War-ku

By Raymond Cornford

While the king of Jeva is being assassinated as part of a coup, his grandson and heir, having been born just minutes earlier,is whisked to safety by loyal friends of his mother, the Princess Li-Meri.Forced into exile and hiding, Li must come to terms with a radically different way of life and the impact of that new life on her expectations,values and emotions.
When news from the capital forces Li to think again about her exile,she returns to the Citadel to face attempts on her life and that of the heir from rivals within Jeva. Dangers which are eclipsed by the realisation that her son's life is threatened also by a secret and ruthless group of assassins seemingly employed by a foreign power.
Thwarted at every turn by her enemies,Li must somehow protect her infant son while struggling to establish order in Jeva and to discover the identity of the assassins' employer, the only way to end the threat to the boy's life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9780244902094

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War-ku

WAR-KU

by Raymond Cornford

Copyright  2017 by Raymond Cornford

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First printing: 2017

ISBN 978-0-244-90209-4

Raymond Cornford

2 Bethel Villas, Bronllys, Brecon LD3 0LR

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely accidental.

WAR-KU

ONE

'Are the men in place?' Barrad Skerton asked.

'Yes,' replied, Hei-Partan. 'They are ready to act on your command.'

Skerton nodded. 'I will drop my quill. Be sure to act at once. There can be no mistake, this near to our prize.'

Hei-Partan bowed shallowly. 'I understand. It will be as you have ordered.'

'Go now. I will be there shortly.'

Hei-Partan left the room. Skerton moved to a side table and poured a small beaker of Kish. As the fiery liquid burned his throat, he coughed and felt a little sweat break out on his forehead. Irritated, he wiped it away with a linen cloth and sought to compose himself. The moment was here, finally. He must remain alert and in control. The minutes immediately following the act would be crucial. It was essential that he be the one to assume control. Before one of his rivals stepped in to do so. Hopefully, their shock would give him a vital edge. A few seconds to act while they recovered.

Skerton drew a deep breath and straightened his robe. It was time.

*

In a room some distance away and two floors higher in the Citadel,  Princess Li-Meri screamed again.

'Push once more, Elegance, The head is almost out now.'

'You push, cursed woman! And I'll give the orders,' Li-Meri panted. 'How does that sound?'

'If it were possible, Elegance, I would do so. But if you wish to see your child, it is you who........................' she broke off as her words were drowned by another scream, even louder than the last. 'Almost there now. Once more.'

Li screwed up her face and bore down again, as her brow was mopped by a young helper and her face turned red with effort. A final agonised scream and a slithering pink mass slopped out on to the bed from between her thighs. Expertly caught and its face wiped free of membrane and blood, the cord was snipped and the child cried its first anger at the world.

'Elegance, you have a son!' the nurse, Dar-mi, announced. She moved to a side table covered in fleeces where she proceeded to wash the babe. It was then that she noticed the small birthmark on his left shoulder, shaped exactly like a dagger. She shuddered slightly, seeing a portent there, but not being sure of what.

Li-Meri groaned. 'Show him to me.'

'One moment, Elegance.' Dar-Mi completed her washing of the babe. Wrapping the child in a soft woollen blanket, Dar-mi walked back to the bed and laid the boy in his mother's arms. 'Here, Elegance. Your son.' Then she moved back to the foot of the bed. 'I need one more push from you, Elegance,' she said. 'To rid yourself of the birth matter.'

Li was busy counting fingers and ignored the nurse. 'Hello, little one,' she crooned. 'Welcome to the world. How shall I call you? I shall not decide now, I think. First, you must drink.' Pulling aside her birth gown, she bared a breast and guided the babe's mouth to the teat.

'Push, Elegance. Let us only finish this and you may rest.'

'Oh, cursed woman! Have I not done enough pushing for one day? I have no more push left in me!'

'If you do not expel the birth matter, you will likely poison your own blood, Elegance. Then your new son will face the world without a mother. Please, Elegance!'

