Lasaro

I inspected the sword that the prince had given to me as a gift. I had been happy to receive such a precious artefact from the prince’s own armory. I remembered reading of this sword when I was a youth. ‘Cleave’ was said to have been wielded by a champion of the gods, the blade itself a tear shed by its maker.

The blade was said to have many powers, but only a champion could unlock them.

‘You arranged for this to be given to me,’ I said.

‘Of course, I don’t want my champion to go into battle empty-handed,’ my god replied.

‘And what of your other champion?’

‘She has yet to be given her gift. A fool lost it in the sea six years ago and so it never made it to her hands. That’s what I get for trusting a mortal.’

‘And yet you trust me?’

I heard my god sigh in my mind. It was a lyrical sound and I would have thought it beautiful if I didn’t fear her.

‘You must join my new handmaidens. Lemuete is gathering his strength for a new assault. I’m sending them a message that they need to go to Geyser in North Hold. From there I will send one of them to gather your counterpart.’

‘Why can’t I go myself or at least slay this abomination by myself?’ I asked.

‘Because what you face is no simple demon. He is why gods no longer possess mortals and instead create champions.’

‘Who was he?’

‘Does it matter? You know him as Lemuete, knowing who he was won’t give you any power over him.’

I put the sword in its sheath and attached it to my side.

Knowing the demon’s true identity may not give me power, but it would let me know what strategies may not work against it. I looked forward to this battle. The warrior spirit was in my blood. My father, even as a lord, had led skirmishes against the Landwalkers over the years. He had hoped to have many sons to continue his tradition, but his wife, my step-mother, could only bear him daughters. My father loved my sisters, but he did not wish them to bloody their hands.

He met my mother by chance and was immediately infatuated with her. I was born nine months later to much rejoicing by my father. He made my mother his paramour hoping that she would bear him more sons, but I was to be the only one. My mother died in childbirth, losing too much blood as she tried to push my sister into the world.

I didn’t miss her. Was it because I had been so young when she passed away? Was trying to bear another son worth her death? I didn’t hate my father, it wasn’t his fault that my mother had passed away, but if he had never laid with her, maybe she would still be alive.

At least he did not blame my sister for our mother’s death. Even now he doted on her almost as much as he did with me. This showed me that he had had some sort of affection toward my mother and did not merely see her as breeding stock.

I went to stand in front of the body length mirror. My hair, like the white of bone, fell to my waist. Most of the time I kept it in a braid with blue and green beads, the colors of High Hold. I noticed that I now looked more like my father than I had before when my hair had been brown like my mother’s. My eyes looked more silver today, no longer the hazel that they were before my god took notice of me.

I wondered if I would regain my previous features. The color of death made everyone uneasy around me. If I was to find a wife among these people, I did not want her to fear me. At this point though, with my duty to my god and my duty to my province, I couldn’t entertain thoughts of marriage. Nadir was still in turmoil after my appointment at the Illustrious. I yet did not know who was an ally, and who was merely biding their time to see where to put their allegiance.

It was quite possible that the nobles may try an uprising with their armies. I knew that my father would probably pledge his loyalty to me despite liking the previous Illustrious that I had executed. I could not rely on my half-sisters and their husbands because they sided with my step-mother on most issues. I was just a bastard in their eyes, no matter that I now held more noble titles and political clout than anyone in all of Nadir.

War was coming. I could sense the tension of it in the air, the cold breath of death held at bay by beating hearts, waiting for the first blow to fall to shatter our false sense of peace. Those south of the holds along the Forbidden Line did not know all of the horrors that transpired along it. Though it had been over a decade since an all-out battle between Landwalker and Waterfolk, it wouldn’t be long before the fighting started again.

After the abomination died would we find peace with our land cousins? The thought seemed insanity at this point, but the prince believed it could be achieved. Could I trust in his foolish dream? He had given me my titles and treated me as an equal. Could I betray his trust?

I glanced at the eyes of my reflection and tried to imagine myself as someone who would betray their prince. While it was a possibility, I had no reason to. The prince had done nothing against me, so for now I would remain loyal.

There was a knock at my door.

'It's your advisor Lord Breem. He has a message from your father,' my god said.

I opened the outer door to my quarters and found Lord Breem standing there with several slips of paper in his hands. He bowed quickly and when he straightened he looked at my right ear; even he was afraid to meet my eyes.

"Yes?"

"Eminence, I have a letter from your father, it's quite urgent."

I stood to the side of the door and waved him inside. As he passed I signed to my guards that he was not a threat; even if he was my god had given me the strength and constitution to overpower him.

My advisor handed me the papers. After reading the first few lines my jaw clenched and my hands wrinkled the papers. "The fool," I said.

