Ascension (Blight Book 1) Read online

  "The master is not testing you." The Chronicler reached out and grabbed the servant’s head in both hands, twisting and breaking the man’s neck. "He was trying to protect you."

  He stepped over the dead man and located the library, entering the room and scanning each book on the shelves. He reached the last shelf, swore, and shook his head. "Likely the bedroom."

  Less than ten minutes later, the Chronicler moved Lenidas’s bed and discovered a secret compartment in the floor beneath, as he’d suspected.

  "Ah, there you are, my beauty." He pulled a large leather-bound book from the compartment. He ran his hands over the outer cover before opening it, flipping to the last page, and reading it. "I always wondered why this volume ended differently from the rest." He chuckled. "Now I know." He snapped the book shut and returned the board and bed to the correct place.

  The Chronicler exited the house and walked two blocks to where a black carriage waited. "Return me to the keep," he said to the driver sitting on top of the coach before climbing inside.

  The driver waited until the carriage door clicked shut, then flicked the reins and whistled. The two jet-black horses leapt forward, taking the Chronicler from the city.

  ***

  "I’m sorry to drop you onto land still so far away from Castanell," the captain apologized. "But this is as close as we can dare come to your kingdom, now that her waters are patrolled by such fast ships."

  Leo extended his hand and the captain shook it. "This is fine, Captain. Thank you for all of your hospitality. Sailing the seas as a pirate was more enlightening than I would have guessed possible."

  The captain smiled and held out a small bag of gold. "The pleasure was ours, Leo. Here is your share of plunder earned during the last few months."

  Leo accepted the bag and waited while the captain handed a much larger one to Ricin. "I am sad to lose the both of you," the captain said. "If you ever decide to sail the seas and wish to join us, wait for our ship to re-supply at the Oasis."

  Leo nodded. "Thank you for the offer, Captain, we will." The Oasis was a hidden island inhabited by and known only to pirates.

  The captain walked back to the longboat and the two men watched him go. Once the small vessel was in the water and rowing back to the main ship, Ricin turned away from the ocean. "It feels strange to be on solid land again."

  "I agree. It will feel even more odd to be riding horses soon."

  "It will take us a day of walking to reach the village and horses. That will be sufficient time for us to regain our land legs."

  "Castanell is two weeks’ride from the village?"

  Ricin nodded.

  Leo smiled. "That is good."

  "You are excited to be going home?"

  "Nervous, but excited."

  "Life on the sea was never dull." Ricin picked his pack form the ground and slung it over one shoulder. "But from your telling of events soon to come, things will be much more exciting on land."

  Leo laughed and picked up his pack. "It certainly will be."

  "Death approaches. I can feel her racing toward you."

  "Let us hope that I can avoid her embrace, then."

  Ricin shrugged. "It will end or continue as Destiny, Death’s older sister, decided long before either of us were born."

  "Then there is no point in worrying."

  Ricin smiled and began walking. "Just so, my friend. We enjoy the journey as long as it may last."

  67

  "What’s the matter, Leo? You seem angry these past few weeks."

  Lenidas sighed and closed his eyes. Since my book was stolen, I no longer know what Leo would be doing at this point of the game. I’m flying blind at the worst possible time.

  "Are you ill?" Doc Johnston asked.

  Lenidas looked up and forced himself to smile. "I’m fine, just a little tired. Let us finish planning and then retire for the day."

  Everyone nodded and he stood. "Four nights from now, the king will leave to attend a cousin’s wedding. He will travel with extra guards and there will be nights where, after riding all day, no town will be near them."

  "Forcing them to camp on the roads," Oak said.

  Lenidas nodded.

  "How many troops will he have with him?" Mouse traced a pattern on the table with his finger, head down.

  "Twenty, thirty at most."

  "We will ambush and dispatch him on the road?" Stick asked.

  Lenidas smiled. "We have been waiting for an opportunity like this for months."

  "How many of us will be going?"

  "Élua only."

