Heir to the Sundered Crown (10 page)

Thanos leaned forward in his seat, slightly curious to see whether his young apprentice would notice something out of place. To his surprise Luxon’s eyes stayed fixed on the girl a tad too long. The boy blushed slightly. Thanos had to restrain a chuckle, he noticed something alright. He noticed her good looks. Boys will be boys.

“Ah, Welsly Luxon welcome, come in take a seat” Thanos greeted warmly.

“What’s this about Master?” Luxon asked recognising the mantle worn by the knight. A knot of fear twisted in his gut. All of the apprentices and students knew the story’s of the merciless knights who hunted down their kind.

Welsly remained standing, he too noticed the knight. His hand drifted lazily to the hilt of his sword.

Feeling the tension rise in the room Thanos stood and smacked a palm on the crystal table surface.

“Listen here. These two are our guests. Sir Kaiden serves the order of Niveren, but he is not here to harm anyone. His companion is Alira,’ Thanos explained impatiently, gesturing to the girl, ‘a girl who has been having visions of late. Visions in which you have been mentioned Luxon.”

The boy took a step back in surprise.

*

After a few minutes of awkward introductions and explanations Luxon found himself alone with Alira in the Grandmaster’s chambers. The two sat in silence, he twiddling his fingers, she checking her fingernails for dirt. As to where Thanos, the knight and the Nightblade had gone he didn’t know, but he got the sense that his Master had intended for him to be alone with the girl.

She was pretty he couldn’t deny that, but she wasn’t a patch on Hannah.

“You’re younger than I thought” Alira said into the quiet, causing him to jump in surprise. “I thought that you would be some mighty powerful mage, with white hair and a long beard...”

“...and the ability to shoot fireballs from my arse no doubt” Luxon interjected.

Alira glared at him. Luxon sighed in annoyance.

“Listen I don’t know what you and sir what’s his face want with me, but I reckon I’m not the guy you’re looking for. I’m just a lowly apprentice mage who’s not even travelled south of the Ridder River.

“I have dreams too. That’s all your visions are. Just dreams,” he explained, trying to sound authoritative.

Alira stared daggers at the boy, “you just said you’re nothing but a lowly apprentice... so what do you know about things.’ Her voice rose in pitch as frustration and fear edged into her words. “I haven’t been able to sleep in months, I keep hearing names, seeing things I never want to see and always I see the face with the black eyes.”

Luxon stared at her in disbelief.

“You hear names?” he asked quietly.

Alira nodded. Her golden hair falling into her eyes in the process, she swept it back over her ear.

“Every night I am told two names.’ She stared at one of the tapestries on the rooms walls. A blue and golden pentacle was emblazoned on a blood red background. It was the Sigel of the first ring of magic.  ‘Names that I do not know. Alderlade is one and the other...” she paused and stared at him her eyes were filled with something akin to yearning, a yearning for answers.  ‘The other name is Luxon...always Luxon.”

Luxon looked away from her gaze. He didn’t know what was happening. First, had come his own dreams. Always he had dreamt but now they were growing more vivid, stranger and more terrifying. Then he was told of his unique gift of being a thaumaturgist, a magic wielder able to cast spells just through thought and feelings and now he was being told that he was appearing in the dreams of this strange girl from half a world away.

*

The fireworks and the festivities were the perfect cover. Moving quickly through the unsuspecting crowds of drunken revellers the group of men went unchallenged. Their crimson cloaks didn’t stand out on this most festive of evenings. Getting over the city’s crystal walls however had proven problematic but to the Crimson Blades nothing was impossible.

After walking through alleys and down backstreets the assassins reached their destination. The Arch tower stood strong and tall above the city like a giant. It was now the tallest structure in Delfinnia now that the Sun spire was now just a ruin in SunGuard, a once magnificent structure toppled during the night of tears along with countless other irreplaceable buildings and monuments. Inside the tower was their target.

***

11.