My father had been injured and now my brother-in-laws would be fighting to rule over High Hold because my father had not named an heir. We could not afford to lose anyone in senseless fighting when we were so close to war. Logic dictated that the Hold would go to my eldest sister, but the man she had married was an ill fit as lord of the Hold. A skilled tactician was needed in dealing with the skirmishes.

I could step in as the Illustrious and name my own candidate as lord, but the resentment from my family may lead to an uprising from my step-mother's side of the family. I, myself, could not step in to rule both High Hold and all of Nadir.

If only my father had named an heir after I had become the Illustrious. Was he hoping that I would wed soon and father a potential candidate? Illustrious was not a hereditary title like lord or Eminence so my offspring had little chance of becoming one after my time ended.

The option open to me at the moment was to pressure my father into naming an heir before he passed.

I continued to read the rest of the paper. "Tempest and waves!" I cursed as I reached the next part of the letter. My father had already named my full blood sister as his heir. He feared what his son-in-laws would do to her if left unattended. They weren't above kidnapping and murder. They may even try to pressure her into marrying one of their brothers.

In his letter my father pleaded for me to protect my sister from our family. Even my step-mother could not be trusted to care for my sister. I would need to send guards that I trusted to protect her, but I did not have any. Some resented me after the execution, but to speak out against the prince and to threaten him was treason and punishable by death.

The only one I trusted to keep my sister safe was myself, but to remove her from High Hold was to retreat from my in-laws. Was I overthinking this?

'Send her to the capital if you're worried about her. I will influence the prince to have his household care for her. Your father is not close to death at the moment.'

I could guess what was left unspoken.

"Lord Breem, prepare an escort for my sister Lucia from High Hold to my palace. From here she will need to go to the capital. Make these arrangements now and make sure to send a strong guard."

"Yes, Eminence," Lord Breem said bowing. "Do you want to send any gifts or medicine to your father?"

"No, I will visit him myself."

"But, Eminence, you have not finished choosing your new advisors. A council cannot function without all of its members. There is also the matter of appointing a new chief physician."

"I understand my duties, my father trained me himself. I have already chosen who I want," I replied and went to my desk. I handed two documents with my new seal to my advisor. He looked them over and nodded his head.

"These are good choices, I will notify them immediately."

"Thank you."

My advisor left my quarters and I let myself calm down. There was nothing I could do to make my father well again, but I could protect his interests as his son.

I noted the time and realized I would be late for my next meeting. I was supposed to ratify a new trade deal with Sterling Province. I liked the Illustrious of Sterling and looked forward to meeting the other Illustrious and Illustria of the other provinces.

As I walked down the hallway followed by my guard I saw the daughter of the previous Illustrious, Lady Sirena. Her eyes looked red, but she held her head high as she walked down the hallway. Her personal maid flanked her, head down and eyes to the floor. I noticed a bruise forming on the maid’s cheek.

I moved to the side and as they passed placed my arm down like a barrier causing the maid to run into it. She jumped back then looked at me with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, Eminence,” she said in a small voice and quickly bowed. Lady Sirena bowed stiffly beside her.

“Please forgive my maid. She’s clumsy,” Lady Sirena said coolly.

I ignored her and lifted the maid’s chin. She flinched under my touch, but met my eyes. “How were you hurt?” I asked.

“I hit my head on a table this morning.”

“See, it was an accident. If you’re done with us, we have an engagement to attend.”

I noticed that the maid had looked away when Sirena had said accident. I put my arm around the maid’s shoulder. “I think you can attend without her.”

Anger flared in Sirena’s eyes and her whole body stiffened. “You may have replaced my father as Illustrious, but you do not rule over me!”

“If I do not rule over you, then you may move to another province or the capital,” I said calmly.

“This is my home! I can’t leave it.”

“Then you will obey me or I will have you exiled.”

“What, you’re not going to cut off my head like you did to my father?”

“Your father threatened the life of our sovereign.”

Sirena slapped me. “I’ve attacked you, are you going to cut off my head now?”

“Paulo, escort Lady Sirena to her room. She is under arrest until I find a suitable punishment for her.” Sirena lunged toward me and I watched as she slipped a blade from her sleeve and buried in my abdomen. I released the maid and grabbed the noble’s wrists and twisted them until she lost her grip on the blade. My hair began to glow as my aural presence filled the air around me. Sirena’s eyes rolled back in her head as she was stunned. I caught her as she fell and gently lowered her to the floor before pulling out the knife and handing it to Paulo. “Take her away now before she wakes up. Keep this as evidence,” I said. Paulo looked gray as he picked up Sirena and took the blade from my hand.

