Chapter 6

“Begin”

David drew his sword, holding it loosely in his left hand, while captain Mikel put on his helmet. He expected Harsk’s man to charge in immediately, but he appeared to be more interested in putting on a good show. The man picked up his sword in both hands and spun it around in a figure eight pattern, the handle changing hands smoothly over and over. The crowd ooh’d and ahh’d while he sent the long blade around behind his back, then threw it up in the air only to catch the spinning weapon and continue the figure eight pattern. David wasn’t sure if he was also supposed to be putting on some sort of display for the gathered nobles. He found himself being drawn into the hypnotic movements of the guard captain’s sword, forgetting that they were here to fight to the death.

The lunge came without warning, Mikel brought his weapon up level with his chest and sprang forward with only the slightest crouch to hint at his intent. They had been standing nearly ten feet apart, but in the blink of an eye the two men were almost nose to nose. The guard captain raised his sword as he leaped, bringing it down in an overhead strike as he landed. The four-foot blade extended in his long arms made up the distance that hadn’t been covered in his sudden jump forward.

Nobles in the crowd cheered, happy that the action had finally started. While Mikel’s skills were impressive enough, they had come for a more deadly show. They leaned forward, not wanting to miss a second of the duel. Drinks and finger sandwiches sat forgotten in the hands of the viewers. It had been quite some time since anyone had claimed the Right of Honor. This duel looked like it would end quickly, but most of them didn’t mind. A swift, dramatic finish was just as good as a long, even match. Mialana’s cry of dismay could be heard above the other noise in the gardens, she couldn’t bear to watch all her dreams for the future end in a flash of steel and blood. David could see Harsk smiling wide from his seat near the Queen.

The sword came down quickly at his head and David snapped his hands up just in time. Steel clashed against steel as his sword blocked Mikel’s. He gave ground and blocked again as his opponent swung at his right side, followed by another blow to his head. Each time he managed to get his smaller sword up in time to block Mikel’s great two-handed blade. The crowd roared in approval at his defense, he could hear Pold and Rael Lokke cheering louder than anyone, even Minister Sedden shouted her encouragement.

David and the guard captain were almost evenly matched in size and strength, only David’s speed due to not wearing any armor saved him from Mikel’s greater skill with a sword. Even still, David thought the man moved amazingly fast for someone covered in fifty pounds of steel. He dodged from side to side, making it harder for Mikel to see him in the limited vision of his helmet. The big sword swung in wide arcs to keep him at a distance, never allowing him to get in a strike of his own.

The open ground of the courtyard allowed him room to avoid most of Mikel’s powerful swings. He kept the big man turning back and forth, trying to confuse him and create an opening to strike. David ducked behind a fountain to catch his breath for a moment. He peeked around the side of it to see Mikel take a two-handed swing. The blade crashed into the side of the fountain, sending chips of marble flying past him. David yanked his head back behind the fountain, keeping it between him and his opponent. He crouched down, sword in hand, waiting for Mikel to take another swing. If he timed it right, he should be able to get in a hit on his elbow when he struck the fountain again.

Seconds dragged on, David watched to make sure he kept the fountain between him and Harsk’s man. What was he waiting for? Mikel charged forward and David got ready to spring to the side and take his shot. He waited for a swing that never came. The guard lowered his armored shoulder and slammed into the fountain at full speed. Water sprayed into the air as the marble dish tipped his way and fell apart.

Mikel recovered his balance after hitting the stone and raised his sword to finish things for good. David yelped and dived away from his hiding spot, shoulder rolling his way out of the garden bed that held the fountain. He spun on his heel when he landed, looking around wildly for his attacker. Mikel stalked away from the fountain, water splashing all over him as he stepped out of the garden.

Both fighters continued to circle, David blocking the heavy swings of his attacker and moving as randomly as he could to try to stay ahead of him. The spectators were enjoying every minute of the fight, there were calls to servants for more wine, wagering was starting to even out now that David had lasted so long. Mialana’s hopes were starting to rise again. It was no sure thing certainly, but she couldn’t help but feel relieved that he hadn’t been killed in the first wild swing of the fight.

