Sir Aldric Ironheart's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

Kael's question hung in the air. Elara stood close, spear in hand, watching Aldric's helm. He could lie again. But Kael's amber eyes read men the way they read coins. A lie would cost him the merchant's gold and worse. Aldric made his choice. He led Kael away from the stall, past a village hut with a thatched roof, to a quiet spot where Elara could not hear. "You want the truth," Aldric said. He pulled off his helm. "I don't wander to save farmers. I mean to take a throne. I need swords and gold to do it." Kael crossed his arms. His bronze coat shifted with a dry clink. "So the noble knight is a schemer." He laughed once, without warmth. "And the girl? She thinks she follows a saint." "She does," Aldric said. "Leave her that. She's young." Kael studied him a long moment. "You could have lied. You saw my eyes. You know I'd have caught it." He rubbed his thumb over a coin from his pocket. "Most men lie until they can't. You didn't." "I stepped in front of that waspdrake for you," Aldric said. "I won't insult you with a story." Kael was quiet. He looked back toward the stall, toward Elara, toward the road that led out of the village. His gold could walk away this instant. Aldric held his breath and did not show it. "A throne," Kael said slowly. "Thrones pay taxes. Thrones grant trade rights." A grin crept across his face. "A king who owes me gold is worth more than a hundred customers." Aldric's chest loosened. "You'll stay?" "I'll stay." Kael held out his bare hand again. "But I don't ride for a cause. I ride for a return. When you sit that throne, you pay me back tenfold. In writing." Aldric clasped the hand. "Tenfold. You have my word." Kael's grip tightened. "Words are cheap, knight. I'll hold you to the coin." He pointed at the far hills. "And if you want a throne, you need a seat to take. There's an old stone castle two days east. Vines choke the walls. A minor lord holds it with a thin garrison. Take that, and men will believe you're real." Aldric turned toward the east. Somewhere past the trees, the castle waited. Elara jogged up, cheeks flushed. "What did I miss? Are we riding?" "We are," Aldric said. He fixed his helm back over his face. "Kael found us a target. A lord's castle." Elara's eyes lit. "A lord who hurts villages?" Kael opened his mouth. Aldric spoke first. "Something like that." The lie stayed whole for her. But it was gone between him and Kael now. He had traded a secret for a loyal purse and a debt he would owe for years. He mounted his horse. Two followers rode behind him, one for a dream and one for gold, and a castle stood ready to fall.