The Destroyer Book 2 (22 page)

“It’s on the other side of the castle,” Bethany said to make conversation over her shoulder at me.

“How long have you been a servant here?” We passed two Losher guards and I looked down at the ground. They ignored us and continued to walk in the opposite direction.

“My whole life! There is plenty to do here. That was my grandma. She takes care of me now.” I glanced back at the Losher soldiers as they walked away. I could easily run behind them, pull one’s sword, and kill both in less than a second. My heart beat quicker as I thought about running around the castle, sword covered in blood while I murdered the people who had killed my friends.

“Are you okay, Paug?” the girl gaped at me with concern.

“Sorry. Just got distracted.” She took my scarred left hand in her right and pulled me along with her.

“Let’s go. Don’t look at those soldiers. I try to avoid them. We are almost there. I take a longer way because I don’t want to pass by the entrance to the Royal Quarters.”

“Why is that?”

“There are lots of those guards there, and I don’t like the way they look at me. I also once saw an Ancient!” She squeezed my hand eagerly. We passed another group of guards. Some wore Losher armor, but some wore Nia colors. I looked at the ground and hoped that they didn’t recognize me.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what they looked like? That is what everyone else does.” Bethany ignored the guards we walked past and they did the same to us.

“Sure. What did they look like?” I feigned interest to keep the girl talking.

“It was a woman. She was very beautiful. She had long hair with a gray sheen so it looked almost like metal. She had wonderful smooth, white skin and her eyes were red! Her ears were tall and went up to the top of her head. Can you believe it?”

“I don’t believe it.”

“You should. I never lie.” The girl stuck her tongue out at me. The expression reminded me of Jessmei. But it was just the playful movement. Jessmei was five or six years older than Bethany and many times more beautiful.

“Is it safe with the Ancients and the Losher guards here in the castle?” I asked her. She twisted her mouth as she tried to consider her answer.

“Grandma tells me to be careful around the new guards. There are fewer servants now and a lot more work. Maybe you can help us with laundry today?” I nodded and she smiled joyfully. Children were resilient.

We walked for another ten minutes and entered the opposite wing from the one where I had stayed. I had never been to this part of the castle, but the place had the same rich decor as the rest of the massive stone fortress. Bethany pulled me to a large stairwell that took us deep down to the heart of the fortress, where the servants traveled through the veins and arteries like blood.

The stairway ended in a giant room with three sets of doors on the other side. The entrance to my left was guarded by double swinging doors and servants moved quickly through them and up the stairs past us carrying trays of food. They smelled delicious, and my stomach growled in pain. It had been a while since I fueled my body.

“You look hungry Paug. Let’s get you food before we get you your attire.” I was going to argue, but another servant ran by and I caught the scent of meat, cheese, and bread. My stomach lurched again and I grinned at the girl.

“Sounds wonderful. Thank you.”

“It won’t be as good as the food they are carrying,” Bethany said. “But we may eat stew and bread from the kitchen, as much as we want.”

“As much as we want?” I smiled at her. I didn’t think she knew how much I could eat. She laughed at me and pulled me through the swinging doors.

I stopped as soon as I stepped into the room. This was truly the heart of the castle. Atop ten massive stoves, gleaming silver and copper-colored pots bubbled and steamed with stew, soup and other temptingly aromatic concoctions. The yeasty tang of fresh bread came from five ovens, baking enough loaves to feed an army. Or at least me. Cooks prepared meat, fowl and fish on a long wooden work table while servants chopped vegetables with dizzying efficiency. My salivary glands stung as the scents hit me and I realized how famished I was.

“Everyone is expecting breakfast soon, so they are getting ready.” I smelled eggs in the air and my stomach felt like it was trying to rip out of my skin and devour the food on its own power. In the far corner of the large room were two long tables. A handful of servants sat upon the benches and ate steaming bowls of stew while they whispered to each other.

“Sit down, Paug. I’ll get you a bowl. Do you want some water with it?” I nodded and watched the girl dash expertly between the cooks. I sat down at the table next to the smallest group of servants. Thoughts of Greykin, Nanos, and my rescue attempt were replaced with thoughts of sating my hunger.

Bethany set a bowl of stew, some boiled eggs, and a hunk of bread down in front of me. The scent made my mouth water and I grabbed the bread and dunked it into the rich, oily broth. It was scorching hot and seared the roof of my mouth and tongue, but I healed almost as quickly as I swallowed it down with pleasure.

“Whoops. I forgot water. Let me grab some.” I grunted and devoured another bite. By the time Bethany returned with a full glass I had finished the stew, eggs, and bread.

“Wow, you really were starving. Let me get you some more.” I inhaled the second and third plates as quickly as the first. I still felt ravenous and gave her an appreciative look. She was impressed with my appetite, but did not treat helping me slake my hunger like the irritating chore it was. I worried about the other duties I was keeping her from, but she did not seem concerned. I figured growing up as a servant in the castle had accustomed the girl to putting others before herself as normal and right.

“You are really hungry! I’ll get you another bowl, Paug. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat that much that quickly.”

“Bethany, maybe it would be more efficient to just bring the pot over to our friend Paug,” a familiar voice said from the other side of the table. I swung around to see the man who spoke. He was hard to recognize because the servant's attire, shaved head, and full beard disguised his usual appearance.

The Duke of Nia was not dead.

“Maerc. If you are reading this letter, then I am dead and with my death our beloved Nia has fallen,” Runir's father paused, cleared his throat and then took a sip of water. He looked over at me to make sure I was paying attention to the dead king’s words before he continued.

