The Tinderbox by Lou Diamond Phillips

Author:Lou Diamond Phillips
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2020-09-14T21:48:46+00:00

TWENTY

Olaf should not have approached her body. Viewed at a distance, her regal vestments should have been enough to identify her, if confirmation was all that he sought. But, as if by some somnambulistic gravity, he had been drawn to her side, where he could clearly view the decimation. The vision of her beautiful face would now forever be usurped by the aftermath of the decaydas’ industry.

When he had not heard from The Which, Chancellor Olaf grew concerned. After all, he had last seen her waiting expectantly outside the Tree, victory and vindication all but within her grasp. He had forced himself to be patient, but when news was not forthcoming, doubt and paranoia wormed their way in.

The Which had claimed to have an Indiran soldier at her behest, and that was a detail not likely to be kept secret for long, especially with an entire garrison of warmen ensconced in Front Tier. For all Olaf had known, his beloved could have been in the clutches of the cretinous General Bahn, his interrogation and torture wresting their subterfuge from her.

Olaf had fabricated an excuse to go find out for himself that would have been painfully transparent to anyone other than his distracted king. He had informed Xander that he needed to consult with The Which about which tier would be best to elect a new champion from, a suggestion he had hoped would illustrate his undying devotion to the monarch’s welfare. Xander had simply waved his assent without a second thought.

Olaf had immediately boarded his birdun and had set out for the Tree. In retrospect, it was a trip he wished he had never taken. He screamed his grief violently into the silence of the ruins until he was empty and spent, a husk of what he once had been when The Which had loved him.

The return trip to Mist Tier had been a blur, made hazier by the tears that seemed ceaseless.

Upon arriving back at the palace, Olaf had fled to his chambers, fearful of any encounter that would require him to behave normally. He had collapsed onto his bed, numb and motionless, surrounded by the elegant accoutrements of his achievements.

This luxurious life meant nothing without her.

Now, at this late hour, the chancellor roused himself to deliver the calamitous news to Xander. He found the king in his royal bedchamber, in a state he quite expected. Xander was drunk. Queen Nor was nowhere to be found.

“Pray tell me you’ve found a way to suspend time. Otherwise, leave me be,” Xander slurred, aware enough to recognize that someone else had entered the room.

Olaf swallowed hard, struggling to overcome his disgust and devastation.

“I…I have most disturbing news to report,” he said. “The Which of Front Tier has been killed.”

Xander’s unfocused eyes found Olaf. He wobbled to his feet and swayed unsteadily. “What? By whom?”

“Your Highness…” Olaf trailed off, the effort of relaying even false facts bringing a wave of nausea. Her eyes had been eaten away. Most of her face had been gone.

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