Homecoming

by Tull Harrison

  "It does, but don't expect to ride Trouble."

  "Do not worry. I will walk."

  Skeptically, Rebenna raised one eyebrow, but then steered Trouble back towards the Impenetrable Mountains.

  Chapter 15

  Tymon clicked his beak at Delmer irritably. His feathers were ruffled, and his head hung low. The falcon had obviously made a hasty journey. He shifted his weight painfully on Delmer's unpadded shoulder.

  What could be wrong?

  The king spotted a small scrap of paper tied to Tymon's leg. Quickly, Delmer untied it and unrolled it. On it were written three simple words.

  Noenna's army comes.

  Although she had not signed it, the note was obviously from Rebenna. Delmer breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she had not been hurt. Then his throat tightened again: A whole army was approaching.

  Delmer finally realized how deep the treachery against him went. Not only had Rogan betrayed him, King Marus had broken their fragile alliance. They planned to crush Malzepher, finding hardly any resistance. For a second he glanced towards the sky, silently saying his thanks to Rebenna. She had bought him and Malzepher much needed time.

  Turning his attention back to the battle once again, Delmer noted that there was only a quarter of the pirates left. His ragtag army had done better than he had expected. Even so, Delmer spotted Rogan's colors towards the middle of the fray.

  The pirates seemed desperate. Instead of trying to attack Delmer's forces, they had fallen back into defensive positions. It was as if they were waiting for something. Now Delmer knew what it was.

  Noenna's army must be close.

  Delmer let out a new cry, "Gather and fall back."

  Tully quickly picked up the shout and echoed it on his horn. Delmer's soldiers, trained and untrained, looked up in bewilderment. Nevertheless, they trusted their leader enough to follow his orders.

  Without any protest, they began an orderly retreat. There was no rush to get away from the enemy. Delmer guessed his soldiers thought of their retreat as an advance to the rear.

  When his forces stood restlessly near the knoll north of Kingdom Cove, they looked at their king expectantly. They had believed that they would finish off their enemy quickly. Everyone was wondering why they had retreated.

  However, they would have to wait. Delmer called a meeting with his officers. They stood away from the rest of the army in a tightly grouped circle.

  Delmer joined them and addressed them firmly. "During the battle, I received information. The pirates have reinforcements coming. These reinforcements are no doubt larger than our own forces."

  "Reinforcements? From where?" Captain Teton asked, bewildered.

  "They are coming from Noenna. My source has said that their whole army is coming," Delmer explained.

  General Portam said, "Reinforcements from our two neighboring allies should arrive soon."

  Simeon shook his head. "Even so, Noenna has an important army; the odds will still be against us."

  Delmer set his jaw. If his officers gave up, all would be lost. "We have two option: fight or surrender and give up our hard-earned freedom."

  At this statement the officers looked up, almost indignantly.

  "The odds may be against us, but there is no question we will fight," General Portam replied for all of them.

  Delmer nodded, satisfied. "Fine, then we must prepare."

  As Delmer was about to address his forces, a man came running up to him. It was Richmon, a bandage over one eye, stumbling towards him. The king was glad to see that his heir and cousin still lived. He would not have stayed out of the battle.

  Delmer's voice was terse. "What is wrong, Richmon?"

  The young man took a breath. "A guard has arrived to see you. He is walking instead of riding, and his horse is nowhere to be seen."

  Delmer glanced sharply at Richmon and nodded. "I will see him now."

  Richmon began to scramble off in the direction he had come and Delmer followed as fast as his long legs would carry him. The only thing that kept him from breaking into a run was the need to show calm and dignity to his troops.

  As Delmer had suspected, he found one of the guards from his escort when he arrived. It was the youngest of them, Travis. He seemed to be unharmed but looked as though he would melt at the first sign of trouble.

  Where are the other two?

  As both king and general, Delmer could not comfort the guard. Instead, he waited until Travis was able to compose himself.

