Skyworld Book I

Chapter Ten - Allies & Epilogues

The next few tobers became a hazy blur of madcap activity for the new Skymarshal of Meland. He had all he could do to stay sober throughout the festivities.

The coronation of Queen Althea took place the same evening as the Duel of Champions. Dent was given just enough time to return to Prof. Romaine’s suite, get cleaned up and gulp down a small snack to keep his stamina going. Upon getting out of the soothing, tub of warm water, he found several stewards from the palace awaiting him with new clothes. He recognized the colors immediately and knew he was being outfitted properly as the new Skymarshal. It was the same dress Captain Cloud had worn aboard the Purpleheart the evening he’d hosted Althea and the two earthlings.

Prof. Romaine told him he looked very gallant and noble. Then they were both rushed off to the royal palace and the coronation.

On his many archeological expeditions , Gideon had witnessed many elaborate ceremonies of this kind, but none had seem so rich with tradition as what he beheld in the Great Hall of Corveir. The event culminated with the Grand Vizier setting a thin silver band on Althea’s head and proclaiming her Queen of Meland.

Once finished, the entire group moved into the cavern like ballroom where a sumptuous feast had been laid out. The royal band began playing as the procession of gaily clad men and women entered. Dent was seated at the Queen’s right side and finally introduced to the rest of her family.

Princesses Aura and Calene were younger versions of Althea, whereas the youngest sibling, teenage Prince Winrain was a shade duskier in hue, with wheat colored hair. Gideon was told the boy resembled his father, the late King, whereas the girls had favored their mother.

After the incident with Prince Arkurn, he was anxious as to how the remaining three would behave towards him. Much to his relief, he found them totally devoted to Althea and much disturbed by their exiled brother’s evil schemes.

Winrain even grumbled that had he been old enough, he would have gladly championed Althea’s cause. When the queen politely reminded him that by law he could not spill royal blood, the lad simply shrugged. "I would have just given him a good beating, is all."

Dent soon lost all track of the hours as one delicious, mouth-watering course was followed by another. Eventually the meal was finished and the party moved to the floor to begin the revel. It was somewhere shortly after this that Romaine came to find him. Dent was amiably conversing with Captain Cloud and several royal lords of Grandar.

"Come with me," his old mentor said, offering his apologies to the others. "I’ll bring him right back."

"Where we going?" Gideon asked as they made their way past the merry dancers to the winding stairs against the back wall.

"The Queen’s private audience chamber."

"Why?"

"I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me. All she said was to bring the skymarshal and that is what I am doing."

They traversed a long hall on the second floor and entered a room at the end of the corridor. It was a small place, elegantly furnished but intimate: the very opposite of the Grand Hall. It was occupied by the Queen and what appeared to be a noble family of four. They were strangers to Dent. The handsome man and woman looked to be in their middle years. Holding the woman’s left hand was a lovely little girl Dent guessed to be about ten. To the man’s right stood a young man in the military garb of a sky sailor.

Althea, still dressed in her coronation gown, was seated on a small chair atop a raised platform before them.

"Ah," Althea said, acknowledging him and the professor. "Now that Skymarshal Dent has arrived, we can begin." She pointed to the spot beside her chair and that is where he placed himself. Romaine had stayed next to the door.

"I am sure it will be speculated in the days ahead what happened aboard the Wind-Runner and the black deeds of her crew. Such gossip is ever a curse in our land, but alas most of what is rumored will be the truth.

"I was kidnapped by traitors who had been bought and paid for by my brother. I am told some of their surviving families have also joined him in exile."

At this, the older man swallowed hard and Gideon wondered exactly who he was and why any of this was of any importance to him. Unless he was related to one of those men Althea was now referring to? It was then that Dent realized the distinguished looking man reminded him of someone. Someone he had known only a short while.

"Only one man in that entire crew did not succumb to the wiles of Arkurn. Only one man remained loyal to House Corveir and in doing so help save my life."

Now the fellow was starting to wrinkle his brow as her words began to hit home. And Gideon knew who these people were.

