then shrugged and turned back
to the bow of the
King's Lady.
“Tithian liar, not friend,” he said, using his yardarm to push a dwarf into the silt.
“Agis real friend.”
“What does Agis have to do with this?” Tithian asked. He felt both relieved and angry, for
the giant's comment implied that he had released the noble and not killed him. “You
promised to guard him!”
“Make promise before Agis show real Tithian to Fylo,” said the giant. “Then we go to
Balic, and Agis tell Fylo about fleet going to Lybdos. He say 'Warn giants. Maybe they let
Fylo live with them.” The half-breed brought his pole down on a templar, crushing the man
like a beetle. “Him right. Now Fylo can live on Lybdos-with beasthead friends.”
Tithian could not contain himself. “What makes you think anyone could tolerate a hideous
moron like you?”
His eyes bugging out in anger, Fylo threw his yardarm at Tithian. The king tried to dodge,
but the pole glanced off his shoulder, sending a terrible ache shooting down his arm and
knocking the glass rod from his hand. He plummeted toward the sea, barely regaining
control of his body in time to prevent himself from plunging into the dust. Fylo was on
him instantly, grasping Tithian tightly in his massive fingers and preventing the king
from reaching into his satchel for another spell component.
“Agis like Fylo!” the giant snarled. “Beastheads like Fylo!”
Tithian shook his head sadly. “I'm sorry,” he said. “But Agis is just using you. So are
the beastheads. When all this is done, they'll send you away. Fylo will be alone, just
like before.”
“No!” Despite the retort, the giant looked crestfallen.
“Yes,” Tithian insisted. “I'm the only one who could like you. Everyone else thinks you're
ugly.”
Fylo shook his head. “Tithian liar! Tithian do terrible things to his friends in Kled.”
“Did Agis tell you that?” Tithian asked, continuing his ploy. “I guess it shouldn't
surprise me. He's been jealous of me ever since I became king. But what really hurts,
Fylo, is knowing you believe him.”
The giant looked surprised. “It does?”
Tithian nodded. “More than you can know,” he said. “One has so few friends when he's a
king. I thought that you and I...” He let the sentence trail off, then lowered his eyes.
“Fylo think so, too-once,” said the giant. He returned to the bow of the
King's Lady,
then plucked the last templar off the upturned hull and tossed the unfortunate fellow to
the wind.
“What are you doing?” Tithian asked, alarmed.
“Agis warn Fylo you try another trick,” the giant answered, squeezing the king so tightly
that he could not draw breath. “Agis say leave you here.”
“You can't betray me!”
“Fylo get even before he go to live on Lybdos,” the giant chortled. “Goodbye,
friend.”
He flicked the king's head with his huge index finger, and Tithian felt himself settling
into a gray haze.
Chapter Five: Old Friends
In the shallow trough between two dust swells lay the severed bow of a Balkan schooner. It
rested on its side, blanketed by a gray mantle of silt, its bowsprit rising into the air
at a shallow angle. On the hull lay a man, fully exposed to the crimson sun and as still
as the sea itself.
“There he is!” Agis cried.
The noble pointed toward the debris. Kester, standing with him and Nymos on the
Shadow Viper's
quarterdeck, turned her heavy brow to the caravel's port side. Her eyes quickly fell on
the wreckage, for the day was a calm one, almost barren of wind and more stifling than a
kiln.
“Yer sure that's him?” the tarek asked.
Although the distance was too great to see the prone man's features clearly, Agis nodded.
“I haven't seen any other survivors, and Fylo promised that he'd leave Tithian where I
could find him.” The caravel began to
to the bow of the
King's Lady.
“Tithian liar, not friend,” he said, using his yardarm to push a dwarf into the silt.
“Agis real friend.”
“What does Agis have to do with this?” Tithian asked. He felt both relieved and angry, for
the giant's comment implied that he had released the noble and not killed him. “You
promised to guard him!”
“Make promise before Agis show real Tithian to Fylo,” said the giant. “Then we go to
Balic, and Agis tell Fylo about fleet going to Lybdos. He say 'Warn giants. Maybe they let
Fylo live with them.” The half-breed brought his pole down on a templar, crushing the man
like a beetle. “Him right. Now Fylo can live on Lybdos-with beasthead friends.”
Tithian could not contain himself. “What makes you think anyone could tolerate a hideous
moron like you?”
His eyes bugging out in anger, Fylo threw his yardarm at Tithian. The king tried to dodge,
but the pole glanced off his shoulder, sending a terrible ache shooting down his arm and
knocking the glass rod from his hand. He plummeted toward the sea, barely regaining
control of his body in time to prevent himself from plunging into the dust. Fylo was on
him instantly, grasping Tithian tightly in his massive fingers and preventing the king
from reaching into his satchel for another spell component.
“Agis like Fylo!” the giant snarled. “Beastheads like Fylo!”
Tithian shook his head sadly. “I'm sorry,” he said. “But Agis is just using you. So are
the beastheads. When all this is done, they'll send you away. Fylo will be alone, just
like before.”
“No!” Despite the retort, the giant looked crestfallen.
“Yes,” Tithian insisted. “I'm the only one who could like you. Everyone else thinks you're
ugly.”
Fylo shook his head. “Tithian liar! Tithian do terrible things to his friends in Kled.”
“Did Agis tell you that?” Tithian asked, continuing his ploy. “I guess it shouldn't
surprise me. He's been jealous of me ever since I became king. But what really hurts,
Fylo, is knowing you believe him.”
The giant looked surprised. “It does?”
Tithian nodded. “More than you can know,” he said. “One has so few friends when he's a
king. I thought that you and I...” He let the sentence trail off, then lowered his eyes.
“Fylo think so, too-once,” said the giant. He returned to the bow of the
King's Lady,
then plucked the last templar off the upturned hull and tossed the unfortunate fellow to
the wind.
“What are you doing?” Tithian asked, alarmed.
“Agis warn Fylo you try another trick,” the giant answered, squeezing the king so tightly
that he could not draw breath. “Agis say leave you here.”
“You can't betray me!”
“Fylo get even before he go to live on Lybdos,” the giant chortled. “Goodbye,
friend.”
He flicked the king's head with his huge index finger, and Tithian felt himself settling
into a gray haze.
Chapter Five: Old Friends
In the shallow trough between two dust swells lay the severed bow of a Balkan schooner. It
rested on its side, blanketed by a gray mantle of silt, its bowsprit rising into the air
at a shallow angle. On the hull lay a man, fully exposed to the crimson sun and as still
as the sea itself.
“There he is!” Agis cried.
The noble pointed toward the debris. Kester, standing with him and Nymos on the
Shadow Viper's
quarterdeck, turned her heavy brow to the caravel's port side. Her eyes quickly fell on
the wreckage, for the day was a calm one, almost barren of wind and more stifling than a
kiln.
“Yer sure that's him?” the tarek asked.
Although the distance was too great to see the prone man's features clearly, Agis nodded.
“I haven't seen any other survivors, and Fylo promised that he'd leave Tithian where I
could find him.” The caravel began to
Similar Books
