Chapter 24
When next Valun rose from his bed, the day was already
turning to afternoon. Allowing himself some moments to adjust to the setting,
as his head still throbbed from the night’s feast, he rose gingerly, nearly
falling to the floor as he reached for his boots. The noise of this movement
brought an attendant to his side. Forgoing any further attempt to prepare
himself properly, Valun simply watched the man work, as if the servant were
actually dealing with someone else. When the servant allowed him to stand,
Valun doused his face with water from a bowl the man had been carrying at his
approach, and which he was now holding once more.
Having done this, Valun began to feel
that he was properly alive. With a start, he began to remember everything that
had happened the previous day: the escape of Keltran; his having ordered Richard
to go in search of the old king; the absence of the lords of Carribeasa from
his coronation feast, a slight for which he had declared them in rebellion
against him, and greatest of all, the reason all these things had happened- he
was home and he was king of the land.
As satisfying as this was to him, he did
not allow himself more than a moment to enjoy it before he began to recall his
duties and orders. The servant followed silently behind as Valun left his room.
The king felt that it was his duty to see Richard off, after having ordered him
to make another long journey for Valun’s benefit alone.
Pausing to speak to the attendant
following him, he said “You, search out the lord Trondale, and if he is in the
castle, tell him to attend me in the courtyard.”
Nodding understanding, the other man,
who had left the water in the king’s room, hurried away in the opposite
direction.
Passing several busy servants on his
way, Valun walked without pause until he reached the great hall, where he found
the Trondale, who was refreshing himself with a frugal meal which appeared to
have been scavenged from the ruins of the previous night’s feast. At Valun’s
entrance, Conan began to rise, but Valun, seeing no need to stand on ceremony
between two friends alone, waved him back down.
“There is no need for that. As you were,
my friend.” Calling to a servant who had approached, Valun added “Bring me
something like that the lord Trondale has before him. More of it than he has,
if you please.” As the servant made his way back toward the kitchen to comply
with this order, Valun seated himself across the table from Conan and spoke as
if he had just come in.
“Good day, Trondale. You recovered well
from the feast, I trust?” As he spoke, Valun glanced quickly around the room
before letting his eyes rest briefly on the man before him.
Laying down a slice of venison, Conan
replied “It appears that I have recovered better than you did, my lord. I was
able to rise in time to see Richard and his brother through the gate. They have
left, as you ordered them to.”
“I did not speak of that to you.” Valun
answered, taken aback.
“Perhaps, but Richard saw no reason why
he should not explain his departure to me.”
By this time, Valun’s own meal had
arrived, and as he began to make inroads upon it, he said “And now, I do have
some news that you do not know.”
“You wish to tell me that our old
acquaintance John has returned to throw himself on your mercy, I know that too,
my lord. In fact, he was present here when I first entered. We recognized each
other immediately. He disappeared at the sight of me. I know not where he is,
neither do I wish to know.”
“So it was him. I thought as much when
he arrived, but my head was so clouded with wine at the time I could not be
sure if it was true. Though on my life, the words he spoke have gone out of my
head.”
“Let them stay out then. No good will
come of allowing him to stay under your roof, I feel it.”
“Come now, Conan, what makes you speak
so of the man? When first we met him he was no more than a frightened boy.”
Pushing his plate and flagon away, Conan
answered “Aye, but am I the only one who remembers what he said then? ‘He wants
me to spy on men here’. We do not know who he was to watch, and it may very
well have been you, or perhaps Richard. If that is so, we only aided his dark
purposes by bringing him along. It may even be possible that he will still be
able to accomplish the task he was brought to our country for. With your leave
he will be arrested when we find him, and held under guard until he gives up
his secrets.”
Valun, who had but little left on his
own plate, decided he was finished and also pushed his food away. “No, Conan,
to that I do not grant my leave. You want him arrested for something you say he
said as a frightened boy ten years ago. In these days we have between us yet to
really hear one word from him. That is no grounds to do him any harm. So far as
we know, he is a visiting noble, not a street urchin, and we will treat him
with respect until he attacks us, or you may discover how it feels to be placed
in bonds. Is the king’s command understood?”
