Chapter Eleven - Kingly Wisdom

Age of Stewards – Year 584 of the Second Age

Adric swayed on the spot as the room came back into focus. The image of the past, which was, moments ago, so clear it could be real, had faded to a dense fog before his vision blacked out, and the scene of Thale’s office began coming back into focus. Amos put a hand on Adric’s shoulder.

“How do you feel?” Amos asked him. Adric said nothing but sighed. He put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. He felt tired, dizzy, and slightly nauseous. “Have a seat,” Amos suggested. Adric did so. Having witnessed that scene from centuries ago, it suddenly became very strange to see Amos standing before him. He didn’t look as though he had aged a single day.

“What happened to King Osa?” Adric asked. Why he chose this to be his first question, he did not know, except that Lorlea was now under stewardship as well as Alldel. The curiosity was there.

“King Osa of Lorlea died of natural causes not long after that event. He left no heir to the throne. That is why he passed Shadowsong to his most trusted commander, Ardis. I believe it was his wish for a new line of kings to begin with Ardis upon his death, and a better choice one could not have made. However, Ardis was also killed only a few short years later in the same battle that took the life of King Wystan. It is no simple feat to establish a new line of kings, and with the war beginning, Lorlea had not yet established Ardis as the official King of Lorlea. When he died, Lorlea was left in ruin. I helped to establish the line of stewards, and they have ruled since.

“They haven’t attempted to establish a new king in all these years?”

“No. Lorlea was not as fortunate with their line of stewards as Alldel has been. The stewardship of Lorlea is corrupt. I would not go so far as to say they are evil or even to say they are enemies. But they are, indeed, corrupt. The level of corruption is such that it has prevented any establishment of monarchy in Lorlea. A sad development in their history,” Amos said. Adric nodded. He had heard the stories of corruption in Lorlea but had never really thought much of it. Lorlea appeared to be so prosperous, it never occurred to him they would be struggling with that kind of problem in their government.

“What was it that Wystan wanted to talk about after Seevus left?” Adric asked. Amos smiled.

“And now, we have come to it,” he said. “Truth be told, Wystan had outsmarted everyone at that table that day. Seevus was so wrapped up in fear that Alldel would possess more of the soul stones than Rhodhinia, while in actuality, he already did.”

“Alldel had more stones?”

“Alldel had more pieces of the single stone they found,” Amos corrected. Adric’s mind immediately flickered to the whisper stones. Could they be?

“When he had me construct Dawnwood, he instructed me to cut away only a third of the stone to use for its magic source. I warned him that this could impact the effectiveness of the staff if we built it this way, but he insisted. It was his belief that the mass of the stone had no effect on the power it could channel. He believed the power that could be harnessed by the stone was limited only to the wielder’s ability,” Amos stopped for a second, and then he laughed.

“What?” Adric asked, bemused.

“He was absolutely right. Dawnwood, by far, had the smallest of stones mounted into it, and it was no less powerful than any of the others.”

“So, that means…” Amos began to nod at Adric’s conclusion.

“Alldel still has an unrefined soul stone under lock and key, yes.” Amos finished

“If that’s true, why don’t we craft more like Dawnwood?” Adric looked at Thale for support. “Why can’t we just make more staffs? Would that not create strength in numbers?”

“You could be right, of course. But remember, we are trying to abolish the staffs, not to build more. Besides, imagine if you hand Seevus or Roman even more weapons. No, it’s best to leave that idea alone. Creating the staffs was the biggest mistake the world has ever made.”

“I thought you said King Wystan was the wisest king you have ever known. And you said that he saved the stone to be reused. If you trust him so much, why double back now?” Amos looked over at Thale, and Thale stood to open a tall cabinet by the wall.

He brought over a highly polished, dark wooden box. The box was about the length of Adric’s arm and sealed shut with two golden latches, one on either side of the front. Thale placed the box in front of Adric and opened the latches.

Inside, was a gleaming sword, its hilt a combination of gold and leather. Adric knew from experience that this was a masterpiece of metalworking. A small ruby was set in place at the base of the handle. Adric reached for the sword and lifted it from the box. It was very heavy. As a blacksmith, Adric could see that the sword was very well made, indeed. The blade, which was tempered skillfully, was still as sharp as any new sword out of Adric’s shop. He balanced the sword on his finger at the intersection between blade and hilt. There was no question that this sword was perfectly balanced, a truly remarkable piece of craftsmanship; a sword fit for a king.

Adric examined it front to back. He even gave it a quick swing. It was as he thrust the sword forward, that he noticed an engraving on the underside of the handle. The initial was carved neatly.

W.

“This was King Wystan’s sword?” He said without hesitation.

“Yes.” Amos smiled. “Forged by the alchemists in the halls of the Socerian palace more than five hundred years ago.”

“By alchemists…” Adric whispered to himself as he ran a finger over the initial. “But then, that means… the ruby in this sword must be a part of the whole. This ruby is one of the soul stones!” He held the ruby up to the light as if to see something through its center.

