The Kingmaker Contest Read online

  Theo opened his eyes and the creatures were gone. He was staring at a large rock on the forest floor. His heart was still seizing, and a burning sensation grew. Zap. Suddenly, Theo was running down the hallway of a palace he was unfamiliar with, but the fine rugs and paintings that were on the floor and walls were similar to those in Rigol. At the end of the hall was Dak, and Theo wanted to kill him. Zap. He could feel the Mother tinkering in his mind. He was in the forest again, staring at the rock—the burning sensation of his seizing heart growing as he looked up from the rock and saw Dak, with his back turned, only a few feet away. He leapt for the rock. Zap. Back in the hallway, Theo leapt at Dak and started punching. He wanted Dak dead, but had no weapon with which to kill him. Zap. In the forest, Theo squeezed the rock as his rage boiled over and he smashed Dak over the head. Zap.

  Theo was staring into the knot of the Mother tree. His mind was back in his body but he still couldn’t move, wrapped in the tight embrace of the constricting and continuously slithering vines. Rage was burning in his still-seizing heart, and he could feel the power it gave him. He felt his muscles plump and stretch his skin. He burst from the constricting vines. “Saved him has the Mother!” shouted Bir. The clan’s uproarious cheers drew Theo’s attention.

  Theo’s heart was on fire, and about a hundred yards away was the entire Sigandar clan. A sea of pale skin that ranged from brilliant white to nearly tan, and yellow hair ranging from blond to golden. The four warrior brothers were in front of the crowd, cheering loudly. Jaina and Onqul were tied up at the warriors’ feet, with their faces in the dirt. Nagima was sitting on the ground, her hand on Danaje’s lifeless body.

  Theo felt like his heart was going to pop. He looked back at the Mother, and then his eyes found Dak only fifteen feet away. The Mother had Her vines wrapped around Dak’s calf. Theo took a few steps toward Dak, and saw a large rock on the forest floor. It was exactly as the Mother had shown him in his vision. He grabbed it. The Mother finished healing Dak’s arrow wound and Dak bowed to Her. Theo walked faster toward Dak, whose back was still to him.

  Theo’s heart was squeezing tight and hadn’t taken a beat in well over a minute. He wasn’t breathing; the rage alone was giving him what he needed to exist. Theo pulled his arm back to throw the rock just as Dak turned toward him. Theo realized with a flash that he didn’t want to hurt Dak, so, as his arm came forward, he released the large rock early and it flew well over Dak’s head.

  The rock went nearly a hundred feet up into the air and burst through the tree canopy, blowing a hole through the delicate leaves and small branches. A beam of light illuminated the Mother, and her ash grey bark turned black, cracked, and broke away. Some of Her branches fell to the ground and crumbled to dust.

  “What did you do?” Dak asked Theo, horror draining the color from his face. Dak was seeing Theo standing for the first time. He was surprised at how tall and broad Theo stood.

  Theo felt his rage fading; his fist was still clenched, but his internal anguish was all but gone. “I had no intention…” Theo trailed off, frozen in fear of what he’d done, as his heart slowly resumed and worked up to beating normally. “I think… She instructed me to kill you.”

  “What?” Dak exclaimed, confusion joining the shock and grief on his face. “Kill me? Why?”

  “I’m not certain,” said Theo. With his anger fading away, Theo felt his body shrink slightly. Every muscle had been swollen to its largest potential by the rage, and as Theo returned to his natural state, his skin felt a bit like clothes that were not made for him.

  Though this deflation brought him more in line with Dak’s expectations, Dak’s confused expression only grew in seeing Theo transform before his eyes.

  Nagima hated leaving Danaje. No one was more deserving of the death rituals given to all previous Sha, but Nagima had to act quickly. She’d known what would happen before Theo threw that rock, and as soon as she’d realized it would be the moment the Mother was going to die, she’d run toward him.

  The Sigandar at the front of the crowd were struck with silence for a fleeting instant of shock, but wails of sadness trickled through the group until the entire clan was crying out. The few birds cried out with their companions and took flight. Nearly a dozen vicious raptors darted toward Theo. Nagima was ahead of the clan, but the birds flew over past her head.

