Castle Shyr

Dun dun dun! :)

One of my goals as a writer is to continuously change the way my readers view characters. Hopefully this chapter will do that... with which character I\'m not saying.


-Raban\'s Rule-

“It’s because he’s a damned spy for the Tev! That’s how come he knew!” Suhayl shouted, pulling hard against Gehlmen’s restraining arms.

“Would you just calm down, old man!?” Shouted Lantipher, pulling equally as hard against Circo. “I’ll kick your ass!”

“Tev-lover! Picking on an old man like me!”

“The world would be better off without you!”

“Boys! Please!” Cried Kaimyn, one of Lan’s crewmates, as she stood between the struggling Nanion, attempting some sort of peace. “Bitti and Raban will be here shortly, and I’m sure they’ll want to at least hear you both out before you kill each other.”

Lan shouted and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his head in an expert pout.

“This is the damned thanks I get for trying to protect my damned village!” He said, his voice quieter but no less malicious. Circo frowned and put a hand on Lan’s arm - it was immediately shrugged off.

“Ha! You’re just here to put more lies into Austly’s head!” Suhayl grumbled, pulling away from his intervention as well, brushing himself off.

“Watch it old man.” Growled Kaimyn, pulling her hat back over her bald head. “You’re lucky I stopped you guys - Lan would’ve killed you in a second.”

“That’s ‘cause he’s a ruthless, blood-thirsty pirate.”

“That’s ‘cause he’s not an old, crippled war veteran.” Retorted Circo, looping his thumbs through his belt.

The shore fell silent, though it did nothing to ease the tension that had spread between the parties. Lantipher had told Raban that he had news, news from the Castle, and that it was important for the village elders to hear it. Raban had been hesitant at first, but reluctantly agreed, and declared a small ‘gathering’ at the Eastern Shore on the third night after Lan’s arrival. Suhayl, being impatient as he was, wrung the information out of Lan before Raban and Bitti, and many of the other elders for that matter, had arrived - and it sent him into an uproar. Lan got in a good punch after taking a kidney shot, and that’s when Gehlmen and Circo decided to step in and pull them apart.

“There is no way you could have found that out without some sort of blasted pirate treachery.” Gehlmen growled, though he stood his ground and made no move for a physical attack. Lan chuckled.

“Well, of course not. But I assure you Tev weren’t involved. I am many things, Tev-lover is not one.”

“Though, I’m sure if you came across the right one-” Started Kaimyn, holding out her hands with a playful expression on her face.

“Not the time for lewd jokes, darling.” Lan said, his voice a bit harsher than he would have liked.

“What is going on here?” Raban said, his voice short as he walked into the clearing, seeing instantly the bruise across Suhayl’s face - and Lantipher’s agitated stance.

“Wait until you hear what this - this - bastard has to say!” Shouted Suhayl, once again infuriated as he moved to stand at Raban’s side, pointing accusingly at Lan.

Bitti narrowed her eyes a bit and looked to her son for a calmer explanation - she saw only fire burning in Lan’s eyes, and sighed. His temper was hard to start, but once it got going there was no turning back. He got it from his father - Bitti had a short fuse.

“I told him what it was we came to tell you, and he immediately began accusin’ me of all sorts of things, jumpin’ down my throat - I don’t think he even realized what the message meant to him.” Lan snarled, turning back around to face the small congregation, arms still wrapped tightly over his torso. Circo and Kaimyn moved to join him, standing on either side like watch-dogs.

“I’m sure half the things he accused you of were true.”

“Raban!” Bitti snarled, moving as if to leap upon her husband - he took a small step back and held up his hand.

“But please - just give me the message so we can sort this out.” He turned to look at Lan, and took a step back in surprise. Lan normally seemed a very care-free person with his long, wispy hair and smiling eyes, but now, with his narrowed gaze and firmly set jaw - he looked like what he was; a killer; a looter; a pirate.

“Durin’ a raid my crew and I stumbled upon a royal barge - it had already been attacked and set aflame, it wasn’t going to last much longer. Naturally a few of us boarded to take what we could before the ship met th’ ocean floor, unfortunately we happened to stumble upon one of the crew, still kickin’. They said they’d been tryin’ to escape, to deliver a message to someone named Thaltimar, but they hadn’t made it far before they were attacked by a ship with strange beings. They described ‘em to us, but I don’t remember much of what they said, ‘cept something’ ‘bout rounded ears. They said that a group of highly skilled Tev, armed with the Ju’agul, attacked Castle Shyr - gained entry to the Castle.. An’ killed King Colamaro.” Lan paused, lifting his lip in an inpatient sneer as those gathered reacted.

“The King is dead?” Bitti swooned, grabbing Lan’s arm and squeezing. “Was he telling the truth, Lantipher?”

“That’s impossible!” Raban growled, stepping forward. “That is completely impossible! Castle Shyr holds most of it’s military inside the Castle, the other portion is stationed nearer to the Shyriol - the Tev are six month’s travel from the Castle! How in the world could they have sent that many men, that strong a force, that far and accomplished something like that!? This means they must have been plotting this for years! Someone would have known! Someone would have caught something!”

“Would you shut your damned trap and let me continue!?” Lantipher snarled, moving forward so quickly he nearly threw his mother off balance. Circo and Kaimyn inched forward, grabbing his arms. Raban was so flabbergasted he shut his mouth and stared.

