The Troll King (The Bowl of Souls Book 9) (36 page)

This evening, the gnome warlord had thought of a few more tests to discover the limits of his control over the Stranger. He snapped his fingers and one of his red-sashed stewards entered. The man was Aloysius’ favorite. He was a mild-looking man with a head topped by curly brown hair. Aloysius called him Oliver, but the rest of the stewards knew him by a different name, one which more represented his personality. They called him Shade.

Shade pulled a kobald female into the room with him. She was of medium build for a kobald, which meant she was wide as a husky dwarf, and the stony gray scales on her chest had been painted with a black circle. This denoted her as a healing specialist.

Matthew knew her well. The first time Aloysius had brought her in the tent, Matthew had experienced her pain. She and her mate had been unable to have a child for the last twenty years. Aloysius brought the kobald in nightly to monitor the Stranger’s health. She made sure that his sword wound didn’t become too toxic, but always seemed to ignore his broken rib.

“Hello, Ralganeth. How are you this evening?” Matthew said. The kobald growled back at him in derision.

“Oliver, may I borrow your dagger?” Aloysius asked. Shade slid the weapon from the sheath at his hip and handed it to the gnome. It was wickedly curved.

Matthew ignored it, keeping his eyes on the kobald. He smiled. “Did you know that you are pregnant?” Ralganeth’s eyes widened and her hand moved to her belly. “It is early yet, just a few days. But you will give birth, thanks to Aloysius here. Twins . . . I’m not sure of the sexes yet.”

One of the first things the gnome warlord had commanded the Stranger to do was to release all limits to the races under his control. In fact, Aloysius had forced him beyond that, making Matthew push their fertility levels to the maximum. The blood magic and demon races were now excessively fertile. Every attempt at reproduction would be a success. Twins and triplets would become common place.

Matthew had tried to explain to the warlord how this was a bad idea, but Aloysius refused to listen. The population explosion that would occur from this would be direct proof that the races were free from the Stranger. The people would see Aloysius as their savior and adore him for it.

Aloysius approached Matthew and held out the dagger. “Take the weapon.”

Matthew had no choice but to do so. He took the dagger in his hand and shivered, fearing what the warlord might force him to do with it.

“Call me master,” Aloysius said, his voice even.

Matthew frowned. “You know I cannot.”

“Then stab yourself in the leg,” Aloysius commanded.

Matthew’s hand stabbed down of its own volition. The sharp blade pierced his thigh, gouged the bone, and sunk into the patted chair beneath him. Matthew swallowed, but refused to show his shock. Instead, he said, “Did you enjoy your little talk with Mellinda, Aloysius?”

If his knowledge needled the gnome, Aloysius didn’t show it. “Pull the dagger out of your leg.”

The blade made a wet sound as Matthew pulled it out. His face paled as he watched blood bubble and spurt from the wound. He had struck an artery. In his thousands of years of life he had never been hurt in this way before.

The gnome gestured to the kobald. “Heal him.”

Ralganeth placed her hands on his leg, applying pressure to the wound as she worked. Luckily, the wound was clean and easily repaired by a healer of her caliber. She did so quickly, with efficient weaves of water and earth magic.

Matthew gladly endured the intense tingle that came with the elemental healing. “Thank you, Ralganeth. Aloysius, I do hope that this isn’t a form of torture you plan to repeat. As uncomfortable as it makes me, I will not be able to change my answer.”

Ralganeth cocked her head at him uncertainly. “Did you mean what you said, Stranger? Am I to give birth?”

“Twins,” he repeated. “I saw the path in my mind.”

“Hmm,” said Aloysius. He nodded to Shade.

The red-sashed steward reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden rod. There was a loud pop and the kobald was paralyzed, a grin frozen on her scaled face. Her only movements that the complicated spell allowed were the beat of her heart and the slow rise and fall of her chest as she continued to breathe.

“Stab her in the leg, Stranger,” Aloysius ordered.

“How does this prove anythi-?” Matthew’s arm thrust forward as if of its own volition. The kobald’s scaled skin was tough, but the blade was a fine one. The dagger pierced deeply, stopping when it hit bone. Matthew grimaced, hoping that the wound wasn’t as dire as his had been. “Stop this, Aloysius! What purpose could this possibly serve?”

“You will not give me orders,” the warlord commanded and Matthew found himself nodding in acquiescence. Aloysius rested his hand on the lip of the empty scabbard at his waist. “When I first acquired the Sword of Mastery, I tested its abilities thoroughly. I know exactly what it can and cannot make people do. You, however have proved an exception to the rule and this means that I must experiment again.”

“Aloysius, you already know that I have to obey you in all things but one,” Matthew said. “You cannot replace my master and I cannot serve two.”

“Indeed? It seems another test is in order,” Aloysius decided. “Withdraw the dagger.”

Matthew pulled it from the kobald’s leg and was relieved when the blood merely dribbled from the wound, but he had an idea of what was coming next. He closed his eyes and called out to his master.
Please don’t let him make me do this. Please
!

“Kill her,” Aloysius said.

Mathew’s arm darted forward, but stopped. The tip of the blade quivered mere millimeters from the skin of her chest. Matthew breathed heavily.
Thank you
. He had never before taken a life with his own hands.

“As I suspected,” said the gnome warlord. “You may retrieve your weapon, Oliver.”

Shade strode forward and took the dagger from Matthew’s hands. He then wrapped an arm around the kobald and placed the tip of the blade over her heart. He grinned. “What shall I do, Master?”

