Chapter 58

Rehny felt out of place as his feet broke the level blades of grass carpeting the grove behind the Palace's Westwing. The maiden in grey silk had hurried steps that kept her just ahead of his long strides, she walked with her head bowed as if she had eyes on her scalp that prevented her from colliding with the numerous fruit trees they'd plunged into. Trees of brown bark with leaves of various shades of green that were dotted with flowers of ranging hues made Rehny feel like he'd ventured into a realm of serenity, a feeling that he wasn't comfortable with for he knew it to be a facade. When he left the orchard so will the feeling leave him.

Back in the day, he and Lamical had enjoyed such serene atmospheres but it had mostly been meadows bordering on river banks and not trees that bent under the weight of their fruit. If he closed his eyes and focused hard enough, tracing a point of logic while perusing through his memories of the past he would be able to capture Lamical as she had been back then, dressed mostly in long fading blue dresses or simple white gowns. She'd been beautiful despite her humble status and he'd been a spark that she had repeatedly coalesced to life with the smallest of gestures.

 Rehny shook his head from side to side, breaking his train of thought. The spark is long gone, no need to bring up memories that serve no purpose. He decided as the servant led him to a clearing in the middle of the orchard. The clearing was free from the shade of trees and the sun that was cresting the sky bathed the Queen in a golden hue. She sat on a bench that was propped up with thick green cushions surrounded by four male servants in grey silk robes and three female servants in grey silk dresses.

She wore a ruby red kirtle that was loosely laced at the front and through the laces Rehny could make out a white chemise highlighted by her bust. He immediately looked away from her, choosing instead to observe the servants holding various assortments of food and drink while eagerly awaiting for the seemingly uninterested Queen to beckon them to serve her. Could he blame her for what she had done to him? Could he have ever had the capacity to provide for her as she was provided for now? Rehny lowered his head, fighting down the urge to kick one of the servants carrying pastries.

The handmaiden who'd brought Rehny went before Lamical and bowed low. With a gesture from Lamical's hand the servant immediately went to stand at the edge of the clearing, out of earshot but easy to beckon for should her Queen require her. Another gesture from the Queen and the numerous servants surrounding her retreated to join the handmaiden. Rehny's eyes surveyed the trees surrounding them, he couldn't see them but he knew the Royal Black Guard were present, watching in the shadows.

Rehny turned his eyes back to the Queen. She had her hair held up by golden pins that mimicked its shade. Her long pale neck that was free of her held up hair caught his eye. He'd kissed that neck before, run his tongue over it, even bit it. Lamical still carried her beauty from her youth into adulthood and the maturity that engulfed it made her even more desirable. Why isn't she meeting my eyes? He wondered. Rehny stood beside the bench and observed Lamical whose blue eyes were fixed straight ahead.

"Desan is in his chambers," Lamical started. "His lungs are in danger of collapsing. His face is disfigured beyond comprehension to the point where I, his mother, couldn't even recognize him. His sword hand has been so severely damage that the Royal medic doubts he'd ever hold a sword." She turned her eyes to him from her position on the bench. "I asked you to protect him."

"I said I'll do what I can." Rehny answered, not backing down from her glare.

"And what did you do but stand on the sideline doing nothing as the Talisi assaulted my son?" She asked. He could see the dark rings beneath her eyes and concluded that she'd not been sleeping. She'd also been crying judging by the faint reds he could spot on the sclera of her eyes.

"He ordered me not to interfere," Rehny answered. "He was armored and had a sword. The Kolotian had nothing but a red robe, the odds were in his favor." Rehny's eyes did not leave her, if he was to go through with his plan to kill himself he would like the memory of her to be the last thing he saw.

Lamical abruptly stood up and slapped Rehny. It was a solid slap that would have toppled a lesser man. Rehny's face turned to the side from the impact, it was the first time she'd hit him. She'd never hit him before. Oddly enough he'd sensed it coming, his combat training made him competent enough in Forms of Intent to be able to see when a slap was coming but he hadn't believed she would do it. He didn't believe his Lamical would do it.

"You useless shell of a man!" Lamical said. He didn't face her, his eyes stayed fixed in the direction the slap had tilted his face towards. "You think a stinking mbengo could best my son? Desan is Binorian through and through! His father is the best warrior this Kingdom has ever seen. Do not delude me with stupid tales of odds! There must have been a ploy to hurt my son! A ploy that was successfully carried out."

He still didn't face her, he felt.. Numb? It wasn't real, none of it felt real. "And you wonder why I left you, you useless husk of a man. Can't even follow a simple request! I was a fool to ever see you in another light Rehny. Dung has more value than you." Rehny slowly turned his eyes to look at her face, a face that he'd once known all too well but was now scrounged up in pure hate. "Vayin Vigon is a thousand times the man you once were, the man you are and the man you'll ever be." She concluded with her full cherry lips twisting in a smirk.

Rehny took in a deep breath. Emotions roared within him that made him want to do things. Things like poisoning the Rankf sea and killing all marine life in it. He wanted to burn fields of crops and laugh as men starved. He wanted to breath in the smoke rising from the fires he'd lit to consume the whole Binorian Kingdom and to put an arrow in the head of every person who'd played a role in ensuring he was where he stood now. Rehny exhaled, letting go of every emotion and seeking a point of logic as the book of the Prowess of the mind entailed. He found none.

Rehny bowed before Queen Lamical and turned to depart.

"I've not dismissed you." Lamical said.

Rehny turned around. "Is there anything else?" He asked. "My Queen." He added after a short pause.

"What ploy did the Talisi put in play against my son that resulted in his current state?" Queen Lamical asked. "And don't tell me that Kolotian nonsense you fabricated to hide your incompetence."

"Thinking back I believe there might have actually been a ploy in play against your son that I must have failed to see until now." Rehny said while dramatically lifting his hand to his chin. Lamical nodded for him to continue. "Yes, I believe the Talisi must have come up with a concoction of some sort."

"A concoction?" Lamical asked and took a step closer to him. Rehny saw her eagerness to pry more information from him.

"Yes, they must have fed your son a concoction immediately after his birth that affected his mind in some way for I see no other reason as to why he has been an imbecile all his life." Rehny rubbed at his chin as he spoke. Lamical lunged at him with another slap but the Commander of the hundred Legions grabbed her wrist before her hand struck once more. He leaned in until their faces were inches apart, his eyes took in how her face had contorted in rage, how her bust rose and fell as her chest heaved. Rehny smiled.

"Though I may be an empty shell of a man, a husk as you put it. May I point out that the empty space within me holds an endless depth, be careful not to fall in." Rehny said. Lamical's eyes widened at his tone of voice and the words he'd spoken. Rehny let go of her hand and turned around. He departed the orchard without looking back, the smile on his face remained plastered on him as did the numb feeling within him.

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