Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (54 page)

Rhys grinned at her. “I am, it’s been a long day. I have never seen anything like it, I take it you and Kian fared well?”

“We did, my arm is a bit sore though.”

Rhys yawned. “See me tomorrow. I will take a look at it. Have you spoken to Kian about your last visit?”

Endra shook her head. “No, not yet, I’m waiting for the right time, I will tell him soon.”

Rhys touched her arm “Please do, he should know sooner rather than later.” Rhys gave her a solemn look. “I hated to hear about poor Vandarus, he was a good man. I will miss him a great deal.” Endra nodded her agreement.

“If you will excuse me, I’m ready for my bed. Remember talk to Kian.” Rhys gave her a sad smile and continued on up the stairs.

Rhys was right, she thought Kian should know about the baby, she would tell him first thing tomorrow.

“Cromwell, are you drunk?” K’xarr stared at the Toran dumbfounded. He had gone to the throne room to see if the Queen was there, so he could tell her about the battle and Greyson’s treachery. He was stunned to find the big Toran sitting on the phoenix throne, drinking from a large bottle of wine.

“That I am, your generalship.”

K’xarr went up the steps of the dais and slapped the bottle out of Cromwell’s hand. “Get off that throne, you stupid oaf.”

Cromwell surged up and grabbed K’xarr by the throat and lifted him off the ground. “You should never waste good wine, General.” He tossed K’xarr down the stairs of the dais. The Camiran tumbled down to lay sprawled out in the floor. Cromwell walked slowly down the steps toward him.

K’xarr got to his feet. “You drunk bastard, what the hell are you doing?”

“What you should be doing, why aren’t you drunk too, General? We fought, we won, and we lived, is there a better reason to be drunk? Tell me, General, did you see my friend Vandarus die today? Will you not have a drink to his courage?”

K’xarr was livid. “You idiot, get back to your men and get there now, Havalon could attack in the morning, we have a city to defend, don’t you understand that?”

Cromwell bowed low and swept his arm out in a grand fashion. “Of course, General, I hear and obey. Tell me, my lord, have you seen my comrade K’xarr anywhere? I need to find a man to drink with.”

K’xarr’s hand balled into a fist and he slammed it into Cromwell’s face, breaking his friend’s nose.

The Toran staggered back and wiped the blood from under his nose with the back of his hand. “Oh wait, there he is now.”

K’xarr looked at him perplexed. Cromwell grabbed him by his cuirass and slung the general across the throne room.

K’xarr got to his feet and saw the giant Toran charging toward him. “Oh hell” was all he got out. Cromwell hit him like a battering ram and both men landed in a heap on the floor, fists flying.

“Enough, I yield,” K’xarr said. They locked eyes and both burst out laughing.

“Let’s go get another bottle of wine and I’ll help you drink it,” K’xarr said.

“You’re a hard man to talk into having a drink, General.” Cromwell grunted as he rose to his feet.

He helped his friend up and they walked towards the great doors of the throne room, both heard a commotion in the hallway and saw Rhys burst into the room. “The Queen has been taken.” The healer held out his hand, in it was a black leather mask.

Chapter 21

T
he room was quiet; the crackling of the fireplace was the only sound. All the authority left in Turill had been brought to the council room. Everyone was just looking at one another, at a loss on what to do or say. K’xarr could see none of them had any idea what should be done about the Queen.

“Someone say something. I don’t have long to decide, Havalon is bringing his catapults into range and positioning his siege towers, do any of you have any suggestions on what we should do?” K’xarr asked the silent table.

“We have to go after her, there is no decision to make, we just have to find her as quickly as we can. We have already seen what that evil man is capable of,” Rhys said giving Kian a brief glance. The Half Elf had told them whom the mask belonged to.

K’xarr knew the healer was dead on his feet, they all were. Rhys’s feelings for Raygan would not allow him to be objective. The healer’s usually brilliant mind would be little help to him this time.

K’xarr shook his head and gave the healer a stern look. “We all just can’t leave the city to search for the Queen, Rhys. The weather is terrible and there is an army out there bent on taking Turill.” K’xarr gave Rhys a look of resignation. “We don’t even know where he has taken her.”

Endra put her hands on her hips. “We damn well know where she is, that evil bastard took her right back to that tower of his. She’s in the Adorn. I would stake my life on it.”

“Are we sure of that?” Bishop Lyfair asked.

K’xarr nodded. “If I had to guess, I would have to agree with Endra, but we don’t know for sure it would be a foolish to just charge off to the Adorn Forest without even knowing if she is there. It could cost us the city as well.”

“I’m afraid someone must retrieve her, without the Queen we might be in a bit of trouble here. Even if King Havalon is defeated, we could never hold the city without her. I hate to say it, General, but if the people find out she’s gone you will have no authority. They will never listen to a foreigner without her backing. The people wouldn’t have it, and neither would the Church for that matter. The Pope would order Prince Cain crowned King if his sister cannot be returned to us.”

“I thought he was already claiming to be King?” K’xarr asked puzzled.

