Evil Within

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Prince Antion did not respond to Babul's plea, and the bandit became very nervous. He had gambled his life by telling the prince the truth, but he felt strongly that the prince would not murder him without reason.

  "Look, Prince Antion," suggested Babul, "I know that I have wronged you and that I have no credibility within your mind, but we can work together on this. I will use my men to get you through the Borundan army and safely back to Arin. Perhaps in some small way that will repay you for the errors I have made in the past."

  "You are willing to risk your life and the lives of your men to help me?" Prince Antion asked skeptically.

  "I am," Babul nodded firmly. "By rights my life was forfeit that day in Goodland. I don't think my offense tonight was as serious, but you warned me not to cross your path again. I did so unknowingly, but I did cross your path again. I would rather take a chance at fighting my true enemies, than die for something that happened long ago that I have regretted ever since. My men are in a similar position. They all have pasts that are better off forgotten. I do not know who is traveling with you, but I know the caliber of men you travel with. I am not fool enough to think that any of my men would escape this forest alive if you were not willing to allow it. To a man, they hate the Borundans and we would gladly take the battle to them if there was at least a slim chance of survival."

  "I want very much to believe you, Babul, as I believe all men deserve a chance to better themselves," the prince said hesitantly, "but I am not alone. There are others who depend upon me, and I cannot take a chance with their lives."

  Babul's eye twitched as he felt his chance slipping away from him. "I am speaking from my heart," Babul pleaded softly. "If there were some way to convince you, I would do so immediately, but you will just have to trust me. Give us a chance. You won't be sorry."

  A thin hint of a smile passed over the prince's lips and his eyes brightened somewhat as he stared at the bandit leader.

  "Would you truly be willing to prove your intent if there were a way?" asked the prince.

  Prince Antion had expected the thief to squirm before answering, but Babul's reply was prompt and decisive.

  "I am willing to do whatever you wish," vowed Babul. "My life as a bandit is no longer worth living, but I am in no hurry to throw it away. Let me walk on the side of right and decency just once before I die. I will not disappoint you."

  "Are you aware that a wisper has the ability to look into one's mind?" asked Prince Antion.

  "I was not aware of that," admitted the bandit leader.

  "Would you be willing to let one search your mind for the truth?" asked the Arin prince.

  "I would do so," Babul nodded. "Give me the chance to stand by your side, and when we find a wisper I will ask her to prove my intentions."

  Prince Antion whistled softly to ensure that his friends were watching him closely. He raised his hand over his head and his fingers moved rapidly. Babul's eyes narrowed as he watched the antics of the Arin prince, but he said nothing. Within moments a warrior strode towards Prince Antion, and the bandit leader's eyes grew wide. Female warriors were unheard of in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, yet the woman carried her sword as if it belonged upon her back. Her face held the same self-assurance that had made Babul notice Gunnar that day in Goodland so long ago.

  "Ask her," Prince Antion said softly as Winona approached.

  Babul swallowed hard and stared into the woman's face. She returned his stare with a cold gaze that showed no hint of compassion.

  "I seek a wisper to read my mind," Babul said nervously. "Can you do it?"

  Winona glanced at Prince Antion and saw him nod in agreement.

  "Lie down," Winona commanded.

  "Lie down?" frowned Babul. "Why?"

  "Because many men will faint from the truth," Winona smiled coldly. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself by falling."

  Babul did not care for her words, and his first reaction was to boast that he would not faint, but he bit his tongue and followed the woman's instructions. Winona knelt alongside Babul and extended her arms until her hands rested on his temples. For several moments there was silence in the woods as Winona delved into the thoughts of the bandit leader. Prince Antion suspected that she did not plan to divulge what she learned until they were alone, but he wished otherwise.

  "Tell us what you are learning," the Arin prince requested. "Babul should have no secrets, not even from himself."

