Read Whill of Agora Trilogy: Book 01 - Whill of Agora for Free Online Page B

thousands of eyes upon him once more, but he didn’t mind the feeling this time. He descended the steps and entered the ring. He approached the king, who stood among his guards. He regarded Whill with a curious smile. He looked to be slightly older than Abram. His long black hair hung to his shoulders, and his face was covered with a full, neatly trimmed beard. Within his soft brown eyes Whill saw compassion and kindness. He liked the man’s face, and not merely because he was about to give him a pile of gold. The king gave off an unmistakable energy, one of great power and pure goodness. He was not the type to sit upon his throne and enjoy a life of lavish luxury while his people went without. Any attack on them was considered a personal attack on him, Whill knew. King Mathus traveled often among the cities, towns, and villages of his kingdom, personally witnessing the lives of his people.
    The king took Whill’s hand in his own. With a firm grip, he shook his hand and congratulated him. He then led Whill to the seat positioned on the scale.
    “My good people of Fendale, and those of far cities, I ask your assistance. The chest at the other end of the scale is filled with twenty-pound bags of pure gold coins. I ask that you count aloud as they are put into the weighing basket. Let’s see this lad’s weight in gold.”
    The crowd cheered and Whill sat upon the seat, feeling a little awkward. The chair had no legs, so when he sat on it his feet were still on the ground.
    “The first bag of gold, please!”
    A knight took a bag of gold from the chest and put it in the basket, which, because of the angle of the beam, was seven feet in the air.
    “One!” the crowd cried. Another bag was put into the basket. “Two!” More bags were added. “Three! Four! Five! Six!” Whill had started to rise slightly with the additional gold, but his feet still touched the ground.
    “Seven!” the crowd cheered as the knight put in yet another bag of gold. “Eight! Nine!” Whill’s feet finally left the ground. “Ten!” At last the beam evened out. Whill was bursting with elation. Two hundred pounds of gold!
    Knights on both sides took hold of the beam as he was lowed. The king again shook his hand. “Congratulations, Whill. I look forward to meeting privately with you soon.”
    “Thank you, Sire. I also look forward to the meeting.”
    “If you like, the gold will be kept safe for you until such time as you are prepared to take it.”
    Whill had wondered how he and Abram would leave with two hundred pounds of gold. He thanked the king and made his way back to his seat. Then he and Abram made their way out of the coliseum and returned to the noisy street. They quickly found another wheel cart, and with a coin toss to a young lad, they were on their way.
    “Where are we going?” Whill asked. “The king wants to meet privately with me.”
    “Of course he does. But the meeting will not be for awhile, and it will not be in Fendale.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “First we have a small journey to make, one that will better prepare you for the counsel of the king.”
    Whill had no idea what Abram meant, but he wasn’t going to ponder the issue. Tonight was to be a night of celebration. “So where are we headed?”
    “To the best pub this side of—”
    “Let me guess: the Ky’Dren Mountains.”
    Abram grinned. “No joker, I was going to say the best pub this side of the ocean. But you get the point.”
    They rode for about ten minutes towards the heart of the city and stopped in front of a rustic-looking pub. The crowd had not died at all though it was now well into the night. The sky above was clear and full of brilliant stars, which surprisingly were visible in the mist of the great light of the lighthouse. People laughed and cheered in the streets as they walked by, following one of the many parades that had been snaking its way through the city all day. Whill followed Abram into the pub.
    The pub was called the Wet