Westhaven by Rowan Erlking (ebook audio reader .txt) 📖

commiserating smile. “I’m sure your former master does not even know you are the one the rumors talk about. Perhaps it is a good thing. Him fearing a warrior that doesn’t exist is a useful tool. But if he ever finds out you are Key, he would kill you when he finds you.”

Key looked down and slowly shook his head.

Edman, however, rose from his seat. “I don’t know what rumors may have expanded from the truth about our Key, but I can assure you that this young man has given us an edge over the blue-eyes. And as for the general fearing him, I personally think that he would not change his opinion if he found out that Key was his former slave. When I first met Key, he was still a slave and the general was afraid of him then. But to protect Key from others, his identity is to remain a secret.”

Neman gave Edman an incredulous look.

“You doubt it?” Edman asked, returning the look as if to say Neman was a fool to doubt him.

But Key set his hand on witch’s arm, shaking his head at him. “Edman, it doesn’t matter.”

Rising to his feet, Key drew in a breath, standing much taller and more erect than the men remembered the general’s slave being. “My reputation doesn’t matter. What matters is what you want from us. So, what is it? And don’t waste our time with apologies.”

Clearing his throat, Nemen looked more to Sadena than Key, though now he considered the young man’s stature and manly breadth, “We want to join the army you have organized. We want access to the knowledge you have gained. We want to drive the blue-eyes out of the Wede Mountains.”

Sadena glanced to Key. “What do you say?”

Key moaned, dropping back down as if he were a kid again. “Oh, so now you’re asking me for permission? Since when?”

The people sitting next to Key snickered. Even Sadena was smiling teasingly with a glance at the men from the Wede Mountains who could see the relationship Key had with the others of the council. Though he was a man, he was also still seen as a child—a useful child, but he was not exactly a deciding council member.

“They seem to think that Key runs the show,” Callen murmured to Frad, smothering a laugh.

However, Sadena leaned forward and said to Neman, “Welcome to the Army of Man.”

Bowing to her, Neman’s eyes were still on Key who had again taken on his tired posture. And as he sat down, whispering to his comrades that they would discuss the details later with the wizard woman, all eyes turned to Sadena once more.

“Any more business?” Sadena asked, turning to the others.

Key sheepishly lifted his hand.

Several eyes turned, peering at him.

Sadena saw the look in Key’s eyes and somehow guessed what he would bring up. Her voice turned tart. “Is this a report or a request?”

He sighed and rose from his seat again. “I have little to report that I haven’t already said. The hidden weapons for farmhands are pretty much complete. As I said, I trained a crew to make some sturdy swords that will work. Though I have somehow just committed myself to go to Stiltson, I would still like for you to consider an alliance with the Cordrils.”

All of the newcomers drew in their breaths, staring at him for even thinking of allying with demons. Only the Herra men seemed to look at Key as if he could possibly be right. However, they remained silent.

Sadena set her hand to her head, clenching her brow.

“Key, for the last time,” she even moaned, “we do not think it is wise to ally ourselves with those demons, regardless of—”

“I can apologize to them for what happened last time,” Key hastily added with all the assurance he could muster, though he already felt beaten by her words. “They know me. I can be their coordinator. You don’t have to deal with them at all if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It is not discomfort,” Sadena said, her words taking on bite as though she were resisting the urge to take him over her knee to spank him for bringing the Cordrils up again. “It is practical sense. Those demons can kill with a touch.”

“So can wizards,” Key snapped back, unable to hold that retort in. “And yet we work with you!”

Lady Sadena froze. She stared at him with widening eyes.

Already he felt guilty. “I don’t mean it like that. I mean…everyone can be dangerous. All I’m asking is for you to trust me and let me do this. We need them.”

“Let you bring demons into our camp?” Sadena said with an acid tone. The air between them rippled, growing tingly with electrical currents that made the hairs of those near them stand a mite on end “Up till now, Key, we have tolerated your insane ideas for the offensive against the blue-eyes. Teaching peasants to read, sneaking into their factories and taking over their telegraph stations—all of that has been high risk to us. But this is beyond insane. The answer is no. You are an excellent swordsmith and your insight into Sky Child society has been invaluable—but you are now reaching towards a dangerous unknown that we cannot trust. Understand this. We will not ally with those demons.”

