The Last Kinmark - Chapter Four

Ahkdo walked up to the room that one of his royal ancestors had named the Room of Differing Opinions to find his father deep in a discussion with all of his most trusted advisors, a group known as the Council of Eight. Guoryden sat at the head of the triangular table that, along with its chairs, was the only furniture in the large room. The discussions that occurred there were often of such importance that Ahkdo’s father would not even allow any Miz to come in and serve the men refreshments.

To Guoryden’s immediate right was his uncle and closest advisor, Byun. The thin layer of gray hair atop the man’s head was the only attribute that gave away the fact that he was one hundred and three years old. His enormous arms and chest, as well as his austere military attire, left no doubt that he was a man of war. His trimmed black and gray beard framed his tanned, weathered face in a distinguishing manner that complemented the rest of his appearance perfectly.

On the day of his ascent to the throne, Guoryden had given his uncle the title of First among Firsts. Ironically, the position made Byun the second most powerful man in the Kinmark family. The old veteran had often told Ahkdo that he wished his nephew had allowed him to remain a simple soldier so that he would have never had to deal with the “backstabbing politicians.” But Ahkdo could see the look of love and respect in Byun’s eyes whenever Guoryden was brought up. It let him know that the depth of admiration between the two men was something very rare. Ahkdo hoped he would be fortunate enough to have such a man by his side when the time for his reign arrived.

To the left of Ahkdo’s father was a man who looked very similar to Byun. The big, grizzled veteran named Raas was, by birth, the lowest among the advisors. However, his gift of strategy, as well as his prowess in a fight, had seen him attain the highest ranking military position in the Kinmark family, First Sword. For many years, Raas had been a commander under Byun. He shared much more with the First among Firsts than just appearance, and it had been Byun who had championed the man’s cause to replace him as First Sword.

The other six members of the Council of Eight were Pedr, the First Scholar; Zuorys, the First Collector; Lox, the First Shield; Nua, the First Judge; Quofyro, the First Worker; and Kilosian, the First Seeker.

Nua was the first person that Ahkdo heard speak when he reached the room’s entrance. “The Yricans will join with him, if they haven’t already.” Like the other members of the council, Nua had advanced himself in his chosen field mainly through merit. Oddly enough for a hereditary monarchy, the Kinmark government displayed a striking lack of nepotism. Of course, some favoritism was unavoidable, and a higher ranking at birth afforded a child the best opportunities available. But for the most part, the cream rose to the top.

Nua was certainly no exception. As First Judge, he was responsible for the entire judicial system, and his decisions were only appealable to Guoryden himself. His understanding of the law was considered so complete, and his integrity so unquestionable, that Ahkdo’s father had never once accepted a petition to retry one of Nua’s decisions. Aside from his expertise in the law, Nua was also widely regarded as the most intelligent Kinmark alive.

Lox looked puzzled as he responded to Nua’s statement. “Even after he killed the emperor?” As First Shield, Lox was responsible for the security of the palace as well as the city itself. Unlike Nua, he was not considered particularly bright, but he was excellent at his job and had foiled four separate schemes to take the life of a person residing within the palace. Even more impressively, he had done so before the would-be assassins had even stepped foot within the palace.

It was soon widely believed in the less savory parts of Kinmark that Lox had a network of informants throughout the city. Needless to say, this belief itself aided in stopping assassination attempts before they had even had a chance to begin.

“Don’t be daft Lox. Of course they’ll join with him. He’s as much one of them as the emperor ever was.”

Kilosian chimed in before Lox could take offense at Nua’s tone. “They have long desired an opportunity to elevate themselves over the other families.” As First Seeker, it was Kilosian’s duty to oversee the spies serving the Kinmark family both inside and outside its borders.

The man certainly looked the part of a spymaster. Even in council meetings, he was always cloaked in dark, loose-fitting clothing. It was not difficult to imagine the attire being useful by allowing its wearer to skulk through dark alleys as well as hide a great many items of dubious utility. It was also easy to completely forget about the man and his clothing as soon as he was gone from sight.

Adding to his nondescript persona, Kilosian’s incredibly average face was more often than not expressionless. Ahkdo could not imagine there being a more ordinary-looking Tytan alive. Doubtlessly, Kilosian had cultivated such an appearance deliberately in order to more aptly practice his profession.

Those who understood such things knew the fact that Kilosian and Lox had married a pair of sisters likely contributed greatly to Lox’s uncanny ability to gather information. Even within the closely knit structure of the Kinmark family, political games were played among the elite and powerful. And the two brothers-in-law were certainly allies in those games.

