The looking tired and close to retirement, Lesia official of Dave’s Stables raised his eyes to behold the covered in dirt Ari and his worn-out coat of arms. “Ser Ari Ladon of Croton,” he said tapping the stylus on the papyrus with the entries for the tournament. Ari gave a nod with his gold head, after sharing a glance with the sober Nienke.

  “Yes sir. I’m interested in the monetary price,” he added, after clearing his throat.

  “You understand this is a special royal tournament with several big name entries. Important people. We don’t just write in unknowns. It’s a matter of prestige and safety,” the elderly Lesia official reasoned and seeing Ari’s disappointed face he added. “Listen my good lad, the vaunted ‘Charming Knight of Armium’ and the kingdom’s great heir, Sir William, is present with his wife to be. This is the level you’re up against. Just pick another tournament. There’s a small event at Frye’s Hold… no? Alright. As I said, several royal knights escorted the heir. Also Ser Heracles Davenport of Levacum arrived, with his spouse. Um, obviously the serious Sir Jan Napoli—”

  “I know Ser Heracles,” Ari stopped him.

  “I’m sure you do. He stands out in a plaguing crowd! Anyways, I’m sure you know also that he has accidentally killed a man in the games already and he was a much more pleasant bloke in his youth or before he got married,” the official countered. “You are too-young… wait, Ladon you say? Wasn’t he a knight competing out of Levacum? It’s been some years now, but I could swear the man was a proper Issir,” he glanced at the sullen Nienke, the girl’s striking gaze making the man flinch and turn his tired eyes on the much-tanned but nowhere near as dark-skinned Ari. “And ehem… much older in years,” the man said.

  “I was his squire,” Ari grunted. “This is his daughter.”

  “Fine,” the official backed off. “Still, this is a tourney Sir William is expected to win swiftly and he shall per usual, so he can then dedicate the trophy to his fiancé, the young Andal girl. One would hope! It’s a delicate situation and while older the heir remains yet unpredictable. Hey, I’ll tell you what I shall do for you. You can participate in the skills duels, since I remember Ser Ladon well. It is still a decent sum if you win a round and you may luck in the draw. What do you need the coin for?”

  “Fund my return to Regia,” Ari had replied. “Not much else to do here.”

  “Let’s hope then you’ll earn your price and not end up dying in the attempt,” the aged Lesia official had wished, writing his name down, all the while murmuring under his breath. “Hopefully this tourney ends without any nasty shenanigans or surprises. That darn ‘Petite Rhodium Rose’ is here,” the unknown official added in a foreboding tone.

  Vex

  ‘Sudi Lotus’

  ‘Socius Principalis’

  First Associate or ‘The Associate’

  Let the Governor decide

  Two days later,

  Morning of the 8th, the Issir calendar’s fifth month of the year 196.

  Lorian calendar month Quintus. The 3rd –or last- month of spring season.

  The approach to South Tower at Oras Navel’s ‘New Legion Road’, guarding the turn towards Old Fort and Cartagen.

  An unshaven Sudi sat on the stone bench by the water well, and let a prolonged guttural hiss of agony escape his cracked lips. Rhys had insisted that the witch's 'better potions' could remedy whatever had been damaged in all cases… ‘As long as there is something left to work with,’ which as far as sales pitches went wasn’t a half-bad one. Even so, Sudi had significant doubts on the effectiveness of the mythical witch's much-lauded health tonics, particularly since Rhys appeared to be rather unconcerned that he had just run out of them after directly pouring the last one on Luikens’ mauled face.

  To let the foul knave expire after so much trouble, carnage and loss had seem to both Rhys and the knight as a waste of all their efforts.

  Anyways, either something is difficult to locate and rare in its value, or it isn't.

  Sudi was certain that this ‘most-pleasing in form of all sorceress’ —again according to Rhys— whether she was real or not, now lived hundreds of kilometers away.

  So Rhys was deceitful on this matter, even though at one point he may had spoken the truth.

  Yeah.

  The latter of course was true for every person, the hurting half-breed reasoned.

  “Eargh.” Sudi groaned, trying to straighten his cramping left leg. Riding had messed him up, but at least he could see the fort’s walls and the Legion banners. The patrol would notify the sergeant in charge of the small force and they would sent out a medic with supplies, so they could continue.

  Sudi wanted to go into the fort himself, but one more kilometer on horseback was more than his fresh injuries could handle. When ye get spared from certain death, best ye value it some and make the effort to live for all those poor bastards that didn’t.

  ‘This realm will try to kill you, whether you deserve it or not,’ Storm used to say when both he and Sudi were younger, most days absent enough coin for whores and liquor, and to make a long story short, facing a much gloomier future. ‘Every chance it gets. Fuck you raw, if killing you turns out to be too-bothersome. So, in order to prevent that from happening, we need to be the ones doing most of the killing and all the fucking.’