“Fine,” Key said, his voice equally crisp with petulance as he felt the fuzzy white hairs stick up from his scalp. “But I just want you to know that all our efforts so far have only scratched on the surface of what we really need to do. Those Sky Children still have the advantage over us. Thousands of years of memory advantage over us. The Cordrils are the only others with that same advantage. And though we can probably fight against the Sky Children enough on our own, I didn’t want a long drawn out war with lots of casualties. I’m done with seeing villages burn.”

“That is part of war.” Sadena looked sorry, letting the air clear out from the static she was inadvertently causing.

“I don’t just want to arm us for war.” Key closed his eyes hard, also clenching his teeth, as he was unable to let this one thing go. “I want to win. I want to drive them out of our land.”

Everyone murmured, watching him stand there with all the pain of those years of captivity written in his posture.

“And what makes you so sure those other demons won’t try to take over?” Bredin asked him, peering hard at Key from across the table.

Key opened his eyes then turned his head to look at the Stiltson man. His eyes were tired. “I just know. They’re not interested in us, just the blue-eye Sky Children.”

The council grumbled. Key could hear their dissent well enough.

“The answer is still no,” Sadena said.

Closing his eyes, Key nodded and sat down. “I’ll just try next time.”

“You’re so stubborn!” Telerd jumped up. He chucked the wadded-up wanted poster at Key.

It struck Key on the side of his face, but Key hardly looked up.

Growling, Telerd looked as if Key was the one that had struck him. “Listen to your superiors for once. Stay away from those demons!”

Lifting his head, Key opened his eyes again to gaze back on his childhood friend. “My superiors? Telerd Roper, I am the heir to the Bekir Peninsula smithy. If I had a superior, it was my father, and I watched General Winstrong shove a hot iron through his chest. If you want to call me stubborn, then fine! I’m stubborn! But I am also right.”

From that Key rose from his chair and backed out from the table.

“I am also done here. You just want to use me. Well fine, I’ll make your stupid swords and read you stupid maps, and tell you all I know about the stupid Sky Child organization, but it won’t matter because they will slaughter us if we go out any time this year because we are not ready to meet them.”

Stepping from the table, Key tramped to the cave opening as if kicking the ground for offending him also.

“The Cordrils would have helped us if we had helped them.” Key snapped before going out.

The council remained silent for what seemed to be the time it would have taken for Key to reach the bottom of the mountain. Then Sadena spoke above just a whisper to the others at her sides. “He’s becoming too headstrong and impatient.”

*

“So what you are saying is that you suspect the humans to be planning something?” The Sky Lord looked down at Gailert with a tired expression as if he found the general a boor. “Those humans are not exactly capable of getting along with their own kind, so what makes you think they can even get organized?”

Drawing in a breath, Gailert frowned. Though this new ruler had all the memories of the former Sky Lord now in his head, his personality was still the same, an impetuous youth regardless. The new Sky Lord still did not think too highly of brown-eyed Sky Children or their service to the empire. And he was still quite stuck on himself. It was pathetically sad, but there was little else Gailert could do except endure it.

Drawing his mouth in a thin line, Gailert bowed low when he said, “The raiders of Herra were a significant sign that humans are capable of subterfuge. For that matter, I don’t believe that we had completely cleared out those raiders. They have simply moved locations.”

“Please, General. I think what you really want is to step out of retirement and hunt down the man who is said to be hunting you. Am I right?” The Sky Lord smirked, gazing down on him.

There was nothing Gailert could say to refute that. It was clearly obvious that he was anxious to find the human named Key before Key found him.

“Well, as far as that is concerned, you are free to ask for help from the local captains, but I will not be letting you take a squadron for a private search for one human. It is a waste of funds and time.” The Sky Lord then waved for him to leave. “You can go.”

That was it. There was no more. Gailert knew it would be insubordinate of him to ask once more for the help he wanted. So, with dignity in his aching joints, Gailert Winstrong rose and stood upright, lifting his chin high. There were other ways to catch a human than just through the Sky Lord. His service and connections in the military would probably be enough to handle things. They would have to be.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Watching Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key had just barely gotten a bowlful of hot stewed beans and was about to sit next to Tiler on the felled log the moment Bredin Sefesher, Luis and Telerd came up to him and announced that they had already assembled their team to take him southeast. Almost right away Luis and Telerd beckoned Loid and Tiler to come aside to discuss in private their part of the trip. However Tiler had waved them off, receiving a steaming cup of warm cider that was being served, though Loid had gone with them. They took Loid to a part of