Blood of the King - Khirro's Journey Book 1 Page 0,72
the likes of you rooted at the feet of the man who held his rightful throne.”
Dondon hung his head. “Apologies, Lord.”
Sir Alton looked across the table at Dondon, disgust and pleasure mixing plainly in his eyes. “It bears the unbroken seal of the king,” he said pointing at the roll, his mustache quivering as his camouflaged lips moved behind it. “It is the wish of the king.”
Seconds passed as they stared at the king’s mark. Hanh Perdaro picked up the letter, broke the seal and unrolled it. He read its words while the others held their breath, awaiting confirmation. Therrador fought to keep his rebel lips from breaking into an inappropriate smile. When Perdaro finished, he set the letter back on the table.
“It is as he says.” He pushed his chair away, moved to Therrador’s side and dropped to one knee. “I pledge fealty to you, my Lord. My life is yours, King Therrador.”
Only the briefest moment of pause passed before Sir Alton’s voice bellowed out across the chamber.
“Long live King Therrador!” The others joined in, thrusting their fists in the air. “Long live the king!”
Therrador sat back in his chair and allowed the smallest of smiles to curl the corners of his mouth.
Chapter Twenty Six
The white tyger squatted on its haunches, silent but for its breath. Khirro stared into its golden eyes, unsuccessfully attempting to fathom who or what lay behind them. They sat for some time—how much, Khirro didn’t know: a minute in a dream could be hours, or hours but a minute. He shifted, moving to his left, and the tyger growled deep in the back of its throat, startling him. He settled back and the beast quieted. Each time he moved, the tyger growled again, fixing Khirro in place.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
In the other dreams, the tyger seemed helpful, friendly. Not so this time. This time it acted as jailer or guard, keeping him from leaving. Khirro scanned the forest surrounding them without recognition. This was not the place of the lake and the moon. He breathed deep and leaned to his left. The tyger growled, but he ignored it this time, leaning farther. The beast bared its teeth. Khirro quickly moved back and the rumble in the tyger’s throat ceased.
“Stray not from the path, Khirro.” The tyger’s voice rang in his head. “Danger lies on all sides.”
Khirro moved directly toward the tyger. It didn’t react.
“Who are you?”
“You will be safe if you follow the path. Stray not.”
Without knowing why he took the chance, Khirro reached out and touched the tyger’s nose. The big cat neither flinched nor moved away. His fingers brushed the soft fur between its eyes, felt the moistness of its nose. He only had a moment to notice these sensations before the animal rose abruptly and leaped away into the forest. Khirro stood, staring after it as a chill ran down his spine.
And then Khirro was walking, though he didn’t remember wanting to walk or starting to do so. Trees and brush slid past and he realized where he was, where he had to go. The Shaman had shown him the path to Darestat’s keep when he cursed him with this burden and he saw it clearly now, knew he walked it.
South. The path lay south. There he’d find an inland lagoon fed by a towering waterfall, beside it a ruined village. There the journey through Lakesh would start.
The trail ahead of Khirro disappeared, foliage and brush enveloping it, and a feeling he was no longer alone overwhelmed him. He scanned the thick brush hoping the tyger had returned to guide him but saw only leaves and branches. He swung back to the path and before him, where there had been only forest a moment before, was the lagoon and the abandoned village, the waterfall cascading soundlessly into a clear pool. Under other circumstances, the scene might have been beautiful, but the feeling of being stalked pressed in, brushing Khirro’s cheek, filling his lungs. Everything dimmed. The huts, the lagoon, the trees, everything faded into darkness. Everything disappeared.
Khirro opened his eyes.
With the dream still fresh in his mind, he didn’t understand what his eyes saw at first. Darkness, but not dark like at the end of the dream. He knew he was awake. He blinked to clear his head and focus his eyes.
Scars criss-crossed the face looking down on him. One eye glared at him menacingly, the other socket empty and pink.