  Theo looked Dak in the eyes. “I swear on my life, I don’t want to kill you,” he said. “Please Dak, help me.” In Theo’s eyes, Dak saw a lost child who needed him, and gave a small nod.

  Dak and Theo ran to the thick line of trees that protected the Mother from all sides. The trunks of the trees had only a few inches of space between, not enough for anyone to squeeze through. “Climb up and over,” Dak said. “I’ll boost you up.” Dak helped Theo climb up the trunk of the tree.

  Theo hung onto a branch and reached down. “I can assist you,” said Theo.

  “They’re after you, Theo,” replied Dak. “Not me. I’ll do what I can to give you time, but I’m staying with the clan.”

  Theo didn’t want to leave Dak so suddenly, but knew he didn’t have the time for a debate or a long goodbye. “I understand. Thank you, Dak.” Theo climbed higher into the tree: up and up until there was space to go forward. Hundreds of trees were growing so close together around the Mother that Theo couldn’t tell which branch belonged to which tree as he crawled through a labyrinth of leaves and sticks.

  The birds flew into the trees after Theo. They were high above Dak’s head and, in the seconds he had to react, he couldn’t do anything to stop them. Dak turned back and saw Nagima next to what was left of the Mother and the entire clan closing in on her with fury in their eyes.

  Nagima picked up a large piece of one of the Mother’s fallen branches that hadn’t crumbled to dust and took a dagger out from her cloak. She cut her palm and rubbed her blood all over the piece of fallen branch before waving it in the air. The bloody branch ignited. Nagima ran, dropping the flaming branch behind her. When the branch hit the ground, a wall of purple flames erupted up from the dirt, putting a barrier between the Sigandar clan and Theo, Dak, and Nagima.

  Dak could feel the heat coming off of the barrier of purple flames. “Done what have you?” he shouted across the short distance.

  “Escape time I am giving us,” replied Nagima as she ran toward Dak and the tree barrier.

  “To us you give time?” Dak exclaimed. “With you I am not going. Betrayed the Mother you have!”

  “Done the Mother’s will has been. Come with us you must. Take you back they will not after helping escape Theo.” Nagima pointed to the wall of fire. Through the flames they could see the clan screaming, some even burning themselves trying to pass through the inferno.

  “Not know did I that this would happen,” said Dak.

  “Matters not to Onqul,” said Nagima. “Kill any one of us in the beat of her heart she would.” Nagima ran to the treeline. “Come, Dak! Fast will they get around. Move we must.”

  Dak looked back at the wall of purple flames and saw the fury and anguish on the faces of the Sigandar. He turned back to Nagima; she was already climbing into the trees.

  “Hurry,” Nagima said, putting her arm down to help Dak up into the trees.

  Dak put the crook of his elbow into Nagima’s hand, and pulled himself into the trees with her help.

  The birds had a difficult time hopping through the branches after Theo—but they had the advantage of being smaller, and some gained on him. Theo kicked two raptors that bit and clawed his legs. He hit the birds hard, but they were persistent. The edge of the compacted trees was only a few feet away, and he could see ground to climb down to, but the birds were vicious. He was barely making any headway toward his escape. He snapped a branch off one of the trees and focused on fighting the raptors. He beat them away and pulled himself closer to the edge, but the birds came back fast. Behind the two that were attacking him, Theo saw more birds getting close. He focused on getting to the edge as the two raptors tor
e apart his trousers and clawed his legs.

  Theo fell about ten feet to the ground. His legs were dripping blood, but he was able to stand. The two birds that had been attacking him tried to fly out of the trees, but were injured and fell to the ground. However, the six birds that flew out after had no injuries at all, and started a coordinated attack against Theo.

  Theo still had a stick in his hand and used it to keep some of the birds at bay, but the two flightless birds waddled over and pecked at Theo’s feet and legs. There were too many of them and he had only one stick. He kicked the birds, but lost his balance and fell. Once he was on the ground, all the birds went after him at once.

