Chapter 74—Voice of the Veiled King

Chapter 74: 74—Voice of the Veiled King The cyclone of dust and debris still thundered around him. But Lucen’s attention was dominated by the strange man. Alger looked puzzled at his sudden appearance but not hostile. Chester frowned deeply. Koril relaxed, even cracking a smile. It was an ally. One they knew well, but was the last person they expected to see. "My name is Kedral, honoured queen," the man said, bowing. "I serve the empire as the King’s Voice." The wolf stared at the man for a long time. Then she launched herself into the distance with a simple leap. Lucen watched her form shrink on the horizon. Everyone instantly relaxed, and Lucen could sense the other wolves retreating. Whoever Kedral was, scared off the Crimson Queen. Hopefully she stays away, and her ominous husband stays dead. The dust tornado settled, and the mana relaxed. Soon the flatened ruins of what used to be a city spread around them. Kedral whistled. "How long will it take to fix all this?" "Two weeks," Alger said. "If my sons help with the restoration. May I ask why you are here?" Kedral spun, smiling widely, and spread out his hands. "Of course. I am the roaming mouth of the king. I carry his will to distant lands, and remind those who contravene his commands that he can still reach them." "Have we offended our king?" Alger said, pursing his lips. The barren ruins fell silent. Only dragging winds and caws of crows overhead filled the silence. Lucen felt very out of place here, and the flattened land had nowhere to hide. Kedral shook his hands rapidly. "Oh, no, no, no, no. I was already in Ainsel Castle when Chester’s message arrived. So I decided to come and see things for myself." The Ainsel Castle was at Redgrove. That had to be almost a thousand kilometers from here. The Skyseeker riders would arrive tomorrow, and on foot that would take a months. How did he get here so quickly? "So what is the will of the king?" Alger asked. "I heard that Aya Medaza’s execution was soon," Kedral mused. "I came to hear what crimes she committed to be executed without even inviting the King or the Great Court of Menia. Those dusty fellows wouldn’t come, but my king would consider it—for maybe a day." Chester swallowed. "Time was the most limiting factor, but we were going to send word of the Red Keep’s fall." "Do not fret. Anything I hear, my king knows. His will is simple: release—" Kedral stopped, eyes widening. "Oh, I think it will be better if Aya is here." Kedral waved his hand through the empty air, the space fizzled in front of him, and Aya’s form blinked into existence. She looked around, shocked by her sudden change in location. Then turned back to Kedral, yelping, and falling to her knees. "Voice of my king, I greet you." Chester’s jaw dropped, and the rest of the Lightcloaks had varying levels of surprise. Lucen wondered how Kedral did that. It could be some sort of space-related magic, which falls under elemental magic. But from his mana sense, he knew Kedral was filled to the brim with Divine mana. "My lord’s decree is simple: cross the Blacktail Road to the Red Keep, and retake it in my name." Chester nodded tersely. "I will prepare my best Knights. But we would like to speak about the ownership of the Red Keep after we retake it." "Of course. Stewardship will return to young Aya when she comes of age." Chester’s gaze darkened. "We should retake the keep and return it to the tainted family that defiled it?" "Yes. The king’s will is that we do not slaughter entire families in the wake of heresy. Rather we, as an empire under god, stick together and grow. Aya Medaza will marry into the Lightcloak family to ensure that she doesn’t fall again. Heimar, I believe your eldest son is reaching his choosing season?" Heimar’s jaw tightened. Lucen guessed the suggestion that a heretic marry into his already belittled family irked him. But it also disgusted him to hear Kedral decide Aya’s fate so callously. Aya trembled but remained kneeling, her head held low to the dirt. "So, when does the king say we ride?" Chester said tightly. Kedral cupped his hand to his ear, like he was listening to the wind. But Lucen saw a subtle change in the mana—something unnatural. "The King asks me to clarify something," Kedral said. "This quest is not for the Knights of the Grey Keep." All the people present scrunched their faces. Before they could complain, Kedral continued. "No, this quest is for the Squires. They have not received their first quest because Alger has not returned. So my king sets on them the highest honor one can receive. Take this quest, and as a reward, the prestigious school for our young Knights, Crucible, will accept you all into its next class." Lucen’s face stretched into an unwilling smile. Chester was pale, and looked from his father to Kedral, expecting a refusal. "Yes, yes. My lord seeks to give the Squires a chance to prove themselves," Kedral said. "Do you object, Alger?" The Lightcloak patriarch was still, almost statue-like. He shook his head and said, "None at all. If it is my king’s will, I will follow. But this will be a perilous journey for simple Squires. A quest that will take more two months to just reach the Red Keep, and who knows how long to retake it. Even the Bluefeather Knight had at least a thousand men with her when she sieged the Lavender Keep." "Alger, you are wise as always. The king, however, is wiser. He has prepared gifts and elixirs to speed up their progress as Knights. And he has a good suggestion on how they may retake the Keep." Alger nodded. "Good. They will take their time training, and when I return—" "Oh, I’m sorry. But there’s not much time to waste." Alger fixed a cold glare on the smiling Kedral. Lucen knew nobody wanted the Squires to actually take this quest. Alger would waste time till he returned and could speak to the king himself. Lucen wanted to go now. Lost Wind’s predictions were coming true one by one, and the elixirs Kedral spoke of sounded extra useful. "I do not mean to offend, Alger," Kedral apologized. "But they must complete this quest in six months. Or they will never be accepted into Crucible, and Aya Medaza will be executed."