The Spear of Destiny

by Slawomir Rapala

chapter 3 of 5

Royalty

On that particular day the Nekryan Court was buzzing with excitement. Though the day was still young, the Palace was full of commotion and raised voices as pages ran back and forth between the Royal Chambers and the main square, carrying luggage into carriages that were being readied to leave by dozens of stable boys. Horses were being brushed and adorned, and the bridles polished until they shone in the morning sun.

Armed guards gathered in the main square under the stern commands of lieutenants. Forming a long rectangle of hardened steel armour, they moved in like a well oiled machine, clearing the path before them and coming to a standstill behind two heavily decorated carriages drawn by three pairs of white horses each. Tips of spears, well over a hundred of them, rose to the sky and shone like drips of dew on the tips of long grass.

Servants moved swiftly between the armed guards, running to the kitchen and back with supplies prepared for the journey by cooks busy at the stoves from early morning, from even before the cock reminded the sun to rise.

Inside the Royal Chambers, King Diovinius gazed at his young wife who stood by the open window watching the commotion on the square before the Palace. He watched her movements with quiet pleasure while she brushed her long hair slowly, each stroke running smoothly all the way through the thick cascades of shimmering locks which covered her like an unspoiled wave of gold. Rays of sun scarcely penetrated the drawn curtains, but where they did, they placed the young Queen in an almost heavenly spotlight.

Serena seemed lost in thought and Diovinius did not wish to interrupt her nor spoil this magical moment. The seasoned warrior and ruler, a Nekryan Lion whose powerful roar was feared by the wicked, felt his heart beating unevenly as he gazed at his wife. She was so dear to him and so much more now when still weak following the long and complicated birth of their first daughter.

The babe was born healthy and strong, and rested now with her nannies in the adjacent rooms. The birth had taken a toll on Serena’s already fragile health, and it had taken the young Queen several weeks to recover even some of her strength and to rise from bed.

She had only been on her feet for a few days and still hardly ventured outside of Palace walls, preferring the quiet and dim corners of the homely building to the sunbathed Royal gardens or the scorched and dusty streets of Arrosah. She spent time instead with her infant daughter, watching and playing with the babe, bathing and feeding her.

The infant Princess was full of life and vigor and was a source of joy and pride for both King and Queen. Still, the King would rather see his wife enjoy more fresh air and sunlight which, as he was assured by healers, would aid and speed her recovery. This was why he pressed Serena into accompanying him to the nearby city where festivities were taking place and whose inhabitants asked him to convene the ceremony of the blessing of the crops.

“Must we take all of these things?” Serena asked.

“The festival will take place over several days,” Diovinius smiled as he approached his wife and gathered her in his arms from behind. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against his broad, armor-clad chest.

“It still seems like an awful lot,” she said. Then she turned to face the King and looked at him with a hint of sadness. “I don’t like the idea of leaving Laela alone for so long,” she added.

“She won’t be alone,” the King protested. “She has the best care-givers in the Kingdom. Anyway, it’s only for a few days and you can use this time to concentrate on getting well.”

“I am well,” the Queen slipped out of her husband’s embrace.

“You’re weak and pale,” Diovinius said.

“It’s the latest style,” Serena remarked with a sardonic smile. “Haven’t you noticed? All the aristocrats’ daughters favor the look. It suits them, I must say.”

“It doesn’t suit you,” the King reached for her hands and brought them up to his lips. “When was the last time you danced and laughed?”

“Don’t you remember when the Chancellor got drunk and belly-danced with the Tha-kian circus girl?” the Queen sneered.

“Yes, and he still won’t show his face at Court because of your ridicule. I’m surprised he’s agreed to accompany us,” Diovinius smiled and looked into his wife’s eyes. “Serena, please.”

“All right, all right,” the Queen said with a resigned sigh which she had masked by a soft smile. “I’ll just say goodbye to Laela. I can’t believe you’re making me leave my child in the hands of these monstrous nannies. Have you seen the way they change her nappies? They have the hands of harpies.”

She placed a kiss on his lips and moved swiftly across the room before disappearing through the door. The King looked after her for a moment and then turned to the window to watch the final preparations on the square below. “Yanush!” he bellowed without turning his head.

A shadow appeared behind him, a tall man who until now remained invisible, as if part of the chamber’s decor. Though dressed in full battle armor, he moved quietly like a ghost. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is everything ready?”

“Nearly. Luggage is being loaded into the second carriage now.”

“The Chancellor’s?”

“Yes. And the Hetman’s. They will travel together.”

