A Spoiled Rule

Chapter 27

"Liam, Liam, wake up!"
Liam jumped awake, nearly bonking his head against Harvey's. The captain leaned back, his wide eyes peering beneath the brim of his hat. "Sorry
Highness, but there's an emergency."
Liam noticed that Gína was standing near the door. The room was dark expect for a lamp beside Liam's bed. He sat up, then paused. He felt rested. He wondered how long he'd slept. "What emergency have I missed?"
"Not missed," spoke Gína hurriedly. "It's still going on. We will explain everything, but we really must get going. You need to leave, for your own safety."
Liam stood from the bed. He walked briskly beside Harvey and left the room. Liam spotted Coulím's door on the other side of the room. It was closed. At the front entrance, two guards stood at attention. They wore the same rocky blue armor that Liam had seen before. Liam walked up to them and met their gazes. "Where does your loyalty lie?"
"With Coulím, our king," they replied.
"Good," said Liam. "Protect him, as he did with you against Mettiam."
Both guards nodded.
"Let us continue," urged Gína.
They followed Gína down the stairs outside the room. Liam knew it was daytime above the waves, for the lights all around were brighter and there were people about. However, there was certainly something wrong, for the people were hurrying to and fro. More citizens dressed in armor hurried in different directions. Up ahead, near the border, a ship sat in the sand, facing the wall of water. Gína was bringing them straight to it.
"What's going on?" asked Liam.
"The checkpoint leaders spotted something coming," said Gína. "It's far off, but it looks like a monster."
"Is it an invention, or a natural creature?" asked Liam.
Gína shook her head. "I don't know."
They stopped at the base of the boat. Harvey took one look at it and frowned. "This ain't a ship!"
Gína reached into her pocket and pulled out two vials. "This will give you breath for the journey. We will push the boat into the water, and it will propel you."
Liam was ushered inside the boat, but he wasn't ready to leave. "Is it coming from Dínam?"
Gína shrugged. "I don't know."
"And how is Coulím?" Liam asked. "Is he awake?"
"He was asleep when I left," said Gína. "He is safe. I will tend to him as soon as you leave."
Liam didn't like it, but he nodded. "Very well. By tonight, the kingdom of Dínam will be restored."
Gína gave him a small smile, though confidence was not apparent in her eyes. She bid them farewell, and as Harvey got into the boat, two men pushed them into the water. Immediately, the cold pressure of water surrounded Liam, and he held the vial to his lips. With his teeth, he opened it and drank the liquid. His lungs turned numb, and there were pins and needles in his throat. He trusted Gína. He took a breath, and was able to breathe. It wasn't like normal, but it was like breathing in a foam that evaporated in his throat.
Through a blurry haze, Liam could see Harvey in front of him. The boat lurched through the water. Beyond Harvey, he could make out nothing but the dark blue sea. He wondered where the beast was that was supposedly nearing. He hoped they weren't heading straight for it.
In the back of his mind, Liam thought of Harksgold. He thought of the priests, and how they had survived the initial onslaughts of the plague. Perhaps others had survived, as well. Liam felt ashamed that he wasn't spending every waking moment to find his people. Perhaps that's what he'd do next. His kingdom didn't necessarily need to be rebuilt, rather restructured.
The boat gently veered left. Liam couldn't be sure how Harvey knew to guide the boat, but he trusted the captain knew the way to Dínam. The man was gifted with Ryan's good-natured instincts. Liam wondered if the gift had arrived before or after the poor man's death.
Liam kept his eyes closed. It hurt to open them, and he could hardly see anything anyways. He thought of Oliver. The man was smart, but he wasn't wise. His intelligence was based on the intelligence of a snake. Oliver was always the quiet advisor, and he'd never been allowed to act on his own before. Liam knew the man would take the power for granted. He'd be careless in his empty rule. He may be cunning and sneaky, but Liam knew what to look for. He would not let the snake bite him again.
The boat jolted unnaturally, and Liam's eyelids opened. His eyes stung, but despite the blur, he could see that something was wrong. They were not alone in the water. A predator was circling them. Liam couldn't be sure if it was the beast that was headed for the refugees or not, but the difference hardly mattered. His knife was still secured to his side. He grabbed it, though he knew his movements were slow and awkward under the water.
There was no time for deliberation. The beast came straight for the boat. Liam gripped the edge and readied his knife. He was certain it would swallow them whole, but at the last second, it turned, nudging the boat.
Just then, the boat lurched forward with unnatural speed, and Liam was nearly lost in the water. He figured Harvey must've done something to the boat. They sped away, and the beast didn't follow.
Liam couldn't decide how much time passed to get to Dínam, but he knew the moment they entered her waters. Shimmers of gold flashed under blue orbs of light. Two ominous walls of rock loomed on either side, where the citizens stayed confined. In the distance, a blur of white indicated some sort of palace or large building, though Liam could hardly see.
The boat lodged in the sand, and they came to a stop. The foam in Liam's throat started to bubble. He knew they needed to get inside. He grabbed Harvey's arm and trudged through the sand. His movements were slow. His shoes stuck to the sand. The water froze his bones and made his movements rigid. Harvey struggled through the sand, and Liam had to pull the man onward. He felt water pressure against his nose, and he had a feeling that he needed to hold his breath. He did, focusing on his steps. His head began to pound.
