Chapter 7
A few days later, Karigan stood outside the King's study. She was a little confused and a lot angry.
Earlier that day, she had seen Hep talking to the Head of the Kennels. When she stopped to ask how everything was going, the old man told her what he had been telling Hep. Apparently, King Zachary hadn't visited his dogs in the last five days. Which was odd, because everyone knew how attached he was to his hunting terriers.
Karigan frowned, "Has he been ill?"
The old man shrugged, "Not sure. All I know is that the last time the King came to see his dogs, Finder Jr. bit him."
"That's his favorite dog."
"Don't I know it. I've never seen any of the dogs react that way towards him. It was right odd."
When the talk turned to the newest grain shipment, she excused herself. Concerned that something was wrong with Zachary, she went in search of him. After asking, she was directed to the King's study. When she entered the hallway, Rory smiled at her, "Greetings sister."
She grinned up at him and asked, "Can I see the King?"
He nodded, "He just got out of a meeting." Then he knocked and opened the door.
She had tried to talk to Zachary. Yet the entire time, he stood with his back to her and stared out the window into the gardens. When she pressed him about the strange behavior, he threw her out of his study and commanded the weapon at the door to never let her into his rooms again.
Later that day, she related the experience first to Captain Mapstone and then to Fastion. Captain Mapstone was surprised, but told her to just give it time. Fastion didn't try to make any reassurances, he just agreed that it was extremely odd and asked if she would spend the following day with him.
"I've the entire day off and was hoping to go for a ride. Would you like to join me?"
She readily agreed, Condor wouldn't be back for a few more days, but riding would help her forget the hurt that Zachary had caused. She'd accepted the fact that they would never be together, but hadn't they been through too much to not at least be civil to each other? She desperately needed a ride to forget all the things that were bothering her.
*o*o*o*o*o*
Lauren had been summoned to attend the King. When she knocked, he called for her to come in and take a seat. "I'll be with you in a moment," he said before continuing to write something.
While she waited, she took in his new appearance. He had shaved. She hadn't seen him without a beard since he was a young man. It looked good on him, striking even, but made his appearance more severe. His hair also seemed darker, but that was probably for lack of sunshine. The season was changing and he had been so busy recently, that Lauren knew he hadn't had much time to go outside.
With a flourish, he signed his name, folded the paper into an envelope and stamped the hot wax with his signet ring. Handing her the letter, he asked, "Could you have this sent to the garrison at Aubrey Crossing?"
"Of course. Is everything alright?" Was there something going on at the Rhovan border?
"We've had reports of rebel activity, most likely Second Empire. We'll be sending them extra troops."
Why hadn't she heard of this before? Lauren guessed he had attended so many private meetings in the past week that he had just forgotten to inform her about some of the newer developments. Still, it was a bit strange.
Ignoring how weird that was, she changed the subject to something she'd been meaning to ask him about. "I talked to Karigan."
"Oh?" He encouraged politely.
"She told me you have prohibited her from visiting you."
"Because of our history, I thought it best if we didn't see each other for a time. Don't worry, she will be allowed to see me again in a few weeks. Everything will be well by then." His voice was flat, but there was a certain gleam in his eyes that made Lauren wonder.
Why did he think everything would be fixed in only a few short weeks? His reassurance seemed positive, yet lacked any concern for the woman that he used to love. Lauren said, "I fully supported the idea that you should give each other distance, but wasn't it a trifle dramatic to ban her from being in the same room as you?"
His normally passionate eyes looked at her without emotion and he said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "I will not be gainsaid on this. You will keep her out of my presence until I am ready to see her."
Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, she nodded her assent. Rarely did he command her and never before had she felt threatened; she felt so now. When he dismissed her, she was relieved to get out of the room.
Once out of the Zachary's study, her mind began to work properly again. Lauren was positive that Karigan would be in trouble if she disobeyed this time. The Captain knew just how spirited her rider could be and if she was determined, then she was capable of breaking orders. To keep Karigan from getting herself in trouble with the King, Lauren would give her some extra duties to keep her occupied. Lauren grinned, knowing just how much Karigan was going to hate returning to rider accounts, but it would keep her safely in the more administrative wings and far from Zachary.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*
It was early evening when she finally found time to head to the kitchens. For lunch, she'd had only an apple that Mara pilfered for her out of pity. For two weeks she'd been working through the rider accounts and she was only just getting them organized again. Daro, who had been assigned the duty when Karigan went into Blackveil, had been sent on a long message errand and Fergal had been assigned the task in her stead. Karigan would always be fond of Fergal, but numbering was not his strong suite.
