh from the stairway,
“and I don’t intend on letting it fall that far.”

Manfir stepped lightly from the stairway and
approached the group.

“Good man Hamly is nearly finished preparing our
mounts. We tarry too long. It’s time to move on,” said Manfir.

“Quite right,” replied Teeg.

Flair entered the room once more and set a plate
full of eggs on the table.

“I took the liberty of making this breakfast for
you, Kael. There are a few moments before grandfather finishes with the mounts,”
said Flair.

“Thank you,” replied Kael, taking a seat at the
table.

Ader, Teeg and Manfir left for the stables through
the kitchen. When Kael finished his breakfast he brought the plate back into
the kitchen and once again thanked Flair. The boy nodded and took the plate.
Before turning to the washbasin, Flair hesitated and looked at Kael.

“Forgive me, Kael, but ... I couldn’t help but
overhear a good deal of what was said here in the last day. Is it true?” asked
Flair.

“That depends on what you’re talking about, and
even then I might answer that I’ve no idea,” smiled Kael. “Until I sit down
with my father and ask a fair number of questions, I’m not going to fully
believe anything.”

“Well,” puzzled Flair “I know one thing for
certain. My granddad is as involved as any of them, and that means its the
truth. Granddad’s the most honest man I know. I hope that helps you a bit.”

Kael laughed and clapped the young man on the back.

“It does Flair. It certainly does.”

Kael walked from the kitchen into the stable yard.
Ader stood by the gate to the yard engaged in an animated conversation with
Eidyn. The young Elf pled his case concerning some weighty issue. Teeg stood
nearby once again looking smug. Several horses were tethered in the yard, the
Elves’ stallions among them.

Near the stables, Granu stood scratching the nose
of Tarader. Once more the Keltaran giant was covered from head to toe in his
black robe. Just inside the stable door, Hamly stood staring distractedly at a
pile of hay as Manfir conducted a quiet conversation with him. The old man
shook his head and apologized. Manfir would have none of it. He smiled and
clapped the old sergeant on the back. Hamly nodded and moved back into the
stables as Manfir exited and walked toward Kael.

“Your chestnut will be saddled shortly, Kael
Brelgson. If we’re all prepared, we may leave then,” said Manfir.

“Manfir,” called Eidyn. “You’re a military man of
superior training. Why is it that our illustrious Guide, Lord Ader, refuses to
use scouts? I’m fully capable and some might say quite gifted in this task.
However, every time I ask, he refuses me.”

Manfir looked from the Elf to the old man. Ader
displayed a frustrated, perplexed look on his face. Teeg smiled and Eidyn’s
temper grew.

“We’ll be in open country for a good portion of
this trip. Ulrog range freely in the mountains and the Keltaran step up their
raids. It only makes sense to post guards at our campsites and send scouts
ahead of the party. I’m the logical choice,” claimed Eidyn.

“I take nothing from your abilities as a superior
tracker and scout, prince of the Grey Elves, but in my many years of experience
with ‘the voice of Avra’, if he says your services aren’t needed, then they
aren’t needed. Please, argue no more and heed his advice. Your strength and
insight will be required down the road no doubt, so try to conserve them.”

Ader smiled broadly and crossed his arms.

“Well said, Zodrian prince,” called Ader. “And it
only took me seventeen years to break you of the annoying habit of questioning
my wisdom.”

Eidyn shook his head in frustration. Kael smirked
at the comical scene in front of him, men of great power and ability henpecking
one another. Hamly exited the stables leading the chestnut. The horse was
expertly groomed and saddled. Kael felt pangs of guilt as the old man led the
horse toward him. He felt the need to apologize for misleading Hamly.

“Master Hamly, I’m sorry I let you believe...”
began Kael.

“No matter, Kael my boy. No matter at all,” replied
Hamly as he adjusted the chestnut’s reins. “I’ve begun ta talk a bit much in me
old age. Need to keep my flapper shut, I do. Just can’t help talkin’ bout
things. Runnin’ a horse ranch hasn’t been near as excitin’ as my days in the
Guard. I like to let the memory roam if ya know what I mean?”