On a damp gray morning, a lone horse rode through the southern gate of Rolar, the capital of the Kingdom of Biarkh. Guards escorted the young man with umber skin to the royal palace in Tatiana Square. They led him through long, winding corridors until they reached a secluded office. A man draped in an ivory robe welcomed him with open arms. "Sam, my boy, I thought you were done for..." a terrified, yet relieved Utar said.
"Master," Sam whispered then bowed. "I"m glad I made it back in one piece..."
"Fetch the boy some water, and some fresh clothes while you"re at it!" Utar screamed at the guards as he dismissed them. He sat beside the shaken young man and observed him with kind, fatherly eyes.
"I"d like to speak to His Excellency," Sam said. "Stalwart"s playing them all."
"King Nicholas is holding a war council with all his allies," Utar said. "Whatever you have to tell the Bishop, you can tell me too."
"He"s coming for you, master," Sam looked sad, distressed. "I couldn"t resist him. I"m truly... truly sorry..."
"What"s this about, boy?" Utar asked, frowning. "n.o.body thought you"d survive the Mad Wizard"s torture, let alone escape. How did you do it?"
Sam hadn"t met Utar"s eyes yet. He kept staring at the desk, fixating a lone point only he could see.
"I don"t know how it happened," Sam said. "There was this invisible presence at first that dampened my powers. I don"t know how long I stayed in there, but I was about to lose my mind. It was then that the old man came. He invaded my spirit, my memories. I felt as though my consciousness had shattered..."
"You were probed," Utar said. "I suppose Empor"s gift had something to do with your survival."
Sam nodded. "After he found out about his son"s death, Stalwart left me in that cell again..." Just thinking about his time back in that cell made Sam shudder. He didn"t need to act this one out. He remembered how he gradually lost his mind. And he remembered how invasive Stalwart"s probe felt.
"What happened next?" Utar asked in a soothing voice.
"I have no earthly idea," Sam said with a dejected smile. "One moment I was in that cell, alone and close to madness. The next... I felt my powers come back. They rushed out, exploded outwards. Rage, primal and intense, filled my entire being. I destroyed the castle in which I was imprisoned, then I rushed to the capital."
Utar"s brows heavily creased. "You didn"t find any trace of Stalwart or his men in the castle? What about on your way here?"
"I met some men in steel armor last night," Sam said. "I was camping in the woods. It was too dark to keep going, especially with a horse. They came out of the bushes, surrounded me. One of them told me Stalwart had men inside the king"s palace. He said they"re planning to a.s.sa.s.sinate the council of kings, all of them, today."
"How can you be sure this is plausible intel?" Utar asked.
"I beat it out of him," Sam replied. "They thought I was some wanderer who happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time." He scoffed. "Little did they know..." Sam produced a dagger with the stalwart seal on its hilt. "I took it from one of them."
Utar inspected the dagger with great interest. "This belongs to Stalwart"s elite a.s.sa.s.sins," he said in a dark tone. "I have to warn his Excellency..." Utar stood then strode toward the door. "You stay here." He turned to look at Sam right before he left. "Don"t wander around. People don"t know who you are just yet."
Utar ran through the corridors and up the stairs. Teleporting was forbidden inside the palace. The king despised magic and wouldn"t let anybody use it in front of his people, even if it was based on Dhobor"s faith. So Utar ran until he reached the war council chambers.
Two burly guards barred his way with long, sharp halberds. "Council"s still in session," one of the guards announced.
"I have a message for the king," Utar said. His eyebrows were knitted together, and he looked deeply worried.
"Tell us the message, and we shall convey it to his grace," the guard politely replied.
"Do you know who I am?" Utar hissed.
The guard smiled. "We serve our king, not a priest who sees G.o.d in every turn. His majesty"s orders were clear. What were the king"s orders, Jonas?"
"Do not disturb," the other guard replied in a stern voice.
"You heard him," the first guard said. "Do-not-disturb!"
Utar let out a heavy sigh. "What would your king –"
Priest Utar squinted at the first guard"s neck. The guard recoiled. He met the priest"s inquisitive eyes with a confused frown. "What"re you doing?" he asked.
Utar moved fast, before the other two could retaliate. He punched the first guard in the throat, s.n.a.t.c.hed his halberd as he stumbled back then shoved it in the other guard"s armpit. With a swift motion, and with surprising strength, Utar pulled the halberd down, cutting the man in half.
The guard"s painful shrieks caused the kings in the council room to jump to their feet. Utar jerked the halberd away then effortlessly swung it sideways. As the first guard regained his composure, he saw the fleeting shadow of a blade. His head rolled down the ground before he could realize what had happened.
The door to the war council chambers sprung open. King Nicholas gasped as he saw his guards on the floor. Blood was still squirting out of the first guard"s neck. Utar picked his head up and presented it to the kings and queen.
"What"s the meaning of this?" King Boris screamed at the top of his lungs.
King Nicholas"s stomach turned. He bent over and spilled out the content of his breakfast. The Bishop stood calmly beside them. Queen Tatiana shot a disapproving glance at her husband before turning her eyes toward Utar. The priest was still holding the guard"s head. He was pointing at a tattoo on his neck.
"Do you recognize this mark?" Utar asked.
King Boris took a closer look at the tattoo. "That"s Stalwart"s seal," he said. He looked at the two guards on the floor then at King Nicholas, who had just finished emptying his stomach. "What are Stalwart"s elite a.s.sa.s.sins doing here?" he asked in an accusatory tone.
"Have you had a drink yet, my lords?" Utar asked.
They all looked back at the table around which they met. One of King Nicholas"s generals was still sitting on his chair, as though the extraordinary events hadn"t happened at all. King Boris approached him and shook him. The man"s stiff body fell to the floor. King Boris inspected the general"s cup.
"Empty..." he said as he flipped it for all to see. "Lucky we hadn"t toasted to victory yet, huh?"