Ageless

Chapter 11

Dalton pushed his way through the crowd, once again using his status as a city guard to forgo any semblance of manners, a strategy that he seemed to enjoy as much as those around him despised him for it. Ko'sa and I coasted behind him like he was a human shield, holding hands so as not to lose each other in the chaos, but even he could only get so far in before the crowds were pushing in on us from all sides. Finally he gave up and came to a stop a couple hundred yards from the steps.

"Can't we get any closer than this?" I asked. "I won't be able to see anything from here."

"Not a chance in hell we get a good view," Dalton grunted. "Too many people here and the front is all nobles anyway. It's all about hearing though. The court magi use sound amplification techniques around the whole square so everyone on the lawn can hear."

"Not that they're like to say anything useful," Ko'sa cut in, "except announce plans for the King's remarriage."

"Any idea what's going to happen?"

"It's kind of a mess right now. The King has no male heir of his own and'll have to remarry. People are saying it will likely be the queen's younger sister, Alynsa. Then there's also the question about Raelyn in all this, some think that she should be the next in line, but she's just a kid." She sighed. "After this, I'll take you to the Hall of Records. See about your husband, like I promised."

"I don't think that will be necessary," I said, feeling my face starting to grow hot again. "Pretty sure I've already found him."

She looked at me, puzzled and about to question me further, but was cut off by a dull thud sounding behind us.

It rang again, the sound of a bass drum, louder than the last, its reverberations cutting through the chatter of the crowd. A hush began to spread from the boom of the drum, spreading across the massive lawn like a shock wave. I turned around to face the source of the noise; it approached from the road behind us. As I squinted at the spot, dark shapes began to materialize in the distance. It was a procession. The funeral ceremony was starting.

First came a row of heavily armored guards charging down the road by horseback, clearing people off to either side. The horses were abnormally large and dark like the ones we had seen on the way to the city, but decked out in ornate decorations and armor, in an attempt to make them appear civilized. It was a lost cause: they looked just as wild and angry as the ones ridden by the bandits, fuming behind gold-plated masks.

"Make way!" the riders ordered, packing us even more tightly into the grass and mud of the lawn. "Make for his Holiness! Your King approaches."

Next came two rows of foot soldiers, all holding long lances to clear the path. As the crowd surged back from the road like displaced water, I saw a gap in the scuffle and slipped towards the edge to get a better view. The guards all wore armor the color of red wine, polished to a sheen. I glanced back at Dalton behind me, with his filthy mismatched set of dented armor.

I tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the soldiers. "They forget to issue you the latest model?"

For a second his face darkened, and it occurred to me that teasing a giant of a man I had met a couple of hours ago could be a decision I would soon regret. To my relief, his glower only lasted a second and he broke out into a booming laugh. "Cheeky. Ko, you didn't tell me the crazy one had a lip on her."

Ko'sa shrugged. "She has a point. You used to be stationed at the palace, yeah?"

"That was years ago." He picked at a spot of grime from his breastplate. "When the Holy King married into the throne ten years ago, he began to surround himself with militants selected by the church, gave them the best equipment, preferential treatment and all that. I didn't make a habit of kissing the pontiff's boots, so they sent me off to guard the city gates." He turned back to me and smiled. "Not that I'm complaining though. Being out amongst you rabble has presented many lucrative opportunities," -he jerked his chin towards Ko'sa- "and business partnerships."