The King, His Son, Their Sorcerer and His Lover by Chris J. Randolph

Author:Chris J. Randolph [Randolph, Chris J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Oktopod Digital Press
Published: 2010-06-10T06:00:00+00:00

By the time daylight came to Tensara, a dense sheet of charcoal clouds had taken up residence in the skies, turning the morning gloomy and grey. If Vengar's predictions were correct, a once-in-a-lifetime monsoon was coming to the desert, and it couldn't have come at a better time... It would take a historic rain to wash away all the blood being spilt.

Vengar had found an abandoned barn not far from the sorcerer's tower, and against the bullish protestations of all the little denizens of his head, he took shelter and he hid. He sat there on the floor trying to figure out the exact point at which his night had gone pear-shaped, while Lilandra remained in a dreamless sleep. She was so still that Vengar began to worry he might've conked her too well.

It was during this time that all hell had broken loose.

A sudden and vicious war ignited across the city. From the sounds of tambourines and clattering armor, Vengar reasoned that Iximan's cultists were pitted against Hasrik's city guard. He couldn't tell who was getting the better of it, but the endless screams hinted that both sides were suffering heavily.

After some hours, Lilandra finally stirred. "Ungh. My head is killing me... but you didn't kill me. I suppose that's good news."

Vengar halted his fruitless pondering. "The last good news you'll hear today, I fear."

"Why have you brought me here, brute?"

Vengar said, "I'm not entirely sure."

The simple honesty evident in Vengar's voice caught her off guard, and the hardness disappeared from her face. She raised herself up on an elbow with a bit of straw clinging to her hair, and somehow looked even more lovely than before. There was a bit of delirious haze still in her eyes, but it cleared the moment she made sense of the cacophony outside. "Oh. It's finally started, then."

"You expected this?"

Her voice contained a touch of sadness. "Yes, for months now. My husband is determined to overthrow the king, and the king has been suspicious of my husband ever since he spirited me away. It was inevitable. This isn't how I expected it to begin, though."

"You sound as if you love the sorcerer."

Lilandra's smile was effortless. "Love is far too strong a word. I admire Iximan, his intelligence, his kindness... and he adores me as the wolf does the moon. He certainly treats me better than the king ever did."

Vengar shook his head, but the powerful confusion wouldn't subside. "Let's start over. My name is Vengar, and I'm a barbarian. And you are?"

"Lilandra. Beloved of the sorcerer Iximan, and former bonded concubine of King Hasrik."

Pieces were starting to fall into place, and with a start, Vengar remembered the shameless vixen's envelope. He retrieved it from his journey-bag, broke the wax seal and read the letter within. Once he finished, he read it again out loud. "Honorable Mercenary. The kingdom cannot thank you enough for undertaking this perilous mission. As per our agreement, you shall receive payment in the form of a land-grant upon the death or safe return of the Lady Lilandra.

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