Chapter III: The Princess of Talian
The
climb down through the Razor Crags was easy compared to the morning’s hike
through the mountain despite the presence of the jagged rocks. Sometime after
noon, they made it to the Tranquil Plains. Talian could be seen in the distance
with its castle and city wall built out of alabaster sandstone.
Talian
rested on the Tranquil Bay with a white beach separating the castle from the
sea. It was a beautiful and stunning sight which helped boost the morale of all
in the party except Asina. The nearer they got, the crabbier she became. Her
hair became more and more disheveled, her dress had several tears, and she was
puffing and wheezing over every rolling hill.
“My
father will hear about this!” she threatened as they neared Talian’s border.
“Hear
about what, your highness?” Alezar asked.
“Everything!
And I’ll make sure he knows what you did!”
“I’m
sorry, princess. It was a mist—”
“I
don’t believe you! This time, you’ve gone too far.”
Alezar
flashed her a worried look, but as he turned back, he leaned over to Daven and
whispered, “The king won’t do a damn thing. He’ll love it.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.
Don’t know if you lads know, but King Talianus used to be a barbarian
adventurer. The Great Sojourn of Talianus is what he calls his career. He
wanted to come himself, but the queen wouldn’t let him in case King Jeremy
invaded.”
“Really?
He sounds awfully humble. How’d his daughter end up like that?”
“Too
much of her mother in her as well as being spoiled rotten. Her younger sister though,
she’s a very charming young lady.”
“Ah. I
had heard that about Talian’s princess. But when we met Asina, I was confused.”
“Aye.
Talianus has two daughters. He wanted a dozen sons, but the fates wouldn’t
allow it. Them or the queen.”
“Well,
I suppose one could say Asina inherited his barbarian fury and her sister
inherited his… his… regal qualities?”
Alezar
laughed. “Princess Talia inherited his intelligence. Talianus may not have any
formal education, but he’s a smart man. And so is Talia. She’s my best
student.”
“She
knows magic?”
Alezar
looked uncomfortable. “In a way… She doesn’t have a penchant for it. But she
has learned many other things from me.”
“Hm.”
For a while, they were both quite before Daven spoke again. “Princess Talia
also inherited her father’s name. Is she his favorite?”
Alezar
looked sideways at Daven. “You’re quite perceptive, young master archer.”
“Please,
call me Daven.”
“You’re
also more polite than the others.”
Daven
shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Hah!”
At
that moment, two knights on white chargers approached the group. “Hail, Alezar!
And greetings to you, General Cazzo.”
“Hail,
Captain Steele.”
“Glad
I could be an afterthought for you, Steele. I’m just your superior officer.”
Captain
Steele eyed Cazzo before continuing. “Is this the Company of Flight? There are
so few,” he said, sounding worried.
“Fret
not, Captain. This is merely the vanguard. The rest are coming in a few days.”
“Very
well. Shall I call you all a carriage?”
“Yes,
dammit!” screamed Asina. “Why haven’t you already done that?”
“Your
highness,” said Steele, bowing his head. “I didn’t rec—”
“Shut
up and call a coach!”
He
inhaled sharply. “As you wish.”
“And
get a few horses for us knights,” ordered Cazzo.
Lennox
leaned forward to Daven’s ear. “Even her own people find her abrasive.”
“Who
wouldn’t?”
Within
fifteen minutes, a series of coaches had been summoned along with a few saddled
horses for the knights. When everyone was loaded up, Cazzo, Steele, and the
knights led the coaches headed into Talian.
As
they entered the city, Steele heralded their entry. “Make way and hail! The
Princess Asina, Grand Advisor Alezar, and General Cazzo have returned with the
Company of Flight!”
People
scattered in all directions with curious looks up into the coaches as trumpets
blew alerting the rest of the city and the castle. As the coaches passed by,
Daven noted that for the most part the people looked worried and frightened.
Some of them smiled, hope kindling in their eyes, but most seemed unable to
feel it.
“Look
at them,” said Flint. “They think they face obliteration.”
“Maybe
we shouldn’t have taken this contract,” said Lennox. “We don’t know anything
about King Jeremy. They seem to though.”
“Nonsense.
If his army bleeds, we can kill them. And if King Jeremy is just a boy, he
won’t stand up to us.”
“I
wish I had your confidence.”
