Chapter Eleven #2
He couldn’t go to outposts and ask the soldiers for a place to sleep along with a meal. They’d wonder what in the realm he was doing there, and someone would run to send a dove to Father.
It was easy enough for a lone rider to slip through, and he stuck to the forest as much as possible. After a couple of days in the wilderness, he almost could have convinced himself that he was entirely alone in the realm, and no one else existed.
On day three, he saw a thin snow bear and the baby she’d died birthing.
It happened more and more as the lands died.
Nothing had picked at the corpses which looked fresh, and with the cold, he figured the meat would still be good.
It was tough to cut off a hunk from the bear but worth it.
He left the rest since it would be too much to carry.
Maybe another traveler would be fortunate to find it soon.
After mostly horsebread for days, the meat was heaven when he cooked it over a fire later. Stuffed, he slept as close as possible to the warmth and couldn’t wait until he could have a bed again.
He was more looking forward to bringing Lumi back. He’d certainly sleep better knowing his brother was finally safe. Jaki wasn’t entirely sure about how to tell Elswere when the time came, although the truth would be a good place to start.
Either way, no one was harming Lumi again.
When he saw the Ivar River, he knew he was in West Iceland.
An outpost was far, far away as he sat on his horse at the edge of the snowy forest and peered around.
The tower was a smudge, and in the water, a lone fishing boat went by.
Neither side pestered single, small boats when they passed through because it was pointless, and it wasn’t like one side had more fish than the other.
The Ivar and Rinder Rivers went through both.
Further north was a bridge, and he crossed it. Even though he could have been anyone, and his thick winter clothes hid his appearance, he was afraid he stuck out like a sore thumb. Both sides close to the border were no-man’s land.
He went south, found the Rinder River, and tried to get a pair at a tiny port village to take him so he could make the trip faster. The Rinder would cut several days off, but the brother and sister who owned the boat refused.
“I’ll pay you,” said Jaki. “I’m begging you. My Grandmother isn’t well, and I need to get to-”
“No,” snapped the man.
“A man needed a ride a few weeks ago, and that fisherman is-” The woman ran a finger along her throat. “The bastard stole what little fish he caught too and took whatever he could get his hands on.”
“We ain’t trusting no one unless you’re one of our own.” The man gestured at the village. “And you ain’t. No one here takes strangers now.”
“Horses on a boat is bad luck anyway,” said the woman.
For Elira’s sake. Some backwater places still believed that even though it was nonsense. Jaki had no choice but to continue on land as he followed the river.
By water, Tivar wasn’t actually that far because the Rinder was swift.
Going by land was much worse. The Rinder cut through a treacherous, rocky area.
Going on foot would be hard, and to go all of the way around would take ages.
The less dangerous way also turned out to be a bad idea since the fairies in the next nearest town said a gang of vicious outlaws lived around there.
To avoid that spot meant heading more north and taking far longer.
Jaki wasn’t about to take his chances with a dozen men lurking about and ready to pick off lone travelers.
He took the treacherous way and had to lead the horse since rocks and uneven ground hid under the snow that nearly came to his hips.
Riding the horse might lead to it breaking a leg if it stepped wrong, and Jaki could be trapped underneath.
With no firewood or proper shelter, he had little choice but to walk in a circle at night and stomp the snow down. Once finished, he had a hole to hunker in so the wind wasn’t so biting. The horse, a typical northern beast with thicker skin and fur, had to deal on his own.
It took four days to get through with Jaki pushing himself with little sleep and sore legs. The horse was worn out and probably hated him. Jaki hated his achy legs and cursed the snow. The cold seemed to have settled in him too.
Thankfully, a failing town wasn’t too far away once he was through, and he planned to get going in the morning.
A blizzard whipped up in the night, so he was stuck at the crummy inn for four fucking days.
Even an Iceland fairy who could deal better with the cold in decent clothes wouldn’t risk traveling in a blizzard.
Without being able to see more than a few inches in front of him, he’d end up terribly lost.
Despite being able to deal with the cold, it wasn’t impossible to freeze to death while lost either. His trick of making a hole for himself wouldn’t work so well when it seemed like the wind was going in every direction at once.
