Chapter 14: Meant for Greatness
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We sat in silence, trying to absorb everything Princess had told us. I felt like we were missing something. Why was he attacking nearby towns? Was he looking for something in particular? Why did he only take Tamara in the raid on Kent’s Crossing? Did they take something or someone else? Why did he take Henry and Arienne in the raid on Xalir? Were they taken at all? All these thoughts and more swirled around in my head.

Nia broke the silence first. “So why is everyone shaved, except for you harska?”

“To harska, our fur is sacred, a gift from the god, Szten. Though Gunner doesn’t respect my claim to the throne, he does respect our customs. The others in this room don’t have that same luxury. I suspect he’s trying to degrade them, for whatever benefit that may bring.”

The others nodded in agreement. Nia continued to ask questions about how they were treated in the prison, but I wanted to try something else. Since I was still wearing my boots, I still had my knife. I snuck my way to the edge of the hole and pulled off my boot. The walls were slimy which made it hard to lean on, but I didn’t want to sit on the floor. My boot came off easily and I pulled the knife free.

Before I could do anything with my knife, someone shouted above me. Everyone gathered at the center of the pit, squinting their eyes to look up through the darkness. I placed the knife back in my boot and slipped it on. As I walked forward I stopped my spell, returning the pit to the darkness. No reason to give our captors an easier time seeing us.

“Who cast that magic?” yelled a guard from above.

“It was one of the newcomers!” a harska shouted back. Nia, Greenspring, and I glared at him, though I understood why he did it.

A rope fell, smacking the side of the hole with a loud crack. Backing against the wall, we stared at the rope with fear. The harska that ratted me out started to climb up it, hoping that he was rewarded for his loyalty. That was not the case. 

A muscular harska slid down into the hole, knocking the other harska off the rope. On his back was a wooden spear, the tip made of sharpened rock. In his right hand was a torch, the other held onto the rope as he came down. The harska glared at the prisoners, who cowered in their cave. Nia, Greenspring, and I remained where we stood.

“One of you used magic, which one of you did it?”

Several harska pointed to me, their arms shaking in fear. I backed away from the guard, with Nia and Greenspring stepping in front of me. Though they tried to protect me, without our belongings it was pointless. The guard easily pushed Greenspring to the side, knocking him to the floor.

Nia was harder to deal with. At first, the harska tried a swift punch to the gut. Dodging out of the way, Nia tried to move around to grab him by the neck. The uneven footing made this difficult, and the harska soon recovered from his miss. Using his torch, he burned Nia’s stomach. She fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

The guard approached me, his face serious. I put up my hands to protect my face. “I didn’t know magic was against the rules here,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter,” said the guard. “If you want to make it easy, head to the rope.”

I walked towards the rope, with him following close behind. He grabbed my hands and tied the rope around them, tightening it so hard it blocked the blood flow to my hands. The pain made me gasp. Another rope fell soon after, he grabbed onto it with one hand as the other grabbed onto my rope. His torch was held with his teeth. With a tug, we started to head upwards.

Looking below, I could see Greenspring’s brown eyes staring up at me. He whispered into his hands, causing light to glow around them. As soon as he finished I could feel something small crawling around my ear. It dug deep into my ear until the feeling stopped. Suddenly, I could hear Greenspring as though he were right next to me.

“Tell no one, I will be listening. I am sorry, Norman, but this is all I can do. My magic does not work well down here. Do not worry, Nia and I will be fine.”

The rope pulled my arms up. The upward, uneven force felt like it was ripping them out of the socket. Above the hole, the guards seemed like they were having too much fun. They would let me fall and then jolt me upwards. I would have been scared that my hands would fall out of the knot, but the guard made sure to tie it so that wouldn’t happen.

At the top of the hole, the guards grabbed under my armpits and pulled me onto the stone floor. I felt a boot hit the middle of my back. Pain surged through my body like an electric shock. It stayed there as the other guards tied my hands and feet together. They made sure to put me in an uncomfortable kneeling position as they did it. Now, my feet felt cut off from the rest of my body.

They dragged me on the ground through the fortress, leading me back to Gunner’s throne. I made sure to keep a mental note of the way we came. If I got the chance to escape, it would be useful to know how to get around. The guards didn’t make it easy. In every couple of rooms, they made sure to inflict some form of pain. Whether it was a swift kick to the stomach or the groin. Some of the guards laughed as they did it, others stared straight ahead.

They dragged me to the center of the throne room. Gunner and a few of his advisors were huddled around the throne, only glancing at me as we entered the room. One guard placed his foot on the back of my head, forcing it to the ground. Gunner’s advisors left the room, leaving Gunner, myself, and the remaining guards.

“This one was found performing magic in the pit, your majesty,” said the guard with his foot on me.

“So you are at least a magician,” muttered Gunner. “What do you recommend, Milomir? You know I trust your judgment on these matters.”

“If it pleases my king, I recommend cutting off his hands and ripping out his tongue.”