Li groaned. 'Oh, alright, Dar-mi!' She strained once and again. Dar-mi, picked up the birth matter and transferred it to a pail. 'Tell me I may rest now.'

Dar-mi smiled. 'You may. Do you wish me to announce the birth?'

'Of course. All should know. Let the news go forth.'

'At once, Elegance. I will return shortly.'

Dar-mi withdrew, leaving Li murmuring to her new son. As she moved to the stairs, cold fingers of dread wrapped themselves around the nurse's heart. She had a sudden premonition that this child would likely rend the kingdom.

*

Unnoticed by Dar-mi, the news was already being delivered to certain quarters. The girl helper from the birth room had slipped out as the child was being given to the Princess. The girl, Riath, ran quickly to a room one floor below, where waited two men eager for news. She wasted no time knocking at the door.

'Sires,' she said breathlessly as she entered, 'the babe is born. A boy.'

'Thank you, Riath,' said one of the men. 'Return to your duties now and say nothing more.'

The girl bobbed a curtsey and left, returning to the birth room to help clean the mother. The two men looked at one another.

'How long dare we wait?' said the first.

'We have little enough time, I fear. We must away before the meeting is properly under way. We can give the princess a short while.'

A quarter passed before Riath returned. 'Elegance Li-Meri is washed and clothed, Sires.'

'Come, Mical,' said the second man, Perri. 'There is no time to lose.' The two men ran quickly to the room where the Princess lay with her son. They entered and bowed briefly to her. 'We must leave now, Elegance,' Perri told her.

'But he is feeding.' protested Li-Meri.

'If we do not leave immediately, he will likely never feed again,' urged Mical. 'The meeting will start in just a few minutes. Once the decision is made, and if the wrong side loses, as it seems certain they will, they will seek to eliminate opposition quickly. Your son is now the number one threat. If we are to save him, we must leave now, Elegance!'

'But I am weak,' complained Li-Meri. 'I have just given birth, for Light's sake! We are neither of us in a fit state to travel.'

Perri looked at Mical and nodded. Mical went to Li-Meri and lifted her into his arms, complete with child, ignoring her protests. Perri collected blankets and followed Mical out of the room. The pair took a back staircase to the servants' hall and thence to the road outside the rear of the Citadel, where a carriage waited. Within minutes, they were all inside and the carriage was away.

'We have clothing for you both in a trunk on the carriage roof,' explained Mical. 'Anything else you need, we will procure for you as soon as it is safe to stop.' Perri unfolded a blanket and draped it over the carriage seat. Mical lay the princess down with infinite care. Further blankets were then placed under Li-Meri's head and over her body. 'I regret the haste, Elegance, but events are moving quickly. It is well that the babe was born when he was. Had you begun birthing during the journey, we should all have been very afraid!'

'How far must we travel before I may rest?'

'We journey to the coast, Elegance, where a ship awaits. We cannot stay in Jeva. We must sail to Grenland.'

Li's lip trembled. 'What shall we do there? I am much afraid, Mical.'

'I realise this is hard for you, Elegance, but it is not for ever. We must only wait until it is safe to return. I cannot say when that will be, but we will take good care of you meantime. The important thing is that your son lives.'

As the carriage crossed the bridge to the town proper, leaving the Citadel behind, Mical exhaled with relief.

*

In the Conclave chamber, as yet unaware of the birth, an angry meeting was taking place. Barrad Skerton stood silently, listening to the shouting and cursing of others.

At last, the king rose and held up his arms. 'Enough!' he bellowed. 'Is Jeva a kingdom or a tavern, to be ruled by the loudest voice or the largest muscles?' The angry exchanges quieted.  'We have debated this at length. I have allowed you all your say. It is clear that the Conclave is bitterly divided. Thus it falls to me to decide what we, as an assembly, cannot.' There was silence now as those gathered held their breath.  The king's decision would affect not just the immediate future of the realm, but that of the most vociferous among them. Some would suddenly be on the winning side of the argument and some on the losing. The former would form the closest group to the king. The others would lose rank.

