The Agents of the King

 

The Agents of the King

 

ValenKeep, Wyndamere

Rumor, it seemed, traveled faster than the riders from the King's picturesque Castle, some five leagues north of ValenKeep, and for Hyler Valenwood, the night had been a long one.

Roughly four hours earlier, his most trusted Lieutenant, Rogan Joss had begun receiving reports of riots and a general panic all across the province, and spreading rapidly.

He had been right to awaken his mentor, and Hyler in turn, had been right to awaken the Watchers in the other regions of the Kingdom.

At this point, even if the rumors proved false, there was still a crisis to contain, and the overall responsibility for that containment would fall to the Agents of the King.

And J’honsa please let the rumors prove false. He said grimly to himself.

Since the moment he first began assessing the reports coming in, he had been in near-constant communication with his agents on the ground, and twice so far, with his peers in other parts of the Kingdom as they traded ideas and information, trying to get some sense of what was going on, and how best to contain the growing unrest.

So far, the damage was contained…confined to the West. Confined to the province of Wyndamere in particular for now, but the stories...conflicting reports about an attack on the castle, including rumors of the King's death.

Nilroggi?

Surely not, but if not, then it could only be an internal threat, and what upstart Lord would suddenly have the strength to challenge the might of the King?

How much of the rumor was true, and how much would later be proved false was anyone's guess. All Hyler knew was that the violence ripping through Wyndamere was real enough, and it was spreading rapidly. If it wasn't contained, a great many lives could be lost.

Mindful of that, he had worked at a feverish pace in the darkest part of the night. Releasing caches of supplies, assisting his agents in organizing fire brigades to put out the multitude of blazes begun by the growing number of panicked masses, and all the while, trying to get some feel for the sketchy, often contradictory information that was filtering in.

Little of it made any sense, and surely the worst of the rumors could not be true. The King slain? It was unthinkable. While he was in his castle, protected by powerful wards and well-trained guards, the HighFather of the Gods himself would have difficulty reaching King Nathanial.

He tried hard to convince himself of that, and nearly succeeded, throwing himself into his work in an attempt to keep himself from dwelling too long on the troubling rumor and its mind-boggling implications.

Probably would have succeeded, but for the sight that greeted his weary eyes in the grey light of morning as he took a brief break from the chaos of the night to rest his head on a stone windowpane that looked northward over the countryside.

A rider from the north.

Alone.

Coming fast in the cool gray of the Autumn morning.

Even from this distance he could plainly make out the unmistakable markings of the King's Couriers.

It should have been a welcoming sight. After hours of struggling more than half-blind in the darkness, information would soon be in hand, and yet….

There was something about the carriage of the rider that troubled him.

He’d seen more than his share of messengers bearing bad news, and all of them tended to ride lower in the saddle than those bearing good tidings, but this man…he seemed nearly crushed by the weight of whatever news he carried.

Doubt, and then fear, took root in Hyler’s mind.

The rider’s destination was clear.

If he was heading south from the Capitol, then ValenKeep was his destination, which meant that the Agents of the King were about to be officially activated.

Which probably meant that the worst of the rumors were true.

At a minimum.

"Damn." He whispered to the empty room and smacked the rock windowpane with the flats of his hands in frustration. "Damn."

He left the meeting chamber and went into the main hall.

The man he was looking for was heading in his direction with a handful of scrolls and a troubled look.

"Updates?"

Rogan Joss nodded. "West end of Shadyton is on fire, and the Smithy was robbed." He said darkly. "An armed mob was going door to door, pulling people out of their houses, looting...setting indiscriminate fires....the town Priest confronted them and diffused the situation for now, but it's razor thin....one spark is all it would take to set them off again."

"And what of the Smith? Was he killed when his shop was raided?"

"No sir...injured trying to stop the mob, but not dead. He's being treated by Hospice Surgeons at the Temple in Shadyton."

Hyler nodded. "Have our Agent on the ground there take meet with the local militia and coordinate with the commander of those forces to set up a defensive perimeter around the Temple. It sounds like we have a natural ally in the form of the Priest, and would be both a goodwill gesture and a good way to establish the Temple as a base of operations should further trouble erupt."

"You think it's about to?"

"I think that a rider from the King's Castle approaches here with haste, and he probably doesn't come bearing good tidings. Go down and greet him....as soon as he makes the Inner Courtyard, bring him to the meeting chamber...and I'll take these." Hyler reached out and relieved Rogan of the scrolls he had been carrying as his Lieutenant nodded curtly and started for the Courtyard.

Hyler sighed heavily and turned back to the meeting chamber, unfurling the first of the scrolls as he went.

As expected, the news was not good. It was official. In just over four hours, the riots and panic had spread beyond Wyndamere and Vandamere, where they seem to have initiated, and were now being reported in three other provinces.

