"He is fine," smiled Monte as he rode out of the trees followed by the others. "He is as grouchy as ever, and it was rough getting away from him. He wanted us to drag that wagon of his behind us."
"But you were in too much of a hurry for the wagon?" probed the Arin prince. "What is the problem?"
"There are a couple of problems," Prince Umal said as he dismounted. "Let's eat while we discuss the reasons for our coming."
Audric moved away from the cave and joined the group as they settled around the fire. Jared began to cook a meal for the visitors, but Talot tactfully took over so that Jared would not be busy with the fire when he heard the news.
"The Borundans have attacked Laborg," announced the Odessian prince. "Sandar and I were notified as the Borundan army marched north, but we learned too late to come here via the Natura-Laborg Road. We knew that you had to be warned. Vineland will no longer be a safe place for either of you to be. You must leave immediately."
"Well," responded Prince Antion, "your timing could not be better. Had you arrived an hour later, you would have had to track us. We have learned all we can here. We will be going to Anatar."
"I don't think so," interjected Prince Derri as he glanced at Jared. "King Caedmon asked me to find you both. Anatar is not a safe place for either of you."
"What happened?" Prince Antion asked anxiously.
"Zalman was murdered in the library of the palace," answered the Salacian prince.
Jared's eyes widened in horror and tears welled up in his eyes. Audric was quick to move next to Jared and wrap his arms around him.
"How is that possible?" asked Prince Antion.
"Someone impersonated an officer," answered Prince Derri. "Your father is sure it was a magical disguise."
"The dark prince?" scowled Prince Antion.
"That is what your father suspects," nodded Prince Derri. "He also thinks that Prince Zinan might have stolen Zalman's memory before he killed him. While Zalman might not know the exact location of where you are, he knew that you were with Audric. That would be enough information to enable Zinan to find you."
"It would be indeed," nodded the Arin prince. "Even worse, there is a possibility that he could find us through the use of magic. Do you know where Prince Zinan is now?"
"He was with the army that attacked Laborg," answered Prince Umal. "He has declared himself King of Vineland. Rumor also says that King Garrick is dead. That would also make the dark prince the King of Borunda after a trivial formality."
"So it was him that you felt," Audric said softly to Jared. "You must leave Vineland with great haste. He will seek to trap you here if he knows that you are with me."
"Then you should come with us, Audric," stated Prince Antion. "It is no longer safe for you, either."
"I am not a traveler," Audric shook his head. "I have many homes in Vineland. I will move to another one. The dark one will not be looking for me. He wants his brother."
"It would be logical for them to quickly seal the bridge into Caroom," commented Monte. "If we plan to leave Vineland that way, we must travel now. Vinelander soldiers can move much faster than we can. They can ride along the Laborg-Caxon Road and be in Caxon within five days at a normal pace. It will take us longer than that unless we ride at night."
"I suspect that they may already have men at the bridge," offered Talot. "We heard about the battle from soldiers deserting from Laborg, and that was a few days ago. We might be better off crossing the river into Lom."
"I have been expressly told never to return to Lom," the Arin prince reminded his Lomite friend.
"I will speak to the council for you," smiled Talot.
"Thank you," smiled Prince Antion, "but I think I shall refuse this time. I am more of a mind to head north along the coast."
"North along the coast?" echoed Sandar. "That will get you nowhere."
"Nowhere is not such a bad place to be right now," Audric commented as he held Jared comfortingly.
"I want to cross the headwaters of the Vine River into Hyrem," explained Prince Antion.
"Hyrem?" questioned Prince Derri. "We are likely to freeze up there. It may be the start of autumn down here, but Hyrem is different. There will be snow on the ground in a few weeks. "Can't we sneak into Odessia and spend the winter in the warm sands around Natura?"
"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "We cannot remain idle and wait for Zinan to come knocking at each of our countries. We must learn how to defeat him, and that trail leads to Hyrem. None of you need to accompany Jared and me. Each of you has already fulfilled your quest in finding us and warning us of the impending danger."
"You know better than to speak like that," scolded Prince Umal. "Blood brothers do not desert each other when danger is lurking nearby. Where you go, I go."
"Agreed," Prince Derri nodded emphatically.
"I am at your service," smiled Sandar. "I serve my country and my king by escorting my prince."
"I kind of like Hyrem," grinned Talot. "The people are very interesting up there."
"When you can find any people," laughed Prince Derri. "Hyrem is a wasteland."
"It sounds exciting to me," declared Monte. "I left Caxon looking for excitement, and you haven't let me down yet. Count me in."
"Then we are seven," smiled Prince Antion.
"You didn't ask Jared," frowned Talot.
"Jared and I are one on this quest," replied Prince Antion. "Do you agree, Jared?"
Jared broke the embrace of Audric and wiped his eyes. "We are one, Prince Antion," he declared. "Take me where you think I need to go. There is nothing else for me to return to now. My life is in your hands."
Jared turned and ran into the cave. Prince Antion turned to follow him, but Audric halted him with a hand on his arm.
"Zalman is all he has ever cared about," Prince Antion explained to the albino. "Nothing else in the world means anything to him."