'My first concern,' the king went on, 'indeed, my only concern, must be for Jeva and its people. The border skirmishes with Illian troops are worrying. Our settlements have been harried, our stock stolen and our subjects killed. Representations to the Council there have been made but nothing has changed. Clearly that Council is unable or unwilling to bring to an end the attacks on our lands. Action is therefore necessary on our part.' A low murmuring began as each of the two camps began to anticipate the king's next words. One camp would shortly be triumphant, the other angry and bitter. Skerton glanced up at the gallery, where his men lurked, unseen. Hei-Partan was there, apparently leaning casually on the balcony wall to take in the events unfolding below.

'The point at issue is what that action should be,' continued the king. 'Retaliation or defence. Should we simply send our own troops to the area to defend our settlements from further attack or do we risk all-out war by launching retaliatory raids over the Illian border.' He paused to rake those assembled with his gaze. 'Make no mistake. The second course could see many of our sons and daughters dead. Could see Jeva impoverished for a generation. War is a costly thing, in terms of both coin and lives. But that cost must be balanced against the risks of being seen, by our enemies, as weak, thus encouraging further incursions into our beloved realm.'

The tension in the large room was palpable. Skerton found himself marking the location in the crowd of those most opposed to him. He hoped Hei-Partan had marked them well.

'I have decided that, for the moment, there will be no war,' the king announced. 'Instead, I shall send my most trusted advisers to meet with the Illian Council. I do not believe.........' Skerton let his pen slip from his fingers. Even before it hit the stone floor, a hail of arrows flew. Screams of pain and panic followed as bodies fell. A stampede ensued as members of the Conclave sought to escape the mayhem.

Skerton smiled grimly. It was time for him to get to work.

*

Gwellyn Marak cursed as the needle slipped and pricked her finger. Again. Casting the embroidery aside in disgust, she rose and walked slowly to the small window in the Citadel wall. A window which did not open and measured little more than two hands' breadth. The glass itself was cloudy, a relic of a time years before when such things as glass had first become available. Often, Gwellyn wished the glass gone so that she might feel the air instead. And see the fields beyond the citadel. As it was, she had only a foggy view of something with a green tinge to it.

Turning back, she sat at a small table and poured herself a goblet of wine. She had dismissed her maid some time before, irritated by the girl's fussing, albeit that she had only been doing her job. Increasingly, Gwellyn found herself irritated by everything. Since Dar-Hila's death. Since her son had been so cruelly taken from her. Taken in his prime, leaving a hole in her life that nothing could hope to fill.

His death still haunted her daily. Not just the fact of it, but its cause. According to the royal healer, it had been a seizure. Pah! The healer was old and, if not totally incompetent, was certainly no enquiring soul. He believed what seemed simplest to believe. The truth had been that he could not account for the sudden death of a virile young man. Thus he had settled on seizure as the cause. Gwellyn had her own thoughts, which were much darker. She firmly believed that Dar-Hila's death had been murder. But the who and the how escaped even her sharp mind. Not least because it was difficult to see what was gained by his death. Her husband was king and, if not young, was still in good health. Strong of mind and body. Even if Gwellyn's own child-bearing years might be behind her, Kai-Hila was still virile and had, she was quite sure, put a royal bastard in more than one girl's belly. Had it been necessary for the realm, Gwellyn would have stood aside and allowed Kai-Hila to marry again.

Not that such an action was, hopefully, now needed. Her son might be no more, but his bride threatened to drop a child any day now. There would, Light be merciful, be an heir very soon. Gwellyn sighed again. She knew she should visit Li-Meri. Show her support for her marriage-daughter. Hold her hand while she suffered the cramps of birth. But she could not rouse herself to do so. She was jealous of the whore. Envious of Li-Meri's youth and beauty. Of her fat belly and what it contained, soon to be loosed upon the world. And, in her guiltiest moments, jealous also of the act that had put the babe there. Even knowing how grave a Dark-cursed sin it was, she would have given years of her life to have lain just once with her handsome, sensual son. She had envied Li-Meri that, more than anything.

