Chapter 8-1

“Are you certain about this, Prince?” Chairman Reyes said for what had to be the fiftieth time that day. The chairman was fat, perpetually grinning, and surrounded by splendor – his existence was a strong challenge against the alleged equality of Kendrans. “I can have the army excavate every square inch of that tomb until we find this jewel. There’s no need for you to get your hands duty.”

“Ah, but there are some things we must get out hands dirty for,” said Valgard, sipping politely at the bitter Kendran wine. “Besides which, I could not ask such of you after you have been so generous to our nation.

“Well, I guess you’d rather hurt your body before you hurt your pride,” Reyes chortled. “I remember being like that when I was young. No offense meant, of course.”

Valgard smiled cordially, but his icy eyes betrayed him. “None taken. If I may say so, though, I believe that choosing pride over body is the measure of a man.”

“Well, I guess that’s one way of looking at it,” Reyes said condescendingly.

“Anyway, I’ll let you go to the tomb undisturbed. No harm in it, as far as I can see. But if you could write a letter, maybe, explaining the situation... I don’t want an international incident if you wind up a monster’s dinner.”

“That won’t happen,” interrupted Temac. It was the first time any of Valgard’s knights had spoken during the meeting, though they had sat by their master’s side for the entirety of it.

“Easy, Temac,” said Valgard, remembering to repremand the small knight later. He was a skilled fighter, but sometimes forgot his place. “I would be happy to write such a thing.”

Reyes clasped his hands together in relief. “Excellent! I have been having such a hard time with the press recently...”

An eternity of small talk later,Valgard left the capitol and was headed to the Tiger’s Tomb on horseback. His horse, Jolten, was a thoroughbred of thoroughbreds, a gorgeous white mare that ran like sound. Accompanying him were his three knghts.
Valgard looked over the trio with a sense of pride. They were hand-selected from thousands of knights, all salivating at the chance to be a part of the prince’s personal guard. Denall was a huge man, with bear-like proportions as well as viciousness. Temac stood in stark contrast to him, tiny but making up for his size with skill in hand-to-hand combat. Valgard didn’t like the martial arts, most having descended from the celaphods, but he had to admit they were effective. Finally there was Lloyd, a throwback to the olden days where knights were honourable and admired. Polite, courageous, and a god with a blade, he was everything Valgard
They had protected Valgard from so much as a scratch on the quest. He knew now that he had chosen wisely.

Shaking his head to refocus, Valgard kept his eyes on the road ahead. Once they got this shard, they would be over halfway there. Not far to go now before Alleria got its pride back.

* * *

“Wait, you think that fucker’s right ahead of us?” Anjanette asked between spoonfuls of stew.

“His name was Valgard,” said Milly. She wasn’t sure why she felt like defending him.

Leonas nodded, still peering at the tracks on the ground. “See? He has the Allerian royal crest on his horse shoes. Not to mention he visited here quite recently.”

“Not exactly the sneakiest guy, is he?” said Anjanette.

“He’s probably never had to be,” Leonas said.

“So what happens if we get there and he’s looted the place out?” said Anjanette.

Leonas paused to think. He looked back to their horses, cheap animals they had picked up in Barret. They probably couldn’t match the speed of Valgard’s steeds.

“These tracks are recent, so with luck we’ll catch them on their way out. It all depends on how big the tomb is, and how tough it is to find the book. Girls, do you think we can take prince-boy in a fight?”

“It’s not Valgard that’s the problem,” said Milly. “It’s those bodyguards he has with him... knights, I guess. I don’t know if you guys remember this, but they kind of mopped the floor with us last time.”

Leonas nodded somberly. “We’ll need some firepower then. Let me cast a spell.”

Milly perked up. “A combat spell?”

“Yeah, I actually can be useful in a fight. Try to hide your surprise.”

Leonas pulled out a small knife and wittled away at the skin of his left hand with it. Anjanette watched with growing uneasy, getting the feeling that she should be stopping him. Face crunching up with pain, Leonas carved a quick diamond formation into the back of his hand. The knife didn’t cut deep, but drew slight crimson lines.

“Great demon lords,” Leonas recited, voice high with pain. “I appeal to you, grant your powers to a mere mortal. I call upon the house of Agaren, warmaster of Hell, who is the hidden hand behind every blade. I offer you this hand so that it may become a weapon. I shall do your bidding in using it for destruction.”

There was a moment’s pause, and a flash of light and a great wind burst forth from the circle on Leonas’s hand. The three shielded their eyes as the cuts healed up, leaving a fiery brand on his hand. He screamed in pain as he felt the diamond mark being burnt into his hand. When the spell subsided, he saw the symbol there, marked in black.

“So... what did that do?” Milly asked.

“Gave me a nifty new tatoo,” Leonas said, still staring at the mark. “And I dearly hope that’s all I get out of it.”

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