She sat down at an empty table. Before she had a chance to eat, Karigan felt a touch on her shoulder and she turned to see Fastion looking down at her. "Hey!"
His lips twitched at the greeting, and then he asked, "Can I join you?"
She nodded and motioned for him to take the seat across from her. She was one of the few to be seen regularly socializing with any of the weapons. Karigan knew some of her fellow riders found it odd that she was so close to them. In the past few weeks this particular weapon had become a regular fixture in her life. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd begun to consider him as a good friend.
When she tasted the steaming food, she couldn't help but sigh with contentment. He noticed the way she savored her food. "Does the King not feed his riders anymore?" His face looked as serious as stone, but there was a teasing quality to the question.
"You'd be hungry too if all you'd eaten was an apple."
"I don't suppose you're trying to lose weight."
"No." She'd never been too concerned with her figure. Besides her mother's small looking glass, she didn't even have a mirror in her room.
"Good." He stated before continuing to eat.
Did that mean he liked how she was? The blunt response had taken her aback and she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at him during the rest of the silent meal. She of course had noticed his body. It was hard not to appreciate his broad shoulders when she often saw him sparring with the other weapons. It was a grand joke between Mara and Teagan. They often chided her for being a swordmaster initiate, as if the only reason she trained was to spend time with the well-muscled men. So yes, on many occasions she had seen him without a shirt and any woman with sense would appreciate such a view.
However, she never thought he'd noticed her in return. Apparently she was wrong. Not that she had ever been shirtless on the practice field. The thought of him seeing her that way was enough to heat her cheeks. A few of the female weapons practiced in only their breeches and breast bands, but Karigan didn't feel that confident while fighting against such good opponents.
So preoccupied, she didn't notice when he finished eating. After several more minutes, she glanced his way again and this time was startled to find him looking back at her. He asked, "How would you like to know some more about rider history?"
She always enjoyed hearing stories of the riders. "What do you have in mind?"
He smiled at her interest, "Follow me."
She didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't where he led her. She questioned, "The council room?"
"We have to access a particular spot of the castle through here."
She ginned in expectation. He meant they would have to use the secret passages to the interior of the castle. Sometimes it was handy to be on friendly terms with the Weapons.
Before leaving the council rooms, he grabbed and lit a torch, explaining that there were no lights beyond the first door. The passage they entered was just wide enough to allow the breadth of his shoulders and everything beyond the torch's glow was obscured by darkness. As they walked, he spoke quietly, explaining how the tunnels had been painstakingly constructed over centuries. For the first time ever, Karigan didn't mind sneaking through the castle's most secretive areas, because this time she was doing it without any threat to her life. Without the danger, the excitement was fun.
When they came to a small door, he stopped to open it and to motion her inside. It must be a large room, because she couldn't see anything till he followed, and even then, all she saw was the door and a large table. As he walked around the wall lighting the torches stationed periodically, the room began to take shape and she gasped. Once properly lit, she could see shelves upon shelves towering all the way to the tall ceiling. They were packed with scrolls and chests of various sizes, some of which were so big that she could only imagine what objects they contained.
"Wow."
He grinned and came to stand beside her.
"It contains our records since the long war." By 'our' she knew he meant the Black Shields.
"All of them?" She was impressed. The riders didn't have any records dating beyond thirty years ago.
"Yes, and we're quite meticulous on details. Come, I'll show you what we came here for."
He looked through the shelves and stopped at one labeled with four numbers: 1496. He riffled through the scrolls until he found the one he searched for.
"Have you read all of these?" He looked to see her wave her hand, clearly indicating most of the room.
"No. I like history, but I'm not that obsessed. We have curators for that."
Thinking of how Estral would drool at the chance to ransack this room, she said disbelievingly, "No one knows." She wondered what details were hidden here, never to be discovered by historians.
As if letting her in on a secret, he whispered, "That's kind of the point."
The blatant sarcasm startled a chuckle out of her and she shook her head.
"Jameson, our chief curator couldn't tell me their exact locations, so I'll have to search a bit for the next few scrolls. Why don't you take a light and explore the other rooms?"
"There are more?"
He turned to begin his search, and answered over his shoulder, "Many. Just don't be gone too long."