Two servants burst into the room on top of each other. 'Radiance!' one exclaimed in tears, 'the king is slain!'

Before Gwellyn could absorb that news, the second girl cried, 'And the princess is gone! With her babe!'

TWO

Skerton called to the guards at the door. 'The balcony! Seize them, quickly!' He pulled one man aside. 'You - find as many of your colleagues as you can. Send guards to Radiance Gwellyn and to Elegance Li-Meri at once. Make sure both are safe. Tell Guardmaster Helland to close the gates out of the citadel. No-one and  I mean no-one is to be allowed to leave. Go!'

Only then did Skerton push through the group surrounding the king's body. One glance was enough to confirm that Kai-Hila was dead. Skerton breathed a silent sigh of relief. He motioned to one of the group. 'Jad-Balin. Do me a service, if you would. I have sent men to guard the queen and princess and others to apprehend the killers. The citadel is being secured as we speak. Find healers and servants to move the bodies. I will remain to organise matters here.' The man nodded and moved off.

Skerton moved across to another man. 'Are there any merely injured?' he asked Lan-Pital.

'Fal-Jathor still breathes,' the man told him, pointing to the body, 'but for how long.............'

Skerton walked to the body. Fal-Jathor was one of his bitterest enemies in the Conclave. Kneeling by the man, he noted the two shafts. One in the chest, the other in the shoulder. Fal-Jathor's breathing was laboured and bubbly. His lung was likely punctured. Glancing around, he saw that there was no-one near. Most had now left the room. Skerton leaned over the body and smoothed back Fal-Jathor's hair with his left hand. Hidden from view, his right hand gripped the arrow in Fal-Jathor's chest and moved it from side to side. He was rewarded by fresh bubbles of blood from the man's mouth. Shifting his position to shield Fal-Jathor's face from view, he placed his left hand over the man's nose and mouth, pressing down hard. Shortly afterwards, he stood, shaking his head sadly. 'Another friend gone,' he intoned.

Walking the room, he noted the other dead with satisfaction. His foes in Conclave were not all there, but numbers had been severely reduced. He was on his way to the ultimate prize. An emergency meeting of the Conclave would be needed. There his supporters would complete his victory and war against Illia could begin.

*

The carriage pulled into the harbour road. More than three hours had passed since it had left the Citadel. Three hours of bumpy roads which had shaken Li-Meri till she feared her teeth would be loosened and her bones cracked. The babe seemed not to have been disturbed by the jolting. He had slept and fed then slept again. Li-Meri had not concerned herself at all at having to bare her breast in front of her rescuers. In Jeva, it was not something women (or men) thought anything of. Nakedness, as such, was no more noteworthy than being clothed, if it occurred in an everyday and natural situation.

Perri moved the curtain aside and glanced out. He could see the Cormorant at anchor, just fifty yards further down the road. He addressed Li-Meri.

'Do you feel able to board the ship on foot, Elegance?' he asked. 'Mical will gladly carry you both once more.'

'I believe I shall be glad to stretch my legs after the confines of the carriage,' she replied. 'I trust there will be water enough on board to wash. I carry a stench still from the birthing.'

'I will ensure that you have all the water you need, Elegance. Though I fear it will be cold.'

During the journey, Li-Meri had sought a fuller explanation of the dangers that they had escaped from at the Citadel. Neither of her rescuers knew of what had unfolded there after they left, of course, but they had been able to outline the likely scenario, following the anticipated decision of the king. Now, even before the carriage had come to a proper standstill, a messenger employed by Mical opened the door and bade Mical alight. There followed a whispered conversation. Mical thanked the man and turned to assist Li-Meri from the carriage. As she stepped down, the child in her arms, he took her elbow and led her towards the gangplank.