  The doctor frowned. "Me as well? I’m an old man. There isn’t much I can do except get in the way."

  "You sell yourself short, Doc." Lenidas spread a map out on the table. "Your skills are considerable. If we are injured or find ourselves needing to question anyone . . . ." He shrugged. "Your involvement could be the key to everything."

  "Just so long as you don’t expect me to fight. I’m too old to for that."

  "If we must rely on your combat skills, we will be retreating and fighting to save our skin." He smiled and looked at Stick. "Do the odds seem impossible?"

  Stick shrugged. "Twenty, thirty, neither of those numbers give me cause for concern. Add ten more and the odds are still in our favour."

  "Good." Lenidas pointed to the map. "Let us determine where they will most likely camp and how we will attack. The objective is to immobilize them all, except for the king."

  "I could save us the effort, slip into the camp, and slit his throat," Mouse offered. "Be in and out before the guard fires needed more wood."

  Lenidas shook his head. "The king has information which I must have."

  Mouse shrugged. "I can implement that on the fly, should you change your mind."

  "I will keep that in my brain in case we need to adjust strategies. Now let us go over my plan as it stands."

  ***

  Leo and Ricin were getting ready to sleep when the Chronicler appeared from the darkness.

  "May I join you at the fire, lads?" He stopped at the fire’s edge, arms raised with palms open.

  Ricin had stood at the sound of the man’s first word, weapons drawn. Leo also got to his feet and placed one hand on his companion’s shoulder. "I know this man. He means us no harm. Of course you may join us."

  Ricin sheathed his weapons and the dark-robed man approached. Leo bowed low and the Chronicler pushed the hood from his face, nodding.

  "Are you hungry?" Leo asked.

  "Thank you, but no."

  "Allow me to introduce you to my travelling companion. Ricin, this is the Chronicler."

  The two men clasped forearms. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ricin," the Chronicler said.

  "You also."

  The men sat around the fire. Leo poured drinks from a wine skin and distributed the mugs.

  "After our last meeting, I did not think to see you again before my fortieth birthday." Leo said.

  "Life is fluid." The Chronicler watched the fire. "The balance of things has been upset and this meeting is an attempt for me to restore it."

  "What is wrong?"

  The Chronicler shrugged and took a sip from his mug.

  "Lenidas is not yet dead?" Leo guessed.

  "Correct."

  Leo set his drink on the ground, stood, and began to pace in front of the fire. "How is that possible? I have been gone almost a year. That was plenty of time for him to be discovered and dealt with. I knew that he would hide in the city, but surely someone had to discover him and—"

  "They did."

  Leo stopped pacing. "Tell me all that you can."

  The Chronicler sighed and stood. He came to stand beside Leo and faced the fire, his hands stretched towards it. "TheÉlua discovered him only a few months after you left. He had taken up residence in the silk district. They gathered and went to meet him. After a few meetings, they accepted him as their leader."

  "What?"

  "They believe that he is you."

>   Leo’s eyes narrowed. "Those men know me better than anyone. How did he manage to pull that off?"

  "For one, he looks like you."

  "Of course he does, but that is where the similarities end."

  "His personality was different, even after learning your manner and imitating it, but the visual component helped to compensate for those interacting with him."

  "That would not be enough." Leo shook his head. "He knew nothing about my dealings or network. They might have accepted him for a few days, but prolonged contact would have shown that he did not know the minutiae that is Leo Wrathson."

  "Except he did."

  Leo turned to face the Chronicler. "He could only know that by possessing a tome."

  The Chronicler’s expression darkened. "That’s exactly what the little bastard did. He entered my sanctuary and stole one of the tomes of your life."

  Leo’s eyebrows raised and, after a moment, he laughed. "I doubt that is something I would have done. Perhaps he is the one after all."

  "Your conclusion is flawed. We will never know what you would have done because you won’t find yourself in that position. Lenidas tried to replace you and then found out that you were travelling the winner’s path."

  "He learned of theÉlua."

