The Three Kings

by Slawomir Rapala

Chapter III: End of Days

part 4 of 5

The storm had dwindled and soon the sea was calm again. The hull slowly grew quiet as the exhausted boys once more began to fall asleep. Iskald, weary of grim thoughts, curled into a ball on the dirty, insect- and rat-infested floor. He had nothing to cover himself with. The clothes he had on him when he was captured had been taken away by the Tha-kians and now he shivered under the filthy rags he was given. Despite the dreadful circumstances, he fell fast asleep.

He woke when someone shook his arm hard. Iskald opened his eyes and saw a heavy-set dark man leaning in and shining a torch into his face. Seeing that the boy was awake the man smiled, presenting a crooked row of half-rotten teeth. His breath stank of garlic and the boy moved to put distance between himself and the Tha-kian, but found that he could not. The heavy shackles reminded him yet again that he was a slave now and no longer a Duke.

“Eat!” the fat Tha-kian said. Only now Iskald noticed that in his other hand the man held a large pot, rusted and bent out of shape. Whatever its contents were, they smelled like the Tha-kian’s breath and the boy felt nauseous from the stench alone.

“Eat, boy!” the man said again. “But be quick about it ’cause others are waiting!”

He handed Iskald a wooden spoon and the boy took it hesitantly. He was not sure if he could swallow whatever he was being offered, but he was hungry.

“Eat!” repeated the man impatiently.

Iskald dug the spoon into the contents of the pot and ate quickly, trying not to pay attention to the awful taste and smell of the thick stew. He was hungry and ate hastily until the man wrenched the spoon away from him.

“Others want to eat too!” he barked. Taking the heavy pot, he moved slowly across to the other side of the hull. Putting it down again, he handed the spoon to the next boy.

The young Duke leaned against the wall with a sigh of relief and coughed up the remainder of the stew. Looking over to the side he saw that Xunnax was up already as well. The young Izmattian amused himself absentmindedly with the killing of cockroaches that came into the vicinity of his reach from time to time.

“You know, if they keep feeding us like this, we’ll never reach Dilli alive,” Iskald tried to start conversation.

Xunnax took his eyes off the floor and away from the insects crawling all around him. “How can you know where we’re headed?” He glanced curiously at Iskald.

“That’s easy,” Iskald felt a need to showcase his knowledge. “Dilli is largest port in the land of Tha-ka as well as the nearest one to Lyons. It’s also the capital of their Realm and the centre of all trade, so I think it’s pretty obvious we’re going there and not anywhere else.”

Xunnax gazed at him with a renewed interest. “How do you know all this?”

“My father taught me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Your father died?”

“Yes.”

“As did mine,” the young Izmattian said. “Tell me about him.”

“Why?”

“It will make it easier to bear the pain.”

“Nothing will make it easier.”

“Tell me. You will see.”

So Iskald told him. He told him about his father and his mother, he told him about his life in Lyons, and about the fateful day in Uaal. He told him about how his life ended and how a new life, a wretched one had begun.

“Do you think they know who you are?” Xunnax asked quietly.

The question surprised Iskald, who had not yet thought about it at all. He assumed that the Tha-kians did indeed realize who he was, especially since they found him with his father. But would they keep him down here with the other captives if they knew he was a Duke? Would they not rather kill him than risk keeping him alive?

“I don’t know,” he said hesitantly. “But how would they know? How would anyone know? No one in Uaal paid attention to who was being taken, everyone tried to save their own lives.”

“I know I didn’t tell them. But they could figure it out.”

“How?”

“They found you with your father, didn’t they?” he repeated Iskald’s thoughts.

“They did,” he replied. Then he added hopefully, “But maybe the two Tha-kians that took me in were killed and no one knows now?”

“I don’t think any more of the Tha-kians died in the raid,” Xunnax dismissed his thoughts with a shrug.

“Well, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Iskald exclaimed. “Don’t you think that if they knew who I am they would have killed me by now?”

“Keep your voice down!” Xunnax hissed. “If you keep screaming like this, the entire ship is going to know!”

Iskald quieted down.

“Well, wouldn’t they kill me?” he whispered after a moment.

“What for? You’re no good to them dead. They’d sooner try to ransom you out or something along those lines. If they can make a profit, why wouldn’t they?”

“If they ever returned me to Lyons, I would gather my troops and hunt them all down and take my vengeance,” Iskald said. “Why would they run the risk of that?”

Xunnax threw his head back and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Iskald demanded with a scowl.

“It’s just that I’m looking at you and all I see is a little slave bound by chains. Covered with rags, you can barely move and can’t do nothing without them saying so, and already you’re talking about vengeance!”

“I will have my vengeance!” Iskald’s pride suffered.

“First you have to live through this and by the looks of it, neither one of us will!”

Iskald did not reply, realizing how ridiculous he indeed sounded.

