Ringwall's Doom. Wolf Awert

followed the juice that ran down his fingers.

      Earlier than had been agreed upon a crowd of splendidly clothed nobles gathered before the throne room. To everyone’s surprise the doors were still locked, and no guards were posted by the entrance. Traditionally the throne room remained open until the new king had been crowned and taken his place. Prince Sergor-Don seemed to have forgotten this tradition.

      At the precise mid-point between sunrise and noon the bars were lifted from the doors. Two young lads clad in the yellow-brown garb of the dustriders opened the doors and quickly stepped aside to disappear into the shadows behind the throne.

      The councilors, sorcerers and generals entered the throne room first and saw that the young prince had already taken his place on his father’s throne. Their steps faltered for a heartbeat, but the crowd from behind forced them onward. The hall grew fuller and fuller; later tales of this day would claim that not a single further squire could have fit inside.

      Sergor-Don looked down at the jostling crowd before him and waited for all to face their new king.

      Auran-San was satisfied with what he saw. The prince was already as tall as his father had been, but was still a slender youth. Two more young warriors could have fit comfortably beside him on the throne, but perhaps that was only an illusion, a trick caused by the dark wood and the equally dark robe the prince wore, and the jet-black hair that covered his head. It fell unrestrained to his shoulders. Only a simple red band kept his hair out of his eyes.

      “He could not have shown more obviously that the throne is still too big for him,” Haltern-kin-Eben muttered. “If he’d asked me I would have advised for bright colors and wide robes.”

      “You would have turned him into a songbird. We ought to be happy that your counsel was not needed,” Auran-San chuckled quietly.

      The prince did indeed seem strangely lost beneath the carved black-headed eagle that decorated the throne’s back. Or perhaps it was the powerful embrace of the armrests, shaped in the form of a leonpedon’s paws, that made his slim figure seem almost absent. The huge throne of pitted queba-wood called for a true king; it showed Sergor-Don the same indifference as it had a mouse that had clambered up on it that morning at dawn.

      As the dark throne imposed itself upon its surroundings, so too did the shining crown atop the steps. It glowed red and gold with countless white and yellow stones as it sat on a small table, the weight of countless dynasties pressing it deep into the soft satin cushion. It was a heavy crown for a great king, and now it sat there, expectant and imperious, waiting for its new bearer. None present in the room could overlook how young their future king was.

      Auran-San and Haltern-kin-Eben had stepped forward to begin with the crowning ceremony. But the prince had risen. His robe was split down the front and revealed the fiery red of his battle-harness. Red and black, power and mourning. The prince had chosen his entrance well.

      “I have decided to postpone the crowning until noon. The sun has not yet reached its highest point, at which it looks down on kings and peasants alike, but it has already begun its work. It shines. It shines for all of us. And so I will follow its example and begin making changes before I am crowned.”

      The first councilor and the keeper of tradition nodded at each other. “As you wish, Prince Sergor-Don.”

      You are making this easy for us, young prince, Haltern-kin-Eben thought. The court, generally disliking changes from tradition, showed only stony faces. The generals stood with their legs slightly apart, their arms crossed before their chests or with their hands resting on their hips, like a warrior readying himself for battle. The courtiers sought more stability in small groups than in their king, and the sorcerers had their cowls drawn low over their faces so no one could read their expressions.

      “A king is only as strong at the people who hold him aloft, as the councilors that help him decide, as the soldiers who swing their weapons for him, and as the magic that fills all realms of his kingdom.

      “The King’s Guard that protected my father so well is now dissolved. I will not hide behind the shields and swords of my soldiers. I have more worthy tasks for them. My protectors will be five sorcerers. One for each element. Each one so powerful that even an archmage could not pierce their shields. Is there any arcanist among you who believes their power to be such?”

      The sudden change from military to magic caught many off guard. Only Auran-San smiled contently at this chance to increase his influence on the king further still. The court sorcerers, however, seemed less determined, their eyes flitting back and forth between themselves as though they meant to spin a web with looks alone.

      They were all experienced and knowledgeable, skilled and revered for their cunning. But what Sergor-Don demanded was pure, brutal power, not the elegance in the magical arts they prided themselves on. They were sorcerers of the court, not magic-wielding shieldbearers. As such they were also diplomats and intriguers, and they knew exactly where power came from. Only their proximity to the king gave their whispers the strength and influence they needed. And so after several moments of agitated silence a pushing and shoving began as the first lesser sorcerers saw the potential that the position of a king’s guard could grant them. Only five would be near the king at all times, but who would those five be?

      Zsorven-Sar was the first to step forward. He was the first among his equals. Even though he had not openly demonstrated his skills for a long time, he still held the most power and influence of all sorcerers at court.

      “Can you craft a powerful defense for me?”

      “I should think so, my prince.”

      “Which element?”

      The sorcerer allowed a small flame to dance around his hand.

      “Fire.”

      “A Water shield against Fire, or a Fire shield against Metal?”

      “Whichever you wish, my king.”

      “Very well. Make space. I wish to test Zsorven-Sar. My attack will utilize the strength and sharpness of Metal – it should be easy for anyone devoted to Fire.”

      The crowed shuffled back, but the room was too full to clear a space big enough to remove any danger from a duel.

      “Open the doors.”

      To the great surprise of Gulffir’s citizens that had been waiting outside the palace, the doors suddenly burst open and the crowd of nobles flooded outside onto the great square. They quickly made space. The prince and the sorcerer stood opposite one another, surrounded by the gentry, behind whom a dense wall of soldiers, merchants and gawping children made any breaking through impossible. Sergor-Don’s black cloak swayed around him, the sorcerer’s magnificent gown weighed heavy and ornamental upon his shoulders.

      “Are you prepared?”

      In the same instant he spoke the words, Sergor-Don flung a spear of Metal at his opponent, but it had already begun to melt as it flew through the air, and what hit the ground near the sorcerer was only droplets. The triumphant smile on Zsorven-Sar’s face vanished as he saw the waves of bolts that now rained down on him. Some came at an angle, some straight. The shield flickered, threw sparks, expanded to catch the prince’s magic sooner – and broke. Flames billowed from the remains of his shield and returned to their creator. Zsorven-Sar fell to the ground, his front utterly blackened. The stench of burnt flesh was rank upon the air. The Fire Kingdom had one less sorcerer.

      “Never promise something you cannot keep. Take him away. How would you protect me against a real mage, if you can’t even defend yourself against me?”

      “I wouldn’t have guessed the prince was so strong,” Haltern-kin-Eben whispered, impressed.

      “Zsorven-Sar was a fool,” Auran-San growled back. “He let his magic wither, he should have known an early end was coming for him. But power alone wins no fights. The prince will learn that in due course.”

      The old councilor was upset. Zsorven-Sar had been a loyal