The Nightstone (19 page)

“Bards know too many big words,” Pantros said.

“There are no big words,” Sheillene said with a grin, “just small minds.”

“Now you’re insulting kings?” Pantros asked.

Sheillene just chuckled.

David pulled the carriage to the palace’s main door. Men and women in royal livery scurried about the carriage, setting stepping blocks in front of the doors.

An Abvi in a fine doublet, also of the royal blue and gold, stood by a blue carpet rolled out to the step. When the travelers stepped out of the carriage, he asked, “I am Hijal, Assistant Seneschal of the Royal Palace. Who shall I say has arrived?”

“Sheillene of Whisperwillow,” Sheillene introduced herself.
“And her esteemed companions.”

Pantros guessed they didn’t need to exaggerate their nobility now that they were past the gates. The guards were long out of earshot.

“Would that be Lady Sheillene,” Hijal asked.

“I’m not a noble,” Sheillene said. “If you need a title, you can use ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’.” Sheillene pulled out a bronze medallion she had tucked under her armor. It had a symbol including a bow and spear, the symbol of the Hunter’s Guild.

Hijal looked at Sheillene’s medallion then at her face for a moment then at the guards by the gates.

“I have a royal missive from King Reginald for Prince Reginald,” Sheillene said.

Hijal looked a little relieved for a moment then the panic returned to his face when he asked, “Will you be staying in the palace?”

Sheillene put her hand on the seneschal’s shoulder. “Were that the only order of important business we had, no, but we have other matters and once the King is aware of them, he will undoubtedly wish us to remain his guests.”

“I’ll have quarters arranged. How many of you are there?” Hijal asked.

“Faren,” Sheillene asked the innkeeper, “Are you heading out to your cousin’s?”

“I would like to stay, the palace is tempting, but I’d not feel comfortable in a place so beyond my station,” Faren said. “I’ll be taking my leave of you here. I owe you all. My inn is your second home, if it’s still there once the Vulak are dispersed.” He gave a sleight bow then walked off towards the gates.

Sheillene turned back to Hijal and said, “Seven, and one of us is big, half-ogre, I think.”

“I’m not half-ogre,” Marc said.

“You may as well be,” Hijal said. “I don’t think we have beds that big.” The seneschal then went over to the attendants unloading the carriage. “Take their luggage to Reginald’s servant’s quarters. Take their weapons as well.” He pointed to Marc and Sheillene. Marc had his swords strapped to his back and Sheillene, as always, held her unstrung bow in her hand. A rack of arrows were clipped to the bow.

“No one touches my bow but me,” Sheillene said. “And I keep it with me at all times.”

“We cannot allow weapons in the palace proper,” The seneschal said. “As long as you…”

Sheillene cut the seneschal off, “I think you are forgetting that I am the kingdom archery champion. That makes me part of the king’s honor guard. I would be obligated to have my bow with me in his presence.”

“You are, aren’t you?” Hijal said. “I’ve seen you twice on stage and a dozen times at the tournament. I’ve never seen you here in the palace. Forgive my forgetfulness.”

“Politics does not make for exciting stories,” Sheillene said.

“We’ll still need to take the half-ogre’s weapons to the armory,” Hijal said.

“My name is Marc, Marc Williams, and I’m not part ogre.” Marc unslung his swords and handed them to an attendant. Bryan did the same with his greatsword.

David also handed his sheathed sword to the attendant. “Don’t lose this; it was my father’s.”

“Milord, your sword?”
Hijal said
,
pointing to Pantros’s hip.

“I don’t think the sword would appreciate me letting you have it, even temporarily,” Pantros said. “He’s quite moody.”

Sheillene again intervened. “It’s an ensouled sword.”

“And the boy is human?” Hijal asked. “You’re right; we can’t take an ensouled sword. An ensouled sword would never allow itself to be used to threaten a king.” Hijal then stepped over to one of the attendants and said. “Make sure their rooms have baths prepared. I am certain they will want to have their clothing laundered, see that it gets done with haste.”

Pantros had gotten used to the stench of a handful of people stuck in a carriage for six days. Being reminded, he suddenly worried about the impression he was making on the King’s attendants.

