Shadows of the Realm (The Circle of Talia) (19 page)

At the end of the hallway there were two sweeping staircases, one spiralled down, the other up. The grey man went down. Leon and red-haired Fendill exchanged glances, both men trying to be reassuring, neither willing to show any fear in the face of the obvious risk they were taking. Pernus noticed the exchange, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your backs.”

“
What? Oh you’re still here. I’m not really all that reassured. Thanks anyway.”

Pernus shrugged. The king had ordered him to keep an eye on Leon, however he was still here as additional protection, a role he took seriously. If it were up to him, he might be inclined to let Leon get himself killed, but he was loyal to King Edmund and was intent on seeing his job through to the end, if need be. The fact that the prince was unappreciative was no concern of his.

They descended two flights then continued down another corridor, which conveyed them back in the direction of the entry. This hallway was also laid with marble, this time pink, shot through with inky lines, the obsidian tiles still placed at intervals. The corridor abruptly ended in a smooth black wall. They stopped. Leon noticed his feet and hands had lost the pins and needles feeling and he was warm again, a warmth that had eluded him for many days. He could feel it coming up through his boots. Removing one glove, he felt the floor. It was warm, as if fires burned underneath, heating the tiles to a pleasant temperature. He made a mental note to find out how they had contrived that convenience. When he took over as king, he would make sure all his floors were heated; no foreign king was going to outdo him.

The grey-clad man, whose collar was adorned with purple and green stripes, turned and spoke his first clipped words since entering the castle,
“Wait here. Don’t move. You will be watched.” 

He turned to the black expanse in front of him. He spoke a few words in Inkran, a language none of the Veresians knew; Inkra was well-protected and so was its language. The door silently shimmered; its black solidity peppered with pinpricks of light, before it disappeared. The three guests couldn’t help but widen their eyes at the impossibility of what they had seen. Fendill rubbed his forehead with an index finger, a sign he was furiously thinking.

They could see through to the other side of the great expanse of what appeared to be the throne room. At the far side, to which the grey man was still walking, stood a dais accessible by four tall steps. Leon imagined that the shorter stature of the Inkran king would make his ascent and descent a laughable sight. He kept his thoughts to himself. 

Grey man finally reached the dais and prostrated himself in front of the massive throne. It was unclear what was happening due to the distance and the fact that the throne appeared to be crafted from the same obsidian of which the door and castle walls were made. The throne, and the king, blended into the background, which consisted of a midnight marble slab, which rose to the ceiling.

Eventually the grey-clad man stood and backed away from the throne, bowing every few paces. He continued in this manner until he reached the trio. He turned to the men and shouted in his loudest voice, the sound reverberating around the stone-clad room and causing the Veresians to jump. “You may approach. Revere and behold, King Suklar, ruler of Inkra, Highest Priest of Klar and The Ultimate Sacrifice.” He lowered his voice “You are always being watched. Do not attempt to harm Our Beloved. When you reach the dais you must prostrate yourselves as I have. Do not rise until He commands you. When He is ready to dismiss you I will be summoned to take you away. Obey and all will be well.” 

Leon led the way, however the grey man grabbed the sleeves of Fendill and Pernus, “You must not go further. You may watch from here.
”

After his first few steps Leon sensed he was alone. He turned and saw anger on his men
’s faces. He schooled his features into a mask of serenity whilst he mentally added this latest grievance to his list. 

The grey man watched him undertake the long journey across the warm floor, until he was satisfied. When he exited the room the stone door returned, appearing as immoveable as ever. Much to their disgust, Fendill and Pernus stood transfixed, watching their prince glide unprotected, but proud, across the patterned expanse of black, white, and pink marble.

The approach was filled with tension. Leon, head held high, had a distinct lack of reverence on his face. Pernus, whose sword still hung at his side, itched to draw it in defence of his arrogant prince, and Fendill held his mind ready:  ready to reach into the starry expanse of the Second Realm and strike down any who dared threaten his prince. Leon drew closer. He was close enough to see King Suklar’s dusty brown face. Half-closed, hooded eyes regarded him. Leon couldn’t begin to know what his adversary was thinking.

