The Fall of the Stars Book 1: Wheels of War

Nickifer Starfront I

Rickardo Starfront was a man who never seemed to be pleased. That afternoon, however, Rick sat at the meeting table giddy as a child. He would normally sit on his throne in Starcastle's Golden Hall, but today he drew a small chair and a table to the center of the hall. The Golden Throne was plain in design but grand in size, so broad that it could fit two men and so tall that one had to look up at the king to speak to him. He wore his ceremonious gold crown studded with emeralds as green as his eyes, the one he only wore for special occasions. What news could be so great that it made the sour king smile so? Nick did not know.

Nickifer Starfront sat next to his father, dressed in gold and green with the golden star of Starfront stitched onto his left breast. He rarely ever saw his father smile, so he was suspicious as the king restlessly shuffled in his chair with a rolled piece of parchment in his hand. The parchment had arrived early in the morning, Nick noticed. He questioned the man who brought it about what it may be, but the messenger said he was sworn to secrecy. Nick didn't have his bastard brother's sword talents, so he could not force the information out of the man.

Across from Nick Starfront sat three of his father's subjects: Rancis Selley of Windmoor, Edwas Ment, Ruler of Green Castle, and Erod Suol of Ashtop. They stood in front of their chairs, sipping wine and nibbling on apples, waiting for one final person to appear. But then someone else showed up.

"I'm afraid Lord Vallon cannot make it, King Starfront," said a pudgy, pink sop of a man that Nick knew to be one of Vallon's older children. "He has met with some trouble at Eyestar. If you would like, I could—"

"No." The king raised his hand to silence him. "You may go." When the fat man was gone, King Rick unrolled the parchment and smiled to himself again. "I believe it is time I show you what this letter entails."

"Please do," said Edwas Ment. He was the youngest there, only recently succeeding his father after he had passed of a stomach virus. He was raised at Starcastle with Nick and Rynn, but the two were never close. "The sea must have turned to gold, elsewise I couldn't imagine why you'd be wearing such a foolish grin."

"I love you like a son, boy, but do not forget it is to a king you speak." Rick handed the rolled parchment to Nick. Nick reluctantly grasped it. "Read it," he said.

Nick cleared his throat before reading. "The piss has dried, the pup is chained and can no longer bark, and the wood has caught gangrene and it will spread to the brook." Nick read it again aloud, unsure of what it was he was beholding. "Is there some kind of cryptic message behind this, or did Rynn forget how to form a complete thought?"

"And here I believed you were the bright one. The piss has dried and the wood has caught gangrene. The piss is obviously the Colters, and the wood is Minewood."

"Making us the gangrene."

Rancis Selley took the parchment from Nick. "Your brother has recaptured Minewood and has captured Prince Tyler Colter. He plans to head into the Densebrook." He nodded his balding head. "This is not something I expected to hear."

"It is great news," the king bellowed. "Soon we will have Gunther's dogs out of our land."

"Are you trying to provoke war with them, father?" Nick took the parchment back from Rancis. "I believe these little skirmishes have gone out of hand. Isn't it about time we stop?"

"Things got out of hand when Colter siezed Minewood! I should have sent Rynn to root him out when they took the city last month. Debt? My ass!"

"I'm afraid I must agree with the boy," said Rancis Selley. "Gunther sending his son into the field is sign enough that we should find a way to stop this."

"Let him send who he pleases." Nick saw the joy draining from his father, his typical scowl reclaiming its place. "It should be he you tell to stop. Demand forty thousand gold from me? How dare he? He should consider himself fortunate that I didn't send my son to scale his castle walls and raze the damned thing."

"He only demanded what we owed him." Nick knew that wouldn't change his father's mind, but it must be said.

"I am the KING!"

"If he borrowed gold from you, would you not want him to repay it?"

The king's scowl finally won over his whole face. He stared disapprovingly at Nick, as he always had. "I wonder some days if you're an actual Starfront, boy. I tell that yellow eyed dog that I would soon repay him, and he sends his men to besiege my city. What was I to do? Make haste and throw my gold at him, begging him to leave me alone? What kind of king would I look? I would be mocked from here to the otherworld."

"It would be the honorable thing to do. A king keeps his promises." and pays his debts, Nickifer thought but did not say.

"Honorable," The king mocked. "Piss Lord showed me his notion of honor when he sent armed men into my city. Asides, I only sent your brother with a company of a couple thousand Starfront and Windmoor men. They aren't enough to cause too much trouble."

"I believe that an ample amount." Erod Suol had sat silently until then. He was a small man, frail and sour and nearing seventy years of age. He spoke slowly and carefully as if he thought about every single word before it escaped his mouth. "You only instructed the boy to set up a post near Twinriver and inform you of any movement by the river. He took it upon himself to use that army you gave him to head further east and retake Minewood, no doubt killing every man he came upon there if I know the boy right. Blood has spilled. If you would ask me, I say King Colter has reason enough to send men back west. You must reconcile with Colter in some way, or send Sir Rynn more men to hold the city and prevent any Colters from passing through the Densebrook. No doubt the Easter King is itching for war. We must no oblige him."

"I'm curious as to why you ignored your king when he called for men, Lord Suol." Edwas stared coldly at the old man. Suol was a friend to Ment's father, but Edwas himself misliked the old man fiercely. Nick could not understand why.

"This folly is not worth my good men dying over." Erod poured himself a cup of wine. "My people are my children. I would only consent to send my children to die if they are fighting for an honorable cause, not a debt trifle."

"Insolence," Edwas roared and pointed his finger at old Erod. "You mock my king's authority, you old cur. He should be hung for this defiance, My Lord."

"Far be it from you to tell my father how to run his kingdom." Nick sighed. "Suol has the right of it. This is folly. We have the gold and meant to send it, all we had to do was make the easter king understand that."

"Naught will be understood by King Colter with your brother on the loose with his son in chains," said Rancis. "There is not much we can do now but wait or send more men."

Nick found the king staring at him, studying him. Or maybe he was thinking and was only looking in Nick's general direction. Either way it made Nick uncomfortable and afraid to speak. "I will make a decision on our next step on the morrow. All of you are dismissed."