“I wondered why Haesom never came to Palium and Snow Peak’s rescue,” John commented.
Larone looked hurt. “My nephew did not abandon them. It was a peaceful takeover and no one asked for help. Daenon managed the deed quietly, quickly and very efficiently. The takeover was complete before Haesom realized what happened. He would have sent troops in immediately if he suspected treachery, but it was many months before the truth of the takeover came out, and by then Daenon’s army had fortified the borders. We were not prepared at that time for an all-out war.”
“Esparia is not held together as the United States is.” Gaylee explained to John. “The central government has power, but the individual provinces are just as strong, perhaps more. If one province wanted to secede badly enough, it could. There would be no civil war, as your country had so long ago. Think of the European Economic Union, several independent countries held together by a common governing power. For Europe it’s economic power, but for Esparia it’s political. The Protectors, along with a Grand Council, made up of elected officials from the provinces, comprise our central government. We have political power, but not as absolute as the US federal government.”
John nodded, seeming to understand this explanation, though Cordon and Lyrista had inquisitive looks on their faces.
“European Economic Union? United States?” Lyrista looked to John.
“Now you know how I felt when I first heard about Esparia, Hent and Marone.” John smiled. “I’ll explain later.”
“Please Larone,” Gaylee gently urged, “you were explaining Grandfather’s prophecy.”
“There is a passage about Jessica.” Larone quoted again, “‘From afar a light grows steady, Safe from harm till she is ready, Within her hand she holds all gifts, Of truth and speech, healing of rifts.’ Earth is as far from Edia as one can get.”
“Earth?” Lyrista’s eyebrows shot up again.
“I promise, I’ll explain later,” John reassured.
Anton spoke up. “Jessi has the Healin’ or Salupathic Gift and we’ve seen her Truth skills. She even understands Varnack.”
Larone nodded. “The prophecy contains two strict warnings, ‘patience strong will break war’s hell’ and ‘If anger rule and vengeance take Countless years of darkness make.’” Looking at John he confessed, “I was immensely relieved when you resisted the temptation to attack Daenon first. I believe that would have proved disastrous.”
Addressing the entire group again he finished, “The second warning is quite clear, this is not a war of vengeance. Mercy needs to be shown. This is the only way to peace.”
For a long time, no one spoke. Finally, Cordon broke the silence. “You failed to mention another stanza of the prophecy, something like, ‘Protector new will lead the land’.” Cordon looked directly at John with an expression of ‘I told you so’ on his face. John wrinkled his brow and took a breath, as if to say something, but then swallowed it and remained quiet.
“I have explained the lines which are important for now, the warnings. However, I believe as you do Cordon, the ‘new Protector’ is John; the problem is he does not believe it. He must come to that conclusion on his own.”
When John still did not respond, Larone turned to Jessica. “I am pleased you are willing to stay here for a while longer. I can teach you how to control your gifts and more fully develop them. With patience, you will come to understand your heritage and achieve your full potential.”
“It’s no secret how I feel about magical powers,” John finally spoke. “But if this prophecy brings any of you comfort and guidance, then who am I to discredit it. Now, if there are no other surprises,” he paused, “then it’s time to adjourn this meeting. Good luck everyone.”
*
Mid-morning found Jessica in Medicinal Plants class. Her ability to concentrate waned while the seconds ticked by. Normally she enjoyed the fascinating class, but the instructor, a middle aged woman with a whiny voice, had chosen as today’s topic ‘the value of the Purple Fern’ and Jessica already knew, from personal experience, how the plant functioned. Her arm was nearly healed, with only a small scar to prove she was ever wounded.
The only thing on Jessica’s mind was the sad thought that Varnack would leave that afternoon for the home of the Trigal Hounds. She understood the importance of his mission, the hounds would make invaluable allies, but her heart felt heavy at losing her best friend.
