The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (43 page)

“Inform our patriarch
that we have control of the capital
, and soon the kingdom. My fals
e execution will be in two days
and that should sever any ties. The throne will be
solely
in our hands within the year, after the church is discredited and the young king is eliminated. All is in order, no witnesses save Richmond the Second.” Florin waved her hand for the old wizard to go and relay the message on the warlock mirrors in his chamber. Her thoughts went to Alec, who she had personally trained since he was young. He was not one to fail, her best and deadliest swordsman, and he should have returned by now.

Yari slu
gged back to her minutes later,
step by step, his expres
sionless face morose and dreary
as always. His smell was of old sweat and overworn robes and his fingernails were long and curled from lack of care or attention to hygiene. “Johnas says to be mindful of the returning cardinal and the Crossguard Legion. Also he wishes an update on the scroll and the capture of young Lazlette and her allies.”

Florin fumed, she did not have the answers to the second query as Alec was nowhere to be found. As far as the deadly legion of the church, she cared little. They would investigate, make a show of power, try and usurp the king, and play politics and morality until they realize that it will be for naught. Then, to save the face of the
religion, they would find blame among others or the will of God Alden for a higher purpose and make excuses for the suffering of Harlaheim. Florin had seen it before, heard it before, and was
not fearful in the slightest of
church
authority here
. With Javiel being executed on the morrow, her confidance was untouchable. I
n other countries
this
co
uld be terrifying
. Harlaheim had severed most ties to the church and few could change that
.

“Tell him I appreciate the warning, and that the scroll and those that carry it are being brought in.”

“Lady Florin, we have not heard from-“

“I know damn well that we have not! I am aware! I do not need you to tell me, wizard. Relay the message as I have instructed or your smell will surely worsen after I run you through and leave you to rot. Alec will return with the salisans and with the captives and
their scroll. He does not fail!
Please do the same, and tell Johnas what I have
ordered you to. Thank you.” h
er words dripped with anger and uncertainty, yet she went on hope and past experiences of her best swordsman.
“Look now Yari, you have made me lose my noble composure.
”

“Apologies abound, your
majesty
.” t
he old Harlian agent bowed and withdrew to the lit chamber once more to contact Valhirst and pass on the instructed responses. He had not the energy to fight or care whether Florin succeeded in this political takeover
or no
. He hoped only that someday this place was discovered and he could lay down all his arcane powers upon the enemy, whoever they were. His mind wandered to dying at the hands of some great organization or army and taking as many of them with him as he c
ould. Perhaps then, K
alzarius would hear of his abilities and power and feel
ashamed for turning him away all those years ago.

More minutes went by, and the old mage approached Florin again, this time bowing deeply. His unspoken sarcasm
was painfully obvious. “Your
grand highness
, Prince Johnas has infor
med us from Valhirst that when
the cardinal attempt
s to take
Harlaheim we are to remain hidden and low for a time
.
He has something arranged that will turn it to our favor. Cristoff the Third was summoned to a secret meeting with Savanno, and may be a loose end.
We must see to it immediately.”

“
Reply that it shall be done, but
by order of the king himself for treason. We need not have a hand in it.”

“Yes,
my queen
.”

“Stop it Yari, or I will spill your insi
des right here, are we clear?” s
he had had enough of the taunts and jests at her posing as Queen Rosanna. She had done all of this after years of planning and scheming within the court and with the king. The lady assassin was already rich beyond need, and this life of service and treachery was nearly over for her. No one else was aware of it, but Florin was on her way out of the White Spider. Her plan had to be perfect, for there truly is no leaving Johnas Valhera.

“Does the king suspect you as anything other than a treacherous knight of Harlaheim, mistress Florin? Has he any clue who you work for?” Yari started to walk once more to the room that held the warlock mirrors he had been trained to use.

“I certainly hope not, for all our sakes. He is far too young and wrapped in his own lack of power to know of us or the White Spider. I am sure at this point he will be having me trailed, so our routes and meeting times will have to adjust. Why do you ask old man?” Florin breathed heavily in the musty still air of the dark underground. She stood up, reached for the crown and placed it on her brow.

“
Just curious
mistress, that’s all. I had thought by now that Balric would have exposed us, since we knew he was working with the bishop and all.
I do not see why he delayed and then left for Valhirst, or why we let him.” Yari turned and drug himself to send the latest message to the head of the guild.

“Johnas has his reasons and his s
chemes that always outdo our own
and are days and weeks ahead.
His need to know more of Balric D’Vrelle and who he works for is none of our business; we just do as we are told.
He
knows things before we do, the Emerald E
ight keep him well informed. I am to court, send me
n to find Alec and have him brought
to me immediately.” Florin turned up the stairs, careful not to let her silver and blue gown drag on the dirty floor.

“Yes, your
majesty
.” Yari whispered, and chuckled to himself thinking only of what a sick and sad world he lived in.
He longed for the end of it all, an end to the corruption he had surrounded himself with and served for so many decades.
He passed by the barred room that was next to his and looked in once more. The true queen lay gagged and bound in a cold dank cell, dressed as a knight of Harlaheim and awaiting execution. Yari felt terrible guilt at Rosanna being prisoner, the queen of the kingdom was treated as an animal for political maneuvers
right here before him
. He lowered his head and passed by, unable to look her in the eye.
He hoped someone would come and rescue her, but
he
himself felt unworthy to do anything noble about any of it.

