The Trials of Caste (27 page)

Under his Laws of Merit, warriors of the gen who
worked were allowed to keep the wealth they earned, which infuriated several of
the elite warriors, who now had to work for a living instead of living off
their warriors’ efforts.  To pay the standing guard, however, all plunder and a
tenth of all merit wealth was given to the council to pay the costs of
supporting the guard and, under a much lower cut, the council members.  There
were a few years of much dissention among his gen after instituting these
rules, during which time he had slept with a long knife under his bear skin
blanket, and more than one head had rolled under the Honor Guards’
broadswords.  But Lord Karthan had seen several of the old council members die,
and many of the new council members he picked were progressive, more
even-handed kobolds who had supported his policies… at one point in time
anyway.

Lord Karthan was no fool, however.  He realized
that there were several there at that moment in the feast he was hosting that
would rather see a return to the old rules.  The real question wasn’t who wanted
it bad enough, as recent events pointed out, but rather who was willing to take
their chances against Lord Karthan, Khazak Mail Fist and his Honor Guard.

Lord Karthan was roused from thought by the
awareness of the gong-ringer asking Khazak Mail Fist permission to ring the
gongs to signal the end of the second meal.  Lord Karthan stood, “Council! 
Come; let us see to the matters of the day.  Then we shall see who has bet on
the correct yearling, and who has lost wealth!”

“Keryak,” Durik called half under his breath, “I
think I saw the barrel your father was talking about.”

Looking up from the shelf fungus he was holding in
both hands, Keryak swallowed.  “What do we do?”

“It’s got to have something to do with the
conspiracy,” Durik said in a hushed tone.  “We should go see what’s so special
about it.”

Keryak stood up and poured a last gulp from the
waterskin into his open maw, wiping his snout with the other hand.  “Let’s go,”
he said in a low voice as he cleared his throat.

“Where are you going?” Gorgon asked, looking up
from the chunk of boar meat he’d been devouring.  The other yearlings all
looked up as well.

“Nowhere,” Durik said as he pulled Keryak along
with him.

Not satisfied, Gorgon stood up and followed the
pair as they walked ever quicker through the bowels of the arena, soon breaking
into a run then stopping cold at the door into the large open competition area.

“Go back.”  Durik stood up to the larger Gorgon
who had sprinted after them.

“Nothing doing.”  Gorgon shook his head as they
all panted.  “You’re up to something, and I want to know what.”

Durik shook his head and turned back to the door,
opening it and walking through without another word.  Keryak shrugged his
shoulders and followed.

“We’re not supposed to be in here,” Gorgon said as
he looked about the vast expanse of the arena, the light of midday in the world
above pouring through the hole in the roof of the cavern to illuminate the
middle of the sand floor.  Fortunately no one was in sight as the three
yearlings burst into the open.

Durik didn’t answer.  He didn’t have a good answer
and he knew it.  All he had were shadows and threats, and a strange vision that
had left disquiet in its wake, certainly nothing to bring up now.  He pressed
forward without even acknowledging his companions’ presence as Gorgon pressed
Keryak to find out what was happening.

Arriving at the trainers’ stand, Durik immediately
dug into the barrel of warped old sticks.  He was surprised to see the steel
pommels of several sharp swords down inside the barrel, hidden among the
useless wood.  Grabbing one of them, he pulled it out, sheath and all, and
turned around to face his two companions.

“This is what we’re doing out here,” he said as he
drew the polished steel blade.  His two companions both reflexively took a step
backward.  “Someone is setting up an ambush for Lord Karthan,” he said as he
patted the barrel, “and they’re hiding in plain sight.”

Gorgon was stunned by the revelation.  He’d not
heard anything of the insurrection. 

Keryak, on the other hand, stooped into the barrel
and pulled out heavy, barbed throwing darts the size of small spears among the
swords.  “We’ve got to do something with these, Durik,” he said, looking up
from the deadly cache, a pair of the wicked looking projectiles in his hands.

Durik looked about, his gaze stopping at a barrel
of practice weapons next to the circle used for the melee weapons trial. 
Smiling, he looked at his two companions.  “I think I’ve got just the answer.”

As the council made their way toward the arena,
Lord Karthan and Khazak Mail Fist walked deliberately slower than the rest of
the entourage.  Admiring a rather solidly built chair at a craftsman’s stand
until the rest of the council had passed out of sight, the two leaders turned
and took an alternate path toward the arena, passing down a long passageway
whose walls were covered with one of the soft, spongy fungi eaten by the common
castes of the gen.  The passageway had a sandy floor and no source of light
other than their heat vision. 

In a fungus-lined passageway like this sound was
absorbed instead of amplified.  Once they knew they were alone, the two
leaders’ discussion was brief.

“Khazak, are the preparations ready?” Lord Karthan
asked in a low voice.

Khazak Mail Fist nodded then spoke.  “Sire, all is
as you requested.  The messenger that just arrived brought Lord Krall’s
acceptance, still sealed with his seal.  None but the few who are going know
anything, and even they don’t know the actual truth, but rather a cover story
instead.”

“Is it still necessary?” Lord Karthan asked,
almost rhetorically.  “After all, the old servant Krobo is in your jail, Mynar
the Sorcerer and Trelkar of the Deep Guard have both fled, and Khee-lar Shadow
Hand seems hamstrung without them.”