After a moment of tense silence, Conan
pushed himself up from the table, breaching the rules of etiquette as he stood
without leave in the presence of the king, who remained seated. “Your command
is understood, my lord.” The bearish warrior replied through gritted teeth.
Letting another moment pass to emphasize
the indiscretion Conan had just committed, Valun stood and said “I will let
that pass as between two friends alone. But mind yourself, for I cannot do so
again. If I am to rule with justice I must punish my nobles, yes even my
friends, as I would all my subjects.”
“If you must lock me up, then it must be
so, for that is justice. But do not throw my warning to the wind, is all I
ask.” Clenching a fist around the haft of the ax he still carried in his belt,
Conan left the hall, using one hand to let himself out through the great doors.
Valun had not moved as Conan left his
presence. However, once the Trondale had disappeared through the doors, Valun,
king of the Corridanes, became animated again. Looking quickly around the room
once more, he signaled the nearest attendant.
“You there! I require the duty rosters
for the guards of the lower levels. They must all be accounted for, or may the
One help them.” As another approached, Valun continued. “The lord John, who
arrived this day, must be found. I desire words with him. Seek him out.” To a
third, he said only “You shall attend me. Come.” This servant following closely
and silently, Valun let himself out of his hall and into the courtyard. To an
inquiry on the subject, he replied “I do not require a horse.” Accepting this
answer, the guards standing by promptly opened the gates and the king stepped
through into his city.
Taking a moment before he continued to
survey his surroundings, Valun noticed with relief that there seemed to be but
few people on the street nearest the castle. Though relieved, he also wondered
at this, for it was a fine day to be out, with the nearest clouds gathering
nearing the northern horizon. A glance toward the sun told him that it was
indeed past midday; he silently vowed that he would never drink so much wine
again.
It was only after he ventured many yards
deeper into the city that he began to see groups of people talking openly in
the streets. Examining them closely, yet discretely, as he passed, Valun saw no
cause for suspicion of any of them. Not one to stand on ceremony when it could
be avoided, Valun waited until one of those in whose line of sight he was
approaching alerted the others to his presence.
“A moment, my friends-the king
approaches.” These words prompted all nearby to turn toward Valun and go to
their knees, saying as one “Hail Valun king!"
Valun immediately ordered them up. “No,
men, there is no need for that. Save it for the great occasions. A simple
salute would suffice. Now, I wish to know-of what were you speaking?”
“Many things, my lord, but chiefly of
you and your return. Is the land really swept clean of the invaders?”
“In truth I cannot say that. I only
discovered myself that some of them still lurk in the shadows. But all shall be
done to find them and destroy them, be assured of that. If any of you are
willing and able, present yourself to the Trondale, for I intend to appoint him
high captain of the home guard.”
“Your words are heeded, my lord, but are
we really to be protected by a crowd of renegade Naiberns? What is to stop them
from turning on us and killing us all?”
“They swore themselves to me, and many
of them have proven their honesty many times over. Some have been fighting
under my banner and against their countrymen for the month past. At any time
they could have turned on us and they have not. Is that not reason enough to
trust them? As I said, join the home guard yourself if you think there are too
many Naiberns in the ranks.” Disgusted with the stubbornness of the men, Valun
decided to turn back and discover what had come of the orders he had given out
as he left. This hardly took any time in the doing, which went far to improve
the king’s mood. Almost as soon as he had crossed the threshold of the castle,
a servant approached bearing a large scroll.
“This, my lord, is the duty roster of
the lower guards, as you ordered.”
Taking it with one hand and breaking the
seal, which he noted was that of his father, Valun answered “Good. Send to the
guards’ lodge for a new shift of men. Those now below must be before me as soon
as can be achieved.”
“As you wish, my lord.” Wasting no time,
the man strode off.
His departure seemed to be a cue for the
second servant to approach the king. Bearing nothing in his hands, the man
simply came closer and announced “My lord, nearly all the servants went out in
search of him, but the lord John could not be found.”
