Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (12 page)

“Cromwell look at your blood are you ill?”

Cromwell looked at the cut then put the weapon back in its sheath. “I’m not ill my blood has always been like this black as the Reaper’s heart.”

Kian shook his head in disbelieve “Do all Toran’s have black blood?”

“Of course not, you half Elven fool.” Cromwell paused a moment and stared at the blood. “Only me.”

He wanted to ask the big man more about it, but the look in the Toran’s eye made him hold his tongue. Cromwell must have seen the question on Kian’s face. “We have a saying in Tora, my friend. If you ask too many questions you will soon get an answer you do not like” Cromwell stop carving on yourself it’s time to go.” K’xarr had rejoined them. Kian had been so in grossed in Cromwell’s tale and the strange blood he hadn’t even heard the Camiran walk up.

“K’xarr have you seen his blood?” Kian said pointing to Cromwell’s arm.

“Yes we have traveled together for a long time I have seen more of that Toran than I care to. You don’t have a problem with it do you, Kian?”

“No, I have just never seen anything like it. Have you ever run across anyone else that bleeds black?”

Cromwell looked at K’xarr. “Only one other that I have ever seen.”

Kian looked back and forth between the two men. “You have it too, K’xarr?”

“Aye, since the day of my birth. I wouldn’t think you would question the purity of anyone’s blood half breed?”

Kian stood up. “I don’t judge men on the color of their blood or the shape of their ears or anything else. I was taught to judge men by their deeds.”

K’xarr nodded. “Good but I ask you to keep it to yourself, most people in the world don’t think that way and we have had trouble in the past because of it.”

“You have my word I will tell no one,” the half Elf said. Kian understood all too well how intolerant the world could be.

“Where are we going?” Cromwell asked ignoring their conversation.

“We will head back to the city and take ship to the middle continent and see what kind of trouble we can find there.”

“We have no coin to pay for passage, K’xarr you know that,” Cromwell said as he stood up and slung his two handed sword across his back.

“We’ll get the coin. It’s time to seek our fortune in the world. I have seen twenty five winters and so have you, oaf and we don’t have a thing to show for it. I am tired of living like rats and fearing someone will find out about this accursed blood. Let’s join the first band of sell swords we come across and see the world. Make a little coin while we do it.”

Cromwell stood up. “Well I have nothing better to do and I too have grown tired of living like beggars. We are warriors, K’xarr, it’s time we acted like it. If people don’t like our blood, we will teach them to fear it.”

K’xarr looked at Kian, he seemed pleased with himself. “Well, my half breed friend you can go your own way or you can come with us if you like but I warn you now, the road Cromwell and I are traveling is a bloody one. We will live by the sword. I want you to know that before you make your choice. If you come maybe you will run across that family of yours. I plan on seeing much of this world before I’m put down into it. If you choose to go on alone we will not hold it against you.”

Kian thought for a moment; he too was a warrior and had no other skill to speak of and traveling with humans even if they were savages and had strange blood would make it easier for him to journey through the world. “I have nowhere to go and little coin. My family is lost to me for now and the only talent I have is with a blade. So I will come but I tell you this. I will do no murder and I will not make war on women or children.”

Cromwell gave him a friendly slap on the back. “You can leave that to us.”

Chapter 6

S
he had made it back to her chambers. Raygan locked her door and leaned back against it. Her chest was heaving from her erratic flight from the throne room. The Princess’s mind was reeling. She had never been so mixed up by anything in her life. How had it happened?

King Aaron had been taken down to the throne room early that morning before any of the nobles had arrived for court. Raygan had directed his servants on what her father should wear and the route they should take to get him to the first floor of the palace unseen. No one needed to know the King could not walk to the throne room on his own if it could be helped. Her father had been very quiet that morning, she should have known something was wrong. He was so serious and deep in thought. He had seemed almost troubled. She had dismissed it as the strain of being out of bed for the first time in months.

Once in the throne room, they had carried him up on the dais and seated him on the phoenix throne. The day before, Raygan had ordered the King’s staff to adorn the whole palace with red and gold, the royal colors of Bandara. There were banners and garland, even the carpet had been changed to reflect her idea of a nationally themed event.

Her father had looked so pleased when he saw the throne room. He had thanked her for all she had done and gave his daughter an almost remorseful smile. She wished she had asked him what was making him so forlorn. Maybe the whole thing could have been avoided.

The first of the nobles had begun to arrive by midmorning. The lesser lords and ladies of Bandara were all dressed in their finest to see their King. Raygan knew many of the nobles didn’t care for the King’s lenient taxation of the commoners. It was no secret to anyone that the King was ill, and it might be the last time Aaron Albana held court. Even though the nobility disagreed with the King’s politics, their sense of nobility wouldn’t allow them to miss the affair. Raygan felt good about how many of them turned out to show proper respect for the man who had ruled the Kingdom for so long.

