“I’m sure news has spread across the four directions by now. We had almost two hundred people in that celebration and at least sixty guards that witnessed what happened.” Maerc frowned as he picked at his fingernail. “Did you speak to the envoys?” He looked to the king.

“No. They are locked in their rooms with guards for their protection. They asked to see me but I didn’t want to meet with them until I had answers.” The king leaned back in the thick leather chair and sighed. Then he glanced up to the ceiling. It looked like he hadn’t slept all night. His eyes were bloodshot and he still wore his attire from the banquet, it was as fresh and unrumpled as it had been the night before. We were all here: Maerc, the king, the duke, Nadea, and Grandfather.

We sat in the king’s private audience chamber. He summoned me earlier in the morning. It had seemed like only a few hours had passed since I had found Kaiyer in the courtyard of the castle and walked back with him, and thirty guards, to his room. He was standing in front of a pile of flesh and blood; the remains of the Ancient captain had been neatly sliced into thin strips. Except for his head, this rested on top of the heap like the crown jewel of some cabal treasure pile. The reddish armor flickered beneath the blood and hair.

“He gave you your sword back? He didn’t try to resist you when you found him?” the duke spoke up from the corner where he sat with Nadea. Her face was void of expression but as I looked at her she smiled at me.

“He asked if he could bathe, put on new clothes, and come back to the feast,” the king laughed a little. “As if nothing had even happened.”

“They came in peace; will the empress see this as a sign of war?” Grandfather asked as he twirled his mustache.

“She already intended war eventually. They did kill four of our guards on their way to the hall. If killing four is a sign of war, I believe they made the first move,” Maerc said. He picked up a warm cup of wine and drank a sip.

“When will he be here?” the king asked.

“Ten minutes or so. I have my best men bringing him. I still believe it is a terrible idea for you to meet with him. He is a monster and it was a mistake to wake him,” Maerc glared over at Nadea.

“Why was it a mistake?” Nadea’s voice was clear and strong from across the room. She leveled her confident gaze at Maerc, unwavering as she narrowed her eyes and spoke again: “Is this not what we wanted? He easily defeated four armed Ancients without harming a single human.”

“Nadea is correct. He may be our greatest weapon against the Ancients. The question at hand is: what do we do about the story spreading like wildfire?” the king said.

“It’s already too late,” Maerc said as he got up from his chair and paced the floor. “The Ancients will know we have someone who can kill them. Any element of surprise we had is gone.”

“I don’t understand what your problem is,” Nadea said. “The king wanted me to bring back the O’Baarni so that he could help us against the Ancients. Kaiyer might not be him but he proved that he could kill Ancients, something no one has been able to do yet. He did it easily. He was part of the O’Baarni’s army and he has seen them fall. He will help us.”

“So their empress should know about him? How long will he live now that they have identified him as a threat? She’ll send assassins to take care of him in the next few days. He may be able to fight them face to face, but he can't combat poison or a dagger in the night,” Maerc fired back. Nadea was silent.

I remembered the way Kaiyer had healed from the arrow in his chest and wondered if Maerc was correct. I considered mentioning this, but I felt very intimidated in front of Maerc, let alone the king.

A knock sounded at the door, deciding for me.

“Enter,” the king said. Runir, Greykin, Kaiyer, and ten guards walked into our meeting room. Kaiyer and Greykin were eating bright red apples and laughing about something.

“What is the joke?” Maerc said to Greykin.

“I was just telling Skinny that if I had been a bit closer to the king last night I would have shat down her neck before I killed the other three ugly bastards.”

“I didn’t have enough time, and I also didn’t have to shit,” Kaiyer said with a smile. Greykin laughed a deep roar from his belly.

“Ah. I like this lad,” he said between gasps.

“Please sit down, Kaiyer.” The king motioned to a chair next to me. Kaiyer nodded and sat down on the leather padded chair.

“Can I have more food?” Kaiyer said as he pointed to his apple core. The king looked over to Runir and the handsome blonde man ducked out the door.

“Tell us about last night.” Grandfather said. He leaned forward with interest and began to write on a piece of parchment.

“What part? It was a long night.”

“Don’t be an ass. How did you kill the Ancients so easily?” Maerc said in a frustrated tone.

“Didn’t you see me do it? I am faster and stronger than them. It was easy.”

“Why did you kill them?” the duke said. Kaiyer looked around the room. It seemed like minutes passed.

“I killed them because it is what I am supposed to do,” he said as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

Everyone looked confused.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand,” the duke said. Kaiyer’s eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling. No one spoke for almost a minute.

“Kaiyer?” I whispered.

He didn’t look at me, but he began to speak his language. His voice was full of sorrow.

“It was the only thing I’ve ever been good at. I wasn’t skilled at anything else. I wasn’t strong and brave like my father. I wasn’t charming and smart like my brother. They died and I got to live. I was in the wrong place. It should have been me. She should have killed me.”