She wouldn’t have much time to dwell on the loss though. Larone had her on a demanding schedule. As soon as she said goodbye to her father and the other departing leaders, Larone and Grandma Gaylee began her Esparian education. That was a little over a week ago. Since then she had suffered through tutorials of every form, from early morning to late evening. Before noon, traditional classroom instruction of the medical profession filled her time. The lessons ranged from Birthing Babies to Emergency Medical Care. These classes she actually enjoyed, for they were fast paced and full of practical information. The afternoon schedule consisted first of laboratory work…moderately interesting; second, Esparian history and culture…excruciatingly boring; third, weaponry…not as fun as she originally thought it would be, and finally horsemanship…best of the afternoon bunch.
Jessica felt the evenings, spent with Larone and Grandma Gaylee, to be the most worthwhile time in her day, for it was then she learned to hone her abilities. The first half of each evening found them at Ramadine’s farm where Larone had Jessica practice her animal communication skills. She improved dramatically during the week and decided she liked talking with the pigs best, as their quirky sense of humor made her laugh.
The second half of each evening was devoted to exercises specific for development and control of her psychic powers. These proved to be the most difficult of all. There were relaxation exercises and precise drills for controlling her mental state, practicing her visualization as well as developing mental protection. It took a great deal of dedicated concentration and she found the mental exertion was, ironically, more taxing than any physical labor she had ever before performed. As a result, she fell into her bed each night completely exhausted.
At last, a bell ringer came through the hall signaling the end of the purple fern class. Scores of bell ringers were employed at Ramadine. Their job was to attend to the sundials and announce the time at each hour throughout the day. Silently, Jessica blessed the bell ringer who ended the Medicinal Plants lecture. She filed out with the rest of the students and headed for Dental Emergencies when Quirt singled her out. “My Lady…Jessica,” he huffed, somewhat out of breath, “Lord Larone…wants you right away. He’s…in his office.”
“Thanks, Quirt,” she said, then made her way across campus to the large, green building. Larone had allowed Quirt to stay at Ramadine, but the man was stripped of his previous authority and was now little more than an errand boy. Jessica felt pity for him because she understood how truly penitent he was for his betrayal, but no amount of remorse could bring back the thousand lives lost by his false information that fateful day at Saylon Dorsett.
Jessica found her uncle sitting at his desk, studying a small piece of paper in his hand. “Quirt said you wanted to see me,” she knocked on the open door.
“Yes, come in and sit down, my dear. I have just received another communication from your father.” He indicated the small paper. “Daenon still has not attacked. His troops are arrayed within Palium and Snow Peak, approximately five filons from our border, and yet he waits.”
Jessica pursed her lips. “Maybe Daenon’s waiting for something else. He must have spies around. He might be trying to infiltrate further into our lines before he makes the first move, attack us from within as well as without, or cut off the supply routes.”
“Perhaps.” Larone set the paper aside. “I will send warnings to take extra precautions and double the guards where necessary, but that is not the reason why I called you in here.” He pulled a piece of thinly hammered bark from his top desk drawer. “I received this last night by Red Feat
hers; I believe it to be from the giants.”
He handed it to her. It was yellow in color and slightly thicker than regular paper. A short line of handwritten characters was scrawled across it. At first glance the characters seemed foreign to Jessica, sort of blurry on the paper. But as she stared at them they seemed to come into focus.
She read it out loud. “Meet again, John”
“Hmmm,” Larone stared intently at Jessica. She became uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Finally he said, “So, they desire another meeting with your father.” He took the yellowed paper out of her hand and studied it. “That is not possible, since he is not here.” He looked at Jessica. “I do not wish to disappoint the giants. This meeting could prove extremely beneficial to us. Would you go in your father’s place?”
Jessica’s heart skipped several beats. “I would love to go, but are you sure this is from the giants?”