"Lord Mial Sital, that man was your son, First Class Sailor, Parnoh Sital. He died bravely in our service, a man of true honor and courage. A credit to his family and country."

The woman standing beside her husband, began to cry quietly and he comforted to her, his own eyes misting. He wrapped an arm about her shoulders, at the same time the little girl squeezed in between them.

"Thank you, your majesty," Lord Sital managed, his voice thick with emotion. "He was a good son, who always made..." the man’s voice choked, "his father proud."

Dent felt embarrassed to see these good people crying. His own memories of Parnoh were still fresh and he had grieved within his own heart at the man’s loss. Now, recalling those times, he was moved by Althea’s kindness in omitting certain facts. There was no need for this family to know of Parnoh’s original duplicity. All that mattered was how he had made amends for his crime and in the end went to his death honoring the blood oath he had sworn. What more could be said of any man.

"The name of Parnoh Sital shall be engraved on the Wall of Heroes in the palace square for all the to see and be inspired by." Althea, her face somber, glowed with an inner strength and tenderness Gideon had never seen.

"Your majesty does our family a great honor," the patriarch of the Sitals gratefully replied, regaining his composure. "We will be forever in your debt."

"Then perhaps, in this most poignant of times, you would offer as yet another service to your liege of the uttermost import?"

"You have but to name it, dear lady?"

Althea shifted her gaze to the young man. He was much like Parnoh, save for a patch of freckles covering both cheeks. "What is your name, sailor?"

The lad took a step forward and offered a smart raised fist salute to his queen. "I am Seaman Charn Sital, your majesty."

"To what ship are you assigned?"

"The Windwarrior, under Captain Nulre."

"Ah, yes, the good captain. Well, I am sure he will be able to find another to take your place aboard the Windwarrior."

"Your majesty?" The confusion on the boy’s face was genuine.

"As you are well aware, today I chose an off-worlder to become my new skymarshal." Althea nodded her head to Gideon. "He is Gideon Dent, a brave and noble warrior who fought along side your brother aboard the Wind-Runner."

Charn Sital took stock of the big, black figure before him. "Only a great fighter could have bested Kell Dercov."

"Well said," Althea smiled for the first time. "Skymarshal Dent is indeed a formidable man, loyal to our house and the people of Meland. But he is still very much an outsider to our ways. In the tobers to come, he will have much to learn in regards to our ways, our culture and our valued traditions.

"For this task, I have decided to give him a special aid who can guide him in these matters. That is the assignment I am offering you, Seaman Sital. Do you accept it?"

Charn glanced back at his parents and baby sister. All of them were smiling happily. There was no question as to his reply.

"Yes, your majesty. I accept the assignment and promise to serve the skymarshal to the best of my abilities."

Gideon knew a cue when he heard one. Coming forward, he slapped a hand on the lad’s shoulder and grinned down at him. "Thank you, Seaman. Your brother was my friend. I trust we shall be as well."

Thus ended the Sital family’s private audience. What Althea did not know was that her action had given Gideon a similar idea of his own. One he was very anxious to put into motion.

---

"You can’t be serious?" Lt. Menin Tand said after hearing Gideon’s proposal. "Nothing like this has ever been done before in Skyworld."

"Then maybe it’s time to start a new tradition," Dent retorted, looking down at his seated friend.

The two of them, plus Captain Cloud and Prof. Romaine were all settling in after a long night of partying with the Queen and her guest. The four were lounging in the main living room of Dent’s new quarters within the palace. They had been ushered there by young Charn Sital. Now the lad was seeing that the last of the former resident’s possessions were being disposed of by members of the palace household staff. It seemed to Gideon that no one was getting much sleep on this night.

"Come on, Dan’yal" Dent directed his plea to his fellow skymarshal. "Surely you can see the benefits of what I am suggesting?"

Cloud tugged at his red whisker and grinned. "From the moment I laid eyes on you, Gideon, I thought were a man of ideas. I just didn’t know how radical they would be?"

"Look, I am an archeologist." The lack of understanding on both Grandarians stopped him short. "A teacher who studies the past."