Leon stopped a foot from the base of the throne. He cast his eyes down and bowed low, however refused to prostrate himself as his predecessor had done. He was the prince of a great nation and would not demean himself for anyone. The gods knew he had endured years of playing second fiddle to his brother; he sure as hell was not going to do that for an alien king. He stayed in his position a few seconds, then rose and looked at the monarch as directly as he could. Suklar
’s position, high upon his dais, ensured Leon was forced to crane his neck if he wanted to look into his cold, blue eyes. Suklar was well aware of the discomfort of holding that position for a lengthy period.

After a longer than comfortable time had passed, King Suklar surprised Leon with his deep, mellow-toned voice; something unexpected from such a short man.
“Welcome to our beautiful kingdom. I trust your journey was pleasant.” Suklar’s face remained expressionless.

“
Yes, thank you. Our journey was most satisfactory.” Leon smiled as sincerely as he could under the circumstances. They both knew the journey had been cold and uncomfortable at best, two of Leon’s men had disappeared, and five others had lost fingers and toes to frostbite. 

“
Why do your men stand and watch. Why are they not here, under my observation? Are they cowards?” The king watched Leon, who was a fly trapped in the spider’s web.

“
I ordered them to stay there. I need no protection from a fellow royal personage. I trust you are civilised enough not to endanger the life of an important guest.” The king’s expression didn’t change. He turned his head to the left and whispered a few words. A short, wiry man materialized out of the black. He was clad in black; a collar unadorned by stripes framed his ebony skin. A strip of loosely woven black gauze covered his eyes; the same black gauze which camouflaged Suklar’s white hair. He had stood invisible in front of the inky background. On reaching the base of the dais he prostrated himself then went to do his master’s bidding.

Leon watched as he crossed the floor and attempted to lead Fendill and Pernus away. The men struggled as they watched their prince. Leon signalled them to go peacefully. They reluctantly ceased struggling and were led out.

“You are here, as I understand it, to woo my daughter.” Leon’s next surprise was Suklar’s directness.

“
Yes. I have heard she is very beautiful.” He decided a return of the king’s directness would be to his advantage. “There is no denying the great benefit to both our nations if this union were to come to pass. We have the climate and land to grow an abundance of food, which you lack, and you have the mines, which produce many of the raw materials scarce in our country.” Leon stood with his chest out, arms relaxed by his side, as he waited for an answer.

“
It is true my daughter is of marrying age, however, you are only one of many possibilities. I will study you whilst you are here to see if you posses the particular qualities I expect from any man fortunate enough to marry my daughter. You and your two companions will join us for dinner tonight. You may meet Princess Tusklar and we will see if she favours pursuing the matter any further.” The king rose and was immediately joined by a second black-clad man who had stood invisibly at his right shoulder. They slipped out through the charcoal expanse behind the throne.

Leon was alone for a short time. He jumped and turned at a voice, “Come with me.” The same black-clad man, at least he thought, had quietly returned to lead him to his sleeping chambers. The man did not speak as he led Leon through the black and white corridors. They ascended three flights of stairs. Their passage ended in a dark stone door similar to the one guarding the throne room. This door had yet another black-clad man at either side, and opened in a similar shimmer. Leon was still in awe at the function of the door. He was led inside to an opulent set of rooms, his bed contained in the third room they entered. The silent man gestured that Leon should stay.

Leon spent his first few minutes alone pacing his apartments. He had a feeling he would get to know these rooms very well over the next few weeks, if they allowed him to stay that long. He knew he was considered handsome, and he had a way with women. Yes. He was sure he would be asked to stay.

The obsidian door was closed, however there was a second, smaller, timber door within the first reception room. He tried it. It opened. On the other side he found Pernus and Fendill. Each man sat on a single bed at either end of the room. It appeared Pernus had been stripped of his weapons.

