Book 2 Chapter 29

The atmosphere within the palace grounds was tense as they were led through to the same meeting hall they had first met in. There was an unhidden hostility among their escorts and the guards they passed along the way, a burning anger and blame that left the trio confused. As they entered, the guards arranged themselves around the room, watching them carefully.

Within the room was King Agir… He sat at the table, his head in his hands as he gently massaged his temples. As they came in he looked up, and Nerida was shocked at the pain and fury she saw there. His hair and beard were only the start, being even more of a mess than usual. Dark bags lay under red-stained eyes as he looked up at her. “Nerida …” he muttered, his voice hoarse.

“Oh, Agir…” Nerida whispered in response, her eyes watering at his haggard appearance. She tried to approach him, wanting to comfort her oldest friend. But his face suddenly twisted, and he slammed his fist into the table as he glared.

“Where. Is. My. Son?” He growled, his voice shaking under the barely contained emotion. Nerida froze under his gaze, unable to move under its pressure.

Agir might have been young but there was no doubt he was a true ruler. The weight of his anger sat on the room like a thick cloud, making even Tirr nervous. Tirr acknowledged the fear was ridiculous, even without Garm his power should be more than enough to handle the guards and priests around them, let alone this one man...

Yet the look in Agir’s eyes still scared him… They seem to promise that if they fought, he would spend every second of his remaining life doing everything he could to make them suffer. That even if they stopped him in this life, he would find some way to strike at them in the next. It was the look of insanity…

“Agir?” Nerida questioned, confused why her old friend would turn such a look at her.

“You…” He said like a curse… “You pushed harder than anyone for this visit Nerida… You did everything to make this work, to bring them here… You went on and on about your god and how great it would be for the country. And so they arrived, and you waited on them hand and foot…” His voice broke as he tears spilled down his cheeks.

“And now my beloved wife is dead, her body a charred corpse, burned by the same country you worked to bring here… And my son is gone, stolen from this palace, the most guarded place in all of Lutel… What am I supposed to think Nerida?”

“Agir… you’re in pain, and you look like you haven’t slept. Let me help you get cleaned up and get some rest…” She started forward again, but once more the fist cracked down onto the table. With enough force that even from a distance they could hear his fingers as they fractured.

The young king didn’t seem to feel it though as he roared, “I DON’T NEED SLEEP! I DON’T NEED REST. I NEED MY SON AND WIFE BACK!” He stopped, coughing from the force of his own rage before continuing in a soft voice. “Tell me why I shouldn’t believe you’re a part of this… Why I shouldn’t have you killed right here, no matter the cost?”

“Agir I didn’t even know what had happened until the guards at the dock picked us up. We were all at the island…”

“Convenient isn’t it…” Agir whispered as he rubbed his burning eyes. “You just happened to be out on the day of such an attack, giving you the perfect alibi.” His voice was accusatory as he looked at her, “The same with the princess, of all the opportunities someone could have used. They waited until we were in a meeting to strike. Am I supposed to fall for such an obvious trick?”

“Agir that’s insane! You’re not thinking straight… Why would I do that? Why would anyone do that? If the princess knew about it why risk putting herself in the position to be immediately captured and why would we return at all? None of that makes sense…”

“That’s…” The King replied, his voice now unsure as if he doubted his own thoughts.

Nerida sensed her chance and stepped forward again, this time, the King did not stop her as she approached and held him. “Agir...”

It seemed to push the haggard young man over the edge. He started to weep, clutching his old friend as strangled sobs broke from him. They stayed like that for minutes, simply holding each other as they cried. The others in the room turned their eyes, feeling as if they were somehow intruding in this intimate moment.

Finally, he broke away, looking up at her as he did so. “I need to find my son Nerida, I need to make the people who did this pay… Even if the Princess wasn’t a part of this, Rasor must pay…”

“I don’t think Rasor did this…” Tirr cut in, approaching where Agir sat at the table, “At least not directly…”

“There was an assassin we ran into in Rasor that was from the Merchant’s Confederation who went by the name Reaper.” Tirr gave a brief overview of the events, cutting some details as he did. “I thought I might have seen him when we first arrived, but I’m sure I saw him today…”

“The Reaper…” Agir muttered to himself, his mind thinking. He had heard of the name and the reputation behind it, but he soon gently shook his head. “No, the damage done could only have been done by Rasor, even if the Reaper helped them break in, It had to have been Rasor who hired him.”

“Let us find out then.” Tirr replied, “We can find him and find out what he knows. He may even be able to lead us to your son…”

Agir went silent at Tirr’s suggestion…

“Agir,” Nerida said gently with a hand on the King’s shoulder, “Please… let us help you…”

“Fine, I’ll release you to go look for this reaper…” Agir said with a sigh, before standing with a determined look. “But it won’t change what I must do…”

“What are you saying Agir?” She asked confused…

“The Water Conclave as had a unanimous vote and I’ve given my approval as well… The armies hurry to ready themselves as we speak.” He turned his back to them as he clenched his broken fist.

“In three days, we march on Rasor with all of our strength, and if my son isn’t returned to me, we’ll kill their Princess and fight to the last man to end this war once and for all…”