  Dak fearlessly leapt out of the tree, rolled on the ground, and started punching the swarming birds. Nagima took a more deliberate approach, steadily climbing down a tree trunk and picking up a large stick before helping Dak get the birds off Theo. The birds that could fly left quickly after Nagima started clubbing them, and the injured birds hobbled away into the forest. “Walk can you?” Nagima asked Theo.

  Theo stood up and nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”

  “Alive Theo is,” Dak said. “Leave I will.”

  “Go where?” Nagima asked. “You the clan will not take back. Understood I thought you did.”

  “That you do not know,” Dak replied. “Worse I do not want to make it.”

  “Dead you are,” Nagima said. “Kill you she will. Leaving with us they saw you.”

  Dak punched the nearest tree trunk. “Ah! You should’ve just killed me, Theo!”

  “I could never do that,” Theo replied, tears welling before turning to Dak. “You’re my friend.”

  “I’m not your friend. I’m just some guy that helped to save your life.”

  “Discussing what are you two?” Nagima interjected with confusion on her face.

  “Tell her what you saw,” Dak told Theo. “Tell her about your vision.”

  Theo described, as best he could, the visions he had while in the mind of the Mother and what had happened with the rock and Dak. “Showed much to you she has,” replied Nagima. “Five visions at least. Answers to you she has given.”

  “What is their meaning?” Theo asked.

  “The only one to know is you,” Nagima replied. “Make sense the visions will in time.” Nagima took a deep breath. “Killed Dak I would have.”

  “What?” Theo exclaimed.

  “Too late to kill him now it is,” Nagima continued. “But Her signal to me seems clear. Definitely. Certainty is yours alone however. Impossible it is to describe all the details perfectly. Potency of the vision comes from the detail. Important is everything she shows.”

  “Happen you knew this would!” Dak said to Nagima.

  “Knew what?” Nagima asked.

  “My meaning you understand. Bringing Theo here. Happen you knew.”

  “Matter what does it?”

  “Never agreed to help you I would have, if told me you had.”

  “Her will it was.”

  “Warning She must have given you. How know you that it was not?”

  “Onqul you sound like.”

  “Knowledge I wish I had before.” Dak paused. “Joined Onqul to stop you I would have.”

  “Taken you she would not. Waste of clan resources she always thought you were.” Dak walked away into the trees. Nagima turned to Theo. “Get moving,” she said as she stood up and started up the path.

  “Dak!” Theo shouted. Dak kept walking.

  “I may not understand what’s happening, but I know I owe you my life.” Dak stopped but didn’t turn around.

  “Please come with us. I’ve never had a friend before, and perhaps we’re not friends yet, but I would like to be.” Dak didn’t respond.

  “At least I still owe you a debt for saving my life.”

  Dak turned around. “Kill me you really would have, Nagima?” Dak shouted past Theo.

  “Her will I will always do,” Nagima replied without stopping. “Always.”

  The Old Mage

  Tess slowly opened her eyes. One was swollen more than the other, and her vision was blurry. She could make out Pasqual’s giant figure slumped in the corner, illuminated by dim lantern light. She could hear the soft echoes of people chatting in the distance, but couldn’t make out a word. The ground was hard, cold stone, and as her vision cleared she became certain she was in the dungeon. “Squally,” she said with a hoarse voice. “Ya up?”

  “Yeah,” Pasqual replied.

  “What ‘appened?” Tess asked.

  “You being a fool.”

  “That priest didn’t get hardly what ‘e deserved.”

  “I don’t care, Tessie. I don’t want any of it.”

  “Nonsense. Yer jus’ scared.”

  “So.”

  “Ya want this. I know ya do.”

  “You want it, Tessie.”

  “Ya wanted this as much as me. More than me, even.”

  “I just went along with you. I was happy to see you happy.”

  “Did Nickson get in yer ‘ead?”

  “I don’t wanna die.”

  “Nickson’s a fool. Fulla hot air.”

