ZIHAEN, The Shadow of the Revenaunt, Book 2

CHAPTER 16 - THE QUEST CONTINUES

For the first time in days, Ghyll and his friends were all together again, this time in the Companions' Room, the spacious chamber on the second floor of the Royal Palace, which was transformed into their meeting-place. The last resident had been Ghyll's grandmother and the rooms had stood empty since her death. Now the bedrooms were ready for the Companions, whenever they stayed in town.

The young king yawned and stretched his legs out. 'Ahh, peace at last.'

Bo reached into his red robe and pulled out a folded paper. 'Not for long,' he said, with a faint smile. 'This morning I received a letter from my mother. 'Remember the old young voice,' she writes. 'Dark clouds gather above us and all the light of the future comes from the voice in the West. Its time presses and you should not squander. Seek the shadow of evil in the wide fields. Overland is fast, by air will fail.' Mother is often obscure when she has a prophecy.'

'What shouldn't we squander?' Olle asked. 'The time or the voice out of the West?'

'The time,' Bo said hesitantly. 'I think she means we have to hurry.'

'Shadow of evil in the wide fields?'

Uwella shifted uncomfortably in her chair. 'Remember that old magia in Din-Werdzom with her crystal ball?'

Bo frowned. 'Those pillars? The Owan Abai?'

'The steppes of Zihaen are wide enough, and she called the temple an evil shadow. Besides, she said we had to go there.'

Ghyll nodded. 'Then we'll do so. Overland?'

'By horse,' Bo said. 'Doesn't sound logical when you're in a hurry, but my mother rarely is.'

'Ooh, luckily not by skyboat,' Zino sighed.

Olle glanced at Bo. 'Does your mother often have such premonitions?'

Bo turned his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. 'Oh, Gods, yes, all the time. And the worst part is that she's usually right.' He sighed. 'I once asked her how she does it, but my mother is an abstract scientist and explaining something clearly is not her forte. What I understood was that she reads fragments of the future in the flames of a fire. I have no idea how she does it. I can't, and I'm heartily glad of that.' Then he turned to Ghyll. 'Of one thing I am certain: if my mother says we have to hurry, it is wise to comply.'

'Good,' Torril said cheerfully. 'When will we leave? Tomorrow?'

'Not so fast,' Ghyll said. 'I want to look at this island where the captain of the Queen Milliane saw that drakenboat.'

'You mean Despraine? Send someone else. You don't have to do everything, brother.' Olle ran a hand over his newly cropped hair and sighed. Kaati had cut it short for his appearance as King's Defender and although she was very happy with the result, Olle felt uncomfortable with his nearly bald pate.

Ghyll drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair while he thought. He knew Olle was right; he should delegate more. 'I'll ask Major Tibaun to send someone, while we go west.'

'Who are 'we'?' Olle asked.

'You, Bo, Damion and Uwella, Torril. Zino?'

The Opitian prince nodded. 'Oh, yes.'

'If you can spare me, I will stay here,' Zethir said. Before anyone could respond, he added, 'I haven't yet said anything, but I strongly suspect someone is trying to buy servants. I don't know who or what, but I don't like it.'

'Do you think someone is planning an attack?' Bo produced a small fireball and let it bounce from one hand to the other.

Zethir looked from the fireball to Bo and then to Ghyll. 'I don't know. Several times, I've seen someone talking with a certain servant. Always in strange places, where nobody ever comes. The servant I know; the other person is wearing one of those little black fancy-ball masks, so I can't recognize his face. It is someone young, and from outside the palace, that much is clear to me.'

'Well, it's not forbidden to talk with the servants,' Ghyll said doubtfully.

'No,' Zethir gave him a wry look. 'And I can think of several reasons why someone would give a servant gold. To walk around in a party mask is rather strange, though. That's why I prefer to stay here. I want to know who it is.'

'You're right,' Ghyll said. 'And if something really is wrong, you'll warn Kyssander.'

Ghyll pulled Kerianna to him. 'Well, that's settled then. If...'

Kerianna turned in his arms and looked at him with raised eyebrows. 'Aren't you forgetting someone?'

Ghyll colored. 'I'm sorry, dear; I assumed that you would take over the duties of the Crown.'

'I've been tempted,' she said haughtily. 'Believe me, I have. But you want your kingdom back when you return, I suppose, so I decided I would rather go with you.'

The young king looked worried. 'Are you sure? It's a long way and it will be dangerous.'

'I can defend myself, don't worry. Watch.' She sat up on Ghyll's lap and her wrist made a rapid movement. Snok! Her knife struck where the heart would've been in the wooden statue over the hearth.

'That is Ranolfe IV,' Ghyll remarked mildly. 'It is very old.' Then he kissed his bride exuberantly. 'Gods, I have married an assassin.'

Zino laughed. 'At least. I didn't tell you, but after our father's murder, mother sent to her homeland of Bellarinde on the other continent, and hired a Tareqqa assassin to instruct all of us. Tareqqa are native to Bellarinde, and they're said to be the deadliest murderers in the world. Yahanna is better with the sword, but my twin sister is lightning-fast with knives and some other weapons.'

'I'm not a hackam of the master-level,' Kerianna said with a touch of arrogance. 'I am extensively trained, though.'

'Where do you keep that knife?' Ghyll asked worriedly. 'I don't want it between my ribs when I embrace you.'

Keri pulled her sleeve and showed the small sheath strapped to the inside of her forearm. 'Embrace me as often as you want; that thing won't come out.' She smiled. 'As long as I get my way.'

'When will we be going?' Torril asked again.

Ghyll tore his gaze away from Keri's face. 'The day after tomorrow, the thirteenth. Otherwise we'll have to celebrate Midsummer two days later, and I'm tired of all those crowds.' He stood up and stretched. 'For now, I think we've done enough. I don't know what you are planning, but I still owe my love an overdue wedding night.'

'Good idea,' Uwella cried, and jumped to her feet. 'Come, Damion. Sleep well, everybody!'

Kaati put her hand on Olle's arm. 'Then we have two nights together.'

Olle looked at her. 'You're not coming?'

'No. I have performances I can't miss. We'll see each other again when you get back.' She jumped up. 'But first – those two nights together.'

When they were alone, Ghyll put his hands to Keri's face and kissed her. Hand in hand, the king and queen of Rhidauna left the sitting room.