The Stormcaller: Book One Of The Twilight Reign (51 page)

‘Can’t see that one sending the Krann away if they’ve fallen out. He’s a mad bastard when he’s roused—’

‘They all are,’ interrupted another. From Doranei’s brief observation of the trio it seemed this speaker had been born surly. Only bitter little miseries had passed his lips throughout the evening. ‘A traveller told me that the Krann was too ashamed to leave his tent for three days after the battle of Lomin. Even for a white-eye he’d fought like a blood-crazed daemon.’ The man was bent over his drink, staring into the near-empty pot with a resigned air.

The inn was hardly the best this small town had to offer. The wooden walls were cracked and warped; the stench of sweat and mould and old smoke and spilt beer filled the air. Doranei was well used to sleeping under the stars or in a stable, but the ingrained grime nagged at his mind.

Face it, Doranei,
he thought with a wry smile,
the king’s made a snob of you. This is the sort of tavern you spent far too long in when you were younger.

‘So why’s he coming, then?’ urged the youngest of the three. The dirt wasn’t yet ingrained into his skin like the others. A spark of interest in the Land remained yet.

Doranei knew the answer. Underneath his scarf he was concealing the bee emblem. He was dressed in studded leather and mail, but that was common enough here; no one would take much note of a soldier. The bee device would mark him out as a King’s Man. Dark things were whispered about the King’s Men, rumours that they were above the law, which was actually one of the few truths told about them. With the bee in full sight, honest men would go silent in his presence and wonder what indiscretions they might be accused of. No magistrate would dare touch Doranei, no matter what the crime, in case it bore the royal sanction. It would be futile to explain to people that the king demanded absolute selflessness of service from his men. He punished corruption savagely - and had an uncanny knack of rooting it out.

‘The Krann’s probably here to sign some treaty,’ declared the first farmer after a thoughtful pause. ‘Everyone knows the Farlan have claims on Tor Milist, probably they don’t want a war with us, so King Emin and that Krann, what’s his name again—?’

‘Isak, they say. His father named him out of spite - typical bloody Farlan. Probably regretting that now his son’s Krann!’ The surly individual laughed at his own words as his companion nodded.

‘Isak, that’s the one. Bet he’s here to draw a line down Tor Milist and offer the king half. Bastard’ll probably take it too, another few towns to hang his colours in.’

Doranei’s fist closed instinctively. The three farmers chuckled on, unaware of how close they were to a beating, when a trumpet rang out through the night. This was a border town, with lookouts on constant watch. The men looked at each other, the smiles falling away: riders approaching. It was a fair guess that one of them would be the Krann.

Talk in the tavern quietened, then stopped completely as folk looked at each other to see who was going to move first. They all wanted to see the white-eye in his fancy elven armour, but no one wanted to be the first to rush off and stare at a foreigner. Farlan arrogance wasn’t appreciated here, not now that Narkang’s strength neared that of Farlan and Chetse.

Doranei stood slowly, the scrape of his chair drawing all eyes. He unwound his scarf with deliberate care, drawing great satisfaction as the three farmers started shaking at the sight of the golden bee on his collar. He pulled on a worn pair of gloves, retrieved his cape from the spare chair at his table and then made his way out. In his wake Doranei felt people stir, but he had reached the stables before he heard eager footsteps run for the walls. He ran an affectionate hand down his horse’s grey neck, she turned to nuzzle at him, then nosed his hand, questing for food.

He draped an arm over the horse’s neck and, looking straight into her hazel eye, said, ‘Well, my friend, shall we go and see this Krann who’s got everyone so excited?’

The mare snorted and shook her head. Doranei chuckled and patted the creature. ‘Ah, you could be right there. However, it will be as the king commanded. The Krann might be bringing dark times, but that’s been our life for a spell anyway.’ He swung himself easily up into the saddle, then the tall grey started out at a brisk trot towards the gate tower.

 

‘Hey, where do you think you’re going?’ demanded the watchman belligerently. Behind him, Doranei could see a collection of men eyeing him nervously. One was riding a handsome hunter, probably the local suzerain. He was old, but he could obviously still wield the blade at his hip. The others were town councillors, nervous and sweating under the ceremonial finery of their offices. Doranei suppressed a smile - their opinion of all Farlan as peacocks would hardly extend to a white-eye.

‘I’ve been sent to greet the Lord Isak and put myself at his disposal.’

The watchman advanced with a curse on his lips before noticing the emblem on Doranei’s collar. He reined in sharply, eyes narrowing in the dim light. ‘You’re a King’s Man?’

‘No, I just wear his badge because I hear he’s a good man to irritate,’ Doranei snapped. Without waiting for a reply he directed his horse around the man and advanced on the others. To one side a mounted figure stirred, only to be stopped by a raised hand from the suzerain.

As Doranei reached them he saw the figure in the shadows was wearing fine clothes, but his gauntlets betrayed mail underneath. Doranei guessed it was the nobleman’s son. That was all he needed now, a provincial hothead who was yet to learn he couldn’t be rude to everyone he met. The old soldier who’d sired him obviously had wits enough to be cautious. The king was very specific about his men getting the right amount of respect due their position. If that meant fighting duels with incautious noblemen, he was happy to pay the price.

‘My Lord Suzerain,’ Doranei called, inclining his head respectfully to the man. He made a point of ignoring the others, turning his back on the councillors as he rode past them.

‘I’m Suzerain Coadech,’ confirmed the older man. ‘And you’re no royal herald. Why would the king send a soldier to greet the Farlan Krann?’

Doranei kept his face impassive. Though he would prefer to be friendly with the suzerain - and he had heard good things of Coadech - his job meant he stayed apart. King’s Men were an unknown quantity to all but the king himself.

