Treachery of Kings (39 page)

“I was wrong, sir. I was cruelly taken in. I confided to the princess, shared all my secrets, for I believed she loved me as well. She said she would, indeed, see that the ring reached the Prince, in whatever manner she could.

“I gave her the proper ring, for I had learned through sources in the palace the name of the traitor in Fyxedia's court. Only she was too clever for me! She
knew
the traitor, and only used me to find the rings.

“The traitor is one Count VanDork, Master Finn. Only she sent the ring that would name Lord Gherick the guilty one… “

“Stones and Bones, Koodigern—a great wrong has indeed been done!”

“And then, sir, she found the perfect time to murder me. It was during the Bowser attack. Right after we'd met, and I'd given you my knife. My intention was to learn if you were close to the Prince. I would then judge if it was safe to declare myself to you.

“That never came about, of course. She killed me, in the confusion of the fight. And my death was blamed on the Bowsers.

“All along, Master Finn, it was the princess who was behind these deeds most foul. She used Maddigern, who has no kindness in his heart, the same as she used me— and any other male she so desired. She killed Dostagio, when she learned he had seen her in an intimate moment with Maddigern.

“She spread dissension between Maddigern and Oberbyght, not that she needed a great deal of work there. And Maddigern
knew
what she was after. What she is after still. She wants her father dead as well, so she can have
the throne. And she'll likely get it, too, and bring the chaos of peace to Heldessia Land!”

Finn felt suddenly very tired, weary to the bone. “So the deed's not yet done. And Count VanDork holds his position still. Do you think he will try to slay the Prince? Is that his great mission in all of this?”

“I think it most likely. Most likely, indeed.”

“Then I must take action. I loathe the Prince, but I will have to try to stop this insidious business if I can.”

“Best you do not, sir. Leave some of this to me. For I have much to make up for in this.”

“What can you do, Koodigern? No offense, but it's clear that you're dead.”

“That's so. But the dead are not entirely without their wits, though we don't always recall exactly who we are or when.”

“I'll not ask how this will come about. But if I can be of any help to you… “

“If a time should come, I will call upon you, Master Finn. Have no doubt of that.”

“Well, then…”

“Oh,” Koodigern said, just before his misty self began to fade, “good Dostagio asked me to send his regards, sir. He, too, is a victim of this sad affair.”

“Yes, indeed that's so.”

“In more ways than you know… “

“And how is that, friend?”

“The Gracious Dead. Scarcely anyone is aware of the truth of this. These servants of the King are the unwanted children of the Heldessian poor. They have been raised in secret for generations past, by Obern Oberbyght and those in his family who came before. They never knew who they were, sir, or what other lives they might have lived.”

“No, that can't be. It's too great a horror to be real!”
Finn felt as if something dark and chill had coiled up within his belly. For an instant, he imagined he could hear the cries of those who'd been so sorely used through countless years.

“It can't be, but it is, sir. I fear it's sadly so… “

Koodigern was only a blur, now, a wisp of vapor that quickly vanished into the night.

“F
INN STOOD ALONE ON GARPENNY STREET, UNAWARE
of the cold, or the fast-approaching dawn. When the first faint hint of the day smudged the sky, he felt a great weariness overtake him, and he walked back to his door, under the sign that read THE LIZARD SHOPPE. It needed paint, as it always had before.

Inside, Julia Jessica Slagg sat unmoving by the stairs, as she had some hours before.

“I told you to take a cloak, but you won't listen to me. Not our good and noble Master Finn.”

“Don't ever call me
noble
, Julia, not even in jest. It's not a title I can bear. I shall make myself some thistle tea, now. And do not wake Letitia, let her have her sleep.

“After I've had a cup or two to bring the warmth back to my bones, you and I will have a very long talk in the quiet of the shop. There must be a way to bring a vile and dangerous sorcerer down, and I shall need a lizard with a sly ferret's brain to give me good advice. …”