Search for Audric (4 page)

"Did she really abandon me like that?" Zinan asked softly.

"Exactly as I told you," nodded Naveena. "Orenda was a strange creature. She was the king's sister, but she was not even allowed into the palace. I guess she did not place a very high value on family. I, on the other hand, have raised you as my own from the second hour of your life. For ten years I have thought of nothing but your well-being."

"I am really sorry," vowed the prince. "I will never doubt you again. I promise."

"Then you will study hard and learn everything that Lavitor has to teach you?" pushed the wisper.

"Do I have to?" pouted Zinan. "I really don't like to learn that stuff."

"You don't like to travel?" posed the wisper. "You wouldn't want to lead great armies into battle? You have no desire to be the greatest spy the world has ever known?"

"What?" gasped Zinan. "I would love to do any of those things, but what does that have to do with Lavitor? Those are not things that he is willing to teach me."

"Yet that is exactly what I see in your future," smiled Naveena. "I am trying to make all of these things possible for you, but first you must learn a few mundane things, but you refuse to learn."

"I don't understand," admitted the prince. "How does learning from Lavitor make those other things possible?"

"You will just have to trust me in some areas," declared Naveena. "I know more about your future than you can imagine. I have planned your entire life, and each and every one of those adventures is guaranteed to you if you follow my instructions."

"I will do what you tell me," vowed Zinan. "How long do I have to study before my first adventure?"

"I think your adventures can begin immediately if I can trust you to keep a secret," offered the wisper. "The secret must be solely between you and me. Not another soul can know, or you may die. Do you understand?"

"Die?" Zinan asked nervously. "How would I die?"

"Do you promise?" Naveena asked stubbornly.

"I promise," vowed the lad.

"You have a power within you that is extremely rare," explained the wisper as she rose and plucked a flower and returned to the bench. "You have the power to make things happen with just your thoughts. Stare at this flower. Do not let your eyes waver from it, but rather try to look inside the bud. Concentrate your mind on the very center of the flower."

Naveena let the boy concentrate for a moment until she felt a slight tingling of the air. She grinned broadly.

"Picture the center of the flower as a flame," instructed the wisper. "Imagine the flame as a small…"

The flower burst into flames, and Naveena had to drop it to avoid being burned. She laughed as her foot stomped on the burning flower to extinguish the flames.

"I was going to say a small flame," she chuckled, "but your power is already stronger than I thought."

"I did that?" Zinan asked in amazement.

"You did that," nodded Naveena, "and you did it quite well."

"Wow," grinned Zinan, "I can't wait to …"

"Remember your promise," Naveena said sternly. "One word of your powers and people will be calling for your death."

"That's not fair," pouted Zinan. "Everyone fawns all over Garrick because he is the Crown Prince. Now that I can do something that he cannot do, I can't even talk about it."

"Does it bother you that Garrick will become king?" asked Naveena. "I thought you two got along fairly well."

"We do get along well," shrugged Zinan, "but he always has to lord it over me that he is the chosen one. Sometimes I hate him for it."

"And how would you feel about yourself if Garrick were the king, but he had to do whatever you told him to," asked the wisper.

"Had to?" questioned the prince. "If he really had to do whatever I wanted, I think that would be great."

"Well," grinned Naveena, "that is what your future shall be."

"How do you know these things?" asked Zinan.

"I know everything," Naveena said with a straight face. "Remember that the next time you try to hide something from me."

The prince swallowed hard as he realized the implications of what Naveena was saying.

"How will I make Garrick do what I want?" he asked, anxious to change the direction of the conversation.

Naveena did not answer. Instead she merely stared at Zinan. The lad looked at her glazed over eyes with concern and then suddenly jumped off the bench. He knelt before Naveena and kissed her feet. The wisper laughed heartily and Zinan looked up with an embarrassed expression.

"Why did I do that?" he asked.

"Because I told you to," smiled Naveena.

"But you didn't say anything at all," Zinan shook his head. "I didn't hear you say anything."

"My mind spoke directly to your mind," explained Naveena. "I can teach you to do the same thing to Garrick and others."

"And they won't even know why they are doing what I told them to do?" questioned the boy.

"Exactly," nodded the wisper. "You can let Garrick think that he is the king while you tell him exactly what to do. Now do you understand why you must learn everything you can?"

"I think so," Zinan nodded eagerly.

"And when playing with Garrick becomes boring," added Naveena, "you can get rid of him and take the crown for yourself."

"Could I really do that?" asked the prince.