The sound of leather-soled boots stealthily creeping along the stone flagged floor was almost indistinguishable over the background noise of the celebrations which seemed like they would never end. Only a man who was trained to notice such detail would be able to pick it out, and Kaiden was such a man.

He thought they would be safe in the city, but it seemed that danger had once again caught up with him.

He deftly slid from his bed onto the balls of his feet, moving as quickly and as silently as he could to the corner of the small where he had billeted for the night. After their long journey Kaiden had jumped at the Arch mage’s offer of a room and clean sheets for the night. He talked at length with the man but it felt as though their conversation was but a side show after he left Alira with the boy Luxon. They had spoken of events in the world, of the war and of dark murmurs emanating from the outer reaches of the realm.

The noise was drawing closer to the room, he was certain.

He drew his Long sword from its sheath, the familiar weight giving him some comfort as he prepared to defend himself. He’d kick himself if it proved to be nothing, but being in the city of the mage’s he wasn’t prepared to take any chances.

The room in which he found himself was comprised of a small chest, bed, a worn out leather backed chair and a tiny window high on the wall. There was no visible way of escape aside from the door in which the footsteps now approached. No access to the outside. Kaiden set his jaw, he would have to make a stand or at least hold them off until he could think of some way out of this.

He was one of the best swordsmen in the order, he had no idea if the people sneaking up to his door knew who and what he was, but he wasn’t about to let them find out. His thoughts flashed to Alira, still in the Arch mages room with the boy. He almost swore to himself, were the mages betraying him because he was a knight of Niveren? It was certainly possible, after centuries of his order hunting rouge mages and magic wielders why would they not want to seek vengeance? With no King and no Kings law there was nothing stopping them from murdering him. The land was in chaos, the other knights would never learn of his fate.

As his mind ran wild the sound of the stealthy footsteps had now stopped directly outside of his door; he knew now for certain that his suspicions had been right, if they were mages he wouldn’t make it easy for them. He positioned himself to one side of the doorframe and waited for his adversary.

The door handle turned slowly, and with a quiet click the door began to silently open.

Kaiden tensed, ready to make his move.

Two throwing knifes flew through the now open door digging themselves deep into the bed right where his head would have been.

The assassin noticed fast that their quarry was not where he was supposed to be and moved into the room, a sharp and lethal curved blade in their hand.

Kaiden wasted no time and immediately hacked his sword in a downward stroke, slicing his attackers arm clean off at the elbow.

The Knight bellowed a challenge and struck again, this time burying his blade up to the hilt into the assassin’s chest. The lifeless corpse slid off the blood soaked blade and slumped to the floor.

Kaiden ducked just as another thrown knife struck the wall where he had just been standing, he immediately threw himself to the floor and rolled to his feet as two more of the robed figures charged him with familiar curved daggers in their hands.

He was now in the main upstairs corridor of the towers dorm area, it was narrow with various doors leading to other guest rooms on either side. His attackers blocked the staircase that would lead him to the the main hall and perhaps to safety. He could see only one other possible escape route, the large window at the far end of the passage.

He parried a quick strike from the lead attacker bringing his elbow up and striking the assassin square in the throat. The robed figure immediately fell to the floor clutching his throat, gasping for air now that his windpipe had been crushed.

The second assassin was more patient, holding back and watching Kaiden for any sign of weakness. The knight didn’t give him the chance and instead charged. As he made a lunge for the assassin’s head the robed figure moved with astounding speed, slashing him in the face. The pain was extraordinary and a burning sensation began to emanate from the wound.

Kaiden had no time to think, as again the assassin was on him, their dagger swinging and stabbing savagely. It took all of his concentration to parry the blows that were raining down on him. The pain in his face had begun to subside, but now numbness was spreading out from it, one side of his face had now lost most of its feeling.

Poison! It was a poisoned blade he realized with horror. Just what poison it could be, he didn’t know, but it would surely kill him if he couldn’t escape and find a healer soon.