Marc said dourly, “If we’re talking baths, I suppose this is where we make another half-ogre joke, since I doubt there is a tub in the palace to fit me.”

Hijal looked at Marc and sighed. “We have a dock on the river near your quarters. The river water is kept clean by several Tempests.”

“I’ll be fine with a bowl of water and a towel,” Bryan said.

“Your room attendant can see to that,” Hijal said. He then pointed to an attendant standing by them. “Tethen will see you to your rooms now.”

§

Tethen hadn’t spoken to them beyond saying, “This way,” or “Left just ahead,” during the walk to their rooms. Pantros had tried to engage him about the construction of the palace and who had designed the layout. As they walked, Pantros couldn’t help but notice the planning of the guests’ quarters being nearly separated from the main palace. They passed through two grand halls and had an opportunity to glance into the king’s great hall. They passed several nobles, none of whom did more than glance at them.

The quarters they were given were in the basement beneath a building connected to the palace only by a covered walkway. They were told that Prince Reginald was staying alone in the house above and that he didn’t have any servants staying with him.

More royal attendants arrived, drawing baths for them and taking all the clothing they could get away with. Only Sheillene had kept a clean dress in her pack, having worn only her armor every day on the road. Those that didn’t have spare clothing were measured and an attendant was sent into the city to find clothing for them. Pantros made sure that attendant took his gold to spend and not the king’s.

When an attendant arrived to tell them of the impending evening meal, they had just finished donning fresh clothing.

“I still think this kilt is a curtain with a belt,” Marc said. He was the only one not completely pleased with the new clothing.

The rest of them reveled in the soft cottons and silks of the Abvi clothing. The attendant had purchased clothing that closely matched in color what each person had been wearing. The black silk shirt they’d gotten Pantros fit a little loosely, but was far lighter than any silk he’d been able to find in Ignea.

“Abvi are patient,” Sheillene said. “They can take the time to make their cloth with a finer weave. Someone probably spent the better part of a week weaving the silk that became that shirt.

Bryan took the Abvi clothing but still insisted on wearing his armor over it. He had taken the time to clean the armor, getting much of the odor out. “It has my rank insignia,” Bryan said, pointing to his epaulet. “I don’t want to be the only one in the room without a title.”

Pantros shook his head and said, “You’re going to be the only one in the room with a title other than the Champion Archer over here.

The attendant led them back to the palace and into a huge dining hall. Over a hundred people, almost all Abvi, sat at rows of table crowded with plates of food.

Tethen met them at the door and pointed to the King’s table. A silver haired Abvi sat at the center of a table on a raised step at the end of the room. “Bow,” Tethen said.

They all bowed or curtsied and Tethen continued, “The human two seats to the King’s right is Prince Reginald. He’s been informed of your arrival, though he did seem confused at most of your names, as if he’d never heard of any of you except Sir David Norda.” Tethen then pointed to a group of empty seats close to the head table. “Your seats are there,” he said. “Enjoy the meal.”

“I’ll join you in a minute,” Sheillene said. She pulled the missive from her pouch and headed towards the Prince.

“Um,” Tethen said, stepping after her. He stopped and turned back to Pantros, “She shouldn’t be going there, it’s against protocol.”

“And she’s armed,” Norda said. “
Two gold
says she makes it to the Prince, leaving two of the King’s bodyguards on the floor, one bleeding.”

“I’ll take the bet,” Pantros said, “Only because I don’t think there will be blood.”

“Me too,” Marc said.

“You don’t have two gold coins,” Thomas said.

“Pan will cover me,” Marc shrugged.

Pantros nodded, realizing the exchange was less gambling and more camaraderie.

“Does it affect the outcome if I help her?” Bryan asked.

“Only for you,” David said. “Sheillene would side with the bodyguards if you got involved. Remember the part about her being the King’s Archery Champion? She’s only going to get away with this because she can know that she is not an actual threat.”

Several Guards rushed to intercept Sheillene. The guards wore thin mail that chimed when it slammed into the floor as Sheillene rolled a guard that had tried to tackle her over her shoulders. A second guard fell when Sheillene spun and kicked low, taking the guards legs out from under him.