“Correct. You’re quite right when you say King Wystan wanted to reuse the stone. But Wystan did not, nor did he ever have in mind to recreate the Staff of Alldel. No, I think your grandfather would have dismissed that idea just as quickly as me. Instead, he made this sword. And there is yet more soul stone left untapped. There is more magic in Alldel than any other nation. That was seen to personally by King Wystan.”

“But, what’s the difference? I mean, either way, we have an item empowered by the stones.” Adric placed the sword back in the box as he spoke.

“The difference, Adric, is that the sword is only a sword unless it touches magic of its kind. Look at my staff,” Amos handed the Socerian staff to Adric. “See the helical lines crisscrossing throughout the shaft? Those are alchemical alloys called aritium that are woven together. They bind the user together with the stone. Without them, no magic can be focused through the stone by the wielder,” Amos took the staff back from Adric. “The sword has no such alchemical alloys woven throughout its makeup. It is simply a sword. The ruby does serve a purpose. It will not allow magic to penetrate the sword upon contact,” Amos smiled, but Adric still did not understand. He shook his head.

“These swords can neutralize any attack made by the staffs. If I were to take my staff and attack you with it, a normal sword would shatter on the spot. But this sword can negate the effects of my staff. You see the brilliance behind it, don’t you? Seevus could have attacked full force with Heartsbane, but as long as Wystan possessed this sword, Seevus was still only a man. He could no more survive a blade to the heart than we could, and this sword completely nullified Seevus’ magic. This sword can defend its wielder against the onslaught of the Staff of Rhodhinia. But it could also destroy the staff’s holder as well.”

“So, why is he still alive? Why hasn’t someone already finished the work?”

“Because Seevus sought out a new power. Heartsbane is no longer the primary threat to Alldel. Greedy and devious has Seevus is, he found a new power. Seevus managed to find two additional fragments of soul stone in his land. We do not know who refined them or how they did what they did. What we do know is that they were refined far more efficiently than Soceria managed to refine the staffs. These earrings are connected directly to Seevus. He does not require an alchemical alloy to wield magic through them. With this level of efficiency, even this sword does not stand a chance. As long as Seevus is fused with the stones he had made, the stones will continue to animate his body regardless of how much damage is inflicted on that body. Seevus cannot die a physical death by a physical weapon. It does not help that Seevus is under the constant protection of another force which, I am sorry to say, has thwarted our every attempt against them.”

“What force?” Adric asked.

“They call themselves, the necraphym.” Alarm bells immediately started going off in his head. He had heard these words before, he felt as though he had heard them recently, but where?

“Who are the necraphym?”

“They are beasts, three of them. They go by the names Barohque, Badhul, and Brodhon. Nearly eight feet in height, winged, and immeasurably strong physically and magically, they are an immense force.” Adric still couldn’t remember why that name sounded so familiar to him.

“Where did they come from? What do they want?” He asked, not sure which to ask first.

“More on the necraphym later,” Amos said. “The point is, Heartsbane is not our biggest concern. Seevus does not even utilize its power any longer.”

“But Roman…” Adric started.

“Yes.” Amos finished, “Yes, Roman can be killed. But, as I say, he is no more than a ripple in the tide. At the risk of sounding exceptionally arrogant, Roman continues to serve Seevus only because I have allowed it. Indeed, he has proven most useful to us. He does not know this, of course, but I think in time, you will find that Roman is a man of blunder. There is nothing special about Roman. He is only as powerful as the staff has made him. Without the staff, he is but an ordinary man. No more cunning to his name than the average peasant. We can use that,” he said confidently. “We can use his weaknesses to our advantage. Do not think for a moment that we would have let harm come to your beloved Karina.” Amos added, as though reading Adric’s mind.

“So the remainder of Alldel’s stones are under guard?” Adric asked.

“Yes, night and day. There are those who would stop at nothing to have it for their very own.” Amos rose from his chair, his robes falling gently behind him. He carried the staff under his left arm. Amos turned to Thale.

“Thank you for having me.”

“Please stay and have a drink before you go.”

“No – no, I’m afraid I must be getting on,” he turned and reached for the door. But just before pulling the handle, he turned to face Adric once more.

“I will return at a later date to continue assisting you, Adric. For now, I must go. Your grandfather…” He paused and then smiled, “He was the best friend I ever had.” And then he left the room, his white robes trailing him gently. Adric stood for a moment as though paralyzed by everything Amos had told him, and then he turned to Thale.

“If there were only three stones, where did he get the diamonds?” Thale looked up from his paperwork. He gave Adric a kind of half-smile and shrugged.

“Do you trust him?” Adric asked.

“I trust him,” Thale said, firmly.

“Right,” Adric said with finality. He nodded his head once more. “Okay,” he said, and then without waiting to be dismissed, he left the office.