The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (58 page)

The Lord of
Saint Erinsburg sat on his decorated chair in the great hall of his castle
,
pondering his next move. The early morning sun was hidden by clouds that promised spring rain sometime soon. He looked up to Sir James and Azenairk who sat quietly at the long rectangular table of dark stained oak and rose marble inlays. He glanced to Saberrak and Shinayne who stood in the doorway having a whispered conversation of their own, likely about him. Gwenneth was reading the tome given to her by Ansharr, peaceful and content at the end of the table
,
alone. His thoughts went back a day to the funeral of his cousin, then to the rumor that Florin and the bishop of Harlaheim had been executed in L’Herrim Square yesterday, and finally back to the realization that the king would undoubtedly send an army any day to his city. His hands tightened on his beard and face, trying to squeeze some comfort out with a little tug of pain.
In the bac
k of the chamber sat his capitan
s, the priests, and a few notable merchants and landowners that had worries and needed answers.
Sir Karai and Sir Leonard had arrived earlier, having ditched their noble escorts. Cristoff had led them to the grave of Savanno, and allowed their mourning time alone. He wished they had come with men, but this was not the case.

“Lord Cristoff, how many men could the king send, should he attack?” James tried to recall his military training from his youth in Southwind Keep.

“His standing army is three thousand, with another three in reserve.
His royal guard number five hun
dred, plus any knights to lead them
and their men as well
. Of that, a thousand would be cavalry. Saint Erinsburg is landlocked, which nullifies his naval force of two thousand on twenty or more vessels. He has catapults, ballistae, and
several siege towers as well.” j
ust speaking the words aloud was depressing and set a tone of hopelessness in the great hall full of crosses, flags, and tapestries befitting a king.

Azenairk looked up to the distinguished lord with his thin crown atop a weary head and spoke softly. “And how many soldiers are here, my lord?”

“Now? F
ive hundred
and three hundred cavalry. That accounts for every man that can pull a blade or carry a spear, good dwarf. Half my men have seen battles that make them vastly superior to Harlaheim forces, for we have spent much time fending off the terrors of the Karnassos Swamps. The other half, well, you get my meaning Zen. It would be a siege that could last days, perhaps a week at best. I would have no way to meet him on th
e field and protect the city.” t
he veteran lord and champion of many battles thought of what his new allies could do to help, but in his mind and heart, they had risked enough already. Assisting each other was one thing,
them
taking a stand
with him against the
king in a losing battle which was certain death, that was another.

“We could help plan the defenses, my lord. Saberrak and I have some—“

Cristoff put his hand up to politely silence the elven noble from Kilikala. “Lady Shinayne, you and yours have helped beyond that which I could ever ask anyone. Further involvement will only get you branded as a threat to the kingdom, and you already have too many looking for you as it is. I am trying to figure the best road in which to
get you safely out of Harlheim
. You have your mission to the west, I have mine here, and we must part soon for I fear every hour we waste brings you all closer to capture.”

“So you are giving up then?” Shinayne lowered her head, fearing the worst, that Cristoff had been beaten before the battle had yet to begin.

“Not at all. I plan on making Richmond earn his prize. He may have numbers, but there is n
ot one of his knights or capitan
s, even himself, that has the experience in battle of myself. I will make him wish he had never sent his army. Maybe he will give up, maybe and most likely the castle will be taken, but none of it without a stand. That I promise you.” Cristoff stood, hand on the grip of his immaculately engraved longsword
with the cross pommel. “Capitan
s, you have a city to fortify and men to organize. I need you, Norrice, to arrange the detail that will get our friends here to Lake Devon. The road to Bail
e
y should be clear after you cross the bridge south of Devonmir. From there, travel northwest across Willborne
until you reach
the Misathi Mountains
, then my men will return to me
. You know the rest.”

“I will stay and fight with you
Lord Cristoff.” James spoke up nervously. He knew his friends were staring at him, eve
n Gwenne paused from her study of the arcane text written in the tongue of dragons
.

“I would welcome it greatly, Sir James, truly. But your friends are in need of you and your sword. A knight of Chazzrynn taking sides against the king of Harlaheim wo
uld likely earn you
dishonor, regardless of cause.”

“I was told by my king that any enemy that stands in my way is an enemy of Chazzrynn and—“

“Yes, James Andellis of Southwind Keep, that is true, we were all there.
”Gwenne interrupted him.
“
However, the king did not tell you to seek out or stand against enemies so that you may engage in any fight you wish. He did not give you license to draw swords on anyone you deem-“

“Gwenneth, you know nothing of honor or knighthood. I have a commitment to uphold the truth and honor wherever I go, and this injustice cannot be left to fate, not wh
e
n I can help it!” James raised his voice a bit louder than he had expected to.

“And this is not your fight or your injustice
nor does it have anything to do with Chazzrynn
. You promised to go with Azenairk, with us, to seek out this mythical place. Even though I doubt it exists, you made a vow to a friend, James. How is your honor feeling now?” Gwenneth kept her composure calm, letting James get red in the face and embarrass himself at his attempt at bravado and selflessness.

James felt his pride and honor screaming for him to take the field with Cristoff once more. He was blind to anything else he may have promised, he had forgotten the western venture as so much had happened in the days since the vow on Soujan Mountain. He looked to Zen, then to Cristoff. “Tell me what to do, my lord.”