She did as he suggested. The next room she found was filled with only scrolls and when she peeked at several, she found that they were only ledgers of past purchases. Grimacing at the numbers, she quickly replaced them and continued to find something more interesting. What she found in the next room didn't disappoint. There were some scrolls, but weapons lined the majority of the shelves, mostly blades, mixed with an odd assortment of other deadly tools. There was a whole wall devoted to daggers. Some of the weapons she didn't recognize and couldn't even imagine how to use them. Karigan wondered how many ways a Black Shield knew how to kill a person. Although she liked the Weapons, she was glad she was a green rider. With all her ghostly experiences, she had enough death as it was. As a group, the Black Shields weren't solely preoccupied with death, but as their motto "Death is Honor" clearly displayed, they weren't afraid of killing or of dying.
The next room held more crates and scrolls. She was about to pass on when she caught sight of a very small door. Curious, she walked nearer. It was low, only coming to her waist, but when she opened it she could hear distant voices. She knew she shouldn't, but it was too tempting to resist. After setting her torch safely in a wall sconce, she crawled through the small opening. As she went, the voices became more distinct. She turned a corner and suddenly there was light. It wasn't much, but it made her blink several times. The light filtered in through a slit and when she crept closer, she realized it was just big enough for her to see into.
She saw the backs of two men hunched over a table. The merchant in her noted that the one on the right was wearing very expensive cloth and she knew it must be some lord.
The one in regular clothing stood and announced, "The Deyer man has been taken care of."
"Good, good. Tell me Selvic, how is the young lord taking it?" Karigan knew that voice, but why would the King be talking of Alton?
Selvic continued, "Not well. He wept openly and when someone mentioned King Zachary the boy hurled a vase at the wall."
A chuckle, followed by the word, "Interesting," There was amusement in the King's voice. Why would he find such a thing funny?
Zachary lifted a paper from the desk and turned in her direction, before distractedly saying, "He will learn respect soon enough."
Karigan shivered at the cold statement, and had a hard time believing what she was witnessing. If she hadn't heard his voice, she wouldn't have recognized him as her King. Something about his appearance awakened a distant memory. His eyes looked dead without their former warmth and affection. He had shaved his beard and it made his face seemed more angular. Overall, his features looked darker. He looked like…With a rush of horror, she realized that she had seen these features once in an old-world courtyard. Her King now had the distinct features of the young Alessandros Del Mornhaven. The shock had her scrambling away from the opening, hoping that he hadn't seen her. Spooked, she scrambled out of the little tunnel and ran back to Fastion, almost forgetting her torch.
When she burst into the first room, he asked, "Did you find anything…" She cut off his question by pressing her hand over his mouth and shaking her head. Not here. They couldn't talk here. HE was too close. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the passages. When it became obvious she didn't remember the way, Fastion squeezed past her to take the lead. When they reached the council chambers, he turned to her.
She peered around, but there was no one else in the room.
Fastion observed the paranoid behavior, then asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's Him."
At this moment, the door opened. Gresha came through followed by Drent, Addison and a middle-aged weapon that Karigan didn't recognize. They stopped near the entrance and took in the scene of their colleague and the tense rider. Fastion glanced at them, and then turned back to the woman who seemed to find trouble everywhere. He admitted, "You'll have to elaborate."
"I wondered off and overheard a conversation between the King and someone named Selvic." The older weapons walked closer to listen. They had been interested before, but now she had their attention. "The second man reported that the 'Deyer' had been disposed of." She noticed Addison and Drent glance at each other as if she'd just confirmed some suspicion. "The King talked about Alton," She shook her head, she was worried about her friend, but she couldn't do anything about that right now. Karigan looked at each of the weapons in turn, eventually her gaze fell and stayed with Addison. He was the highest ranking person in the room. "Then he turned around and I saw His transformation. Remember, I haven't been allowed to see Him for weeks. I'm sure he ordered this restriction knowing I would recognize Him otherwise. When He faced my direction, I immediately recognized the features of Mornhaven." She paused to let the information and their implications sink in. "The features are too distinct and I know them all too well. Mornhaven is here and from the looks of it, he's had control of Zachary for quite some time."
Drent spoke first and directly to the point, "If we killed Zachary, would Mornhaven be able to come back?"
She didn't like being their chief consultant. She didn't know anything for sure. She only had her experiences. She tried to reason through it. When Mornhaven had possessed her, he only left when she'd injured herself. So that means he knew he wouldn't survive a fatal injury to his host body. It was the best she had and she really hoped she wasn't wrong.
"No. He would die as well."
The others looked to Addison, and he confirmed, "I'll alert the Island of our decision. Do it as quickly as possible."
