Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

“…and while the Baron of Arundel abandoned his people to the unkind mercies of the enemy, this man, stayed to defend them!” King Edward’s voice rose to a crescendo while his arms waved to highlight me standing beside him. “This man stayed, to protect his people, to protect his neighbor’s people… and to protect us! All the while his fellow lord, the craven Baron, was here… spreading lies and dissent. Even so, this man, the Count di’Cameron, stayed to do his duty, both to kingdom and crown, and so doing he saved us all.”

I was finding it difficult to keep from fidgeting as I stood there. Being the object of an unrestrained river of praise and compliments was more uncomfortable than I had imagined. Not that I had ever imagined such a barrage of half-truths and exaggerations. Well I had to admit the last part was true, but much of what had come before had been outright fabrication.

Apparently the late Baron was a scoundrel and coward of immense proportions, who had not only run from danger and abandoned his people, but also a tremendous liar who had worked tirelessly to have our hero, yours truly, deposed so that he could receive my lands. This ignored the fact that my lands would have reverted to the Duke of Lancaster if I had had my title stripped from me. According to the tale, the baron was soon confronted by our wise and good king, once he had learned of the plot. Naturally the villainous baron had attempted to kill the good king once he realized that he would not be fooled by the baron’s wicked lies.

All of this led of course, to today, when I, the loyal servant would be rewarded for my faithful service in protecting the kingdom from both treacherous cowards and powerful armies. The tale was so sickeningly sweet I could almost hear my mother warning me that I would get a tummy ache if I listened to any more.

While I wasn’t particularly heart-broken about Sheldon’s sudden execution I didn’t think he fully deserved to be hanged for his cowardice. Worse I knew he had been executed simply to smooth the way for my ‘reward’ today. My thoughts flew apart at that moment, for Harold had just nudged my elbow and I realized I had lost track of what the king had been saying. I looked at the king with a question in my eyes.

“Kneel before the king,” Sir Harold whispered to me and I realized I had nearly made a grave mistake. I hastily genuflected, hoping the pause had not been noticed by the crowd.

Edward drew forth a simple gold circlet, set with a large blue sapphire. He had had it made specifically for today, to symbolize the accolades I was receiving. Gently he placed the circlet on my brow and then rested his hands on top of my head. “Take this as a small token of our gratitude for your service, and with it we name you the Protector of the Northern Reach, in honor of your victory. In addition to this title we also bestow upon you the lands formerly held by your neighbor, the late Baron of Arundel, to keep or use for your own vassals.”

When he had finished speaking he put his hands on my shoulders and lifted upward as a signal to rise. As I stood I felt a wave of disgust crash over me, disgust for the entire ceremony, and for myself for participating. It was nothing more than an overblown lie, meant to sooth the people and create more support for the king, a man I could barely stand, much less respect.

Raising my head I saw Cyhan standing beside and slightly behind our monarch and as our eyes met he saw the look in my eyes. An imperceptible shake of his head cautioned me to hold my tongue. Taking a deep breath I knew he was right, the wrong words now could start a civil war, and that was precisely what I was here to prevent.

I wondered at his calm. His last words to me had cautioned me that our next meeting would be an unpleasant one, yet now he stood calmly by the king, acting as his bodyguard. I could only surmise that his oath to our monarch superseded his oath to execute unbound wizards. I bet it keeps him up at night, I thought. I gave Cyhan a polite smile when the king took his eyes from me, letting him know I appreciated his tolerance… and his advice.

“Perhaps our hero would like to say a few words to the crowd?” asked the king graciously.

“Certainly, your Majesty,” I answered quickly. He stepped back and I turned to face the people. The sun was no longer in my face so I could see them more clearly now. “Our king has honored me today, but I want you to know that the honor is not just my own. The defense of Lothion is not something any one man could accomplish alone; it was done with the aid of hundreds, nay thousands of men and women. People just like those here today. I did no more, and no less, than I would have expected any loyal citizen of our nation would do.” I stopped there.

I was tempted to continue, to tell them that they should prepare to do the same, should fate again threaten our nation, but I withheld those words. I knew they would be badly received by Edward. I had already given him a slight insult by insisting that the honor was not my own, by sharing it with those who served me. Despite Cyhan’s unspoken warning I could feel my temper flare, but I went cold when I saw a young man staring at me in the crowd.

It was a surreal moment, when the world slows down and everything becomes crystalline. Though there were hundreds of people before me, for those few seconds the only other person I was aware of was the young sandy haired man whose eyes burned into me. It was a look of utter hatred, the look of someone who saw in me the personification of all the ills in the world. In that timeless moment of focus my mind saw him clearly, even to the knife he held clutched at his side, hidden under a ragged cloth. This man, who seemed to be even younger than I was, had come today with no other reason, than the hope that he might get close enough to kill me.

It was a shocking thought, but I knew it was true, with a surety that pure logic can never provide. Whatever his reason, this fellow desired nothing more than to end my life. A woman’s voice rang out through the crowd. It was but one voice among many, but he knew it and he turned his head to see the girl who called for him. I followed his gaze, and when his eyes settled upon her I saw her as well.

She was young, and she resembled him, probably his younger sister, I thought. She struggled to get through the crowd, to reach him, and her face bore a look of profound fear and worry. She’s come to stop him, I realized. The crowd went on cheering while the king put his hand on my shoulder. Unnoticed by everyone a tiny drama played out within the crowd, and yet I saw them.

The king began speaking again but I did not hear him, all my attention was upon the young man and his sister. She had reached him now and they argued with one another in the midst of the crowded square. Realizing his chance had vanished with her arrival his shoulders slumped and he turned away, letting her lead him toward home. As he did she cast her eyes toward me and I found myself transfixed by her gaze. I had hoped my expression would convey my thanks to her, but face was lit with a fury and hatred every bit as intense as his had been.

What could I have done to make these two young strangers despise me so? I wondered. Sir Harold jostled my elbow again, alerting me to the fact that the king had left the platform. We were supposed to follow. I got myself moving but I kept a portion of my mind on the young man and his sister. They were leaving now, dispersing with the crowd, and heading in the opposite direction.

I felt sure I could follow them, mentally, so long as I wasn’t too distracted and they didn’t travel too far away, but I worried the king would want to discuss matters once we had gotten free of the crowds.

I needn’t have worried. As soon as we got within the palace Edward turned to me, “We have more business to tend to this afternoon so we won’t keep you. Our steward will send someone around later with the documents you need to sign.”