“I am not your lord, however, I do have some authority her
e. That is the rumor anyway.” t
he veteran soldier and ruler of Saint Erinsburg placed his armored hand on James’ shoulder, drew his sword and placed it on the table. The feathered cross pommel
was
facing toward them both. “Sir James, I order you as a knight
,
before Alden, Lord of Heaven, by my noble authority, to protect these travelers
, truer friends you have not,
in their journey west.
I envy you more than you will ever know.
Do not fail them, or me, should it even require your life.”

“So be it then. I will honor Lord Cristoff’s order, although I feel to leave this city
,
to whatever fate a menace of a ruler has in store for it
,
is a sin against my honor.” James stood and bowed to the armored lord of the city. “Cristoff, why don’t you come with us? Lead your people from here and travel west with us?”

Shinayne nearly fell forward with the comment from James, and gasps escaped the lips of Zen and Gwenneth as to the folly of such an idea. “James, to lead a city of ten thousand people through dangerous territory to a place that may or may not exist is not even feasible. How would they
live, eat, where would they sleep? Be serious please, that is not an offer that is realistic. You need to accept that Cristoff has duty here, and that duty requires difficult decisions at times.”
Shinayne pleaded with logic to her friend in his troubled state.

“You traveled
how
far from Kilikala, then how far from the Agarian coast all the way to the Western Wastes of southern Chazzrynn? Three months or more Shinayne? How did you survive?” James was standing up to his friend, simply because he did not want to see any more great leaders die for nothing.

“I am
one person
, James, not an entire city.
Please be practical.”

The knight of Chazzrynn straightened up and turned toward Cristoff Bradswellen. “My Lord, should you change your mind in regards to this battle, I have an offer for you, as long as it is ac
ceptable to the rest present.” h
e looked around, receiving shaking heads from the highborne elf, the minotaur, and the prodigal wizard. Azenairk looked up to them both and simply nodded in agreement. “You will have a home in Mooncrest, far to the west, for you and your people. No one need die here for the corruption of one bad king. No one need live chained to a would be funeral out of duty. Should there be a Mooncrest and the fabled mines of Kakisteele at the end of our journey, it will not be a place of sworn titles to death and corruption and slavery. It will be something far greater. I offer you
a new beginning, with us, should you find this time in your life to be less than what you had hoped for, my lord.”

“Agreed.” Saberrak huffed the words out then turned and left the chamber.

“I agree as well. May God bless you Cristoff.” Azenair
k followed the gray minotaur
.

Shinayne looked at the deep lines of thought on Cristoff’s brow, then to the heartfelt concern across James’ face. She bowed to the lord of the city. “Perhaps we will meet again, Lord Cristoff, may Siril protect you.”

Gwenneth Shook her head at the formal nonsense, bowed her head to Cristoff and followed her friends to the stables to give James and the lord some time alone. She had not the stomach to deal with emotional drama and male bravado while so entrenched in learning a new language that would lead to further powers in the arcane arts.
She had tried to translate every word spoken in the great hall into the draconic tongue in her mind. Gwenne had felt the staff of Imoch was assisting her in learning faster than her ingenious mind was already capable of. She had
thought to say farewell in the tongues of dragons, but she knew neither of them would understand it.

Cristoff sat back down in his decorated chair and removed his crown. He sat it in his lap and ran his fi
ngers across it then looked at J
ames Andellis. “I admire your devotion to truth and honor, James. But your friends are right. You have a quest that goes beyond what will happen here in the next few days or weeks. Don’t risk a future by defending something that is not yours. I am honored, truly, and perhaps I will go west to find you. That will depend on what happens here in Saint Erinsburg.”

“I fear that malicious rulers, mistakes, and twists of fate seem to damn those that would have a greater purpose, such as yourself, my lord. I hate to see another great leader die for land and greed, duty or not. If there is a dream of a perfect kingdom, and surely you and I have had the same dreams, may Alden send you west to see if it can be done. For certain, it cannot be done here.” James bowed deeply to the lo
rd he admired, turned to walk
out of Bradswellen castle.

“Sir James.” Cristoff waited for the man to stop and turn, which
h
e
did. “Whatever you unleashed on the battlefield outside this castle, what faith you felt in the mountain, and what honor courses through those southern veins of yours, please hold onto that for yourself and your friends. It is a great quality, befitting a great knight.
I would be honored to join you in the west. You and your friends have something that I could only wish for in the knights of this realm. Do not betray that, not ever.
”

“Thank you my lord
, I do not plan to
.” James bowed again, and walked
out of the great hall, his heart full of sorrow and hope.

“F
arewell my brave friends, may we live to fight together again.” Cristoff rested back on his chair, twirling the crown of lordship around in his fingers.

“Mooncrest, eh? What a mythical nighttime story that had been when I was young. Wh
at a
silly dream they have.” t
he soldier next to him, enveloped in the spirit of adventure and glories he had been overhearing
sighed and let his eyes close
and drift back to reality
.

“And if they were to find it, what would you do soldier?”

“Permission to speak freely my lord?”

“Granted.”

“I would take my family to the west just to spend my life in service to such an honorable and sacred place, especially if it were they who ruled
it. The
y
have something, a bond, a blessing, the people see it
sire
. I would go with them if I were
able. But since it does not exist, it is just a dream. If it were true though, I would go.” t
he soldier’s face was red and nervous, but his honesty had been victorious over his loyalty to Cristoff.