"Ah," Cloud said trying to follow his reasoning.

"I am neither a warrior or a leader of men. Let alone an entire sky navy."

"But it is the role you’ve been handed by the gods, my friend. Sometimes we have to ride with the currents."

"Agreed, and that’s what I’m trying to do."

"By asking one of my officers to become a member of your administrative staff?"

"Who better?"

Cloud and Tand exchanged looks. Gideon grabbed a stuffed pillow, set it on the small table behind him and sat facing his guests. Might as well get comfortable.

"Look, I do not know a single soul in this whole entire country except the three of you and the queen. Not exactly what I would call a good start when I’m about to start giving orders to thousands of experienced military men and women."

"Why not enlist a junior officer from the ranks of the Meland navy?" Tand asked, still reeling from Dent’s suggestion. "I am not even a citizen."

Gideon slapped his hands together. "Exactly. Which is the reason I want you, Tand. I don’t know who to trust here. Any person I chose could be another of Prince Arkurn’s agents."

"Even so, there is little they could do with the prince in exile," Cloud argued.

"Do you really believe that? Here I am, an outsider trying to establish myself as their commander and not only do they not who I am, but they have absolutely no reason to offer me their support other than the rank I hold.

"A single bad apple..ah, lango, could rot the entire barrel. That is not exactly the kind of support I am going to need if I am to make this work."

"But I am Grandarian," Tand said, as if the obvious was unknown to them. "It is impossible for any man to serve two masters."

"I am not asking you to give up either your citizenship or your loyalty to Grandar."

"But, if I am to be your Executive Officer.."

"Then that is what you shall be. Look, Menin, I am not asking you to give up anything. Rather I am asking to accept a captaincy in the Royal Navy of Meland, answering only to me."

"And if Meland and Grandar should ever find themselves at odds against each other?"

"Then I will release you from your duties and allow you to return to Grandar with my blessings."

Silence descended as all four men began to unravel the offer the new skymarshal had proposed. Dent began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He pressed on, this time directing his comments to Cloud.

"Don’t you see it, Cloud? By bringing Tand into my service, not only do I gain an experience officer I can trust, but I also create a bond between our two countries. Tand’s presence as my second-in-command guarantees to your liege of our continued friendship and alliance."

"Bravo," Prof. Romaine jumped in for the first time. "A clever political move, my boy, and a very promising one for all of Skyworld."

Dan’yal Cloud gave out with a hearty belly-laugh and slapped his knee. "By all the gods, it is a bold thing you suggest, Gideon Dent, and one with much wisdom behind it."

"You think I should do this, sir?" Tand was suddenly the man on the hot seat. "Sincerely?"

"Lieutenant, I would never ask you to leave the Purpleheart. You have been the finest executive officer and I’ve ever had. I will be sorely pressed to replace you. But in all honestly, as both your captain and your friend, I would strongly urge you to consider this offer."

Tand’s long thin face twisted up, the doubt clearly evident in his eyes.

Cloud finished it for them. "If not for yourself, although Tober knows you deserve the promotion and are the best man for the job, then do it for Grandar.

"Dent speaks truthfully there. Your presence would cement our bond with Meland as never before."

Tand ran a hand over his chin and scratched at the side of his hawk-like nose. It would mean giving up his home, his friends and all the things he loved. But then again if he took the plunge, it would mean challenges such as he had never imagined before. It would mean adventure beyond his wildest dreams.

Do it for Grandar, Captain Cloud had said. Lt. Menin Tand needed no further convincing.

He got to his feet and extended his hand to Dent as he had seen the earthman do aboard the Purpleheart. Realizing he had won, Gideon jumped to his feet and clasped the hand.

"Very well, Skymarshal. I’ll be your second-in-command."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Of should I say, Captain Tand?"

"I’ll need to return to Grandar and settle my affairs before I can report for duty. It shouldn’t take more than a few tobers."

"Take all the time you need. I’ll tell the Queen of your decision. And I promise not to do anything official until you return."

At that they all had a good laugh. With Tand on board, Gideon began to believe he might just be able master his new life work after all.