“It was delivered to a Red Feathers Center closest to the base of the Colossus Mountain range by a giant. The Redman in charge of the center was terrified. I will send an escort of men with you. Not a large troop, I do not wish to alarm the giants, but enough soldiers to protect you in an emergency. They are expecting only your father and possibly Cordon, not an entire regiment.”
“How soon do I leave?”
“Can you be ready by this afternoon? It will take at least four days to reach the mountains, and I do not know how far into them you will have to ride before making contact. I will instruct your escort to take you to the Golden Meadow, since that is where your father had his first contact with them.”
“This afternoon will be fine.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but inside she jumped with excitement. She could not wait to see the majestic mountains her father had so vividly described, and she was already mentally reviewing her German, and wishing she’d paid more attention in class.
Two hours later, a group of soldiers, fresh from Ider Hoffle, stood ready at the gate. Their leader was a young man who had recently arrived at Ramadine. When Jessica and Web approached the troop, the leader dismounted and bowed to her. He introduced himself as Jeema, the soldier her father had saved in Ider Hoffle a few weeks earlier. He did not look much older than she, but knowing how deceiving looks could be, she gratefully accepted his leadership.
Jessica said goodbye to Gaylee and Larone. Varnack came to her and licked her hand. “Not happy. Go with you.”
“I’m not happy about this either, Varnack, but Uncle Larone needs you. You’re our only emissary to the Trigal Hounds.”
“Don’t trust soldiers.”
“I’ll be fine. In fact, I bet I’m back before you are.” She scratched his head when he licked her once more, then Jeema gave the signal to head out.
Traveling south-eastward, the trip took the four and a half days Larone predicted it would. Jessica felt grateful she had taken equestrian lessons the week earlier, especially since none of the escort offered her any assistance in tending Web. He was, however, very helpful, and even told her he was impressed with the improvements she made in her care for him as well as her riding skills.
Jessica found these Idle Hoffle soldiers to be a well disciplined and close knit group. In the evenings, they quietly joked with each other, but limited their interaction with the young Protectoress. Jeema was polite, but never made an extra effort to involve Jessica in his plans or decisions. All of the men seemed to keep their distance from her, not physically, for they stayed in a tight group, but emotionally, isolating Jessica from their camaraderie.
This somewhat hostile behavior was puzzling until on the evening of the third day out, Jessica overheard the whisperings of a several soldiers. Feigning sleep, she strained to hear their conversation.
“I think I caught a glimpse of those mountains before the sun went down,” one commented.
“I did, too,” another responded. “We should be there soon.”
“Not soon enough,” a third quipped. “The faster this mission is over, the faster we go west, where the real action is.”
“I agree,” said the first. “This is torture. Knowing the Demarians are ready to attack, and we’re here, having to escort this child to a meeting that may or may not take place. It’s a waste of time. We’re Idle Hoffle warriors, not some sub-standard soldier from Jewlett.”
The others muttered their agreement.
“Enough,” a rough whisper silenced the group. Jessica recognized Jeema’s voice. “This is our assignment, and we will fulfill it. We’ll prove ourselves, no matter how trivial the task, then the greater challenges will come. Now go to sleep.”
Jessica felt the emotions of anger, astonishment, insult, and finally sadness course through her in seconds. She stifled the impulse to grab Web and ride on alone, knowing those actions would disappoint both Larone and her father.
When the travelers finally reached the base of the Colossus mountain range, the entire troop stood still, staring in awe at the peaks before them. Not one person had been there before, and the towering, cloud hidden spires left each man speechless. John tried to describe the enormity of the mountains, but no words could adequately express the reality. Each peak in the range seemed to touch beyond the sky, and the range stretched on for as far as the eye could see.
The massive trees and truck sized bushes made Jessica feel as small as one of her old Barbie dolls. She half expected to see giant insects, but only ordinary flies and bees whizzed around. Even though the plant life grew to extraordinary size, the enormous flowers they produced held ordinary pollination centers.
“We’d better proceed with caution,” Jeema suggested. “Algor, which way from here?”