“And our carriage?”

“It’s ready.”

“Everyone else?”

“They’re waiting.”

“The guards?”

“I left them with the lieutenants.”

“As Captain of the Guards you are ultimately responsible for our safety. I trust you realize this?” The King turned to face Yanush, a man almost a head taller than he.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“You trust your lieutenants then?”

“Of course.”

”Good,” Diovinius turned back to the window. “Do we need this many guards? It’s an awful lot of people for a small excursion as such.”

“It’s a precaution, Your Highness.”

“Any reason for it?”

The Captain hesitated, prompting the King to once again face him.

“Has something happened?” Diovinius frowned

“A merchant caravan was attacked yesterday. Everyone was butchered, the goods mostly taken.”

“Another one?” the King clenched his fists. “How many does that make this year alone?”

“Half a dozen, Your Majesty.”

“And it’s only the beginning of the festival season. It will only get worse.” Yanush did not answer.

The King drew the curtains completely, shutting away the sun and plunging the room into darkness. He turned from the window, drew his hands together behind his back and slowly paced the room. This attack showed once again how unstable his kingdom was despite years of effort to bring order to these wild and untamed lands. How fragile was his power, Diovinius thought, if a handful of thugs can make a mockery of it?

The Captain remained quiet, in the meantime, standing erect in the middle of the chambers and waiting for further questions. He was a man of few words.

“You said the caravan was mostly looted?” the King resumed the subject.

“Yes.”

“You mean the thugs left goods?” Diovinius halted and raised his eyebrows with questioning. “They must have been in a rush, then. Perhaps their scouts spotted one of our patrols?”

“No, Your Highness” the Captain shook his head. “None of our men were near that area yesterday.”

“So why leave the loot?”

“I think they wanted to make a quick escape and carried only what would not slow their flight.”

“Greed is what motivates them, Yanush,” it was the King’s turn to shake his head. “They would not walk away.”

“Unless they have a disciplined leader.”

Diovinius looked at his Captain with interest. The tall Nekryan seldom wasted his breath and if he ventured to utter a sentence it was not without reason.

“You have a name?” he asked.

“Aezubah.”

“Aezubah?” the King repeated. “Sounds vaguely familiar. Who is he?”

”We don’t know much about him,” the Captain shrugged. “It seems he has been around for some time now. He’s rounded a few smaller bands and centralized his leadership. They follow him blindly.”

“He’s not a common thief, then?”

“No, he’s a ghost. He continues to elude us.”

“Why?”

“Some say he’s a warrior.”

“Oh?”

“A warrior and adventurer, mercenary and a sword-for-hire. Rumor is that he started out in the Bandikoyan army. Rose to the rank of captain before deserting.”

“He deserted? Why?”

“No one’s clear on it, but generally it’s said that he went mad with grief after his family was murdered.”

Diovinius raised his head and looked keenly at the Captain.

“Murdered?” he repeated slowly.

“Tortured and killed,” the Nekryan shrugged with impatience. “Aezubah left Bandikoy to follow the murderers.”

“And?”

“Who knows, Your Majesty? He’s traveled the South and North in the past two decades. Who knows what has transpired? Mind you, though, Your Highness, these are all rumors, stories, nothing more.”

“Every story has a grain of truth in it. The more you know of the man, the more you will understand him and this will in the end lead to his capture. What motivates him? Gold, riches?”

“Hatred.”

The Nerkyan Lion tapped his fingers against the table in thought. “Yes,” he said after a moment. “Men like him are dangerous indeed.”

“He has nothing to lose. He has a hole in his heart that nothing can fill.”

“But he tries nevertheless?”

“Travels, battles, murders, riches, women, drink, gambling. Blood. These things excite the senses, your Highness. Maybe that’s what he seeks.”

“But it will never be enough?”

“The hole is too deep, the other side too far to reach.”

“You’re a philosopher.”

“Yes, your Highness,” the Captain smiled and bowed.

The King stood in darkness for a moment longer, thinking over everything he had just heard. Then he walked back to the window and with one firm gesture, he opened the curtains. The chambers were flooded with light. “Enough of this,” he said as he looked out into the main square. “This is a happy occasion, we have festivities to attend. And it seems that everything is ready down there. Yanush, would you mind calling for my wife?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Before the Captain left, however, Diovinius called for him again. “Yanush.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Don’t worry about this Aezubah.” The Nekryan Lion crossed his arms. “We will attend to him once we return. He cannot go unpunished anymore.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

To be continued...