Chapter 54

Celebration Duke Essex held his celebrations in a formal ballroom that was saved for the most special occasions, the last being his post-coronation. When Karn and Tala arrived, two guards adorned in royal plate armor ushered them in. The guards announced them to the other guests who mingled, held heated discussions on the war, or chatted about old times.

Both Karn’s and Tala’s mouths fell open as they marveled at the elegance of the ballroom. Dressed with the rarest silk draperies and artistic wall tapestries, the formal hall was decorated in a style that mirrored the throne room of the castle but was much more elegant. Karn’s eyes moved around the space until they fell upon the enormous banquet table in the center of the room.

The table was massive, easily seating thirty or more people. As he looked closer, he determined that the table was made entirely of bronze. Outlining the grand piece of furniture, inlaid among the etched designs, were precious gems that sparkled with and cast reflections around the room. As Karn walked toward the center of the ballroom a large fireplace grabbed his attention. A bright fire burned inside it; its warmth drew him in and relaxed him.

“Look, Karn.” Tala pointed at a stained-glass skylight that depicted a white-haired angel with her arms outstretched, over a battlefield cluttered with fallen soldiers. Beautiful. The artist’s message was not lost on him. If angels are real, and they come to usher heroes from the battlefields, then they will be called upon soon—very soon.

They threaded their way through the small crowd of guests. Tala entertained him with her knowledge of the generals’ names. She pointed out two of the duke’s newest generals who stood with Duke Essex and Lieutenant Hart, amidst a tale of a past battle.

“We all suffered great losses that day,” the older general remarked.

“Karn, we were just talking about…” Duke Essex’s face lit up as Karn and Tala approached. “Well, well, look at you.”

“Lord. Gentlemen.” Karn nodded.

“Tala, you look ravishing in that dress.” Essex smiled, his attention solely on her.

“Only an elf could wear a dress like that,” one of the generals remarked under his breath.

Tala bowed at the waist to the duke before she greeted the other generals with a warm smile. It was obvious to all that she knew the Duke of Kel Tora’s high standards of beauty and appreciated his remark.

“Do you think wearing my hair up like this makes my ears look big?” Tala asked coyly, while she twirled a loose strand of her yellow-green hair.

Duke Essex looked to Karn, and Karn looked back, then together they laughed at Tala’s comment.

“Such a charming young girl you are, Tala,” Essex said. “Karn, let me introduce you to General Wolfrum and General Silver. General Silver, you may remember that Karn here was a former officer in Weiden’s Rise cavalry division.”

Karn shook General Silver’s hand, knowing full well that that part of his life was a lie. “I’m sorry, sir, my memory’s not what it used to be.”

“No harm. There’s much of my past that I wish to forget,” Silver replied.

“General Wolfrum here was an officer in Joa’Ta’s army until Mustaffa invaded,” Essex explained.

“That dishonorable bastard took my king, my family, and my friends,” Wolfrum said with a huff. “I plan on winning this next battle or dying with my hands around Mustaffa’s throat.”

“The line for Mustaffa’s life is a long one, sir,” Lieutenant Hart said.

Karn took part in the conversation for a few moments before he excused himself. The room had begun to get stuffy, so he followed a cool night breeze out to the balcony and right to the stone railing that guarded the ledge. Outside, the gentle wind was the coldest he had felt that season and carried upon it a hint of dampness. With his head tilted back, Karn inhaled a deep breath through his nose.

“Humans…” a contemptuous, gruff voice came from the darkness.

Zian emerged from the shadows a few feet away on a ledge. His grayish-brown hair pointed back at sharp angles like hundreds of tiny spikes.

“Smells like rain,” Karn observed as he motioned with a hand outstretched. “How’s Raven, Zian?”

“She rests in the mountains with what’s left of my kin.” Zian gazed and then snarled at the crowds of people inside the room.

“I knew our paths would cross again, Zian. I knew you could not stay away from this fight,” Karn teased a trifle smugly.

“It’s in my blood, human, just as much as it’s in your soul,” Zian growled.

Karn shot a suspicious look at the jackalwere. “You-you know about me? What was done to me?”

“Yes.”

“How?” Karn spread his hands in bewilderment.

Zian’s head bobbed as he tried to get a better look at something in the distance. “The same way you do.”

Karn ran his hand down his face and drew a deep breath. How long, he wondered. How long has Zian known?

Karn looked over his shoulder as a young guard approached. No fewer than five summers younger than Karn, the guard walked with total confidence to Karn’s side where he took a long look into the field below the balcony and glanced around, overlooking the jackalwere in the deep shadow.

Zian knows how to avoid detection.

“Everything satisfactory out here, sir?”

“Of course, return to your rounds,” he said.

The young guard walked off and when he was gone, Zian’s voice cut the silence like a knife. “You play your part well, boy.”

“Did you come here for the party or do you have a plan to defeat Mustaffa?”

Zian did not respond; all Karn could hear was the jackalwere’s breaths as they grew deeper and heavier.

“Zian?”

At long last, the jackalwere replied, “My plan is to strike at the most chaotic moment. When you need me, human, I’ll be there.”

The wind picked up and whipped leaves across the balcony’s cobblestones. A drop of rain struck Karn’s shoulder, then another tapped his hand.

“Good plan.”

