THE HAUNTED KINGDOM 3 by CHARLES E.J. MOULTON (best books to read now txt) 📖

It was a sinister statue, aimed to scare, and it did.
Then he heard his companion snort and when Alex looked to his side he saw Adnicul shake his head and look down.
“If I’d only known …”
Alex looked at the statue again and realized that the man on the stallion next to him was the same man as the man on the throne above him. It scared him that this was a statue of Adnicul himself and that this person was next to him.
He looked at the real Adnicul again and realized that the features had softened.
“Known what?” Alex responded, realizing it was the first thing he had said to the man all along since leaving Michael and Eric over six hours ago.
Adnicul looked at him with his one healthy eye and there was terror there. Pain and terror and hope at the same time. Hope that Alex would forgive. And yet, there was darkness and the possibility to always be able to go back to that what he had once been.
The only thing that didn’t reject him was God.
Adnicul smiled. It was a very odd smile, but still a smile.
“I am glad you speak to me after all” he said. He looked up and Alex realized it was a half-smile.
Alex sighed. “Sire, you have terrorized my people. But my guardian angel tells me that you, as well, have been lied to. So, why should I not speak?”
“What are they?”
“Who are what, Adnicul?”
“My sins … What are they?”
Alexander thought for a moment and then answered him.
“Your sins are ignorance in motion.” Alex tried to foresee a response, but continued. “You want change. If Michael says so, you must be on the way to recovery. But your sins are unworthy of you.”
Adnicul seemed to try to find some comfort in his statue. But there was much pain in his expression that it was clear that it was hard to find.
“I had these statues erected shortly before we kidnapped your daughter.”
He looked at Alex, who only shook his head.
“There were thirteen of these positioned strategically across the country. They actually form a ring around Rigor Mortis which lays in the heartland of what could be called the deepest bowel of Nocturania. I had these things made and positioned strategically to scare. It was a sexual pleasure to know that these things scared the people witless.”
Alex turned away from Adnicul and rode away from him.
“But now I realize what all that was.”
”What?”
“A lie” the dictator said, his horse snorting, the rider looking down. A lock of Adnicul’s hair lifted and sank and swayed in the breeze. “Nothing but a lie.”
Alex had Mercutio trot off toward the right pasture.
Adnicul looked down and sighed.
“I know you have no good feelings for me, but I assure you that this is as uncomfortable to you as it is to me …”
”You spent decades chasing innocent victims. You spent years and years raiding the countryside of my wife’s homeland leaving nothing but ruin. You sent an army to my empire and killed thousands of innocent people. Ludicrous enough, is that I want to believe you that you are sorry …”
“Alex …”
“Don’t call me by my first name. Call me Your Majesty for in my presence you are in the vicinity of an Empire and don’t you forget it.”
“My heart is a temple of sorrow …”
“We are beyond apologies. Don’t talk to me about temples.”
”I was leading a life that betrayed me. Everything I did, I did for someone who deliberately fooled me.” Alex sneered and turned away, even Mercutio snorted. “Your majesty,” Adnicul sneered, “I met Lucifer when I was twelve. He told me I was his apprentice and that I would become king. My father was a bohemian robber, but he had no ill will beyond egocentricity. He lived the life of a king because he stole from the rich. So, I was used to stealing. But here came this man who told me I was more than that. I was a king. I lived half of my life thinking I was a chosen king. Now I found out I was just grabbed from obscurity to serve as a disposal chamber for someone that needed a teacher before becoming reckless. I was taught well in all the warrior arts and I was clever and cunning, that was why I was chosen.” Adnicul turned away himself and sighed. “The only difference between me and Nero is that Nero never admitted he was wrong, I have.” Alex sneered at Adnicul saying this. “I am not asking for special attention. Hate me all you want, you have the right to and God knows that.” Adnicul looked up to the heavens. “We need not be friends. I believe we cannot be. I have no excuse to ask for your friendship. But all I want is for you to grant me this: let me help you.”
“You betrayed everything I stand for.”
“I was betrayed myself. I knew nothing of what my leader had planned. I had nothing to do with the conspiracy to comatose your empire.” Alex said nothing. “As far as I know you are not holy either. You executed one hundred innocent victims to avenge your three children’s death.”
“They are not dead yet. That was an illusion.”
”Regardless, Alex. It was your decision.”
“I was hurt.”
”You were just as ruthless as I.” There was a long pause. “Nothing in the way of holy ever completely rules our destinies. I am not the only one who killed.”
Alex snapped his head back toward Adnicul and whispered.
“Regardless of my past, you are responsible for my family’s misery. God damn you, you ruined my daughter’s childhood. You call that nothing.”
Adnicul started screaming, as well.
“You can at least let me help you set her free. Acknowledge my feelings of guilt.”
“Why should I trust you in the first place?”
”Because your guardian angel wants you to.” There was a long pause as the two men simply gazed at one another, trying to figure the other one out. “You are the holy one, Sire, or so you claim. The question if trust is superfluous. Your angels love you. Yes, it is the perfect reason to trust me if Michael himself hands me over to you.”
There was a long pause and Adnicul started riding toward Alex slowly.
He stopped right in front of the statue, as Alex had ridden several feet away from it now.
“You might be right” Alex snapped.
“I remember Eden, Alex.”
Alex looked up and now there was a completely different expression in his face.
Adnicul smiled.
“It was beautiful. Birds were on my branch and they were chirping all day long. I was but a seed, upon the tree of forbidden fruit. I was but a seed, but with a conscience. I was forbidden to be gazed upon only by human eyes.” There was a plea in his voice.
“I never wanted to leave. Hwee-Aill-Sihl was my home. I had friends on that tree. We talked through our emotions and our souls travelled the stem. When I was plucked down I was ripped apart.“ He rode closer to Alex. “Let me help you find Belinda.” Alex sighed. Then he looked up and saw a tear rolling down Adnicul’s cheek. “Please let me help you.”
Alex nodded. “I need your help.”
The two men shook hands and it was now that he realized that Adnicul’s hands were soft, softer than his own.