  "He is very fearful of you," Winona declared, "but he also admires you more than any man he has ever met. He knows your true identity, but he considers it a secret. There is a strong fear of death, but he has the courage to face it if he must." Winona's brow creased heavily as she continued, "This man has done some despicable things in his life. The lives of others hold no value in his heart. He sees everyone as a potential victim of his crimes."

  "I can change," protested Babul.

  "Quiet," snapped Prince Antion. "Listen to her words and learn the truth. Perhaps once you understand who you truly are, you can see the wrongness of your ways."

  "I believe he is telling the truth," Winona retorted softly. "He is very unhappy with his life. He sees his unfortunate situation in life as the result of actions by others and not his own fault, but part of him desires to change."

  "Will he turn against me?" asked Prince Antion. "If I allow him to walk away, will I regret it?"

  Winona remained silent for a moment, but she eventually answered, "Yes and no. He will not tell the Borundans about you, but you will lose the opportunity to make use of him and his men."

  "Explain," frowned the prince.

  "He truly wants to do something that is right by you," replied Winona. "He sees his men escorting you to the bridge over the Arin River so that you can return safely to your homeland even though many of his men will die. The road is thick with Borundan soldiers and the journey is almost impossible, but he still wants to do it."

  "Let him be," the prince said to Winona. "I need him awake right now."

  Winona nodded and removed her hands. She rose and backed away from the bandit leader. Prince Antion extended a hand to Babul and helped him to his feet.

  "Return to the clearing," Prince Antion instructed the bandit leader. "Tell your men to leave their weapons in the clearing and then find another clearing nearby to make camp. You and I will talk when they are settled in."

  Babul nodded eagerly and started to leave. He paused for a moment to glance at the wisper with a look of wonder and then he was gone.

  "You are going to trust him?" frowned Winona. "Is that wise when we are so close to our goal?"

  "Perhaps not," shrugged Prince Antion, "but I cannot help thinking that Babul would have been a totally different man if he had been given a chance in his youth. He probably would have made a fine officer in someone's army."

  "But we are not headed to Arin," objected Winona, "and you cannot tell him the truth about our mission. That is too risky. While he might not betray you, his men are likely to."

  "I have made no decision regarding how much Babul shall learn of our mission," replied the Arin prince, "but I must talk to him. He knows a lot about the situation here in Capri, and we do not. While Jared can help us find his brother, we will not be able to just walk up to King Zinan and attack him. We need to understand the situation entirely before we strike. Babul can help us learn what we need to know."

  * * *

  It was a bright sunny morning two days later when Babul strode into the camp of the foreign warriors. He greeted each of the warriors by name and with a smile before settling down near the campfire and helping himself to a mug of tea. The three princes and Winona halted their morning chores and gathered around the campfire.

  "Any more problems with your men?" asked Prince Antion.

  "No," chuckled Babul, "not since Talot caught one of them trying to sneak away a day ago. Most of the men either saw the fight in Goodland or heard about it. None of them are willing to risk the wrath of your people by making troubl
e. Besides, the men haven't eaten this well in a long time. They marvel at the deer that Monte brings to camp. He never fails to bag one."

  "Good," Prince Antion nodded with satisfaction. "What have you learned since yesterday morning?"

  "A number of things," Babul replied. "We snooped around the Castle of Capri. It is directly south of here at a half-day's ride. We could not determine the actual number of men inside the castle, but I estimate at least three hundred."

  "Is that all?" Prince Derri asked with disbelief. "If King Zinan is inside and the castle is his headquarters, I would expect a larger number."

  "The king is supposedly inside," replied Babul, "but none of my men caught sight of him. Of course, they wouldn't recognize him if they did see him, but there has been no sighting of anyone wearing a crown. As for being the headquarters for the Borundan army, I do not think that is true any longer. The bulk of the Borundans have moved westward. I think they are planning to attack Arin quite soon. It may no longer be possible to get you over the bridge at Anatar."

  "Three hundred is no small number for what we have in mind," Prince Umal pointed out. "The castle of Capri was designed to withstand a siege by thousands."

