Merek's Ascendance (13 page)

He was a killer.

As if she could sense him drowning in his own actions, Julia came to his side.

“Thank you. You probably saved my life.”

“I killed him,” Merek replied, “I just killed a man.”

“He was going to kill you,” she said, lightly placing a hand on his arm. “I think you did the right thing.”

And, though it was only a little bit, that did actually help.

“I don’t think that’s something I’ll ever get used to.”

“Oh, you will,” a new voice entirely said.
Merek and Julia turned to see a few guards heading towards them with weapons drawn. “You just need a few more under your belt.”

Merek nodded, though the soldier’s words did nothing to mollify him. “
I don’t think that’s ever something I
want
to get used to.”

“We’ll handle this,” the other soldier said, picking the surviving bandit off of the ground and carrying him away in irons. Merek retrieved his staff and, with one last look at the dead poacher, Merek walked away with Julia.

“Did I do the right thing?” he asked her the moment they were alone again.

“
Didn’t I already answer that?” she replied with a half-smile. Merek thought back and nodded.

“It’s just… why couldn’t we find a peaceful solution? Why did he insist we fight?”

“You’re asking questions people have been trying to answer for years. Personally, I don’t think there is an answer.”

“Maybe you’re right. You know…” he hesitated, unsure of how he wanted to word his next sentence. “Never mind,” he said.

Julia, however, was not about to allow him to chicken out. “What?”

“It’s… no, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, please tell me.”

Merek hesitated again, staring off at the stars.

“It’s just… you are… smart.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that… I just… oh, I’m messing this up horribly, aren’t I?”

“I don’t even know what ‘this’ is.”

Merek took a long moment to collect his thoughts. He had an inkling that if he didn’t pull himself together, his night with Julia would turn sour. Well, more sour, at any rate.

“I don’t have a lot of experience having… friends. So I’m not very good at this whole…

‘talking’ thing. But… you are very interesting… and it has been a pleasure to spend this evening with you.”

             
Julia smiled, her face going red as she refused to look at him.

             
“And…” Merek said as his heart jumped into his throat and momentarily muting him. “I would very much like to spend more evenings with you.”

             
Julia looked very surprised at his words, but not as surprised as Merek felt that he had actually gotten the words out

“I..
. I would like that too,” Julia finally said, staring determinedly at his chest.

They made their way back to the tavern, neither speaking very much. But by the time they made it to the door, their hands had somehow become intertwined with each other. Neither of them had instigated it happening, but neither one made any move to separate.

Thorald greeted Merek at the door, laughing and shouting with a mug in his hand.

“Are you…” Merek cast around for the right word. He knew what it was, he had read about it just last week. “Drunk, my friend?”

“I am not,” Thorald said, his voice slurred, pulling Merek – and by extension, Julia – into the tavern. “I’ve just been drinking. Come, let’s sing a song!”

“I’m afraid I don’t know any, your highness.”

“No titles. I hate titles. ‘My prince, your highness, your royal majesty – that ones the worst – I don’t like any of ‘em. I’m just Thorald. Plain and simple.”

Merek simply chuckled, even as he cast his gaze around for
anything out of the ordinary.

And, with a shudder he couldn’t suppress, he found something. A face was watching his, and as their eyes met Merek’s blood ran cold. Before he could get a solid lock on it, a finger pointed to a back room and his target was gone.

“… and then people don’t ever actually treat me like a person! It’s always prince this, your majesty that. Sometimes it’s exhausting.”

Merek turned back to Thorald, his heart beating so hard against his chest it was causing him physical pain.

“I’ll be right back,” Merek said to Julia, who looked at him with a face full of worry. He tried to smile, to soothe her, but his smile failed.

He walked as slowly as he dared to come face to face with someone he had so hoped he would never see again.

His father was staring him down.

Chapter Ten: Blood and Bonds

              “So here’s where you ran off to,” were the first words out of his father’s mouth. Merek said nothing, trying to organize his thoughts into something rational.

             
“I see you’re having fun at my expense,” he continued, and Merek’s eyes narrowed.

             
“Your expense?” Merek said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

             
“Oh yes. I’ve heard the stories of the newest knight in training. Merek Quinn. Son of a knight in some far off kingdom. Except… as much as I hate to admit it… I’m your father. And I don’t remember being a knight of anywhere.”

             
“Trust me,” Merek snapped, “I didn’t tell them you were a knight.”