“Tell them to keep looking. I know there
are too many lodgings in the city for a few men to check even some of them in
the short time that has passed, but our meeting is urgent and could warn of
serious danger to someone here.”
As he said this, the eight men who had
been guarding rooms below assembled before him. Taking from a nearby servant
the scroll of names, which he had put down, Valun unrolled it and began to ask
each of the men their names in turn. As each man replied, he checked the list
and nodded as he found that each of those before him was in fact listed.
Sending these back to their lodge, he ordered that those who were to relieve
them were also to be checked against the list, which order would not be relaxed
until every man had been checked twice for assurance that he was who he called
himself.
*****
When John had first arrived back in
Corrandion, he had resolved to himself that in some way he would do what he had
come to do quickly, then claim his freedom and travel far away as swiftly as a
horse could take him. However, on entering Valun’s hall and finding him
desperately drunk at the center of what had most likely been his coronation
feast, John found that this resolve failed him, and rather than do what he had
come to do, he had simply made his little speech and departed hastily from the
king’s presence.
Eating a light breakfast early the next
morning, he had been genuinely frightened by the sight of Conan Trondale
entering the hall before Valun, suspecting that the man, who clearly hated him,
had somehow caught wind of the plan and meant to do him in before it could be
fulfilled. Anxious to be as far as he could from the vengeful baron, whom but
few people would have been able to stop in single combat, John had left his
frugal meal behind and nearly ran out of the castle.
He had not yet reported to those who had
brought him, for he knew that they would be furious at his failure whether he
showed himself to them early or late, it mattered not to them. John had spent
much of the day wandering aimlessly through the streets of the city,
challenging himself at odd intervals to explain why he had been too weak to
defy the order placed upon him.
“Is it not better to be alive?”
“Yes, but death from such a choice
should be preferable to murdering a man, at the order of another, no less.”
“You say death is preferable, so why
have you not slain yourself yet? To do so would leave no stain on your memory,
and if your story was told, men would honor you.”
“Leave no stain? To slay oneself is a
coward’s way out of such a fix as this.”
“Well then, go to your masters, draw
your blade and fight them till you die. Then you shall have an honorable
victory.”
“But I have no wish to die.”
“You have no choice, man. If you try and
fail, you will die. If you succeed, you will be hunted and killed like an
animal. If you turn on your masters, you will die. If by some chance, you
escape any of these fates, you will hate yourself forevermore for having done
the thing, or even if you defy your masters and escape, they will hunt you themselves,
and your days will be spent watching your back, eating and drinking nothing you
have not obtained yourself. What is it to be?”
Finding as twilight drew near that his
feet had drawn him near again to the rundown house on a nearly empty street
which his handlers had made their base of operations, John looked over his
sword once more. He had come without thought to the end of the road. It was
time to determine his own fate. Hardly a moment passed before he had done just
that, and with a fist clenched around the hilt of his blade, he strode into the
den of spies. He felt tense as a tight rope, but still managed to make no
movement that might betray his decision to the others.
He found the four of them sitting around
table in the lower room, sharing out a great mass of stuff which they had
presumably stolen from the great caches discovered just before they had
arrived.
One of the men noticed John as he
entered and asked “What do you want? Has all gone according to our plan?”
In reply, John drew his sword, so
quickly it nearly sliced through his belt, and cried “I…want…my honor!” Taking
advantage of his foes’ surprise, he killed the man seated closest to his reach
before the group had risen properly. However that was all he could do before
the other three were on him, pushing him back against the wall with
outstretched blades.
“We are not to kill you. That is the
emperor’s order, for his plan requires a man like you. But we are free to do
anything we deem necessary, so long as you survive. Thank your fortune we
cannot choose anything conspicuous.” As one had been making this speech, the
remaining two had torn off John’s tunic and marched him back to the table,
where they forced him lie stretched out, his face pressed hard against the
solid oak table.