  Soon enough, Travis began his report. "For a while after you left us Sire, we traveled in a tight group. Then, since my horse seemed the freshest, I went to scout ahead. I was looking to see if any of the pirates had thought to block the road; they hadn't.

  "When I returned to the others, I saw a massive man striking down Pierce. Anthony had already been killed. He turned on me. I don't remember killing the man, I only realized it after I’d done it. He was not a particularly good fighter; he must have caught the others unaware."

  Delmer glanced at Travis's face. He was completely white and shook slightly. However, he did not tremble or faint. Though this man was obviously Travis's first kill, he held up well.

  Travis only paused for the briefest of moments. "I looked over both bodies, but neither was alive. Just as I was about to bring the message to you, I heard a huge clamor. I was on a hill, so I had a good view. Sir, when I looked down, the Noennaan army was there. They're approaching and look to have numbers nearly double to ours. I've never heard anything like their march. The closest thing to it would be a thunderhead approaching..."

  Travis's voice trailed off. Then, with resolve, he finished his tale. "As soon as I saw them, I leaped onto my horse. I only stopped long enough to grab my late comrades' horses, swords, and shields. I rode as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I wrecked all three horses to get here. The last one fell a candle mark ago."

  "You did well Travis." Delmer commended gravely. The loss of the old fighter stung like an old wound reopened.

  Travis took two rather heavy shields and swords off his back. "Here are their swords and shields, Sire. I thought to return them to their families as is custom."

  Delmer inclined his head as he took one of the shields from Travis. It was Pierce’s, and his loss weighed as heavily on the king’s heart as the gear weighed in his hands. He had been a good man; both dead men had been good soldiers.

  They won't be the only losses if this war continues. No doubt even in this first battle too many men were lost. The thought came unbidden to his head, sickening him. It settled like dust in the back of his mind.

  Delmer reached out and touched Travis's shoulder. "You did well today. You could not have done anything more for Pierce or Anthony. I will make sure we prepare for battle accordingly. Now go, there will be wine and food waiting for you in the mess tent."

  The dead guards’ equipment was heavy, and he could not imagine how Travis had managed to carry it. Two aides rushed forward to relieve Delmer of his burden and head back to the castle with the swords and shields.

  Delmer took a breath to let the sadness pass. Then, he turned to Richmon. His heir's face was visibly shaken, whereas Delmer knew his was a mask.

  Richmon's voice quivered. "Sire, what should be done now? The entire Noennaan army approaches."

  "You will return to the castle. The heir to Malzepher cannot die on the battlefield."

  Richmon was indignant. "I have trained for battle, as you know. I am needed in the field. What good is it for me to live if Malzepher fails to exist?"

  Delmer shook his head. "Malzepher will not fall; you must trust me. Though you are an excellent fighter, you are still my heir. For now, you are the future. Return to the castle. I give that order as both your general and your king."

  The lord’s head dipped in a brusque bow before he looked Delmer in the eye. "I will go."

  Delmer nodded, but added, "Have a healer look at your eye."

  As soon as he had finished his sentence, Richmon
was gone. The problem remained: What was he going to do about the Noennaan army?

  Tymon, who had flown off somewhere, returned to Delmer. He snagged Delmer's shoulder again as he landed. The king winced as the wound from his last meeting with the falcon was torn open. Tymon’s feathers were still disheveled and his head dropped slightly. With two fingers, Delmer stroked Tymon's head. The bird had flown a long way in a short amount of time.

  Sighing inwardly as he thought of the great effort his army, mostly untrained, was making, Delmer walked towards the heart of the camp. A mere accident of birth had thrust power upon him. As he walked, he consciously gathered this power around him like a cloak. With Tymon on his shoulder and Morag dogging his heels, he knew he looked the part of a monarch.

  Standing in the center of camp, he looked out across the space. Young nobles sat in groups, the set of their chin and shoulders announcing how superior they thought themselves. Other young men, peasants judging by their mismatched armor, were trying their hand at the nobles' game of chess. The board had undoubtedly been borrowed.

