Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

Now wasn’t the time for inner debates and soul-searching so I drew myself up and opened the door in front of me. A long step took me into the personal bedroom of King Edward Carenval. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed by the furnishings. It was every bit as well appointed as one would expect of the room of a king. Silken tapestries adorned the walls and beautifully upholstered furniture graced the room. His bed was a work of art, each of the four posts being lovingly carved to represent one of the shining gods.

I took a moment to stare at the opulence… even the floor was a masterful artwork of wooden parquetry. Finally I settled my eyes upon the man waiting quietly in a comfortably designed chair. He was sitting beside a small table and had a glass of wine in hand already. His outward appearance was remarkably calm, considering how I had arrived but when he sipped at his wine I could see the liquid trembling. “Come, have a seat,” he invited me.

Remembering our last meeting I couldn’t help but smile at being invited to sit. “Some of your servants were a bit rude out there… I hope you train them better in future,” I replied and took a seat on the other side of the table.

“It is difficult to get good help these days,” he agreed. “Care for some wine?”

The last thing I needed was to be poisoned after all my effort to get there. “No thanks, I’m not thirsty at the moment.”

“We can understand that,” said King Edward. “Fortunately that is one worry we don’t have at the moment.” He raised his glass to me and took a long drink, finishing over half of it at one go. I couldn’t blame him; if I were in his shoes I’d have been incredibly nervous as well.

“I trust Cyhan reached you with my message?” I asked.

He looked sharply at me, blue eyes locking onto mine for a moment, “Yes he did. We are surprised you released him.”

I smiled in a rather unfriendly way, “You yourself just mentioned how hard it is to find good help. I thought it would be a gesture of good will to return him to you unharmed.”

A saw a flicker of hope cross his features but it was quickly hidden. He was perhaps realizing that I hadn’t come to assassinate him. “Can we take that to mean you are still concerned with things such as good will?”

I laughed, “Your majesty, you do me a disservice, surely you do not doubt my loyalty?”

“We would be lying if we said we weren’t wondering. Your action in defeating the incursion from Gododdin has left us in an awkward position. Our relations were already strained and now we must either acknowledge you as a hero of the realm or see you vilified and replaced quickly. We could not help but notice you made no move to bow or recognize us as your liege when you entered the room,” he responded.

I was shocked at how quickly he had gone on the offensive once he realized I didn’t mean to kill him. I suppose being a sovereign all these years had made him a tough negotiator. I decided to put him in his place quickly, “We are alone here, with none watching. I saw no need for formal gestures.” It was both a statement and a challenge. After a long pause I added, “…sire.”

Edward’s eyebrows went up, “You play a dangerous game Mordecai. Are you sure this is what you want to do? It might be easier for you if you ‘simplified’ your situation now.”

Did he just suggest I’d be better off if I killed him? I wondered. That certainly took guts. After a moment I answered him, “Every choice leads to its own consequences. I would rather look to the safety of the realm. Civil war would only lead to our downfall at this juncture; it is in everyone’s best interests if we cooperate.”

I could almost see the gears in his head turning. “Do you and James still keep close counsel?” he asked. For King Edward it was a very direct question, and its meaning was clear. He wanted to know if I had an older, ‘wiser’, head advising me.

I nodded, “Of course, James and I have never been closer. The man has been like a father to me, especially since my own loss.” It was a statement loaded with double meanings.

The king’s eyes flickered for a moment as he remembered, then they assumed an expression of deep sympathy. “Ah yes, we had heard about your father’s death. You have our condolences. It was an unfortunate accident, or so we are told.”

My father had been wounded by arrows from a royal guardsman while we were ‘liberating’ supplies for the defense of Lothion from the king’s warehouses. Edward had to be wondering if I held a grudge, even though I bore as much responsibility for that event as he did. Swallowing I kept my tone even, “Yes your majesty, it was a terrible accident. I’m certain that everyone involved regrets what happened.”

Edward drank another long swallow of wine. His hand no longer shook, so I could only assume he had at last relaxed. “You have presented us with an interesting conundrum young Illeniel. The clergymen of all four churches have been after me to have you executed. They claim you committed some sort of heresy during the battle. Meanwhile I have received report after report detailing your astonishing victory against the army of Gododdin. Cyhan tells me that you have broken your bond and have likely gone mad.”

I nodded in agreement. “I have broken the bond and it is no secret that the gods have turned against me. Apparently they do not like their chattel to show signs of independence.”

“You do not seem like a madman, despite your dramatic entrance today,” he observed.

“I like to think that I am not,” I said, then glancing at the door I added, “Your men are about to charge the door… there are quite a few of them out there.” In fact there were twenty men preparing to rush the room and more were taking up positions throughout the royal suite. “It might be best if you let them know you are alright before some of them hurt themselves.”

“One moment,” said the king. Striding to the door he threw it open and began bellowing. I was impressed. I hadn’t realized such a volume of sound could come from such an unimposing frame. “Anything that was going to happen has already happened no thanks to you lot! Get back to your posts… and someone clean up this mess out here!” I could only assume he was gesturing at the bodies of the four channelers. He returned to his chair and refilled his own cup. “Did you have to make such a mess? Between the blood and the fire the room is ruined out there.”

I could only wonder at a man who could be so droll in commenting on the deaths of four of his retainers, well… allies at least in the case of the channelers, but I wasn’t there to reform the man. “They forced my hand. I would rather not have killed anyone,” I told him.

Edward looked at me oddly for a moment, “We do believe you, but sometimes one must break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

“They were your eggs, or doesn’t that bother you?” I asked.

“No, they were borrowed at best and since you’re being so sociable we are beginning to think perhaps we are better off without them. They were beginning to get a bit unreasonable,” he replied.

“The church would attempt to force concessions from the king?”

“They have been over-bold since your father’s death. Without a wizard we have been forced to rely upon them whenever magical assistance was required. Especially when we thought we might need protection,” he gave me a pointed stare as he said that last part.

Something about his statement rang false however. I could not put my finger upon what exactly, but I could tell he was not telling the truth… or at least not the complete truth. “If you had a source of magical support you would not be quite so beholden to them… at the very least you could seek balance by focusing their energies upon a different opponent.” I wanted to make it clear that I was aware of my value in other regards… assuming we did agree to get along.