The fight went on and on, with neither side gaining the upper hand. David was starting to tire; he simply didn’t have the endurance of a trained soldier. The lack of armor had kept him going a little longer, but it was getting harder and harder to get his hands up in time to block the incoming sword strikes. He could hear Mikel’s heavy breathing inside his helmet. The big soldier was wearing down too, but his blows were just as strong as they were at the beginning of the fight.

As David sidestepped to Mikel’s right, he was a second too slow bringing his sword up to stop the wide swing of the captain. The impact twisted the weapon in his hand and before he could regain his grip, the sword went spinning away from him to land in a clump of rose bushes. He leaped after it, as he turned his ankles crossed over each other and he ended up face down in the dirt. He rolled over to see captain Mikel advancing on him slowly.

Pold groaned loudly as the shining steel disappeared into the shrubs. Rael was regretting having placed his bet on the odd foreigner. Tears formed in Mialana’s eyes. This was it; David would be dead, and they would have to stumble along blindly, trying to read all those books without knowing the language they were written in. She looked at Caelly for comfort, the young woman’s smile was ear to ear, her eyes glistened with excitement. She glanced over at the Queen and her grin faded suddenly, she rearranged her face to look solemn. Caelly took the Queen’s hand in both of hers and tried to reassure her. Mialana steeled herself for the inevitable, sitting stone-faced on her bench.

Kenterus Harsk leaped to his feet, crowing with exultation at his expected victory. “This is it, justice at last! Finish him captain!”

Mikel stepped forward, he loomed over David like a statue. The big man reversed his grip on his sword, holding the point down towards the ground. He raised the blade high, ready to drive it down into David’s heart.

“Nowhere to go now, you miserable peasant. Kill him, Mikel!” Harsk yelled.

David reached down to his left hip, feeling the butt of the flintlock in his hand. Mikel lifted the sword higher, looking down at him, no emotion showing in his eyes. David drew the pistol with his left hand and pulled the hammer back with his right all in the same motion. He lifted it and aimed it at his executioner, he had no time to look for a weak point in the armor. The sword was on its way down when he pulled the trigger.

Krack! The pistol went off with a cloud of smoke and a gout of flame. The shot penetrated the captain’s breastplate, going straight through his heart and out the other side. His face changed from expressionless to a look of total shock and surprise. The big man toppled backwards, his sword clattering to the ground next to him. A pool of deep red blood flowed out from under him, surrounding his body in a halo of crimson.

The crowd erupted in cries of confusion and dismay. What had just happened? What was that noise, and how had it killed captain Mikel?

David laid on the ground, his pistol still held up in a shaking hand. It had worked, he was alive! He dropped the pistol onto his own stomach but didn’t attempt to get up yet. The assembled nobles were arguing loudly over what had happened. Jaym ran out to him and knelt down near his head. The young boy had retrieved his sword on the way over and laid it in the dirt next to him.

“Are you ok Master David? What did you do? I thought for a moment that you were going to be killed!” The boy had marks on his cheeks where he had dug his fingernails in too deep while watching the fight.

He sat up slowly, doing his best to assure Jaym that he was ok, though he didn’t feel it. He was covered in sweat, and not all of it was from the exertion of avoiding being killed. Pold and Rael came forward to help him up off the ground. The High Priest almost sent him back down to the dirt with his congratulatory pat on the back. Both men were curious about what he had done, but happy to see him alive. Pold was happy because he genuinely liked the young man, Lokke because he had just won a great deal of money from his victory.

The Queen couldn’t have been happier. David had survived, their guide to prosperity was still available to them. Her smile gleamed in the afternoon sun as she turned to Caelly to share her joy. The blonde lady’s maid’s eyes were wide, her breathing coming in quick shallow gasps. Mialana touched her on the shoulder, but she continued to stare straight ahead.

“Caelly? ... Caelly!” The Queen shook her companion to get her attention.

The pale woman blinked her eyes and finally noticed Mialana next to her. She consciously slowed her breathing before responding, “I ... I’m alright, your Majesty.”