‘He would not; he sent me instead. However, I’m sure he would prefer you, his most venerable subject, to ride out and greet the Krann.’

The son made an indignant noise, but the suzerain merely smiled. He’d seen enough of life not to react to a small jibe, given in a friendly way. King’s Men held no titles, but their power rivalled any subject of the king’s.

‘Then I would be pleased to. I hope the king would not find me impertinent if I don’t offer your
services
to his honoured guest, other than as a guide - it might appear strange to put
all
of your skills at the disposal of a foreign power.’

Doranei’s eyes narrowed. He was very aware that many believed the wearers of the bee to be little more than royal assassins - but there was a crinkle of humour around the suzerain’s mouth. He returned the smile and gestured for the elderly man to take the lead. A whistle from above set the men opening the great ceremonial gates. The suzerain trotted forward, followed closely by his scowling son so there would be no room for Doranei. The King’s Man ignored the youth and turned to the councillors.

‘Wait here. If the Krann has had a long journey, he might not want to meet a whole line of officials before he’s even got off his horse.’

They looked dismayed at his words, but found no courage to protest as he tapped the hilt of his sword impatiently.

Doranei followed the suzerain out and allowed his eager grey to catch up to the horsemen fading into the twilight. Up ahead he could see a neat troop of soldiers, bright against the shadows in their white tunics. At their heart, riding the biggest charger Doranei had ever seen, was the Krann, gleaming in what light remained of the evening. Even Doranei caught his breath at the sight. The Krann was masked to resemble the blue face of Nartis, but it was the liquid silver that encased his body that made him appear like a God looming in the dark.

The soldiers around him were in full battle-dress, yet their drapes were not the austere colours of the Palace Guard but a dragon design Doranei recognised only from the reports they had received. With the eyes of the forewarned, he picked out the black and gold of Count Vesna riding just behind the Krann, and a startlingly beautiful woman, obviously noble, close to the hero. Behind them rode a thin woman of middle-age and proud bearing, a chaperone, presumably, given Count Vesna’s reputation. Who the man riding alongside her was, Doranei could not imagine. He wore the dark, functional clothes of a scout instead of armour, but two rangers already flanked the soldiers.

Well, this is a curious collection we have here,
the King’s Man thought as he watched the formalities unfold. Suzerain Coadech reined in and the Krann’s guards split neatly to allow their lord to pass through them to the front. The drill had obviously been well practised, Doranei noted with a soldier’s eye: there was not a horse’s hair moving out of step.

The Krann trotted forward with serene grace, towering over them all.
Already I’m wondering how many stories are playing out here, and I’ve yet to meet the man at the centre.

‘Lord Isak, Chosen of Nartis, Heir to Lord Bahl and Suzerain of Anvee,’ called the suzerain in a clear voice. ‘On behalf of Emin Thonal, King of Narkang and the Three Cities, I bid you welcome to his realm.’

Isak looked out of the window and down on the rows of tables set out in the square below. The old suzerain had given them his own house to use - the finest in town, from what Isak could see. A bath sat, grey and cooling, behind him as he surreptitiously observed the feast being prepared below. The servants were scurrying about, flowing neatly around the town official whose efforts at ordering them around seemed to be creating only disorder. A raised platform stood at the far end of the square, cordoned off from the rough benches where the townsfolk would congregate and toast the health of any foreigner whose arrival prompted free beer.

The platform itself had been draped in white linen and carefully decked in flowers. There was enough room for at least eighty people to sit. Isak sighed heavily at the thought of all the preening nobles and officials lined up and oozing affected pleasure at his presence, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Bahl wanted him to be comfortable in court life. Perhaps he intended to reduce the distance that existed between the Lord of the Farlan and his nobles; perhaps he just didn’t want to do it himself.

Isak watched the view while drying off, then let the towel drop to the floor as he ran his hands over his head. It was strange to have hair again. Tila had advised him not to keep shaving his head, pointing out that he looked intimidating enough without highlighting the blunt lines of his skull. Turning back to the room he eyed Siulents on the armour stand that had been provided. He took a step towards it, and then caught sight of himself in the mirror.

The armour forgotten, he stood before the full-length mirror and angled it up to observe his naked frame. His reflection had always fascinated Isak: the image he presented to the world was so different to how he saw himself. The stranger in the mirror peered back with equal curiosity, looking for the slender child Isak still pictured himself as. Neither his increased height nor added bulk looked quite right. He didn’t particularly care to look as brutally powerful as he obviously did. He sighed. He
did
like the power residing in his limbs. That would have to be compensation enough.

A knock on the door caused Isak to jump and his gaze flew immediately to Eolis, hanging from one comer of the four-poster bed.

‘My Lord?’ Mihn’s voice sounded from behind the door.

Isak grabbed at the fresh underclothes that Tila had laid out on his bed, pulled them on and then called for his bondsman to enter. Now he knew Mihn’s past, Isak found himself remarkably secure in the failed Harlequin’s presence. He’d kept all other enquiring eyes from the scar on his chest - the mark of Xeliath’s affection, as he joked to himself - except for Mihn, who had seen it and said nothing. Bahl considered it Isak’s own business, and Mihn would stay silent until Isak was ready to talk about it. Isak wasn’t sure whether he should involve the others to such a degree - Carel, Vesna, Tila: they still had the option of another life.

Vesna grew more devoted to Tila each day. Just watching them share a joke, or smile tenderly at each other, spurred a pang of guilt in Isak. He knew he might well have to ask a lot of his bondsman in the years to come: would he be able to endure Tila’s silent condemnation if he called upon the father of her children to commit murder - or worse?

He felt a different shape of guilt at how he might use and abuse Mihn, but he understood the need, and Mihn had nothing else. The foreigner shared something with Xeliath: another broken life Isak carried as a burden, another damaged soul he’d use as a weapon when the time came.