“Before I can release you from your oath to our kingdom, I require two tasks of you. The first will be the easiest to perform physically, but the toughest emotionally. If Nadea is still alive I need you to question and possibly kill her.”

“What?!” I shouted in surprise as I leapt to my feet. I forgot about my leg and pain flooded through my body, causing my vision to swim. I felt nauseated and the room began to spin.

“Sit down!” Maerc yelled at me again.

“Fuck you! He didn’t write that. You are lying.” I couldn’t stop my voice from sobbing. I didn't understand why my uncle would want me dead. We had always gotten along and I loved him. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I took breaths in ragged gasps. The parchment in Maerc's hand was close enough, but Runir intercepted my attempt to hurdle the desk and rip the note out of his father’s hands.

“I will show you the letter after I am done reading, Nadea.” Maerc’s voice and face softened. “I didn't believe this myself when I read it; I grew up with your father and the king. We trained together, led troops together, and shared countless memories. I think of them as my brothers and my lords.” I tried to say something but my words came out a garbled mess. How could he want me dead? My chest felt like someone kicked it and I struggled to inhale. The small amount of food I ate earlier wanted to come up out of my throat.

Runir helped me limp back to the chair and he moved his stool over next to me. I looked at him and saw his eyes were watering. He put his arm around my shoulders to comfort me and I didn't push him away.

“You will be shocked at my request, and even though you have sworn to serve me as a friend and an advisor, I would understand your hesitation to fulfill this order without explanation.

“As you know, Beltor and his wife attempted to conceive for many years and were unsuccessful. When Satina finally became pregnant, my brother was overjoyed. I’m sure you recall that celebration we had when we all heard the news. Shortly after that, my wife became pregnant with Nanos.”

The sound of my mother’s name brought forth more tears. Runir’s arm tightened on my shoulder and I buried my face in his chest to stifle my sobs. Why was the king doing this? I hadn't expected an attack from him. Especially from across the grave. I had always lived with the fear and knowledge that someday someone would uncover my secret, but I had never imagined it would be my loving uncle.

“Let us wait a few minutes. We should have prepared you.” Maerc seemed sincerely concerned about me and I heard him pick up his water and take another gulp.

“Father, perhaps we should do this tomorrow? She’s had a rough few weeks and needs some food, drink, and rest.” Runir’s chest quivered as I pushed my face into it. I was practically sitting in his lap now, but I needed someone to be on my side. And I wanted them to think I was frail. I had learned long ago to leverage the power that came with being underestimated by men.

“She already ate. We need to hear her answers to this letter. I’m still not . . .” Maerc trailed off and I glanced up to catch the tail end of an exchange of looks between the father and son. I pushed myself away from my friend and sat up in my chair, putting some distance between us. Runir wasn’t on my side. He may have been in love with me, but he had always been his father’s son first, and I knew he would do whatever the general asked.

“Please continue. I don’t need a rest. You obviously have a purpose in reading this aloud now since you have disobeyed his last request.” I almost spit the words at him.

“What do you mean?” Runir asked.

“Well. I’m not dead yet, which means your father is disobeying orders. He must have some reason for waiting. Or he just refuses to be a murderer.” I tried not to glare at Runir, but I don’t think I succeeded. This was a fine line I needed to walk.

“Let me finish, girl.” Maerc sighed and looked down at the letter again. I tried not to react to his infuriating insistence on calling me “girl” and waited for him to continue.

“Unfortunately, during the birth, something went wrong. Both the infant and Satina were lost. You never heard of the baby dying, I only found out about it many years later when the midwife told me. I had been under the impression that Nadea was his actual child and that Satina died shortly after her birth. That was what my brother had led me to believe. I confronted him on the conflicting story. As you know, he is a thespian and wordsmith of amazing talent, but he did not fool me. Nadea was not his flesh and blood. She was something else. She was not human.”

Maerc stopped again and leveled a scrutinizing glare at me. I clenched my jaw and tried not to scream. The walls of the tent pushed in on me with resentment. I had always anticipated this revelation. Father had told me we needed to keep my secret and we conspired to ensure no one knew. I wished he had warned me about the king, so I could have planned for this eventuality, or perhaps spoken with the king directly to allay his fears. I nodded to Maerc and he continued.

“When Beltor found out that his wife and child died during the birth, he fled the castle and wandered the peaks of the Teeth for weeks. He told me later that he had gotten lost in melancholy and contemplated suicide. I had always been a little jealous of his relationship with Satina. As you probably suspected, my own marriage is political, and we care little for each other. My younger brother was able to enjoy the freedom to marry whom he loved.

“I digress and apologize. Continuing with my brother’s account: He stumbled upon a strange ruin in the peaks. It was surrounded by trees, and Beltor described it as one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. The structure seemed to grow out of the ground as if it were carved from the earth. The inside was composed of odd stone that felt like iron. He said that there were dozens of stone beds arranged across the floor like caskets. He explored the building and followed the sounds of a baby crying.

“That is where he found Nadea. A small newborn babe left alone on one of the pedestals in the middle of the Teeth Mountains. There wasn’t another human soul within twenty miles, so my brother was puzzled as to how she arrived there. He searched the structure for her parents but didn’t find anyone. The child was hungry, so Beltor did his best to feed it small pieces of the dried meat he carried. Finally, he decided to take the infant back. During the journey he felt as if they were drawn together by a power beyond his understanding. He made her his daughter in the house and lied about her birth.

“Nadea grew and it became apparent that she wasn’t human.

“The girl was amazingly strong and her intellectual development was rapid. She began speaking and walking after a few months. By the time she was two years old she was easily reading all the books in my brother's extensive library.