  Ah, the boss loved his whores too-much in his younger years, Sudi reminisced. Never really stopped.

  ‘Paid cunt comes free of trouble, even if it is sometimes sour and can give you gonorrhea or cockrot.’

  Good ole Lord Stormire.

  The lifestyle had rubbed off on Vex as well.

  ‘Most folk will try to dress it up, soften it, in order to sell you, or themselves, a different side of it, but there isn’t one.’ Storm used to say, clad in a light chiton like a proper Lorian and resting his head —half-awake and half-asleep— on a comfortable divan’s cushion, as such was the way he used to end his evenings. ‘Not really. Not in most cases. Evil resides in all of us and can’t be extricated.’

  It was a brutally candid philosophy.

  “How’s the wound?” A tensed Rhys asked and came to sit on the legion-constructed stone bench next to him.

  “It’s pretty weird actually. Feels like I had a spear rip through my spleen,” Sudi grunted, half-angry, half-in-pain.

  “Clipped it,” Rhys reasoned. “Folk turn right green in the face and their blood spoils in the wound when it does.”

  “You could have been a bloody surgeon,” Sudi mocked the serious assassin.

  Rhys grimaced, stared at a point next to the well as if something was there when there wasn’t. Luikens and the horses were parked on the other side of their bench near the trees. The probably unresponsive alchemist still tied with rope and wood on the saddle. There was no potion that could help him recover fully or at all.

  Good.

  Sudi didn’t care about Luikens’ well-being or chances of survival. The moment he realized that the spectacularly disfigured Issir was still alive somehow, the badly injured Sudi felt an immense sense of disappointment. Sudi just couldn’t accept it was the bespectacled man that survived –along with the half-breed of course- out of all the others. Every single one better than Luikens –even the Inquisitors- far as Sudi was concerned.

  At least they believed in something and had a reason for their actions, even if their deeds were more immoral than virtuous. Luikens had none. Perhaps the only decent man of the bunch, Ser Shane, saw the final outcome in a more forgiving, teaching, even religious manner, but Sudi wasn’t in agreement.

  At one point perhaps, he thought with a grimace. Another time.

  “Ralnor took me in, and for years he was the only family I had,” Rhys finally said crooking his mouth. “A man learns the trade of his tutors.”

  Sudi sucked on his denture and nodded. “That’s true.”

  “Do you have any family?” Rhys asked.

  No, I formed under moist leaves alike larvae.

  Unknown witch’s tits!

  “For a while, then I lost it, found another,” Sudi grimaced, pressing his hand on the bandaged wound. “Then I lost them as well.”

  “What happened after that?” Rhys probed, somehow determined to make small talk.

  “I met the Governor. Made a family of his family and found interest in his concepts,” Sudi replied unsure where the assassin was going with this and raised the hand to wipe the corner of his slightly drooping mouth. “People are like that, even when they deny it,” the Issir-looking half-breed rustled. “They get attached and form bonds with those closest to them, once their interests align. The rest is just a guilty consciousness.”

  “Yeah,” Rhys agreed, using a gold fang to scratch at his lower lip. “For a moment out there I thought it was all over. It made me angry to depart this world and leave her behind after promising that I wouldn’t,” the assassin paused with narrowed eyes, then added. “The kid too. I never much cared about Ralnor but his girls… it’s a different story. You see someone as a baby, growing up… I guess you form a bond as you say… like family. Aye.”

  “What about that lass, Selussa?” Sudi asked.

  “Um? She’s one of the girls,” a confused Rhys replied and then stretched his back on the stone bench to enjoy the morning sun. “Didn’t love her like that back then. Or more than her sister. Yeah.”

  Sudi eyed him expressionlessly, unable to wrap to his mind around what the assassin had just said. “Seriously, you are one very weird chap, Mister Rhys. Fucking hells man!” Sudi puffed out exasperated. “By the way, where the fuck were you? Where the all-hells is out there?”

  “Hell. One of them, I reckon,” the Assassin replied casually. “For what’s worth, I tried to get back as soon as I could, Sudi. Sometimes you just don’t make it, but it was a good plan.”

  “Not really,” Sudi retorted. “You can’t call your stupid plan good for crying out loud! Not when it failed spectacularly!”

  “Hey! I just apologized.”

  “It was a lousy apology,” Sudi grunted and grimaced from a jolt of pain traveling his innards. He breathed out trying to ride the wave of agony out. “Damn it. Poor Grin was a simple man. A small-time crook trying to make a living. He feared his own shadow and was deathly scared of adventuring outside a city,” Sudi finally said hoarsely. “But stood his ground if he was asked, as best as he could. You work with someone enough and it becomes more than a name or a face, Rhys.”