The
coaches pulled up to the castle’s vast porch and front steps while the knights
departed back to the barracks. Waiting on the alabaster stairs was the king,
the queen, and Princess Talia along with a few attendants. King Talianus was a
tall and well-built man for being nearly sixty. He had a shocking red beard and
no hair, but did wear a simple gold crown. He had a maniacal smile and wide
eyes. His clothes were plain except for a violet cloak and a large sword was
sheathed at his hip. The queen wore a simple, but fine green dress and a
bejeweled crown on her head with her dark hair tied up.
As
Dragon, Asina, and Alezar exited the coaches, Asina threw herself into her
mother’s arms. “Mother! You’ll never believe the ordeal I had to go through!
First, they made me venture into a stinky cave as a ‘good faith payment.’ Then
they took us through a treacherous mountain pass where we were almost attacked
by orcs! And father!”
“Yes,
sweetheart?” said Talianus, who seemed to be enjoying her plight.
“Alezar
destroyed one of the kingdom’s most valuable sedan chairs! On purpose!”
Talianus
let out a hearty laugh. “I wish I could have been there! Alezar! You old, daft
bastard. You’re always having fun without me!”
“My
apologies, m’lord. Unfortunately, it was necessary as—”
“No
matter, no matter,” said Talianus, waving his hand. “Who are these strapping
blokes?!”
The
queen cleared her throat daintily.
“Oh. I
mean, please, introduce me to these fine men.”
“Of
course, my liege.” Alezar turned to Dragon. “Captain Flint. May I introduce you
and your men to his royal highness, King Talianus, his wife, the Queen Asselia,
and their younger daughter, Princess Talia.”
Flint
hissed to Dragon. “What are you doing, you imbeciles?! Form ranks, form ranks!
What are you? New conscripts?”
Dragon
tripped over each other trying to organize themselves into lines.
King
Talianus let out another hearty laugh. “Never mind, fellows. Never mind.
Alezar, please continue.”
“Yes,
my liege. Your royal majesties, I introduce to you Captain Flint, Lieutenant
Crag, Sergeant Lennox and some of the finest men of Dragon flight of the
Company of Flight.”
“Ha!
Dragon flight! The specialists!”
“That
is your correct, your highness,” answered Flint.
“Yes,
my ass is high!” Talianus laughed again.
Asselia
cleared her throat again.
“My
apologies, dear. Come, Captain Flint. Bring your men. You will all be my guests
for dinner tonight.”
“Thank
you, my lord.”
As
Dragon ascended the alabaster stairs, Daven looked at Princess Talia. She
presented an interesting image for a princess: she wore an elegant dress like
her sister’s but it was lily white. A plain silver diadem graced her long, red
hair. She had brown eyes and a slender body with well-toned musculature and
tanned skin that contrasted with her regal apparel. She looked a little younger
than Daven, and despite the fact her head was pointed downward with her eyes
looking up giving her a demure appearance, her physical appearance as a whole
suggested a much more active lifestyle.
Their
eyes met and they both seemed to gasp and stand up just a little straighter.
They maintained eye contact for a while before the princess turned away.
As
they neared the castle gate, Lennox leaned over to Daven. “Mind how your gaze
wanders.”
“What?”
“We
all saw you staring at her,” translated Adder.
“I was
not staring.”
“Yes,
you were,” replied Lennox.
“Was
not!”
“Relax,
kid. It’s no big deal. She’s gorgeous, no contest. Just be careful. Take small
glances.”
Daven
sighed heavily.
“I
know. It’s not fair. Why can’t we appreciate beauty too, regardless of class?”
“Because
you’re a pervert with a penchant for bovine pizzles.”
“I do
n—! What does ‘penchant’ mean?”
“An
affinity for.”
“What
does ‘affinity’ mean?”
“We
could explain,” suggested Adder, “but it would just be easier to call you an
idiot.”
Lennox
shook his head. “I’m the damn sergeant of this flight and all I get is mocked.”
“Well
stop being an idiot,” said Daven.
Just
inside the great oak double doors of the castle was the circular entrance hall.
On both sides were curving staircases leading up to a second level with a
landing that curved around the entire hall. There were doorways all the way
around the second level and one doorway directly in front of them.
The
king addressed them. “Gentlemen! Dinner won’t be for a while and if you should
feel the need to—,” Talianus stifled a snicker, “freshen up, you may. There is
a fine room up these stairs, first hall on your right. The dining room is
behind me, and if you need anything before then, my throne room is the center
hall up the stairs. I hope you all have an appetite. I can promise you red, hot
meat falling off the bone and hearty ale. And lots of it!”
“I
can’t wait,” said Lennox.
Everyone
in the flight shot him a look.
“Good
man!” declared the king. “I hope the sentiment is shared by all, you’re just
too tired to express yourselves.”