  "What do you have in mind?" Babul frowned heavily. "Surely you are not thinking of attacking the Castle of Capri? That would be madness. There are only eight of you."

  "Are you and your men no longer with us?" Prince Antion asked with a thin smile.

  "You can't be serious?" gasped the bandit leader. "That is suicide."

  "Sounds like he is not interested," Winona said with indifference.

  "That is not what I said," Babul retreated quickly. "Let me think about this for a minute."

  "You do have courage," chuckled Prince Antion as he slapped Babul on the back. "Do not think too hard just yet. Our plans are not complete, but we do not intend to besiege the Castle of Capri. We seek to kill King Zinan and end this nasty war."

  "Your ambitions are bold," Babul said in awe. "It is a worthy goal, but I have heard that King Zinan is immortal."

  "He believes himself to be immortal," offered Prince Derri, "but that is not the truth."

  "All right," frowned the bandit leader, "so we don't need to siege the castle, but it is not one that you can sneak into either. Have you ever seen it?"

  "I have been inside," nodded Prince Antion, "as have several others in this group."

  "I forget that you are princes," Babul said thoughtfully. "I wonder if we might trick our way inside. Would they allow a foreign prince in to see King Zinan?"

  "That is doubtful," Prince Umal shook his head. "King Zinan would be more apt to seize us and use us as leverage to gain what he wants from our fathers. It would not work of course, but that is what he would do."

  "I agree," nodded Prince Derri. "Zinan is not interested in negotiations. He wants to conquer the Land of the Nine Kingdoms."

  "I would like to get a peek at this castle," interjected Winona. "Would that be possible?"

  "I would gladly take you myself," offered Babul as he looked to Prince Antion for permission.

  "She is not known to the Borundans," shrugged Prince Derri, "and I value her judgment a great deal. It might be worth the trip."

  "I agree," added Prince Umal. "Winona understands our goal very well. She will look with our eyes, and her report could be valuable."

  "No," Prince Antion shook his head. "She is needed in the final battle."

  "Let her go," Jared said softly from behind the Arin prince. "We should not question what is her part to play."

  Prince Antion glanced back at Jared and grudgingly relented. He nodded his head in agreement, but it was clear that he did not like the idea. No one spoke as Winona left the group and gathered her belongings.

  * * *

  Babul sat hidden in a thick stand of palm trees as he watched Winona frolic in the surf. The woman's body was covered only with thin bands of cloth for the sake of modesty, and the bandit leader was sure that she had the attention of the entire garrison at the Castle of Capri. It was only a matter of time before a group of soldiers exited the castle and made their way along the beach to where the woman played in the surf. While the bandit leader was too far away to hear the words spoken, he could almost imagine the tone of the conversation.

  The four soldiers confronted the woman, and she emerged from the water. After talking for some time, one of the men insistently dismissed the other three. Winona accompanied the lone soldier to one of the thatched-roof pavilions lining the beach. The pavilion had no walls, but it had several cane chairs for the purpose of sitting in the shade of the roof. The soldier and Winona sat down and talked for a long time, and Babul wished that he could hear the conversation. Eventually the soldier rose and extended his hand to Winona. The female warrior rose without assistance and shook her head vigorously.

  The soldier's voice rose loudly and he became clearly agitated, but Winona remained steadfast and shook her head adamantly. When the soldier reached out to grab Winona, the woman struck with a swiftness that Babul found inconceivable. The soldier doubled over before Winona brought her fists down on his head. As the soldier collapsed to the ground, Winona turned and ran towards the line of palm trees. Babul quickly gathered the woman's belongings and waited for her to arrive. Within minutes she was dressed and armed, and the two spies fled through the trees to their horses.

  * * *

  "King Zinan is in residency at the Castle of Capri," Winona reported to her friends. "He is expected to be leaving in a day or two, but the soldier did not know exactly when or where the king was going to go."