  Yet another group sat near the mess tent playing tarot. Here, inexperienced soldiers masquerading as veterans mixed with peasants, who were hardened by years of labor and were too old to be fighting. It was this group that Travis had joined; he appeared to be the clear winner of the game.

  His senses still heightened from the skirmish, Delmer whirled around at the light footsteps on the grass behind him. His sword was already unsheathed before he noted that it was only Tully approaching.

  Delmer sheathed his sword and nodded to acknowledge his advisor, aid, and flag bearer. Tully did not speak, he simply waited. They stood in silence. Around them, the loud voices of soldiers rang out.

  The sounds of camp were so different from the sounds of battle. The memory of horses screaming and soldiers gurgling as blood filled their lungs returned to Delmer. The smell of freshly spilt blood impregnated his nostrils again. Men still running though their heads had been cleaved off. People missing legs, arms, even half their bodies. These thoughts preyed on his mind; they paralyzed his body.

  "Sire, what do you intend to tell the troops?"

  Tully's question startled Delmer out of his trance.

  "I will give them a choice," Delmer replied, the words coming one by one while images of the skirmish flashed through his mind.

  Not bothering to explain himself, Delmer turned and walked once more towards the knoll where he could address his forces. Tully followed at a distance.

  Stopping at the top of the knoll, Delmer signaled Tully to gather the soldiers. Knowing his cue, Tully blew a low, mournful note on the battle horn that hung on his leg.

  The note brought soldiers scrambling towards the knoll where their general stood. A few muffled murmurs passed through the crowd. Delmer prepared himself. The choice he was about to offer his troops was no choice at all. However, he could not let his entire army be slaughtered and Malzepher fall. This was the only way.

  He began speaking as soon as everyone was assembled. "Though it seems an eternity ago, yesterday the nobles renewed their oath of obedience to me. The choice I offer you now makes that oath null and void, and restores your freedom."

  A shout of dissent went out.

  "We are pledged to you and will be till death,” a man from one of the oldest noble families cried.

  A general shout went out approving this statement. Though the nobles thought they were better than peasants, they were loyal to their king.

  "Nevertheless, I will still release you, if you wish. The entire Noennaan army approaches. Even when reinforcements arrive, we will still be desperately outnumbered. We face obliteration."

  Delmer held up his hand at the shouting that rose. "You must listen. I offer you a choice. The first is to completely dissolve the army. This includes unconditional surrender. It is not an ideal solution, but it will save countless lives."

  An angry voice rose from the ranks. "Betrayal! Our ancestors would have gained our freedom in vain!”

  Smiling slightly, Delmer continued. "The other choice is a duel to determine the fate of the kingdom. I believe I can challenge King Marus' pride, and he will accept this offer."

  The crowd was slightly appeased but someone still asked, "Who will fight this match to the death?”

  "I will allow no other but myself to accept this responsibility," Delmer replied gravely.

  An arrogant nobleman scoffed. "What if you die?"

  "If I die, then all is beyond hope," Delmer returned.

  The rest of the crowd was struck silent by their king's stunning and unique declaration. Not even a whisper passed through the soldiers.

  Knowing what their reply would be, Delmer asked for their answer. "What is your choice?"

  Silence continued to plague the soldiers. Finally, a gravelly voice called out. It was Simeon’s. "I know that none of us wish for surrender. Therefore, though we want to fight ourselves, if the king wishes to avoid the deaths of his people, the only choice is hand-to-hand combat.”

  The remainder of the crowd murmured their assent.

  Delmer nodded. "Then I will meet with King Marus in the morning. The army will not attack tonight, so sleep in peace. Tomorrow you will all guard my back against treachery."

  Chapter 16

  Rebenna and Kellas had hastily left Ironton and made their way across the semi-desertic landscape that covered the entire expanse of Noenna. Kellas rode a horse he had traded for at a nearby town, that he had decided to call Earthshaker.

  Despite the oppressive heat, they had made excellent time. It took them almost a week to reach the border. The sandy soil was more difficult to cross than Malzepher's dusty turf. This slowed their progress but had not halted it.