Another obsidian door, leading to the hallway outside, stood opposite the door where Leon stood. Candles in a centrally hanging chandelier lit the windowless room. Pernus lay nonchalantly on his bed, while Fendill jumped up and surveyed his prince, almost sniffing him as a dog would. “Did they hurt you?”

“
No. As you can see I’m just as healthy as when you left.”

“
I wouldn’t have left, but that you commanded it. Was that such a wise thing to do, my Prince?”

“
Quiet your distress, Fendill. I can take care of myself. They are relatively civilized, and to what purpose would they kill me, unless they wanted to start a war with my brother.”

“
You have a point. So, then, how did the meeting go?”

“
It went as well as I could have expected. The three of us are to join them for dinner tonight where we will meet her royal highness, Princess Tusklar.”

Pernus laughed.
“Not much of a name. I wonder if she has tusks.”

Leon frowned at the unwanted addition to their party.
“I am led to believe in a direct translation, it means ‘daughter of Suklar’.”

Pernus nodded, his smile remained in place.

“I have received no instructions other than we join the king for dinner tonight. I assume we will be spending our time locked in here for the afternoon. I suggest we all get some rest. Do not disturb me. I will return for you when we are summoned.” Leon ignored the raised eyebrow from Pernus, choosing only to notice the bow of respect from Fendill. He returned to his chambers and lay on the bed.

Leon refused to show any signs of weakness, which included impatience and fear. None of them knew what to expect, however he was not going to waste time imagining the worst scenarios. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize what his future wife would look like. It wasn
’t long until he fell asleep, however his dreams couldn’t be controlled, and they were filled with an unseen terror. When one of the black clad men woke him, he was covered in sweat. He tried to shake off the lingering feeling of dread. It was not until he was bathed and changed that a sense of normalcy returned.

This time the grey-clad man who had initially brought them to see King Suklar, led them to dinner. They descended two flights of stairs and headed toward the rear of the castle. As they neared the dining room, they were enticed by pleasant aromas of food they had never before encountered; that was something Leon hadn’t considered. Would they eat similar food to what they were used to, or would they be expected to eat some atrocity. He recalled the lack of cats and dogs on the streets of Inkra.
“Pernus, tonight you will be my official taster, an honour I would not trust with anyone, but you.” He slapped Pernus on the back hard enough to sting.

“
Gee, thanks for the honour.” Fendill gave Pernus a sympathetic look. Though Fendill loyally served his prince, he knew of Leon’s shortcomings, yet held the hope that Leon would eventually show some small kindness or consideration for someone other than himself. When that happened, Fendill would feel justified in standing by him.

They were led into a large, rectangular room. Twelve heavy, crystal chandeliers hung in a line, from wall to wall, in the centre of the ceiling. They presided between two long timber tables, each inlaid table seating fifty people. The king and his daughter were seated at the head of one, Leon and his men were told to sit at the other. Leon felt another flash of temper. Had he come all this way to endure insult after insult? He breathed deeply and let his frustration out with the breath. He was seated between his two men. They, in turn, were seated next to two older, dark-haired Inkrans. Conversation within the dining hall was subdued, as it had been in the city.

Pernus attempted a conversation with his neighbour, however discovered he didn’t speak his language. As he sat and listened to those around him, he realised that no one spoke Verdonese, the most common language in Talia. Pernus turned to Leon, “Do you think the princess speaks Verdonese, or just gibberish.”

“
The king speaks Verdonese so I’m assuming she has been educated in our language.” Leon looked toward the king and his daughter. He couldn’t see clearly from where he was, however, he could see she had the same fair, wavy hair as her father, which cascaded over her shoulders to her waist. She smiled at those around her and was the centre of attention. The king looked at her in disapproval, maybe at her exuberance. She was dressed modestly in a pink dress that started just below her neck and continued to the floor. Her arms were covered to the wrists. Dark brown hands protruded from the delicate, lace sleeves.