Elsewhere

“Bring them in,” she said to Kostek, who nodded and walked to a small side door off the western wall of the hall. He held the door open and Gwaynn saw him gesture to someone in the room beyond. Moments later Surgeon Knote of Helles Island entered the room, followed closely by Master Putal and Renault of Lato, then finally and a bit surprisingly, Captain Hothgaard of the Temple Knights.

Gwaynn greeted the Masters with astonishment, surprised and happy to see Renault and to a lesser degree Putal, and confused by the presence of Hothgaard.

“What’s going on?” Gwaynn repeated, but still no one answered. Gwaynn glanced at Master Kostek accusingly.

The older man approached Gwaynn again.

“We are waiting for…” but before he could finish a bridge suddenly sprang open in the middle of the hall not ten feet from Gwaynn and through it stepped the High Tarina Nystrom and Tar Nev. Gwaynn remembered Nystrom as one of the Tarinas on the Council who’d come to his defense. It helped his memory that she was rather youthful and strikingly attractive, with long chocolate brown hair. She approached, giving Gwaynn a dazzling smile and embraced him.

“Congratulations on your victory,” she said softly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Gwaynn gave her a half smile and a nod and then his eyes locked on the face of his mentor, Tar Nev.

“Mast….master,” Gwaynn said, now thoroughly shocked. “What are you doing here?”

Nev smiled. “I thought that would be obvious,” he said in his cheerful tone. Gwaynn couldn’t help but smile; he’d all but forgotten his old Master’s easy, happy manner. “I’m here to see the crowning of the new High King.”

Gwaynn stared at him, aghast.

“Close your mouth son, you look dumbfounded. It’s not a good look for a High King,” Nev joked and N’dori laughed.

“High King?” Gwaynn asked and glanced about with the hope that someone in the room would object to such a ludicrous idea, but no one did. “But what of Prince Nigel?’ Gwaynn asked and even Nev turned somber.

“Speaker Gan has informed us that Prince Nigel is dead…as is Princess Anya,” Zarina Monde told him. “Apparently they both died in accidents…very suspicious accidents.”

Captain Hothgaard frowned and looked at Gwaynn with a troubled expression and suddenly Gwaynn understood the man’s presence.

“High King!” Nev exclaimed with a laugh and clapped Gwaynn on the back. “I couldn’t think of anyone better,” the bushy haired Solitary said.

“But Queen Audra…and Prince Aiden.”

“Aiden is too young…and Audra’s treacherous and a Deutzani,” Nev replied. “Do you really want a Deutzani in power?”

Gwaynn frowned.

“And would you truly want to release Weldon Palmerrio with Audra still in overall power?” Tar Kostek interjected.

“But…”

Tarina Nystrom suddenly glided forward and stopped directly before Gwaynn once again. “I am High Tarina of Noble now…and I give you my blessing,” the woman said and suddenly she was on her knees before him.

“As do we,” Master Putal and Renault said in unison and they too knelt before him. Moments later all the leaders of the Temple Islands declared their support and knelt, even Tar Kostek and Tar Nev, who while kneeling were looking up and smiling at Gwaynn, their eyes twinkling with mutual satisfaction.

“There is no one else…no other path available that will not leave you and your people in danger,” Nev whispered. “As High King you will be able to address all the grievances that now plague our lands. You will be able to rebuild the lands of the Inland Sea.”

Gwaynn said nothing just stood above them all, too stunned to speak, but his mind was in a whir. ‘High King!’ He was hardly comfortable with the thought of being King of Massi…and then the questions hit him. ‘Who would rule Massi? And Deutzani…Audra? With the death of her father and brother, it may be her rightful place but she was a sworn enemy of Massi. Could he allow her to rule? And what of her son…and the babe on the way?’

‘If there’s to be lasting peace, Audra and her children will have to die,’ he thought, though the idea repulsed him. He shook his head hard as if trying to drive away the demons from his mind.

“And if I refuse,” Gwaynn heard himself say, as if from a dark and lonely tunnel. Suddenly the thought of just ruling Massi held great appeal.

“Of course you can refuse,” High Tarina Nystrom said standing, the others followed suit with a loud rustling of feet. “Our decision then would be more difficult but would likely fall upon the babe Prince Aiden. His mother would rule until he came of age.”

Gwaynn considered this news thoughtfully for a moment. Leaving a Deutzani to rule over the lands was not very desirable…not if he wished to honor the deaths of his family…not if he wished to honor the death of Gwynn. He sighed then. What would Gwynn make of his ascension to High King? He thought a long moment and panicked. He had little idea what she would have thought. He could no longer hear her in his thoughts and could only vaguely make out her face. She was dying to him and for that he was sad, but somehow her dying changed him, made him strong. He squared his shoulders.

“If you will have me, I will be High King,” Gwaynn said and in that moment felt ready to make all the hard decision that were before him, including the one that continued to plague his mind.

Everyone clapped and there were smiles all around as each congratulated him in turn. When the hall was finally silent, Gwaynn turned not to Tar Nev, not to Tar Kostek, but instead to the High Tarina Nystrom.

“Beware…the first act I plan as High King is to ask the assistance of Noble Island in a task that is long overdue,” Gwaynn said.

Tarina Nystrom raised her eyebrows, intrigued. “But of course, Noble Island is at your service. What is it you wish?”

Gwaynn looked down at the powerful woman then glanced out at the others before returning his gaze to the High Tarina. “The utter destruction of Sinis and all associated.”

To Gwaynn’s surprise the Tarina smiled. “That should not be a problem. We’ve word that Sinis moved on the King’s Island yesterday. Tar Nacht has now set himself up as Weapons Master to the young Queen. He’s pulled his Executioners from across the lands to help him consolidate his power, but he is spread thin…Sinis, Light and the King’s Island, all held without an army.”

“We would never support him,” Hothgaard growled. “The man’s a fool.”

“No,” Tar Nev countered, “ambitious, but no fool.”

“Fool or not,” Gwaynn said. “It’s time to end the terror of Sinis.”

The meeting slowly broke up with the unspoken promise that the crowning of Gwaynn as the High King would be kept secret for two days when the ceremony would be performed. It was opportunistic that both King Marc and Queen Ramona Toranado would be guests at the upcoming nuptials and therefore would be present for the crowning as well. Of course, King Weldon Palmerrio would also be on hand and that only left the Rhondono and the Deutzani without a presence.

‘It will be enough,’ Gwaynn thought as he made his way back to his room in a daze. He felt slightly manipulated and wondered ruefully if Tar Nev had planned this from the very beginning. Gwaynn shook his head with wonder. He wouldn’t put it past his old master. The room was shuttered and dark, and he entered quietly. He needed to be alone to think and a dark room suited him at the moment.

“You’re back already?” Samantha asked a little groggily.

“Yes…I woke you. I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

“No stay…I can’t sleep anyway,” she insisted and struggled to a sitting position on the bed. “I need to be up and around or the people of Massi will think their queen a laggard.”

“Their High Queen,” Gwaynn corrected her.

“Open the shutters will you,” she replied. “Light would be…what did you say?” She stopped talking and was looking at him as he pulled open one shutter and let in the light of the morning sky. Her red hair was tousled but her eyes were now alert with no sign of sleepiness. He went to her and nuzzled her neck.

“You will make a glorious High Queen,” he said and placed a hand on her naked thigh then ran it up under her