She didn't know what exactly he was referring to, but it sounded very final for Zachary. "Wait." Karigan spoke up again and they all looked at her. She knew that Mornhaven must die and that great sacrifices needed to be made. Hells, she was more than willing to sacrifice herself if it meant her family and friends would be free of Mornhaven's terror. If they acted quickly, they could avoid another long war. But…it felt wrong to just dispose of Zachary as if he were nothing. Not knowing how else to help the King, she asked, "Give me one day. I want to make sure that Mornhaven is truly connected to Zachary, otherwise we'll lose our King for nothing."
It was sound logic, they would like that. It would at least make them consider the idea.
"How would you know?" Gresha questioned.
Indicating her broach, Karigan said, "I'd be able to see it with my gift. The only problem is that I would need a clear view of him."
She could tell Drent was about to argue against her, but Fastion spoke first, "The ball tonight, it's the least likely place for Mornhaven to notice her. We could sneak her in, hide her in the crowd and get her out without him noticing."
Karigan shot him a thankful glance for the help.
Addison gave her a grave look, "The ball starts in two hours. So I will give you three hours from now to accomplish your goal. If you do not succeed, we will proceed with the plans we already have in place. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," She answered softly.
With that, Addison took Drent and the unknown weapon out of the room.
Fastion looked as if he was waiting for her to move. She asked, "Are you going to help me?"
His lips twitched, he stated, "I'm going to make sure you survive the night."
She smiled softly, glad for his presence.
Gresha still lingered by the door and when she had Karigan's attention, she inquired, "What are you planning to wear?"
Karigan answered honestly, "I have no idea."
The older woman studied Karigan's figure and after considering for a moment, she said, "I think we can provide you with something."
Several dark passages and locked doors later, Karigan stood in an expensive looking room, facing a closet full of colorful, floor-length gowns.
"I wasn't aware that the weapons kept such a wardrobe on stock."
Fastion snorted from behind her, "They don't."
Gresha explained, "This is Lady Saphora's second room. They are the gowns that she either thought were outdated or weren't tasteful." Her voice sounded thoughtful, "She does have a rather large chest, so we will need to choose carefully."
Fastion grumbled, "I'll wait in the passageway."
Once he left, Karigan had to try on numerous gowns before they finally found one with a corset. It was black and simple, which Karigan thought the lack of color would help keep her discreet. At least it was better than the white one that sprouted feathers from some unrecognizable, exotic bird.
While Karigan tackled the dresses, Gresha searched the drawers and found some hairpins. There was no mirror in the room and she had to trust the Arms Master to make her hair representable. It didn't have to look glamorous, she just had to blend in with the nobles.
There was a lot of tugging and even a curse, but eventually Gresha pronounced the job was done. She turned Karigan by the shoulders and said, "It is late and I'm needed elsewhere, but may you have luck on your side tonight."
*o*o*o*o*o*
He sat against the wall and waited for the women to finish. He was beginning to wonder if they would be late to the ball when he heard the door open and a dim light filtered into the passageway. He heard her step one healed foot and then the other into the stone corridor.
He stiffly stood and turned towards her. He wasn't prepared for what she looked like and the sight made him stand as still as the stone beneath his feet. The skin of her shoulders and neck was exposed and glowed in the dim light. He knew that if he reached out to touch her neck, it would feel warm and smooth. The dark gown blended into the black of the surrounding passage. She looked every inch the Servant of Westrion for which he knew she was. He thought the dark tones were fitting for the occasion.
"Fastion?" She called softly.
He swallowed, then replied, "I'm here."
She squinted in the direction of his voice and he stepped forward to join her in the dim light. "Are you ready?"
She grabbed a small torch and nodded. He knew this network of passages well enough that a torch wasn't necessary, but she most certainly would need guidance. Not that he would mind if she accidentally bumped into him in the dark.
"This way," he led her south towards the smaller ballroom. Not many guests had been invited to this gathering, but he hoped Karigan could blend in with the noblewomen that were present. If she succeeded, she would just be one of a hundred other ladies. Then they could leave and she would once again be safe.
When they reached the appropriate door, he took the torch from her and placed it in a wall sconce. "We're going in and out as quickly as possible. The King won't be there immediately, but when he does arrive, try to keep his back to you. If he doesn't see you, then this will be all the easier."
"And what will you be doing?"
He grinned, "I'm just another Black Shield on duty for this event." And with that, he opened the door and she slipped through its concealing curtain.