---

The hangover was a dull, diminishing gong in his skull. Ever so slowly, Dent began to rouse himself from his wine soaked sleep.

After Tand had accepted his offer, the four strategists had continued their partying with another half dozen bottles of wine. Somewhere in all that imbibing, someone, he believed it to be Romaine, had produced a bottle of sour mash made from the lango fruit. Through the fog that was his mind, he vaguely remembered the old professor winking something about being the son of an old moonshiner back in Alabama.

The way his cranium was buzzing, he was only too happy to give credence to the professor’s ancestry.

Later, much later, he had accompanied Cloud and Tand to the docking zone and watched them depart. Within three tobers of the coronation, most of the invited foreign V.I.P.s were gone and the heavens about Candlemar now only harbored native ships and the normal mix of trading vessels.

Dent had come back to his apartments and collapsed on the inviting, round bed. That had been how long ago?

He sat up and the room remained stationary. That was always a good sign.

As he was pulling on his pants, the door slid open and the smiling face of Charn Sital appeared.

"Ah, you are awake," he said.

"How long have I been out?"

"The Purpleheart sailed a tober ago."

"Oh." Dent ran fingers through his hair and sighed. "What a hell of a party. Wasn’t it?"

"Yes, Skymarshal. It was a glorious time for all of Meland."

The young seaman held a ceramic mug in his hands. Steam rose from it. "This is hot jasha. It will help you awaken."

Dent took the mug and snifted. It had a rich, almost chocolate smell. "Skyworld’s version of coffee?"

He took a sip. It was good, very good. "Ah, maybe I’ll survive after all."

"It is to be hoped for, Skymarshal. The Queen has summoned you."

"She has?"

"Yes, sir. You are to accompany me at once."

Gideon began to look around the destroyed bedding for the rest of his clothes and Charn grinned.

"Please, sir, all you’ll need is your robe."

"Excuse me?"

The boy’s face reddened. "Sir, it is best you simply put on your robe and come with me. This is to be a.. ah, private audience with her majesty."

Dent shook his head to clear the cobwebs. Then seeing how fidgety the boy was, the truth wove its way into his thoughts.

"Ahhh.. right. Private." Quickly Gideon threw on a blue robe and tied the sash about his middle.

Charn took the half empty cup from his hands, put it on a table and began walking through the apartment with Gideon in tow. When they passed the door to the outside halls and kept moving, Dent’s eyebrow cocked.

His new aid entered a packed closet and, pushing aside the various garments hung on a rack, pressed his hand against the back wall. It swung away to reveal a hidden stairwell that spiraled upward.

A secret passage! Dent’s eyes doubled in size. Oh, this was sweet. Like something right out of Dickens, or better yet, Alexander Dumas.

Charn stepped aside and pointed up the stairs. "When you reach the top, simply apply pressure to the right corner of the wall before you. Like this one, it will open easily enough."

Dent slapped the boy on the arm and mumbled his thanks, then quickly jogged up the stone steps. Behind him the closet door silently shut. What little light there was came from an overhead skyline high above. It was just enough to see by.

The steps seemed to ascend two levels by Dent’s estimation, as he slid his fingers along the brick walls. In minutes he’d reached a small platform facing a blank wall. As instructed, he pressed his palm against the right corner and it opened.

Gideon walked into a candle-lit room filled with shimmering, dancing shadows and the sweet scent of perfume.

A rich, heady aroma unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Walking forward, he realized he was in a sumptuous, sensual bedchamber.

Althea stood awaiting him in front of a canopied bed, dressed in a frilly, black lace see-through gown. Even in the shadow-light, Gideon could see every line and curve of her body. His mouth went dry at the same time his heart froze.

The queen smiled at his reaction and untied the knot under her bosom. The gossamer gown floated to the carpet about her feet.

"Now, my lord Skymarshal, it is time to show you your other duties."

Gideon ripped off his own robe and Althea’s eyes drank in his naked torso with unabashed lust. "I trust you will find them interesting," she said coyly licking her bottom lip.

"Lady," he chuckled coming for her, "I’m a very fast learner."