"You are a prince in your own right," nodded Naveena. "The only things that stand in your way of the crown are Garrick and his father, but do not be in a hurry. If your moves are clumsy, you will be discovered and killed for it. I will let you know when the time is right."

"I suspect it will be a long time from now, won't it?" inquired the lad.

"It will be years before your wear the crown," nodded Naveena, "but do not be impatient. The intervening years will be more fun than you can imagine. In fact, getting the crown will be more fun than wearing it."

"I don't understand that," admitted the boy.

"While you are just a prince," explained Naveena, "you will be able to travel the world freely. You will be treated as visiting royalty if you wish, or you can travel anonymously if you do not wish to be noticed. You could never do that as king."

"Why would I want to travel anonymously?" he asked.

"How else does a spy travel?" chuckled Naveena. "You did say that you wanted to be a spy, didn't you?"

"You are great!" exclaimed Zinan.

"There is only one thing that we must be wary of," cautioned the wisper. "Garrick must never be allowed to spawn a child. If he does, your right to wear the crown will be forfeited. As his advisor, you will always be in a position to know when that danger is near. I will teach you how to handle such occasions."

"I want to learn everything that you can teach me," Zinan declared eagerly.

"And everything that Lavitor can teach you," Naveena pointed out. "What the king's advisor knows, you must know. You must never be in the position of trusting anyone other than me, and that means that you must know how to handle every occasion. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly," beamed the prince. "I will learn it all. Ask Lavitor about my studies any time in the future. You will be proud of my progress."

Naveena pushed Lavitor hard to wake him. The king's advisor groaned and rolled over in bed, but the wisper merely pushed harder.

"Are you going to sleep all day?" snapped Naveena. "The boys' lessons are scheduled to begin within the hour. You must learn to get to bed earlier. What were you doing last night that kept you away? Why weren't you in bed where you belong?"

Lavitor groaned again and struggled to sit up. He rubbed his eyes and avoided looking towards the bright summer sunlight streaming into the window.

"It was Zinan," moaned the advisor. "His appetite for knowledge is insatiable. He has devoured everything that I can teach him, and yet he demands still more. We ended up in the library researching ancient scrolls to determine the origins of some of our more arcane traditions. I have never known a person with a more curious nature."

"He must learn if he is to advise Prince Garrick," smiled Naveena.

"Well he is ready," Lavitor shook his head. "At the young age of fifteen, I would already rank him as one of the most learned men in the kingdom. Whatever you said to him five years ago, it has changed his whole life. The lad is so eager to learn that I can no longer please him."

The grin that spread across Naveena's face spoke volumes as to her thoughts on the boy's progress.

"And what of Garrick?" probed the wisper. "Is he also ready to assume his mantle?"

"He is too young," Lavitor shook his head. "He is nothing more than a boy, Naveena. Let him enjoy his youth."

"I asked if he was sufficiently prepared to hold office?" snapped Naveena. "I did not ask your opinion on raising children."

Lavitor looked as if he had been slapped hard. His lips curled down in sorrow and his gaze fell to the floor.

"Garrick knows barely a fraction of what Zinan knows," he answered obediently, "but that is hardly a fair assessment. Zinan is an exceptional student. As you suggested last year, I have been assigning small responsibilities to Garrick in order to prepare him for the time when Eugeon is no longer fit to serve."

"And how has he preformed with those responsibilities?" asked the wisper.

"Exceedingly well," frowned the king's advisor, "although I cannot understand why."

"Explain yourself," demanded Naveena. "You sound as if you are contradicting yourself."

"I know," sighed Lavitor. "Garrick has performed every task to my satisfaction, but he does not understand the basic concepts underlying the tasks that I have assigned to him."

"How can that be?" asked Naveena. "Give me an example."

"Very well," agreed Lavitor as his eyes rose once again to make eye contact with the wisper. "Last week I asked him to devise a new duty roster for the palace guards. Now, from my review of his lessons, I know that he fails to understand the importance of rank among the guards. The concept just escapes him, or he is too lazy to care. I can't determine which. To my amazement, he not only came up with a new duty roster, but the officers were aglow with its perfection. He went beyond the mere task and actually eliminated some assignments that were no longer necessary. I just don't understand it."

"Did someone else help him perhaps?" questioned the wisper.

"No," Lavitor shook his head. "Over the last few months I have suspected that Zinan might be doing Garrick's work for him, so I took steps to ensure that Zinan did not interfere."

