Evil Within

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Setting Traps

  Heavy clouds blocked the waning moon and the stars as Prince Derri led the group through the woods. The predawn air was brisk, and the forest was silent. There was not actually a trail to follow, but rather a path that the Salacian prince had plotted that passed between the trees and avoided the underbrush. The pace was extremely slow, and it took over an hour to get past the Borundan encampment, which had been only a mile away. When the group regained the main trail, Monte was put in charge of keeping Jared safe and sent along the trail to the northwest. Sandar offered to help Talot set his traps, and the three princes turned back towards the Borundan campsite.

  Prince Derri led the princes into the darkness of the forest and dismounted. Prince Umal and Prince Antion followed Derri's lead, and the three men moved on foot to get closer to the camp. After a few minutes, Prince Derri halted again. He pointed silently, and the other two princes nodded as they saw the sleeping forms of Captain Xero's elite warriors. There were no sentries, a serious flaw in the professionalism of the elite group. Prince Derri knew that this would probably be the last night the Borundans slept without sentries.

  The Salacian prince had drawn diagrams of the Borundan campsite the pervious evening, and everyone had discussed the attack plan. There was no need to speak once they had arrived, so Prince Umal slipped off to the left and disappeared into the night. Prince Antion moved off to the right, leaving the Salacian prince alone. Prince Derri silently dropped to the ground and pulled a knife from his boot. Slowly the Salacian prince crept towards the enemy camp with the blade of the knife between his teeth.

  Prince Derri's target was a pair of soldiers at the edge of the encampment. He altered his path slightly to approach the head of one of the sleeping bodies, and halted right over the face of the man. Holding his breath for fear of waking the Borundan, Prince Derri shifted his weight to his legs and grabbed the knife from his mouth. With a detached calmness, the prince placed one hand over the soldier's mouth and plunged the knife through the man's eye. The soldier's limbs twitched spasmodically, and the prince froze as his eyes scanned the nearest soldiers to see if anyone had detected the assault.

  The Salacian prince saw no movement and heard only the restlessness of the Borundan horses. He removed the knife from the dead body and set his sights on the next Borundan soldier. He quickly killed the second Borundan soldier and retreated from the edge of the camp.

  The attack was not meant to kill all of the enemy, but rather to let them know that they were vulnerable and inflict as much damage as possible without getting killed. That meant only attacking the Borundans on the very edge of the campsite where any noise might be attributed to some animal outside the camp.

  Prince Antion also crawled back to the meeting spot, but Prince Umal had not returned. As the moon peeked out between the clouds, they saw why. One of the Borundans had awakened with the need to heed the call of nature. That soldier chose to leave the camp near the string of Borundan horses, where the Odessian prince had been assigned to inflict his damage. Prince Antion's fingers flashed rapidly in front of Prince Derri's face, and both men quietly retreated to their horses. They quickly grabbed their bows and nocked arrows as they moved silently back towards the encampment.

  Suddenly a man's curse drifted on the air and was quickly followed by a thud as the soldier tripped and fell. As the soldier's body hit the ground, the Borundan horses pranced away from the man, and the soldier realized that the horses were no longer secured to anything.

  "What the…" the soldier began to say loudly as he rose from the ground.

  Other Borundans woke and looked around to see what the disturbance was. A flash of reflected moonlight shot through the campsite as a scimitar lashed out and decapitated the soldier. The Borundans leaped to their feet and grabbed their weapons, shouting loudly about intruders. The untied horses bolted from the racket, and Prince Umal used the commotion to run towards his horse.

  "That way!" shouted one of the Borundans. "I just saw someone running."

  The Borundan soldiers turned towards Prince Derri and Prince Antion. The two princes let their arrows fly and then turned and ran. Prince Umal caught up to them and the three princes leaped on their horses and raced through the trees for the trail. Once they hit the trail, they galloped to the northwest as fast as they could travel. A few minutes later, they passed Sandar who was standing on the side of the trail. The Arin soldier ran across the trail dragging a string with him. He quickly secured the end of the string to the stub of a broken tree limb that he had already prepared. The Arin soldier ran and leaped onto his horse and galloped after the princes. Another few minutes along the trail and the group passed Talot. The giant also dragged a string across the trail and attached it before mounting his horse and galloping after the others.