“Are you sure? You are even paler than usual.” The Queen reached up to feel her forehead, Caelly brushed her hand aside.

“I’m ok, my love.” Caelly whispered to her, greatly daring to be so informal in public. “Congratulations on the victory. I’ll go get your gown ready for the feast later.”

Before the Queen could say anything, the younger woman had already left the courtyard. As she looked around, she saw a few others that were in almost as bad a situation as her friend. Kera Sedden was frowning, though she supposed that was due to concern over the fallout of Harsk losing. Others were staring openmouthed at David where he stood chatting with Pold and Rael. Even she had no idea how he had managed to kill the guard captain. A long explanation would be needed the next time they had a meeting alone. She noticed that Lord Harsk was among the people staring in shock at the dead man on the ground, his mouth flapping open over and over like a landed fish. Only her uncle didn’t seem the least bit alarmed by what had happened. The giant soldier simply looked curious.

The Queen cleared her throat loudly, reminding the High Priest that he was here in an official capacity, not just as a supportive friend.

Pold jumped slightly when he heard his monarch. He stepped away from David with a smile and cleared his own throat, “The Right of Honor has been satisfied. The Mother has chosen David of Am-err-icka as the winner. Both parties agree that no vengeance will be sought, and the matter is settled.”

Harsk recovered quickly and was soon apoplectic that he had lost. He charged forward through the crowd of nobles until he was between David and the Queen.

“This will not stand! This is not justice! He cheated your Majesty, I don’t know how, but he cheated.” He yelled, shaking his hands in the air.

“Shut it, Harsk.” Greeg rumbled deeply. “The Right of Honor says you can challenge someone if you think you’ve been slighted. It also gives you the right to have someone stand in for you. Once the duel starts, that’s the end of it, one man lives, one man dies. He could have picked up a tree and killed your champion, or drowned him in a fountain, it doesn’t matter. The Mother decided that you were wrong, and your man died for it, accept it.”

David holstered his pistol and walked towards Harsk with his hand out to shake. The indignant Lord backed away, looking as though he thought that he too would drop dead if David touched him. Harsk backed into a low retaining wall and fell into a bed of foxglove. David lowered his hand and kept going until he was standing over the fallen noble. The look Harsk gave him was almost pitiable, almost.

“Who are you, really?” Harsk was unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

David thought about letting him off easy for a moment, but he couldn’t. There had been too much unnecessary hostility from this man already. He hadn’t heard a single redeeming thing from anyone else about him either. He thought of how he had reacted to Jaym on their first trip to the palace, and of what Rosha had told him about her time at the Leaping Horse. He didn’t have to like it, but if this man was too scared to be anywhere near him in the future, his life would be so much better off.

He leaned down close so only Harsk would hear him and locked eyes with the man. He widened his eyes and stared intensely at him as he whispered, “I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright.”

Tears were leaking down Harsk’s cheeks and he scrambled back with his hands to get further away from David. Considering the religion of this place, he couldn’t have picked a more disturbing bit of pop culture to drop on his fallen enemy. He only hoped it would keep him away and keep any more of these stupid duels from happening.

David stood up and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear this time, “Make sure your man is buried well, he didn’t deserve what happened to him here.”

There were several nods of approval from the crowd at that statement. The Queen’s chamberlain announced that all were welcome to a feast to celebrate the future of Wellon that evening. David stepped away from the flowerbed, Jaym and Corval were by his side.

“If you’ll follow me Sir, the Lord General has a room set aside for you to clean up before the feast.” The palace guard smiled and pointed the correct way out of the courtyard.

The crowd broke apart and went their separate ways in twos and threes. David didn’t see the Queen on his way out, or the other ministers that had been with him in the immediate aftermath of the duel. He followed Corval through the palace, Jaym trailed along behind him.

After a twisting walk through hallway after hallway and up several flights of stairs, Corval opened a door on the left and stepped aside. David and his servant entered the room and the guard told him to relax for a while, he’d be back to help him dress for the feast and take him back down.