My mouth grew dry as I imagined the punishment in gruesome detail. My hands started to shake as sweat dripped from my brow. I only had one chance to save myself. “Rebel King Gunner, perhaps I can-”

Milomir pushed harder on my neck, making it hard to breathe. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gunner wave his hand toward the guard. The pressure on my neck lessened as the guard took a step back. I took a deep breath and looked up towards the harska king. His yellow eyes glared down at me, an unusual position to be in when talking to a harska.

“Empty the room.”

“Yes sir.” With a bow, Milomir scurried out of the room, followed by Gunner’s other guards. As the wooden doors leading into the chamber closed with a loud thud, Gunner sat down on his throne and sighed.

“Answer me this, bard. Why do you cause me trouble?”

“I didn’t know magic was against the rules. Please don’t kill me,” I answered, shaking. Again, I felt a mixture of anger and fear. I hated being so close to the source of all my sorrows, but unable to do anything. He had my life in his hands. Paws? I moved into a more comfortable sitting position. My arms and legs were still tied, so it was difficult to move around.

“It would be a waste of my time. No, my guards can do that,” he said, staring at his sharp nails.

“We’ll leave! Never bother you again. We only came to rescue our friends and family. We won’t stop whatever it is you're doing, I promise!”

He looked down at me. “Friends and family?”

“In Kent’s Crossing, your brothers and sisters took the blacksmith. She’s our friend. And, I’m not sure if the harska that took my brother and daughter were related to you, but we came here to find them too.”

Gunner smiled for a second before he returned to a neutral expression. “And what were their names?”

“Tamara, Henry, and Arienne. If you return them to us, we’ll leave.”

“Would you give your lives for their own? After all, you say I have three of yours, and there are three of you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, before promptly shutting it again. Even if I was sure Nia and Greenspring would agree to those terms, I couldn’t make that deal for them. “I will exchange my life for my family, I can’t speak for Nia and Greenspring.”

“What use is the life of a bard?”

“What use do you have for the life of a blacksmith and a little girl?”

He smiled, showing off his sharp white teeth. His tongue licked the fur around his lips. “Clever. What did you say your name was again?”

“Norman Benson.”

Stroking his chin, Gunner nodded. “I can’t say I’ve heard of you before, Norman Benson. But I must say, you intrigue me. Offering your life for another’s is bold. I need boldness. 

“Norman, I’m glad my guards brought you to me. Do you know why? Because I think you’re just what my brothers and sisters need. I think you can become someone special. Can you? Can you become someone special?”

“There are many-”

Gunner waved his hand. “That’s not what I asked. Can you become something great? Become special?”

I nodded. “Yes. There isn’t a bard in the world like me.”

Gunner nodded. “Then join me. Help me restore the harska to their former glory.”

“What about my friends and family?”

“If you are useful, they’ll be returned to you in due time. Otherwise, I’ll kill you all right now.”

“No!”

“Then accept my offer. Become my bard. With your magical abilities, your music can enhance others, correct? Good, because that’s exactly what I need for my troops. I need a commander, someone to lead. I think you can become that person.”

“I’m not a leader. I’m barely a bard. I’ve always been just a simple farmer.”

“For now. Wouldn’t you like to be something more than a simple farmer? You are a magician. Magicians are meant for greatness.”

It wouldn’t be the first time someone told me I was meant for greatness. Ma and Pop used to tell Henry and me that every night. The difference was that when Gunner said it, I almost believed him. Dreams of becoming a famous bard flashed through my mind before I pushed them away. No, I needed to save my family.

Still, it was the only path forward to rescuing our loved ones. Being his bard, his commander, could also give some protection to Nia and Greenspring. If this gave me the chance to get everyone out alive, then I had to take it.

“Alright. I’ll do it. But answer me this, Gunner, what’s your plan? Why are you doing all this?” I asked.

Frowning, Gunner left the room. The second he left I tried to angle my feet around to my hands. It was difficult, but I managed to reach inside my boot and feel the handle of my knife. The leather, warmed by my foot, was hard to grasp with my sweaty hands, but I managed. Right before I could pull it out all the way, Gunner returned. I tried to pretend like I was stretching, pushing my knife back into my boot.

“Sorry about the ropes. Can’t have you running out of here before we can trust each other, right Norman?”

“Right. What’ve you got there?”

In his hands was a porcelain bowl with vines and flowers painted on the sides. It looked like something you would see on the shelf of a widow’s kitchen. Perfectly made, never to be used. From the angle I was looking from, I couldn’t see inside, but I could smell something earthy lingering from the bowl. Greenspring might have been able to recognize it, but I couldn’t.

“I want to take you on a journey. This will help ease your conscience. I will show you the right side of history,” said Gunner. He held his hand over the bowl and began to chant, “Szten, guide us through your grand design. Lead us to the promised pastures.”

As Gunner chanted in a deep voice, smoke started to flow out of the bowl. It filled the room, masking everything in a grey layer of haze. The earthy smell became more pleasant and comforting as I took in more of the scent. My body dipped back onto the stone floor, making me feel like I was melting. ‘Grand design’ and ‘promised pastures’ echoed around my head. Using his hand, Gunner closed my eyes, and I was soon unconscious.

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