Bladvaneer Page 3

“And they lived happily ever after,” Klavin said before he could stop himself, and immediately regretted it.

  The king stared at him. “Did you not enjoy the story?”

  “Of course I did. But I’ve heard it before. I’m pretty sure everyone has.” Klavin immediately stopped, and reminded himself to whom he was speaking. “Um, Your Majesty.”

  The king smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended. You won’t be losing your head today.”

  Klavin felt himself sweating again. “Um … thank you?”

  The king laughed. “Of course you’ve heard that story before. My own father told me that story. But how would you like to know the whole story?”

  Klavin was intrigued, although more confused than ever. He couldn’t imagine where this was going, and still didn’t understand why the king had demanded an audience with him.

  “The whole story? You mean that’s not it?”

  “No that’s most certainly not ‘it’. There’s much more.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as the fact that Kriger’s journey back took twice as long as the trip there. Or the fact that by the time he got home, he no longer had Bladvaneer with him.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “That, I’m afraid, I can’t tell you, as that information apparently passed away the same time he, Forux, and Kantrel did.”

  “He never told anyone?”

  “If he did, it was obviously to someone he could truly trust, as no one has ever stepped forward, and the sword has never been seen again.”

  “No offense, Your Majesty, but how do you know any of this? I’ve studied this land’s history for years, and I know of no other sources.”

  “I know because of this,” the king said, picking up an old book from the table. He was about to toss it to Klavin, but stopped. “I must warn you that everything we speak of from this moment forward is to be kept in the strictest of confidence. You have no idea what we’re entrusting you with.”

  Klavin once again felt like he was getting into something he’d be better off being very far away from, but couldn’t resist. If there was more information on a topic he had always found so fascinating, he had to be privy to it. He nodded, and the king handed him the book.

  “The full story of Kriger and Krot, or at least as much as we have, is in that book. It’s Kriger’s journal.”

  Klavin stared at the book. If the king was telling the truth, and he had no reason to believe he wasn’t, then he was holding a priceless treasure in his hands.

  “But …” Klavin started, but stopped.

  “But why isn’t this part of the library? Why isn’t the whole story being told to everyone? Because as I think you know, information can be a very powerful thing. Kriger understood this. Even that,” the king said, pointing at the book,” isn’t a complete account. He feared that the wrong people knowing everything about that encounter could have dire consequences. Unfortunately, considering the problem we now face, I truly wish he had spelled out everything for us. It would make things much easier.”

  Klavin nodded as he flipped through the journal. The king took it away from him and put it back on the table.

  “You can read that later.”

  “Sorry. But I was listening to you. And I’m still not sure why you felt the need to share this with me now.”

  “Because despite all our hopes, history looks like it’s about to repeat itself.”

  “What are you saying? That Krot is coming back?”

  “Possibly. Possibly. Apparently despite our efforts to keep certain pieces of information secret, someone has discovered how to bring him back. Let me fill in a few gaps for you. The Elite Guard, the four Elemental Warriors … the story is very vague on their end. Do you know why it took Kriger twice as long to return home as it did for him to head out? Because he had to dispose of their remains. It’s not clear how, but it would seem that the four of them might somehow be able to bring Krot back to power. I’m not even sure if Kriger knew, but he took the precaution of separating their essences. If they’re brought back together … well, we really don’t know what would happen.”

  Klavin stood. “I have to admit, I still have no idea why I’m here. Why haven’t you just summoned Gareth Helt?”

  “Ah, so we finally get to him. Tell me what you know of him.”

  Klavin started to answer, but stopped. “Is he in that book, too?”

  The king smiled. “No.”

  “Okay, Gareth was a great warrior, able to accomplish many great deeds. It was discovered that he was directly descended from Kriger Morro, and that should Krot rise again, it would be his destiny to put him down once more. So I’m really not sure what the problem is.”

  “The problem is that almost everything you just said was a complete fabrication.”

  “Are you saying there’s no Gareth Helt?”

  “No, there’s a Gareth Helt. Sort of.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Dolan, could you take over for me? My voice is getting a little tired.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” Dolan said, happy that someone finally remembered he was in the room. “Indeed, there was a Gareth Helt. Is. Is a Gareth Helt. You see, the king wasn’t always quite as popular as he is now. It wasn’t really his fault. He tried, but there were some bad seasons and a famine or two, and people were turning against him. So he came up with the idea of having a ‘royal hero’ of sorts, someone the people loved who was closely aligned with the throne, in the hopes that some of that good will would come his way. He turned to Gareth Helt, who was respected by all and seemed the perfect candidate. Once he agreed to work with the king, they set about creating a destiny for him.”

  “They created a destiny for him?”

  “Yes. The king decided it wasn’t quite enough to have a great adventurer on his side. He wanted something a bit more … interesting. So a story was circulated that Gareth was a descendent of the legendary hero, Kriger Morro. Enough people came to believe it and pass it on that it became accepted as fact, even though of course it wasn’t. Even that wasn’t enough, though, and the king decided to link Gareth to the old story of Krot. Once people knew that the only person capable of defeating the greatest evil in the land was fully devoted to the king, it didn’t take long for everyone to follow suit.”

