Rexpennae Kansas
Chapter 11
Krethos sat up, the wind turbulence in his wake extinguished the candle and he stumbled around the small side cavern. The darkness was bound tighter around him than a blindfold, and he feared he would never escape from the black pit. He made his way slowly to the stone walls and felt his way around the room until he felt wood beneath his fingers.
Relieved, Krethos swung the door open and walked into the hall. He splashed some cold water on his face from a basin outside his door and smoothed his hair out before proceeding down the hall to the Princess' courtroom.
He had spent the last day and a half in the cavernous palace of Princess Rose and her followers. They were preparing for war, and he was growing impatient.
He entered the court, which he had left the night before full of weapons and armor, to find it cleared.
"Good morning, Krethos." The Princess said as she walked up to him, "I trust you slept well."
"Tolerably, through no fault of yours or your people." Krethos answered, and bowed.
The Princess lead Krethos to a wagon full of armaments, "We cleared the stocks while you slept, we are nearly ready, and will leave within the morning."
"Very good," Krethos answered, "We will meet with my men at Port Salas, where we will proceed to move on the castle of El Intrivo."
"And King Eravar the usurper." The Princess added.
"I am looking for Jack Von Bondahar, the king is of your concern." Krethos replied.
The Princess paid him no heed, but continued walking beside the last wagon. The emerged from a secret opening in the side of a hill and descended to the valley below, where rested the other hundred wagons of weapons.
The Princess stood up on the hillside, dressed in the blue of the river and her shining tiara on her head, every eye turned to her and held, transfixed by her beauty.
"My friends, and family," she called out, "This man, Krethos, has come to lead us forward, to victory, we will retake the kingdom from the usurper. Our friends in the North will join us with their machines, and we will be the tool of vengeance."
The crowd erupted into cheers, but Krethos was oblivious to the celebration, he was ready to go, and took up the head of the column when the horns were sounded. They would meet Meir in little over 8 hours.
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He leaned on his cane, trying to keep as much weight off his leg as possible, it caused obvious pain to walk, and even more to stand.
"They're late." He said to the dock worker.
"That they are." The dock worker replied.
"They were to be here yesterday."
"I would not begrudge them that, my friend, this is a radical thing they do, I would not be surprised if they are detained."
The strange man turned to look at the dock worker, "I must let my leg rest, please call me should they appear."
"I will do that."
The strange man hobbled back into the warehouse where he had been sleeping and lay down.
The dock worker went about his business and loaded boxes for just over 3 hours before he was startled by a voice behind him.
"Do you wish to join the Keyschnect in his fight to get the keys?"
"I cannot, but there is a man here wants to." Said the dock worker as he stepped into the warehouse and roused the stranger.
"Are you with Krethos?" Asked the man as he hobbled out.
"Yes sir, I am." answered Meir.
"Where can I find him?"
"He will be along soon, he went on a trip alone to get more fighters. Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Glaxon, I would like to speak to Krethos when he returns."
"Mr. Glaxon, when he arrives you may speak to Krethos."
Meir walked away, to supervise the rest of the recruitment in the last stop before pressing to the castle. The people of this nation were desperate for deliverance from the oppression of the king, and many joined believing that the Keyschnect was to overthrow the king. Krethos didn't care about what they thought, only that they could fight, and would.
Port Salas was a large town on the Salas River, had Krethos' voyage gone smoothly he would have landed there. The populace of the town was reluctant to leave their homes for the battle so unprepared. Until the wagon train of Princess Rose rode to the army camp.
Citizens flocked from the town to see the Princess, she was their standard of freedom, exiled she fled and vowed to return when the time was right for revolution. It was then that every man who could hold a sword emptied from the city and stood behind the Princess, who stood behind Krethos.
As they were armed, Krethos entered the city, told by Meir that Glaxon wanted to speak with him, Krethos was in search of an old friend. He found Glaxon, waiting on a crate left in the exodus, his cane at his side. Glaxon stood and limped to his old friend, and they embraced as long separated brothers.
"Your leg, what happened?" Krethos asked.
"Unfortunately getting you to the keep was a hard feat, I am lucky to have escaped the courtyard with no more problems than the leg."
"So the others, they have died."
"I watched each of them fall."
Krethos sat down on the crate beside Glaxon's, so much to take in. All the people he had once cared for were gone, everything from his old life, save for Glaxon, was turning to dust as he spoke.
"Krethos, they died in pursuit of life, to find the keys, and bring back what was once dear to them. All is not lost if you are still whole and ready to fight for what they perished for."
"Did you know who I was?"
"No." Glaxon answered, "But it doesn't surprise me in the least, if there were a reason you lived, a reason that you sought the keys, it would be that."
" I have done much since I left you all."
"And I have seen it, this very day you were able to empty this town, you have raised up a country. On the far side of the seas your messengers have spread the word far and wide, people are listening, rising, looking for you. You are not alone, there is the whole of the world behind you. And they are ready to come to your aid."
Krethos could see the sun setting down one street.
"What's going to happen? Back at home you were a very wise man, what is to come of this?"
"Krethos, I cannot see, we are entering a dark and troubling new age, one in which the world will be irreversibly changed, that much is certain, but beyond that nothing can be discerned."
"I'm afraid."
"As am I."
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"…And what would you have me do, Jack?" Asked Eravar, concerned and irritated.
"Whatever you want." Jack answered watching from the throne as Eravar paced up and down the room.
"That doesn't help!" Eravar yelled, "Helen wouldn't attack unless she was sure I was here, but now that she's entered into the equation I do not dare stay here."
"And why not?"
"She is bent upon vengeance, when it was just your puppet I could do whatever I wished, and end my debt to you, but now, now my life is forfeit if I stay.
"Then go, save yourself."
"If I go they will not attack."
"Then stay."
"JACK!" Eravar shouted in frustration, "What do you want?"
"To speak to the boy, and you will do whatever it is that will get me that."
Eravar slumped into a chair, feeling as though he had just signed his own execution order.
Copyright © 2008-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
1 comment:
Great chapter!
Natalie
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