Chapter Six
I found the King just around the corner, on the ground, with six of his guards holding him down. He fought them silently, aside from the occasional grunt, and it made the scene all the more curious. I'd never seen such large men fight so quietly. There was no real animosity there, just struggle.
I stopped two feet away from them. “You can let him up now. We've got a temporary barrier in place.”
The Dragon knights lurched back from the King all at once, gained their feet, and backed away, their wary stares locked on the Dragon King.
Falken got to his feet, glaring at his knights, and smoothed his tunic. “If you ever try to keep me from him again, I will send you back to your enclaves!”
The knights exchanged shocked looks. One of them spoke, “Sire, we weren't trying to keep you away from, uh, anyone. We were protecting you. The Alchemist said—”
“Master Alchemist!” the King cut him off. “He is a master alchemist, superior to every fucking alchemist in this palace, and you will remember to give him his proper due!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The knight glanced at me, and I shrugged.
Then I stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I apologize. They were reacting to my urgency. I didn't want you exposed to the rot. It nearly blinded Vanre.”
The Dragon King took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turned to face me. “I appreciate your concern, Master Alchemist, but if you aren't running, do not expect me to.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Again, I'm sorry. You're more important than I am, and I needed to stay to see to the barrier. Please do not hold your knights accountable for my caution.”
“You are not the King. Their duty is to me alone. Your words shouldn't have affected them.”
“But isn't it their duty to protect you? They reacted to my panic and fear for you. It wasn't about me. It was your safety they were concerned with.”
The King grimaced. “Yes, I see. Still, they disobeyed my orders.”
Another knight tried to speak to him, “Sire, we—”
“Dismissed!” King Falken cut him off.
The knights bowed and left.
The King stepped closer to me. “Is the rot contained?”
“Yes, but the barrier is flimsy and temporary. I suggest you brick up the doorway as soon as possible. Until then, the fabric sealing in the airborne rot will have to be wet every hour.”
“Bricked in? My armory is down there.”
“Yes, I know, Your Majesty. But what use are weapons when they're infected with rot or, even worse, your soldiers are dead?”
“Dead?” He narrowed his eyes. “It can kill?”
“I don't know what it can do. But it made Vanre's eyes bleed. That's not a good sign.”
“Vanre,” he growled. “That incompetent fool nearly infected the entire palace.” He spun around and stormed off.
I hurried after him. “At least now we know burning it isn't a good idea.”
The King grunted. “That was not the way to conduct an experiment. He assured me he had the cure when he obviously hadn't tested it.” Then he shouted, “Torli!”
“Sire, the barrier?”
“What do you think I'm doing?” He shouted again, “Torli!”
A Shanba man with an impressive set of antlers came running down the corridor toward us. He stopped a few feet away and bent over, panting. “Your Majesty bellowed for me?”
I snickered.
The King slid a smirk my way before saying, “Torli, have the passage to the armory bricked in.”
The Shanba straightened, revealing a pair of large brown eyes. His flat nose twitched. “Bricked in, Sire?”
“That fool Vanre failed, and the rot is spreading. We need the room sealed before it seeps out.”
I added, “He burned the Silver Rot and released it into the air. The passage must be sealed so that no particles can get through. And they must be careful when they brick it in. Tell them to keep the current barrier in place and brick it over . Also, they should wear masks to protect their noses and mouths, and glasses over their eyes.”
Torli's eyes went wide. “It's in the air?”
“Yes, but it's contained.” The King looked from Torli to me. “Won't it spread through the bricks?”
“Not unless you enchant them. Although I can't say for certain how much Vanre has altered the rot. We'll know soon enough, I suppose.”
The King grimaced. “Where is that idiot?”
“He ran off while we were sealing the passage.” I shrugged. “After I had cleaned his eyes and stopped the bleeding.”
“Bleeding?” Torli's eyes went wide.
“So, he's a fool and a coward,” the King snarled.
“Shall I find him for you, Your Majesty?” Torli offered.
“Yes, find him and put him in a cell.”
“Your Majesty?”
“A cell, Torli. He can wait there until I'm ready to speak to him.” He pulled my list out of his pocket and handed it to Torli. “And here is the list of items needed for Master Sevarin's laboratory. See to the passage first, then Vanre, and then get the lab prepared.”
“Yes, Sire!” Torli hurried off.
The Dragon King stretched his neck as he watched the man leave. “Now, what, Master Alchemist?”
“Now, I need to analyze my samples. If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, of course.”
I hurried away, my satchel clutched close.
I wasn't ready to analyze the samples. That was just a ruse to get away from the King.
I wanted to see where the rot had hit the city, and with the way the Dragon King was behaving, I was betting he'd want to tag along.
He would only hinder me, especially since his knights would have to accompany us. I didn't have time for such nonsense.
I turned a corner and headed for the main doors.