“How is he?” Aitus asked in a hushed tone. Eamon glanced at the doctor, Sola, and both shook their heads.

“A week, perhaps a month at most,” the doctor murmured. “And his mind comes and goes. Right now he is lucid. Give him this to extend it, my prince.” The doctor pressed a small, clear vial into Aitus’ hand.

“Thank you, Sola,” Aitus said, and opened the door to his father’s room. Curtains were drawn over the windows, leaving the stone room in near-total darkness, save for a few flickering candles.

“Who’s there?” Called a reedy voice from the bed.

“It’s me, Father,” Aitus said, drawing near to the bed. “Ernst has been sent out. The die is cast.”

King Torin coughed, a dry, rattling sound. “So be it.” He struggled to sit up and looked at his eldest son. Aitus handed him the vial, and the king drank it, shuddering at the aftertaste. “Ugh, these doctors.”

But the drought seemed to help, for the king’s eyes became more clear, and he spoke with more strength. “I’ve heard the doctors whispering, and I know I haven’t much time, so listen closely, my son.”

Aitus sat down nearby and took his father’s hand in his own. “Yes, father.”

The King of Marusia took a deep breath and fixed Aitus with an unwavering gaze. “I have spent my life conquering for your sake. Because of that, you will inherit the greatest kingdom our continent has seen since the Fall. Following the work of my own father, I have supported the wizarding masters, the paladin orders, and the merchants, and I charge you to do the same. Further, I have left you with alliances with Colhiland and Yunwia. To you it falls to deal with my brother, the Baron of Brapton.” The king frowned. “He will make a play for the throne if you do not forestall him. Then, of course, you will have to execute him, and I would rather that not happen. The duke of Wanhaia will continue to sponsor the pirates, so you must stay on his good side. Our ‘allies’ across the Sunset Sea, the Valondean Confederation, exist only in name. And near them, the Tsuians grow strong. Talagai cannot stand before their assault.” The king coughed again. “I had hoped to leave you a more unified kingdom, but alas.” He slumped in his bed and took a deep, rattling breath. “Find who did this to me. Make them suffer.”

With that, the king seemed exhausted. He looked asleep, and Aitus made to leave. But the king’s eyes snapped open and he grabbed at his son’s arm. “Please,” the king said, voice soft. “Do not forget me. Don’t let them…” The king’s eyes closed again, and his grip relaxed as the king fell asleep.

Aitus’ jaw clenched and he stood up. “Sleep well, father,” he whispered.

***

Gilaric leaned over the railing, trying to hold down his lunch.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Raleph said, coming up beside him.

Gilaric turned to the apprentice wizard, face pale. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I can make it so you don’t feel seasick.” Raleph furrowed his brow and gripped a bracelet on his left wrist with his right hand. “Look at my eyes.”

Gilaric obeyed, hoping whatever the other was doing, it would be quick.

“Eledhos sorthitha,” Raleth commanded, drawing his hands from himself toward Gilaric, and touched his forehead lightly. “How is that?”

Gilaric looked down at his hands in surprise. “I feel…fine.” He smiled. “You’re one of those magicians?”

“Yes,” Raleph said, and breathed a sigh of relief. “I had hoped my pronunciation was good, otherwise you’d be, well,” Raleph smiled nervously. “Not much better off, we’ll say.”

Gilaric raised an eyebrow. “I see.” He glanced behind Raleph and his eyes widened and he drew to attention.

“No need for that,” Ernst said, waving his hand. He had discarded his uniform, and wore a comfortable looking white shirt. “We’re all going to be trainees once we arrive at Talagai, anyway. I’m Ernst,” he said, extending his hand. Ernst was tall, and wore a crisp uniform denoting him as a member of the royal family. He wore his blonde hair short, and carried himself with an air of quiet confidence born from years of knowing who he was.

“Gilaric of Kalrugh,” Gilaric replied.

“You seem familiar, Gilaric,” Ernst said, storking his chin. “You said you’re from Kalrugh. That’s in Cohiland, isn’t it?”

Gilaric grinned. “There aren’t a lot of other places to be from in that country, unless you’re a centaur. Speaking of which, did I see that Valin Kyor is on board?”

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Indeed you did,” Ernst replied, leaning back against the railing. “The Grand Paragon of the temple invited him as a visiting teacher. He thought that Kyor’s experience fighting the Tsuians would be helpful.”

Galaric rubbed his chin. “Is Talagai expecting an attack?”

“Things have heated up in recent months,” Ernst admitted, fidgeting with a golden ring on his finger. “So it may be an interesting school year for us.” He shook his head. “But that’s not why I’m over here. I wanted to see if you were any good.” He gestured at the sword at Galaric’s side. “Want to spar?”

“Now that I’m not seasick, sure,” Galaric replied.

The three of them moved toward an open area on the deck, and Raleph set a small, runic stone down and whispered a few words. A shimmering circle formed, and Ernst and Galaric stepped inside. Several sailors noticed what was beginning to happen, and gathered around. Within a few minutes, a circle had formed around the circle, as passengers joined the sailors.

“Don’t hold back,” Ernst said, drawing his weapon, an ornate, double-edged side-sword with an elegantly curved crossguard. He raised it into a high guard. “Otherwise, I’ll never get better.”

