Celior’s pawn was now wrapped in golden flames as the force of his god’s power overwhelmed his body’s limits. “You broke the accord, child of Illeniel; you will get no aid from us now. You must die before Illeniel’s Doom destroys us all.”
The power being forced through the man’s poor body was simply incredible but he was dying already. I felt myself trembling with effort as I kept him trapped and just as I thought I would surely collapse from the strain the god’s power fell off sharply and disappeared. I managed to stop myself before I crushed the channeler but it was a useless gesture, the man was already dead. His deity’s power had burned him up like a candle, thrown into a furnace; he had been spent in an instant. The sight of his body filled me with anger that we should be so carelessly used and tossed aside. It could have been Marcus just as easily as this man, lying here dead.
The anger was good though, it kept me strong. My struggle with Celior had left me exhausted in a way I hadn’t felt since the end of the war with Gododdin, yet I couldn’t afford to collapse here; I still had a meeting to attend after all. What the hell is the ‘Doom of Illeniel’? I wondered. It had sounded like doom with a capital ‘D’ when he had said it. I never get any good news from deities. It’s always absolutes and ultimatums, no wonder no one invites them to fancy dress balls, I thought to myself.
Breathing heavily I got myself back on task and made sure the king was still waiting a few rooms away. He was. He must have realized that no amount of running would allow him to escape once his four aces were broken. I strode across the room and opened the door that led to his bedroom. A short hallway faced me and I continued onward till I reached the final door that separated us. I still had a shield around myself but it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain it.
That was a bad sign; normally the strain of my shield was not something I’d even notice, even after a long day. It meant I was surely close to the end of my reserves, not a good thing when you’re surrounded by enemies. I decided to try something I had only done once before, when I had needed strength to chase the remaining soldiers of Gododdin back to the river. Focusing on the deep heartbeat of the earth below me I opened myself and drew upon it. Please share your strength with me, was my conscious thought, but it was not communicated in words. Instead my mind connected with something far greater than myself, something so much larger as to be entirely alien to my experience as a human being… for a moment I was part of it. I felt stronger and weaker simultaneously… energy was coursing through me now, yet my mortal flesh was weak, nothing like my normal stone and iron. Then I broke the contact and my mind came tumbling back to the present.
I reeled for a second as I became re-accustomed to my humanity again. That didn’t happen the last time I did that, I noted. Apparently even small uses of my new gift could be dangerous. I had accomplished my goal though; my body was filled with new energy. I felt light and fresh, as if I had slept a full night. There must be some limit to this.
Now wasn’t the time for inner debates and soul-searching so I drew myself up and opened the door in front of me. A long step took me into the personal bedroom of King Edward Carenval. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed by the furnishings. It was every bit as well appointed as one would expect of the room of a king. Silken tapestries adorned the walls and beautifully upholstered furniture graced the room. His bed was a work of art, each of the four posts being lovingly carved to represent one of the shining gods.
I took a moment to stare at the opulence… even the floor was a masterful artwork of wooden parquetry. Finally I settled my eyes upon the man waiting quietly in a comfortably designed chair. He was sitting beside a small table and had a glass of wine in hand already. His outward appearance was remarkably calm, considering how I had arrived but when he sipped at his wine I could see the liquid trembling. “Come, have a seat,” he invited me.
Remembering our last meeting I couldn’t help but smile at being invited to sit. “Some of your servants were a bit rude out there… I hope you train them better in future,” I replied and took a seat on the other side of the table.
“It is difficult to get good help these days,” he agreed. “Care for some wine?”
The last thing I needed was to be poisoned after all my effort to get there. “No thanks, I’m not thirsty at the moment.”
“We can understand that,” said King Edward. “Fortunately that is one worry we don’t have at the moment.” He raised his glass to me and took a long drink, finishing over half of it at one go. I couldn’t blame him; if I were in his shoes I’d have been incredibly nervous as well.
“I trust Cyhan reached you with my message?” I asked.
He looked sharply at me, blue eyes locking onto mine for a moment, “Yes he did. We are surprised you released him.”
I smiled in a rather unfriendly way, “You yourself just mentioned how hard it is to find good help. I thought it would be a gesture of good will to return him to you unharmed.”
A saw a flicker of hope cross his features but it was quickly hidden. He was perhaps realizing that I hadn’t come to assassinate him. “Can we take that to mean you are still concerned with things such as good will?”
I laughed, “Your majesty, you do me a disservice, surely you do not doubt my loyalty?”
“We would be lying if we said we weren’t wondering. Your action in defeating the incursion from Gododdin has left us in an awkward position. Our relations were already strained and now we must either acknowledge you as a hero of the realm or see you vilified and replaced quickly. We could not help but notice you made no move to bow or recognize us as your liege when you entered the room,” he responded.
I was shocked at how quickly he had gone on the offensive once he realized I didn’t mean to kill him. I suppose being a sovereign all these years had made him a tough negotiator. I decided to put him in his place quickly, “We are alone here, with none watching. I saw no need for formal gestures.” It was both a statement and a challenge. After a long pause I added, “…sire.”
Edward’s eyebrows went up, “You play a dangerous game Mordecai. Are you sure this is what you want to do? It might be easier for you if you ‘simplified’ your situation now.”
Did he just suggest I’d be better off if I killed him? I wondered. That certainly took guts. After a moment I answered him, “Every choice leads to its own consequences. I would rather look to the safety of the realm. Civil war would only lead to our downfall at this juncture; it is in everyone’s best interests if we cooperate.”
I could almost see the gears in his head turning. “Do you and James still keep close counsel?” he asked. For King Edward it was a very direct question, and its meaning was clear. He wanted to know if I had an older, ‘wiser’, head advising me.
I nodded, “Of course, James and I have never been closer. The man has been like a father to me, especially since my own loss.” It was a statement loaded with double meanings.
The king’s eyes flickered for a moment as he remembered, then they assumed an expression of deep sympathy. “Ah yes, we had heard about your father’s death. You have our condolences. It was an unfortunate accident, or so we are told.”
My father had been wounded by arrows from a royal guardsman while we were ‘liberating’ supplies for the defense of Lothion from the king’s warehouses. Edward had to be wondering if I held a grudge, even though I bore as much responsibility for that event as he did. Swallowing I kept my tone even, “Yes your majesty, it was a terrible accident. I’m certain that everyone involved regrets what happened.”
Edward drank another long swallow of wine. His hand no longer shook, so I could only assume he had at last relaxed. “You have presented us with an interesting conundrum young Illeniel. The clergymen of all four churches have been after me to have you executed. They claim you committed some sort of heresy during the battle. Meanwhile I have received report after report detailing your astonishing victory against the army of Gododdin. Cyhan tells me that you have broken your bond and have likely gone mad.”