He’d worn the glamor around others and made himself look like a plain man, unworthy of remembering.
When he finally approached Lilling, he used it again and prayed it would last because he wasn’t sure how much charge it had left since the lord had used it a lot.
Hopefully, Jaki wouldn’t need to stay there for too long because he had no way to charge it.
***
“I’m sorry, m’lord, but Tivar sent away the court,” a guard said when he approached.
Jaki's heart thumped as he eyed the pair who looked lax since they likely had nothing to do except stand around during their shift while yakking with each other. Still, if anything went wrong…He almost couldn’t believe he was practically in the enemy’s home. “I have urgent business with him.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Lord Smith,” said the guard who must have remembered the fake’s name and appearance. “Er, King Tivar isn’t here right now.”
Jaki leaned down from the saddle. “Where is he?”
The guard fidgeted. “Er…”
The other sighed and nudged his buddy with a smirk. “Everyone knows. King Tivar often likes to go to the Games and Dames whorehouse.”
“Ah. What exactly is that? I haven't been there.” If Tivar were gone, Jaki would have an easier time. He’d merely change his plans a bit.
“It's a house where you can play cards and other games with the whores if you like a bit of fun before, er, the main fun. At least there, if you lose your clothes, you get them back before you leave.” The guard snorted. “He won’t be back until late, but you’re welcome to stay the night.
May I ask what your business is? We’ll tell a servant to let the King know he has a visitor in the morning. ”
“It’s private.”
As he expected, the guards didn’t pry. His horse was taken care of, and a servant brought him to a guest room. The Castle was almost eerily quiet, and his heart thumped when he imagined Lumi inside.
When he asked the servant why King Tivar had disbanded the court, she shrugged.
“I’m not sure, m'lord. The cook thinks he simply grew tired of…” She suddenly shut her mouth, and two pink spots appeared on her cheeks.
“What? You can tell me.”
“She says the court is like leeches, and it costs a lot to have so many servants to take care of everything. His Majesty was tired of paying so much for the upkeep. We can save on firewood by not heating as many rooms too.”
Jaki laughed. “He’s not wrong. When we come to court, we’re getting free food, a bed, wine, and entertainment. I suppose I’ll have to leech off the King right now for a meal in my room.”
She smiled. “Of course, m’lord. I’ll bring it up.”
“Once I’m finished, I’d rather not be disturbed since I’m tired unless the King returns and asks for me.”
“Of course.”
“Where are his rooms?” he asked. “I understand he’s gone out, but I will need to see him in the morning.”
“It’s upstairs, and to the right. There are two guards by his hall, and you can’t miss them.
They won’t allow you in. His Majesty likes total privacy and peace in his rooms. No offense, m’lord.
If you’d like, you can use the sitting room a ways down from his quarters.
Sometimes, he uses that one, and you could wait in there.
A servant will leave a note on his breakfast tray, so he’ll know you’re here tomorrow morning. ”
Once the servant left, Jaki took a deep breath. He had planned to use a fake son story so he could stay at court and “rest” for a few days before continuing his search. He’d say his son ran away with some trollop he was besotted with.
Thanks to Lord Smith, Jaki knew that his western cousin had a grown son from a Mistress. A young man might make such a foolish decision.
During dinner the next day, once he got the lay of the place a little, he’d planned to deal with the two guards near Tivar’s quarters. He was sure he could handle two on his own since they wouldn’t be expecting an attack. Day after day of easy guard duty could make a man grow lax.
He’d figured Tivar was holding Lumi in his own rooms. It would be easier to keep an eye on him.
Since servants weren’t permitted inside, it made sense.
They likely thought he valued his private space so much, he was willing to clean up after himself, and after many years, they’d be used to his ways.
Since Tivar wouldn’t be an issue tonight if he was out at a whorehouse, Jaki could act now.
He also wouldn’t have to rein himself in to keep from gutting the false King as soon as they laid eyes on each other.
If he did kill Tivar, half of the damn area would be hunting him down for murdering “the heir.” With Lumi, Tivar couldn’t send as many or be too open about his prisoner being taken.