  “I get it. I never had that. Guess that’s the nature of the job. You never know who you get to unalive next. It’s like a fisherman befriending fish. Um. Sort of. But it could turn you into a hermit, aye.” Rhys admitted in a bout of retrospection. “This year was a weird one for me. Even if I told you what’s going on, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “Visiting Hell seems pretty big,” Sudi murmured and watched the assassin get a black-rock out of his satchel. While still covered with Luikens’ dried up blood and at least a couple of stuck shattered teeth, the strange rock had a strange silvery sheen to it under the glassy black surface. Rhys breathed out and then returned Sudi’s stare.

  “Went a bit further than that,” Rhys rustled.

  “How much is a bit?”

  “Mistland.”

  “Just say you don’t want to talk about it, Rhys!” Sudi retorted.

  “Eh. So, what will Nattas do with Luikens?” Rhys asked scrunching his face.

  “Let’s get to Cartaport first, board the ship,” Sudi replied and turned to watch the Legion patrol come out of the fort, followed by a laden wagon dragged by two mules. “If he makes it that far, we’ll revisit the matter.”

  “You need to feed him,” Rhys noted. “A bowl of broth at least.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Sudi cut him off curtly. “Has still plenty of flab to burn.”

  “Ha! What flab? The man’s all skin and bones!”

  “Well, that skin of his is pretty darn thick,” Sudi retorted callously.

  “He may need a blacksmith to make him a new chin at the very least,” Rhys suggested half-jokingly, but Sudi didn’t want to talk about Luikens no more.

  Noon of the 14th

  Moon’s Haven

  Sudi watched the ‘Reformed’ soldiers move Luikens into a wheelchair at the Dottore’s insistence, then walked to the command office, where Moore waited, talking with the Nord Bryce and Sergeant Vascos. They had delayed a bit at the docks in the morning while Sudi gave instructions to the captain. His ship was to return to Cartaport and pick up the Knight and his family who would arrive at the end of the week. Shane was reluctant to accept payment for his assistance at first, but since he wanted to reach Lesia safely and protect his anonymity for his own reasons, Sudi had managed to convince Shane to take advantage of the Governor’s connections and travel directly to Lesia by ship.

  “Mister Lotus,” Bryce asked, trying to learn more about his friend’s fate and Sudi clenched his jaw, before sitting on a chair. He breathed out, his wound bothering him and kept his stare at the fortified camp’s gates for a while.

  “The Dottore wants Luikens moved to the city,” Moore said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  “Numerius Baro would do well to shut up and do what he’s told,” Sudi finally hissed and rested both hands on Nattas’ old cane. He had tried to wash the blood from the wooden scabbard while on the road but couldn’t.

  “The Governor will arrive shortly,” Moore added with a grimace and a glare to Bryce to keep his silence.

  “Grin was killed in a scrap,” Sudi grunted to get the matter out of the way. “Saul was also killed the same night fighting the Inquisitors lackeys. It was a difficult mission that went tits up,” he paused and stared at the angry Bryce. “I kept Grin at the rear Bryce. He just wasn’t lucky.”

  “He didn’t want to go out searching for that son of a bitch, boss. What use is he? Does this man worth such a toll?” Bryce rustled. “Who did it?”

  Luikens.

  “You think I enjoyed getting speared and almost buying the farm in the worst blasted place in Jelin?” Sudi snapped. “Or do you believe I wanted to dig holes in the middle of the plaguing night with my innards all but spilled out, in order to bury our people and not abandon them to be feasted on by goats? There’s no justice here! Not for us, not for anyone else! You either get fucked by Luthos’ meaty rod, or with any fucking luck, you get a toothless gnome to suck yer cock! Not much better if ye ask me!” Sudi had pursed his mouth at the end of his outburst, sweat forming on his forehead or with his luck another bout of fever and then sighed.

  “Let the governor decide Luikens fate,” Sudi told his shocked and aggrieved at the morbid news audience. True to word, Nattas’ black carriage appeared at the gates with its Kraken sigil carved on its body and filled with silver paint. “Moore guard the alchemist, Bryce take the day off. Head to Novesium and charge my tab at the brothels. Get the grief out of yer system much as you can. Vascos, you are with me, but I do the talking. You say the wrong word and influence the Governor, I’ll cut the tongue out of your mouth with a scalpel!”

  “Aye, sir,” the Sergeant replied stiffly and Captain Moore nodded at Sudi’s warning stare.

