The Hammer And The Sword - Jason M. Green (ebook reader with highlighter TXT) 📗

Prologue

Sitting in his chair made of wood, leather and bone, High Consul Anstrom stared impatiently at the door. He absently tapped his bony fingers against the wooden arms of his chair while he awaited the arrival of Captain Baldaur Kaellin, the leader of the king‘s guards. After a few minutes, his impatience came to an end, as the captain of the guard entered. The high consul stood up, tapped his oak staff upon the floor to signal the captain of the guard to kneel before him, and began to speak.
"The traitors have escaped, and you've done nothing to find them," the high consul said angrily, as he towered over the kneeling man—who was a head or so higher than the high consul when standing.
"What do you expect me to do about it, High Consul?" asked the captain of the guard, with little respect in his voice, as he rose to his feet. He noticed that it annoyed the high consul that he should do so before being instructed.
"I want you to release the king's hounds and find those traitors. I would also like you to bring back their child. If you cannot bring the child back, I want you to end its life and the lives of its parents," the high consul commanded.
The captain of the guard shook his head, and said in a stern voice, "No."
"What did you say to me?" asked the high consul in an angry tone.
"I said no." The captain of the guard stood with his head held high, and declared in a serious voice, "I cannot, and I will not follow your orders."
At hearing the captain’s words, the high consul raised his staff menacingly. "I demand you explain your words this instant."
The captain kneeled once again on the cold, hard floor while keeping his eyes on the high consul and the wooden staff he had clutched in his bony hand. "I mean you no disrespect, but the king will not allow me to follow your orders, and if I follow them against his will, I will be severely punished. You should know by now that my loyalties belong to him alone."
The high consul lowered his staff and began stroking his black beard. "Your loyalty to the king is admirable, but if you disobey me, I will punish your family. I think I will start with your youngest son." An evil smile played across his lips, as he saw the look in the kneeling man’s eyes. "Yes, your youngest son it shall be. One so young shall make the Old Gods happy.... for a while. Your entire family, however, should appease them for quite a long time."
The captain of the guard stood up and went for the sword at his hip in a blur of motion. He unsheathed the sword with amazing speed, yelling, "You will not touch my family!" He had the tip of his sword at the high consul’s throat in less time than it took the other man to blink. With anger in his voice and hate in his eyes he spoke the words, "If you touch them, I will carve out your black heart, and even your guards will not be able to stop me."
Despite having the very tip of a sword pressed against his throat, the high consul spoke without noticeable fear. "Brave words will do you little good, Captain Baldaur Kaellin." The high consul's lips started to curl into an evil smile, as he realised he had the
captain trapped in a moral quandary. "Will you follow my orders without question—if only to save the lives of your family?" He noted that the sword did not move from his throat, so he said, “I know what you are thinking. You think that you could kill me now and save your family, and the lives of those two fugitives, but you are also thinking that I probably have a plan in place just for that eventuality.” His lips finished curling into an evil sneer. “You would be correct to think that. Not only will some horrible fate befall your family if I die, but you will be arrested for treason. You do remember the punishment for treason, do you not?”
Captain Kaellin replaced his sword in its scabbard, though with obvious reluctance, and replied, "Yes. I will do your will.” He took a deep breath and added, “Though, I’d rather pluck out my own eyes than be of service to you, Anstrom." He began to walk towards the door, but a noise behind him made his stop.
Anstrom smoothed his robes and said, “Do not forget whose chamber you are in, Captain Kaellin.”
The captain turned and bowed to the high consul, as was customary. He then left the dimly lit room, and pulled the door shut. He ran the fingers of his right hand through his short blonde hair, as he made his way through the dark halls, and he wondered how long the high consul would allow him to live after showing open defiance.
Without even looking, he knew that in the shadows of the hallway Anstrom’s guards were waiting in anticipation of their master’s orders. He did not allow it to bother him, however, as he strode towards the stairs. The scowl on his face caused the few servants still working at such a late hour to move from his path without a single word.