“Sire, with the attempts on your life last night,
and with Trelkar on the loose still, I do not think it prudent to wait until
morning,” Khazak replied.  “The winds of Fate blow both ways, my lord.  They
could just as easily blow right back against you.  If the next moon or two
proves this conspiracy put down and if Trelkar and Mynar prove no further
menace, then you can recall them with an assurance of safety.”

After struggling to decide for a moment, finally
Lord Karthan acknowledged the truth of Khazak’s counsel and nodded.  “They will
be disappointed,” he sighed.  “Then tonight, I guess, right after the Trials of
Caste?”

“Yes, sire, all is ready to depart immediately.  And… 
I will personally see to their safety.”

Lord Karthan’s brow rose.  “Then you
will
go?”

“Sire, I have never left you in your times of
troubles before, but if it is your will, I will do it.  I just hope that if
there is any further trouble, that all the fun doesn’t start until I have made
my delivery and returned.”

“You’re a true warrior and friend,” Lord Karthan
answered.  “And, please, don’t worry about me.  I’m sure there will be plenty
of ‘fun’ left when you return.  Besides, if we are right, and Trelkar left to
meet up with some source of support from outside the gen, it may be that this
move will reveal that source of support, and allow us to destroy or capture it,
and thereby any chance of success for Trelkar and his fellow conspirators.”

“Sire, you can’t understate Khee-lar’s
involvement,” Khazak said in a moment of unabashed honesty, his normal
subservient manner giving way to the knowledge that he would be leaving his
master soon.  “I know he is your lifemate’s brother, may she rest with the
ancestors, and I know we’ve no direct evidence other than his own fiery speech-making,
but the servant never goes where the master does not command.  Trelkar is
Khee-lar Shadow Hand’s chief elite warrior.  He can’t be organizing such a
large conspiracy without his master’s help.”

Lord Karthan struggled with his feelings for a
moment, his gaze wandering as he sighed deeply.  Finally, he looked back at
Khazak.  “In my heart I know what you say is true; Khee-lar surely is central
to this conspiracy.  Before we chased Trelkar and Mynar from the gen he had
become brazen, insubordinate…”

“And dangerous, sire,” Khazak finished.  “Watch
your back.  He may come at you when you least expect it.  He’ll not take your
gesture of peace; he’s just waiting for his opportunity to strike.”

Looking Khazak in the eyes with a deep look of
resignation, Lord Karthan replied: “When that happens, we will have no choice
but to act, will we?”

Khazak bowed his head, knowing Lord Karthan’s
feelings of hope for the brother of his dead lifemate.  Breathing deeply, Lord
Karthan turned and, laying a hand on Khazak’s brawny shoulder for emotional support,
began to shuffle along the passage.  The pair walked along the narrow
passageway in silence for several moments, but the conspiracy was not the only
matter that Khazak had to address with his lord.  Finally, Khazak Mail Fist’s
concern broke the silence.  “Sire, if I may, one other thing,” he started.

Lord Karthan had little emotional strength left at
the moment.  “What concerns you, chamberlain?”

“Sire, the report that Raoros Fang’s outriders
gave of a new great ant colony moving into our valley to the south of the
caravan route… and the Krall Gen caravan herders’ knowledge of this threat…”

Lord Karthan held up a hand and cut Khazak Mail
Fist off in mid sentence.  Pausing for a second to steady his aching emotions,
he spoke.  “Khazak, I know what advice you would give me, but there is more to
this quest for the Kale Stone than even you know, my most loyal and informed of
supporters.  While investigating this new threat may be a worthy quest, I will
not change the yearlings’ designated quest.  After all, I can’t imagine that
this great ant threat could be so vast, not without us noticing it long before
now.” 

“But my lord, his outriders said they saw hundreds
of these great ants streaming into the valley from the southern mountain
passes,” Khazak persisted.

Lord Karthan stopped and held up his hand again. 
“Then Raoros Fang can very well send another patrol out there to better assess
the situation.  It would be a much better thing for him to focus on, wouldn’t
you agree?  After all, I think we all know how one enemy can turn into tens of
enemies, and how a handful of enemies can turn into hundreds if one is scared
enough.  I don’t think chasing down some rogue ant hill is worthy of being
deemed a quest.”

“Yes, my lord,” Khazak answered, knowing he was
not going to sway his lord’s opinion.  They both turned and resumed walking.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Lord
Karthan felt the need to explain his reasoning for giving the yearlings what
many had argued was a pointless quest.  They had been through much together,
and consistently Khazak had proved himself to be Lord Karthan’s most loyal
supporter and most trusted advisor.  “Khazak, my friend, I wish I could explain
it to you adequately, but there is more at work here than I can explain.  I
feel a strange certainty that the Kale Stone will be found… and that great
power will be brought to us because of it.”  After a moment of silence and
pondering, Lord Karthan continued his thoughts, “Power perhaps to bring peace
to our gen for generations to come.”  He stopped and faced his chamberlain,
putting a hand on his arm.  “I know it’s not the best of explanations, but I
just can’t deny the pull of destiny.”

The big warrior pursed his lips and bowed his
head, his tail swishing submissively behind him.  “Aye, lord.  Then so be it.”