  Sudi followed Lord Nattas inside the captain’s office, with Vascos standing at the open door and waited for him to navigate the desk, Storm’s cane clanging at the stone floor. Nattas sat down with a grimace of discomfort, years and a lot of problems mixed in with triumphs, had made the younger by five years man, almost look older than Sudi, but for the half-breed’s face injury.

  Half the face, Sudi thought. The other has recovered somewhat.

  “Miranda is eager to visit the manor. I’m fucking eager as well. She wants to bring Silvio along. Well, I fucking want that too! Eh, I found myself absent other choice but to reject her enticing request. It was a blasted gut-punch!” Nattas began grumpily, scanning Moore's desk for a drink. If it weren't for his strong constitution, Storm would have likely turned into a proper drunkard as he indulged in alcohol all times of the day. “But, I genuinely believed you’d keep Luikens in the big house. You didn’t. Now I feel like an idiot. You know, it’s not just sentiment bringing her here, Sudi, but also a practical matter. Hey, don’t scrunch that face! Hygiene, my friend. A man’s cock needs to be worked on regularly else it might fall off of him, eh? Anyways, it is perhaps time we work on a way to bring a couple of local city girls to the Governor’s palace without raising the public’s suspicion,” he continued, making a half-jest to lighten Sudi’s mood. Half, because Storm’s attempt to wean himself off from the local prostitutes for ‘a more family-oriented lifestyle’ had taken a toll on the Governor’s mental health. “I see no one is in the mood today. I thought this was a win. Where’s Moore? Is the Governor visiting his camp, not enough of a fucking incentive for him to make a blasted appearance?” A riled up Nattas queried, then frowned upon seeing his expression.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “Guarding Luikens,” Sudi replied and found a chair to collapse on as he could barely hold himself up.

  “Hard to believe the man needs guarding. Oh well, how bad is your injury?” Nattas queried.

  “But for Rhys’ concoctions, I would have been a wild goat’s dinner or bed partner,” Sudi retorted and Storm stood back troubled. “I saw one eating a large leather bag containing horse fodder. Ate the whole bag and left most of the fodder.”

  “Nasty things,” Storm agreed, lightly tapping the tip of his cane on the floor. “We have him then. Luikens.”

  A sober Sudi nodded.

  Nattas breathed out and then his face relaxed some. “Fucking hell. Good. Yet, I see you are bothered on top of injured, what happened?”

  “The Inquisitors found him first. A man called Jori Keiters. Luikens blew him up along with half the village and escaped. Reached Clodius’ tavern at the tunnel’s north entrance settlement, but the rest of the Inquisitors closed in on him, so he had to leave in a hurry, after killing a local named Park, one of Clodius’ men.”

  Nattas stared at Vascos. “Sergeant, be useful and bring me a bottle of wine. My mouth is drying up and I might have to do some talking.”

  “Anything else, Milord Governor?”

  “Just the bottle. And two clean glasses. Wash them yourself and don’t bring them straight from the shelf. Assuming you keep them in one. Your sister told me you have a rat problem. She’s a lovely girl, but if I discover a rat turd inside the glass, I’ll blame you Sergeant and take it out on her.”

  “We cleaned up the kitchens, Milord.” A rattled Vascos blurted out.

  “Best to be safe and spare ourselves the Dottore’s visit for a case of uncontrollable diarrhea!” Nattas retorted mockingly, raising his voice and waved for him to depart his presence, afore turning to Sudi.

  “Now, what’s going on?”

  “Luikens is dangerous,” Sudi told him matter-of-factly.

  “He has more of that holy-blasted-light on him?”

  “A barrel of vials nobody dares come close. Also some very-potent acid and this thing,” Sudi retorted and got up to give Nattas the phial Rhys had given him. “Luikens said it was black pepper.”

  “The spice out of peppercorn?” Nattas asked and shook the contents of the phial, afore stopping to glare at Sudi. “This isn’t going to blow up in my face, eh?”

  “Just don’t play with it,” Sudi cautioned and an alarmed Nattas placed it on the desk carefully. “Nothing that man says can be trusted. Best to keep him away from the court or the army.”

  “He’s legit though, so I must report this to Lucius,” Nattas murmured and then grimaced. “And good luck convincing the army boys or the King. Lucius would want to take advantage of our friend’s knowledge. Even without a potential strategic use in mind, a potent force like this could be used in civilian or public works. Once the genie is out of the box, everyone will want to get their hands on it.”

  “Had you not spoken to Lucius, we could have kept this a secret,” Sudi noted.

  “Remember poor Arietta? Good grief. Or whatever happened that night in Alden?” Nattas asked. “We can’t keep him for ourselves. Sure, the appeal is there… you are not talking about that though,” the Governor realized, upon seeing Sudi’s sour expression.