§

Alexander looked at the flask that Adnicul had just handed him.
The flask was shiny and had a small cap on top. The flask itself was very unspectacular, but nice looking. He unscrewed the cap and smelled.
“Vodka?”
Adnicul nodded. “From your wife’s home country.”
Alexander raised one eyebrow. “Where did you get it?”
”In fact, it was given to me in the convent. I guess, someone there felt you might have use for it during the trip.”
He looked at the bottle and shook his head. “The angels even give me vodka.”
”Only for emergencies.”
Alex laughed. This was almost bizarre. His former foe and chief enemy was raising his finger and reprimanding him about alcohol consumption.
“Thank you.”
The response was dry, but friendly. He did not know how to react.
Was this a friendly gesture?
They didn’t need to be friends.
In fact, wasn’t true that the hatred of the other kept the other going. And yet, here they were, sharing a newly killed rabbit beside a campfire spitting wet wood.
Was Alex being unfair?
He did not know if he was.
Adnicul looked out across the plains and the look upon his face was one of deep thought.
“A test.”
His words were whispered, almost impossible to hear. But Alex had heard them.
“What?”
Adnicul smiled.
“Michael was testing us when he gave us directions. He knows I can find my way in my own country.”
The night was dark, but Alex could see that the stars were glittering and bright.
“So, why did he do it?” Alex bit off some meat off the bone. “Give us directions, I mean.”
Ahead was a valley. Below him was grass. Inside was fear. In front of him was fire.
Adnicul shrugged.
“He never would give us directions that were so specific and expect us to be satisfied with that. He knows what we must face.”
“You of all people are afraid of what we are about to face?”
He nodded. “I cannot tell you any more why, but I am.”
“Then it is true.”
“What?”
“That you are my guide.”
“I am just here along for the ride. You went through this training for a reason.” Adnicul smiled and this time it was pity in his smile. “My father might’ve been a robber, but he was right about something. He said: ‘Don’t put your light in a dark place’. Display it. I don’t care if you are a robber in reality. Be a king in your heart.” Adnicul lay down and turned around again. “Good night, Alexander! May the lord honour and bless you.”
Alex did think about it and lay down as well after finishing his rabbit leg.
He was looking at the stars, trying to figure out his own fate.
“I hope you are not cross with me.”
Adnicul turned around and gazed bemusedly at Alex. “Cross?”
”Angry, agitated.”
Adnicul sat up. “Why should I be?”
“For blaming you for being a bastard when I myself have sinned.”
Adnicul reached over and patted Alex on the shoulder. “You are a good man. Better than I.” Both of them looked into the fire and tried to figure out what secrets it hid. Adnicul looked at him and smiled. “I hope you can save your family, Alex. I wish you that. I am just here to save my soul.” Alex reached forth his hand and Adnicul took it. There was friendship there, weird friendship, but friendship nonetheless. “Good night.”
“Good night, Adnicul. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”
The former tyrant lay down and fell asleep without hearing those words.
“What is waiting for me out there?” Alex said to himself, looking into the dark forest.
He was old enough to figure that out himself.
Something told him that everything, anything he could think of or remember having seen, was about to change. He finished his rabbit leg and thought of life for two hours. There were ghouls about, but they had no harmful intentions. In the middle of the night, Adnicul was woken to take care of the