Byun agreed with Kilosian’s claims regarding the Yricans. “Yes, and this is that opportunity. They never would have dared to openly battle the other three families before. But if this man who would become a true emperor is as powerful as he appears to be, then the Yricans will see this as a chance to fulfill their desires.”

Raas entered the conversation for the first time. “Our hope must rest in our own strength. None of the other families have much love for us.” The big man’s voice rumbled in a way that made Ahkdo want to follow him into battle.

Ahkdo knew Raas’s statement to be a true one. From an early age, his father had instilled a deep distrust in him for anyone who was not a Kinmark. It was true that the other families were still Tytans. That fact alone made them more trustworthy than the Miz. But as bars go, that one was not particularly high.

As Ahkdo was listening in, his father spotted him standing in the doorway and motioned for him to approach the table. Ahkdo walked toward him as he asked, “Ahkdo, what do you think our course of action should be?”

Ahkdo was stunned by his father asking his opinion during an important meeting. He had never even been allowed to attend one until a few months earlier. As he reached his father’s side, he desperately tried to get his emotions under control so he could process what he had learned about the situation and formulate the proper response.

He knew only what his father had told him the night before. An Yrican man had killed the emperor, who was an Yrican as well. Also, his father had told him that this assassin had killed every member of the Imperial Guard while completely acting alone. Apparently, the man was extremely powerful. The information gathered by Kilosian’s spies also indicated that the new Yrican wished to set himself up as a true emperor as opposed to the mere figurehead that the position had always been.

Ahkdo looked at his father. “I agree about the Yricans. Their ambition will outweigh their caution. As to the assertion that we must act alone in response to this threat, I’m unsure. If this new man is indeed so powerful, we may need one of the other two families to defeat him and the Yricans. But can we trust either of them enough to ally ourselves with them? What we need more than anything is information. We need to know exactly how powerful he is.”

His father asked, “And how can we find that out?” Ahkdo thought for a moment before shaking his head in frustration. “Therein lies the problem. To find out the true measure of his power, we’d need to force him into a battle. But if we go to battle against him without knowing how powerful he is, then we face possible annihilation.

“We could lessen this risk by joining with one or both of the other families against him and the Yricans. Such a tactic would vastly improve our chances of victory in battle, but we’d also be opening ourselves up to betrayal from those who would be our allies.

“We could also sit back, wait, and allow the other two families to fight him, either together or separately. This would allow us to gauge his strength before committing ourselves to war. This course, however, could rid us of our potential allies. Even worse, it could strengthen this false emperor and the Yricans if they were to defeat the other families and then force their survivors to join with them. None of these options are particularly appealing to me, but they’re the only options available.” Guoryden motioned his hand toward his son. “So I ask you again, Ahkdo, what should be our course of action?”

Ahkdo was confident in his reply. “We should attack without the other families. We can’t trust them. But we can’t just stand by either. We must act.”

His father smiled. “You’re full of the impetuousness of youth, my son. Patience is not cowardice. Just like all other things, it has its time and place.”

“Is this that time and place, Your Highness? The boy may have a point. If we allow the threat to survive, it will grow.” If there was one thing Zuorys knew about, it was growth. As First Collector, he was responsible not only for tax collections but also for the oversight of the treasury fed by such taxation. That treasury had grown vastly since his predecessor’s death and his subsequent promotion.

Raas voiced his assent. “And if we don’t act, we’ll be perceived as weak. We’d be inviting another Mizish revolt in addition to actions from the other families.”

The raw authority of Byun’s voice rang out. It even made Raas’s seem miniscule in comparison. “King Guoryden is right. We should allow ourselves more time to evaluate the situation. We’re not so much stronger than the other families that we can certainly overpower them in battle.”

Guoryden stood from his chair. Like Ahkdo, he was larger than most Tytans. “No, unfortunately we aren’t. Thank you all for your wise advice. I’ll consider all of this, and we’ll meet again tomorrow. But for now, Raas, set the military on high alert. We may be forced to march on a moment’s notice. Lox, double the number of guards at both the city and palace walls. Quofyro, tell the masters to keep a sharp eye on the Miz. We can’t afford even a minor disruption right now. Kilosian, find out whatever information you can about this assassin. Your spies have done well to give us so much so soon. But we need more. Now, everyone leave me with my son that we might further discuss the virtue of patience.”

Chapter Five of The Last Kinmark is available here!