  First they had traveled along the broad Maerts River and then skirted the low Niatnuom Mountains. Finally, Savann's endless forest came into view.

  As they journeyed closer to the border, there were fewer farmers and towns. Though the land near the forests was richer, people avoided it, as Savann frightened everyone. It was a closed off, mysterious place that did not welcome visitors.

  Finally, when they were a half day's journey away from the border, Kellas shed his cloak. Instead of slipping it into his pack, he simply shrugged it off. It fluttered from Earthshaker's back to the sand.

  When Rebenna saw Kellas without his cloak, she let out a gasp. His entire body was covered with tattoos. Only parts of his face and his hands were free of them.

  Sensing her mistress’s distress, Trouble stopped and lowered her head to buck. Unconsciously, Rebenna pulled the mare’s head up.

  "W-why?" she stuttered.

  "It is custom," Kellas stated simply. Then, apparently changing his mind, he elaborated. "Only Savann men bear these tattoos. They are our mark of servitude. In Savann, it is women who rule. Men may work wherever they wish, except for the realm of politics and the palace. Men inside the palace are chosen from birth and are expected to serve the current ruler. I am one of these men. Now you must understand why I was shocked by your family's treatment of you." He chuckled slightly; it was the first time Rebenna had ever heard him laugh.

  "Customs are so different everywhere. Do your tattoos have any specific meaning?" Rebenna asked in amazement.

  "All men have a common mark of their servitude, but the rest of their tattoos often only have a specific meaning for the bearer. In fact, most men have fewer tattoos than I. Nevertheless, since I am one of the chosen, I bear many more tattoos, each with its own meaning."

  Still fascinated, Rebenna urged Trouble to join Earthshaker. Without reserve, she studied every visible part of Kellas.

  For the first time Rebenna realized that Kellas’ eyes were not dark but a brilliant shade of green; an eye color she had not even known existed. His nose, chin, and body were strong and chiseled, while he lacked eyebrows. On his left cheek was the tattoo of a sun and moon, and above his right eye an arrow. His only unremarkable feature was his shoulder-length brown hair, which hung loos
e. Unthinkingly, Rebenna reached out to stroke Kellas’ face tattoos. He did not draw away.

  She continued studying his tattoos, ignoring his beautiful body. Snakes entwined his arms, ending at his wrist. There were stylized eyes, pierced hearts, a balanced scale, and chains; there were so many different shapes and symbols that Rebenna's head spun. However, the symbols on his face were repeated numerous times over his body.

  I wonder, are the repeated shapes the mark of servitude?

  Glancing down at his legs, she realized for the first time that he only wore short, tight breeches. Startled and somewhat embarrassed, Rebenna looked away and reflected on the information he had given her. In Malzepher and the other coastal countries, women were treated equally. Yet in Noenna women were no more than servants. And in Savann, men were the servants. How can so many different cultures exist on one continent?

  "Come, let us go into Savann," Kellas said.

  Rebenna smiled slightly and followed Earthshaker. When they passed easily into the woods that marked Savann's border, she let out a breath. Nothing had changed as if by magic; she was still the same. I suppose the prospect of something unknown is always frightening. Rebenna smiled inwardly at the truth in the ready-made phrase.

  There was no clear path into the forest, but the trees were widely spread. The shade cast by the forest was a relief from the harsh heat of the desert.

  Noticing the change in terrain, Trouble shook her head and pulled at the bit. Turning her attention to her horse, Rebenna soothed the antics of the mare. In front of her, Kellas continued to have no trouble with Earthshaker, who was notoriously difficult with anyone but Geb.

  Rebenna followed Kellas in slight awe. Savann was like no land she had ever been in before. Noenna was almost entirely a desert, except for the valley where Ironton was located. Malzepher was more varied in climate. Near the coast there was always a pleasant breeze. The rest of the country had hills, long grass, and a temperate climate. As she had seen when she was a child, Borse and Rugerr's climates were similar to Malzepher's.