Michael Mathias - Kings, Queens, Heroes, and Fools

“I… We… Uh…”

“Pael’s fargin ghost snatched our boy,” Oarly said over Hyden’s stammering. “We found the Silver Skull, and enough treasure to buy all of Ra’Gren’s slaves to a man. We even collared the young black wyrm that killed Brady, but Shaella’s wizard snatched the skull, and the controlling collar, then he sailed away.”

“Don’t forget Phenilous,” Hyden put his face in his hands. “They snatched him too.”

Oarly hadn’t told Hyden of his discovery yet. He’d wanted to research the journal further to be certain before stirring up any hopes. He went with his instinct, though, and decided that now was as good of time as any to explain. “Phen wasn’t snatched away,” Oarly said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Hyden’s head whipped around to meet the dwarf’s eyes. “Tell me what you know.”

Oarly was a known trickster and Phen’s fate was nothing to jest about. The dwarf had no trouble meeting Hyden’s gaze, and the look in his eyes strengthened the conviction of his words.

“It’s in the journal,” Oarly started. He took a long pull from the goblet of ale Mikahl handed him and then licked the foam from his mustache. “Loak was an assassin sent to kill King Chago. The gift was his ruse for gaining an audience. The ring was for him to use to escape, once he had done the deed. It was ensorcelled to make the wearer invisible. Loak could kill Chago, slip on the ring, and make his escape back to the Evermore unseen.”

“What are you telling me?” asked Hyden.

Mikahl was looking at the both of them as if they had gone mad. He had no idea who Loak was, but he’d heard of the infamous tyrant King Chago. His brain told him that none of it mattered. Something far more dire than the news of Shaella gaining another dragon had piqued his mind, but as Oarly spoke of Phen the thought eluded him.

“Phenilous put on the ring and somehow caused the wizard to blast the breed giant,” Oarly explained. “Our boy went aboard that zard ship trying to be an invisible hero.”

“What in all the hells are you two talking about?” Mikahl finally burst out. “Zard ships, breed giants, Pael’s ghost, and who in all the hells is Loak?”

“An elf,” Hyden answered, but was saved from having to explain further.

“I think it would be best if we all break our fast and listen to the story from the beginning, Mik,” Lord Gregory said as he and Prince Raspaar came down the stairs. “Trella and Zasha are coming to fix us a morning feast. We can all tell our tales at the table. Then we can begin to sort it all out and make a plan.”

The Lion Lord stopped and pointed at the young man coming down the stairs behind them. The man’s hair looked like a nest and he was wiping sleep from his eyes. “Sir Hyden Hawk, Master Oarly, this is Wyndall. He is the one who saved Zasha and Trella from the skeeks at Lake Bottom.”

Wyndall forced a smile and raised his hand dismissively before banging out a side door to have his morning piss with the door half open.

The Lion Lord indicated the man who had been helping him get the chest up the stairs. “And this is Prince Raspaar of Salaya. He is a friend.”

While the ladies prepared their meal, Wyndall pulled two tables together then stood back as the others chose a place. He wanted desperately to join them, to be a part of the great planning that he knew was about to take place, but looks from both Zasha and the strange dwarf kept him from it. Instead, he trudged through the kitchen and began loading in wood from the chop pile out back.

Lord Gregory started by telling them all of his recovery in the Skyler Clan village, and his long slow battle to walk again. He spoke of what he thought when he first saw the rubble of Castlemont, and of his meeting with Dreg. He told of his journey into Westland with Grommen, who had recently partnered with Maxrell Tyne and taken over the Shark’s Tooth after Captain Konrath mysteriously disappeared. He led his tale all the way up to finding Mikahl, and their arrival at the Lost Lion Inn.

The food arrived and, while they ate, Mikahl told his story as well. He told of the long slow march from Xwarda with General Spyra, and of the fight in the lower Evermore with the demon-boar. He touched briefly on King Broderick’s betrayal and the battle with Dreg and the mercenaries. He told everything he could think of to tell, then sat back and listened with rapt attention as Hyden and Oarly took turns recounting their fascinating journey.

An elbow from Oarly stopped Hyden from saying too much about the Serpent’s Eye on the Isle of Kahna. They had made a pact to keep that place a secret, but otherwise they left out few details. Oarly even described the grisly way that Brady and the seamen had fallen to the black dragon. Their tale, as all of the others, ended up with them arriving at the Lost Lion Inn.

All eyes fell to Prince Raspaar then, who after hearing the fantastic adventures of the others, could only open and close his mouth as if he were a beached fish.

Mikahl explained Raspaar’s involvement with the group. After hearing how the Prince of Salaya had craftily used his equine importing scheme to place spies in Southport, Portsmouth, even in Castleview, the city built along Lakeside Castle’s northwest wall, Hyden and Oarly both begrudged him some respect.

“It seems we have two people who need to be spirited out of Westland now,” Lord Gregory observed as the food was cleared away. “And another dragon to contend with. I’m glad I missed the first one.”

“As much as I hate it, my duty to the people of the realm has to come first,” Mikahl’s voice was soft and sad. “The Silver Skull of Zorellin must be destroyed or recovered. The damage Shaella can cause with it far outweighs the lives of Princess Rosa and Phenilous.”

Hyden rose and shoved himself away from the table. His chair went tumbling over behind him with a force that startled the others. “No,” he yelled. “The skull is my responsibility, and I swear I’ll get it back from her.” He heaved a heavy breath. Putting his closed fists on the table, he leaned over and looked Mikahl directly in the eyes. “You use the power of that sword to get Phen and Rosa out of harm’s way. I will fix the follies of my family like I should’ve done long ago.”

Hyden’s sense of guilt was palpable as of late. His brother had helped Shaella collar the great red dragon Claret that had been forced to help take Westland. Now the ring Gerard had taken into the Nethers had caused him to seek out the Silver Skull’s hiding place and deliver it to the Dragon Queen on a platter. He should have killed Shaella when he had the chance. He hoped to gain the opportunity. If it arose again he would not hesitate.

“If you expect to have even half a chance to succeed at any of this then you will have to work together,” Lord Gregory said.

“I agree,” Oarly said with a harsh tug on Hyden’s sleeve.

“The Princess is being held somewhere in Lakeside Castle,” Raspaar said, trying to get things moving in the right direction. “We have a ship scheduled to deliver horses to Portsmouth in a few days. We can get you there, or maybe let you off in a sturdy rower near Lake Bottom.” He glanced at Lord Gregory for support.

“I’ll not enjoy being in a rowboat again,” said Oarly.

“You’re not going with us,” Hyden told him. “You’ll stick out like a broken toe in Westlad.”

“She is in Pael’s tower,” Mikahl said directly to Hyden, ignoring the others. “With the sword, and the bright horse, I think I can easily get Rosa free and away. It’s finding Phen and the skull that will be the issue.”

“If you find the skull, you’ll find Phenilous,” Oarly said. He wanted to go after the boy with Hyden, but he knew the wizard was right.