'We must talk later, Elegance,' he murmured. 'That man has ridden hard from the Citadel to bring news. News that we need to consider.' Leaving Perri and the messenger to follow with the trunk and remaining blankets, he escorted Li-Meri aboard and to her cabin, as directed by another of his men who had prepared the way. Asking this second man to arrange large pails of fresh water for the princess, he left her to settle herself, promising to return after half an hour. Then he sought Perri and told him of the news from the Citadel.

'It is well that we left when we did,' Perri opined.

'Indeed. The babe would be dead for certain, had we not.'

'Who was behind this treason, do you suppose?'

'Having regard to the warnings we received, I believe we can make a guess. The king's death tells of his decision not to go to war. It is no secret who the chief warmongers were.'

'But is it not a little too obvious? Would those individuals not fall under immediate suspicion?'

Mical sighed. 'We know too little of the details at present. This was clearly well planned, but how and by whom will have to wait until we have further news. Meantime, the flight of the princess and the babe will be known by now. We have more pressing responsibilities. Apart from the Captain, who else knows the identity of the ship's passengers?'

'No-one, I think. But anyone having seen a young woman boarding will have little difficulty adding together five peas to make a pod, if asked about such an event.'

'Keep watch on deck till we sail, will you? An assassin on a fast horse could be here before we leave. We cannot fail now.'

Perri nodded and climbed the ladder to the deck. Mical entered the cabin the two men were to share and, sitting on the built-in bench, reflected on the news from Thelas.

*

'Gone!' shouted Barrad Skerton. 'Gone where? I understood from that nurse we questioned that the princess gave birth only hours ago! How can she be gone?'

Hei-Partan, one of the few people not afraid of Skerton's temper, shrugged. 'She cannot be found anywhere in the Citadel. I know no more than that.'

Skerton pounded the table with his fist. 'This threatens everything!' he hissed. 'Now that we know the child was safely delivered and is a boy, there is an heir once more! An heir whose existence has already been trumpeted throughout the Citadel! We may be able to keep the news confined to the island for now, but we can't close the Citadel to the outside world for ever. No, we need to find this child and destroy it. Li-Meri too, if necessary. See to it! Nothing else is as urgent. And don't return until you can tell me the child is no more.'

Hei-Partan nodded and departed, leaving Skerton fuming.

*

'I'm sorry, Elegance,' Mical said. 'I have no details as yet. I know only that your marriage father is dead, along with six members of the Conclave, one of whom was Fal-Jathor. Your marriage mother is believed unharmed.'

Li-Meri wiped her eyes of tears. 'But why? What is to be gained and by whom?'

'I fear the answer to your first question is war. There have been strong voices in favour of war with Illia, following the border raids. The king was, I know, against it. His death means that hostilities can begin.'

'But surely there are members of the Conclave who were also against war.'

'Fal-Jathor for one, yes. I suspect that the most vocal are no more.'

'You mean that someone has killed those urging for peace?'

'Some of them, at least. Yes.'

'Who will rule, now?'

'Someone will be appointed by the remaining Conclave members as temporary ruler. Longer term, the constitution provides for a governor to be appointed to rule in the name of a child heir until he reaches maturity.'

'Presumably whoever orchestrated this.......massacre will be appointed temporary ruler.'

'I imagine that was the plan, Elegance, yes.'

'Mical, and please tell Perri. First I must thank you both for saving my son from this coup. Without your heroism and foresight, the boy would be dead along with all those others. We will have time to further consider our actions when we reach safety. Meanwhile, I believe it is time to forgo formality. Please call me Li from now on. It is how I am known to my friends and I surely have no better friends now than the two of you. Aside from other considerations, referring to me as Elegance rather gives the game away to anyone listening.'

Mical nodded. 'Very well. Thank you. Now, we will leave you to wash and change your and the babe's clothing. We are in the next cabin. If there is anything at all that you need, tell one of us and we will do our best to arrange it, as far as is possible afloat. We shall likely be at sea for several days.'

'Again, my gratitude for all you have done. I will bid you goodnight and see you on the morrow.'