She remembered Finn Selmac and Bishop Lyfair coming in and hovering like vultures near the dais. The rest of King’s council was the last to come in: General Voths, Lords Kasper, Bradford, and Fox. Talorn Blackthorn and his father had entered with her brother. She had never liked Talorn, he was arrogant and far too pretty for her taste.

Raygan had invited many of the wealthiest commoners as well. So many had come to the palace to see their King that many had to be turned away and asked to wait in the garden where refreshments were to be served after the court business was finished. It was a grand gathering and somehow it had gone terribly wrong.

Someone was knocking on her door. She jumped, afraid that it was someone sent to bring her back down to the throne room. She was not ready for that yet. “Are you alright, Highness?” It was just her young servant Isabella.

“Yes, Bella, I won’t need you for the rest of the night, you may go to your quarters.”

“Highness, I heard what happened. The whole palace is in an uproar. I don’t think you should be alone.”

“Just go, little one, I will be fine.” Would she? How could she ever be fine again?

***

King Aaron had given a fine speech to the court about his beloved Bandara and his years on the throne. The crowd had cheered and applauded. It was after that when things took a turn for the worse.

Her father had raised his hand and quieted the room. He started speaking of how he had left a fine mess of things for his heir and that they would have to be an extraordinary and exceptional person to undo all the mistakes he had made. He said he had chosen his heir because they shared his vision for the continued prosperity of the citizens of Bandara. Her father proclaimed to everyone in the throne room that he was leaving the Kingdom in the hands of someone he could trust and he had the utmost confidence in them.

Cain was beaming with pride; you could see the satisfaction on his face. Her brother liked nothing better than to have his ego stroked. The truth was Raygan thought Cain would be a great King; he had trained all his life to be the ruler Bandara. He had been sent to the colleges in Asqutania where only the very brightest and astute young men were allowed to attend. Father had told her he had done very well there. It was not surprising. Cain had always been more intelligent than she was. Sometimes she felt a little jealous about that, but she had no head for facts and numbers. Raygan had trouble with the subjects the royal tutors had tried to teach her. If not for the way she could flip her hair and smile, she would have never completed mathematics this past winter.

The Princess had been daydreaming again as she usually did during court functions when she heard he father say, “That is why I have changed my mind. My daughter Raygan will be my heir, she will rule Bandara when I am gone. I’m sorry, Son, but it must be this way.” The throne room went silent everyone stood frozen by the shocking news. Raygan stood with her mouth open staring at her father. Had she heard him right? He looked at her and spoke in a low tone only she could hear.

“Promise me, Raygan, you must do this for me. You must rule. If Cain takes the throne, there will be nothing left of our Bandara. I promise I will explain it all to you later. ” She remembered nodding her head. The next thing she heard was someone yelling, “The King is mad!”

The dais was rushed by Royal Guardsmen and her father was picked up and carried out through his private entrance. The throne room had erupted into complete turmoil. Bishop Lyfair and most of the Lords were trying to restore order. The common people were yelling and some were even cheering the announcement. She felt like everyone was looking at her. It was Cain she noticed, though the anguish written on his face was more than she could bear. She stepped down from the dais and ran.

“Get those peasants out of here now,” Lord Bradford screamed. The throne room began to fill with Royal Guardsmen. William Blackthorn pulled one of them aside. “Get everyone out but the high Lords Bishop Lyfair and Selmac. Do whatever you have to.”

The guard saluted the old Lord and went to give the Lord’s orders to his commander. Cain stood staring at the throne. She had done it again. Raygan had bested him and made him to look like a fool in front of all the nobility of Bandara.

“Cain? Cain, listen to me this means nothing; your father was ill, his decision will never stand. The Prince turned his head to look at Talorn. His friend was trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t quite understand what he was saying. He had just been cheated out of everything he had ever wanted. The throne was the only thing that mattered to him in this world. Was he so much less than his sister?

“Cain, where are you going?” Talorn called after the infuriated Prince.

Lord Blackthorn saw his son trying to talk with the dejected Prince. “Let him go, Son, help us clear the palace and then we can see to the Prince.

***

Raygan paced back and forth in her room, trying to decide what she should do. She heard the lock turn and the Princess jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Highness, why did you run away?” Agnes said as she turned and relocked the door.

“Didn’t you see what happened? Father made me the heir to the phoenix throne? It was Cain who has been groomed to take over when Father is gone. Why did he change his mind? He knows I have no idea how to run a country.”

Agnes took the little Princess by the shoulders, squeezing them hard enough to make Raygan wince. “Calm yourself, Highness, I’m sure your father had his reasons for taking Cain out of the succession. Collect yourself and get back down there, the people need to see you’re not a frightened little girl.”

Raygan shook the woman’s hands off her shoulders. “I’m not going back down there, you old troll, has everyone gone mad? I need to see my father right now. He going to undo this, I wanted no part of it.”