*****
Richard, despite having enjoyed the
great feast fully as much as the king himself, had kept the presence of mind to
ensure that he would be able to comply with Valun’s order and depart before
midday. Accordingly, he had left the table even before Conan, leaving orders
that he was to be roused an hour before midday, and two horses saddled and
ready to leave. He took it upon himself to rouse James, who had enjoyed himself
too much and was one of those who had simply been laid out on the floor of the
hall.
Stepping carefully around several other
slumbering nobles, Richard leaned over his brother, shook him awake, and said “How
are we to ever forget this, my brother? A man of the Longfurrows does not drink
himself under the table. He is made of stronger stuff than that. Come now, get
up. The king commands us to ride.”
Rising up on one elbow, James answered
haltingly and as if he were speaking into a well. “Richard? I…only did the
same…as you did. Blame the king…for ordering the strong stuff…”
Grasping his brother by the collar and
dragging him to his feet, Richard replied “Well perhaps he would agree with you
on that score. The servants tell me the king of the Corridanes has not risen
yet himself. Yet that does not absolve us of our duty to him. We are to ride
before the hour is out-You there! Water for the noble here!”
When the water had been brought, Richard
first splashed some in his brother’s face before allowing him to drink the
rest. “Remember, my brother, a soaking has always been the best remedy for
drunkenness.”
At this moment another voice broke in.
“In truth, the best remedy is not to drink the stuff at all.”
Turning to greet the newcomer, Richard
answered “Well, Conan! We both know you drank four goblets of the same stuff we
all had, and it was strong. Must have been aging since the old king left,
before that, most likely.”
“It was three on my part, though you had
five. What has you hurrying off like this? There is much to be done yet.”
“That I know. The king has commanded us
to ride in search of his father and his brother, and bring them home or avenge
them, as we must. And now, I have spent all the time I can spare here. Assure
the king that I have complied with his command.” With this lofty farewell,
Richard, still holding James by the collar of his tunic, marched out of the
hall and into the courtyard as Conan stood for but a moment and watched.
*****
The moment he had stayed long enough to
properly witness the Longfurrows’ departure from the castle, Conan decided that
there was a question concerning his father’s fate to which only Keltran could
give the answer. Having done this, he would return to his family. There were also
questions he wished answered which he still had not put to his sister or his
brothers, having spent nearly all his time looking after more pressing matters
alongside his mother or the king. Thus resolved, he turned and strode out of
the great hall, toward the door to the lower levels.
Acknowledging the salutes, which he had
not yet expected to receive, of the guards on duty Conan ordered that the
prison chamber be unlocked. As a guard followed with a torch which was kept
ready outside the door, he made his way through the nearly empty dungeon until
he came to the one at the far end, wherein he had personally locked the spy
Keltran. As the guard stood by, Conan froze, astonished at the revelation that
the cell was empty.
“What has happened here?”
“Have you not heard, my lord? The
prisoner held here escaped just before the coronation.”
“The king did not feel it was necessary
that I know.” With these words, Conan began to make a thorough inspection of
the cell. Only a few minutes had passed before he ended it, having discovered
no concealed signs of an escape. “He did not do this alone. There are more
spies among us.”
Crossing to the cell in which he had
placed the band of Naibern soldiers caught planning Valun’s assassination, he
ordered the door opened and, this done, stood in the space as he snapped at the
prisoners.
“The other prisoner, your leader, has
escaped our justice. How did this happen?”
“You think we know?” a voice answered
from the corner. “And if we did, what reason do you have to think we would tell
you?”
“If you do not, I will order your food
cut off. I do not lie.”
“You do that, you’ll be ending our
misery faster. It makes no difference in this hellhole.”
However, at this point another of the
prisoners, audibly less confident than the first, answered “I remember…it was
two guards…and a lady I heard. Said one of you nobles had ordered his release.”
Seeing no need to stay any longer, Conan
stepped out without a word and began to make his way back above ground as the
guard closed the cell door behind him. On his way out he did not even
acknowledge the salutes of the guards, but simply continued without even
turning his gaze. At the entrance to the lower level, he decided that he needed
food and drink, which would perhaps calm his nerves before he attempted to
confront the king with what he had learned.