“Who? Your brother and father were killed?” I asked in his language.

“What did he say Paug?” Maerc demanded.

“Yes. I killed them. She was looking for me and I wasn’t in the stables.” He turned his head and looked at me. His voice was tense.

“What happened after? Do you remember more?” I leaned forward

“What is he saying Paug?” Nadea asked. I waved my hand to silence her.

“They made me a soldier. Elvens never fought their own wars. They used humans to do their work. They only did things they enjoyed. I don’t remember how, but I escaped them and joined the O’Baarni’s army. I remember killing hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. It made me happy to see their dead faces; their blood ran between my fingers like the water comes into the bathtub in this castle. I enjoyed their fear and pain. I still do. We killed all of them, Paug. Or so I thought, but they are back. I didn’t finish my job. I will continue where I failed.” His voice had become a whisper and his eyes met mine. They seemed to glow a pale green. “Tell them that they can help me, or stay out of my way,” he said as he pointed to the king. Then he sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and closed his eyes.

I did a poor job of hiding my emotions as I turned to look at the other people in the room. For the first time since the cliff face I wished that I was back home at the lighthouse.

They looked concerned, probably because of the expression on my face.

“He said,” I paused and swallowed, “he said that he really hates Ancients and he wants to kill all of them. He would like us to help him do it.” It didn’t feel like a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth.

“Well! Call me a six-breasted cow and milk me all morning! Isn’t this the answer to our problems?” Greykin bellowed happily. Kaiyer opened his eyes and smiled at him.

“Does he know how to teach us to kill them?” the king asked me.

“I’ll remember,” he said in our language. “I taught others.”

“When will you remember?” Nadea asked, her face hopeful.

“I am not sure. Sometimes I feel wind on my face and remember something, then a few minutes later I will see my reflection and recall something else. Then I will go for days without remembering anything.” She nodded.

“Okay. So what is our plan? Just wait until our savior remembers how to teach us? Can he teach us to be as strong and fast as him? That is magic. There is no more magic in the world,” Maerc said.

“No,” Kaiyer said. The door opened and Runir entered with a plate of bread, fruit, and cheese. He put the plate on the table close to Kaiyer and nodded at him.

“No?”

“No. It will be winter soon. I will spend the next few weeks preparing before I leave. Their armies are north and will rest for the winter. I need to kill as many Ancients as I can before the spring starts. When I remember more I will return and teach you.” Kaiyer took an apple and cut it in quarters as he was speaking. When he finished everyone started talking at once in disagreement.

The king raised his hand.

“Kaiyer, so I understand correctly: you are going to journey alone to the North and confront the empress’s armies by yourself, and then come back when you feel like it to teach us your powers?” The king’s face was full of disbelief.

Kaiyer nodded and took a large bite of cheese and apple.

“That is insanity, you’ll never survive the winter, let alone the thousands of men she has in her command,” the duke said.

Kaiyer sat up suddenly, rigid as a pole. We stared at him.

“What is it? Another memory?”

“Empress?” he asked. “What is that?”

“It is like a king, actually, a queen. A chieftain that is a woman. She commands the Ancient forces,” I said to him.

“What is her name?” he demanded.

“We don’t know,” I said. He looked angry.

“Why not?” He looked furious now. The guards began to get fidgety as his voice raised.

“She never called herself anything other than that. Do you know her?” the king said.

“What is the color of her hair?” he said with venom. The king sat back in his chair like he had been slapped.

“Spies say her hair is light brown,” the duke said.

Kaiyer let out a sigh and relaxed. He slumped back into his chair and took another bite of apple. The sound of the crunch echoed in the room.

“Why? Do you know her?” Nadea said with cautious interest

“No,” Kaiyer said as he went back to his apple and cheese, suddenly uninterested.

We watched him eat another few bites of food. The sudden mood change had surprised us all. He saw us watching him and frowned.

“Do you all want any?” he held out a piece of bread toward the king.

“No thank you,” the king said. “We were talking about you leaving. I will say that we are all against it.”

Kaiyer didn’t answer. He just looked down at his food and continued to eat, like he hadn’t heard.

“Did you hear the king, lad?” Greykin said after the silence had stretched. The room had grown hot and uncomfortable. Kaiyer didn't seem to notice anyone's concern.

“What reason do I have to stay here? In the North I can kill them. Here I will not be able to kill them,” he said flatly.

“You’ll die! I don’t care how good of a warrior you are. You can’t survive the winter in the North. It is too cold and you’ll be overwhelmed by the empress’s forces,” Nadea said from the back.

Kaiyer nodded as he looked at her.

“Does that mean that you want me to stay?” he asked Nadea.

She paused and looked around at the gathered men. Maybe she realized for the first time that she was the only woman in the room.

“Yes. I want you to stay here in the castle during the winter. If you must leave, then wait for the spring.” She nodded, like she was convincing herself of the idea as she said it.