  The Chronicler nodded at the warrior watching them. "And your history with Ricin, as well as Syntha and the xai business. At that point, he understood your position."

  "And so, believing that I was dead, he decided it was worth the gamble to take my place."

  "Just so." The Chronicler rubbed his neck and smiled. "To be fair, his conclusion was a good one. He is certain that you are dead, yet knows how things move forward."

  Leo returned to his seat and refilled Ricin’s cup and his own. "I expected to return with the real killer caught and executed. I imagined that everyone would rejoice and be happy to see me alive after all."

  "That will not be the case."

  "I must devise a new strategy."

  "That is the reason for my visit."

  "I thought that was forbidden."

  "As I said before, this was caused by me, indirectly, and so my involvement—also indirect to an extent—is allowable."

  "Why do that?" Leo frowned. "It sounds like Leo is still on track, it is just a different Leo. What if that is how it was always meant to be?"

  The Chronicler smiled. "Perhaps that is the case, and the reason that I may offer aid."

  Leo thought for a moment and scratched his chin. "If you help and I win, Leo is alive and in place."

  "And"—the Chronicler sat—"If you lose, Lenidas will remain where he is, which will still leave Leo alive and in place."

  "You cannot lose by helping."

  "Which allows me to offer help." The black-robed man drained his mug and glared into the fire. "It is my hope that you are the victor, though. I do not like the thought of Lenidas stealing from me and getting away with it."

  "Stealing from you?" Leo’s eyes became flat. "He took my life. I want it back."

  68

  Lenidas crouched low in the brush and surveyed the king’s encampment. A large tent stood in the middle with guards stationed at all four corners, plus two walking the perimeter. The remaining men slept in smaller tents surrounding the main. A man prepared food at the fire in the middle of the camp, placing vegetables and meat into pots in preparation for the morning meal.

  Additional sentries encircled the camp, hunched down and covered with dark hooded cloaks, facing out into the darkness so the fire would not compromise their night vision.

  Mouse appeared at Lenidas’side. "There were eight perimeter sentries."

  "Dead now?"

  "Aye. We don’t need them entering the fray."

  "That’s true." They had been following the king for two days, watching and waiting for the best moment to strike. Lenidas had guessed that thirty guards would come but forty-five was the actual number. "Eight down gives us an easier time of it."

  "I have inspected our positions. Everyone is in place."

  "Sound the attack, then."

  Mouse cupped his hands around his mouth and made the sound of an eagle. The cry came from everywhere, piercing the silence with shrill clarity. Lenidas stood, unsheathed his sword, and strode toward the camp as sounds of battle began.

  ***

  Leo yanked on his reins, leaning in and gripping with his legs as his mount stopped and reared. Ricin raced past, then slowed his horse to a stop, turning to look at his companion. "What is it?"

  "We are too late. The attack is underway."

  Ricin frowned. "I hear nothing ahead."

  "They are not close." Leo reached into his robe and withdrew a small, black square. The thin, flat object was covered with silver lines spread over it like thick spiderwebs which pulsed rhythmically. "This tells me it is happening."

  "What is that?"

  "A gift from the Chronicler in case we were unable to arrive in time. When it is flashing, it can transport me to the king."

  "It can take me as well?"

  Leo shook his head.

  "You must go. I will catch up as soon as possible."

  "Make your way to Castanell. If I survive, I will meet you there. If I am dead . . . ."

  "Then I will avenge you."

  Leo’s eyes widened. "No. If I die and Lenidas lives, then you must offer to serve him."

  "I will not do that."

  "You must. Much depends on your involvement, Ricin. The world needs you to follow Leo, whoever that ends up being."

  Ricin frowned. "I don’t understand."

  "I promise to explain it to you some day." Leo shook the talisman in his hand. "But I must go now."

  "Very well." Ricin came closer and the two men clasped forearms. "May Death gaze in your direction and decide to claim you many years from now."

  "Thank you." Leo lifted the black metal square to his neck. Small silver prongs protruded from it like tiny needles. He pushed the square against his neck, wincing as the needles pierced his flesh.