  Footsteps echoed louder as someone got closer to their cell. Their cell was one of a few Tess could see, each large enough to hold dozens—but there were no other prisoners.

  Servantis was a soldier in his walk despite the use of a cane. He kept the straight posture of a disciplined man and walked as fast as one could before it would be called a jog. His soldiers’ armor had been replaced by trousers and a buttoned shirt, but he wore a padded leather vest underneath—in case he’s needed—giving him a barrel chest. On his waist he holstered a Guard-issued pistol, always loaded. His short brown hair had specks of grey and he always kept himself impeccably clean shaven, which kept an entirely grey beard off his face. He’d shave three times a day if it was required. “Ya gonna get us out, Serv?” asked Tess.

  “You expect me to release you,” replied Servantis, “after what you’ve done?”

  “What do ya think we’ve done?” asked Tess.

  “You abandoned the welcome gala to assault the priest,” said Servantis. “And I don’t even want to know how you got the black eye.”

  “It’s not our fault—” Tess started.

  “Enough,” interrupted Servantis. “Olister made it very clear who was responsible.” Servantis unlocked the cell. “Tess, you can’t be so reckless. Pasqual is doing a service to your family name and you are unraveling it.”

  “The priest’s a bully,” replied Tess. “‘E’s testin’ every—”

  “I don’t care, Tess,” interrupted Servantis. “After today I lose the power to keep you in Ironhead; if you expect to stay here, you need to gain some respectability.”

  “I’ll go back ta the slums,” Tess said.

  “When I found you,” Servantis began, “you were shivering in the cold and would have died.”

  “I woulda lived.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you. I’m swamped. Several battalions were sent down the mountain yesterday to search for a missing boy and haven’t returned. Now I have tons to do today with far fewer bodies than I anticipated.” He looked at Pasqual, who was still staring at the ground. “Let’s go.”

  “‘E’s scared,” Tess said when Pasqual hesitated. “Don’t wanna fight.”

  “Do you want to drop out, Pasqual?” asked Servantis. Pasqual didn’t answer. “I understand being scared. I was scared.”

  Pasqual looked up. “You were?”

  Servantis nodded earnestly. “Both times I fought, I was terrified, but do you know what might help to keep in mind?”

  “What?” asked Pasqual.

  “No one has died in over a hundred years. Sure, people get injured, but we have medics standing by. You know, I was so proud when I heard you were going to participate. The first Domm to enter in my lifetime. You’ve already brought honor to your family—even if you lose, I’m proud of you.” Servantis opened the cell door wide,
and Pasqual walked toward it.

  “Way ta give a speech, Serv,” Tess said as she headed toward the cell door after Pasqual. “Some real crap, the Council oustin’ ya like this. Ya woulda been a fine king if ya got the chance.”

  Servantis stepped into the doorway of the cell and blocked Tess’s way. “You need to learn a lesson,” he said as she tried to push past. Servantis held her back, and, once Pasqual exited, he quickly backed out and locked the cell door.

  “It’s contest day,” Tess pleaded. “Ya can’t make me miss Squally’s moment!”

  “Don’t worry,” said Servantis. “Emmen has agreed to take watch of you. He will bring you to his private seats for the contest.”

  “I was gonna be ‘is squire.”

  “I’ll be his squire.” Servantis turned to Pasqual. “Would you like that?”

  Pasqual smiled. “Yeah.”

  “Enjoy your time to think,” Servantis said to Tess before he turned on his heel and marched toward the door. Pasqual gave Tess one last blank look before he turned to follow Servantis.

  “Screw ya, Squally!” Tess yelled as they left the dungeon. “Don’t let ‘im leave me ‘ere!” They were already gone. “Squally!” she shouted to no one.

  Tess laid on the cold ground and stared at the ceiling for a long while, blurry though it was through her busted eye. The dungeon was under the fortress and had no windows. Tess had no ability to judge the passing of time. She could only assume it was still sometime in the morning. The contest should start at noon and she hated having to rely on someone else to dictate the pace of her day. She wanted to be out in the morning air, watching the contestants crap themselves as they waited for the trumpets to start the fighting.