Chapter 67: Surprises

Radu entered the room, making a face at the dust. He looked around at the plain stone walls, squinting against the lit braziers arrayed around the room, casting their bright but sickly yellow light. They were necessary because the room was windowless. Hard gray stone surrounded them on every side. The room smelled musty from the disuse but above that was an acrid, putrid odor that smelled of mold and mildew.

The room was long. It was at least sixty feet long and perhaps thirty feet wide. There were only two doors, the one Radu had entered and another one at the far end. Every surface in the room was stone, though there were a few rugs laid down in various places throughout. Radu was giving even odds that the carpets were hiding holes or stains – like you might get with mold.

“I’ve never liked this room,” he remarked drily. “It smells like death and decay.”

“So you’ve said,” Vondi repeated in a put-upon voice. “At least a hundred times. And that’s just today.”

Radu snorted and flashed her a smile. “Don’t make me laugh. It forces me to breathe more of ... whatever died in this room.”

Vondi rolled her eyes as she reached her chair. It was ornate and made from rich cherry wood. The back and seat had thin cushions built into them. With a sigh, she sat in it. “Nothing died in this room. Though whoever made these chairs definitely should. I swear, these are the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in.”

“Where in chaos is Joric?” Radu said as he sat in his own, matching chair. “It shouldn’t take that long to get to the southern gate and back.”

“A scroll,” Vondi said, looking heavenward with her lips pursed.

“What?” Radu asked.

Vondi turned to him. “A scroll. I’m going to get a scroll – or maybe just a small piece of vellum or papyrus or what not – and a piece of charcoal. I’m going to make a tick on the scroll every time you repeat yourself. Then, I’m going to charge you a copper knute for each tick. I’ll bankrupt the empire within a month.”

“I repeat myself for emphasis,” Radu responded drolly.

“You repeat yourself because you’re impatient,” Vondi shot back.

“Well, that too,” Radu admitted with a nervous grin. “At least I don’t go around breaking things like some people I could mention.”

“People shouldn’t irritate me so much,” Vondi replied with a sniff and a soft chuckle. She was chewing on a lock of her hair, a sign of her own nerves. “Where is that man?!?”

“See?” Radu laughed. The laugh was rich but somehow seemed hollow at the same time. There was a fine irregularity underlying the sound. “You do it, too!”

“I’m allowed,” Vondi laughed back. Her laugh wasn’t as bold as normal either. Both of the two looked haggard and worried. “I break things otherwise – and then you have to replace what I break. It’s cheaper this way.”

Werten shuffled through the door behind Radu and Radu turned at the intrusion. The old man’s face was almost devoid of color, a pale gray sitting deep in his lined, wrinkled face. He looked older and more decrepit than Radu had ever seen him and was actually doddering along. He was bent over almost in half as he slowly moved in, and he was leaning heavily on a long staff. The staff was a grayish metal, surmounted by a thick jewel in a silver mount. The jewel was red and seemed to glow with each strike against the stone floor.

“Sorry I’m late, Radu,” Werten wheezed, his voice a forced whisper. “I was ... resting.”

“Take your time, old friend,” Radu replied softly. A new worry line added to his face as he looked at his old friend. He just hoped Werten was ready for what was to come. “We’re waiting for Joric anyway.”

Suddenly, the far door burst open and Joric ran through. “Two thousand,” he said, gasping for breath as he came near the Emperor and his Right Hand. His words were slightly off, though. They were paced more for theatricality. “The ... the ... scout just ... just returned. There’s at least two thousand troops two hours ride south of the city. Maybe more.”

“Their flag?” Radu asked darkly.

Vondi rolled her eyes. Radu’s voice was strangely wooden.

“Zultir, your imperial majesty,” Joric replied. The man had his hands on his hips and was bent over, trying to catch his breath. “I think ... the scout said they look like knights.”

“Chaos!” Radu said. Again, Vondi noted that there was something just a bit off about his cursing. Of course, she’d known Radu for all of her life so maybe it was just something someone very close to him would notice.

He turned to Vondi. “How long before we can expect the Maragar army?”