"And what steps did you take?" interrogated the wisper.

"Zinan was confined to the palace," explained the king's advisor. "He could watch out the window and see what Garrick was doing, but he could not communicate with his cousin. I am sure of that."

Naveena grinned with the acknowledgement that Zinan's skills had progressed to the point of conquering the separation of short distances.

"I didn't realize that the boys were taking up so much of your time," Naveena said soothingly. "You have done exceedingly well in preparing them for their futures. Perhaps I was wrong to force you to arise so early. Go back to bed. I will take care of the boys today. Their lessons with you will be canceled."

"Are you sure?" Lavitor asked hopefully. "I really could use the extra sleep."

"Then let it be so," Naveena smiled. The wisper leaned down and kissed Lavitor before turning and leaving the room.

Naveena marched straight to Zinan's suite, but the boy had already risen. She searched for over an hour, but none of the servants or guards had any idea where the prince was. No one had seen him. Eventually, she strolled into the library and halted at the sight before her.

Prince Zinan sat in a large leather chair with a pile of books on the table beside him. He held a single book and appeared to be deeply engrossed in it. Two young female servants were also present. One knelt on the floor before the chair and was painstakingly washing the prince's feet. The other held a bowl of fruit and was slowly feeding the prince as he read.

"Studying?" Naveena barked harshly. "Or are you more involved than that?"

Zinan jumped to his feet and dropped his book as he turned to stare at the doorway. The woman who had been washing the prince's feet fell backwards, spilling the bowl of water onto the floor.

"You scared me," Zinan gasped defensively. "I was just preparing for today's lessons."

The wisper waved for the women to leave, but neither one of them moved. She frowned at being ignored, but a smile crept over the prince's face. He looked at each woman in turn and they both abruptly left the room.

"You will soon be the king's advisor," scolded Naveena. "As such, you should never consort with the staff of the palace. Do you have any idea how quickly rumors can fly in such a place as this?"

"You consort with the king's advisor," Zinan pointed out.

"I am not a servant," snapped Naveena. "A wisper is a highly regarded member of the court. Do not try to make excuses for your behavior."

"I don't need excuses," grinned Zinan. "Neither of those women will remember a thing about being in here with me. You are the only one who shares my secret. Did you not understand that they were under my spell when they refused your order to leave?"

Naveena was stunned. "You do not use the Talent for such purposes," she admonished, but the fervor had deserted her tone.

"Nonsense," shrugged Prince Zinan. "The Talent is to be used, or it is worthless. If I can utilize the Talent to gain an advantage in any circumstance, I am obligated to do so. Is that not what you have done here?"

Naveena's mouth fell open and she stared at the young prince for his audacity, but his words struck a cord of truth in her. She had indeed used the Talent to manipulate the entire palace to her liking, but she had never once thought of it as wrong. It was only when she had seen Zinan abusing the Talent that truth came before her eyes.

"There are dangers in using the Talent, Zinan," cautioned Naveena. "It is a power much greater than any mortal. It can consume you."

Even as she mouthed the words, a pain seared within her body. Naveena bent over in agony and dropped to her knees. Her eyes closed in pain, and she fought the urge to scream out in anguish.

"I have no problem using the Talent," Zinan said calmly as he watched the wisper's face contort in pain. "Perhaps you are not strong enough to contain its power."

Naveena gasped for breath as the final ravages of pain sped through her body. A moment later, the pain was gone. With tears in her eyes, she looked up and saw the prince staring at her with disinterest. She wiped her eyes and rose to her feet.

"You will not misuse the power like that again," she said sternly. "I have not spent my life training you to have you waste it on such trivialities."

"What have you trained me for?" asked the prince. "Years ago you promised me adventure and excitement if I studied hard and long. Well, I have done as you requested, and I have yet to see my reward."

"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain," agreed Naveena as she weakly walked to a chair and sat down. "Today, I will take steps to fulfill my end of the bargain. Before I do, there is one matter that must be taken care of, and it is one that you must accomplish."

"Tell me," Prince Zinan smiled with anticipation.

"Prince Garrick must demand that I be named his regent," explained the wisper. "Can you guarantee that?"

"Easily," shrugged Zinan. "Garrick has no ability to withstand my attacks. His mind is like putty in my hands. What do you plan to do?"

"That is not your concern," Naveena replied evasively. "Just make sure that you succeed with your part. Your future adventure and excitement depends upon it."

