Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [95]
"The citizens depend on you to make the choices that will keep them safe. They cannot rule themselves. They need a strong hand, someone who can tell them what they want and when they want it. They don't want freedom. They don't want choice. They want to be kept safe, and you've put your own needs ahead of theirs."
The king shook his head. "My responsibility as king is to weigh the options and make the hard choices. I made a choice to fight for our way of life. It has its risks, bur I would rather see our home destroyed than held hostage."
"Then you have doomed us all."
"Wait," said the king, remembering their earlier conversation. "You were the one who told me it was only natural to want to save my daughter's life."
"Yes. But I didn't tell you to launch an assault on the Obsidian Ridge."
"This plan will work, Divian. Quinn isn't just my bodyguard. He's the Claw!"
A stiff wind blew in from the open balcony. Then the mage-lit stones all blinked out, dropping the king's chamber into total darkness.
Korox heard some rustling and running feet. The twanging sound of a repeating crossbow echoed through his ears, and something large and soft collided with his chest. Tumbling backward, he hit his head on the stone floor, and a sky full of tiny white stars flashed in front of his eyes. Somebody was on top of him, and the inside of his skull throbbed, threatening to break out of his ears and through his forehead.
The doors slammed open, and Magistrates poured in to check the commotion. The mage-lit stones re-illuminated, and the king found a man in a large hat lying on his chest.
"Vasser? What are you doing?"
"I was saving you from assassination," replied Vasser, getting up off his king.
Korox sat up to find Senator Divian lying unconscious on the floor, a bloody gash across her forehead. Five smallish crossbow bolts pierced the inner door.
"Divian!" the king crawled over to the senator and put his hand on the side of her face. "Divian!"
She moaned. "What happened?"
"I'm opt sure. Did you see anything?"
Divian struggled up to a seated position and shook her head. "No. The lights went out, and that's it. I woke when you touched me."
Korox turned back to Vasser. "What did you see?"
"Nothing," said Vasser. "I heard a crossbow being cranked, and that's when I dived on you."
"And how about you?" he asked the Magistrates searching the room and the balcony.
They shook their heads. "Nothing, my lord. No trace of the assassin."
Korox got to his feet and helped the senator up. "You should have a healer look at that," he said pointing to the gash in her head.
"I am a healer," replied Divian, giving him a weak smile.
"I'll be fine. You worry about the assassin. I'll worry about my head."
"You mean assassins," said the king. "It's just a guess, but based on the number of attempts on my life in the past few days, I'm still in the running for worst king of Erlkazar."
"Don't fret too much over it," said the senator. "You're only the second king. It's not all that hard to be worst."
+++++
Quinn pushed himself deeper into the alcove, kicking at the teaching beasts with the heels of his boots. They clawed at the statue of Xeries. They gnawed at the stone with teeth like boat's tusks. They whipped the wicked barbs of their tails into the space. But nothing they did could dislodge Quinn from his spot.
He used the statue as cover, defending the narrow openings on each side to keep himself from harm. But the black beasts outnumbered him thousands to one, and they never seemed to tire. If he was going to defeat Xeries, he was going to have to find a better way than fighting his minions one at a time.
Slashing down on the claw of a nearby beast, he severed it at the joint, sending the creature sliding down the wall to the floor below. Two just like it filled the empty space. They climbed over the fallen beast to get around the statue and inside