The troop navigator checked the sky, consulted his map, then pointed off to one side. Jessica pulled the giant’s message Larone gave her from her pocket. She wanted it handy in case of a surprise meeting with any giants to prove she was sent in her father’s place.
They traveled about an hour, winding through the majestic hardwoods on an ever-upward course when Jessica felt uneasy. “Jeema,” she called. “Stop. Something’s not right here.”
Jeema brushed her off with a wave of his hand and continued moving forward. “Jeema, you arrogant…” she called again, more urgently, “Stop!” She reined her horse to a halt and soon found herself at the back of the advancing column, as the other soldiers continued to follow their leader. The last to pass her turned in his saddle, and with an exasperated look on his face, motioned for her to catch up with him.
Jessica had learned to control some of her abilities, but the urge to throw up was one side effect she was still working on, and right now that urge rose in her throat. She tried one last time to warn the soldiers. With all the force of spirit she could muster, she shouted vocally and mentally, “Jeema! Run!” To her horror the men still did not listen, but fortunately, their horses did. Thanks to her additional training during the past week, her message penetrated to all living creatures, and the animals bolted, scattering in different directions, with their riders, in stunned surprise, hanging on for their lives.
She had little time to run herself, for two teams of Elitet materialized from behind the mammoth trees to quickly surround her. In her brief, but desperate attempt for freedom, Jessica dropped the giant’s note. She realized, far too late, it was fake.
While her hands were being lashed together in front of her, Jessica managed one blood curdling scream before someone jammed a gag into her mouth. A rope was tied to her left ankle, then threaded under Web and tied to her right, binding her securely to the animal. Once her scream died away, an eerie hush fell on the forest. The Elitet worked quickly in the profound silence, taking only moments to restrict Jessica’s ability to move.
Enclosed on every side by men cloaked in black, she was swiftly escorted out of the area. While they galloped along, an appalling realization struck her. This is why Daenon hasn’t attacked Esparia yet. It’s taken his men this long to set this trap. The guy wants a backup plan…me! They rode directly toward the setting sun.
West…due west. Straight to the Deserts of Demar.
CHAPTER 19
The Prisoners of Snow Peak
Cordon’s encampment lay positioned in a lightly wooded area on the Verdure-Snow Peak border. Verdure was directly north of Ramana, the province where Ramadine and Saylon Dorsett were located. One of the major agricultural provinces, Verdure’s security was vital, not only to the war effort, but to the nation as well.
The Maronian army, under the command of Lepsis, was already digging in and making fortifications all up and down the northern half of the Verdure border when Cordon’s force of three hundred thousand men marched throughout the southern half. The two seventh bars were assigned to protect Verdure and keep Daenon out of Marone. The western perimeter of Verdure bordered all of Snow Peak and the northern third of Palium. Cordon split the Verdure boundary in half, giving Lepsis, with his army of nearly two hundred thousand Maronian men, stewardship over the northern section and himself the southern.
Wasting no time, Cordon deployed his men along the border of the southern territory. Cordon’s command hub lay centered on the Verdure line. Lepsis was only ten filons north with his command headquarters, and the two met every few days to compare strategies and send combined reports to John.
No one could understand why Daenon did not attack. Cordon felt Daenon was playing mind games. John sent a communiqué saying he felt something more sinister was afoot, but he did not know what. No one did. After a week of speculation, they were no closer to solving the mystery, but Cordon had his men continuously training and gathering as much intelligence about Daenon’s strength as possible.
On the eighth day after leaving Ramadine, a regiment of fifty well-trained Guardians rode into Cordon’s command camp. Their leader, a small, muscular man with jet-black hair, shiny black eyes, and black lock beard walked into the command center tent. Clicking his heals and bowing, Fourth Bar Ru handed Cordon a sealed letter. Opening it, Cordon recognized Lyrista’s hand.
The Protector of Esparia (The Annals of Esparia Book 1) Page 28