It was not long after he had begun to
eat that Valun himself entered. At the conclusion of the conversation which has
already been recorded, after storming out on the king as he had, Conan went
straight to the guards’ lodge, which was in the courtyard. Entering without
warning, he shouted “Which of you let that dog Keltran go? On whose orders?”
After a moment of stifling silence, two
guards, one in the midst of a game of dice, the other lying on his bunk,
timidly raised their hands. “It was us, sir. The lady told us the Longfurrow
had ordered it.”
“Fools! He himself said he would never
order that. Roses still have thorns, men. You two show yourselves to the king.
I give you two hours to find some courage.”
As he left the guards’ lodge, Conan
thought that he could not recall any time he had been angrier, excepting
perhaps his battle with the slave-drivers in Ronaiera. He could not confront
Richard, for the man was miles away by now. He could not approach the king, for
more indiscretions could find him in chains for days. He could not even find
and destroy Keltran.
Entering the great hall once more, he
found that Valun also had left. From there he went straight up to the room
which his mother had taken. Knocking on the door and receiving her welcome, he
opened the door for himself, he entered and waited. A maid was present when he
entered, but his mother, likely in response to the look on his face, sent the
woman away so that they would be alone. When the maid had closed the door,
Evelyn spoke to her son.
“My son, something terrible has befallen
us. You cannot conceal that from me, so I must know what it is.”
“Mother, I am here to tell you that, and
to ask what I should do. The spy who killed my father has escaped, and I have
heard that Richard Longfurrow may have some fault in that. Now yet another spy has
come among us. I know him for what he is, but the king will not believe me. I
will be punished if any harm befalls the man.”
“What would you have me tell you, my
son? You cannot seek vengeance on your friends as well as your enemies. Has
Richard ever spoken a false word before?”
“I cannot yet accuse him of such
baseness.”
“Then you will not. Forget not that the
one of whom you speak also killed Richard’s family. A friend would be glad for
him that he has one left to watch over.”
“And what of the new threat, mother?”
“It is your place to protect the king,
not to anger him. Stay close by, and never relax your vigilance against this
threat. Whether your watchfulness is warranted or not, the king will someday be
thankful for it. Now go attend him.”
Saluting his mother as he left her room,
Conan made his way in silence back to the great hall, where he found Valun in
the midst of verifying the roll of storeroom guards. Conan hung back, standing
and listening as Valun checked the veracity of the last of the men before him
and gave the order as he handed the scroll back to a waiting servant.
“Every man on that list is to be checked
twice, so that we may be sure that they are all really present.”
It was only after the servant had
stepped away that Valun looked toward Conan and noted his presence. “Do you
wish to speak, Trondale?”
“I do, my lord. There is no need to
doubt these men’s’ honesty anymore. The ones you are looking for confessed to
me. I myself wish that the Longfurrow were here in the hall so that I might
question him on this matter.”
“Aha! So Richard is also a spy in your
eyes? How long must this go on, man? Is there no one you will not accuse of
such baseness? Am I to be accused of failing, because I did not allow you to
throw Keltran from the battlements? Do you not recall the day the Longfurrow
begged for your safety? Is that the act of a man who would do as you suspect,
depriving us of the great triumph we achieved? Is that the act of a man who fought
for us until he could not stand, and would have died to aid us? Say no more of
this, else you may find yourself asking his forgiveness when he returns.”
Giving Valun a cursory salute, Conan
replied “Understood, my lord. May I ask-How old was the roll of the guards?”
“My father’s seal was still on it, else
I would have dismissed the lot as choices of Keltran. As it was unbroken, I had
to believe them all. To guard the royal provisions and treasure, to say nothing
of the royal enemies, is a position of the utmost trust, and by decree of the
Altair king Darren, it is their legacy to their sons until their line runs out.
It would be wrong of me to change such a rule without grave reason, which I have
not yet been given.”
Hearing the rebuke in Valun’s last
words, Conan saluted the king again and turned away, barely restraining himself
from striking the stone of the doorframe.
