There at a long rectangular table sat Tori and Gaius. But they were far from alone, the dark elf lord Borrabus and the other elves from the King’s ball were seated as well. Senator Cato and young consul Lucius were also there as well as Hakar, Armenus' second in command, along with over a dozen dwarves both standing and sitting.
“Please join us Obran, your friends said you were unavailable but I had a feeling you might show up,” Borrabus said.
Tori looked sad and Gaius deviant. Obran sat down. I might as well relax in my final moments, he thought.
"Any beer?" Obran said.
"Refresh our friend, Hakar," Borrabus said.
The dark elf general wore a blue silk tunic and cape. Obran wasn't sure if he had any armor on. A dwarf brought Obran a pint but he didn't drink it and merely raised his glass.
“I salute you dark lord Borrabus, senator Cato and consul Lucius as well. Quite a group, but I don’t remember your name dwarf, you were Armenus' servant right?” Obran said. He did remember Hakar but wanted to annoy somebody.
“General Hakar, my young gremlin," Hakar said. "I wanted to see you again and you don’t disappoint. Five elves killed; How I wished we could have fought at the ball."
"Do you want to fight me now, Hakar," Gaius said.
"Gaius, please..." Tori said.
“General, I think I understand why the senator and the junior consul are here," Obran said. "No doubt they are fleeing; defeated as they look. I am glad to see Collatinus was successful in finding these traitors but may I ask you why you lord Borrabus are helping them or why you tried to abduct me and princess Barca?” Obran said.
“Tell him the truth if you want me to go with you,” Tori said. “I’m sorry for everything, Obran.”
“Her father and countrymen simply wanted her back, Obran. “You were just an extra prize for my long term plans. As to why help them, I do not; these Romans are here on their own accord and whatever Hakar does is his own affair.”
"I'm sure," Obran said.
Though he knew the elf no doubt had a plan; here were some of the King's biggest threats: Lucius Brutus a radical republican, senator Cato a warmonger, Hakar, second in command to Armenus, all with the high general who was no doubt was now the absolute ruler of Corsica. All leaving Roma together. That just left Tori.
“Do you believe him, Tori?” Obran said.
“Would you?” Gaius interjected.
“Obran, it is something my father would do, try to rescue me before war broke out again between our kingdoms, as to whether these two poisoned your father, Gaius. I don’t find that being difficult to believe. Someone did contact me about helping them it but I didn’t go through with their plan. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier earlier, Gaius,” Tori said.
"Elissa..." Gaius said.
"And did you kill Armenus'?" Obran said to Hakar.
"That fool didn’t even bother wait for you. When the King of the Dwarven mountains heard the orcs had attacked he rushed off with most of the dwarf fighters in the kingdom. Word is he's dead or captured so I decided to make a more profitable arrangement and leave clearing out the mountains to the Romans; Foolish dwarves have been trying for centuries and I doubt the humans will succeed," Hakar said.
"And what makes you think an army of Romans won't raise this quarter after this betrayal," Gaius said.
"Me and my men will be long gone by then your highness," Hakar said. "You'd just get innocent dwarves and Romans killed."
"We should take the boy with us," consul Lucius said. "He could be a useful hostage."
"He's right, Borrabus," senator Cato added. "If we don't he'll tell the senate you and Hakar aided us."
Obran appraised the room. He counted seven dark elves and nearly a dozen dwarves. No doubt Borrabus’ captains and Hakar’s trusted dwarves, and who knows how many more were on their boat or at the docks. He looked out a window and thought about Mara and Katrina saving them again. It was a foolish thought. There would be no rescue this time.
"The boy will stay," Borrabus said. "I have promised the princess I would do him no harm."
Gaius looked full of rage.
"I do, however, give you a chance to come with us, Obran; someone with your skills would be welcomed and you could help attract others of your kind as well; I can promise you the rank of captain, with much compensation, something I doubt the Romans will ever do," Borrabus said.
Obran stared at Tori but she didn't say a word. Did she want him to come? Were they going to take her to Carthagio or to Corsica? He didn't for one second trust the dark elf. Yet so much of him just wanted to protect and be near her.
"And what about your dead comrades?" Obran said.
He was happy now to take all the blame for killing all those elves and wished he'd killed more.
"Any elf so easily killed deserves his fate," Borrabus said.