             
“Ashamed of me, are you? Ashamed of the man who put food on the table, who supplied you with a roof and four walls?”

             
And occasionally took it away,
Merek almost said. But the words remained trapped behind his teeth.

             
“Your mother pulled through, by the way,” his father said. “Still carries the scar you left her with, not to mention a broken heart you gave her.”

             
“Funny, cause I still have the scar you gave me,” Merek said through clenched teeth, “and I don’t believe for a second either of you were sad to see me go.”

             
“That’s true,” his father laughed, “you never were grateful to me. You always wanted to leave, to go somewhere new. You never once thought about how your mother and I would feel, how we’d manage without you.”

             
“It didn’t look like you wanted to manage with me,” Merek retorted, “so without me shouldn’t be too difficult.”

             
“That’s not how you talk to your father,” the bigger man said, taking a step forward.

             
Merek wanted to stare him down. Merek wanted to show his father that he couldn’t just threaten him anymore. He wanted to say something, anything.

             
But none of those things happened. Merek’s eyes simply dropped to the floor, and he waited for the inevitable.

             
“The Healer charged a lot for the medicine to help your mother. And you’re going to pay it back.”

             
Merek almost laughed. The Healer charged next to nothing for all of her remedies.

             
“That and we need a little extra gold around the house for… certain things.”

             
Hopefully a bathtub,
Merek thought savagely.

             
“So you’re going to pay up, or I’ll tell all your little friends here that everything you’ve told them is a complete lie.”

             
Merek could say nothing to defend himself. He had gotten paid a meager sum for some patrols he had gone on, but he wouldn’t be making any real gold until he became a true knight, hunting down bandits and protecting the townsfolk.

             
Not that any of that changed his answer.

             
“How much do you want?”

             
“Oh, I think thirty pieces of gold ought to be enough. For starters.”

             
“Starters?” Merek said incredulously.

             
“I gave you life, little boy. I’m the reason you’re living the good life here while I have to slave in a mine. You owe me. And you’re going to pay.”

             
A thousand angry rebuttals burst into Merek’s brain, each one more vehement than the last.

             
But there was only one answer to give.

             
“Yes sir.”

             
His father smiled before holding out his hand. Without looking him in the eye, hating himself for what he was doing, Merek reached down to his coin purse (such a weird thing to have) and pulled out thirty gold. He had exactly thirty-two pieces, though he was careful not to let his father see the extra gold.

             
“Well, that’s the first time you’ve ever actually done anything useful. I’ll be seeing you… son.” The last word was dripping with venom, and Merek could feel it poison him. His father left the room, leaving Merek to stew in his thoughts.

             
When he finally rejoined Thorald and Julia, Julia looked worried and Thorald had downed even more drinks, and was therefore even more excited.

             
“And we’ll fight to the bitter eeeeend!” Thorald was singing, “even though the wooooounds shall never meeeend! Our enemiiiies will fall at our feeeet, as they driiiink of the battle’s heeeeeat!”

             
Merek pulled his calm smile into place, pushing his dread and his rage into the furthest, darkest corner of his mind. Julia smiled back, but he could tell that she wasn’t fooled by his smile.

             
He had fooled both a king and a prince simply by smiling, but a pretty woman with a kind heart wouldn’t follow.

             
“So,” Thorald said as he finished singing, “who was that man?”

             
Merek’s smile didn’t falter, though worry crept into his eyes. “What man?”

             
“The dirty fellow with the mean look. He was staring at you for a full minute.”

             
“Oh,” Merek said, thinking quickly. He cast around for something, anything to lie with, and finally he thought of the dead poacher. He instinctively shuddered at the memory, but it gave him an idea.

             
“He’s an informant. I met him when I was in the forest, and asked him to help me track down a few poachers.”

             
“How much does he charge?”

             
“Thirty pieces of gold,” Merek replied.
So far
, he mentally added.

             
“I hope he’s closing in on them, for that price!” Thorald said.

             
“He is,” Merek said. When had he become so practiced at bold-faced lying? “In fact, I was wondering if I could go out tomorrow and track them down.”

             
“Would you want a partner in this endeavor?” Thorald said, sounding much more sober than he had been two minutes ago.

             
“Possibly,” Merek replied, “who did you have in mind?”

             
“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a good hunt, but I’d enjoy trying my hand again.”

             
“I don’t suppose you boys would let a lowly blacksmith join you?” Julia said to the floor. Merek actually blanched a small bit, surprised, as she looked up to make the smallest moment of eye contact with him.

