The Prince's Mark

The Road to Dezmer - Six

Perplexed, Tracou pulled back. "But I want to say something without Pendaer hearing."

Pendaer, in the middle of spreading blankets out in the wagon, frowned in Tracou's direction.

Seeing this, Tracou huffed. "I guess he can hear this part. I want him punished and I want him punished tonight. I'll do it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I can't tell you if he's going to hear it. But I won't injure him."

That didn't seem like a good sign. Still, Pendaer had taken it upon himself to repeatedly 'punish' Tracou, so he should get to do the same.

Pendaer darted over to them.

"Your majesty, may I speak with you?" he asked in a rush, those seven words sounding more like three in his haste.

Mirthal glanced at Tracou, who shrugged. Truth be told, he didn't want to speak with Pendaer, but he wasn't the kind of person who would let this go. So he stood up and followed Pendaer out into some trees, far enough away from Tracou that he couldn't hear them. A torrent of Elvish burst out of Pendaer's mouth.

"Your highness, this joke has gone on long enough! You can't honestly leave my punishment up to that dezmek! I know you said that you were going to do that, but you've had days to think about it. The dezmek clouds your mind—I've known it since the moment I saw you with him in Shalen—but you need to snap out of it. There's no telling what a mud creature like that would do! That's why I took his wand in the first place. The rest of it, yes, I suppose one could argue that I treated him rather harshly, but it was all for your sake. And look, I found you! That dezmek never would have even known you were being held captive without me! Whatever you may think of my methods, it's clear that they work. Her majesty will be quite pleased with me when we return, I'm sure of it. In fact! She may want you to give me your mark."

They had had this conversation repeatedly since Mirthal had joined them. Pendaer had an uncanny ability to forget when Mirthal said something he didn't like. The only reason he remembered the fact that Mirthal told him about what was going to happen was because it fit into his ideas about Tracou and he apparently believed Mirthal could be swayed to let it drop. With other people, Pendaer would remember any negative things said to him and hate them forever, but when it came to Mirthal it just fell out of his head. The process was almost visible. The features of Pendaer's face would squeeze together for a while, with his eyes squinting and his lips moving up towards his nose, and then, suddenly, his expression would be back to normal. It used to infuriate him, but there was nothing Mirthal could do about it. He had tried. No one could say that he hadn't tried.

"You have to be punished somehow, Pendaer. What you did was inexcusable."

"Your highness, it was all for you! And besides, without me he would be dead at that waterfall! If you think this dezmek's unjustified grudge against me will be sated by this, you're wrong!"

Mirthal's expression tightened, making Pendaer flinch.

"Come with me, Pendaer. You might as well face your punishment now."

A prolonged, strangled squeak wriggled in Pendaer's throat upon hearing this. But he couldn't refuse Mirthal.

Seeing Pendaer this afraid unsettled him. Back home Pendaer had two modes: 'yes, your highness' and looking down on other people. Here, Pendaer had managed to find another: hissing at Tracou. Particularly now that they were in Aodehn, with Tracou's upcoming punishment looming, Pendaer had trouble looking at him. Then again, if he was frightened of retribution, even he must realize that what he did was so severe that he would pay a hefty price now.