Galaric grinned and drew his own sword, a much plainer weapon. “As you wish.” Without warning, he lunged forward. Ernst tried to deflect the thrust, but was not quick enough and Galaric’s sword sunk into Ernst’s shoulder. The spell Raleph had cast made the blade pass through without damage, and the stone on the ground glowed with activated magic.

“Point to Galaric,” Raleph said. “Reset.”

“So that’s how it’s going to be,” Ernst said, rubbing his shoulder and then settling into a guard. “Try that again.”

The two circled each other, prodding each other's defenses. Ernst feinted and slipped past Galaric’s guard, but Galaric threw himself backward to avoid the slash. Ernst pressed his advantage, thrusting and cutting, and Galaric hit the edge of the magic circle.

“Point to Ernst,” Raleph called. “Reset.” Ernst and Galaric returned to the center of the circle and raised their blades again.

Galaric’s eyes flicked to the left, seeing Valin Kyor watching them, arms crossed. Ernst took advantage of the momentary distraction and thrust at Galaric, who parried and returned a backhand slash. Their blades danced in the mid-morning sun as each struggled to gain the upper hand. As the round continued, however, Galaric seemed to tire, and Ernst endured. Finally, Ernst slipped past Galaric’s defenses and scored the winning blow.

“Not bad, boys,” Valin said, striding forward, hoofs clattering on the wooden deck. The observers parted for him. “Galaric, you rely too much on unexpected angles. But Ernst adapted to you. And Ernst, your superior training shows. However, I urge you to understand more deeply why you make the moves you do, rather than relying on rote mechanics. No offense to Galaric, but you should have countered Galaric much sooner.” He looked at Galaric. “You have a fine mind for swordplay. If you apply yourself, you will easily reach a high degree of skill.”

“Will you show us some moves?” Ernst petitioned. “I’ve heard stories about you.”

Valin shook his head. “My techniques would not be helpful for you.” He drew his sword from where it was strapped to his tawny side. “First, as a centaur most of my swordplay has to do with using my superior height and weight against my opponents. Neither of you will have that luxury, whether you are fighting other humans, or, more likely, the Tsuians and other Draki.” He flourished the sword, which dwarfed both Galaric and Ernst’s weapons. “Second, I prefer ranged warfare.” Valin patted the massive longbow at his side. “That and tactics are primarily what I will be instructing the trainees in at Talagai. But I picked up enough about human swordfighting to give a pointer or two.”

“I’ve heard of the Tsu, but not the Draki,” Galaric said, sheathing his sword. “What are they?”

With the sparring over, the crowd began to disperse. “Technically, they are nearly the same,” Valin said, sheathing his own weapon. “The Tsu are the nation, and Draki are the race. The Tsu are made up of the six Tsuian houses, whose names I can never remember. The Draki are the thoroughly unpleasant race of dragon-like creatures who live in the territory between the Bek mountains and the northern border of Valonde.”

Raleph stepped forward. “Perhaps I can be of service here.” He snapped his fingers and the runestone flew into his hand. He muttered a few words and an image danced above his fingers. “This is a Draki unit.” The image showed a group of lizard-like beings, some with six limbs and others with four. They all possessed long claws and necks. The smaller ones seemed to have a bony backplate, while the larger ones had leathery skin. “The Draki are matriarchal, meaning that they have a queen as their head. They’re born in litters of four to ten, with each litter having three subtypes represented. The head Draki, or zytharak, has six limbs, with four four mobility and two for fine motor manipulation. Something like a centaur, and with a similar level of intelligence, too.” He glanced at Valin. “That is where the similarities end, I suppose. Along with that Draki, between two and eight eggs are laid that are smaller in size, birthing so-called drone Draki, which are much stupider. They also only have four limbs, and none meant for fine motor manipulation. Finally, the litter may have a much larger drone Draki, called a juggernaut. This one also has six limbs, and it acts as something like a transport for the others.” As Raleph spoke, the image hovering over his hand shifted to depict each image. “Though they look savage, their culture is fascinating for its organization and complexity. Through their shared cultural understanding as being descended from dragons, they have secured a vast shared empire, which is surprising for its multicultural aspects. They are particularly fond of the Small Ones, or Lirithani in Pondia, as well as tolerating the Lesser Elders and remaining giants in Bek.” Raleph closed his hand. “I think that about covers it.”

Valin shook his head. “Not quite. You forgot the most important development.” He leaned close to the three young men. “The lizard religion has taken a bloody turn. The scalies actually think that the dragons, the representatives of the gods, are gods themselves.” Valin’s voice grew quiet. “There are rumors of blood sacrifices, dark rituals involving humans and Elders.” Valin smiled grimly. “And that doesn’t even touch on the real issue.”

“The Temple of Talagai,” Ernst murmured.

“Aye, lad,” Valin said. “The holiest site in the world, the lighthouse of the gods, the unending tower, connecting our realm to theirs. It stands as a contradiction to the lies of the Tsu. There are rumblings of war. These are not new, but they have never rumbled this loud. So,” Valin smiled grimly. “You boys may be getting a much more rigorous education than your parents thought.”

With that, he leaned back and walked away, hands clasped behind his back, whistling as though he had not a care in the world.