“You did great Sir. I’ve never seen anyone hold out for so long their first time in a real fight. If not for that fall you could have kept going until he tired out more.” He said.

“I was lucky. If not for my gun, I’d be dead right now.” David replied.

Corval shrugged. “Everyone that lives is lucky. Duel, barroom brawl, or full out war, anyone that makes it out has to have a bit of luck. That’s the way us soldiers see it, anyway. And I might be asking to borrow that ‘gun’ the next time they send us across the water. I could use that kind of luck.”

David laughed and thanked him for all of his help getting ready for the duel. Corval left and then he was alone in the room with Jaym. By the look of things, they were in the tower that was closest to the sea. It was small sitting room, just a few chairs and side tables, with a curved bench against the row of windows. David unbuckled his sword belt and tossed it into a corner. He sat down in one of the chairs and put his head in his hands.

“Oh, Sir, you were brilliant! The way you moved around, you didn’t get hit once! And what did you do at the end? I was sure you were a goner and then all of a sudden there was a bang and Harsk’s man was on the ground. Where did all that smoke come from? What was that funny smell? Did you kill him with magic?” Jaym was rambling with his excitement.

David lifted his head and looked at the boy standing in front of him. The sword he had given him was still strapped to his back, the grip showing prominently behind his right ear. He knew that this was a harder world than the one he had come from. This boy had lived in the streets after he’d seen his whole family die. He assumed that Jaym had seen others die too, before he’d come along and hired him. David hadn’t, however. Other than the news or in movies, the closest he’d been to death had been seeing doctors rush to a room where someone was coding while he was in the hospital having his tonsils out. He’d been to funerals of course, but never anything where someone was actively dying. And to have it done at his own hands...

He rushed to the bench and threw open one of the windows. A moment later and his breakfast would have been all over the floor instead of plummeting to the cobblestones below. He continued to hang his head out the window until the spasms in his stomach had let up. Jaym came over with a glass of water he had poured when his boss turned around and sat on the bench. David accepted the drink gratefully. The boy always seemed to know what was needed and was in the right spot more often than not. He didn’t think Jaym would understand, but he had to try to explain how he felt about it.

“Are you ok Sir? Did you get stabbed in the fight? I don’t see any blood.” The boy was looking him up and down, concerned.

David waved him over to stand in front of him. He leaned forward and took another sip of water. “No, I’m ok, physically at least. What do you feel about what happened Jaym? What do you feel about the man that died?”

Jaym thought it over for a moment before answering. “He was a bad man of course! He tried to kill you.”

“It’s true he tried to kill me. But I was there to kill him too, and he wasn’t there by choice. I don’t know what kind of man he was. He worked for a bad man, but maybe he was ok? Maybe he had a wife and kids at home waiting for him to come back. Maybe he had an elderly grandma that he supported by working for Harsk. Knowing all that, how do you feel about what happened?” He asked.

“I ... I guess I don’t know Master David. I feel a little bad for captain Mikel, I think.” The boy replied.

“Good. I know you want to possibly become a soldier one day, Jaym. But take it from me, killing someone is nothing to be proud of. This world is a hard place, and you’ll have to defend yourself when necessary. That sword you carry around should be the last thing you use to solve a problem, not the first. If there had been a way to talk my way out of fighting captain Mikel, I would have. Now I have to live with the fact that he’ll never go home again. All because a rich guy didn’t like that I gave Rosha a job.” He watched as Jaym thought that over.

“It’s all Lord Harsk’s fault. He should have fought you himself if it meant that much to him.”

“I agree. But in the end, I don’t think I’d feel any better if I had killed him either.” David said.

Jaym sat down on the floor in front of him. He pushed the glass back into his boss’s hand and David took another sip.

“Do we have to go to the feast Master David? I don’t feel up to it all of a sudden.”

David smiled at him grimly, “I don’t either, but I don’t think we can get out of it.”

