A March of Kings Page 6

CHAPTER SIX

  A gust of wind struck Gareth in the face and he looked up, blinking back tears, into the pale light of the first rising sun. The day was just breaking, and yet at this remote spot, here on the edge of the Kolvian Cliffs, there were already gathered hundreds of the king's family, friends, and close royal subjects, hovering close, hoping to participate in the funeral. Just beyond them, held back by an army of soldiers, Gareth could see the thousands of masses pouring in, watching the services from a distance. The grief on their faces was genuine. His father was loved, that was certain.

  Gareth stood with the rest of the immediate family, in a semi-circle around his father's body, which sat suspended on planks over a pit in the earth, ropes around it, waiting to be lowered. Argon stood before the crowd, wearing the deep-scarlet robes he reserved only for funerals, his expression inscrutable as he looked down at the King's body, the hood covering his face. Gareth tried desperately to analyze that face, to decipher how much Argon knew. Did Argon know that he murdered his father? And if so, would he tell the others - or let destiny play out?

  To Gareth's bad luck, that annoying boy, Thor, had been cleared of guilt; obviously, he could not have stabbed the king while he was in the dungeon. Not to mention that his father himself had told all the others that Thor was innocent. Which only made things worse for Gareth. A council had already been formed to look into the matter, to scrutinize every detail of his murder. Gareth's heart pounded as he stood there with the others, staring at the body about to be lowered into the earth; he wanted to be lowered with it.

  He knew it was only a matter of time until the trail led to Firth - and when it did, he would be brought down with him. He would have to act quickly to divert the attention, to pin the blame on someone else. Gareth wondered if those around him suspected him. He was likely just being paranoid, and as he surveyed the faces, he saw none looking at him. There stood his brothers, Reese, Godfrey, Kendrick, his sister, Gwendolyn, his mother, her face wrought with grief, looking catatonic; indeed, since his father's death, she had been like a different person, barely able to speak. He'd heard that when she'd received the news something had happened within her, some sort of paralysis. Half of her face was frozen; when she opened her mouth, the words came out too slow.

  Gareth examined the faces of the King's council behind her - his lead general, Brom and the Legion head, Kolk, stood in front, behind whom stood his father's endless advisers. They all feigned grief, but Gareth knew better. He knew that all of these people, all of the councilmembers and advisers and generals - and all of the nobles and lords behind them - barely cared. He recognized on their faces ambition. Lust for power. As each stared down at his father's corpse, he felt that each wondered who might be next to grab the throne.

  It was the very thought that Gareth was having. What would happen in the aftermath of such a chaotic assassination? If it had been clean and simple, and the blame pinned on someone else, then Gareth's plan would have been perfect - the throne would fall to him. After all, he was the first-born, legitimate son. His father had ceded power to Gwendolyn, but no one was present at that meeting except for his siblings, and his wishes were never ratified. Gareth knew the council, and knew how seriously they took the law. Without a ratification, his sister could not rule.

  Which, again, led to him. If due process took its course - and Gareth was determined to make sure it did - then the throne would have to fall on him. That was the law.

  His siblings would fight him, he had no doubt. They would recall their meeting with their father, and probably insist that Gwendolyn rule. Kendrick would not try to take power for himself - he was too pure-hearted. Godfrey was apathetic; Reese was too young. Gwendolyn was his only real threat. But Gareth was optimistic: he didn't think the council was ready for a woman - much less a teenage girl - to rule the Ring. And without a ratification from the king, they had the perfect excuse to pass her over.

  The only real threat left in Gareth's mind was Kendrick. After all, he, Gareth, was universally hated while Kendrick was loved among the common men, among the soldiers. Given the circumstance, there was always the chance of their wanting to hand the throne to Kendrick. The sooner Gareth could take power, the sooner he could use his powers to quash Kendrick.

  Gareth felt a tug at his hand, and looked down to see the knotted rope burning his palm. He realized they had begun lowering his father's coffin; he looked over and saw his other siblings, each holding a rope like he, slowly lowering it. Gareth's end tilted, as he was late lowering, and he reached out and grabbed the rope with his other hand until finally it leveled out. It was ironic: even in death, he could not please his father.

  Distant bells tolled, coming from the castle, and Argon stepped forward and raised a palm.

  "Itso ominus domi ko resepia. . . "

  The lost language of the Ring, the royal language, used by his ancestors for a thousand years. It was a language his private tutors had drilled into him as a boy - and one he would need as he assumed his royal powers.

