King Caedmon rose and turned to look at King Hector, but a column of soldiers entered the room from the rear, and everyone's attention was focused on them. The king sighed and dropped the book on his chair as the soldiers escorted him towards the side door. Just as he exited the room, King Caedmon held his hand over his head with his fingers twisted to represent a single word in the horse language.
As soon as the Arin king was gone from sight, Prince Zinan casually walked past the first row of chairs and picked up the book of poetry. He continued walking and passed through the door and made his way to his office where he searched the book and discovered the note.
"What did he write?" asked Naveena as she stood in the doorway.
"It is rather lame," shrugged the dark prince. "He makes no accusations against us, but he seeks someone to ensure that he is not isolated."
"What do you plan to do with him?" she asked.
"Keep him," grinned Prince Zinan. "He is a prize."
"A dangerous prize," commented Naveena. "You are making a powerful enemy. Do not forget who his son is. I am sure that some of the dignitaries are already whispering about the strange doings surrounding the Arin king."
"All the more reason he cannot rejoin them," declared Prince Zinan. "And I have not forgotten who his son is. In fact, I expect his son to show up here in Tarent rather soon."
Naveena stared at the dark prince with wonder, and then her eyes rolled, and she shook her head.
"You are keeping him as bait," she accused.
"Well done," the price said sarcastically. "It would solve little to merely remove the Arin king, but to eliminate him and his son, that is quite another story. We will leave Arin with only women in charge, and Prince Antion's threat involving the Talent will be dealt with, permanently."
"You are ambitious," smiled Naveena, "but don't expect the prince anytime soon. It will take some time before they even find him. You will likely have to feed King Caedmon for months."
"Whatever it takes," shrugged Prince Zinan. "As long as he is here, he cannot be plotting against me."
* * *
King Caedmon was kept isolated, and King Hector was not surprised that he did not show up at the reception. His repeated requests to speak to the Arin king were met with a series of lies and fabrications. The phony excuses began to grate on his nerves, and he was about to turn militant in his response.
"Do not be a fool," advised King Rihad of Odessia. "Our combined forces could not even storm the doors of this palace, and we have days of traveling to go before we get out of Borunda. Don't you see what they are trying to do?"
"I see their plans," argued the Salacian king. "The Borundans are going to eliminate one of their rivals, and you are going to do nothing about it."
"That is harsh, my old friend," sighed the Odessian king. "Caedmon is like a brother to me, and I would stand by his side on any battlefield, but this is not a battlefield. We are practically unarmed in the middle of the enemy's tent. As the ruler of your country, you understand that your life is not as important as the survival of your people. Caedmon also understood this when he decided to come to Tarent. We can howl and scream all we want, but here is not the place to do it."
"So we should retreat to the safety of our castles and send threatening messages to the Borundans?" snapped King Hector. "They will laugh at us. We cannot leave Tarent without Caedmon."
"Yet we will," King Rihad said calmly. "Do not give the Borundans a reason to exterminate all of the heads of state in one swoop. Some of us must stay alive to counter the threat when the Borundan armies begin marching northward."
"He is right," Queen Malatina said softly. "They have not harmed Caedmon yet, but if you directly confront King Garrick, your friend's head will roll before you can blink an eye. We should leave Borunda and then work to gain Caedmon's release. Surely, there is some ransom they will accept?"
"Force may be the only eventual answer to King Garrick, Hector," added King Rihad, "but using that force here and now is not wise."
"Perhaps." The king of Salacia was unconvinced. "We will leave tomorrow, and I will demand that they release King Caedmon to me when we are ready to leave. Will the Odessians stand beside me?"
"What will you do if they refuse?" asked King Rihad.
"How could they refuse?" retorted King Hector.
"I do not presume to understand how the minds of the Borundans work," shrugged King Rihad. "I merely asked what your plan was if they refuse."
"I don't know," sighed the Salacian king. "Rihad, I feel responsible for all of this. Caedmon was not even going to attend the coronation. I talked him into coming, and now he is a prisoner of the Borundans."
"I suspected that you smuggled him in," smiled King Rihad, "and I am sure the Borundans probably figured it out as well. I will stand with you tomorrow, and my people will join with yours in escorting Caedmon out of Borunda, but I will not start a fight with these people on their own ground. There is nothing to be gained from it."
* * *
The Salacian and Odessian soldiers formed a wall in front of the royal palace. King Hector and King Rihad stood in front of them, refusing to give orders to their men to move so that other dignitaries could leave. The Borundan soldiers did not know what to do, so an officer ran into the palace to summon General Ortega. The general soon emerged with Prince Zinan right behind him.
"You must move your men," General Ortega said. "No one can get their carriages through. What is the problem?"
"We are not leaving without King Caedmon," replied the Salacian king. "Isolating him during the festivities was heinous enough, you will release him now. We will escort him past your borders."
The general frowned as if he did not know what to say, but Prince Zinan quickly slipped past him and stood before the Salacian king.
"Your accusations are most unbecoming a man of your stature, King Hector," the dark prince said calmly. "We provided King Caedmon with the greatest of accommodations in the palace. While that might have restricted his movements to a small degree, I assure you that such matters did not concern him. As for traveling on roads in Borunda, I assure you that the safety of all dignitaries are of the utmost importance to King Garrick."