Caelly was alone in the Queen’s bedroom trying to get her things ready for the feast. She darted around the room like a hummingbird, unable to focus on one task for more than a few seconds. The Queen’s dress lay on the bed, shoes were piled on the bench at the end of it. Jewelry boxes and bureaus were opened all over the room. Caelly was supposed to be picking out items for her monarch to show off to the gathered nobles, but she just couldn’t concentrate. She paused with a silver tiara in her hands, three diamonds hung on slender chains near the peak of it to mimic the three stars on Wellon’s banner.

The end of the duel kept replaying in her mind over and over. She would begin a task and the smoke from David’s weapon would flash in front of her. She could almost smell the burnt, not quite rotten egg, smell of it again. Each time this happened Caelly dropped what she was doing to cover her eyes and shake her head. Her mind just couldn’t get past what she had seen. It was too strange, too... alien, for her to deal with.

She had never been a fan of the handsome foreigner, not even on his first visit to the palace. His gift to the Queen was displayed prominently on a chest of drawers by her bed. Light reflected off the horn on the horse’s forehead into her eyes, making her shudder.

The young lady’s maid sat down on the bed, careful even in her distress not to wrinkle the Queen’s dress. She had been hoping Harsk’s man would kill him quickly, setting things back on a more normal course. There was no worry that the Queen would bow to pressure and marry the arrogant Count, of that, she was sure. With David out of the way, they could have settled back into their lives, richer than ever. Before the duel, she had begun to hate David as competition for her lady’s attention. After, her hate was now almost overwhelmed by fear.

In her time at the palace, she had witnessed executions, accidents among the workers, even a murder as they were passing an alley in the royal carriage. She had never seen anyone killed like captain Mikel. Just a loud noise and some smoke, and then there was a hole in his armor big enough for a quarterstaff to fit in, and he was dead. Mialana may have been convinced that this foreign monster was touched by the Mother, Caelly thought the Father was a better explanation for this devilry.

People in the palace weren’t particularly observant, that she had seen in her time there. Even her beloved Queen didn’t pay heed to the signs of the Father’s influence in the world. In the northern mountains where Caelly was from, everyone took the malicious intentions of the Father seriously. Anyone even suspected of courting his favor was immediately ostracized. After five years in the palace, Caelly still wouldn’t leave her room on nights when only the red moon moved through the sky. Who other than the master of the crimson moon could give someone the power to kill men with just smoke and noise? If David was in league with the Father, she couldn’t let the Queen near him again.

The door of the room opened, causing Caelly to jump and smother a squawk of surprise before it escaped her throat. A lady’s maid didn’t lose her composure just because a door opened. She set down the tiara near the neckline of the dress on the bed. She stood up and smoothed down her own dress as Mialana rushed into the room.

Her Queen was full of high spirits, bounding over to her and wrapping her up in a hug. Caelly hugged her back dutifully, trying not to get lost in her love’s good mood. When they separated, she could see that Mialana’s smile was as wide as it could be. She was thrilled with the results of the duel. It would be difficult to show her the real danger of what had happened, but Caelly had to try.

“Your Majesty...” She started.

“Oh Caelly! Is this not wonderful? David made it through the duel. Harsk sent the best man he had, and he still made it through alive. The language experts from the guild are progressing with learning their Eng-lish, and soon he can show them the other things in his books! Harsk was so terrified after what happened to captain Mikel, I may never hear from him again. I could not have planned a better result for this foolishness.” The Queen tossed herself onto the bed in Caelly’s vacated spot, flopping back onto the mattress.

The blonde woman knelt down by the bed in front of Mialana. She took both of the Queen’s hands in her own, the older brunette sat up and looked down at her curiously. Caelly took a moment to get her thoughts in order.

“My love, what happened to captain Mikel is exactly why you shouldn’t have anything more to do with David. Take his money if you must, but expel him from the kingdom before he corrupts everything!” She pleaded.

“What? How could he corrupt the kingdom, what are you talking about Caelly?” The Queen asked.

Caelly stood up and started pacing the room. She laid out everything for her ruler: David’s sudden appearance in Wellon, his strange knowledge, the way he killed Mikel, and how the Father’s influence lay over all of it. She was in tears by the end, desperate for Mialana to see the truth. The Queen sat in silence, taking it all in. When she was done, Caelly stood in front of her, biting her lip.