Jaki and Lumi would have a better chance.
Getting past the gate guards with Lumi wouldn’t be hard because anybody leaving must have had a good reason to be there in the first place.
Those on duty wouldn’t know that a certain someone wasn’t permitted to leave.
Jaki would keep the glamor up, and Lumi would wear a cloak with his hood concealing his face.
Since Lumi must have been brought there in secret, the gate guards wouldn’t even know who he was.
Guards worked in shifts, and the later ones would assume he’d arrived earlier.
It was quite a stroke of luck that Tivar had gone to the whorehouse and would be gone for ages while he played games, got drunk, and fucked. He'd grown lax too, thinking no one would ever look for Lumi.
Jaki wasn’t sure if he could look at the man who had partly ruined the Kingdom and do nothing. He’d told himself repeatedly on the trip that he could, but he knew if it came down to it, the temptation might be too hard to resist.
Lucky for Tivar, he'd be out.
***
Later, after Jaki had washed, dressed, eaten, and spent some time pacing, he went to the top floor with a book in hand.
He said hello to the two guards who returned it and didn’t seem concerned about the visitor.
If he'd gotten in, he belonged there. Since the King was gone, they were leaning against the wall and chatting instead of standing at attention, although they straightened up at the approach of a supposed lord.
Jaki slipped into an open sitting room ahead where a fire was lit, and he set the book on the table in front of the couch.
He waited a minute while he scanned a shelf, listened, finally selected a vase, and hefted it in his hand.
The intricately painted scene on the front of two fairies copulating in a field of sunflowers was done in gold, and the vase must have been worth a lot. Oh, well. He hurled it at the wall.
The shattering was loud enough to wake the dead. It didn’t take long before footsteps came hurrying down the hall.
“Hello? Is everything alright, m’lord? Did you knock something over?”
Jaki remained tucked behind the open door and saw the guard step in.
“What-”
In a flash, Jaki had a hand over the man’s mouth and his dagger driven into his back.
The leather armor didn’t stand a chance against the wicked point, and for good measure, Jaki gave him a strong shock too.
The guard stiffened from the electricity and made a slight noise before he went limp.
Jaki quickly dragged his corpse behind the couch and yanked out his dagger.
Blood oozed from the wound, but Jaki had kept things neat, so there wasn’t a mess all over the cloth carpeting. He went back to wait behind the door. Since his buddy was taking too long, the second finally ambled in.
“Billy?”
He went the same way as the first.
Jaki hurried to the King's rooms. The huge double doors were locked when he tried them, and he kicked them near the handles until he heard something crack. He still had to use his dagger to jimmy the lock, and he started sweating as he worked.
He was finally able to enter, and he stopped dead at the sight of the mantelpiece. In the center sat a gold Crown as if it were a mere trinket or ornament to collect dust.
It had to be the one he’d seen in portraits of King Reesing. Elswere had described it too. Jaki hurried to the bedroom because a living person was more important at the moment. The bedroom door was locked too, and it gave under a couple of good kicks.
Lumi was on the bed with his back to the door, and his tail was limp. Jaki rushed to the side.
“Lumi?! Dear Elira…” He crawled up on the bed.
Bruises had blossomed all over Lumi’s body, and dried blood marked his face.
Blood had crusted on his wrist, trapped in a shackle.
The chain secured to the headboard had kept him from going anywhere.
Jaki felt his neck to find he still had a pulse.
Tivar had savagely beaten him and simply left him there.
For a moment, Jaki saw red. He didn’t think Lumi was kept in great condition, but he almost couldn’t believe Tivar had gone off to the whorehouse while his “pet” had lain there, naked, bloody, and unconscious. He hadn’t even healed him.
Lumi's stomach was swollen, and the skin was a bit loose. A few faint, pinkish lines marked his sides, and his pecs were larger too. Jaki had never seen anyone’s body shortly after birth. Still, he could guess why he looked like that.
“Fuck,” he mumbled.
If the baby hadn’t lived or had been a girl, Tivar would have been enraged enough to beat Lumi and blame him for the failure.