There
were some general murmurs of agreement.
“Excellent!
I will send for you when dinner is ready.”
As
they ascended the stairs, Daven stole one last glance at Princess Talia who was
also looking at him. She quickly averted her gaze.
Down
the hall, they found a large bedroom that was well furnished with several large
beds, wooden dressers, chairs, a few small tables, and there was a large bath
next to the bedroom with several tubs and taps.
Flint
dropped his equipment by the closest bed and whipped off his cloak. He clapped
his hands together. “Alright, lads. While the king seems to be at great ease
with us, I think it highly advisable to bathe before dinner. And if these
dressers have any fresh clothes, you should change into them.”
“Yes,
Captain!” they responded.
Daven
put his quiver, bow, and falchion next to the bed across from Flint’s. As he
did so, he noticed an old book lying on the bedside table. “The Lone Warrior? Blimey. I’ve heard of
this ballad. It’s supposed to be a classic.”
“What
are you mumbling about?” asked Lennox, stripping off his clothes.
“Nothing.
Just an old book.”
“You
and reading. What have you ever gotten out of a book?”
“Well,
some of them are full of violent battles, loose wenches, gods cursing mortals
and then being destroyed by their own hubris.”
“Any
of that in there?”
“I
don’t think so.”
“Then
you should use it to wipe your ass. Well. I’m off for a bath.”
“For
gods’ sake!” cursed Daven. “Can’t you wait until you’re in the bath before
strutting around in the buff?”
“I
ain’t showing anything off that no one here hasn’t already seen,” said Lennox.
“Doesn’t
mean we enjoy seeing it.”
“Well,
you talk so much about pizzles, I thought you might like to see a real one.”
“You
mean like the one Brom has?”
“I
can’t even cross m’legs,” offered Brom.
“Whatever!”
As
Dragon took turns bathing, Daven sat on his bed and began reading. He became so
embroiled that Flint had to remind him to bathe and change his clothes. And
later, he reluctantly put down The Lone
Warrior when a servant arrived telling them supper was ready.
The
flight followed the servant down into the great hall where a sumptuous feast
had been laid out on an extensive table. Talianus took up the seat at the head
while Asselia sat at the other end with Talia and Asina sitting on either side
of her. Alezar and Flint sat on either side of Talianus with the rest of the
flight filling in whatever spots they wanted. It didn’t matter to the king.
Talianus
stood. “Gentlemen! My wife told me I
need to start off with a speech, otherwise I wouldn’t, so I’ll keep this short.
It gives me no small pleasure to see you all here tonight and I hope to hear of
some of your great battles! I hope this will be the start of a great alliance.
Now, tuck in!”
The
king sat down and they started eating. There were several kinds of roasted fowl
including turkey, pheasant, and quail, spits of pork and lamb, and plenty of
beef brisket. There was some bread, butter, and salt, but these were mostly
obscured by all the meat and pitchers of a fine honey ale. There was also a
dish made from an exotic kind of fish local to the Tranquil Bay called
Yellowfin. Adder said it tasted like tuna.
While
most of the flight enjoyed the feast, King Talianus kept Flint busy with
question after question about the kind of action he had seen. “Have you been in
many battles, Captain?”
“Yes,
sire. More than I can count.”
“What
was the most exciting?”
“Most
exciting? Uh… there weren’t any battles I would call exciting. But I was the
most anxious during the Battle of Grand River in the Peak Range in the Red
Mountains. Mostly because it was my first. I was about… fourteen at the time.”
“Fourteen?!
Ha! I was ten when I had my first kill. A troll, it was. A real mean and ugly
bastard! Huge, too. He tried to eat me, but instead of chewing, he tried to
swallow me whole! That was his fatal mistake as I still had my sword. I bet you
can guess what I did with that.”
“I
think I can imagine.”
“Ha!
Then there was that kelpie when I was fifteen. Tried to drown me. But I hit him
so hard with a rock I split its head wide open before it reached the water! Ha!
“I
started my barbarian career at thirteen. For twenty years, I raided and
pillaged, explored ancient caverns and slew great beasts and Gythraul.”
“Twenty
years?!”
“Aye!
Twenty years! Eleven out of twelve barbarians fail in their first six months.
That is to say they’re killed. Most barbarians also start later than I did.
Usually at sixteen. And! And! The average life expectancy of a barbarian…
twenty-five years old.”
Flint
gasped. “How exciting. The only thing I ever did that could compare is I once
shot a Dreadkite.”
“Dreadkite?!