His foot bumped against the base of rock. His vision was too blurry for him to decipher what was before him, and Harvey was dragging behind him. He ran his free hand along smooth stone in front of him. His fingers caught in a groove, and he pushed and pulled at it. He felt a current pull at him, and he took a step forward. Immediately, the pressure on his shoulders lightened tremendously and his knees buckled. He found himself laying on a cold floor made of smooth stone. He coughed up the foam in his throat and caught his breath.
Harvey lay behind Liam. Liam pushed himself to his knees and grabbed the man's arms. Harvey didn't budge. Adrenaline coursed through Liam's veins. He stumbled to his feet and grabbed Harvey, pulling him up. He sat the captain against a wall and shook Harvey's shoulders. "Harvey, open your eyes!"
The captain was spurred awake. Lazily, his eyelids opened. Then, the captain winced. "Where's my hat?"
"Are you hurt?" Liam asked. As if drawn by a magnet, his eyes landed on Harvey's sleeve. It had been torn near his shoulder, and he could see blood. Liam's mind raced. He knew there were no zombies near their boat. The beast must have scraped Harvey. Liam's stomach dropped. The only beast he knew of that had sharp armor meant to poison was a Veelam.
Harvey's head began to droop, but Liam held it up. "You're going to be alright, Harvey. It was a Veelam in the water. Thorne's been hurt by one, but its poison only puts you to sleep. You just need to sleep it off, and you'll be good as new in the morning."
"Bring them to the cells."
Liam shivered at that voice. He turned around and realized that he was standing in the old palace of Mettiam. Turtle shells lined the floor, leading up to a throne placed on sturdy wooden steps. Thick wooden pillars lined the hall. Instead of Mettiam, it was Oliver in the seat.
There were only a few guards in sight. Liam suspected there weren't many, but they were loyal enough. They grabbed Liam and Harvey and forced them to stand.
Liam stood tall. Anger coursed through his veins, but it was a slow burn. He kept his voice calm. He knew Oliver would love to see him squirm. "It was fate that brought us here. I was looking just for you, Oliver."
Oliver wrinkled his nose. "You were horribly lost. You nearly died on the doorstep. This palace is forbidden for anyone I say, so what you call fate, I call planned, or luck at its very worst."
"This palace does not welcome you," said Liam. "Dínam does not welcome you. Can you not see that the citizens are miserable? Coulím will return soon to take his rightful place on the throne."
"But you gave me your seal." Oliver held out his hand to show off a thick golden ring with an 'H' inscribed. "You told me I was a better leader. These people know what happened to Harksgold. Everyone is dead! You are not a ruler; at least, not anymore."
It was then that Liam became uneasy. He glanced at the guards holding him, whose gazes were blank. Oliver was feeding them lies. "You stole that from my desk, which you were never allowed to touch!"
Oliver frowned and tilted his head. "I would never! I was your loyal advisor, whom you abandoned, left to die here. It was only the mercy and kindness of these people that I lived. They knew I could become a better leader than Mettiam." He looked to the guards. "Now, escort Liam and his pirate to the cells. We will try them for trespassing and lying to the leader of Dínam!"
With that, Liam was escorted down a hall. There was a large window in one side, and as they passed, Liam saw workbenches, tools scattered across the floor, stains on the ground, and half-built structures with wires hanging everywhere. It was Mettiam's workplace.
Across the hall sat a wide opening that led into a room carved from blue rock. There were a couple of chairs in the corner and another window that overlooked a parallel hallway. The guards brought them through another door into the hallway, which was lined with cells meant for prisoners. They separated Liam and Harvey. They opened the door and guided Liam inside.
Liam's breath caught in his throat. There was another man inside the cell. He was old and frail, but not because of his age but because of a sickness. Liam could tell the poor man was suffering. He lie on the floor shivering, wearing only trousers. There was a bucket next to him that filled the room with an awful, sour smell, and beads of sweat rolled down his skin.
Liam did not want to make the wrong assumption, but he knew this was planned. Oliver knew of his susceptibility to illness, and he wanted Liam to become fatally ill.
Liam was startled when he heard the door behind him close. He turned around and met the guard's gaze through the prison bars. "Do you trust Oliver?"
The guard frowned, his gaze hard. "No," he said roughly. "But he didn't abandon us."
"I didn't abandon my people," Liam said. "I may have found myself in Dínam at one point, but I came back to my kingdom. I'm still searching for survivors."
"He has your seal. He was your advisor. I think he has more leadership qualities than you'd think." The guard began to turn away.
"Coulím is coming soon!"
The guard stopped. Slowly, he turned back around to face him. "Coulím is dead."
"No," said Liam.
"Then he's as good as dead."
"He never fully turned. He's getting better. I came here to take back my seal. A good king would never give it away to a man like Oliver. The throne belongs to Coulím. If you keep me here, I will not be able to prepare the way for Coulím. What's more, you will kill me."
The guard scoffed. "You can't sit still?"
Liam pointed to the man on the floor. "I will contract whatever sickness this man has. The royal family of Harksgold has a history of weak defensive systems. I will not be able to fight it off."
"I do not want your excuse," said the guard stiffly. "If you get sick, we will give you medicine. We are not barbarians." With that, the man left the hall.