“So ... You think David is an agent of the Father, sent here to ... bring down the kingdom?” Mialana rubbed her face with her hands. It had been a long day already, and now this from her closest and most trusted friend, was just too much.

“He is evil, my love, sent here to temp you with everything you’ve ever wanted. You should kill him now before it’s too late.” Caelly’s eyes were wide with fervor.

Kill David? Had she gone mad? Mialana knew her friend was more observant of Wellon’s religion than anyone else in the palace. She had been trying for years to get her to leave her room on red nights without success. This was too far though. She thought about telling Caelly the truth about David, but it wouldn’t have helped. It wasn’t her secret to reveal. Even if she did explain everything, how would it change Caelly’s mind about the Father being behind it?

“There is no way that I could kill David. What would I even say? That I need to have him put to death because my servant is afraid the red moon is controlling him? Get a hold of yourself Caelly. He is no more evil than any other man, and a good deal less compared to some I can think of.” She would peg Lord Harsk for being influenced by the Father before David.

She tried a different tactic to counter the blonde’s argument. “What if it is true, hmm? If the Father was behind him, why would it take so much work to change things here? All of the information David brought with him is locked behind a language that only he can understand right now. Surely the Father is able to print books we can read to make the temptation that much more appealing. Or, instead of us going to all the trouble to change things here, the Father would send someone that would destroy other countries with their knowledge allowing us to take them over. Can you not see that you are worried over nothing my love?”

Mialana reached out to touch Caelly but the thin woman backed away quickly. The Queen looked up into her eyes and saw that she was furious.

“I don’t claim to know how demons think, or what their plans are. But if you aren’t willing to see what’s right in front of you, then I can’t help you.” With that she turned abruptly on her heel and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

This wasn’t the first time they had fought in their years together. Caelly was always the more passionate, some would say hotheaded, one out of the two of them. Mialana hoped she would calm down quickly this time. There was too much to do for her to just sit around and sulk like she usually did. The Queen rang a bell and another serving girl entered the room. She explained that Caelly wasn’t herself and had the girl dress her and do her hair.

Why did she have to pick now to go into one of her moods?

She knew Caelly was jealous of what David was able to give her, and the realm. Hadn’t they already settled that between them? She had no interest in him personally, as she had explained many times. The Queen watched in the mirror as the serving girl combed out her soft brown hair so that it flowed down her back in waves. There was nothing wrong with the girl’s technique, but the silence of the moment grated on her. There was no familiar banter or discussion of the day’s events, as there would be if Caelly was the one behind her.

In a few moments her hair was done, and she was ready to go down to the feast. As she exited her bedroom, she looked across the hall at the closed door to Caelly’s room. Though she hardly ever slept there, it was kept for appearances sake, and for times like these. She paused for just a moment, thinking she might knock and ask her friend to come down, to be amongst other people and see there was nothing to be afraid of. Her hand was inches from the door when she lowered it without knocking. It was no use, Caelly would come around when she was good and ready, and not before.

Whatever David had been expecting from the feast, this certainly wasn’t it. There was no long table covered in food, no mugs of beer sloshing around, no shouting and laughing coming from the benches. He walked around the throne room thinking he was at a high-end cocktail party instead of a medieval feast. There were chairs around the outside of the room, though no one sat in them. Servants moved around the open space carrying trays of finger foods, others poured wine whenever anyone held up an empty glass.

Corval had come back an hour after leaving him in the tower room. He’d brought a set of clothes for David for the evening. Jaym sat on the bench by the windows and giggled while his master was dressed in tight brown pants, calf high boots, and a white linen shirt. The sleeves were puffier than anything he would have chosen to wear, but at least there weren’t any ruffles or lacy frills at the cuffs. The guard had assured them that their weapons would be safe in the tower room, Jaym had been reluctant to leave his sword out of sight. They’d followed him back down through the maze of the palace to the throne room. Yet another servant announced him as he entered, everyone had turned to cheer and clap politely, but conversation quickly went back to normal.