  “He’s too-clever and can influence people, but he’s also totally untrustworthy,” Sudi hissed and Nattas pursed his mouth mulling it over.

  “Most folk are like that,” Nattas argued. “Let us not sink into hypocrisy—!”

  “Most folk don’t have that knave’s skills!” Sudi retorted, cutting him off.

  Nattas frowned at his outburst. “I felt relieved at first, fearing I had overpromised Lucius, but now you’re telling me, I should have just kept my mouth shut, because Luikens is more dangerous than I thought?”

  Sudi nodded.

  “Bring Luikens here,” Nattas told the returning with the wine and goblets sergeant Vascos.

  “Dottore Baro is redressing the bandages, Milord,” Vascos said, clenching his jaw. “Has given strict orders not to disturb the prisoner.”

  “Is Baro paying your blasted wages?” Nattas exploded. “Get that son of a bitch here and bring the blasted Dottore also!”

  “Aye, Milord Governor.”

  “Move your fucking legs!” Nattas roared, turning red in the face. “God darn it,” he cursed and reached for the bottle of wine. “What is it?” Nattas asked Sudi. “What’s with the long plaguing face? I just want to talk to him.”

  The Governor watched the soldiers carrying the unresponsive Luikens inside, still secured on his wheelchair, with fresh bandages looped around his head and swollen, dark mauve face, including extra-padding where the grotesque wound was.

  “Lord Nattas, this man needs resting—” Numerius started, but Storm stopped him with a curt gesture.

  “I can see him passed out. Wake him up.”

  “My lord, the man is under narcosis. He’s in critical condition!” The Dottore protested.

  “Vascos, stab him in the leg. Just a tad,” Nattas ordered the sergeant.

  “Governor,” Numerius Baro croaked. “This is a gravely injured, starved to death man. He can’t wake up at this point, nor speak at any point again or ever, since he’s missing most of the lower mandible and the best part of his jawbone, sir. This was a catastrophic injury, he somehow survived.”

  Nattas scowled, then glanced at Sudi, before he returned his eyes on the nervous Baro. The Dottore knew his life could be in danger, having faced the Governor’s wrath before, and yet the soon to be wed to Plotia Malla, Numerius, was willing to stand his ground in order to defend this unworthy of such consideration patient.

  “Can he whisper?” Nattas taunted.

  “He could make some sounds in time,” Baro said. “There is the possibility of a helping aid in the form of a metallic mask to stabilize and replace his missing jaw. I have a technician who could construct such a utility, but while it might help him eat with a straw, it won’t help him talk. It won’t move like a real mandible. My lord, this man’s future stands bleak.”

  Good, Sudi thought.

  Nattas wobbled near the desk and used its edge to rest on. “Lucius will want to talk with Luikens. This man should offer us something. I can bring a scholar from Cartagen’s Academy to study the contents of his barrel, but we’ll need instructions. Not to mention, we can’t just transport to the palace something that might blow it up, along with the king and his wives! Understandably, such a catastrophe shall reflect badly on us! Dear Baro, can the man answer in writing?”

  “If he survives the month,” the sweaty Dottore replied. “It would be best to move him in Novesium’s hospital. He needs fresh air, Moore has him locked up!”

  “No,” Sudi said and Nattas furrowed his brows.

  “Numerius, I trust you,” the governor told the nervous Dottore. “Make certain Luikens survives and know I’ve a monetary wedding gift prepared for you and Plotia.”

  “Much appreciate—” the relieved Baro started, but Nattas stopped him, tapping the cane once on the floor with both hands.

  “But lose Luikens and all my goodwill shall vanish,” Nattas warned. “Take him away.”

  “Sudi,” the Governor murmured, when the Dottore departed, along with the soldiers pushing Luikens noisy wheelchair out of Captain Moore’s office. “You left him to starve? Couldn’t you make an effort at least? You run out of broth?”

  “I was injured myself and low on supplies,” Sudi retorted. “Luikens had just stabbed Grin in the back, and then melted an inquisitor’s face right off, before attacking the knight I told you about with a hammer.”

  “Luikens is a low-life. Fine. Where is this knight?” Nattas asked making a grimace.

  “After he attacked Ser Shane, who had just saved his life,” Sudi continued disregarding his query and Nattas pursed his mouth tightly, allowing him to finish. “Luikens finished the badly injured Grin off. He splattered the poor man’s brains all over the ground. The bastard didn’t have to kill him, the way to escape was clear, but Luikens loitered in order to finish them both off. Wim Luikens, is both evil and calculative. He’s callous and not stupid. You can’t have him influence Lucius or yourself, because he’ll attempt it, chief.”