“You know what’s curious about this whole thing?” Xunnax changed the subject.

“What?”

“It’s not that you’re still alive, because there could be a whole lot of reasons for that. Maybe they didn’t figure it out, or maybe they thought you were Vahan’s page. Or maybe they just lost track of you among the hundreds of slaves they have here. Maybe they just don’t care, because what difference does it make? They can’t ransom you out because why should they make any more enemies? Maybe they figure you’ll just die anyway? Or maybe they don’t even know you’re here?

“That’s not what’s curious, though. I’m wondering how the Tha-kians knew to look for your father at your mother’s crypt.”

“Somebody in the village told them. You put a blade to a man’s throat and he’ll tell you everything he needs to know.”

“But how did they know they should ask?”

Iskald thought about it.

“Maybe someone told them that Vahan would be in Uaal?” Xunnax added.

“A traitor?”

“Why not? The world is full of them.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Iskald thought back to the warnings Aezubah gave them before they left the Jewel and about his own thoughts on the subject.

They said nothing for a while, each deep in thought.

“Tell me about the Kingdom of Tha-ka,” Xunnax broke the silence. “I want to know what’s in store for us.”

“I don’t know much.” Iskald was no longer eager to talk.

“You know more than I do, anyway. Tell me about it.”

“Well, it’s a dark Kingdom ruled by a race that’s neither white nor black.”

“What are they then?”

“The Tha-kians are a completely different race. It’s said that a long time ago, in archaic times, they came from the Far South and settled on the grounds of today’s Tha-ka land. They enslaved the black nations that lived there and created a powerful Kingdom, which relies extensively on slavery.”

“I noticed that much,” Xunnax mumbled under his breath.

“I remember how a few years ago a Tha-kian ship sailed into Triahnnem. They came on the shore with hundreds of slaves. They paraded them around the port and then tried to sell them to the people. My father always opposed slavery, and when he heard of what was happening, he was furious. He took a legion of Wolves, marched down to the port and freed the poor wretches. He captured the Tha-kians and burned their ship. He had all thirty of them impaled, covered with tar and burning for three nights. It was awful, but they deserved it.”

“They sure did,” Xunnax said. “I wish someone would do that now.”

“Ever since that time the Tha-kians attacked our coasts from time to time and captured people. My father wouldn’t take that sort of audacity. He sailed into Dilli one morning and unleashed five thousand Lyonese soldiers into the city. They killed most of the Tha-kians, burnt the city and left.

“The Tha-kian King somehow managed to escape, but he must have gotten a pretty good scare. He ordered the raids to stop and the Tha-kians didn’t bother us for years. But then the King was poisoned by his son, and it is he that sits on the throne now. The raids are starting all over again, as you can plainly see yourself,” Iskald ended with a bit of sarcasm.

“Why don’t they just attack openly?” Xunnax asked. “Judging from what you said it seems that the Tha-ka is powerful enough to do so. What are they afraid of then?”

“And why doesn’t Nekrya declare war on Lyons?” Iskald chuckled. “You see Lyons is backed by the awesome power of Biyack, whose bloody conquests are still well remembered all over the world. No one wants to draw him into war.”

“Would the Empire really stand behind Lyons in the event of war?”

“I doubt it. A long period of political unrest has somewhat deteriorated the entire power structure of the Kingdom. Besides, the Vikings from the Far North are pressing its borders and Biyack is beginning to crumble. All it might take is another war to bring him to his knees.”

“And when the Empire collapses, Lyons is going to find itself in a very difficult situation. Maybe you should stop pissing off so many people?”

“And let them walk all over us?”

“Better alive than dead, is all I’m saying,” Xunnax shrugged.

“Life as a slave? Never!”

“And what are you now?”

Iskald did not respond and the conversation was cut short. Xunnax returned to hunting the cockroaches and Iskald sat beside him deep in thought. He moved his leg impatiently to rid himself off an insect crawling up his thigh. It fell to the floor, where it promptly met its end under Xunnax’s bare foot.

“Can you stop that?” Iskald exploded. “I can’t think even, ’cause those damned bugs keep cracking under your feet!”

Xunnax failed to notice Iskald’s impatience. He seemed to be thinking about something different altogether.

“Do you think someone will come after us?” he asked.

“Of course,” Iskald sounded certain. “The harm and insult must be punished, the Duke must be avenged. I’m sure that as soon as Aezubah learned about the raid, he started after us.”

“Who’s Aezubah?”

“He’s my friend and mentor. He’s won wars and battles all over the world, and there’s no finer warrior either North or South of the Azmattic Ocean. He will take charge of the Wolves, hunt the Tha-kians down and crush them all. And we will be freed.”

“Are you sure?”

“He won’t let us down,” Iskald looked straight into Xunnax’s eyes. “Aezubah would never let me down.”

* * *

To be continued...

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