"We are traveling with King Caedmon," asserted King Hector, "and that is final."
"As you wish," sighed Prince Zinan, "but you had better hurry to catch up to him."
"Catch up to him?" asked King Rihad.
"King Caedmon left right after the coronation ceremony," declared the dark prince. "There was a message for him from Arin. That is why we rushed him out of the room at the end of the ceremony."
"What kind of message?" asked King Hector, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"He did not share the message with me," shrugged Prince Zinan, "although he muttered something about Prince Antion under his breath. I do hope everything is alright with the royal family of Arin."
King Rihad shook his head and waved his arm to start his party moving away from the palace. King Hector distrusted the prince's words, but he was not sure if it was a lie. He also gave the order for his men to move out and then hurried to his carriage.
* * *
The Palace Shadow in Anatar was aptly named. The inn stood across the street from the royal palace and afforded a decent view of the comings and goings at the main gate. Gunnar sat at the window of the room that Jared shared with his father, Zalman.
"Will he truly be all right in Anatar?" asked Jared. "I know that you told him that he would be, but I am worried about him."
"Your father will be better than he has been in years," nodded Gunnar. "He will have lodging and meals, and I am sure that the king will find something for him to do to keep him occupied."
"How did you come to know the king of Arin?" asked Jared.
"What do you mean?" Gunnar asked cautiously.
"You fear my knowing the truth about you?" asked Jared. "You do. I can feel it in you. I merely meant that not everyone can send a personal note to a king, but
I think there is something more that you are hiding from me. I trust you. Why don't you trust me?"
Gunnar's lips pressed tightly together as he turned to look at Jared. He hesitated a bit too long, and Jared broke eye contact, letting his gaze fall to the floor.
"I do trust you," Gunnar said softly. "I have never lied to you, but I have kept secrets, secrets that could harm us both. It is not that I fear you will betray me, but rather that someone will steal those thoughts from your head. Do you understand?"
"No," Jared shook his head. "If you are to be my brother, we must not have secrets between us. If I am captured, it will not be your secrets the Borundans will be after, it will be my own."
The simple truth expressed by Jared hit the Arin prince like the blow from a hammer. His own eyes fell downward, and he sighed heavily.
"You are right, little brother," Gunnar said softly. "If we are to travel together, you have the right to know who you travel with. My name is Antion, and I am the prince of Arin. King Caedmon is my father. That is how I am able to send a personal note to the king."
"You are truly a prince?" Jared brightened. "I have never met a prince before."
"You are also a prince," Antion pointed out. "Your mother was Princess Orenda."
"I forgot about that," admitted Jared. "I guess it means little to me as I never knew my mother, and my father was never a prince."
"Your father is a wise and courageous man," smiled Prince Antion, "and he cares for you deeply."
"I know that," smiled Jared, "but that does not make me feel like a prince. Why are you traveling as Gunnar?"
"The Borundans are hunting me," explained Prince Antion. "It has to do with the Talent inside me. That is why we must journey to Vineland and find Audric if he still lives. He will tell me what is inside me, and he will help you learn how to handle your powers. You do not still see the Talent as a curse, do you?"
"Somewhat," nodded Jared, "but my father explained a lot about his words and feelings on the subject. I may have to live with this curse inside me, but I will learn how to handle it properly so that I do not cause harm to others."
The door to the room opened and Zalman and Kerzi entered. They closed the door as Prince Antion looked up with concern.
"What happened?" the prince asked. "Did the king refuse to see you?"
"The king is not in Anatar," declared Kerzi. "We refused to give the note to anyone else."
"Not in Anatar?" frowned the prince. "Did they say where he had gone?"
"Would you expect them to tell a merchant about the king's business?" responded Kerzi.
"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "Did they give you an idea on when he might return?"
"It will be some time," answered Zalman. "While they would not say when the king would return, when we vowed to show up every morning, they told us that we would be wasting our time."
"I then asked if I should make a visit to Kyland while I was waiting," interjected Kerzi, "and one of the guards nodded before the other reprimanded him."
"So they expect him to be gone for some time," frowned the prince.
"It doesn't matter to me," offered Kerzi. "I will wait for him to return. That is no reason for the rest of you to remain in Anatar. Of course, I will move to a more reasonable inn after you leave. This one is a little pricey for my tastes."
"It has a good view of the palace," Prince Antion replied distractedly. "Something tells me that not everything is alright."
"Just because the king is gone?" asked Kerzi. "He is probably off visiting another country. Kings do that all the time."
"True," agreed the prince, "but that is not the case this time. Borunda is having a coronation for Prince Garrick. Every monarch in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms will be in Tarent. There is no one to visit."
"Perhaps he went to Tarent?" suggested Zalman.
"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "He told me that he was not going."
"He might have changed his mind," shrugged the merchant. "Kings always have a right to do that."
"They do," nodded the prince as he moved to the window and gazed out, "but I am getting a bad feeling in my gut. He was not going because it was not safe. If he changed his mind, there must have been a serious reason for doing so, and I have to find out what that is."