“I’m so sorry, Eminence. I should have been faster!”

My other guard kneeled and bowed his head. “Eminence, I’m at fault as well. We should never have allowed Lady Sirena to get so close to you. Do you want to us to take the maid as well?”

I looked at the woman shivering and gasping beside me. Her fingers were curled against her chin as tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes darted rapidly from my wound to her lady and back.

‘I think you were excessive in your use of force,’ my god said.

I frowned. I thought I had used the least amount of force to subdue the noble and not cause unnecessary harm. I didn’t know what the lasting effects would be on her mind since I had directed the force toward her. I had been practicing this skill for several weeks so that I could hone my focus and not affect my allies.

‘Why didn’t you warn me that she was going to attack?’ My side throbbed with pain that felt as if a thousand needles were now embedded in my organs.

I could sense a mental shrug. ‘You would not come to fatal harm; I see no point in telling you everything. If you want your future read ask the Stone God.’

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead took the maid’s hands in my own and checked her eyes to see if she had suffered any metaphysical harm. ‘Do you find it amusing when I am harmed?’

‘Not particularly. I’ve witnessed worst acts then this and by worse people than she.’

‘Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of me or am I expendable?’ I replied angrily. I handed the maid and handkerchief and watched as she wiped her face. “Come with me,” I said aloud. I looked at my men. “You can apologize to me by keeping better vigilance.”

“Yes, Eminence,” they replied. They checked the maid for weapons before we continued down the hall.

‘Every mortal body is expendable, but you as a mortal cannot complete your task if you’re dead. If I foresee anything fatal I will warn you,’ she replied. Arms as white as sheep’s wool, that only I could see, wrapped around me. I felt her chin rest on my left shoulder as she turned her face into my ear. ‘You may be one of millions of souls, but you are special to me. I will not let you die easily.’ She disappeared between the blink of my eyes as if she had never been beside me.

I realized at that moment that I was holding the maid’s hand. I released her while feeling embarrassed about my inattentiveness toward my surroundings. What if my other nobles had seen such a display? Would they then target this woman? I had my god to protect me, but she only had her Grace. It was better for me to keep my distance than to tempt ill luck.

“What is your name?” I asked the woman while keeping my eyes focused on the end of the hall.

“I’m Estela.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Does your head hurt?”

“No, Eminence.”

“How long have you worked for Lady Sirena?”

“Two years now.”

I looked back and when I heard the tremble in her voice. Her eyes were looking at the floor as she shuffled just behind me. “And how has it been working for her?”

“She’s a good person!”

I halted and turned around. Estela shrank back and half turned away from me. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you,” I said placing my hands up in a placating way. “Tell me why she’s a good person?” She bit her lip and began twisting her dress in her hands. “Please? You won’t be punished.”

She sighed. “She was forced to attack you. She was protecting me.”

“Protecting you from what?”

“Lord Conrado, her brother. He… likes me. When I refused him, he struck me and she jumped between us. He struck her here,” Estela said placing her hand over her belly. “He said that he would leave us alone if she killed you.” Her eyes lifted and she looked at me with wide and pleading eyes. “He wanted to be Illustrious after his father. He said he had supporters in the capital, but when you were made Illustrious…they gave him an ultimatum…”

“My life for their support… And what of you, were you supposed to kill me if she failed?”

“No! I begged her not to do it!”

‘She’s telling the truth. Conrado wants you dead. He’s plotting with a few nobles.’

‘Can you tell me who?’

‘No one you don’t already suspect. You should go to your healer.’

‘I’ll be fine. Let me deal with this and the treaty first.’ I sensed her displeasure with my actions. “Estela, when Paulo returns I will have him escort you to your quarters. For now you will stay by my side.”

“Yes, Eminence,” she said bowing. I could see the hope in her eyes despite the fear that she displayed. I hid my wince as I turned to continue down the hall.

Lord Aedel sat waiting patiently for me in my conference room. His advisors were whispering among each other while mine sat silently as I entered the room. They all stood and bowed toward me. “Eminence Lasaro, we were beginning to worry about you,” Lord Aedel said as he waited for me to sit down at the table.

I gingerly lowered myself into my chair and accepted a glass of wine from one of the servants.

‘No poison.’

I sipped from the cup and let the flavor rest on my tongue before swallowing. “I had a matter to resolve on my way here. Don’t worry, it hasn’t affected my thoughts on our deal.”

Aedel smiled and seated himself. He motioned to the man beside him who then slid the document across the table to my advisors. They read over it, checking for errors and ambiguous text while I kept myself interested in my wine.

“May I ask why there is blood on your robe?” Lord Aedel said as he watched me carefully.