High Consul Anstrom watched out through his window, as Captain Kaellin walked across the courtyard and into the kennel. As soon as he had witnessed the guards leading their hounds through the front gates with Captain Kaellin accompanying them, High Consul Anstrom left his chamber. He entered the dark corridor and looked around to make sure he was unobserved, and then walked away from his chambers.
He walked a short distance down the hallway until he came to a staircase, which he descended slowly. Once on the next floor, he stopped in front of a bare wall, and he ran his hands down its rough surface until he found a stone that protruded slightly. After making sure that he was still unobserved, he pulled the stone out of the wall to reveal a lever. He pulled on it with all of his strength until he heard a distant clicking noise. As soon as he heard the click, he released the lever, and watched as a section of the wall opened slightly. After taking one more look around, he returned the stone to the wall,
hiding the lever, and then pulled on the secret door until it was open far enough to
allow him entrance to the passageway it concealed. He then slipped inside, pulling the door closed behind him until he heard it lock in place.
The high consul stood in the same place for a few seconds until his eyes adjusted to the weak light coming from a torch upon the far wall, and then he advanced down the passageway towards the light. When he was only a few feet from the torch he stopped, casually waving his hand while muttering a few words. When he stopped speaking, part of the flickering flame separated to leap to the next torch, and this process continued until the rest of the torches along the passageway were lit. As the final torch ignited, the high consul saw a boy, no more than fifteen years of age, sitting on a stool where the far
end of the passageway connected to a larger chamber. Upon seeing the high consul, the boy rose from the stool and approached, bearing a set of dark robes he had been holding. Wordlessly, High Consul Anstrom removed the sumptuous robes of his office, and replaced them with the dark robes the boy had brought.
When he had finished pulling on his robes, the high consul finally spoke. "Many thanks, Macaedon. Are you still prepared to do my bidding?"
The boy named Macaedon nodded with much enthusiasm, and pulled a small vial from one of his pockets. "I have been waiting for this moment since you told me my part in this plan, but I need to know if what’s in this vial will be enough to kill King Mallif."
Upon hearing the boy’s words, a cruel grin formed on the high consul's face. "It should suffice, though in that small of a dose death could take close to a month, if not longer." He then reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Never forget that
a slow death is good if you want to find the perfect replacement for a king."
Macaedon looked at the high consul with an expression of curiosity. "Who did
you have in mind for a replacement?"
"King Mallif's son, of course. However, he will not reach the age of rightful kingship until the winter after next. I will, of course, have to guide the people according to the laws that I am bound by duty to enforce, until he has reached the appropriate age to ascend the throne as a king in more than just name. During this time I will have the unique opportunity to create an example of how Prince Malifesh should rule."
Macaedon nodded in agreement, and then asked, "But won‘t he be crowned as king once his father dies?"
“Yes, he will, but until he reaches the proper age he will not truly hold any power
thanks to the laws his ancestors put into effect more than a century ago. To let him rule sooner would be to trample tradition, and we cannot have that.”
“Oh.” Macaedon climbed back onto the stool, and stared at the high consul for a few seconds, before speaking again. "Will there be anything for me to do once a new king is crowned?"
"You have ambition to match your knowledge, and that is very good. I think it should be quite easy to find a use for you. Perhaps I will find a way to allow you to rise above your station. After all, there are no laws that prohibit the orphaned son of a peasant from becoming something more than his ancestors have been."
Smiling happily at the thought of making something of himself, Macaedon said, "I will place this poison in the king's drink during dinner tonight. Should there be any left over, I will hide it in Captain Kaellin‘s chambers."
The high consul opened the heavy wooden door on the opposite side of the room, and pulled the cloak’s hood over his head. "If more people were like you I could have been a king myself."
"King Mallif listens to you now, and so will his son once he is crowned. The kingdom is already yours."
"A more pleasant thought I have not yet had." The high consul walked through the open door into a dark tunnel and Macaedon followed him, carrying a torch. Anstrom reminded the boy to pull the door closed behind him, and listened closely to make sure it was latched.

º º º º º

The hounds tracked their prey relentlessly with their noses close to the ground, the scent of the fugitives compelling them forward. The half dozen guards flanking them focused their attention on the trail of broken limbs and trampled leaves that showed the path their quarry had chosen through the dark forest. There were occasional shouts, as other, unrelated physical signs were spotted, but the sombre Captain Kaellin told his men to keep focused on the task at hand, before becoming silent again.
After nearly half an hour of following the hounds, the trees finally ended, and the guards were left standing atop a hill overlooking a long field.