  “Sudi, I’m not stupid and Lucius can see through Luikens,” Nattas said. “Alas, we need to have what helped Lord Anker defeat the Khan and Reinut to outlast the Zilan. Reinut had locked up Flucht’s toys for good reason, and this rare opportunity to get our hands on them, Regia just can’t miss. There is a way to prevent Luikens from directly contacting the king, given his condition,” the Governor continued. “But the army brass won’t like it. They just don’t trust me. Still, I’ll make the proposal and keep Luikens where I can control him.”

  “Rhys told me Luikens has a stone that can turn metal to gold,” Sudi said. “Clodius showed me the metal chunk. Three quarters of it was gold, Stormire.”

  “Luikens can’t tempt me, Sudi,” Nattas said, with a smile at the mention of his first name. “We go back a long time, it is true. You know I’ve enough gold now and damn it, so do you.”

  “There is no such thing as too-much gold,” Sudi reminded him.

  “Unequivocally! Why did Rhys end up with the fucking stone, whilst we got a phial of fake black pepper?” Nattas wondered aloud. “Is there another one?”

  “Probably not,” Sudi retorted.

  Nattas pursed his mouth and then nodded. “Listen, I felt a certain way when Titus got killed. Grin was a doofus, but pretty loyal and didn’t deserve to go out like that. I won’t turn my back to Luikens. I grieve with you.”

  “It’s mostly guilt what you describe. Titus got killed because of you, and Grin perished because I hurried after Luikens instead of asking for reinforcements. It’s the alchemist’s biggest power. People underestimate him. Whatever the case with him though, we make mistakes, chief, and our decisions bring great harm to people for quite some time now. We were never the good guys, I suppose, but we can refrain from being outright evil,” Sudi argued. “You’ll help the knight and his family to reach Levacum in order to return the favor and balance the scales. We must give back and not tempt the fates continuously, else our fortunes might change.”

  The Governor grimaced, reached behind him to find the goblet and brought it to his lips. “What was an Issir knight doing in Dokamna’s Camp? What does he want in Lesia? Why Levacum?”

  “It’s far enough, I reckon,” Sudi replied, shaking his head at Nattas’ distrustful nature. “Shane was in an Order. Probably the Golden Spears. He has a daughter.”

  “The pious knight, got expelled for not keeping his holy phallus inside his breeches?” Nattas taunted, never missing the chance to blaspheme against the Five or their faithful, and then narrowed his eyes as if something else was bothering him with the knight’s story. Sudi waited for Nattas in silence, despite the discomfort from his own injury. Then again, Storm had to live most of his life in perpetual agony as a cripple. Whatever Nattas had done after that was fully on the Governor, but his initial injury was all Sudi’s fault and no one else’s.

  “What does Vex, my old friend, think I should do with Luikens?” Storm finally asked, watching the troubled Sudi with a strange look in his intensely black, and sometimes alien-looking, eyes.

  Court creatures don’t do vengeance, a younger Storm had told him. For no reason or absent gain.

  “I’d have him tortured and killed slowly,” a rattled at the intense stare Sudi replied hoarsely, and added after clearing his throat. “But as I told the others, this is for you to decide. What will you do with Ser Shane?”

  “Have a ship deliver him to Levacum,” Nattas replied evenly. “Balance the scales, as you suggested, and keep the all-gods happy.”

  “What about Luikens?”

  “I’ll give it a month or two,” the Governor revealed. “Then see whether I can make a triumphant return to Lucius’ side.”

  Ari ‘Hoof’

  “Did you water the horses?” Ser Shane asked, watching him return to their fire. “I know you’re tired, but the horses are tired as well and they have been carrying us all day.”

  “I did, sir,” Hoof replied and sat near the fire across from the knight. The throbbing in his head making him dizzy and the bright flames hurting his sensitive eyes.

  “How’s the head?” The Issir knight asked, his own scalp missing a patch of hair, scrapped off by Wim’s blow.

  “How’s yours?” Hoof retorted and the knight stopped oiling his sword to eye him over the fire.

  “Never answer a query with one of yours, unless you care about the answer. It’s just not polite. If you do it inside a court, you might even lose your head.”

  “Apologies,” Hoof blurted out. “Where are you from, Ser Shane?”

  Shane pursed his mouth, his strong jaw and dark-skinned face covered with a well-maintained white beard. “It is not important. Where are you from? What kind of name is Hoof?”

  “Croton. It’s a moniker,” Hoof replied and stared at his wrong-in-size boots.

  “You can’t become my squire with a name like that,” Shane pointed out and then sheathed his longsword. He had it cleaned and then patiently sharpened with a rectangular whetstone whilst they traveled. They had four horses, as they had given the rest to Sudi and Rhys, in order to take Wim with them. The alchemist would probably not make it, they had all agreed, and Hoof was fine with it.