The room fell silent as the prince leaned out the window and looked both ways. He called Jared over and pointed to a soldier walking out of the gates of the palace.
"Do you see that soldier, Jared?" asked the prince as he fished his ring out of his pouch.
"I see him," answered Jared.
"Can you remember him enough to find him in the city if he gets away?" asked Prince Antion.
"I will remember him," promised Jared.
"Take this ring," instructed the prince. "Go out and find that soldier. Show him the ring, but do not let anyone else see it. He will demand to know where you got it. Tell him that its owner needs to speak to him secretly, then lead him up here to this room."
"What if he doesn't want to come?" asked Jared. "He may think I am a thief and arrest me."
"He may very well think you are a thief," admitted the prince, "but he will not arrest you. He will follow you up here, because he cannot take the chance of missing my call for help."
Jared nodded and raced out of the room. Prince Antion asked Zalman and Kerzi to leave the room so he could talk to the soldier in private. Jared was quick to catch the soldier before he got very far. As the prince had said, the soldier was suspicious of Jared, but he followed him into the inn and up the stairs to the room. The soldier opened the door cautiously and gazed at the bearded warrior within. His eyes narrowed as he sought recognition of the prince.
"Come in, Sandar, and close the door," ordered Prince Antion.
"It is you," gasped the soldier as he bowed.
"It is," chuckled Prince Antion. "Please close the door."
The soldier immediately obeyed, and the prince waved him over to sit on the bed.
"Where has my father gone?" asked Prince Antion.
"We are not to say," answered Sandar.
"Sandar, my father told me that he was not going to Tarent because it was too dangerous," Prince Antion said sternly. "Yet that is the only place that I can think of that he might have gone. If the King of Arin were to die on this journey of his, I would become king. Can you imagine how I might react to a soldier who refused to give me vital information that might have saved my father's life?"
Sandar swallowed hard. Prince Antion did not enjoy his current task because he knew Sandar to be one of the soldiers most loyal to the royal family. In fact, Sandar was one of the king's personal bodyguards on most trips, but he had to have the information
"I will not be disloyal to the king," Sandar refused.
"Sandar," the prince softened his tone, "when the king swore you to secrecy, it was because he felt his life might be threatened if news of his travels leaked. Do you think for one moment that I would threaten my father's life?"
"No," Sandar answered quickly. "If I could answer your questions without breaking my oath, I would do so in an eye blink, Prince Antion, but do not ask me to break my vow."
"My father and I have no secrets from one another," declared the prince. "In fact, I was in the palace the morning after the invitation from Tarent arrived, and my father discussed the hazards of the journey with me. He had decided not to attend the coronation. What made him change his mind?"
"King Hector of Salacia arrived," answered Sandar.
Prince Antion knew enough to understand the situation. He sighed and nodded to the soldier to indicate that the interrogation was over.
"I will ask no more of you, Sandar," stated the Arin prince, "but I might ask for your services soon. Unless we get word that my father is safe, we may be going to Tarent to get him."
"I would be honored to serve under your command," responded the soldier, "and I would feel duty bound to be one of those selected to go. I should have been escorting the king to whereve
r it is he might have gone, which I am not permitted to talk about."
Prince Antion laughed and slapped the soldier on the back. "Your not being with him is no failure of yours, Sandar," smiled the prince.
Chapter 32 - King Anatar
King Anatar
Hundreds of years ago fierce, warring tribes who constantly fought against one another populated the land between the Salacian River and the Arin River. There arose in one of the minor tribes a man of strength, intelligence, and charisma. The young man was named Anatar, and he had a grand vision of a peaceful country, but he also possessed the wisdom to understand that peace could only come through strength and victory.
Anatar was the ultimate warrior and strategist, but he was also a compassionate victor and ruler. At the age of fifteen, Anatar challenged the ruler of his tribe in a ritual battle for leadership. The young man was victorious, but he did not slay the old ruler, as was the custom at that time. Instead, he made the old ruler his confidant and advisor, and in doing so, gained years of accumulated knowledge about the other tribes and their rulers. Together the old ruler and Anatar plotted their grand strategy and began to subdue the neighboring tribes. Tribe after tribe fell before Anatar's growing armies, and the young man declared himself King of Arin.
The declaration was a challenge to the largest of the remaining tribes, and they each sought to topple the self-declared king, but Anatar was always victorious, and he was always benevolent to those he conquered. As word spread about Anatar's compassion, dozens of smaller tribes rushed to his side to declare allegiance, and soon his armies were invincible. One by one the remaining tribes in the land were defeated and King Anatar established the Kingdom of Arin, which encompassed all the land between the two great rivers.
With peace came prosperity, and the king established a city on the coast where the Arin River emptied into the sea. While still a young man, Anatar had his tomb built in the northern section of the city and commissioned a great statue of himself to stand upon it.
Over the centuries, the city of Anatar grew and prospered. It became one of the principal cities of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, and the capital city of the Kingdom of Arin. The tomb and the statue stood in constant tribute to the man who made it all possible, but the tomb also held a special significance to the kings of Arin, including King Caedmon, and now his son, Prince Antion.
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