Chapter 7

"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance."—Art of War, Sun Tzu

For the next few weeks, Karigan found herself unusually busy. Because of her standing as Knight of the Realm and because of her most recent experiences, she was now required to attend meetings with Captain Mapstone. Occasionally they would receive reports on Second Empire's movements, but otherwise these meetings were tiring and dull. Unfortunately for Karigan, King Zachary also attended many of them. Not wanting to talk to him, she had tried to spend as little time with him as possible, however this wasn't easy because he seemed determined to get her alone. She had already narrowly avoided several encounters with him. His initial awe at discovering she was alive had worn off, and he seemed somehow more driven. He seemed to show up everywhere she went, and she was beginning to wonder if he'd memorized her schedule.

One night, Karigan stepped towards the castle entrance, head tilted to the side as she tried to wring the water from her long hair. Once inside, her boots left large, wet prints on the glossy floor. For days the skies had been gray and threatening with bad weather to come. The storm had finally come that afternoon and with a ferocity that was more characteristic of a coastal monsoon than an inland rain storm. Needless to say, she was soaked and felt chilled to the bone. It had been a frustrating day and she'd like nothing more than a nice, hot bath. So preoccupied with this glorious thought, she didn't see the person in front of her until she walked right into them. Mumbling an apology, she tried to step away, but strong hands grabbed her just below the waist. She looked up into the amber eyes of the King and with embarrassment and discomfort she realized his gaze was not on her face, but on her body. Trying not to fidget, she stood there shivering and all too aware how her drenched uniform did little to hide her features.

Despite his former attempts, they hadn't really talked since she came back from Blackveil. They would attend the same meetings, but that was as much interaction as she'd had to suffer. During these affairs, he'd sometimes try to catch her eye, as if he could communicate with his gaze. Lately there had been a change in his behavior. His looks have been getting progressively more intense. A year ago, she might have appreciated such a look from him, but now she felt more like a piece of meat at the butcher's shop, being eyed to fulfill some personal satisfaction.

He clung to her now, his hands hot and tight on her hips. The tenderness that he used to have in abundance was now absent. The treatment made her angry and she had the urge to hit him. She resisted the urge, but barely. Such a physical assault was inappropriate and would probably get her in big trouble. Her younger self might have committed that kind of rash insubordination, but the current Karigan had more self-control.

Carefully she removed his hands and stepped back. She didn't think she could say anything polite, not with her anger being so great. Instead, she turned and walked back out into the rain. The wind had picked up again and pebble-sized raindrops pounded into every available surface. Unlike before, she now appreciated the torrential rain, because it would probably deter the king from following her.

With nowhere in particular to go, she headed for the stables. Not for the first time in the past few weeks, she wished she could take refuge in the old Rider Barracks. They used to be a safe haven since they were physically separate from the castle and its politics. After the barracks burned, all the riders were moved inside. Being a castle tenant had its advantages, but it also gave Karigan more exposure to the aristocrats. Her room in the rider wing was her sanctuary, but it was small and gave little reprieve from the looks of fear and awe she received from most people. News of her exploits had spread fast, and it seemed the whole castle knew who she was and what she'd done. She didn't like the attention. Even her fellow riders seemed to gawk at her a bit more than before. Thankfully, the more senior riders treated her as friendly as ever. It was their company and friendship that made everything else bearable.

She didn't feel like she deserved the attention, because she felt little more than a playing piece in the gods' game of intrigue. Surely that feeling was just a part of life. Other people probably feel that way too. It was a nice reassurance and something that she really wanted to believe. Karigan had no desire to be powerful or to play with the fates of others, which was the business of kings and gods.

Through the rain, she could make out the blurred figure of the stable and she hastened forwards in anticipation of the dry building. Stepping through the dark opening, a wave of warmth and the smell of fresh hay welcomed her. Drawing near the stalls, a couple horses poked their heads out to eye her. Though none of them were her Condor (he wasn't yet to arrive for a few more days), they still gladdened her heart.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

He had yet to be assigned anything and since he already knew how to write and ride, Captain Mapstone let him spend most of his days sparring with the Black Shields. This was was great fun for Sevelon. It had been so long since he'd been able to handle a sword and he greatly enjoyed the exercises. When he wasn't on the practice fields, he hung around the King (of course the King didn't know he was there) or Karigan (who was still wary of him, but didn't protest). He was beginning to see her as tolerable company, especially if he compared her to the other castle residents.