  He disappeared from the back of his horse.

  Ricin turned his horse and bent against the beast’s neck, digging his heels into its side to spur it forward.

  ***

  The sun was rising above the horizon as the battle ended.

  King Adam knelt on the ground, still in the shadow of darkness, his arms tied behind his back. Blood trickled from a small cut on his scalp, but he held his head high and glared at his captor.

  Lenidas and the fourÉlua stood in front of the king, Lenidas in front. With an expression of boredom, he looked down at the defeated man and tsked. "You should have brought more men, Highness." He glanced at the broken camp with dead bodies sprawled everywhere. "Another twenty would have made the contest more even."

  King Adam glared at him without speaking.

  Lenidas chuckled. "I must admit that I expected to see surprise on your face." He tapped his chest. "Almost a year after killing your father in cold blood, your old friend comes back from the dead and attacks you in the middle of nowhere, defeating you and your troops with only a handful of his own men." He laughed and shook his head. "It’s the stuff of grand stories, is it not?"

  The king looked away and blinked.

  "Look at me, dammit!" Lenidas screamed, leaning down to grab a fistful of the monarch’s hair and yank his head back. "You will not sit silent on the ground while I kill you."

  King Adam winced and continued to glare at Lenidas. After a moment, his eyes became less angry. He began to laugh.

  "Stop it," Lenidas demanded, but the laughter continued, getting louder. He let go of the king and shook his head. "He’s gone mad from the shock."

  The laughter stopped. "What shock?" The king’s tone conveyed disgust. "You think finding you alive comes as a surprise to me? Not by a long shot."

  "Really?" Lenidas squatted down, resting one elbow on his knee. "You knew I was alive?"

  "Of course."

  The doctor spoke from behind Lenidas.
"You knew it wasn’t Leo who was killed by the guards?"

  The king met the doctor’s eyes and he nodded. "I knew it wasn’t Leo. I also knew it wasn’t the man standing before us now."

  Mouse swore. "I knew it."

  "What?" Oak looked at Mouse and then the king.

  "This isn’t Leo," King Adam said. "He’s Leo’s twin brother."

  Lenidas chuckled. "Don’t listen to him. That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve heard and it won’t save your life, Adam."

  "Wait." Stick’s eyes scanned the area. "Tell us what the king is speaking about, Leo."

  Lenidas drew his sword. "There’s nothing to tell." He swung the blade toward the king’s neck. The blade descended quickly, but a wooden fighting stick blocked the blow and sent the sword flying into the grass.

  Lenidas’s eyes snapped towards theÉlua. Stick was already closing the distance between them, one fighting stick in his left hand, pulled back to strike. Stick was quick, but Lenidas was faster. He sidestepped the attack and lashed out, striking his opponent with the edge of his hand and catching him behind the ear. Stick hit the ground with a thud but sprang back up. His recovery was not fast enough to avoid the next strike. Lenidas’s foot hit him in the stomach and he slumped to the ground once more, gasping and clawing at the grass.

  Before anyone else could move, Lenidas drew the dagger from his hip and rushed toward the king.

  Leo materialized out of thin air beside Lenidas, gripped his arm and wrenched it backwards, sending him sprawling.

  Lenidas rolled and regained his feet, a smile on his face as he knelt like a cat preparing to spring into action. "Well, this is awkward."

  "It’s over." Leo stepped in front of King Adam and drew his sword. "You can’t best me in combat."

  Lenidas laughed and stood, waving the dagger in his hand. "Not with this. Give me a sword and we can make it a very interesting contest. There was a time when I could best you two out of five matches."

  "We are no longer playing for points." Leo spat. "Now that you have exposed yourself, it is time to die."

  "Brother." Lenidas shook his head and took a step to his left. "Neither of us need die. We could both prosper from this."

  "I’m not your brother," Leo hissed.

  Lenidas shrugged. "Brother. Clone. No one here knows the difference, so why add confusing new words to the local vocabulary before it’s required?"