The Heritage

Chapter 24

Eldergar sat behind his grand desk, thankful for the barrier of sturdy wood between he and his Captain. The argument had raged for some time with Mingus becoming more voluble and angrier as it progressed. As king, Eldergar thought he would naturally have control, but the soldier seemed to care little for his status, being more concerned with having given up an advantage in the field to having to defend on his own ground.

Oakley slunk around behind the grand draperies, keeping as quiet as possible. He was in terror of Dar Mingus but not enough to leave and miss out on something crucial, something that he might use to his advantage one day. Mingus stomped about the chamber cursing and swearing, showing little regard for the King's presence, even boldly blaming him for the fiasco they now found themselves facing.

"This could all be over," He roared. "The Terrault soldiers defeated and the boy in our custody, but no, you had to order me back here with a tale of lies, worrying like a pair of women, you and that slime, Oakley." The draperies quivered as Oakley slid deeper into their folds.

"You were exceeding the limits of my orders," Eldergar protested. "I was fearful you would cause strife between ourselves and Terrault and you have."

"Then you should have left me to finish the task!" Mingus crashed his helmet down on the desk scattering a pile of papers and Eldergar's royal stamp pad and seal. He leaned across and breathed foully into the king's cowering face. "I will deal with Terrault's soldiers when they come, and they will now, and then I will deal with the boy, and when that is finished, my King, I will deal with you-and that cringing bucket of-"

"Enough!" Eldergar managed to recover some of his authority. "Leave now, Captain. Do your duty but save your threats for another time." Silence fell upon the room; only the sound of Eldergar's royal seal rolling to a stop, could be heard.

"Is he gone?" Oakley peered out from the folds of drapes.

*****

The battle at Dramin lasted half a day with the Dramins incurring heavy losses, mostly due to the accuracy of Haito's men's crossbows. At first it seemed as though Jak and his soldiers would be at a great disadvantage having to climb a steep, wooded hill to reach the palace wall but the Dramin soldiers left to defend that approach only put up a token resistance and broke ranks when they were confronted with the strange Japan men who seemed to emerge from the earth.

Jak led the main assault on the palace gates and once again found resistance to be slight. Inside the palace walls, Dar Mingus had arranged his most seasoned men, blocking any advance into the palace and also setting up a defense against any considered retreat. In effect, Jak found himself and his men trapped inside the palace courtyard.

As the battle raged it looked like the tide might turn for the Dramins until, once again, Haito and his men surprised the defending soldiers by scaling the walls with hastily constructed climbing poles and showering them with deadly bolts from their bows.

Free to charge the palace entrance, Jak and his men advanced quickly, taking their turn to protect the Japan men in the close quarter fighting. Stunned by the ferocity of the assault, Mingus withdrew to the Palace interior, fighting violent skirmishes all the way to Eldergar's chamber. With fewer than a dozen men remaining, he burst into the chamber and barricaded the door.

"What's happened? What's gone wrong?"

Mingus ignored the king, ordering his men to defensive positions about the great room.

"Why are you in here? Answer me, Captain, I am your King!" The look he received made his knees buckle and Eldergar stumbled around to his chair behind his great desk. "Oakley!" He called to his minister. "Reason with him."

Oakley looked at the king as if her were deranged. There was no way he was going to engage Dar Mingus in any kind of argument. The way the man looked right now, nobody was safe. The choice was taken from his hands when a loud pounding on the door began, followed by a shouted command to open and surrender.

Jak announced his case and his terms, exhorting Mingus to throw down his weapons and cease the fighting.

"I could consider those terms," Eldergar offered timidly. "There's no need to shed any more blood over this matter."

Dar Mingus turned on him, his mouth twisted in an evil grimace. "You pitiful, flimsy flower. It was you wanted the boy taken. It was you worrying about your legal right to this throne. Now, when your plan hits a small bump you want to toss it all over and go belly up to the enemy!" He advanced on the desk front menacingly. "I ought to dispatch you myself. I can't believe I've given my loyal service to such a weaseling, sniveling coward."

"The King makes excellent sense, Captain." Oakley shifted to the safety of the desk as he spoke. "We can negotiate a way out of this and live to fight another day."

Dar's eyes turned red with anger and his breath came in short bursts from his flaring nostrils. He walked slowly around the desk to where Oakley, almost fainting, stood on rubber legs. "It's always been your way to talk, talk, talk, hasn't it Oakley? Always sidling up to people with a wink and a nod, putting your poisonous words in their ears."

Oakley's eyes rolled up into his head and he reached for the back of the King's chair for support. "Captain, Captain you- you must-"

"I know what I must do, Oakley." Mingus, in one swift movement, plunged his dagger into the little man's middle and hoisted him off the ground, spinning him around and launching him in a loud, gurgling tangle of arms and legs into the draperies he so fondly frequented. There was a loud rending noise as his skinny fingers clutched at the material, tearing it loose from the rods and bringing it down in a dusty shroud over his body.

"Ca- Captain- you- what- why?" Eldergar covered his throat with one hand and held the other up to ward off Oakley's dying moans.

"Do you still want to negotiate? King?"

*****

Primula read the dispatch from her rider on the progress of the attack on Dramin, thanked and dismissed him, walking to the window of her throne room. On a stone bench in the outer courtyard, she could see Wyeth and the young Japan girl sitting close together, talking. She was pleased that her commands had delayed any problems between the girl and her father and also that she had forbidden them to take part in the assault on Dramin.

As a future king, Wyeth had to remain alive and healthy until his throne was regained and peace had been established. She watched them for a moment and then chided herself for spying and left the window. Immediately an image of Jak Staff appeared in her head and she faltered on her way to her room, offering a silent prayer for his safe return.

"My father will never understand," Kysoo said, sadly.

"We'll make him understand. You are a woman not a child. You can make your own decisions, Kysoo."

"Now it is you that does not understand. Among my people, parents are always to be obeyed, no matter what."

"But that's not right! Nobody is right all the time. How can you give up control of your own life to someone else?"

"Wyeth-san, my heart believes what you say to be true, but it is not me that finds difficulty in change, it is my father."

"Then we will convince him, like I said. He will have to pay more attention to me now that I am also a leader."

Kysoo took his hand and turned to face him. "It is true, you will be a king soon, but Wyeth-san, to be a leader one must be wise and experienced. My father will not think much of your qualifications in those areas."

Wyeth blushed and stammered that he did have experience and he was able to lead, and given the opportunity, he would prove it. Kysoo had burst his balloon with her comment and he suddenly felt very much the young lad that he was. She saw his distress and tried to comfort him but Wyeth didn't respond, instead he turned away and sulked.

"This is what my father will see, my darling." She stood and left him on the bench struggling with the humiliation of her observation.