"You must change that, Prince Antion," declared Audric. "If Zinan is the one who killed Jared's father, he also killed his own father. Think about that in relation to the question you asked me yesterday."
Prince Antion nodded and turned to Prince Derri. "How was Zalman killed?"
"His head was torn from his body," answered the Salacian prince. "It was not severed. It was torn. No normal man has that kind of strength."
"I believe you," Prince Antion said to Audric. "Zinan is beyond hope."
"I am glad that you believe me," frowned Audric, "but Jared is the one who must believe that his brother is beyond redemption. You must convince him, Prince Antion, or the world as we know it is lost."
Chapter 48 - Captain Xero
Captain Xero
King Zinan sat at the head of the table in the palace in Vineland, and General Wikner sat near him on the right. Across the table from General Wikner sat General Bassner, who had recently been promoted to lead the eastern Borundan army. Bassner was young for such a lofty position, but he was a superb swordsman, and he had always been quick to praise Wikner. Wikner saw Bassner's attitude as one of loyalty, but the soldiers under him saw it as something else. They knew that Bassner would say anything to anyone if he thought he could get a promotion out of it, and it had worked.
Next to General Bassner sat General Vanatay. Vanatay had been a general under King Gregory, and Wikner had chosen to keep him in the position to reorganize the Vineland army. General Vanatay was an older man with a neatly trimmed white beard. He said little, but not because he had nothing to offer to a conversation. He simply preferred to listen and judge the arguments of others before committing himself.
King Zinan stared at the two men who would be entrusted with tremendous power under his rule. Vanatay sat calmly and met the king's gaze without flinching, while Bassner fiddled with his long moustache and averted his eyes from the king's gaze.
"The Vineland army is pretty much intact," General Wikner began as he started the briefing that the king had requested.
King Zinan raised his hand for silence, and Ge
neral Wikner frowned, but he immediately halted his speech.
"Your position is an unusual one, General Wikner," King Zinan said softly. "You are the first general to hold power over two different armies. General Vanatay is now responsible for the army of Vineland, and while he reports to you, I would like to hear the status of his army from him."
General Wikner nodded and all eyes turned to General Vanatay.
"General Wikner is correct as far as he got," began the Vinelander. "We have had some desertions through Caxon, but not enough to matter. The losses my army incurred in the battle of Laborg were not serious enough to cause any disruptions. The spirits of the men are low, but that will change in time."
"How long?" asked the king. "Time is not something that we have a lot of."
"No soldier cares to be on the losing side of any war," stated Vanatay, "but casualties were light and that makes a great deal of difference. Within a year this battle will be forgotten."
"We do not have a year," King Zinan shook his head. "You must do better."
"If I may ask the king," Vanatay replied boldly, "what is going to happen within a year that involves my army?"
"My destiny is to rule the Land of the Nine Kingdoms," answered King Zinan. "That is not going to happen with your army sitting idle."
The king watched the Vinelander closely to gauge the man's reaction, but he was disappointed. The general showed no visible sign of surprise or shock, nor did he express any disagreement.
"My army is a fighting one," declared Vanatay. "If you will allow me to hint at coming conquests, the morale of the men can be recovered in short order. An army loves to win, my king, and even the anticipation of winning can be euphoric. It need not be anything specific, but I would not want to offend my betters by spreading such rumors without your blessing."
King Zinan smiled broadly. "You have chosen well, General Wikner. Vanatay has the proper attitude to lead our men to victory. General Vanatay, you have my permission to start the rumors, but start them slowly. I do not want our neighbors to be frightened into bolstering their defenses."
"I will be discreet," nodded the Vinelander.
"General Bassner," said the king, "your army will be escorting me back to Borunda. You will be leaving some staff officers to help General Vanatay get reorganized, but the rest of your men will be going home, at least for a while."
"As my king wishes," smiled the new Borundan general.
"I asked for a special group to be assigned to searching for some people in Vineland," the king continued. "Give me a progress report."
"Captain Xero took thirty elite soldiers north in search of the enemy," replied General Bassner. "We have only had one communication from him since, and we do not really expect to hear any more until he has the captives in tow. He has assured me that he will not return empty handed."
"What was the one communication?" asked the king.
"There were two items of note from Captain Xero," answered Bassner as he played with his moustache. "The people you spoke of will not be allowed to cross into Caroom. Xero has made sure that all of our border patrols are aware of the people you are looking for. His second item was that he had picked up their trail. There are seven riders heading north along the coast, and he is sure they are the people you are looking for. The captain is about two days behind them. He will push his men hard to catch up, so it may all be over soon."
"Do not let your optimism get in the way of capturing them," warned the king. "Captain Xero's success or failure may well be your own."
* * *
All morning the trail rose steadily, and the air grew cooler. After several hours of climbing, Prince Umal called for a halt when he saw a small spring-fed pond.
"Let's rest the horses," suggested the Odessian prince as he dismounted.