You lucky bastard! I’ve always wanted one of their heads on my wall. But,
besides being a barbarian, I was also an assassin, mercenary, and thief in my
heyday. The second greatest thing I ever stole was this kingdom.”
“What
was the first?”
But
before the king could answer, a strange figure wandered into the great hall. It
carried such a dark aura about it that the torches dimmed and the air became
cold. The figure seemed to be a man, but he was clothed in tatters except for a
strange headdress that hid his face. The headdress was made from a strange sort
of animal hide laid over a skull with a great antlers attached.
“What
an outlandish form of dress,” remarked the king. “I quite like it!”
“Talianus,”
said Asselia in a worried voice. She and the princesses were the closest to the
stranger. “Please do something.”
“Very
well.” The king strode over to the far side of the table. “Stranger! I don’t
know who you are, but you certainly leave an impression. I’d be happy if you
joined us for dinner. There’s plenty for all. But I’m going to have to ask you
to remove the antlers. Makes the little women nervous.”
“Makes
me nervous, too,” whispered Lennox.
“Yeah,
same here,” added Daven. He looked again at Princess Talia and his legs wanted
to move in her direction.
The
stranger suddenly spoke in a gnarled hiss. “King Talianus. The end is coming
for you, your kingdom, and all of your kin. Recant the sins of your ancestors
and serve King Jeremy as a faithful slave. Or face obliteration.”
The
king appeared to think about this for a second. Then he drew his sword
prompting all the guards to lower their lances at the stranger.
“I
have considered your proposal and methinks it to be horse shit! Tell your king
that he faces heroes and champions here. We will not be intimidated by a child!
So he can either face obliteration by the combined forces of the Kingdom of
Talian and the Company of Flight, or he can bugger off in peace.”
“Peace…?
There will be no peace. Only… destruction!” The stranger lifted his face and
through some sort of spell, everyone in the hall saw his fiery red eyes.
Alezar
leapt from his chair and raised his staff enclosing the stranger in a blue orb.
“Everyone stand back!”
The
stranger lifted an urn above his head and smashed it with a rock pouring oil
all over himself. “Only destruction.” He produced a red stone that burst into
flame engulfing him entirely. “When the Black Moon rises, bows will break,
swords will melt, shields will shatter, and you’ll all be sacrificed.
Everything dies. Death unites us. The Black Moon calls...” A horrible cackling
echoed through the hall still coming from the stranger, but also from
everywhere and nowhere.
“Alezar!”
commanded Talianus.
Alezar
shrunk the orb until it was the size of a marble and when he broke the spell,
only a pile of ash remained on the floor.
The
great hall was silent for a while until Asina screamed and fainted.
Talianus
looked angry. “Someone clean this up now! And take my daughter to her room.”
Two
guards attended to Asina while a servant swept up the ashes.
“Alezar?”
The
wizard looked thoughtful for a second. “Hold your questions for now, sire. I
need to check on the wards around the castle and city.” Alezar exited the hall.
“I
think I will also excuse myself for the night,” said Princess Talia, leaving.
Everything
became quiet and it wasn’t long after that that dinner came to an unceremonious
end. The king had lost his jolly mood for a pensive one, and so Dragon excused
themselves back to their room.
***
Deep
within the recesses of the castle, Alezar had gotten hold of the ashes of the
stranger before they had been disposed of. He went to work in his laboratory
preparing a magical mixture in a small, bubbling cauldron that he hoped would
reveal something about the stranger.
Princess
Talia joined him soon after. “Master?”
“Ah,
Talia. Come in.”
“Do
you know something?” she asked.
“Possibly.
Do you know something?”
“Possibly.”
“You
go first,” said Alezar. “It will take me a while to prepare this potion.”
“Well,”
began Talia, “in my meditations and card readings, I’ve seen some strange
things.”
“What
sorts of things?”
“I’m
not really sure. In my visions, I see a child with a dark shadow cast over him.
And in my readings, the Puppetmaster and Marionette keep appearing. I think
King Jeremy isn’t what he appears.”
“Seems
that way,” confirmed Alezar. “But let’s check scientifically.”
Alezar
added the ash to the potion and waited. The liquid turned a sickly brown before
becoming a black sludge. Alezar pulled a wand out of his robes and tapped the
cauldron. There was a flash and black smoke rose from the cauldron taking the
form of a strange creature. Alezar’s face dropped.
“What
is that thing?” asked Talia, feeling chilled.
“A
Dark Beast.”
“A
Dark Beast?”
“Yes.