He now knew the assassins intent, they would keep him occupied long enough for the poison to take affect and they would watch him die a slow death or perhaps capture him… the realization struck him like a fist, the poison wasn’t intended to kill him, but paralyse him, he could feel the numbness spreading through his body, he had to escape and soon. Questions flashed into his mind. Where they trying to capture him and Alira? Had they been followed on the King’s road? Or were they here for some other nefarious purpose.

Kaiden feinted high with his blade and rotated his wrists so that now his blade was ready for an upward slash to the assassins face. The assassin however moved to parry the cut and as he did so, Kaiden twisted again causing his sword to catch the assassin in the throat.

Scarlet blood hit the corridor wall as the sword sliced clean through the attacker’s throat. The robed figure crumpling to the floor in a heap as blood continued to spurt from the wound.

Kaiden leaned against the passageway wall, his breath now wheezing out of him. His whole face now felt numb and the sensation was spreading through his arms. He made to head for the staircase, but the now familiar figure of yet another assassin was cresting the top step. His dagger was drawn, looking for vengeance for his comrades’ deaths.

Where was the towers security? Where were the mages?

The large window was his only possible escape route; he was in no condition to take on another of these vicious killers. Steeling himself he ran as fast as he could at the window.

With an ear piercing smash he went flying through the air, hoping that there would be something soft to cushion his fall.

The fall felt like forever, and with a bone-jarring thud Kaiden hit the ground, fortunately landing on a hay basket that took most of the impact. His shoulder was dislocated but apart from that he was okay. Dragging himself to his feet he staggered away from the tower. He made it only a few paces before falling into unconsciousness.

The last thing he heard was the cities alarm bells beginning to toll out in the night air. He had escaped…

***

12.

The door to Thanos’s study burst open with an ear splitting cracking of wooden timbers. The alarm bells were tolling loudly outside the Arch tower and the sounds of frightened screams from the partygoers on the streets clawed at Luxon’s nerves. Whatever was happening outside the tower sounded like the entire void had been set free.

Luxon and Alira were hiding behind Thanos’s desk. The sturdy crystalline surface was far stronger than it appeared and its opaque service offered them some semblance of cover. The girl was breathing hard, her nerves were frayed and if she was reacting like himself then her heart was pounding a mile a minute.

Cautiously Luxon poked his head above the lip of the desk. His eyes widened as he saw a robed figure standing in the doorway. The material of the robe was the colour of fresh blood. The hood hid the person’s features, but it was clear as to their intention. In their hand was a vicious dagger and slung across their back was a lethal looking crossbow.

Luxon ducked back down holding a finger to his lips to tell Alira to keep quiet. He could have kicked himself. He hadn’t been trained in combat magic’s, all he knew was basic tricks and... The levitation spell! The mages of the lowest ring like he was were only taught the most basic of spells. Things like illumination and basic healing; he’d give anything to be a higher mage with knowledge of the elemental combat magic’s such as Lightening or Flame.

The robed figure stalked into the room, the creak of their leather boots the only sound coming from the assassin, Alira’s eyes widened in fear as she heard the killer creep closer to the desk. Luxon gestured for her to stay still.

He closed his eyes and focused. He could feel a tingling sensation spread up his arm and power flow into his body. He had to refrain from laughing as he felt the magic build within; the tingling becoming more intense as he focused on the heavy desk. He raised a hand slowly. Alira stifled a gasp as the desk began to rock, the noise instantly drawing the attention of the assassin.

The footsteps grew closer. Luxon had his eyes shut tightly as he concentrated.

Alira screamed as the assassin leapt on top of the desk his dagger pointing menacingly at her. She scrambled back away from the killer.

“Luxon! Help me” she cried.

Luxon smiled.

“Of course.”

He flung his arms upwards. Alira screamed as the desk shot into the air, the surprised assassin on top. With a smash the desk, complete with the stunned assassin slammed into the crystalline ceiling, a sickening squelch the only clue as to the assassin’s fate.