  Argon suddenly stopped, looked up, and stared right at Gareth. It sent a chill through Gareth's spine, as Argon's translucent eyes seemed to burn right through him. Gareth's face flushed, and he wondered if the whole kingdom was watching, and if any knew what it meant. In that stare, he felt that Argon knew of his involvement. And yet Argon was mysterious, always refusing to get involved in the twists and turns of human fate. Would he stay quiet?

  "King MacGil was a good king, a fair king," Argon said slowly, his voice deep and unearthly.

  "He brought pride and honor to his ancestors, and riches and peace to this kingdom unlike any we've ever known. His life was taken prematurely, as the Gods would have it. But he left behind a legacy deep and rich. Now it is up to us to fulfill that legacy. "

  Argon paused.

  "Our kingdom of the Ring is surrounded by threats deep and ominous on all sides. Beyond our Canyon, protected only by our energy shield, lie a nation of savages and creatures that would tear us apart. Within our Ring, opposite our Highlands, lies a clan that would do us harm. We live in unmatched prosperity and peace; yet our security is fleeting.

  "Why do the gods take someone away from us in his prime - a good and wise and fair king? Why was his destiny to be murdered this way? We are all merely pawns, puppets in fate's hand. Even at the height of our power, we can end up beneath the earth. The question we must grapple with is not what we strive for - but who we strive to be. "

  Argon lowered his head, and Gareth felt his palms burning as they lowered the coffin all the way; it finally hit the ground with a thud.

  "NO!" came a shriek.

  It was Gwendolyn. Hysterical, she ran for the edge of the pit, as if to throw herself in; Reese ran forward and grabbed her, held her back. Kendrick stepped up to help.

  But Gareth felt no sympathy for her; rather, he felt threatened. If she wanted to be under the earth, he could arrange that.

  Yes, indeed, he could.

  *

  Thor stood just feet away from King MacGil's body as he watched it lowered into the earth, and felt overwhelmed by the site. Perched on the edge of the highest cliff of the kingdom, the king had chosen a spectacular place to be buried, a lofty place, which seemed to reach into the clouds themselves. The clouds were tinged with orange and greens and yellows and pinks, as the first of the rising suns crawled its way higher into the sky. But the day was covered with a mist that would not rise, as if the kingdom itself were mourning. Krohn, beside him, whimpered.

  Thor heard a screech, and looked up to see Ephistopheles, circling high above, looking down on them. Thor was still numb; he could hardly believe the events of the last few days, that he was standing here now, in the midst of the king's family, watching this man he had grown so quickly to love be lowered into the earth. It seemed impossible. He had barely begun to know him, the first man that had ever been like a real father, and now he was being taken away. More than anything, Thor could not stop think
ing of the king's final words.

  You are not like the others. You are special. And until you understand who you are, our kingdom will never rest at ease.

  What had he meant by that? Who was he, exactly? How was he special? How did the king know? What did the fate of the kingdom have to do with Thor? Had he just been delirious?

  There is a great land, far from here. Beyond the Empire. Beyond even the land of the Dragons. It is the land of the Druids. Where your mother is from. You must go there to seek the answers.

  How had MacGil known about his mother? How had he known where she lived? And what sort of answers did she have? Thor could not stop thinking about her. He had always assumed she was dead. The idea that she could be alive electrified him. He felt determined, more than ever, to seek her out, to find her. To find the answers, to discover who he was, why he was special.

  As a bell tolled and MacGil's corpse began to lower, Thor wondered about the cruel twists and turns of fate; why had he been allowed to see the future, to see this great man killed - yet made powerless to do anything about it? In some ways, he wished he had never seen any of this, had never known in advance what would happen; he wished he had just been an innocent bystander like the rest, just woken one day to learn that the king was dead. Now he felt as if he were a part of it. Somehow, he felt guilty, as if he should have done more.

  Thor wondered what would become of the kingdom now. It was a kingdom without a king. Who would reign? Would it be, as everyone speculated, Gareth? Thor could not imagine anything worse.

  Thor scanned the crowd and saw the stern faces of the nobles and lords, gathered here from all corners of the Ring; he knew them to be powerful men, from what Reese had told him, in a restless kingdom. He could not help wondering who the killer could be. In all those faces, it seemed as if everyone were suspect. All of these men would be vying for power. Would the kingdom splinter into parts? Would their forces be at odds with each other? And what would become of he, Thor? And of the Legion? Would it be disbanded? Would the army be disbanded? Would The Silver revolt if Gareth was named king?

