Skarde slipped out of me and he hung low over his knees, weak, but he couldn’t stop touching me, pulling me to him close, and I was weak-kneed, too, gasping for breath. The shower’s heat was still prodigious, and we sat down under the waterfall. He cradled me in his lap and I lay my head on his shoulder, running my hands through his wettened curls. He breathed out my name and kissed my shoulder.
The rippling lights against our skin slowly waned. I looked into his eyes through the fog and realized that we would be together always.
As long as we made it through whatever battle Fenvitz had planned.
That had to be the next step. We had to start thinking of that.
There was still a battle to fight. Or, perhaps, if Skarde had a scheme, a battle to outwit.
Sixteen
Skarde
I had spent much of the two days that Ilisa had been unconscious studying the chemical compositions of the mountainous regions of the Harthen area I was to rule. If I was to win the trust of these people, assuming Ilisa woke up and I wasn’t to be executed or imprisoned, I needed to be as informed as possible. And I had discovered something interesting. There was a mineral that floated, innocuously, and rather plentifully, in their mountain lakes. It flowed through their streams and resided in their water. They drank it with abandon. They didn’t bother to filter it because it did no harm. It was called masa and it had no real remarkable properties: other than it reacted rather excitedly with calasis from Vailstor.
A calasis fired cannon nearby to a water source that was filled with masa minerals would flash freeze in an instant.
Somehow, this detail had been overlooked in the entire trade agreement between Farian and Vailstor. I wondered how they had avoided accidentally freezing their lakes for all these years, or maybe masa wasn’t found all over their planet, only up near Harthen, so it didn’t often come in contact with their fire blasters that actually used the calasis mixture of fuel they needed from Vailstor. Either way, it was a good thing for King Kajo to know.
I had a plan to present the King that might bring this bothersome bout with the deposed Duke Fenvitz to an end. Peacefully.
Ilisa and I entered the control room and everyone jumped to their feet. While there wasn’t necessarily a sense of respect toward me, there wasn’t open hostility. It was good that Ilisa was back walking around.
“King Kajo has been called,” Damox said, handing me a stein of something steaming. I nodded to the Commander. He had been surprisingly supportive of the plan since I had told him. I wondered if it was just the fact that it was intended to protect the lives of the people of his region--
“His family is from the Kall. I am sure some of them still call it home. It is a peaceful village. Fenvitz has set up shop there, but that doesn’t mean they are automatically loyal to Fentvitz trying to disobey Kajo’s orders and take you on by any means necessary.”
I squeezed Ilisa’s hand as she offered the clarity. It was a big win for me that the Commander would support me here.
The large video screen in front of the control room sparked up as Kajo’s beastly head, shimmering scar through his right eye, quivered into view and he steadied himself in his chair.
“Duke Skarde, how are you? Bravo Ilisa, it is nice to you up and about. Recovering well, I hope?”
“Yes, King Kajo, thank you.”
“Have you heard from Fentvitz since you refused his offer to battle on the fields outside Harthen?”
“No, he did not respond to that messenger.”
“Well, then what is it we have to speak about, Skarde?”
“I have an idea, King, that might settle this peacefully.” I tapped my fingers on the chair arms. “There is a mineral in the lake waters near the Kall, in their one water source. It is called masa. If a fire cannon that contains calasis as its fuel source is fired near it, the water will flash freeze. It is a catalyst reaction. We have seen it happen on many planets. It is actually a significant concern that it was left out of the trading reports that your planet has masa on it. It can be volatile to work with the calasis near to it.”
“We are aware of the masa near Harthen. It is located only in our northern waters, there are no blaster factories or testing rangers near there. Nor do we often have open battles in Harthen. It was, until recently, a peaceful mining community.”
“Still, weaponizing a water source--”
“Exactly as you are suggesting to do, correct?”
“Yes, in this instance, to save lives, is a very dangerous thing. And, please, do not take offense, but do you happen to know how to unfreeze it once a calasis fueled blaster cannon has made the masa reaction? It took our scientists on Valistor decades to figure out. But I know how.”
Kajo rubbed his chin. “So, your intention would be to sweep out any potential support Fenvitz has in the Kall. Make him bow down before you by securing his last form of sanctuary. Trust in his love of his people more than his love of his throne and himself.”
“Yes.”
“Where do you expect Fenvitz to go? If he does back down, state that he will cease making trouble for you, and you unfreeze his water?”
“I would like him to go into temporary exile. Go on vacation. Get out of Harthen. I don’t care where he goes. Just far away. Until my job here is through.”
Ilisa jerked in her chair, spinning to look at me. I gulped and couldn’t bring myself to face her. Her mind and soul were shouting out