  “So it was all a lie?” Klavin asked, looking at the king, who seemed more interested in staring at something at his feet.

  “More or less, yes, I’m sorry to say. Unfortunately, it gets worse ...”

  “Is it really necessary to tell him the rest?” the king asked, suddenly interested in the conversation again.

  “Considering what we’re going to ask of this man, yes, I think it is.”

  And Klavin thought he was intrigued before. The king, who minutes ago seemed willing to share every secret he had, now found something he didn’t want to admit. He was a bit concerned about what they were going to ask him to do, however.

  “Very well, continue,” the king instructed.

  “Tell me, Klavin, do you know of the Healers?”

  “Sure, everyone does,” Klavin answered. He quickly remembered that he gave a similar response earlier when asked about the story of Krot, and learned soon after that he really knew nothing at all. He looked to the king, who wouldn’t return the glance.

  “Well, unfortunately it was discovered that Gareth happened to be a Healer.”

  “He was? I didn’t know that.”

  “No, not many ever found out. Gareth obviously didn’t want anyone to ever find out in the first place, but when he learned that the king had been struck by a stray arrow, he didn’t hesitate to reveal his secret. Unfortunately …,” and Dolan stopped, apparently unwilling to continue the story.

  The king cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, I decided that it was no longer enough to have the greatest hero in the land aligned with the throne. I decided that I should have my own personal Healer as well. You see, it was considered quite a status symbol for s
omeone to have a person like that at his beck and call, and I just couldn’t resist the temptation. I knew he didn’t want to do it, and I didn’t care. However, out of respect to him, and also because I thought it might affect people’s opinion of him as a hero, I kept his ability a secret. I admit that it was more of the latter than the former.”

  “I don’t understand,” Klavin interrupted. “Why are you so ashamed that you wanted him to be a Healer? I don’t even understand why he’d want to keep it a secret in the first place.”

  “The answer to that, I’m afraid, you’re going to have to find out for yourself. Now, if I may continue, Gareth remained in his dual role of hero and Healer for some time. Unfortunately, eventually he took ill, and was no longer able to continue.”

  “So what if he became ill? Couldn’t he just heal himself?”

  “Klavin, please, let me finish telling my story. What you are asking is something else that you need to discover on your own,” the king said, giving himself a moment to compose his thoughts. He clearly found this a difficult tale to tell. “So Gareth was gone. We were in more prosperous times, and I was no longer afraid that the people were going to revolt. But I feared that without him, their opinion of me might begin to fall once more. I needed Gareth, and he couldn’t be there for me. So I did the next best thing. I had Dolan search the land for a new Gareth. I’m ashamed to admit it, even years later, but it’s exactly what I did.”

  “You replaced him with a phony?”

  “Yes. It was surprisingly easy. Despite the fact that practically everyone in the kingdom had heard of him and his wondrous deeds, very few had ever actually seen him. We took the time to train the replacement. We taught him the details of the original Gareth’s various exploits, so that he could recount the stories as if they were his own It still amazes me how people simply accepted this, but who can blame them?” The king hesitated, then added, “Blame me instead.”

  “So what happened then?”

  “The second Gareth spent a few years with us. He did an excellent job, did many great deeds of his own, and we richly rewarded him. Unfortunately, in the end he was only human, eventually came upon a challenge he couldn’t overcome, and was killed. It was easy to repeat the process with a third Gareth, and then a fourth.”

  “How many have there been?”

  “I’m truly saddened to say that I can’t remember. After a while they all seemed to blend into one another. The most recent Gareth was lost just yesterday. His remains were returned to the last town in which he was seen alive, brought on top of the same horse he bravely rode out on. And now, the very challenge that we originally created his destiny for is at hand. And we have nowhere else to turn,” he finished, and Klavin noticed that both he and Dolan were staring at him. It took him a moment to realize exactly what was happening.

  “Wait, you expect me to do this? You want me to become another Gareth?”

  The king laughed. “No. No offense to you, but I don’t think you’d be very convincing in the role. Besides, the time for subterfuge is over. There’s a job to be done, and Dolan and I both feel you’re the one best suited for it. If it makes you feel better, you can convince yourself that it’s your destiny.”

  “How can you possibly expect me to do this? I’m no hero. What can I do?”

  “Sometimes the greatest heroes are the ones who never set out to be one. What can you do? From what I’m told, you’ve got quite a mind, and you’re highly skilled with a sword. Those are all you’ll need to start,” the king said.

  “Really?” Klavin asked.

  “Yes … to start. I won’t lie to you. You’re going to need help. Kriger himself didn’t go into this alone, and neither should you. It would be quite easy for you to recruit a team of the most skilled adventurers out there with royal backing. Unfortunately, you’re not going to have it. I can’t exactly sanction this mission, because if people knew what was happening they’d certainly go into a panic. I wouldn’t blame them, either. So I must ask you to keep this as quiet as possible. Obviously you’ll have to tell the people you bring in, but please don’t let it go beyond them. I can’t do much to fund you, either. If you start throwing around a lot of gold to hire people, it could raise too many questions.”

