Koal cleared his throat pointedly. “We’re finished here. You may leave. Now.”
Again came the sinister laughter that made Joel’s skin crawl. “Finished? I think not, Seneschal. The true war’s only just begun.”
Flashing a haughty leer, Morathi stormed past Tular and disappeared into the night.
As soon as the general’s footsteps faded, Koal slumped onto a crate. He rubbed his face, fatigue etched into the hard features. His mouth drooped so low his bottom lip touched the dip of his chin. Joel twisted his hands, waiting in silence for direction. He hated seeing his father like this, so hopeless and defeated.
At long last, Koal issued a sigh. “I suppose there’s nothing more that can be done tonight. You should all try to get some rest. And may you find it. The sun rises early in the south.”
“I’ll stand watch,” Hasain muttered, taking to his feet.
“No.” Koal shook his head. “You need sleep. I’ll keep vigil.”
“I assure you that I won’t find sleep tonight. I might as well make myself useful.”
“Hasain, if you want to talk about the battle—”
The Radek lord’s voice clipped. “I just want fresh air and to be alone.” Without another word, Hasain pulled the canvas back and slipped outside.
Tular stared after his brother. “Should I follow? I can try to talk to him.”
“No,” Koal said. “Let him have his space for now. We all work through the horrors of the battlefield differently. He’ll open up to us when he’s ready.”
Deegan tossed Joel and Natori each a sleeping mat before unrolling one for himself. “Tular, you take the cot. It’s not good for you to lie on the ground.”
Tular curled his nose. “Cots are for old men and…spoiled princes.”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
Exhaustion sufficiently smothered any further complaints Tular might have had. Groaning, he lowered himself onto the cot and curled onto his side.
Silence swelled inside the tent as the others settled on their mats. Joel tossed for some time before finally rolling onto his back. He stared at the canvas above, bathed in cerulean moonlight. A gentle breeze rustled the fabric, causing it to buckle and lift, over and over again, as though it were a living entity. Joel watched, hoping the motion would lull him to sleep. It didn’t.
More time passed. Deegan’s breaths grew heavy and long, and soft snores rose from Tular’s cot. Joel shut his eyes, tossing and turning so many times he soon lost count. He tried using his arm as a pillow and even shucked off his boots, yet still sleep evaded him. He couldn’t get comfortable. His troubled mind was simply unable to find peace.
Finally, he could take no more and sat up. “Father?”
Koal rested on the ground, his back propped against a crate and legs stretched out before him. He’d been dozing, with his chin to his chest and eyes half closed, but he lifted his head when Joel called.
“What is it?” Koal asked.
Joel swallowed. His mouth was so dry the task took more effort than it should have. “May I ask you a question?”
“If I answer, will you go to sleep?”
Joel wanted to smile, but dark thoughts weighed heavily on his mind. He kept his voice low, so not to disturb the others. “When we were outside Tahir’s gates, moments before the attack started, I saw the fear in your eyes. You told me to go to Deegan—to take him and flee. You knew something terrible was going to happen. How?”
Koal stared into the shadows for an eternity before he replied. “I had my suspicions when Prince Rami called for Deegan and myself to be handed over, but it wasn’t until he mentioned the ‘great golden dragon’ that I knew our worst fears had come true.”
A wave of nausea rolled over Joel. He closed his eyes against the delirium. He didn’t want to ask—but he had to know. “The Empire unleashed those horrible creatures, didn’t they?”
“Yes. Without a doubt.”
Goddesses, help us.
Joel swallowed the bile bubbling at the back of his throat, fighting to keep his meager meal down. “This entire thing was a trap from the beginning, wasn’t it? And we played right into their hand. Shiraz attacked Ashvale and our scouting troop to entice us across the border, but they never actually planned on facing us in open battle. Their militia feigned retreat—let us think we had the advantage—drawing us further in. Then they slowly weakened us. They cut off our supply train and raided our camp—demoralized us. They executed their plan perfectly, all so the Empire could have its way with us when we reached Tahir. Daya, how could this happen? We knew. We knew Sarpedon and the Dhaki princes had made an alliance. If those fools on the council would have listened—”
Koal hung his head. “The blame rests on my shoulders. I should have fought harder against the High Council. I should have forced them to see reason. All those lives—those thousands of soldiers—they could have been spared if I’d taken a stand against Neetra.”
Joel was on his feet and by Koal’s side before the seneschal could even raise his weary eyes. Joel knelt beside his father. “No, Da. This isn’t your fault. You did try. Neetra’s beyond reason, you know that. There’s nothing you could have done to sway him.”
“I promised Rishi I wouldn’t let Arden fall into darkness, yet here we are.”
Joel’s hand sought out his father’s. “The path may be encumbered by shadow, but we can still find our way to the light. We’re alive, aren’t we? We’re on our way home. Deegan is safe. And don’t forget about our allies in Silver. We’ll be stronger when we’re all together again. The High Council may even rebuke Neetra when they learn the outcome of the war. There’s a good chance they’ll turn to your leadership, Da. There’s still hope for change.”
It was hard to judge in the dim moonlight, but Joel was almost certain a smile momentarily lifted Koal’s worn face. “You’re wise beyond your years, son. And braver than you’ll ever know. You’re right. Even in the darkest hour, hope prevails. I shouldn’t have despaired. Please forgive an old man for his lapse in faith.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Da. Nothing. And know that every scrap of bravery—every bit of integrity and good inside my heart—it comes from you. You’ve spent your entire life courageously fighting for what’s right. I’m honored to call you my father.”
Koal’s eyes grew misty, and then his arms went around Joel in a firm embrace. “I don’t think a parent could ever be more proud of their child than I am of you.”