  "I can't believe that a soldier would divulge such information," frowned Prince Umal. "Are you sure that you can believe him?"

  "I believe him," grinned Babul. "I think he would have told Winona where his secret stash of gold was if she had asked him."

  Winona shot the bandit leader a cold glare and then answered the Odessian prince. "I believe he spoke the truth. He did not suspect any ulterior motive from me other than idle curiosity."

  "So we need to strike soon," nodded Prince Antion. "What else did you learn?"

  "There are five hundred Caprian defenders in the Castle of Capri," answered Winona. "There are also twenty Borundan soldiers assigned to protect King Zinan. The two groups do not particularly care for each other, and they do not mix at all. The king and his entourage remain on the top floor of the castle mostly. There is a steady stream of messengers that arrive daily for King Zinan, but I could not determine the nature of the messages. The Caprians have no idea what King Zinan has planned."

  "How do they know that he is planning to leave then?" asked Prince Derri.

  "He has ordered the castle staff to prepare traveling rations," answered Winona.

  "I wonder where he is going?" pondered Prince Derri. "Maybe we can get him along the road?"

  "According to one of Babul's bandits," offered Sandar, "the Borundan army is surging towards the Arin border. He said that the people of the towns along the Koar-Anatar Road are fleeing eastward. Perhaps he has visions of leading the charge himself?"

  "Then we cannot chance catching him on the road," frowned Prince Antion. "With the citizens of Capri fleeing, King Zinan will surround himself with an army. The sands in the hourglass have run out. We have to attack the Castle of Capri tonight."

  "Attack the castle?" balked Babul. "Did you not hear Winona? There are five hundred men inside the castle. We are less than fifty."

  "I can get us inside the castle," offered Winona.

  "Are you sure?" asked Prince Antion.

  "Fairly sure," shrugged Winona. "It might be helpful if Babul could corral the fleeing Caprians. If we opened the gates to the castle from the inside, his people could draw attention away from King Zinan."

  "That is expecting too much from the Caprians," Prince Derri shook his head. "The bandits are probably no match for the defenders of the Castle of Capri."

  "Now," nodded the bandit leader, "the Salacian prince has the right of
it. This attack on the Castle of Capri is mere suicide."

  The group fell silent but the only smile was on Babul's face. He was relieved that he talked Prince Antion out of the foolish attack.

  "Very well," Prince Antion sighed, "we will proceed without them."

  "What?" gasped Babul. "You can't be serious? I thought you finally realized the foolishness of such an attack? The eight of you will die before you ever get to the king."

  "Perhaps," shrugged Prince Antion, "but we are the only people who can end this reign of terror. I will not walk away and see the people of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms reduced to slavery."

  "I will ready the horses," volunteered Prince Umal as he turned to get the Odessian beauties ready for the ride.

  "Monte and I will pick up the camp," offered Talot.

  The warriors started to drift off leaving Prince Antion, Winona, Jared and Babul alone by the fire.

  "You are all crazy!" shouted Babul. "Can you not see the futility in your actions?"

  "There are things in this world more important than life," Winona said softly. "You wouldn't understand."

  Winona turned and left, and Prince Antion also started to leave, but Babul grabbed him by the arm.

  "I was hoping that you would come to your senses," Babul said, "but I can see that you are determined. Explain to me how you have the slightest bit of a chance to succeed."

  "We know King Zinan's weakness," answered Prince Antion.

  "His weakness?" echoed the bandit leader. "What is his weakness?"

  "I am his weakness," volunteered Jared. "King Zinan is my twin brother. I have the power to end his reign of madness. It is necessary for me to meet him face to face. That is what Prince Antion and the others have sworn to make happen. I am the only chance the Land of the Nine Kingdoms has to stop this worldwide slaughter."

  Babul's eyes clouded in confusion, but he soon understood that Jared was not joking.

  "And the eight of you are prepared to give up your lives for this one chance at victory?" he asked.