I smiled and set the glass down. “I was stabbed by a lovely young lady. Thankfully for her she has poor aim and little strength.” I watched the shock pass over the faces of the men in the room as they looked at me then at Estela, some probably recognizing her as Lady Sirena’s personal maid. “Oh, it wasn’t her. No need to fear,” I said waving my hand.

“Eminence, don’t you think you should see a healer?” one of my advisors said.

I shook my head. “This comes first.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

The document changed hands before being placed in front of me. I read it over one last time before placing my signature and seal on the document as well as its copy.

“I look forward to doing more business with you,” I said to Lord Aedel. I stood up and felt my head spin. I took a deep breath then looked at my advisors. “You are excused for the day.”

“Thank you, Eminence.”

Everyone stood then bowed as I made my way to the door. The edges of my vision had begun to gray and the pain had moved to my lungs. Paulo was waiting for me outside the conference room. “Take Estela to her quarters and go find Henio. Aster, we are returning to my quarters.”

“I’m sorry,” Estela said as she passed me. I patted her shoulder.

“Everything will be fine,” I said.

When I reached my bedroom, I collapsed onto my uninjured side. Sweat dripped from my brow as I struggled to breathe.

‘You should have gone to a healer sooner.’

‘Will I die?’

‘No.’

‘Then it doesn’t matter. I can endure a little pain for my people.’ The bed shifted beneath me and I found my head in her lap. I was always surprised by how warm she felt. Her white robes felt like a cool mist against my fevered brow. She placed a hand over my wound and the pain lessened.

‘The blade was poisoned.’

‘Why are you telling me this now?’

‘I expected you to figure it out on your own. You didn’t notice that the pain was different from the last time you were stabbed?’

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. ‘No, it’s just pain to me.’

‘A lesser man would be dead by now. Poor Lasaro, who are you trying to impress?’

I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. For me, my people’s well-being and safety came first. My father taught me that a ruler lived for his people and died for his people. I had watched my father sit through a meeting while a deadly fever raged in his body. The meeting was to decide how much money to spend on new medications for the villages and farms of High Hold during the plague that had swept through it.

The treasurer had felt loathed to give up any coin. My father had stood up, cheeks flushed and sweat beading on his grayed brow, and struck the man across the cheek with his fan. “I will not let my people die over a piece of metal!” he had shouted at the man before curling over in a fit of coughs.

Seeing his determination as he lingered at death’s door had inspired me to be a better man.

My people came first.

Henio knocked on my door. I lifted my head weakly from the sweat pool that had gathered in my sheets. “Poison,” I whispered to him. He scanned my body with his eyes before helping me out of my robes and exposing the wound that was still weeping fluid.

“Guards! I need your help!” my physician said as he saw the wound. They entered the room quickly. “I need you to hold down the Eminence. I need to cut into his wound and drain the infected blood.” They did as directed and a roll of cloth was shoved into my mouth.

Stars flashed before my eyes as I felt the sharp sting of the surgeon blade in my flesh. My guards struggled to hold me down as I fought against the pain. Even with their combined weight I nearly threw them off of me before my god knelt at my head and touched my temples. The pain faded and I sank deeper into my bed.

I was drained and had a poultice applied to my wound before I was made to swallow a foul and chalky potion. “This should counteract the poison. If you had come to me any later you would have died,” Henio said as he packed his supplies. “And where were you?” he asked my servant.

I could see the boy sulking on the edge of my vision. “I was preparing the wardrobe for tomorrow,” he replied.

“Your master was left dying in his room alone while you were worrying over clothes! Imagine if the guards had never come for me, imagine if they never heard him call for help. He is your responsibility and you almost let him die!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry doesn’t bring back the dead. Remember your duties, the guards are not the only one responsible for his safety. Do better.”

“Yes, Sir,” he said in a soft voice. Henio brushed passed him and out the door. I waved the boy over with a crook of my finger.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” I said weakly. “I should have sought treatment sooner.” I gave him a weak smile to which he only nodded.

“I apologize, Eminence. I was so worried about how you would be represented tomorrow, that I didn’t think to check on you.”

“Well, then you can do me a favor. Go with Paulo and bring Lady Sirena and her maid Estela to me. I need to speak with them.”

My servant bowed. “Yes, Eminence.”

I closed my eyes after he left and covered them with my arm. A sigh escaped my lips as my side throbbed.

‘You’re very lenient with that boy.’

‘It’s not entirely his fault. He’s young and inexperienced as a personal attendant.’

‘Well it won’t be such a problem once you have my handmaidens at your side.’

‘Will I have time to escort my sister to the capital before we meet?’

‘No, not if you want to save lives.’

I gritted my teeth. The people came first.