And more reports of the worst of the rumors, also spreading like wildfire.

The King is dead...so say the early reports....and now, a rider approaches....

Yes, he decided.

The worst of the rumors were likely true. Which meant that a storm was coming.

Bad storm.

Given the speed at which the news was traveling, they would have days, at best, and the situation would almost certainly worsen considerably before it began to improve.

Time, he knew, was his greatest enemy, and he feared that in this contest, Time held all the important cards.

He closed his eyes and saw all-too-clearly the enormity of the events to come. They threatened to wash away the thin veneer of calm he was wearing outwardly.

Oh that we should have to live through such times as these.... He thought to himself sadly, shaking his head.

But no.

It was no good thinking like that.

The King was not served with thoughts like that.

Assess.

Plan.

Act.

That was his charge and charter, as it was for all the Agents of the King.

Okay.

His mind clicked smoothly into gear.

Assess. First within my region, and then, in coordination with the other Watchers....Within my region...that comes first, and at a fast gallop!

He waited for the rider as patiently as he could.

Heard the man dismount below, and heard Rogan greet him and usher him inside.

In a span of closely knit moments, the door to his chamber opened, and he turned expectantly.

What he saw hurt his heart, but he kept his mind on his duty and did his best to hide it.

The man before him was crying openly. Probably had been for the greater bulk of his long ride, and it was plain to see that he was on the verge of breaking completely. That alone was confirmation of Hyler's worst fears. Still, he had to be sure. Had to hear the full measure of it.

He approached the man and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Easy now....your journey is at an end...rest a moment before telling us your news, though from your manner and bearing, I suspect I already know what dark secret you carry."

He guided the Rider to a small, cushioned divan and helped him sit.

With a nod, he dispatched Rogan to bring strong coffee, and in moments, he had returned.

The Rider took it gratefully, but his hands were shaking so badly that he spilled nearly half the cup's contents before it made the short journey to his lips. Still, he drank greedily, and after two sips, he seemed somewhat more composed.

He bowed his head, not looking at either man in the chamber with him.

"Dead." He said simply. "Killed as they slept."

They. Hyler thought.

It was worse than he had feared.

"The Queen is gone as well then?"

He nodded. "But it is worse."

Worse? How could it possibly....

Oh gods....

"The...children?"

The Rider nodded and broke again as Hyler went completely numb.

The entire Royal Family annihilated in a single night of bloodshed.

It was unthinkable.

"But who...how..." The questions refused to even form completely in his mind, they were so dark and alien. This simply could not be.

And yet, the Rider sat before him, his body wracked with the sobs of a man who had ridden all night carrying a burden that one man was never meant to have been charged to carry.

"The alarm sounded just before the final changing of the guards for the night...." He began, voice on the edge of breaking again. "In minutes, the castle was in chaos. I....I don't know how, but a fire was set in the north tower."

A pause for a shaky sip of strong coffee.

"One guard down in the Hall of Kings....throat slit....'nother guard down at the juncture with the Grand Hall, where the apartments of the Royal Family are....no visible cause of death when I was ordered to ride."

It was easy enough to put the rest of the picture together.

Somehow, one or more assassins had gained entry to the castle, made it to the Hall of Kings undetected, killed the guard on duty there, made straight for the Grand Hall, killed the guard there, and then....free and easy access to the Royal Family.

That meant....His mind turned over the possibilities....

It meant that either someone knew the layout of the castle exceedingly well, or they had help from the inside.

Or both.

Sorcery also wasn't out of the question.

In fact, it was likely, given how deeply the assassins had penetrated the castle before having to kill. That meant that they had gone (or thought they had gone) completely undetected through gods only knew how many connecting passages, rooms, and courtyards.

It was staggering to the mind.

He shook his head to clear it.

His regional assessment was complete, and he found the news to be worse, by far, than anything he could have imagined.

Hyler regarded the faithful Rider before him. What would become of him? With the King dead, his future was as uncertain as any man's.

"What's your name, son?"

"Jack." He replied softly. "Jack Ramsey."

"Have you a family? A wife? Children?" He looked rather young for it, but...safer to ask than to assume.

The Rider shook his head. "No sir."

That made the decision for him. Almost without thinking, Hyler approached the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well Mr. Ramsey...I have need of you....If you will take the job, I hereby deputize you in the name of the King....from this day forward, until the Time of Troubles is at and end, you shall serve as an assistant to the Agents of the King."

None of them there in the room…Hyler Valenwood, Rogan Joss, or Jack Ramsey, could know the horrors and trials that would soon be born from this single act of violence, and because they did not know, they each allowed themselves some faint ray of hope that due to courage and cunning, faith and heart, the crisis could be averted without plunging the whole of the basin into chaos, or worse.

They could not have been more wrong.