Chapter 17

The Mad King comes! Rehny recalled the same words uttered by Nerie, the flame seer he had consulted. He turned his face from Lamical but it was too late to hide the expression on his face. "You know something of this mad king?" She asked. Rehny knew two things, the first was that he was now certain that Nerie hadn't made up the words as a ploy to extract more gold vigons from him. The second was that the Gift giving ceremony with the Talisi carried with it a sense of danger that only a fool would ignore. A prophecy from two flame seers can't be passed off as mere coincidence, no, the Gods were at play. "What do you know Rehny?" The Queen insisted as if seeing his train of thought vividly across his face.

"The same words had been spoken by a seer I'd consulted." He replied.

"What does it mean?"

"I can't say for now but it's best we put as many Legions as possible behind the Gift giving ceremony." Rehny's eyes met Lamical's and for a brief moment his mind transported him to a meadow he had once frequented with her, the memory brought with it a sense of peace that he'd thought extinct and it made him aware of the gaping hole within his soul. Rehny closed his eyes, forcing the memory away and the feelings it brought with it. "Where is the King?" He asked, his eyes jutting open.

"He is in the throne room, at a meeting with the High Lords of the Locals." The Queen replied. Rehny nodded and turned to leave, Lamical reached out and grasped at his arm with both hands. Rehny paused, observing the Queen's slender fingers that tightened across his left arm.

"Please protect my son." Begged the Queen.

"I'll do what I can." Rehny said and shook his arm free of her clutches. He spared a glance at Lamical and saw that her head was bowed, her face scrunched up, she seemed hurt by his obvious show of contempt but it didn't unnerve him for a part of him took delight in her discomfort. It startled him a little that he would feel so about her, there was a time when he would have burned down kingdoms for her but as of now he felt good seeing her witness his resentment toward her.

"If it pleases her majesty, I have to attend to the King to discuss matters concerning what you've just shared with me." Rehny said and departed Queen Lamical's chamber without waiting to be dismissed. The Mad King comes. Rehny toyed around with the words as his feet briskly carried him towards the throne room but he found no meaning to them. He found two guards positioned outside the large oak doors of the throne room. The royal black guards upon seeing him gave a swift salute and proceeded to push the doors open for him.

Rehny found himself walking towards the throne, his feet moving upon the red carpet that spread all over the throne room. His eyes took in three familiar figures standing at the bottom of the stairs before the throne. There was the Highlord of the North Local, Cebru. He was a tall and lanky figure with sunken eyes and yellow teeth with a head full of grey. It was rumored that he held the largest bank of Kolotian fingers within the entire realm which made him a very powerful and dangerous man.

Beside Cebru to the right stood the Highlord of the East Local, Shama. He was a short, plump man with a round face, bald head and fingers that stuck out like sausages. He was known for his tendency to over indulge in matters of the flesh and ran the largest network of whore houses within the entire Kingdom. The last Highlord was the one of the West Local, Highlord Kemi, a slender young man of medium height with dark lavish hair who'd been appointed to the position for his tenacious nature in all matters business. Kemi ran the biggest distillery within the realm and was the reason the phrase 'The finest brew comes from the west.' was coined.

All three Highlords wore silk grey robes as a testament of their servitude to the crown. Rehny couldn't help but notice the absence of a fourth Highlord who dwelled with the living no more. Somes, the Highlord of the South Local had met his end at the hands of the Black Ghost. King Vayin had sworn not to appoint a South Highlord until he'd avenged the death of Somes to the fullest capacity, hence the oncoming war against the Remu and the probable reason for the congregation that stood before Rehny.

The Commander upon approaching the throne noticed that the Princess Dahli sat in the smaller golden throne next to her father. She was dressed in a magnificent purple dress that fell just below the knees and Rehny was once more struck by the uncanny resemblance of the girl to her mother the Queen. "Commander Rehny, I see you aren't in armour." King Vayin said while perched languidly upon the larger red throne and dressed in purple robes. Two royal Black guards were lined at either side of the stairs leading to the thrones.

All the Highlords turned to regard Rehny with a blank look upon their faces. Rehny always fantasized about running a sword through those faces but before Vayin he had to keep his thoughts in check so he opted to go down on one knee and bow before the King instead of indulging his fantasies of blatant violence.

"I'm sorry for my lack of formality your grace but I have an urgent matter to present before you." Rehny said.

"Arise and speak of this matter." Commanded the King. Rehny stood up and recounted everything concerning the two flame seers and their identical prophesies to the King but he left out the part where Lamical had called him to her chambers, choosing instead to only mention that one of the seers had been consulted by Desan and the other by himself.

"It is my belief that we should allocate more Legions to the Gift giving ceremony with the Talisi and to hold off any attack with the Remu until the matter with the Talisi is settled." Rehny concluded, bowing once more at the waist. There was a brief moment of silence then everyone in the throne room burst into fits of laughter including the King and the Black guards perched either side of the throne.

"Gods! The Talisi don't even know the difference between an arrow and a spear! Commander, they are as harmless as a fly." Highlord Shama said between laughs.

"Remember the last time we threatened them with war? How they all gathered and started weeping, begging for mercy! " Highlord Cebru said, his sunken eyes stained with tears from the laughter.

"It's the reason the Gift giving ceremony was put in place in the first place, to prevent the poor green eyed cunts from weeping every time they saw red armor!" Highlord Kemi added with a hearty laugh.

King Vayin chuckled. "Commander Rehny, I'm certain that 'Mad King comes.' prophesy from the seers was just a sign that King Gans of Talisi has gone insane. I do believe there's no need to offer more than a single Legion for the Gift giving endeavor."

Rehny recalled how Nerie had screamed while saying the prophesy, how she had been drenched with fear while struggling to crawl away from the flames, unable to lift herself off the ground due to pure terror. "But Sire.." Started Rehny.

"I will hear no more of this nonsense Commander!" Declared the King.

"If he is afraid father," Princess Dahli spoke, her voice a melodic tune that bounced off the throne room's walls and warmed every ear that beheld it "I would be more than willing to accompany the Commander on this expedition and offer him whatever safety is at my disposal." The whole throne room burst into another fit of laughter at the thought of the cowardly Commander being protected by the Princess.

"There you have it, Rehny!" The King said, a gleeful smile etched across his face. "You shall take one Legion and my children, Desan and Dahli with you. My daughter will protect you against the mad King so have no fear." More laughter erupted. Rehny struggled with the immense anger that threatened to tip him over the edge. Picture red, picture red, picture red. Rehny bowed low before the King, turned on his heels and departed the throne room. The Mad King comes. Despite the ridicule he'd received the seer's words seemed to have carried with them a bigger chill than they had prior to him entering the throne room.

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