Tears slipped freely down Joel’s cheeks as he felt something raw and deep inside his soul finally start to heal. He rested his face against his father’s shoulder and wept. “I love you, Da.”
“And I you, son. Everything is going to be all right.”
Joel returned to his mat with hope ignited inside him. The future remained shrouded—perhaps more unclear than ever before—but he had to believe things would get better. Evil couldn’t reign forever—not when there was still so much good left in the world. The night was indeed dark, but he’d never stop fighting for a better tomorrow.
Joel laid down his head, a sense of great peace settling around him. A soft smile touched his lips. His eyes fluttered shut. And then sleep came, carrying him away.
Epilogue
Hasain stumbled through the thickening gloom, trying in vain to escape the guilt pressing down on his soul. He knew he should keep vigil outside the command tent, but he couldn’t stay. He couldn’t stand there and bear witness to their grief. He couldn’t listen while they mourned the fallen.
This was entirely his fault. He’d failed in every way possible. He’d failed to keep his promise to his father. He’d failed to uphold his honor. He’d failed to protect his brothers without calling for the treacherous demon. He was a coward. A disgrace. A murderer.
Hasain lurched to a stop only when he reached the outskirts of the encampment. Coarse sand swallowed the soles of his boots. Choking on a gasp, he raised his eyes. The desert sprawled before him; powder-white dunes bathed in moonl
ight stretched into the vast distance. He wished nothing more than for the desert to devour him whole. He deserved such a fate after what he’d done. All those men. Those poor, brave soldiers. Hasain clenched his jaw so tightly his entire face hurt. The pain was nothing compared to the torment in his heart.
They’re all dead. They’re all dead because of me. Oh gods, what have I done? I killed them all—
“Hasain.”
Hasain doubled over, shuddering with dread, as he felt the demon’s presence creep over him in a sinister wave. Terror gripped his heart.
No, Hasain silently pleaded. Go away!
Darkness closed around him. He couldn’t breathe.
“Oh, Hasain.” Leviticus’s hiss was like a surge of blood searing through the ears. “Perhaps if you hadn’t waited so long to call for aid, such great sacrifices wouldn’t have had to be made today. Regardless, what’s done is done. You survived, and you’ll only grow stronger with me by your side.”
Hasain shivered. Lies. The demon told nothing but lies. His father had warned him—but he was weak. He was a coward. He’d succumbed to the monster’s deceit. He had failed.
“You should be thanking me,” Leviticus jeered. “Your brothers would have died if not for me. I kept them alive.”
Hasain shook his head bitterly. At what cost? Arden’s army was ruined. Gone. Lost to the sand. In a single, foolish moment, Hasain had destroyed it. He’d sent thousands of his own people to an early grave. Their screams would forever haunt his dreams. Their blood would forever stain his heart. If he’d known the demon’s plan beforehand, he would never have agreed to accept help…would he?
Hasain wiped the tears from his eyes. He was no better than the vile creature that plagued him. He was a monster. His father would have been ashamed to see him now.
“Weep if you will, but you’re alive and well. You’re on your way home. The steward’s disastrous war campaign will not sit well with the country. It will be the beginning of his downfall. Together, we’ll tear him down entirely.”
Lies. More lies.
Glaring into the night, Hasain reached into his pocket. His fingers brushed over the stone within. He couldn’t risk any more harm. He had to be rid of the creature now. The demon’s evil couldn’t return to Arden.
He pulled the gem free, holding it at arm’s length, cradling the polished crimson in the dip of his trembling palm. And then Hasain stumbled forward, venturing into the open desert.
“What are you doing?”
Shadows engulfed him, so like the shade over his heart that Hasain wondered if they were one and the same. With each footfall, his resolve ebbed, but he refused to turn back. This had to be done.
“Don’t be a fool, Hasain. You still need me.”
Hasain stopped when he was well outside the reach of the firelight. He was alone. No one would come out here. No one would discover what he had done. His fist tightened around the stone. Gritting his teeth, he clutched the forbidden gem, wishing he could squeeze the very essence out of it. He couldn’t do that, of course, but he could cast it away. The demon didn’t control him so wholly. And now it never would.
“You can never be rid of me. I’m in your feeble mind. I’m in your cowardly heart.”
Hasain shook his head, refusing to believe the demon’s words. He’d failed once. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. This would end—now.
“Hasain—”
No. No more lies!
Hasain dropped the stone into the sand and walked away. He didn’t glance back.
Kezra waited until Hasain had disappeared into the camp before she advanced. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the glimmering ruby resting in the sand. Kneeling down, she took the gem into one hand. A frown pulled at the corner of her mouth. She’d never cared for the touch of magic energy. This focus stone must have been full of it, the way the static crackled along her fingertips.
A creeping unrest twisted inside, but she pushed the feeling from her mind. Why had Hasain discarded such a precious trinket? Was it because he thought himself weak? Didn’t the fool know that a single mage could never have stopped what had happened outside Tahir?
The gem sat heavily in her hand, and she still didn’t like the feel of it—but it was probably worth a small fortune. Once he’d had a chance to clear his head, Hasain might regret tossing it. With a sigh, Kezra slipped the stone into her satchel and went to sit by the fire.
Final Word
Hope shattered. Arden’s mighty army decimated. Lives forever changed. Nage, Liza—thousands of brave soldiers lost in a battle that should have been a sweeping victory but instead has left Arden dangerously vulnerable. Grief-stricken and weary, all Gib wants is a moment’s rest and a chance to mend the broken fragments of his life. But the Silver City he returns to is anything but restful, and a dark plan has already been set into motion that may just destroy life as Gib knows it. Exile: Book Four of the Chronicles of Arden, is coming winter 2016!
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Battle Dawn: Book Three of the Chronicles of Arden Page 39