Audience

Sutekh landed in a corner of the garden and set his familiar down. "Hide,
Chirrrlup," he instructed the weasel, giving him a parting scratch. "I may not
make it out of this one."

Sutekh walked past a guard and towards a group of richly dressed courtiers. They
were following a dozen paces behind a crowned, middle-aged man of powerful
build. Sutekh moved into the king's potential path and looked around.

Getting into the king's presence had been no easy matter. The guard Sutekh had
worked on had been warded against enchantment and it had taken very subtle magic
just to keep him from sounding the alarm. Then, even with the guard beguiled,
discovering the location of King Belvor had required the truth.

It was fortunate that the king was in this walled garden, accessible from the
air. Sutekh had enchanted his eyes, allowing him to see the radiation of magic,
and every door and archway he had seen had been warded with powerful magicks.
Even now as he gazed about, magic was everywhere. Several of the courtiers were
shrouded in it, and the king shone like the sun.

Sutekh was thankful for his sword, knowing that his own spell for invisibility
would have been useless in the face of such magic. He shook his head and spoke a
few words to clear his eyes. Feeling helpless, he moved directly into the king's
path.

"Delleb, please..." In his despair he could think of no prayer, but from the
days before finding his master, he remembered how to turn despair into resolve.
"There is no other way."

Sutekh unbuckled his weapons belt and let it fall. In the brief moment of shock,
he stepped forward and dropped to his knees, clasping his hands on top of his
head.

"My lord, I beg forgiveness, but your kingdom is in danger..."

The garden erupted. A courtier stepped forward and hurled a coil of rope at the
dark elf. As guards rushed forward, the rope snaked around Sutekh, pulling his
arms down and pinning them at his sides. One guard kicked Sutekh's weapons away
from him while another grabbed the dark elf's hair and pulled his head back,
raising a sword. Sutekh looked into the guards's eyes and knew the blade would
fall at the slightest provocation. Sutekh glanced at the king and saw a courtier
step to his side; Dromogil.

"Majesty, I beg thee to be careful. I am familiar with this elf. He is a thief
and an assassin who hides on the lands of Sanctuary, receiving aid from the
Dellebites..." Dromogil began to lead the king away as he continued.

Sutekh looked again into the guard's eyes. Taking a deep breath, the elf closed
his eyes and cried out, "My lord, the man at your side is a traitor! By his
command orcs under the banner of Iuz now march into Furyondy!"

Silence caused Sutekh to open his eyes. King Belvor was walking back to him. At
a nod from the king, Sutekh was pulled to his feet, but the magical rope
tightened its grip.

"You accuse Dromogil of treachery. Why? What is your proof?"

"My lord, as is well known to all, Argent, High Speaker of Delleb, was traveling
from Sanctuary to seek an audience with you. I was his only companion on the
road. Yestereve, on the lands of Lord Hredric, we were ambushed by orcs who
openly wore the insignia of Iuz. During the battle, Argent and I were separated
and he was captured. The orcs immediately broke off the attack. I tried to
pursue them, but failed. When I returned to the site of the battle, the bodies
had already been cleared. I had no choice but to rest for a few hours and hope I
would find the High Speaker in Hredric's castle.

"I managed to gain entry to the keep and overheard a conversation between Lord
Hredric and Lord Crem Quicktongue. I learned that Argent had already been sent
here, to Chendl, where he is to be ensorcelled and then publicly compromised,
thus destroying his reputation and that of the order of Delleb.

"But that was not all. They spoke of a raiding force of orcs marching on
Sanctuary from the north. They are to destroy the temple and carry off the
refugees to Crem Quicktongue's hold. A champion of Hextor leads the attack and,
with Argent and I both away, they will meet little resistance.

"In seeking to give you deliverance, the Purity Movement has brought you death."

The king nodded gravely, but then his eyes hardened. "You said that Dromogil
ordered the attack."

Sutekh did not hesitate. "I know that he supports the movement, that I saw him
in Hredric's castle last night as I fled, and that he now tried to keep you from
me. That is all I know. Forgive me, sir, I lied."

King Belvor smiled and said quietly, "I know." Then his face became stone as he
turned on Dromogil.

"Dromogil, long have I known your family, and they have always been faithful to
our lord Heironeous. Is this crime of murder and betrayal any way to treat your
family honor? Surely the Valiant Knight would not approve..."

Of those who saw the motion, only Sutekh believed it possible. He leaped forward
but the rope kept him from reaching the king.

Dromogil produced a small vial, hurled it at the king, then bolted for an exit.
The fragile glass shattered against the king's chest, splashing him with the
contents. He uttered a strangled word of command as he fell, and instantly an
archway filled with blue fire, catching Dromogil in its merciless grasp. The
traitor died in agony.

From the courtiers gathered around the king Sutekh heard comments of, "Potent
unholy water," and "Will the king live?"

A guard emerged from the crowd and approached Sutekh. "Our Majesty commands you
to his presence," he said, stripping the rope from Sutekh and leading him to the
king.

King Belvor's robes of state were in tatters and his chest was already a mass of
scar tissue as Sutekh knelt at his side.

"My elven friend, you have been a great help. Go to my chamberlain, Roland, and
make haste to the Cathedral of Chendl. Stop what is going to happen and I will
reward you as best I may. It takes more than a little contaminated water to do
me in, but I am in pain." He paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Hurry! Go
now and proceed under my chamberlain's authority."

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by Jeff Stehman