Early one morning he saw her walking from the castle entrance towards the rider wing. She looked like she hadn't slept, or at least not well. Her uniform was wrinkled and dusty. The bags under her eyes were suspiciously swollen. With a lurch of hardly remembered emotion, it reminded Sevelon of how his sister had looked after she'd once cried herself to sleep. He approached her. At the sound of his footsteps, she spun and looked over suspiciously. He didn't know who she'd been expecting, but when she met his eyes, she relaxed her defensive stance.

"I was just headed to the kitchens, how about I grab two plates and bring them to the common room?" It was a long sentence for his usually silent self. She looked a bit startled at his speech and perhaps also by the offer. Looking unsure of his motives, she just nodded.

Undaunted by her lack of faith, he went to make good on his offer of breakfast. It was early enough that when he acquired two food trays, they were hot and steaming. He also grabbed two cups of tea. His sister had been fond of the herbal drink, maybe Karigan would be as well.

It turns out that she was. When Sevelon handed the hot mug to her, she cupped it in her hands and breathed in deeply as if it was a long cherished thing. No one else was in the common room and she'd started a fire. As they ate, he observed her. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned over the dark, sturdy table (more for support than anything). He'd seen her exhausted many times over the past weeks, usually as she finished her sparring lessons with Drent. What he was seeing now wasn't a physical exhaustion. Sevelon wondered if she was as sick of the castle politics as he was. He would ask her what was wrong, but he highly doubted that she'd tell him the truth.

Normally, Sevelon was comfortable with silence and didn't feel the need to talk unless Karigan asked him a question. Now however, he wished he was some spontaneous young man who could charm her into forgetting her worries.

He recalled one of their first conversations. Captain Mapstone had handed Karigan some paperwork, telling her to show "Sev" where Drakius Brown kept his office. Arms full of parchment, they walked off. When they reached the main part of the castle, their trip was delayed by a horde of high pitched women and in overstuffed silk costumes. The noblewomen had found something fabulously funny and had stopped to talk about it, uncaring that they were blocking the entire main corridor. After a minute, he spotted Queen Estora and some of her friends in the center of the group and that they were about to begin a whole new conversation. At first he was patient, but after a few minutes he was tempted to just move them all out of the way. He could do it easily, and their resulting shrieks would be highly amusing. He couldn't however, not if he wanted to keep his cover. Damn it, this place was like a gold-gilded cage, very pretty, but thoroughly stifling. He wanted to be free of the castle and the ridiculous people that tended to flock there.

When the ladies started exclaiming about their latest fashion, Sevelon muttered how it looked more like some unflattering disease. Karigan had apparently heard the uncharitable remark, because she burst out laughing.

He remembered how it had lifted her face and the image filled him with warmth. Now they sat together, away from such pompous and ignorant behavior, and he wished that he could make her laugh again.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The next morning, he woke to someone knocking softly on his door. Pulling on his shirt, he was surprised to find a child dressed almost exactly like himself. He had seen these small messengers running around the castle, but he didn't think he'd ever have one sent to him. Usually they were reserved for the nobility. This one stood there looking up at him and then blurted, "You're very tall." Eyes going wide, he clamped his hands over his mouth, as if he had forgotten that he was supposed to be professional.

Sevelon had to smile. He knelt down and straightened the boy's uniform, he couldn't be more than 7 and he seemed so small.

"Do you have a message for me?" He tried not to be too intimidating.

The boy nodded enthusiastically, "Captain Mapstone wants you in the council room."

"Could you show me where that is?" Because to be honest, he had no bloody idea. The boy was nodding again and walking quickly down the hallway before Sevelon had time to close the door. Following the boy along multiple corridors, he had to wonder, since when could Kings afford to build such big houses for themselves and their guests? Sevelon would have chosen a smaller castle and housed at least twice the troops in the same space; it would be much more defensible. Not that Zachary had built it himself; he was only unfortunate enough to inherit it.

