I nodded in agreement. “I have broken the bond and it is no secret that the gods have turned against me. Apparently they do not like their chattel to show signs of independence.”
“You do not seem like a madman, despite your dramatic entrance today,” he observed.
“I like to think that I am not,” I said, then glancing at the door I added, “Your men are about to charge the door… there are quite a few of them out there.” In fact there were twenty men preparing to rush the room and more were taking up positions throughout the royal suite. “It might be best if you let them know you are alright before some of them hurt themselves.”
“One moment,” said the king. Striding to the door he threw it open and began bellowing. I was impressed. I hadn’t realized such a volume of sound could come from such an unimposing frame. “Anything that was going to happen has already happened no thanks to you lot! Get back to your posts… and someone clean up this mess out here!” I could only assume he was gesturing at the bodies of the four channelers. He returned to his chair and refilled his own cup. “Did you have to make such a mess? Between the blood and the fire the room is ruined out there.”
I could only wonder at a man who could be so droll in commenting on the deaths of four of his retainers, well… allies at least in the case of the channelers, but I wasn’t there to reform the man. “They forced my hand. I would rather not have killed anyone,” I told him.
Edward looked at me oddly for a moment, “We do believe you, but sometimes one must break a few eggs to make an omelet.”
“They were your eggs, or doesn’t that bother you?” I asked.
“No, they were borrowed at best and since you’re being so sociable we are beginning to think perhaps we are better off without them. They were beginning to get a bit unreasonable,” he replied.
“The church would attempt to force concessions from the king?”
“They have been over-bold since your father’s death. Without a wizard we have been forced to rely upon them whenever magical assistance was required. Especially when we thought we might need protection,” he gave me a pointed stare as he said that last part.
Something about his statement rang false however. I could not put my finger upon what exactly, but I could tell he was not telling the truth… or at least not the complete truth. “If you had a source of magical support you would not be quite so beholden to them… at the very least you could seek balance by focusing their energies upon a different opponent.” I wanted to make it clear that I was aware of my value in other regards… assuming we did agree to get along.
“That fact had not escaped our consideration, though we must confess that we have been very curious regarding your motivations. We understand you care more for the people than your own power, but although avoiding a civil war is a good reason, we still wonder that you think it alone is sufficient reason to follow this course… given your advantage at the moment.” It was a very direct question; the king had just openly stated his own vulnerability, something I would have thought unthinkable.
“It is enough for me,” I responded. “My wife is expecting our first child and I would rather seek a peaceful solution than bring him into a world torn by strife. The real question is whether you wish to settle our differences or not.”
“We did not think it a possibility before now, but you have been persuasive Mordecai. The proclamation branding you an outlaw was certainly a misunderstanding, we shall move to remedy it immediately. Similarly we must think of a suitable reward for the hero that saved our realm. Would two weeks’ time be enough for you to prepare for a bit of pomp and circumstance? The crowd does love to celebrate a true hero,” he gave me a smile that sent chills down my spine. I might be forced to hard decisions now and then, but this man made them without compunction or regret. I could see him smiling just as easily after sending an army to its death. The callousness of his regard for his people lit my anger again.
“That sounds lovely your majesty. I would be pleased to take this news to James Lancaster as well. I would remind you though… I will not respond well to a betrayal. What happened here today was no mistake. Do not forget it,” I gave him a feral grin to answer his cold smile.
Edward stood straight up at that point, his eyes flashing with true anger. “We do not take kindly to threats young Illeniel. Remember that well. Nor will we rule as a puppet to some other master. If you would prefer that you should make a more direct resolution of this matter… now!” He slapped his chest lightly to punctuate his remark. “Can we count on your oath of fealty… or not?”
I might not like the man, but I had to respect his courage. I waited a moment before replying, “Yes your majesty, you can.” I stood up and prepared to leave. I still did not bow to him.
His eyes narrowed, “Did anyone see you enter here today?”
“No, unless you count the four channelers,” I told him.
He grinned, “Excellent… that makes things easier for me then. We’ll keep this meeting a secret. Do you think you can leave without being recognized?”
“Of course,” I replied drawing my hood up over my head. I didn’t plan on relying on such a simple disguise, but I still wanted to keep my methods to myself. No one had seen my remove my disguise, although I was certain that a recount of Ruth’s use of magic against the guard would lead to a lot of interesting speculation.
“Perfect,” he told me. “We shall look forward to seeing you in the capital again in two weeks’ time.” I left after that, but as I walked I could hear him bellowing orders. “Someone get the Baron of Arundel… I would have words with him!” I could only wonder how he was going to explain the reversal of fortunes to Sheldon. The last time I had seen the Baron I robbed him of the entirety of his wealth… putting aside the fact that Penny had made a fool of him in front of his men there was no way he could possibly forgive me, without even considering the fact that I had ‘stolen’ all of his retainers as well.
I could only wonder how interesting that conversation would be. I made my way carefully through the palace using the stolen visage of a guard. Leaving was much simpler than entering had been.
Chapter 9
I returned home that evening. I felt a bit bad about not staying to eat dinner with Marc but I wanted to tell Penny the news. If things worked out as expected we would all be visiting Marc very soon anyway.
She received the news with less enthusiasm than I had expected, “He wants you to appear in the capital in two weeks?”
There was nothing wrong with Penny’s memory, but for some reason she loved repetition. “Yes, two weeks,” I said again.
“And you think he’s really planning to welcome you back into the fold?” she asked skeptically.
I sighed. “I made sure he knew the consequences if his offer wasn’t genuine.”
“You mean you threatened his life,” she said flatly.
“Essentially yes,” I replied.
She shifted topics, “How many people did you kill reaching him?” The question annoyed me, and I really didn’t want to answer it.
“Four,” I told her flatly.
She raised one eyebrow. “Was it worth it?”
“They were channelers, working for the gods… I had no other options,” I said.
“They were men, and you said you could get to the king without being caught,” she reminded me.
Anger and guilt simmered close to the surface now. “Would you rather we went to war again? I had to meet the king, and I had to do it on my terms if we were to bring him around.”
She knew I was close to snapping and her eyes softened. “I’m not blaming you Mordecai, but I can’t ignore this. As your wife, your partner, I have to be sure you’re keeping your focus on what is important. Stop being defensive and think clearly… was it worth it? Did we gain something worth four lives or should we have tried something different? I don’t expect you to be perfect… I just want to make sure you’re not forgetting the people that suffer for our choices.”