“You smell different…”

Karn turned to the shadows that Zian hid in and chuckled. “What kind of comment is that?”

“Something has changed your scent.”

“Maybe I smell like elf?” Karn said with a sarcastic laugh.

Zian grumbled something under his breath before he jumped to the ground below. Karn’s eyes followed him as he bolted toward the tree line and vanished into the darkness.

A clatter of heels made Karn turn in time to see Tala stroll out of the ballroom and onto the balcony. He agreed with Duke Essex: she did look extraordinarily lovely tonight. She had a glow that could not be extinguished. As she drew closer to him, her smile turned to a rather seductive grin.

“Do you like what you see, good sir?” Tala mimicked an upper-class woman’s tone.

“Very much.”

“I hope you do not mind, but I was planning on changing my attire before I attend our private party later tonight.”

“We wouldn’t want to ruin your nice new dress.” Karn was excited by the possibilities. “Come, dear lady—let us dance.”

Serene harp and lute music filled the ballroom. “I seem to remember having been a good dancer,” he said light-heartedly as he led her out onto the floor.

One song ended, and another began, over and over. Karn lost himself in the moment.

“This music… This night…” Tala looked deep into his eyes. “It’s like there’s nothing to be concerned with in the land. It feels like freedom.”

“I feel it too.”

Another three songs passed before Duke Essex cut in to dance with Tala. Karn nodded and took the duke’s former dance partner, General Silver’s daughter, for a dance. She was sixteen summers old at most, but did not look as such when in the duke’s arms.

Although quite pretty, she was painfully shy. Every attempt he made to look his young dance partner in the eye failed. She simply would not engage him. Her blue eyes darted around the room, and she seemed like a lost puppy. This dance will last forever, he thought, and as soon as it was over, Karn politely excused himself and walked over to the duke’s table.

Karn sat, his breathing labored, and snatched a mug of ale as he settled, but was interrupted by General Silver before he could drink.

The general placed his hand on Karn’s shoulder and spoke softly. “Although my daughter hates these formal engagements, I’ve never seen her smile as much as she is now.”

He sat up straighter. “Sir?”

“It appears she has a crush on you, my new friend.” General Silver pointed at his daughter, who stared at Karn but looked away when they looked toward her.

“I, w-well…” Karn began nervously. “Tala and I…”

The general smiled. “If you ever change your mind about the elf, sweet little thing though she may be, I would be honored to give you my daughter’s hand in marriage. It’s good to stick with your own kind, you know.”

“Generous, but, uh…” He searched for words as he wished Tala was there to save him.

“Just keep it in mind, son.” General Silver removed his hand from Karn’s shoulder, patted him on the back, and walked off.

Karn downed his mug of ale in two gulps then exhaled a long breath. The night had taken a sudden turn, and he felt as if it slowed down right before his eyes. A fire built inside him, as if the battle he was about to face called his name. His need for conflict grew. He could feel his heart speed up and his breathing increase. Karn watched the veins in his wrist and arm pulse. I need to fight. Sweat beaded at his brow as he searched for a reason why he felt like he should smash something.

Karn closed his eyes and thought about the ocean. He took slow breaths and tried to control his anger. Whatever this was, it was not him—it must be the spell cast on me.

Before he could catch his breath, Tala dropped into the seat beside him. She lifted a glass of water, sipped from it, then poured a little on her hand to wipe over her brow. While she fanned her neck and chest with a cloth napkin, she turned to Karn.

“That girl likes you.”

Karn shot her a look of aggravation, and replied, “Not you too.”

“Duke Essex is a good dancer. I’m sweating, see?” Tala pointed to her cleavage, where the sweat sparkled like tiny diamonds.

The sight distracted him. “How come when you sweat it sparkles?”

“Elven secret,” she replied, her index finger pressed to her lip.

Karn tried not to laugh but could not help himself. A break in the music caught his attention. Duke Essex raised his voice over the crowd and motioned for everyone to be seated as he approached his seat at the head of the long table and raised a glass of wine. After a moment of silence, he spoke three words that whipped the nobles and soldiers into a frenzy: “To Kel Tora!”

“Kel Tora!” the crowd thundered.

When the crowd’s cheers died, he spoke again.

“To victory!”

Karn could not help but jump to his feet and stand tall. “To victory!” he shouted along with the rest. Even Tala stood to echo the cry. The time of battle was upon them. Karn felt it, and he was sure every officer and nobleman in the ballroom felt it too.

“Kel Tora will not fall in the coming days! So long as I live, this great castle will remain standing,” General Silver boasted.

“That goes for me too!” Lieutenant Hart added.

“Karn, you may be new to the court of Kel Tora, but you are just as vital to our coming triumph. What say you?”

“I have no doubt that Kel Tora will defeat Mustaffa,” Karn announced and then paused to allow the cheers to die down. “Her men are strong. I have witnessed their resolve in battle.”

The crowd bellowed louder.

“One month from tonight, I will stand in Kel Tora with my new bride, Tala, and our lands will once again be safe!”

“Bravo!” Lieutenant Hart shouted.

Karn nodded to Tala, who waved off tears.

“When this war is over, we will reshape the continent in Kel Tora’s image!” Duke Essex cheered. “Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow we fight!”

“Fight!”

“Fight!”

“Fight!”