“Let her be,” The king spoke loudly. “She is no threat to me.”

The approaching guards all stopped where they were, but did not return to their posts.

“
Your
Majesty,” Sheillene said. “Thank you.”

“Don’t yet,” King Allaind said. “I can’t say I’m pleased with you at the moment.”

Sheillene glanced back towards the guards on the floor.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.
I have an important missive for Prince Reginald from his father. It cannot wait.”

The king gestured for her to approach the prince. Prince Reginald stood and reached out across the table. Sheillene set the missive in the Prince’s hand. The Prince then broke the seal and sat down to read the letter.

“Perhaps if you would spend a couple days a year taking your spot on the royal guard, the other guards would have a better chance of recognizing you.” The King said.

“I will endeavor to do so at some point, Majesty” Sheillene said.

“Now’s as good a time as any,” The king pointed to a spot behind and left of his chair. A man wielding a long-bladed spear stood behind and right of the King. Sheillene stepped up and walked around the table. She strung her bow before taking a watchful stance behind the King.

Pantros and the others took their seats at the long dining table.

“I must leave,” Reginald said then stood and bowed to the King. “My father has died. I must return to Relarch.”

The King stood as well. “I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing. I knew him for many years as a friend.”

The man between the King and the Prince also stood and offered sympathy.

The prince then walked off the stage and out of the dining hall. A large group of men who had been sitting near Pantros got up and followed the Prince.

“His knights?”
Pantros asked.

“Yes,” David replied. “I should go with them.” He excused himself and followed the others into the hall.

CHAPTER 25: KEHET

Try as he might, Kehet couldn’t feel comfortable as a guest in the King’s Palace. Beldithe had convinced him that it would only be polite if he introduced himself to the local king. The king had insisted not only that Kehet stay, but that he stay in a suite next to the royal family’s suites. For four days he’d had to sneak out into the city to avoid the constant attention of the princess. She wasn’t trying to seduce him; she was just trying to convince him to show her his Unicorn form. He obliged her several times over the days.

The meals, due to his presence as well as the presence of another foreign prince, were all elaborate feasts. Kehet didn’t miss the meals. Since the King went through all the effort to produce a feast, it was only polite for him to attend.

When, on Kehet’s fourth night eating with the King, the Prince of Relarch excused himself from the high table, the dinner essentially ended. Within minutes the hall was empty aside from the royal family and the King’s Guard. A small group stood just inside the dining hall. Two of the men in the group were among the largest people Kehet had ever seen.

“Does this mean Prince Reginald is the King of Relarch now?” Kehet asked. “Is he now Reginald the Second?”

The king nodded. “He’s Prince Regent until the coronation, and then he will be Reginald the Second.”

Kehet took a moment to think about the fact that he’d been sitting between two kings. Then he had the realization that both kings were probably just as awed to be sitting next to a god.

The king then said, “I only hope that he can make it out of the city safely.”

“I was told this gathering of Vulak is unheard of,” Kehet said.

“And they’re closing on Melnith.” The king’s archer stepped into the conversation. “The Prince may not be able to make it to Relarch today or anytime in the near future.”

“I knew their numbers were growing, Sheillene, but I hadn’t heard they were moving this way,” The king said. “I assume your Hunter’s Guild is passing news along.”

“Yes,” Sheillene, the archer, said. “We use an enchanted quill system to keep our bounty postings current between our guild halls. Occasionally they can be used for spreading news. We don’t really want that to become their primary use, however.”

“Yes,” the king replied, “but, don’t you think this is the kind of information you should tell your king as soon as possible?”

“I’m here,” Sheillene said. “This is as soon as possible.”

“I see,” the king said. “I should summon my generals.” He called over a servant and told him to get his generals to the palace. He then looked over at the motley group by the door. “Your friends, will they be helpful or are they just tagging along to get a chance to visit my palace?”

Sheillene took a moment of staring at her friends before answering, “I think they’ll be helpful. Thomas is always a good source of knowledge, and the smaller of the two large men is a Novarran General. The man in black is probably the cause of the Vulak invasion. The woman is his sister and the giant is, well a giant, and he can handle himself pretty well in a fight.”