  Back at the Borundan encampment, Captain Xero was cursing up a storm. He had six dead soldiers at his feet and another who was dying before his eyes.

  "Leave him," the captain shouted at the two men trying to help the soldier with an arrow in his chest. "There is no hope for him. Spend your time gathering our horses. The enemy is getting away."

  The two soldiers rose and joined the others who were out trying to capture the horses that had fled.

  "Who do you think attacked us?" asked a soldier who had returned from chasing the attackers on foot.

  "Who do you think?" snarled the captain. "Prince Antion's head is a little too large for his shoulders. If he thinks that we can be toyed with, he is sorely mistaken. He may have cost me seven more men, but now I know where he is. As soon as we get enough horses to ride, we will run him down night and day until we crush him. Which way did they go?"

  "To the northwest," reported the soldier. "There were only three of them, though."

  "Three of the others would be left guarding Zinan's imposter," replied the captain. "I suspect he is central to whatever devious plot they have in store for Borunda."

  "They probably plan to put him on the throne," suggested the soldier. "One thing that bothers me, Captain. How was the imposter able to use the Talent like Zinan can? He blasted the face off that mountain. Don't you find that strange?"

  "Very strange," Captain Xero nodded as his brow knitted in suspicion. "If I didn't know better, I would suspect that there was some relation between Zinan and Jared. Not only does he look exactly like the king, he has immense power as well."

  "Yet he does not use it against us," mused the soldier. "Why?"

  "I do not know," replied Captain Xero, "but I think the answer to that question may reveal the way to capture him and destroy the others."

  "You do not plan to kill Jared along with the rest?" frowned the soldier. "Our orders are to kill them all."

  "Your place is not to worry about what my orders are," snapped the captain. "You obey me. That is all that matters to you."

  "We have captured a dozen horses," reported another soldier as he entered the clearing.

  "That is one more than we need," replied Captain Xero. "Call the rest of the men in. We are mounting up and giving chase to Prince Antion."

  Within a few minutes the Borundans were mounted and ready to go. As the sun broke the western horizon, Captain Xero led his men onto the trail and galloped to the northwest. They had not been on the trail for long when a tree branch came swinging out of the forest. Captain Xero ducked under the branch, feeling some of his hair being ripped away as it flew by overhead. The captain heard the scream of one of his soldiers and slowed down to see if the man had been swept from his horse and needed to remount. He halted as he saw the rest of his men come to a stop and dismount.

  The captain turned around and rode back to where one of his men was spread out on the trail. He ducked under the branch, which hung abnormally low over the trail. Blood flowed from between the man's hands, which were covering his face. With a frown of confusion, the captain turned to stare at the branch that had almost hit him. A large rock was tied to the loose end of the branch, weighting it down to make it
lower over the trail, but that was not what disturbed the captain. Embedded in the branch were three sharp arrowheads designed to gouge the face of the rider that it hit. It was a barbaric trap and the captain cringed as he stared at the blood tipped arrowheads.

  "How is he?" Captain Xero asked impatiently.

  "He is blind, Captain," answered one of the men. "The arrowheads slashed across his entire face. He is bleeding like a butchered pig, and one of his ears has been sliced off. I don't think he will survive unless we find a wisper to heal him."

  "A wisper?" balked Captain Xero. "This is Hyrem. They don't even have a city in the entire country. There will be no wisper for him. Move him off the trail and make him comfortable. If he is still alive when we return this way, we will take him with us."

  While several of the men carried the wounded man off the trail, Captain Xero ordered a soldier to ride on ahead and check for more traps. It took a few moments to get the wounded man settled and then the Borundans were back in the chase. They galloped hard and soon caught up to the man sent on ahead. Captain Xero sighed with relief that there had only been one trap. His face became grim with determination to make Prince Antion pay dearly for the attacks on his men.