*

Gwellyn Marak was angry. Not so much that her husband was dead. He had not been a husband to her, in any real sense, for some years. But her grandchild - gone? Before even she had glimpsed him? Before she could look to see her wonderful son, born again in his features. Was she to be ignored? Overlooked? Had no-one a thought for her?

She was relieved, of course, that the child was not here, in the Citadel. After all she had heard of the murders in the Conclave chamber, she was more than a little surprised to find herself still alive. But then, she supposed that she had no value now, dead or alive. She was simply a widow, with no power and, with her husband dead, no longer any real influence. Well, that was agreeable. Let them all forget her. Let them overlook her and consider her beneath their notice or concern. She was not without friends, still. Nor without guile. She would surprise them all.

First, she must discover where her grandson now rested his little head. Which meant tracking down her marriage daughter. That whore who had stolen her son away. That trollop who had flashed her tits and arse at her boy and persuaded him to leave his mother's side for her. Li-Meri she would see dead. But her grandson........that little piece of her boy that still lived. Him she would protect against the world. Against the Dark itself!

Gwellyn summoned her maid. She needed to speak to her brother, Vallum. There were trails to be followed.

*

'It seems clear to me', Jad-Balin said, 'that we need a strong temporary ruler, until the position regarding the heir can be established. At present we cannot be sure that the boy still lives.' The Conclave had gathered the day after the deaths in the chamber, the cleansing of which had not completely obscured the traces of blood on the stone slabs of its floor.

'Are you putting yourself forward for that position?' smirked Dar-Elfortan

Reddening slightly at the implied barb, Jad-Balin shook his head. 'No. It seemed to me and to others that stayed beyond the first arrows,' he paused to turn his gaze on the members, many of whom could not meet his eye, 'that one man stood tall and took charge, despite the danger. One man thought to ensure the safety of her Radiance, Gwellyn Marak and her Elegance the princess. One man sent guards immediately to deal with the assassins. One man thought to order the gates closed to prevent those assassins escaping. While all around him were running from this foul attack, his thoughts were not for himself, but for others. I propose, then, that he is the most worthy of us all to become the temporary leader we so badly need, in this time of strife and mourning.'

Sitting quietly in his usual seat, Barrad Skerton smiled inwardly. His friend was doing his job well.

'One cannot help but wonder whether there was a reason this paragon of virtue was unafraid,' spat Tol-Parki. 'He seems almost to have known that he would be unharmed. Just as it seems strange,' the man continued, 'that some of his most vocal opponents were among those killed.'

A shocked murmuring ran round the room. To think such things was natural, but to voice them in Conclave?

Jad-Balin spoke for most of those assembled when he responded. 'If Tol-Parki has evidence that Barrad Skerton or anyone else was a party to the tragedy that took place in this chamber, he should present it without delay. In the absence of such evidence, he would be advised to keep his bitterness and grief a private thing. What I can tell members is that all six assassins were killed before they could escape. It is unfortunate that none could be captured for interrogation, but they clearly saw their mission as one ending in their own deaths. Indeed, one actually took his own life rather than be captured.' This news resulted in more murmuring among the members. 'However,' Jad-Balin went on, raising his voice to be heard over the hubbub, 'there is evidence that the attack was by Illian archers.' He paused while the expected shouts of protest and anger swelled. When the noise had abated sufficiently, he continued. 'The fletching of the arrows is consistent with that found on the arrows used in the border attacks. Two of the assassins carried Illian coin and another had on him a message to his woman, in which he quoted the Illian Prayer of Forgiveness. However, further consideration of such facts will be for the new ruler and the Conclave to discuss. For the moment, I simply repeat my proposal that Barrad Skerton be appointed that new ruler. Is there one willing to support my proposal?'

At least five hands were raised. Tol-Parki was the only other proposed. When the vote was taken, Skerton was elected by a large majority. He reacted with modesty, promising to do all he could to restore calm and protect both members and citizens from acts of aggression. He called for a further meeting of the Conclave to be held in three days to discuss in more detail what should be Jeva's response to the Illian attack.

When