The others readily agreed and broke out their provisions to enjoy the midday meal while stopped. The dense forest had started to thin as the trail climbed higher, and Prince Derri sought a place of elevation to see what sat before them. Leaving the others behind, the Salacian prince dashed through the forest to the base of a tall outcrop of rock. He scrambled up the side of the bare ridge and gazed to the north. The peaks of the Roof of the World were closer than he had expected, and he realized that he should start turning more westward to reach the headwaters of the Vine River.
His gaze shifted to the west as he sought the small streams that joined to form the mighty river, but he could not pick them out. Turning more to the southwest, he saw the Vine River clearly and traced its path northward until he found what he had been looking for. He mentally plotted a path to the headwaters and surveyed the terrain they must cross to reach Hyrem. He nodded in satisfaction when he was done.
As the Salacian prince turned around to rejoin his friends, a distant flash of light caught his eye. Prince Derri instinctively squatted as he peered southward. He remained frozen for several minutes without seeing anything until he heard the group preparing to leave. He was just about to write off the flash as a figment of his imagination when another flash occurred. The prince's eyes narrowed as he focused on the area where the flash had come from.
Monte started calling for the Salacian prince to return, but Prince Derri ignored the call. He kept his eyes glued to the area of the last flash and was soon rewarded with another reflection of the sun. Having found the source of the flashes, Prince Derri watched and waited patiently. He was aware of someone coming up behind him, but he refused to be distracted.
"What do you see?" Prince Antion whispered as he kneeled next to the Salacian prince.
"Just reflections so far," answered Prince Derri. "I am waiting until they enter a clearing to see who they are."
"How far out?" asked Prince Antion.
"See the small outcrop to the right of due south?" asked the Salacian prince. "The reflections came from just left of it and slightly beyond it."
The Arin prince nodded silently and waited along with his friend. Several long minutes passed before another flash was seen. Neither prince spoke. A few minutes later a brighter flash appeared as a rider entered a clearing. The two princes remained silent as a column of dark figures rode through the clearing. When the men had passed through the clearing into the trees again, Prince Derri turned to his friend.
"I figure in the neighborhood of two or three squads," the Salacian prince said.
"I concur," nodded the Arin prince, "and they seemed to be moving at a decent pace. Are we close enough to Hyrem that they might be a border patrol?"
"No," Prince Derri shook his head. "In fact, we need to turn more westward when we get the chance. We have over a day's ride until the headwaters. Besides, the group is a little large for a standard border patrol."
"Do you think they are tracking us?" questioned Prince Antion.
"Our tracks would be easy enough to follow," frowned the Salacian prince. "Seven riders make a fairly obvious trail. I can try to choose ground to make the task harder for them, but it will slow us down. I am not sure if it is worth it."
"Let's be cautious here, Derri," warned the Arin prince. "We cannot allow haste to make us careless. While this group closes in on us, we still have border patrols to worry about. Let's not flee one only to get ensnared by the other."
"I understand," agreed Prince Derri, "but I think we should ride later into the night tonight, unless you want to keep going until we reach the border?"
"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "We will ride later as long as you can see us safely along the trail, but I do not want to skip the rest period for our beasts or ourselves. We are not even sure if that group poses a threat to us. Let's get back on the trail. We can think about this predicament as we ride."
The two princes descended off the ridge and rejoined the group. They quickly explained what they had seen and then Prince Derri led the group up the trail to the north. Prince Antion was second, followed by Monte, Talot, Jared, and Sandar, while Prince Umal was last in the line.
The Salacian prince found a
trail branching off towards the west and led the group onto it. Hours later the sky began to dim, but Prince Derri kept up the pace until it became too dark to travel safely. He found a clearing and called a halt to the procession. The group moved efficiently to set up the camp, but Prince Antion was surprised to see Sandar taking care of the horses alone. His brow creased heavily as he turned and looked for the Odessian prince.
"Where is Umal?" he asked.
"He will be along later," replied Sandar.
"What do you mean later?" the Arin prince asked with concern. "Where has he gone?"
"He left us when we turned westward," Sandar replied. "I think he wants to see who is following us."
"Why didn't he say something?" fumed Prince Antion. "This is no time to get separated."
"Calm down," urged Price Derri. "Umal knows what he is doing. He will be here when he gets here."
"Would you say the same about me if I had stayed behind?" countered the Arin prince. "We should go get him."
Prince Derri sighed heavily and shook his head. "That would not be wise," he said. "I feel the same as you, Antion, but we can't do anything about it now. If we turn around and go after him, not only will we lose our rest, but we will also endanger him. One man can safely hide from a group, but it would be impossible to miss all of us heading towards them. Umal has made a decision, whether it was wise or not is debatable, but we must live with that decision now."
"He's right," Talot said softly. "Prince Umal knew the risks when he chose his course of action. We must accept his decision. Let us eat and get rest while we can."
Prince Antion sighed in defeat, but he nodded in agreement. He ordered a cold camp, and the warriors ate in silence and then retired for the night. Monte had chosen the first sentry slot, but the Arin prince gave an order to be awakened when Prince Umal returned. Several hours later, the archer woke Prince Antion.
"Has he returned?" Prince Antion asked anxiously.
"No," Monte shook his head. "It is your turn for the watch."
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