  A couple of minutes later, another branch swung out over the trail. Captain Xero ducked low and wrapped his arms around the neck of his horse. He felt the branch soar over his head and heard the sickening thud as it crashed into someone behind him. The scream that followed irritated the captain so much that he jerked the reins hard to halt his horse. In response, the animal almost threw him from the saddle. He dismounted and led his horse back along the trail to where another of his men lay on the trail. The soldiers around the fallen soldier shook their heads and walked away as the captain approached.

  "There will be no need to look for him on the way back," snarled one of the soldiers. "He is dead. This trap had two rows of arrowheads. His throat has been slashed open."

  Captain Xero gazed at the faces of his men. He knew that they were close to rebelling, and if he forced them to continue galloping down the trail, the next trap would be the end of his expedition. He sighed with resignation that the chase would have to be slower and more deliberate than he wanted it to be.

  "We will track them down at a slower pace," Captain Xero said calmly. "Get his body off the trail, and one of you take the point. Keep the pace fast, but not too fast to react to the next trap."

  * * *

  King Zinan and General Wikner rode at the front of the eastern army of Borunda as they entered the city of Tarent. General Bassner rode a few paces behind. Word had spread of the defeat of Vineland, and the citizens of Tarent lined the road to welcome home the victorious army. People cheered and threw flowers at the soldiers as they passed by. When the procession reached the royal palace an honor guard lined the entrance through the gates and formed a path to the palace doors. General Ortega stood just outside the palace doors awaiting the arrival of the Crown Prince.

  "Prepare my advisors," King Zinan ordered General Ortega as he dismounted. "There is a formality to be taken care of."

  "They have already been assembled," bowed General Ortega. "Only General Wikner and myself are absent. Shall we accompany you there?"

  "No," answered Zinan. "I desire a bath first."

  "As you wish," nodded the general as he signaled for one of his officers to run inside and arrange the bath.

  King Zinan entered the palace, and General Wikner was about to follow when General Ortega detained him by grabbing his arm. Ortega waited until the palace doors closed before speaking.

  "What is going on, Wikner?" asked General Ortega. "How could you attack Vineland without my being informed of it?"

  "There was no time," shrugged General Wikner. "Besides, your army was not needed."

  "That is not the point," argued General Ortega. "We are supposed to work as a team. I control the western army, and you control the eastern one. We must work in concert."

  "Actually," smiled General Wikner, "Bassner is the general of the eastern army now. He reports to me as well as General Vanatay of the Vineland army."

  "Bassner?" balked General Ortega. "That man is a bootlicking fool. How could anyone appoint him to be a general?"

  "I would be careful with your words, General Ortega," smiled General Wikner. "Bassner is on the same level as you now. It does not help morale for the two of you to bicker."

  "The same level as me?" echoed General Ortega. "What are you talking about? If I am at Bassner's level, where does that put you?"

  "Above you, I suppose," grinned General Wikner. "Although the king has not yet specified it outright, I am sure that is his plan. Perhaps he will announce it at the meeting today."

  "Do not make a competition out of this, Wikner," threatened General Ortega. "I will bury you if you think this is a game."

  "Do not threaten me, Ortega," snapped General Wikner. "I have the ear of our new king. You could easily end up like King Garrick."

  "What happened to King Garrick?" General Ortega's eyes narrow with suspicion. "How did he die?"

  "The story is that the Vinelanders killed him," shrugged General Wikner, "but I have my doubts about that. Of course none of the royal family of Vineland was alive when we reached the palace in Laborg, so I guess we will never know for sure."

  General Wikner pulled his arm away from the other general and entered the palace. General Ortega glared at the closed door before opening it and entering the palace. The general was greatly disturbed by Wikner's words, particularly regarding the death of King Garrick. Naveena had indicated that Garrick would die in Vineland before it happened, and the general began to think that Zinan might have had something to do with it, but he was not foolish enough to mention his fears to anyone.