---

A year later, Skymarshal Gideon Dent stood atop a green hill studying a group of his captains going through the hand-to-hand combat training he had instigated as part of his new policies for the navy.

What little karate and judo he had learned in his youth would become a beneficial skill for his men to add to their repertoire of fighting arts. He had taught his tricks to the academy instructors and then ordered them to teach the captains. They in turn were to pass them along to their individual crews.

"From a few to the many," Captain Tand verbalized, standing beside Dent on the elevated knoll. "And you say a group of warriors called the Romans invented this practice?"

"That they did, Captain. They divided their units into tens. Ten men to a squad, ten squads to company, ten companies to a legion, etc.etc. Thus when it came to disseminating new techniques to their armies, it was simple enough to work from the top down."

"It seems highly efficient. Did they prosper, these Romans?"

Gideon laughed at that thought. "Well enough, in their day. They pretty much conquered the entire civilized world."

"What happened to them?"

"Eventually they spread themselves too thin and lost sight of their destiny."

The Meland training facility was situated on a small island called Gesdale. It was located only a few hours from the main island. Although it was not necessary for Dent to spend much time there, he enjoyed the respite from the bustling capital. He also wanted his men, from the lowliest seaman to the officers of his command staff to know how high a value he placed on training.

It had been a busy year for the new skymarshal. Thanks to Tand and those officers willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, it had also been a profitable one. As Dent grew into his role as skymarshal, the navy also evolved into finest fleet Meland had ever mustered. No small achievement for a new skymarshal.

After a year, the black commander had become both a regular and welcomed sight to his troops.

"So, how is the wizard coming along with your latest mad scheme?" Dant inquired, changing the subject.

"You mean the elornium belts?"

"Yes. Do you honestly believe a man can stabalize its effects enough to fly?"

"Why not? The principle works ships. Why not for a man?"

"Because ships have sails to propel them once they achieve weightlessness. I don’t see how you can have a man maneuver once he is airborne? Will you give him wings like the birds?"

"Wings?" Dent’s eyes widened. "That’s not a bad idea, Menin. Remind me to suggest it to the wizard next time."

"I will, but right now, I believe you’ve got more urgent matters to attend to." Tand pointed over Dent’s right shoulder to a small sailing skiff approaching rapidly.

Dent saw Charn Sital at the rudder of the tiny craft and instantly forgot everything else. He ran to the ship’s side as it set down roughly only a few yards away.

"It is time!" Sital called out even before Dent could pose his questions. "The Queen has gone into labor."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Gideon yelled, jumping on board. "Move this thing and fast!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Charn got the skyboat climbing as Dent waved down to his executive offiver.

"Take care of things until I get back."

"I shall, Gideon. The gods of Tober bless the queen."

The trip back to Candlemar was a blur to Dent. Later he would have absolutely no recollection of it. All he would recall was his blinding need to reach Althea and be with her.

For his part, Charn made good time, handling the skiff with consummate ease. They landed in the palace courtyard within two hours. Dent leapt from the boat before she could touch down and raced for the front entrance. Once inside, he rushed past the excited household servants and made his way to the queen’s chambers.

He was charging down the hall to her door when he heard a baby’s wail. Dashing in past the midwives assembled around the bed, he came upon his lovely Althea and the miracle cradled in her arms.

Her face was bright with a tired look. He bend down and kissed her damp forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, my love. I am fine. As is your son."

Dent stepped back and looked at the squirming, brown child in her arms. The cherub ball of tiny bones and wet, tender skin was still crying his displeasure at being taken from the womb.

"My son." The words echoed in his heart.

"Yes," Althea beamed proudly. "He is the crown prince of Meland, my love. His Skyworld name will be Gyb’Son of Coveir."

Gideon grinned from ear to ear. "Can I hold him?"

Althea nodded and carefully handed over her precious cloth-wrapped bundle.

Gideon held the newborn to his face and just like that it stopped crying. A fat little hand touched his face and he knew a joy beyond description. Father and son greeted each for the first time.

"Hello, Gibson Dent."

The End