Naveena did not wait for a response. She rose from the chair and promptly left the library. The episode in there had made her feel weak and uncomfortable. She slowly made her way back to her suite, her mind replaying the scene in the library over and over. While the pain had made no sense to her at first, she was sure that the Talent induced it, but her mind refused to delve deeper into the mystery. It was as if there was a wall deep within her mind that could not be looked beyond.

Naveena opened the door to her suite and found Lavitor talking to General Ortega, the head general of the Borunda army. Both men looked towards the door as she entered.

"Good news, Naveena," smiled Lavitor. "A guard in the city of Koar thinks he saw Zalman a few days ago. I am sending a squad of soldiers and a tracker to pick up the trail. With any luck, we will have him in custody soon."

"Was Flori also sighted?" asked the wisper.

"Just Zalman," the general shook his head. "We will interrogate him when he is arrested. We will find out what happened to your sister."

"Arrested?" balked Naveena. "I thought the instructions were to kill him on sight?"

"We can always kill him when we are done interrogating him," shrugged the general. "What is the rush?"

"How many times in the past fifteen years have you almost captured the murderer of Princess Orenda?" snapped Naveena. "Has it been fifty? A hundred? Maybe two hundred? It is so many that I have lost count. Just follow your orders, General. Kill the man before he becomes an even greater embarrassment to your army. Do you understand?"

The general's eyes narrowed and his hand fiddled with his mustache, but he did not verbally respond to the wisper's tirade. Lavitor felt the tension in the air and stepped between Naveena and the general. He faced General Ortega and spoke softly, but firmly.

"Send out the squad," ordered the king's advisor. "Their orders are to execute Zalman as soon as he is captured. It is well past the time to put this sordid episode in our nation's history to rest. There will be no need for interrogations. Zalman has nothing left to tell us."

"Very well," grumbled the general. "The orders will be given now that they have been received from a proper authority."

General Ortega cast one final glance of defiance at the wisper and marched out of the room. Lavitor sighed heavily when the door closed. He walked to a chair and sat down.

"You must remember your position in the palace," Lavitor said softly. "You are the wisper, and while that is a well respected position, it is not one of influence in the policies of the kingdom. A simple whisper to me could have resulted in the same ending without drawing the anger of General Ortega."

"Why should I care how the general feels about me?" scowled Naveena. "Besides, I am not only the wisper, but the wife of the king's advisor. What is the general going to do about it? Is he going to complain to you about my attitude?"

"Naveena," pleaded Lavitor, "don't make everything so difficult. There are proper protocols to be observed in any palace. It is the way things are done in the civilized world. Is that too much to ask?"

"I suppose not," conceded Naveena. "I am sorry."

"Let's forget it," offered the king's advisor. "It is over and done with. I thought you were going to be with the boys today? Why have you come back here?"

"I just left Zinan," answered Naveena. "He was in the library studying for today's lessons."

"Studying for today's lessons?" echoed the king's advisor. "That rascal is trying to discover arcane laws to trip me up. That is what he is doing. No longer am I testing his knowledge, but rather he is testing mine."

"Perhaps," laughed Naveena. "He did mention something about wills, and that prompts the question. Has King Eugeon executed another will since the one he penned five years ago?"

"No," Lavitor shook his head. "I would not even think to ask for another one. I am just grateful that you managed to get him to agree to the last one. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," smiled Naveena as she rose and stood facing Lavitor. "Then you are still named as regent?"

"Of course," nodded the king's advisor. "I am already running the kingdom anyway, so it makes a great deal of sense."

"Yes, it does," Naveena said in a monotone voice as she stared into her husband's eyes. "There is something that you must do today. Listen closely."

Lavitor stood facing his wife with a bland expression, his eyes glazed over. Her words flowed softly in a monotone that could not be heard a few feet away, but the king's advisor offered no reply, nor did he give any indication that he even heard her words.

When she was done, Naveena turned and left the room. There were no words of farewell, nor any promise to see him later. The wisper moved swiftly through the halls of the palace and down the stairs. As she approached the office of General Ortega, she grabbed a nearby servant.

"The king has ordered a bath," she said to the servant. "Arrange it immediately."

Without waiting for a response, Naveena continued on her way and entered the general's office. The general looked up and recognized the wisper. His expression betrayed his displeasure of the visitor.

"I came to apologize for my outburst earlier," Naveena said without preamble. "It was uncalled for, and I am sorry for my words."

The general's brow wrinkled with puzzlement as he gazed at his visitor. His hand ran over his baldhead as if he were searching for the words to say in response to the apology.