Born of Darkness (William King) - William King Page 0,16

this was the first confirmation he had received from a reliable source about events in the vault. “What is the thing? And why is it here now?”

King Aemon looked at Kormak. The Guardian limped over to the table. His wounds pained him despite the healing the King had given him and the potions of the royal physician. He felt groggy from the after-effects. “It was an Old One,” Kormak said. “It was too strong and too fast and shifted shape too easily to be anything else.”

“Impossible,” Leone said. “We are beneath the light of a sunstone, within a palace warded against all such intrusions.”

Aemon’s expression was mild. He did not look at the Duke when he spoke. “The sunstone’s rays do not penetrate stone walls and every defence has a weak spot. It may be that someone has discovered ours.”

“I believe the creature entered in a sarcophagus delivered by the treasure fleet,” Kormak said.

“Are you sure?” asked Admiral Lorca. He was a brawny man with silver hair cut short and a well-trimmed silver beard. His voice had a rough note to it, as if hoarsened by years of bellowing orders across a ship’s deck.

“The coffin was disturbed when we entered the chamber. It seems the most likely source of the problem. It was open. It was the right size. It had been closed with binding runes. A trail of blood led from it to where we found the chancellor’s body.” He listed each point slowly and firmly.

“Accepted, Sir Kormak,” said Duke Leone. Admiral Lorca’s eyes narrowed. He clearly did not want to accept this. After all his fleet had delivered the sarcophagus and he was, ultimately, the individual who might have to take the blame.

“The question is why would anyone send such a beast to the Palace Imperial and unleash it here.” Duke Leone said.

“The fact that we are calling this council is answer enough,” said Prince Taran. “The business of government is disrupted. The counting of the latest revenues from the colonies is delayed. People are afraid. Royal prestige is undermined. Heretics and rebels are abroad in the realm. The cults of Shadow are at work everywhere trying to undermine my brother’s rule. Now we must deal with this thing rather than hunt them down.”

“All cogent arguments,” said Frater Jonas. “We need to find out who did this. Presumably there are records of when and where the cargo was put aboard, who authorised it, who collected it, who sent it.”

Admiral Lorca said, “There are manifests accounting for every item transported on my ships. The entire cargo was loaded at Port Montanea, delivered by Governor Kolkin’s men. I counter-signed for every piece.”

“Then you know the sarcophagus I am talking about,” Kormak said.

Lorca considered this. “Thousands upon thousands of treasure chests have to be loaded, Sir Kormak. I can’t be expected to remember all of them, but in this case I do. It was a striking piece of work. It had been discovered in some ancient temple complex far inland. Knowing the King-Emperor’s interest in such things, Governor Kolkin sent it on. He seemed quite proud of the thing.”

Prince Taran scratched a note on a piece of parchment. “Did he now?”

Aemon walked over to his brother and placed a bony hand on his shoulder. “Come, brother, let us not be too hasty to jump to conclusions. I have made my interest in such artefacts clear enough. I mention it to every governor of every colony before they take up their position. They all know about the Royal Museum. We already have a score of such sarcophagi. Who would guess this one was different?”

“Perhaps the contents could have been investigated more thoroughly.”

“It was magically sealed and opening it would have damaged it,” said Aemon. “I am interested in all such seals. Solareon used them. I will learn to use them too.”

Solareon had been the greatest wizard-king of the First Empire. He had bound demons and conquered entire kingdoms of the Old Ones. If Aemon intended to emulate him, his ambitions were vast indeed.

“The seals did not look like any used by the First Empire,” Kormak said.

Aemon smiled. “You have had experience of such things?”

“I have handled one set by Solareon himself.”

“Then we must talk about it some time.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty, but at the moment . . .”

“At the moment we have more pressing affairs, of course. It can wait.”

“What are we going to do?” Prince Taran asked. “An almost invulnerable demon is loose in our palace. It has killed our subjects and