             
“Well, seeing as this is Merek’s hunt, that makes it my staunch protector’s decision.”

             
“And why would you want to join us?” Merek asked, interested.

             
“You two? Alone in the woods? I want you both to come back alive,” she laughed, but the laugh felt forced to Merek, as if something else was worrying her.

             
“You wound us!” Thorald said, taking another deep swig of his ale, “we’ve conquered plenty in that forest. We conquered a tornado, dear lady!”

             
“I’m pretty sure ‘escaped’ is more the word,” Merek laughed.

             
“Semantics,” Thorald countered, “I say we bring the lass with us. She seems ready to help.”

             
“If that’s what you want,” Merek said, nodding to Julia, “than you are most welcome.”

             
Now she smiled, a real smile that lit up her face. Merek couldn’t tell what her motives were, but he had read somewhere that there was safety in numbers. Even as he stared at his two friends, his own smile faded. He didn’t deserve friends like these, friends who would follow him into danger.

             
An unfriendly face was all the reminder he needed of that.

             
The next morning, Merek, Prince Thorald and Julia met at the blacksmith’s shop. Merek was lightly equipped with only his staff strapped to his back and his sword in its sheath. Thorald was wearing a breastplate that was partially hidden under a green cloak, with a mighty sword strapped to his back. Julia had at least six daggers in a vest clearly of her own making, with more no doubt hidden underneath her black cloak.

             
“A blacksmith, eh?” Thorald said, “And yet you’ve made a very impressive leather vest.”

             
“I dabble,” she replied.

             
“When you two get married,” Thorald whispered to Merek while Julia turned to lock the door behind her, “you’re naming your first child after me.”

             
It took all of Merek’s concentration to keep from bursting out laughing. As it was, he smiled from ear to ear and shook his head at his friend’s candor.

             
“What’s that smile for?” Julia said when she faced front again.

             
“He was just remarking how nice you look this morning,” Thorald said.

             
“I was actually going to tell her myself,” Merek said defensively.

             
“Were you? He’s so adorable,” Thorald said, placing an arm on both of their shoulders before strutting off towards the forest. “Well, we have poachers to bring to justice. Shall we?”

             
“I might just stab him,” Merek whispered to Julia, who laughed. Merek was having trouble figuring out if he had ever heard a sound he liked more before shaking away the thought.

             
“Or you might,” he continued, “Did you make all of those.”

             
“It’s not a big deal,” she replied, “it’s good practice.”

             
“Are you practiced with them?”

             
“I dabble.”

Merek didn’t know how to take that as t
hey fell into step beside Thorald, who seemed to be in incredibly high spirits.

             
“What’s got you so excited this morning?” Merek asked.

             
“Oh, nothing. It’s just… I’m not a prince with you. Or you, my lady,” he added with a wink. Merek was tempted to elbow him in the ribs on principle. “We’re just out here, doing our best to uphold justice. No phalanx of guards or garrison of soldiers constantly falling over themselves. Just… just us.”

             
“You sound as if being a prince is exhausting,” Merek said.

             
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” Thorald immediately replied, “I just… I wish I could be a prince and a person too.”

             
“You could be a princely person,” Merek suggested. Both Thorald and Julia actually groaned in unison.

             
“What?” Merek chuckled.

             
Julia smiled at him, though he was sure most of the smile was out of pity rather than amusement. That was okay, he wasn’t much expecting that joke to be particularly funny anyway.

             
“Or a personly… no, a person…”

             
“Personable?” Thorald supplied.

             
“Yes! That one! A personable prince.”

             
“Or both,” Julia said, and Thorald groaned again.

             
“Never mind,” he said, “I need new friends.”

             
“Oh, come now. You just made new friends,” Merek said. The laughter stopped abruptly as they approached the stables. A cart and driver were waiting for passengers, and without a word the three of them put their hoods up.

             
They boarded a cart that would take them down the road to Tules. Merek didn’t know for sure where to go from there, but he knew the general direction that the poachers had taken when last he had seen them.

             
They said nothing as they traveled, all of them focusing on the task at hand. Merek closed his eyes, trying to picture the likeliest route they had taken. Even in all of his months in the Great Forest, he hadn’t traveled
all
of it. He didn’t know how large it really was, but he had traversed a good deal of land. Given the direction that they had last traveled, they were in the general vicinity of Tules. Unless they had moved since then, which was always a possibility.