  “It’s Ari,” Hoof said with a blush. “What kind of knight has no last name or a home?”

  “A hedge knight,” Shane replied and stood back. “You are right though. I had a home, but now I don’t. It was a serious decision I didn’t make lightly, even though I wasn’t afforded the luxury of time to plan ahead. All actions we take must be well-thought out first ideally, but that’s not the case sometimes.”

  “Um. What happened?” Hoof asked. “Did you get in trouble?”

  Shane got up with a wince of pain, as his head was still bothering him. The helm had stopped the hammer, but it needed fixing according to the Knight and it would be expensive to repair. There was a visor for the helm, but Shane kept it on his horse.

  “How did you end up with a man like Luikens?” Shane asked finally.

  “It is not polite to answer with a query, unless you care about the answer, sir.”

  “I do care,” Shane replied. “I want to know your character.”

  “Wim told me he was a doctor,” Hoof replied. “Promised payment if I helped him. I needed coin. You need coin as well. Perhaps you should have taken Sudi’s original offer.”

  “We can’t take coin for helping someone out,” Shane rustled. “A knight must offer assistance without such incentives in mind.”

  “A rich knight,” Hoof pointed out. “Why accept the boat ride then?”

  “I didn’t do it for me and Mister Sudi’s first offer came with strings attached.”

  “Aha. Like Mister Wim’s in a sense,” Hoof grimaced. “He was a bad man and so were the Inquisitors. They worked for the church.”

  Shane walked near him and tapped his shoulder. “Time to rest. We’ll ride early in the morning to reach Oras Navel.”

  “I worked for the church,” Shane told him ten minutes later. They were wrapped in blankets near the dying fire. “The gods are not to blame for our actions. Uher preaches compassion and restraint from vices.”

  “Mister Wim murdered thousands under Uher’s banner,” Hoof murmured, keeping the woolen blanket under his chin.

  “There is a bloody war going on and the great struggle to prevent the Khanate’s hordes from reaching the Red Bridge was its most crucial episode. Everyone knew a great battle was coming,” Shane paused as if to reflect on past events. “When it arrived Lord Anker had to use everything at his disposal to defeat the Khan. A loss there would have doomed the whole of northern Kaltha, Caspo O’ Bor and even Midlanor. The church did its part also. All the Orders and the Inquisitors. The cost was grave, noble men fell and thousands of people were killed. At times of great carnage evil people mingle with the moral ones, the lines blur. Luikens could have waited for the slave camps to empty before ordering the bombardment, a compassionate man would have, but he isn’t one. Uher allowed it. Do you know why?”

  “Nay. Nor, do I understand it,” Hoof admitted.

  “Because a compassionate man might have stood paralyzed by the volume of potential casualties, where Luikens didn’t even hesitate. In that time the battle could have been lost.”

  “Perhaps this is why folk in Asturia don’t like Uher that much,” Hoof pointed out.

  “Allow me to finish and we can talk about Naossis-loving Asturia and Croton some other time,” Shane continued. “Uher allowed a vile man such as Luikens in the church in order to bring victory to the innocent faithful, even if some of them had to be sacrificed. This doesn’t exonerate the Assayer’s actions. Uher made certain the former’s reign wouldn’t last long, after his true character was relieved. The Inquisitors came here to deliver the God’s justice fittingly, but being human, they also tried to entwine in this necessary action, their own selfish desire to protect the Church they serve. The latter led good men astray from the right path. For Uher, needs not protection. All evil comes from man and when Uher’s light shines on it, the evil is revealed for all to see. All of the Five Gods work thus, each in their own ways.”

  “I prefer Naossis,” Hoof said honestly and Shane shook his head with understanding.

  “Passion and desire are needed in order to procreate, but Naossis needs restraint, as her parables reveal she can lose sense and can behave irrationally. A Goddess that lies with her father, surely needs moderation, don’t you think? So does Tyeus and even Luthos. You can’t live your life counting on a perpetual bout of good luck. All Luthos gives, can also strip away, with just a flick of his fingers. The Five, despite what people and alas, many members of the Church, believe, are not meant to be worshiped separately or above the others.”

  “Even Uher?” Hoof asked and Shane nodded soberly, after a brief contemplating pause.

  Hoof woke up early the next morning, feeling a splitting headache, his limbs numb and his nose running, to find the knight already wake and praying in silence. The boy tried to restart circulation, jumping around and moving his arms, as silently as he could.