The boy led him to a set of double doors with guards posted on either side. On the inside sat twenty-some people in a variety of uniforms. He spotted green and sat in the open seat between Karigan and Captain Mapstone. For some reason, he had been chosen to represent the riders for this council of war. Maybe all the more senior riders were on message errands.

As the meeting progressed, Sevelon wasn't sure if he was interested or bored. After trailing the King for days, he already knew the majority of the intelligence being shared. Some of the men in blue uniforms had an interesting theory on tactical maneuvers, but then the conversation was switched to a young group on the other side of the long table. Some of what they were saying rang of campaign inexperience. He looked around the table and had to wonder how many of this military staff had ever fought in battle. They had probably been in small skirmishes, what with groundmites, Colonel Birch, and the coup that had been attempted a few years prior. But this country hadn't had a real war for two hundred years.

Somehow, Sevelon didn't think any of these military officials would appreciate war advice from a lowly rider. After all, they would never be able to grasp how or why he was far more experienced in campaigning than any of them. So he sat in silence, acting like a naïve rider, not once voicing the flaws so clearly evident in their strategy. In the past, he had led armies into battle, but that was not his mission here. The best help he could be to these people was to blend in and not be noticed for what he truly was until the moment Mornhaven presented himself. If he succeeded, then they would win, regardless of whatever military plans they were making now.

To help keep himself quiet, he began to watch the people around him. He had learned enough about the castle's intrigue in the past few weeks to know that some of these people could pose problems to his plan.

King Zachary was an especially a big problem. He would have some very strong objections if Sevelon needed to dispose of Karigan in order to get to Mornhaven. Not that he wanted to, but ever since having touched her skin behind the horse stables, he was positive that a certain part of her magical base was connected to Mornhaven the Black. It was strong enough in fact, that the moment she touched him, he felt the darkness, that's why he had turned around ready to attack.

This means that Mornhaven might try to manipulate her (and Sevelon might have to kill her), or she might die just because Mornhaven's power was destroyed (which would be his doing as well).

So in the event that he had to harm Karigan and make Zachary his enemy, Sevelon would prefer for the King to think of him only as a minor threat. He obviously held Karigan in a special regard. More than that actually, if the rare unguarded looks he shot her were anything to go by. These were loaded gazes, and displayed a far from platonic relationship. Sevelon noted that he was not the only one observing. Queen Estora was following the king's motions with keen supervision, as if she was afraid her husband was going to tumble the Knight of the Realm.

Karigan however would not return the King's glances. During the meeting, she hardly even looked up from the table. She participated when necessary, but otherwise sat awkwardly in her chair, as if she would rather be anywhere else than in that room.

As the meeting was about to wrap up, the King announced that the green riders would be patrolling as well as delivering messengers. He argued that they were less conspicuous and most towns people would trust them with talk that they would keep quiet around the more militaristic units.

Captain Mapstone addressed them as everyone else was rising from their seats. "You two will be patrolling Eastern LiPetre, Southern Penburn, and D'yer Province. You will be given several letters just in case you need an excuse to stop in on one of the governors, but your main duty is to protect the villagers and watch Second Empire's movements." Here she looked at Karigan. "You'll be happy to know that Condor arrived late last night with some urgent reports from Alton. He says that the wall has been leaking some strange creatures. They don't know what exactly because all the night guards were killed. I'm sending you since you're the most experienced with Blackveil's creatures. Drent agrees with me that Rider Sev is ready for this kind of confrontation, but I trust you will still treat this like a training mission for him." Here she looked at Sevelon. "If anything major happens, return to Sacor City immediately to let the king know. I expect to have some kind of report at the end of the month."

Looking like a proud parent, the Captain smiled as she looked between them and Sevelon strongly suspected her of playing match-maker. It was just as well for him since he'd rather be stuck with Karigan than any other rider. He just had more faith in Karigan's ability to handle bad situations. Still grinning, Mapstone finished with, "Take care of each other."