Lyfair chuckled. “Without the Church’s blessing, he cannot be King. Not in the Eyes of God or the Pope. Cain was never officially crowned, his sister was. According to Church law, she rules Bandara, no matter what her brother might think.”

Cromwell was leaning back in a chair with his feet on the table. The Toran took a big draught of ale from a tankard that looked like it was made for a giant, and then he belched. “Who gives a stray dog’s ass what the Church thinks?”

“Cromwell,” K’xarr bellowed slamming his hand on the table. “What?” the big man said innocently.

“What did I say?” K’xarr gave the Toran a look that could melt ice. “If you don’t have anything to add, then just be silent.”

“I added no one cares what the Church thinks, that’s what I added,” Cromwell said with a grin.

K’xarr gritted his teeth and started around the table toward Cromwell. The big man started to put his feet down and stand up to meet the general head on.

Kian kicked the legs out from under Cromwell’s chair sending the large man to the floor, his ale splashing up onto the table and all over the front of Bishop Lyfair.

“Can’t we have a little decorum for once?” the Bishop said exasperated.

Cromwell lay on his back and looked up at the swordsman. “Why are you on his side? I know you don’t care about the Church either.”

Kian looked down and offered his hand to the Toran. “No, but I do care about the Queen.” He pulled Cromwell to his feet as the Bishop tried to dry his robe with his handkerchief.

The Toran looked at K’xarr and shrugged. “I will be quiet unless I have something to add.” Cromwell sat back down looking sheepishly at the others.

Rufio had been lost in his own thoughts until Cromwell had hit the floor. The ruckus brought his mind back to the problem at hand. “We can’t spare any men to go get the Queen, General, and I’m sorry, Rhys, but she might already be dead.”

Rhys put his hand over his mouth and stepped away from the table. It was clear the healer hadn’t even considered the idea that Raygan might be dead.

“You might be right, Rufio, but we are going to assume that she lives, I don’t know why the wizard would take her other than to help the Abberdonians. So we may also be facing sorcery on the battlefield now.” K’xarr looked at Kian. “The only other reason I can think of is revenge for what happened at the tower. It really doesn’t matter, whatever the reason we seem to have made an enemy.”

The swordsman looked at K’xarr but said nothing and his expression didn’t betray his thoughts.

Rufio faced his general. “What do we do, go find the Queen or fight the Abberdonians?”

His eyes were burning; he was tired and need to get a little sleep. K’xarr knew Havalon was going to test their defenses soon and he wasn’t sure they could pass the test. He had to tell them now.

The fact was he knew what he going to do two hours ago when Rhys showed them the mask. K’xarr wanted everyone to realize there were few options and comprehend the situation before he told them what he was going to do. It might help them to understand the predicament they were in, because they weren’t going to like what he was about to suggest at all. “Kian, will you go get her and bring her back?”

Endra’s mouth dropped open. “You’re going to ask him to go back there?”

“I am.” K’xarr said with a certainty that they had come to know all too well.

“He’s not going alone,” Rhys said with resolve. “I won’t let Kian go alone, he might need me along the way and Raygan’s with child. Kian won’t know what to do if there are any problems.”

Endra went over and stood by the healer. “I’m going too, if you want to try and stop me, General, go ahead.”

“You three aren’t going to leave me out.” Cromwell chimed in.

“I haven’t even heard Kian say he would go yet,” K’xarr said looking at the swordsman.

Kian faced the three volunteers. “I will go, if she is there I will bring her back, and I will go alone.” He stood up and walked out of the council chamber in silence.

“Why, K’xarr? By the Gods, why? You know what he suffered there, and how he has struggled to overcome it.” Endra put both hands on the table and locked eyes with the general.

“When I watched Vandarus die alone out in that damn snow today I knew it was because I gave the order to close the gates.” K’xarr paused for a moment he saw that bringing up their dead comrade was hurting Rufio, but he had to finish so he could make them grasp his point. “I swore then that if it was in my power I would never leave a friend behind again, the Queen and I aren’t sword brothers, and I don’t know if I even like her, but she had faith in me. In us, when not many would. I will not leave her in the hands of that evil bastard. If I thought I could get her out, I would go alone, even if it meant my life. The simple truth is Kian is the only one who even has a chance to bring her back.”

“It’s not going to mean your life, it’s going to mean his.” Endra angrily snatched her cloak off the back of her chair and stormed out.

K’xarr knew she would never agree with his decision, she loved Kian too much to see it was the only choice he could make. “Rufio, Cromwell, go get some sleep, you too Rhys, you look ready for the grave.”

The healer shook his head. “I can’t.” He quickly walked out of the council chamber with his head down.

Bishop Lyfair cleared his throat. “General, we will need to come up with a story to tell the servants and the people, when they notice they have not seen the Queen. I suggest trouble with her pregnancy, perhaps we could say she has been ordered by her physician to rest and have no visitors?”

K’xarr nodded. “That’s sounds good. Bishop, you can take care of keeping her abduction a secret.”

“I will do my best, General.” The holy man made the sign of his God and departed the council chamber without further comment.