Richard Parker - Elsewhere

“His General is with him,” Bock said as he and Gwaynn waited in the main courtyard of the western bailey. Tarina re N’dori plus Tar Kostek and Endid waited with them. Shortly, a column of guards entered, leading the Palmerrio King through the gates. They were followed by a small group of Palmerrio servants and then another column of Massi guards.

Gwaynn sat silently until the Palmerrio King was forced to stop some ten yards away.

“Prince Gwaynn Massi,” Weldon said scornfully with only a slight bow. “Queen Ramona,” he added with a deeper bow of respect.

“King Gwaynn Massi!” Lonogan Bock corrected and started to rise, but Gwaynn waved him down.

“King Weldon,” Gwaynn said calmly, then paused. “You’ve invaded my country.”

“It’s not your country,” one of the Palmerrio escorts piped up loudly.

Gwaynn’s eyes moved to the one who spoke. The man was young with an arrogant look on his face and anger in his eyes.

Gwaynn stared at the man for a long time, thinking that there was something familiar about his attitude, his stance, his very being.

“King Weldon,” Gwaynn repeated. “You have invaded my country.”

The Palmerrio King shrugged. “At the request of the High King,” Weldon answered.

“And you invaded mine,” Ramona shouted. “You will now order what’s left of your armies from Toranado.”

“I cannot,” Weldon answered.

Gwaynn said nothing for a moment then shifted his gaze to the large man just to the right of the King.

“You are Sanchez?” Gwaynn asked.

The man nodded. “I am.”

Gwaynn stood and moved forward. “It was your strategy we met at the mouth of the Aleria Pass?”

The General smiled and began to nod, but before he was able to finish the movement, Gwaynn slowed time and flashed forward, drawing his kali with blazing speed. Before even a second past he’d cut the General’s head from his body. It hit the floor and rolled away, a smile still etched on its face.

By the time King Weldon flinched Gwaynn was already taking his seat once again. Weldon stared at the stump of his General’s neck as it pumped blood onto the dusty floor of the courtyard and then his focus moved to the head that had rolled a few feet away. Slowly his eyes moved up to Gwaynn, his expression slowly changing from shock to anger.

“You! You would kill an unarmed man?” Weldon shouted at the boy Prince who sat before him. Weldon glared at Gwaynn despite the fear that now ran through his body. ‘No one can move that fast…it’s not possible,’ he thought and the young assistant who challenged Gwaynn was thinking much the same thing.

“It was regrettable,” Gwaynn said, “but he killed my best friend, who needed to be avenged.”

“You will order your armies from my land,” Ramona repeated once more as she tore her eyes from the head of the former Palmerrio General. The amount of blood upset her, but she hoped it upset Weldon more.

“I cannot without the permission of the High King,” Weldon answered with a smug smile.

“We do not think the High King will protest,” Ramona answered with a smile of her own.

Weldon frowned.

“You’ll order your armies out of Toranado,” Gwaynn repeated.

“And if I don’t?”

Gwaynn stood. “Then you will join your General,” he said and slowly began to stand. He was hungry now, but he would slow time again if need be. The young man who challenged Gwaynn earlier took a quick step forward to block the way to the King. Weldon’s eyes grew slightly bigger, but to his credit he did not retreat.

“The High King will not stand for it,” Weldon said defiantly.

“We shall see,” Gwaynn replied, and then in a flash he recognized something in the King’s vocal companion

“Hold,” Gwaynn suddenly said and stared at the young man guarding the Palmerrio King. “Your name please?”

Weldon started, and the man looked a bit surprised. “Calbrick,” the young man answered.

“You’ve the smell of Sinis on you,” Gwaynn said. The man smiled, then quick as a cat lashed a kick at the nearest guard and wrenched a kali from his belt all in one motion. He spun half expecting Gwaynn to be upon him, but the Prince had not moved.

“Executioner…” Gwaynn said softly and motioned for his men to stand back. The guard who was kicked scrambled up from the floor, clearly angry.

“Are you alright Nate?” Gwaynn asked.

“Yes Sire,” the injured guard replied, rubbing his right knee.

“Toss your other kali to Calbrick,” Gwaynn ordered and the crowd erupted in protests.

“Tar Calbrick,” the young man said, not believing his luck, but as ordered an additional kali was tossed in the air to him. He spun the two weapons skillfully and turned to face Gwaynn with a good deal more confidence than he had a moment before.

“No…no…not a Tar,” Gwaynn corrected and both Tar Kostek and Tar Endid broke into smiles. N’dori just laughed lightly. Gwaynn moved forward off the wooden Dias, his face already furrowed in deep concentration as he began to manipulate time. This kill would not be fair, but it would be designed to instill great terror within the Palmerrio King. N’dori watched everything with a happy sparkle in her eye; the young Massi King was indeed worthy of the great Tar Nev. Calbrick backed away slightly, very confident but as he glanced about at the others he noticed that no one on the Massi side of the courtyard showed any signs of concern. Their King was risking his life. He would obviously be facing a very skilled opponent, but no one on the Massi side seemed agitated in the least. He wondered briefly at it, but then crouched as Gwaynn began to circle him.

“You will order your men from Eno and Toranado,” Gwaynn said as he passed Weldon, glancing briefly at the Palmerrio King. It was at that moment that Calbrick pounced, just as Gwaynn expected, but Gwaynn was no longer where the Executioner expected him to be. Time once again slowed to a crawl and Gwaynn sliced easily through the Executioner’s right arm, the blow coming from a slightly different angle than the young man expected. Gwaynn quickly moved around and stood before King Weldon once again then released time. The young man from Sinis screamed loudly as his hand fell away. Weldon jumped and his mouth fell open. From his point of view Gwaynn’s movements were just a blur, much too fast for the eye to follow.

“You will order your men from Eno and Toranado,” Gwaynn repeated, staring directly into the King’s eyes. Real, deep fear appeared there as the older man stared back but Gwaynn did not pause to enjoy the look, instead he slowed time again and quickly cut the head from the Executioner and then sheathed his kali and return to his chair. He was very tired, and hunger was knifing through his belly, but he was determined to show no weakness before King Weldon Palmerrio. Time lurched forward, Gwaynn’s control slipping a bit in his exhaustion. King Weldon gasped loudly as Calbrick’s head thumped to the ground, even before his body crumpled. But his surprise was lost among the host of others, only N’dori seemed unperturbed by the eerily quick movements of the Prince. Her light laughter now filled the stunned hall.

“You will order your men from Eno and Toranado today, this very hour,” Gwaynn demanded again and Weldon gazed at him in sheer terror.

Gwaynn fought against another crippling cramp but somehow remained upright. N’dori could see the beads of perspiration on the young King’s forehead and knew what the performance had cost him.

“He,” Gwaynn began, gesturing to Calbrick, “was not a Tar,” he continued and stared coldly at Weldon. “He was not even a very good Executioner,” he added and N’dori’s laugh echoed once more through the courtyard.