“Even on horseback, Praetor Delin said it will take at least two ten-days to get here from Allir,” Vondi replied grimly. She wondered if her words sounded as rehearsed as Radu. “We sent for them, what? Twelve or thirteen days ago? It’s at least a week, then.”

“Assuming they’re not delayed,” Joric interrupted.

“Did you evacuate the outer city into the inner-city walls?” Radu asked Joric.

“I ordered it as soon as the scout reported,” Joric assured him.

“Well, that’s something at least,” Radu replied. “Even with them, we’ll have enough supplies to hold out at least a month, maybe more if we ration. That’s more than enough time for the Maragar companies to return. Hopefully, they’ll bring the Kortho army company and Red Guard company with them. With those two contingents, that’ll be over four thousand five hundred troops. More than enough to deal with two thousand Zultir knights.”

There was the grating sound of stone against stone and then a deep, oily voice interrupted them cheerfully. “It’s too bad you don’t have a week. As a matter of fact, you don’t have any time at all.”

Radu looked startled as he squinted at the sudden intrusion. A fairly large man entered, his armor gleaming in the bright sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows. The man’s helmet was hanging at his waist, displaying his dark, curly hair gently caressing his hard, square face. His brown eyes were alight with glee and his lips, barely hidden behind a rich, black beard, were stretching into a joyful, evil smile.

King Abrum of Zultir looked around the room as his entourage entered. He was going to like this throne room. The primary throne where Radu was seated looked ornate yet comfortable. The one where the idiot’s sister sat, would hold any one of his brides easily. He looked out at the orderly benches stretching off into the distance and the rich, thick, double doors at the far end of the hall. He nodded to himself happily. This would be such a great upgrade to his throne room in Zultir.

Queen Naruma followed closely on his heels, with Zynna, Tepi and both Ovas quickly pushing through. Ten knights in full armor joined them, their swords drawn. The knights clanked as they spread out to face the seated emperor and his Left Hand. There was a balustrade between them, but that wouldn’t long stop them.

Radu’s eyes went wide, and he half rose from his seat. He looked back towards the door.

“Don’t look for your guard, Radu,” Zynna chuckled. “They’re not coming. We’ve sent a few knights to detain them.”

“Zynna,” Radu growled. “How did you get in here?”

“Magic,” Zynna laughed. “I guess my mages are better than that old man you’ve got there.”

“Don’t so much as breathe funny, Werten,” Queen Namura purred menacingly. Her hands were up and curled into claws. “I wouldn’t want to have to hurt a man of your advanced years.”

Zynna laughed loudly. “Magic,” she scoffed. “You’re such a trusting idiot, Radu. As if magic is the only way to do anything. We simply walked in. I daresay some of your subjects may have seen us but it was like they were welcoming us. I found a secret entrance years ago that exits just beyond the inner-city walls. Getting in was incredibly easy. Just another of the multitude of reasons you don’t deserve to be emperor.”

Zynna’s smiling face darkened and her eyes flashed. “So, get off our son’s throne, Radu. Take off your chaos-infested crown and make way for a real emperor. Our son will be a hundred times the emperor you ever were.”

Radu shook his head. “You’ve turned our son into a monster, Zynna. It’s why, even though he was firstborn, I didn’t name him my successor. He’s cruel, petty, vain, self-absorbed and disrespectful. The citizens won’t accept him. He’ll try to subjugate the people and they’ll rise against him.”

“That is no longer your concern,” Zynna sneered. “What you call cruel, I call cunning. What you call petty, I call detail oriented. Calling him self-absorbed is ironic when it comes from your lips. He shall be the greatest emperor in our history, fueling a new expansion of the empire your weak leadership couldn’t even dream of.”

“Now,” Zynna pressed, her sneer growing into a snarl. “Get ... your ... chaos-ridden... ASS ... off ... my ... son’s ... throne.”

Radu shook his head, standing up. Glancing over to him in apparent surprise, Vondi quickly followed. The two of them started to move away but Zynna interrupted them.

“Don’t forget to leave the crowns,” she reminded her former husband.

Radu sighed, took off his crown and tossed it negligently onto his seat. It bounced once and then settled down. Vondi was a little more careful, placing the crown on the arm of her chair. The two of them walked to the side, Werten slowly doddering after them.

