Chapter 3

The first night’s watch had been for naught; the monarch had not shown. North was nearly a wreck, snapping at his fellow staff and acting curt with patrons who gave him the least bit of attitude. At one point, he was ready to toss the lot of them out the front door. Only a call to retrieve another keg from the basement saved him from making a fool of himself. Down in the coolness of the earthen floor with its stone and brick walls, North finally retook control of himself. He had not been as close to letting the beast inside loose since he began his wandering down the Celestial Way. When his hands stopped trembling, he returned upstairs with another keg. Uther’s Autumn Ale was always a favorite no matter who sat at the benches.

More resigned to his fate but less agitated, North returned to work the next evening. Derron was the one in a funk this evening because his meat purveyor had failed to show. The tavern owner was convinced that those who ordered meat ordered more to drink as well and with no meat, well, the night promised to be a disappointment. With a moment’s inspiration, he ordered the cook to add a second handful of hot chilies to the lentil stew. “Push the lentils,” Derron told his staff.

North had just served the entirety of a long table with food, they being a double handful of female warriors whose black feathers on their heads shone where humans would expect to see hair. They were in a good mood that made North smile, until he looked up and saw two men dressed in the uniform of the Court of the Crimson King step inside. He even recognized one of them and the chain around his neck that held his hidden Power jewel.

“Bordo, even the fancy uniform can’t improve your face,” North calmly noted.

Bordo gave him a long look. “As I live and breathe, the greatest example of bad taste in wine, women and song stands before me. How did this happen?” He reached out his right arm and grasped North’s forearm and North grabbed his. “It’s good to see your ugly mug, mate. You disappeared on us.”

“More like, chased off, Bordo,” North replied. “It’s good to see your face as well. What brings you to the Cat’s Whisker?”

“Well, funny you should be here because...,” the soldier began before trailing off. “Something tells me that I’ve been left in the dark, and I don’t appreciate that one bit.”

“You don’t appreciate what?” A commanding voice said from the doorway behind the guards. Her voice was unmistakable.

North rolled his eyes. “You might want to close the door, Bordo, you’re letting the heat and the good feelings around the room out.”

“Eh, still a smart ass,” Bordo stated, as he gestured to his fellow guard to close the door. He took the queen’s overcoat and draped it over his arm.

“I have reserved a table for you over in the far corner, your Majesty,” North said with slight bow.

“Put my two nannies at the table in front of mine and join me, Sergeant,” she ordered.

“Of course, ma’am. Bordo and I served together in the Fifth Regiment,” North said.

“Yes, the crown is aware of the Lieutenant’s actions, both on and off the field of battle, Sergeant North,” she said as she marched towards the corner table. “Nonetheless, he continues to serve with distinction and perhaps with a little more discretion these days.”

“Good to know,” North mumbled as he swallowed his anxiety.

Fassie dropped two bowls and two tankards at the table and scampered off like her dress was on fire. North sat up straight with his hands in his lap, waiting for her instructions. She stared back at him, her face unmoving.

“Do you have your mage sword on your person,” she finally asked. When he acknowledged that he did, she demanded to see it. North unsheathed the sword and laid it on the table before her. She peered closely at the handle for some time. Sitting up, she took her fingers and ran them across the length of the blade without touching the metal. Finally, she sat back.

“Tell me the story of how you came to have this particular sword,” she said softly. “Spare no detail.”

“I arrived first thing that particular morning at the recruitment camp and stood in line with twelve other men. After the company clerk took my name, age, and hometown, he sent me over for inspection. I walked over to the officer and shook while he looked me up and down. The officer told me to make my way over to the commander and to mind my manners or they would whip me within an inch of my life.

“I stood before a table that was a board thrown over a couple of sawhorses. The commander pushed a rock at me and told me to cup it with my hand. He told me to squeeze it and tell him whether the rock was warm or cool. It felt warm, but it got hot really quick. I jerked my hand back and blew on my palm, expecting it to be reddened and maybe blistered; the rock was that hot.

“The commander smiled at me and introduced himself as Aegis. He asked my name and then asked whether I had ever been tested for the Power.”

“Aegis?” she interrupted him. “You were discovered and tested by Lord Aegis?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, and that is not the strangest part. He came around the table and guided me behind his seat to a trunk that was sitting behind him. He opened the trunk, and it was full of mage swords. They appeared to be tossed in there like they were a box of apples or something. He ordered me to choose one as my weapon, but then he stopped me. He explained that mage swords are unique and there was probably one sword in the trunk that called out to me more than any of the others.

“I ran my hand across the contents of the trunk, and I did feel a tugging. I told Aegis I felt a pull. He ordered me to retrieve it. I dug through that trunk, and down towards the bottom on the left-hand side, this sword slid into my hand. I mean to say, I didn’t grab it, it grabbed me.