Aloysius raised a calming hand and said to the Stranger, “So we have learned that I cannot make you kill, at least not directly. But can you break one of your rules in order to save another? Call me master or I kill the healer.”

“Please wait,” Matthew said. “This would prove nothing. You have already determined that I can’t call you master. What if we were to come to a compromise?”

“I should not have to compromise with someone under my control!” Aloysius snapped. His eyes were wide and his lip curled. Matthew had heard the warlord raise his voice a few times in the past, but this was the first time that he had seen Aloysius lose his temper.

“Compromise was a poor choice of words,” Matthew admitted. “Look, I can see that you don’t like it when I use your name in a casual manner like I have been. What if you were to command me to call you Warlord Aloysius instead? This way I use an honorific. Your followers will see this as a sign of servitude.”

The gnome glowered at him for a moment longer. Matthew’s suggestion was something that he could have done at any time had he not been so fixated on hearing the Stranger call him master. Then the emotion cleared from his face. “You will not speak to me casually at any time.”

“As you command, Warlord Aloysius,” Matthew said, bowing as much as he could with that sword in his back. “You see? I think that sounds pretty good.”

Aloysius nodded to Shade and the steward shoved the dagger deep into the kobald’s chest. Ragoneth didn’t so much as shudder when her heart was pierced. The only evidence of her death was the stillness of her chest.

“Why, Warlord?” Matthew said numbly. He had seen a glimpse of her future. The kobald had held two children. Why take that away? “I followed your command.”

“The damage had been done. I could not let her leave here after seeing you defy me,” the gnome warlord replied. “Word of the sword’s shortcomings cannot get around.”

“You make it hard to redeem yourself, Warlord Aloysius!” Matthew snarled.

Aloysius arched an eyebrow. “Redeem myself? I do not seek redemption, Stranger. I seek results.”

“And what is it that you want?” Matthew asked. “Beyond conquering Malaroo, what is your end goal?”

The gnome cocked his head, looking at him as if the answer was obvious. “Why, to save the world.”

Matthew blinked at him, making a sudden realization. “You know what’s coming, don’t you?”

Aloysius smiled. “I began studying the signs as soon as I suspected what I was. Once I was sure, I had no choice but to act. The only way the known lands will survive is under my rule.”

Matthew swallowed. This was all his fault. He should have been there from the moment this gnome was born, grooming him. Preparing him. Blast it, that’s what John would have done in his place. Now Matthew was faced with a monster. Was there time to turn this around?

The gnome warlord chuckled at his reaction. “Oliver, dispose of her, would you? Discreetly? And you’ll need to pick out a new healer do deal with our prisoner.”

“Of course, Master,” Shade replied. With some effort, he pulled the dead kobald from a standing position and dragged her out of that section of the tent.

“As for you, Stranger, I would hope that you have learned something this evening,” Aloysius said. “Undermining me will do you no good and will likely just hurt others. I don’t wish for any more innocents to meet the same fate as poor Ragoneth. Sit and think on that tonight.”

He turned to leave, but Matthew said, “Wait. Please, Warlord Aloysius. If I may, might I offer you some counsel?”

The gnome looked back, his expression curious. “You? Counsel me?”

Matthew bowed his head humbly. “I know that you have grown to despise me, but despite my recent slothfulness, I have a great deal of knowledge and experience gained over the ages.”

“You misunderstand me,” Aloysius said. “I don’t despise you. In fact, I quite admire your work. Your master gave you a difficult assignment with our races. You used a thorough process of experimentation to determine the most effective use of your time and powers in your rule. You made multiple disastrous mistakes which I am now forced to fix, but don’t mistake my determination for a lack of respect.”

Matthew licked his lips. “I do not refute your statement, Warlord. I merely offer you my knowledge and advice.”

“You offer me something that I can demand from you at any time as it is,” the gnome warlord pointed out.

“Nevertheless, I offer it freely,” Matthew said. “Tonight, my counsel would be regarding your discussion with the Troll Queen.”

“Indeed?” said Aloysius curiously. “How did you know about my little meeting with the Mellinda anyway?”

Matthew realized how dangerous bringing up the subject had been. If Aloysius commanded him to divulge his source, Matthew would have to tell him about Talon. Luckily, Aloysius hadn’t couched the question that way. This left the Stranger room for a half truth. “I may be under condemnation, but I have not lost all ability to communicate with my master.”

“Hmm,” Aloysius said. “In the future, you will not discuss such things unless you and I are alone, do you understand?”

“Yes, Warlord,” Matthew said. This was a good start.

“Very well, then. What is this ‘counsel’ you offer?” he asked.

“I would suggest that you not trust her, Warlord,” Matthew said. “Her desires are not the same as yours.”

Aloysius chuckled. “Trust her? I am aware how dangerous she is. I am merely taking advantage of her resources while our goals coincide.”

“I don’t believe they do coincide,” Matthew said. “While you might conquer the grove to command its resources, her only goal is to destroy it. You know how disastrous that would be.”

“You do sound like a counselor,” the gnome said with distaste. “I will allow no harm to come to the grove. I will merely intend to fix the way its defenses have been mishandled and add the strength of Malaroo’s armies to my own. For this purpose Mellinda has her uses. Once she has outlived her usefulness, an inevitability I admit, I will have her killed.”

Matthew frowned. He doubted it would be as easy as that. “And what of this army that she proposes to create and the Troll Mother that she claims to command?”