Tepi smiled broadly. FINALLY. Finally, he was going to get everything he had coming to him. He’d be a fair emperor, just as long as the little people gave him the respect he was due. He almost laughed as he thought of what his father said. Let the people rise up against him. He’d kill anyone who stood in his way.

He grabbed Ova’s hand. “Come on,” he laughed, sparing a sneering glance at his father. “Let’s try out our new thrones.”

“You don’t have to do this, son,” Radu tried, standing off to the side as Tepi opened the balustrade gate and led Ova through. “This isn’t the way.”

“Shut up, you pathetic excuse for a man,” Tepi said with a contemptuous look. “I can be a better emperor while I sleep. Certainly much better than that little cunt you picked over me. Don’t worry about the peasants rising up. Once I kill a few – along with their husbands, wives, children, parents and anyone they ever knew or cared for – I doubt they’ll give me much trouble.”

“That was always your problem, dad,” Tepi spat out as he picked up the crown and placed it on his head. “You never knew how to deal with real power. It’s too bad you’re not going to live long enough to see a real man wield the power of the empire.”

Shaking his head, Radu turned to his former wife. “I warn you Zynna, this is your last chance. I can’t be held responsible for whatever happens after this. It will be all on you.”

Zynna chortled gleefully. “Oh, that’s funny,” she gasped as she struggled to get her laughing under control. “What delusion are you under now, Radu? Hmm? Is Vondi putting her tongue up your butt and filling you with her lying breath? Like I didn’t know what your sister and you got up to in that chaos-filled den of yours.”

“I’ve won, you chaos son of a whore,” Zynna said, her face darkening. “I’ve beat you. I’ve beat the great, all wise Radu.”

“We’ve beat you,” Abrum interjected. He was okay with letting the little drama play out and having Tepi and Ova play on his throne for now. He had plenty of time to teach them who really pulled the strings later. He needed to make sure Zynna knew the score, though.

“Of course, husband,” Zynna said with a slow, savoring drawl, emphasizing the last word heavily. “Now that I have a real man in my bed and between my legs, it will always be ‘we’.”

Radu bit his lower lip and bowed his head. He shook his head back and forth. “So be it. Just remember I tried.”

He raised his head and took a deep breath. His eyes grew steely and his face like stone as his eyes met his former wife’s. “Now.”

There was a steely hiss in response to Radu’s single word. From the rafters, a brilliant, shining blade swung down on a long pendulum. The blade stuck out perpendicular from the long pole to which it was attached and swung down and into Vondi and then Radu – but it passed harmlessly right through them. Ova and Tepi were not so lucky, however. For a bare moment, the heads of the two teetered as blood spurted from under them. Then, the heads fell forward, down into their laps. The crowns came off as the heads bounced on the trembling legs of the pair, then both the crown and head fell to the floor. The heads rolled no more than two feet before stopping while Tepi’s crown flipped a few times and came down perhaps four feet away. Ova’s crown ended up rolling into the balustrade before finally falling onto its side.

Zynna’s eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open. No sound left her lips as she stared at Tepi’s head. Sadly, the head came down on its side facing Zynna and she watched as the eyes blinked and the mouth moved back and forth, making words no one could hear.

“Oh, Gods, NOooooo!” Ova screamed, falling down to her knees. There was horror in her eyes before they filled with tears and her hands began scratching along her jaw.

Radu’s eyes were watering, a tear trickling down his face. He hadn’t wanted this. He hadn’t wanted to lose his firstborn son. He’d tried every way he could to think of a solution that didn’t end in Tepi’s death. He had argued they could just banish him – but Vondi, Werten and Joric had told him he would just be postponing the problem. Or, worse, pushing it off onto someone else. Tepi had committed demonstrable treason – and the law only held a single punishment for treason.

“What is this?” Abrum asked, looking startled. His eyes were wide, looking from Radu and Vondi’s unhurt forms to the heads of the little twit and bitch he’d bedded again last night. “How? How is this possible?”

“My lord, we need to leave,” Naruma intoned, eyes wide. She licked her dry lips as she looked all around the room. “Something ... something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong!”