  Klavin began pacing. “Your Majesty, I have to admit that I’m overwhelmed by this. I don’t even know where to start.”

  “You start by finding that sword. Bladvaneer. It was a key part of defeating Krot the first time, so I have a feeling you’ll be needing it again. And talk to Gareth.”

  “I thought Gareth was dead.”

  “Not the first one. He’s on Lakron Island. Your first challenge will be getting there. Boats go there, but not everyone is allowed onboard. You won’t be, I guarantee it. Tell him what’s going on. He may be able to help you.”

  “No offense, but how? He’s been out of the loop for years, and it seems like everything I need to know is either going to come from you two or that journal.”

  “He spent quite some time searching for the sword. At first it was just because he thought it would complete his image. Part of the story we came up for him was that he had a magical sword, even though he really didn’t. Being able to wield Bladvaneer would have solidified his legacy as Kriger’s descendant. But after a while, finding that sword seemed to become an obsession. I’m pretty sure that by the end he didn’t completely trust me, not that I blame him. He may have some information about its location that he didn’t share with me, but maybe he’d tell you.” The king hesitated. “Maybe you could also let him know that I still haven’t forgiven myself for what I did.”

  “I still have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Read the journal. As I said, he doesn’t document everything, but there’s enough in there to get you going. But I can’t let you take it. It’s just too much of a risk that it’ll fall into the wrong hands.”

  Klavin picked up the book and stared at it. He didn’t believe for a second that he could do what was being asked of him, and he didn’t think the other two men in the room believed it either. But it seemed that there was little choice. If the king had turned to him, then it just proved how desperate a situation it was, and he couldn’t simply do nothing.

  “Anything else?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  The king smiled. “Good luck.”

  5

  Simko sat in the Busted Skull Tavern, alone as usual. Although considering who else was in the tavern, he was perfectly happy to keep to himself. He rubbed the small scar on his chin as he watched the crowd.

  A man in silk robes sat a few tables over. Some might think he was a wealthy merchant, but anyone familiar with him knew better. As if he didn’t radiate enough power as it was, he had two well armed warriors sitting with him. The people at the tables immediately surrounding him were noticeably trying to avoid looking in his direction. He held up his hand to signal the barkeep.

  “I’ve had it with him,” the man quietly said to the woman next to him.

  “Keep your voice down!” she scolded.

  “I am keeping it down, but I can’t take it anymore.”

  The woman’s eyes darted left and right. “You never know how much he can hear. Just go see what he wants. Try to pretend he’s just another customer.”

  “Fine,” the man said, heading to the table. “Can I help you?” he asked upon arriving.

  “It sure took you long enough to get here,” the apparent merchant said.

  “Well, it’s been busy.”

  “Yes, I could certainly see that. Not that it really matters to me. My companions and I will have another bottle of Frastivian wine.”

  “Are you sure? Do you have any idea how expensive that is?”

  “That would only matter to me if I intended to pay,” he responded, as the two warriors snickered.

  “I know, that’s the problem,” the barkeep said under his breath.

  “What was that?”

  The bar was suddenly silent.

  �
��I said … well …,” the man stuttered. He wasn’t very good at thinking on his feet.

  The apparent merchant suddenly smiled. “Relax, I can take a joke. You were joking, right?”

  “Yes, of course I was,” the barkeep said, somewhat relieved while at the same time becoming even more apprehensive.

  “Just as I’m sure it was a joke when you said that you’ve had it with me, right?”

  “You heard me say that?”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just a lucky guess.”

  The barkeep started sweating. Everyone else in the tavern, already silent, somehow became even more so. The woman at the bar could only stare, wanting to intervene but unable to take a step.

  “Please, I—“

  “You were joking. I know. And since you have such a wonderful sense of humor, I’m sure this one will have you in stitches,” he said, and laid a hand on the barkeep, instantly turning him to stone. The woman at the bar, who obviously wanted to scream, still could do nothing but watch.

  “That was a trick, right? Those two set the whole act up, and he’s going to change the guy back, right?” asked someone in attendance who obviously had no idea who he was in the presence of.

  One of the warriors stood up, drew a mace from behind his back, and swung it, shattering the new statue into a thousand pieces. He sat back down.

  “Oh,” the newcomer said, suddenly feeling a desperate need to leave but an even greater fear of the consequences should he draw attention to himself.

  Seemingly for the first time, the apparent merchant who obviously was a wizard noticed the woman behind the bar, and waved her over. Despite her fear, she found that she couldn’t resist following his call.

  “He was your husband, wasn’t he?” the wizard asked, smirking.

  “Yes,” was all she could answer.

  “Next time find someone who knows how to treat his superiors with a bit more respect,” he said, as the two warriors again laughed.

  Many thoughts of butchering the men in front of her raced through the woman’s mind, but of course she did nothing other than go back behind the bar, get a bottle of Frastivian wine, and bring it to the table.