  And after all that had happened, would the others truly believe that Thor was innocent? Would he be forced to return to his village? He hoped not. He loved everything he had; he wanted more than anything to stay here, in this place, in the Legion. He just wanted everything to be as it was, wanted nothing to change. The kingdom, just days ago, had seemed so substantial, so permanent; MacGil had seemed like he would hold the throne forever. If something so secure, so stable could suddenly collapse - what hope did that leave for the rest of them? Nothing felt permanent to Thor anymore.

  Thor's heart broke as he watched Gwendolyn try to jump into the grave with her father. As Reese held her back, attendants came forward and began shoveling the mound of dirt into the pit, while Argon continued his ceremonial chanting. A cloud passed in the sky, blotting out the sun for a moment, and Thor felt a cold wind whip through on this warm summer day. He heard a whining, and looked down and saw Krohn at his feet, looking up.

  Thor hardly knew what would become of anything anymore, but he knew one thing: he had to talk to Gwen. He had to tell her how sorry he was, tell her how distraught he was, too, over her father's death, tell her that she was not alone. Even if she decided to never see him again, he had to let her know that he had been falsely accused, that he hadn't done anything in that brothel. He needed a chance, just one chance, to set the record straight, before she dismissed him for good.

  As the final shovelful of dirt was thrown on the king and the bells tolled again and again, finally, the crowd rearranged itself: rows of people stretched as far as Thor could see, winding their way along the cliff, each holding a single black rose, lining up to pass the fresh mound of dirt that marked the king's grave. Thor stepped forward, knelt down, and placed his rose on the already growing pile. Krohn whined.

  As the crowd began to disperse, people milling about in every direction, Thor noticed Gwendolyn break free from Reese's grip and run, hysterical, away from the grave.

  "Gwen!" Reese called out after her.

  But she was inconsolable. She cut through the thick mob and ran down a dirt trail along the cliff's edge. Thor could not stand to see her like that; he had to try to speak with her.

  Thor burst through the crowd himself, Krohn at his heels, weaving this way and that as the crowd grew thick, trying to follow her trail, to catch up with her. Finally, he broke free from the outskirts and spotted her running, far away from the others.

  "Gwendolyn!" he screamed out.

  She kept running, and Thor chased after her, running double speed, Krohn yelping alongside him. Thor ran faster and faster, until his lungs burned, and finally, he managed to close the gap between them.

  He grabbed one of her arms, stopping her.

  She wheeled, her eyes red, flooded with tears, her long hair clinging to her cheeks, and threw his hand off.

  "Leave me be!" she screamed. "I don't want to see you! Ever again!"

  "Gwendolyn," Thor pleaded, "I did not kill your father. I had nothing to do with his death. He said so himself. Don't you realize that? I was trying to save him, not to hurt him. "

  She tried to flee, but he held her wrist and did not let her go. He could not let her go - not this time. She struggled against him, but did not try to run anymore. She was too busy, weeping.

  "I know you didn't kill him," she said. "But that doesn't make you any better. How dare you come and try to speak with me after you humiliated me in front of all the others? Especially now, of all times. "

  "But you don't understand. I didn't do anything at that brothel. It was all lies. None of it is true. Someone is trying to slander me. "

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  "So then are you telling me you did not go to that brothel?"

  Thor hesitated, unsure what to say.

  "I did. I went with all the others. "

  "And are you saying you did not enter a room with some strange woman?"

  Thor looked down, embarrassed, unsure how to respond.

  "I suppose I did, but - "

  "No buts," she interrupted. "You admit it then. You're disgusting. I want nothing more to do with you. "

  Her face transformed from distraught to furious. She stopped her crying, as her expression changed to one of rage. She got very calm, got close to him, and said.

  "I never want to see your face. Never again. Do you understand me? I don't know what I was thinking to spend any time with you at all. My mother was right. You are just a commoner. You are beneath me. "

  Her words stung him to his very soul. He felt as if he'd been stabbed.

  He let go of her wrist, took several steps back. Perhaps Alton had been right after all. Perhaps he had just been another plaything for her.

  He turned without another word and headed away from her, Krohn at his side, and for the first time since he had arrived, he wondered if there were anything left for him here.