“You want me to stay with you?” he said and smiled slyly.

Nadea fidgeted with a ring on her pointer finger. The king looked at the duke and then at her.

“Yes,” she said while her cheeks turned reddish. I had never seen her blush before. I saw Runir shuffle his feet across the room from the corner of my eye. Grandfather smiled and put his hand up to his face to hide it.

“I will stay then,” he said easily, and he went back to eating. His plate was almost clear. The room was silent a moment. Everyone looked at Nadea except for Kaiyer, who was concentrating on his food. Her face turned a few shades darker and she tried to look away. Her father had a huge smirk on his face.

“How are we going to contain the news from last night?” Maerc said. He never seemed happy, he rarely smiled, and at all of our meetings he was the one person who could find the negative side to any situation. Usually he could only see the negative side.

“What news?” Kaiyer seemed interested in the conversation again.

“Of you killing four Ancients.”

“Why do you want to contain it?” He turned his head sideways like a puzzled dog.

“So the empress doesn’t find out about you!” Maerc was becoming annoyed.

“Why can’t she find out about me?”

“Because she’ll send someone to kill you and we won’t have a chance to learn whatever in the hell we are supposed to from you!” Maerc’s fists clenched. Kaiyer’s unwavering composure was infuriating the man.

“Let them come.” Kaiyer turned back down to his plate. He frowned when he noticed that it was empty. It was the most emotion he had shown since learning that the empress was female. Even I was becoming vexed at how nonchalant he was about a situation that was so critical to our very survival.

“Then they could injure or kill someone else. They could be trying to kill you, but instead kill Paug or Nadea,” Maerc said. Kaiyer looked thoughtful again.

“People are saying that I killed four Ancients?” he asked. Maerc looked like he was going to scream with frustration.

“Yes. You are a fucking idiot!” He turned to look at the king. “I would have never believed someone this dim-witted was capable of it if I hadn’t seen it.”

“Has anyone alive today ever seen someone kill four Ancients?” Kaiyer asked him calmly.

“No, they have seen you do it now though.”

“How likely would it be for someone to believe that a single human had killed four Ancients?” Kaiyer asked.

“Unlikely, I wouldn’t have, until I saw it.”

“Would you believe that twenty of your soldiers could kill four Ancients?” Kaiyer fought back a yawn. It made Maerc angrier.

“No! I wouldn’t have believed ten of our soldiers could have killed one. They are too strong, fast, and powerful…” he paused, his face shocked for a second.

“Do you understand what I am getting at?” Kaiyer asked. Grandfather laughed and stood up.

“Genius!” he said enthusiastically.

“I don’t get it,” Greykin said from the stool he had slouched atop of. “What are we doing?”

“We spread rumors that the Ancients were defeated by our men.” Maerc laughed, his disposition much improved. “Damn, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Spread many rumors,” Kaiyer said. “Say the Ancients were killed by a dragon, or say they were destroyed by some other giant creature. Say that they were butchered by a group of men that looked like them, with pointy ears and long hair. Spread rumors that one human killed them all. Their empress will not know which rumor is true so she will be unable to make a decision. She’ll send spies to find out exactly what happened.”

“And the spies won’t believe the truth, even if it is.” The duke clapped his hands.

“Even if they do find out about Kaiyer, it will buy us some time,” the king said. “How soon can we do this?” he asked the assembled group.

“I’ll start spreading the tales through my contacts,” Nadea said. She nodded to herself. “I’ll start right now,” she said as she got out of her chair. Her hair swung down over her face and she made no move to brush it aside, hiding to avoid looking at anyone as she stepped toward the door.

“Stay here for a bit longer Nadea, we are still talking to Kaiyer,” the king commanded. She sat down and looked away from everyone.

“I’ll start some tall tales as well. There is a tavern I frequent where they hang on my stories as a babe hangs upon its mother’s teat.” Greykin laughed and slapped his belly. Nadea rolled her eyes.

“You should be spreading the only rumor that we don’t want them to believe,” she said.

“That’s not a bad idea,” the duke said. “Perhaps you can also say that you helped him kill them? That will be very believable.” Greykin frowned as everyone else but Kaiyer fought back laughter. Kaiyer didn’t seem to get the joke.

“We can work on the logistics later,” the king said as he rose out of his chair. “There is nothing more to discuss today. Brother, I want you, Nadea, Paug, and Janci to meet with Kaiyer every morning to document what he has remembered.” The duke nodded.

“I’ll need some things,” Kaiyer said from his chair. He had been temporarily forgotten.

“What do you need?” the king asked.

“I’ll make you a list today,” Kaiyer said with a smile.

“Take care of whatever he wants. I need to go figure out what I am going to say to the envoys,” the king said as he turned and looked at Maerc, Nadea, and the duke. The three of them nodded. Then he walked swiftly out of the room with his guards.