"You can't be serious, Obran?" Gaius said.
But Obran was silent and only stared at Tori.
"You are a Roman, Obran, a praetorian guard. You have a duty to Roma, to your King," Gaius said.
Obran knew his answer.
“I am a Roman,” Obran said.
"I know..." Tori said.
“Very well my dear. I will take you home now. Your father can tell you all about our arrangements and his hope for a union between us,” Borrabus said.
"I’m sorry," Tori said to Obran.
Obran stood up without thinking and charged at the elf lord with his claws, but there were too many dwarves and elf guards; they dwarves grabbed him and shoved him to the ground. He still managed to claw the throat of one elf before a dwarf punched him hard in the stomach, stunning him. Gaius punched the dwarf back but was also tackled to the ground.
“Don’t hurt them! Stop it! Or I’ll jump off your boat general,” Tori said.
Borrabus ordered his guards to let them go and Obran and Gaius sat back in their seats.
"Go see the healer," Borrabus told the wounded elf who stumbled out of the room, bleeding profusely from his neck. Let's hope it is six elves dead.
“Obran...Gaius...please, don't do that again," Tori said. " You both have to understand this is what my father and my people want and what your father wanted too, Gaius. And now you know who really poisoned your father. I always knew Collatinus would find out the truth about all of you.”
“We were unlucky princess, but his reign, nor that of his sons, will last much longer,” consul Lucius said.
“And it won’t matter where you go princess; your people and city will be destroyed and enslaved,” Cato said.
“But Elissa, you can’t trust this elf,” Gaius said.
“That doesn’t matter now Gaius, please just let me go,” Tori said.
The elf lord stood up. Signaling to his guards to prepare to leave.
“We will leave immediately, Hakar," Borrabus said.
“It’s all been taken care of,” Hakar said. “Don’t worry princess, your gremlin will get back to his hole, where he will be a king again.”
“He’s more of a king than anyone in this room,” Tori said. “Let him go and Gaius too and when they’re outside this quarter, we’ll leave, but not before.”
The elf lord nodded at Hakar and the dwarf guards pulled them both to their feet. Tori went over to Gaius.
“Go take care of your family. Your father wants peace and I’ll make sure my father knows that and help your brother too. He will need you, take care of each other,” Tori glanced at consul Lucius and senator Cato . "There were others involved too, find them."
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop this, Elissa. If only you’d stayed, nothing would have stopped us being together,” Gaius said.
“I would have. I am sorry, Gaius. I am unsure of my fate but I know it is not by your side,” Tori said and hugged him. “Goodbye, Gaius Aurelius.”
Gaius didn’t answer; he looked sad enough to cry but held it back as a roman officer would.
Tori walked over to Obran and bent down to one knee.
“I failed you," Obran said. "I can’t think of anything to say besides forgive me."
Tori leaned against his ear and whispered.
“Then let me do the talking. This isn’t the end. I saw more in the dark forest and I know you did too. The wizard told me more. We will be together again, I promise. I love you and I know you do too. Be stronger than you can imagine and I will be there, I promise. Remember you will be a king, a great king, and I’ll be by your side for as long as I breathe,” Tori said.
Tori kissed him. The moment was so solemn no one in the room uttered a word.
“I…I do too,” Obran said.
It was all he could get himself to say but she still smiled. The dwarf guards pulled him and Gaius out the door.
“Farewell my human prince and gremlin king,” Hakar said. “I hope I get the pleasure to meet you both again.”
“Same here dwarf,” Gaius said.
“When this experiment ends and Roma falls, remember I will need gremlins like you Obran, do not settle for mere human rewards,” Borrabus said.314Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sMxO3IDZ1
But Obran didn’t answer. He and Tori just looked at each other while she walked down the pier and boarded a ship and Obran and Gaius were taken outside the quarter past the gate. Their weapons and equipment were already waiting for them outside. The two gate guards shoved them out and locked the door behind them.
“Be off, before they change their minds,” the bald dwarf said. "Remember I had nothing to do with this."
On the ship there were a dozen elves and more than two dozen dwarves. The ship was unmoored and dwarves began to row the ship. It went faster than Obran imagined. Toir stood on the deck and she and stared at him until she disappeared into the mist.
End of Book 1: The Gremlin King
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