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“Balric! Your time with Miss Blackflame is over, come in here and guard the doors. Now!” Johnas barked from his onyx throne under Valhirst. He had been letting his magically enslaved swordsman spend a few moments here and there with his scarred wizard lover. He enjoyed testing the devotion that the necklace and arcane evocations produced.

Balric felt his mind dull and obey the commands of Johnas Valhera. His eyes turned from the beautiful Caberran girl who was polishing and reading the strange marble tablets. He almost forgot who she was, who he was, for a moment as the impulses to serve the Prince were overpowering. He heard Vanessa whimper as he left, then sob and try to stifle it. He could do nothing, and he walked into the main chamber and throne room of his master. The Harlian spy strode across the White Spider design upon the floor, watched by dozens of thieves, criminals, doppelgangers, and assassins; each of which he would love to put to the edge of his saber. He posted, arms folded, by the doors next to the spiked pit and waited as ordered.

“Good, good. I would be careful everyone. I seem to have the most loyal bodyguard, deadly protection through better arcane practices.” Johnas
laughed, and the room full of his subordinates followed him with chuckles and sneers of approval.

“My Prince.” Vanessa walked out from the small side chamber, teary-eyed, and bowed as her hands shook from desperate fear and hopelessness. “Domenarch Florin of Harlaheim returns the me
ssage and states that Cristoff
will be taken care of by the king and our hands will have nothing-“

“Fine, fine, wonderful.” Johnas took a long inhale from the opium pipe that smoldered at his feet, the hose connected to a tiger shaped hooka. His eyes sunk in further, his mind cleared to leave only vile thoughts and plots that floated along bloody skies
of his vivid imagination
.
His body felt as if it were rising, but to him alone.

“I also have received a message from Jade
of the
West in Devonmir, Prince Johnas. She asks of what you wish done with the domenarch there that has been skimming the tithes.”

Johnas exhaled a barely visible puff of smoke through his nostrils and relaxed in his throne. “Tell her to have the minotaur scare the gold out of them, but not kill them. I want thirty thousand sent to compensate for their lack of honesty, and one of his fingers. Ha!” he drifted in and out of consciousness, the Altestani opium was pure and mystical beyond that of anywhere else.

Vanessa walked back into the chamber with the enchanted tablets to relay the massages in secret arcane tongue. She trembled, knowing that Johnas Valhera was his
worst when he was under the opium spell. His calm would turn to lust, anger, wickedness, or sleep in a matter of an hour; sometimes all of them within a minute of each other. Her powers as a wizard were strong, but this man had a grip of fear and terror over her that made it nearly impossible to concentrate on her arcane energies, she had tried many times to unleash something upon him and run. Each time her magic failed as the fear stepped in, and she had remained since a young girl to act as his mistress, lover, caretaker, and house wizard here in the dark underground of Valhirst. Vanessa knew there was little hope of ever escaping.

The door opened slowly in the main chamber, and Balric leaned forward to speak with the shadowy figure. He turned to Johnas and bowed, his hand on the
hilt of his saber. “Crimson
of the
North
of the Emerald E
ight to see the Prince!”

The dark skinned man walked forward without a sound, his beard covered by a cloth mask up to his nose and his tight form fitting black
garments and leather armor blended with the darkness of the torchlit chamber. His hands were folded at his waist as his curved shamshir and several small knives dangled from his belt. He approached the throne and knelt on one knee, awaiting the prince to let him rise.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, dear Fadim?” Johnas had expected his deadliest agents to report every year, and Fadim was a month early. His position as overseer of the empires of Altestan was precarious indeed, as a strong foothold had not been established. Johnas knew this man to be deadly, trained by him
self
many years ago, but with the cultural ties of an enemy kingdom and race, he was always a bit suspicious.

The agent of the White Spider reached in his pouch and removed three stones, rubies the size of eggs
and handed them to the prince.
Silence reigned through the room as the shimmering red
princess rubies
were placed in the hand of Johnas.
“I have found trade in Altestan, and began to build many contacts and in the city of Khedra
. T
here is an underground mining operation hidden from imperial eyes
, now belonging to us
. Many who would stand in our way have been eliminated
my prince
.”

“Moving quickly I see. Tell me Fadim, how is the opium trade and slave merchantry faring? We have had an incident here with a foreign prince of Altestan that may have set us back.” Johnas set the stones on the arm of his throne.

“I have heard, my prince.
Many speak in dark corners in
my beautiful homeland of breaking ties with us. They say that Caberra is weakened, Kivanis too zealous, and Chazzrynn is divided. The White Spider seems to
o
treacherous for their religious devotions to Yjaros, and we have alliances that are against their preference
s.
They feel the White Spider had a hand in the missing ship and the nobility that was aboard.
They know that Shanador, the elves, and even the dwarven kingdoms will not allow the chosen race of men to trade on Agarian soil or waters. I tell you now that I feel an invasion could happen in our lifetimes if we do not comply-“

“And if that were to occur, assure them that many more trireme warships and princes would find the bottom of the ocean. We are merely setting our feet in the underworld, politics and nobility come and go like the tide. The great empire has three emperors that could not agree on much of anything, and while they worship whomever and threaten every race other than their own, we will take over their undercities, one by one.”