They have the body, head, and antlers of an elk, a wolf’s claws, a monstrous
mouth, and a ferocious attitude. I had believed them all to be extinct. They
had only one origin—the dark sorcerer, Lord Zagan. But he’s been dead since the
early Second Age. And no one, not even my master, knew how to create them. It
required a magic so dark that only Lord Zagan was believed to know how. He was
evil incarnate.”
“Do
you think King Jeremy and Lord Zagan are connected?”
“Possibly.
King Jeremy may have found a way to learn the sorcerer’s tricks. What a young
boy though has to have done in his short lifetime to be able to summon such
monsters…” Alezar stopped and shivered. “I’d rather not think about it.”
Alezar
and Talia were quiet for a while.
Talia
asked, “What can we do?”
“I
don’t know. But, I did notice some dusty footprints in the great hall that I
believe were from the stranger. I collected some of the dust so I can analyze
it. It may give us a clue.”
Alezar
scooped the dust off his table into his hand and sprinkled it on his crystal
ball. He stared into it. When nothing happened, he began to chant in Arcana.
Finally, he snapped too and startled Talia.
“Master?”
“Interesting.
The dust seems to be a mixture of dwarvish rust, which only occurs on dwarvish
steel, and sea salt. Given these two elements, there’s only one location that
this hints at.”
“The
Ruins of Cu-tor.”
“Correct.
But…”
“That
isn’t very far from Talian.”
“No,
it isn’t. Only about a week’s ride south of here.”
“I
thought King Jeremy was supposed to be located in Dunragit.”
“Perhaps
he is and Cu-tor is only where the stranger is from.”
“From
the ruins?” said Talia incredulously.
“Perhaps
he was a prospector or archaeologist,” said Alezar hurriedly. “But exploration
of the old tunnels could still yield something.”
“I’ll
tell father immediately!”
“Talia,
wait! I don’t think it will do much good to tell your father. This isn’t much
of a lead. I would personally advise your father against sending any agents to
investigate it. He needs all the men he can get. And the time would be better
used to bolster Talian’s defenses.”
Talia
looked helpless for a second. Then she became determined. “I’ll go.”
“What?!”
“I’ll
go. If there’s any chance at all that this can help us defeat King Jeremy, I
don’t want to waste it.”
“You
don’t know what’s out there though! You could be killed!”
“Better
to die looking for a chance to live than to die just waiting for it! Besides, I
wasn’t going to sit in my room and wait for the end anyway.”
“It
was your father’s plan to send you, Asina, and your mother away.”
“I
know. I wasn’t going to do it. I was going to fight in the battle, one way or
another.”
“But
you’re not a warrior. You have only had preliminary training.”
“Regardless,
I can’t turn my back on Talian. I love Talian and its people. I won’t run. I’m
going to Cu-tor and you can’t stop me.”
“I
know,” surrendered Alezar.
They
were quiet for a while. Then as Talia turned to leave, Alezar spoke again.
“But, if you are going, you should take some help.”
“Who
could possibly help me?”
“Cazzo.”
“I’m
not taking Cazzo. His favorite activity is deflowering our temple virgins. How
he hasn’t been cursed yet is beyond me. And just imagine what he’ll try with
me.”
Alezar
thought for a second. Then he looked up. “There is a member among the Company
of Flight.”
“The
young archer. With the dragon’s head emblem around his neck.”
“That’s
a broadhead,” corrected Alezar. “Not an emblem.”
“Huh?”
“Never
mind. But, yes. Daven is his name. He seems intelligent. Possibly as
intelligent as you. And if he’s a member of Dragon, he must be good in a fight.
Try to recruit him.”
“Try?
No. He’s coming with me whether he likes it or not.” Talia rushed off to the
flight’s quarters.
Alezar
sighed. “By the Flow that connects all things, please keep her safe."
***
On the magical world of Majestia, the child sorcerer King Jeremy the Wicked threatens to sacrifice the kingdom of Talian to the ominous Black Moon as his prelude to universal conquest. Talia, the princess of Talian, learns through divination that King Jeremy is not all he seems and sets out to discover the secrets behind his evil. To aide her, she enlists the help of the mercenary Daven, a member of the archery corps known as the Company of Flight.
Along the way, they encounter twisted monsters, mad mages, a draconic demigod, and a wacky sorceress. Stumbling their way through adventure, romance, and evil, Daven and Talia forge their legend as they become the first in a new crop of Heroes of Majestia.
Inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Glen Cook, and HP Lovecraft, Bryan C. Laesch has created a unique and entertaining fantasy series. A new legend has begun.
If you enjoyed this excerpt from Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight, you can purchase it
on Amazon. Available in both Kindle and paperback editions.