“At the precise moment the King was killed the Castle apparently sealed itself off.” Circo said in a much calmer voice, easing Lan away as words had failed him. “The man said that when King Colamaro let out his last breath the Castle door swung shut. All the secret passages closed off an’ even the windows locked themselves.”

“Hawk-shit.” Raban’s voice was positively venomous. “That’s complete hawk-shit. If you wanted to come here and feed us some damned story, hopin’ we’d let our gaurds down or whatever it is you wanted us to do, you could’ve come up with a better story. You’ve got the imagination, apparently.” Raban narrowed his eyes and stood his ground as Lan turned to face him, pulling slow and hard against Circo and Kaimyn. “This is the last straw, Lantipher. I’m sorry Bitti, but I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago.” He growled, looking only at Lan.

“What are you doing? Raban? Raban!” Bitti shouted, instantly held back by Gehlmen. She let out a shout and began to wrestle him to the ground. Raban cast one glance in her direction and then looked back at Lan.

“So help me Gods, I’ll let ‘em go if you so much as try an’ harm a hair on his head.” Hissed Circo, loosening his hold a bit.

“By the power vested In me as founder of Fordwych, I hearby declare that Lantipher and all his blood-thirsty, Tev-loving, lying sacks of hawk-shit cohorts are banned from the coasts - banned from all the land which I own!” Ignoring Bitti’s scream Raban continued, even as Circo and Kaimyn let go. “Don’t you dare come near my son again you filthy pirate!”

“You are not to set foot in this house!” Shrieked Bitti as she continued to push against the door. “If you keep this up, you bastard, I’ll kill you!”

“You’re over-reacting, Bitti! Calm down and you’ll see it had to be done!”

“Damnit! Out! Of! My! House!” She cried, pushing her last bit of strength against the door to slam him out. She quickly reached up and set the locks before leaning her back against the door and turning to, finally, address the scared and confused in the den.

“Are - all the doors and windows locked?” She said, her voice suddenly sounding hoarse and pained. Austly nodded, speechless and wide-eyed. Bitti nodded and slowly sank to the floor, tears soon pouring down her face as she reached up to hide them.

“Bitti -” Kyin began, walking over and sitting next to the woman, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Bitti, what happened?” Rhin frowned, shaking his head as Kyin looked at him. He moved over a little to stand next to Austly, still staring in horror at his mother.

“He-he..” Bitti started, her voice broken with hiccup like sobs as she shook her head. “That bastard!” She snarled, moving instantly from distraught to angry, slamming a fist into the floor. “That upright, righteous bastard thinks he can do whatever he damned well pleases!”

“Mom.” Austly said, shaking his head a bit as he moved forward. “I-it’s dad.” His voice was slow, as if talking to a crazed person, as if trying to get her to understand who it was she was talking about. As if she didn’t know.

“I know - Austly. I know all too well trust me.” Bitti growled, pushing away from the door to sit on the couch. Kyin and Rhin exchanged looks and sat down on the adjacent couch, watching her carefully as Austly moved to sit beside her at her beckoning. “I should have told you this a long time ago, Austly.” Bitti started, again shaking her head as her anger slowly faded. “Lantipher never liked Raban. He was only seven when he first met him, when Raban came to our village, and he told me then that he didn’t like him. He said he had funny eyes and weird hands.” Bitti let out a strange sort of chuckle, Rhin winced. “But his dislike for your father just grew and grew, and I continued to ignore him. I heard him when he talked to me, even agreed with him sometimes, about some of the weird things your father did - but I never hated him. Lan did. Oh, Lan hated him with such passion. And - as I came to find out - the feeling was mutual. Raban hated your brother even before he became a pirate. It took a while for me to see it, but once I noticed it made me shudder. I was pregnant with you by the time I realized just how much Raban hated Lantipher - he was drunk, and made mention of him at bar.”

“W-what did - did he do?” Austly muttered, a strange sort of detached interest in his voice, as if he wasn’t sure where his loyalties lied.

“He said -”

“No, tonight, mum. What did dad do?” Bitti paused and looked up at Austly, the tears returning to her eyes as she attempted to wrap her arms around her youngest son.

“He exiled your brother, Austly. Lan and all his crew aren’t allowed to visit anymore - they aren’t allowed to see you at all.”

“Wh-what?” Austly said softly, as if Bitti was just talking now. “M-mum, calm d-down an-an’ -”

“He just - exiled him?” Kyin interrupted, wide-eyed. “With no reason at all?” Kyin shot back into Rhin’s arms as Bitti looked up at her with a sharp gaze. “I-I didn’t mean l-like that..” She whispered.

“He- delivered a message to us. He and his crew found out some - h-horrible things an-and he wanted to let us know.. ‘cause news ‘round here travels so slow.”

“D-dad..” Austly said, pushing away from Bitti. “D-dad told Lan th-that he’s not ‘lowed to come here anymore? Th-that he’s not ‘lowed to see me?” Bitti nodded. “H-he was jokin’, right?” She shook her head. Austly slowly stood up. “You-you’re not ‘posed to lie, mum. Lyin’-lyin’s not nice.” He said, trying desperately to hold back his own tears as he balled his hands into fists and slowly walked around the couch.

“A-austly-”

“I do-don’t want to talk to you.” He muttered, stalking slowly into the hallway. “I-I don’t l-like.. Liars.”