  The knelt to face the dawn Shane held a large silver pendant with his hands, Uher’s Ankh, and hid it under his collar after he finished. Hoof had ended up near the knight’s stallion in the meantime and noticed the dented helm inside the saddlebag, but also the strange Bouche Shield right under the bag. A cloth draped over the saddle hid the strange shield, for it had an opening on its upper corner like a mouth, revealed when Hoof pulled the cover aside curious.

  A strange serpent’s head appeared, painted ashen in color and on a black background. Then another. A third head right next to it and two more right after.

  “Ladon, was a drake. A dragon who can’t fly,” Shane’s voice said and Hoof yelped in panic for getting caught probing at the knight’s stuff and twisted around with gawking eyes. “Known for protecting its territory fiercely,” Shane continued in a composed manner, slowly wearing a pair of leather gloves, as his gauntlets were also inside the saddlebags. “It wouldn’t back down, despite its losses or injuries.”

  “A noble creature,” Hoof mumbled gulping down, not entirely certain about the creature they were talking about.

  “This was also another instance of a parable. An allegorical tale,” Shane continued. “Creatures can’t be noble, and all dragonids are beasts, but people can, Ari of Croton. People must look beyond their own safety sometimes in order to protect something nobler and more precious than their own life.”

  “You almost lost yours to save me,” Hoof argued. “I ain’t noble, sir and fer sure I ain’t precious.”

  “Praised be Uher, for he saved you. The God’s will manifested itself in Sudi’s words and I couldn’t pretend ignorance, or I would stand a hypocrite,” the knight replied. “It might appear strange now, but all true knights face this dilemma in their lives. Some might deal with it once, others multiple times, if the Gods allow it.”

  “I sort of hoped the squire business was mostly about weapons and riding horses,” Hoof admitted and Shane breathed out, then stared at the rising sun over their heads.

  “First one must discover his moral center,” Shane said. “Build out from that. Then comes caring about your horse and your sire’s words. Weapons training is further down the list.”

  “Should I go water the horses?” Hoof asked perceptively with a grin.

  “It’s half a day’s journey to Dokamna Camp,” Shane replied calmly. “It would be prudent.”

  “Is the girl back in Dokamna Camp, why you left?” Hoof asked the silent knight sometime later, as they exited the Goats Plains and returned on the easier to navigate road leading to Oras Navel.

  “No blame lies with little Nienke!” Shane replied curtly, losing his temper momentarily. “If you truly wish to remain my squire Ari, you should keep this in your mind at all times. I shall ask no other task from you other than this. You must keep her safe. Always. She must live a full life.”

  “Rhys said it’s not uncommon for Knights of the Order to break their vows,” Hoof started after an uncomfortable moment. “The armour gave you away, sir. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, just want to understand.”

  “Whoa,” Shane ordered his horse and brought it to an abrupt stop, with Hoof halting his and the two animals following them right after. “Mister Rhys, is grossly mistaken. Perhaps he judges other people’s actions based on his own character,” a sober Shane said crooking his mouth, when Hoof turned his horse and approached him. “I didn’t leave after breaking my vows, Uher as my witness. I left the Order, because I didn’t.”

  Hoof puffed out. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “On the contrary,” the knight responded in a forgiving manner. “It’s fortunate that you did. While some truths can be perilous, I have no shame in my actions, nor do I regret them. Having said that, a knight absent means, as you pointed out, must still earn a living. Perhaps adopting a surname would help avoid such unusual inquiries about his background.”

  “What sort of surname?”

  “Ladon,” Shane answered. “Ser Shane Ladon. It has a Lorian ring to it, doesn’t it?”

  “You don’t seem Lorian, sire. Even under the light,” Hoof politely contested. “Is Nienke at least light-skinned?” He inquired, and Shane shot him a glare for his obvious attempt to pry into the enigmatic girl’s maternal lineage.

  “Certainly not,” Shane grunted. “Not that it would matter, bless her soul, but she isn’t.”

  “Right,” Hoof grimaced. “So, we opted for a boat ride to Levacum instead of a bag of gold because there’s work available there,” he summarized.

  A still frowning Shane nodded. “Not the type of work the Governor would have offered us. I suspect Lord Nattas prefers a certain type of individuals like Sudi and Rhys.”

  “What kind of individuals are they?” Hoof asked, now intrigued.

  “Killers,” the knight stated plainly. “Just not to the extent or perversity of Wim Luikens.”

  Hoof sighed. Mister Wim had managed to deceive the boy for some time truth be told. “I don’t know, Ser Shane. It seems to me that working for a Governor isn’t so bad. He’s akin to a duke, and it’s said that dukes have a lot of coin to spare. What does Levacum offer in exchange?” The Lorian boy had questioned the Issir Knight, and Ser Shane Ladon had answered without much delay.

  “A tourney.”