  A sudden thought passed through the general's mind. With Naveena gone, and Zinan about to be crowned King of Borunda, there was an opening for a king's advisor. If he could snare that position, it would put him over his adversary and allow him to keep an eye on what Zinan was doing. General Ortega altered his path and went to Zinan's quarters instead of the meeting room. The Crown Prince was getting dressed when he arrived.

  "Everyone is assembled now," bowed General Ortega, "but I took the liberty of moving your position to that of the ruler of Borunda. That leaves the king's advisor's seat empty."

  "Isn't Naveena here?" asked King Zinan.

  The general's face clouded with confusion. Naveena had told him that Zinan had attacked her and left her to die. Why would he now expect her to be present?

  "Naveena?" echoed the general. "She has not been here in some time. I guess she did not go with you to Laborg?"

  "With me?" laughed Zinan. "Hardly. Well, no great loss then. Did you get my message about inviting King Quanto and Princess Tamil to Tarent?"

  "I did, my prince," replied the general. "They readily accepted your invitation and are already here. I took the liberty of housing them in the royal residency wing. I hope that was acceptable?"

  "Very acceptable," smiled King Zinan, "and there is no longer a need to call me prince. I am already the King of Vineland, and will soon be King of Borunda as well. I think you should get used to calling me king."

  "As you wish, my king," replied the general. "About the position of king's advisor…"

  "I will take care of it shortly," smiled King Zinan. "Thank you for reminding me about it. A new king should have a new advisor. I think my choice will please you. Go wait for me with the others."

  The general bowed and left the room. King Zinan dismissed the servants that had been dressing him and strode out of the room. He made his way to the quarters where the Caprian royalty were housed and entered the chambers. King Quanto and Princess Tamil were seated at a table talking when he entered. They both rose and turned to greet him.

  "Congratulations on Borunda's victory over the Vinelanders," King Quanto nodded with respect. "The killing of a king is a despicable act. You have honored him well by avenging his death."

  King
Zinan's eyes had remained fixed on Princess Tamil since he had entered the room. He barely heard the words King Quanto uttered. The princess smiled coyly at Zinan, and Zinan beamed in return.

  "If I might have a few words with you in private, King Quanto?" King Zinan asked without taking his eyes off the princess.

  "Of course," King Quanto replied.

  Princess Tamil smiled again and left the room. King Zinan crossed the room and sat opposite the King of Capri. King Quanto looked at his host expectantly.

  "I will not be coy with you, Quanto," King Zinan said softly. "I want to marry your daughter."

  "I suspected as much when I received your note," smiled King Quanto. "It will bring our two nations closer."

  "Closer than you think," smiled King Zinan. "I am proposing to join our two nations together."

  "How do you mean?" frowned King Quanto.

  "I will be frank, Quanto," the Borundan continued. "You have no heir to the throne of Capri, and I am marrying your daughter. Should not the son of Tamil and I rule both countries?"

  "Perhaps," nodded King Quanto, "but if Capri ceases to exist, it will have no need for a king."

  "Why be a king of a small, poor country, when you can be a powerful man in a large, rich country?" asked King Zinan.

  King Quanto looked at the Borundan with skepticism. "Explain your proposal, Zinan?"

  "I will make your daughter Queen of Borunda and Queen of Vineland," declared King Zinan. "I will make you the Governor of the province of Capri and the king's advisor of Borunda. You will still rule Capri from the castle if you wish, or you can remain here in Tarent and live in luxury. The choice will be yours."

  "But Capri will cease to exist as a country?" frowned King Quanto. "Why is this so important to you? Why can we not keep things as they are?"

  "Nothing in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms is going to remain as it is," answered King Zinan. "My armies are going to move into Capri with or without your blessing. It is the only way that I can attack Arin. I could attack your meager forces at the Castle of Capri and defeat you, but that is not the way to treat a queen's father. I am offering you an alternative where you can become the aggressor instead of one of the victims, but the choice is yours to make."