Third Prince (Third Prince Series)

by Toby Neighbors

“Okay, so the fastest route to Royal City is straight ahead,” said Kain. “Then we attack this troop in the morning and gain as much ground as we can. Our goal is to get to Royal City, so everything we do should get us closer to our goal.”

  “There are a few problems,” said Fairan. “By attacking them, we lose two great advantages: this hill and Devlyn’s bow.”

  “Plus we are only three, and still outnumbered ten to one,” said Devlyn.

  “There are five of us here,” said Kain.

  “Yes, but Tooles cannot help us now,” said Fairan. “And we cannot risk you getting hurt.”

  “Well, then, we need a strategy that gives us the best chance. I know I’m the least experienced fighter,” said Kain, “but this is all for nothing if we don’t get to Royal City in time for the council.”

  “What kind of strategy do you have in mind?” said Devlyn.

  “Well, we need to retain our advantages. First, we need to make them think that we are still here, still sitting on this hill in the morning. Tooles can accomplish that merely by starting a fire and moving around here. Secondly, we need to keep Devlyn’s bow working for us as long as possible. So here is what I propose.”

  The other three men leaned in closer to hear the plan Kain was setting for them.

  “Alright, Gorton and I will go for the horses tonight. Before the sun rises, you two,” Kain pointed to Fairan and Gorton, “will find hiding places on the far side of Derrick’s men. When the sun comes up, I will be in position behind the hill with mine and Devlyn's horses. Devlyn will move into a position where he can rain arrows down on them. Vespin will be the key here; once they begin to form against us in earnest, he will signal to you two,” again he indicated Fairan and Gorton, “and you will attack them from the rear.”

  Even in the dark he could see Gorton smiling broadly.

  “Then, for as long as is advantageous, Devlyn can fire into them from this side, to keep them occupied, and once that advantage is played out, Tooles can signal me. I’ll ride over with Devlyn’s horse, and we will attack them from this side.”

  There was a deep chuckle from Gorton, then he said, “He’s pretty good.”

  “Yes,” said Fairan, “it might work. You think like your father did.”

  “I don’t like Elkain riding in with us,” Devlyn said. “I think he should stay on the hilltop. Tooles can bring me my horse. We should not place your life in danger, my Lord.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kain said angrily.

  “He has a point,” Gorton said.

  “No, he doesn’t,” said Kain. “What kind of king would I be if I sent you into harm’s way while I sat back in safety? Is that the kind of leader you want?”

  The others were silent.

  “Well, whether you like it or not, I will never sit back and watch men die in my place. You are fighting my battle already; if it weren’t for me none of you would be here now. So stop this talk of keeping me from danger. I am still sending you all into far more dangerous positions; I’m not being fool hardy. We’ll be fighting from horseback, which will give us an advantage. We may even be lucky enough that the knights with them will have no time to mount their own horses.”

  “I think this is as good a plan as we can hope for,” said Fairan. “And I respect your right to fight alongside us. Are you sure you are ready?”

  “No, but I do know that I cannot wait any longer. I will remember what you all have taught me.”

  “You are getting good with your bow, you could ride the perimeter of the battle and mop up the stragglers,” said Devlyn.

  “I don’t know whether to be complimented by your faith in my archery skills or insulted that you keep insisting I stay out of the fight. But I will do as you wish unless I am needed more directly.”

  Devlyn nodded and it was settled. The night wore on, with Devlyn taking first watch and Fairan resting. Gorton and Kain went quietly to retrieve the horses, and when they returned Kain saddled and prepared them. Gorton joined Fairan in resting. It wasn’t long, however, before Kain relieved Devlyn on watch, allowing the warriors their much needed rest before the battle tomorrow. He had no trouble staying awake, although he wasn’t much use keeping watch. He couldn’t see, on this dark night, far enough to warn the others of approaching danger before it reached the foot of their hill, and his mind was buzzing with the details of tomorrow’s attack. He was so anxious. Concern for the safety of his friends battled with doubt about his plan. It was all on him—not the ability to carry out his strategy, but the responsibility for it all. Was he leading them all into death? Could he actually be helpful tomorrow? What would he do if they were all killed?

  He pondered these thoughts and worried about the time; it seemed this night would last forever. He had never stayed on watch, and had no idea how close to dawn it was, but when the moon began to drop slowly toward the horizon, Kain felt he could wait no longer. He roused Fairan and Gorton.

  “Why are you on watch?” Fairan whispered.

  “Couldn’t sleep. I don’t know how much time you have before dawn.”

  “It’ll be enough,” Fairan said. There was a long moment while the aging general looked intently into Kain’s eyes, as if willing some portent of his own strength to the young Prince. Then, without another word, he slipped down the hill to the horses.

  Gorton spoke quietly to Kain, “Remember what you have been learning. Let your horse be your power, focus your strength on riding with him. I will see you on the battlefield, my Lord.”

  Kain nodded and watched him slip down into the inky blackness. Now his nervousness was increased tenfold. There would be no backing out now. He sat on the crown of the hill facing their enemy and prayed.

  “You have made your plans,” came a raspy voice from behind Kain. “That is good, now you know what it feels like to lead men.”

  The elderly Tooles lowered himself gently onto the ground beside Kain.

  “We are going to attack them,” Kain said, his voice sounding strained even to himself.

  “I knew we would. What is my part in this day’s struggle?”

  Kain filled Tooles in on their plans. He expected to be forced to argue for his involvement in the battle plan, but Tooles raised no objections.

  “It seems you are beginning to find your voice. That is good. I am pleased with your progress. Perhaps there is something to royal blood after all,” Tooles said.

  “I doubt it. We’ll probably all be killed.”

  “If Fairan respects the plan you have proposed then it must be good. He never had any qualms about telling your father when he disapproved of his plans. I trust you will be careful not to do anything foolish today?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  They sat in silence then, waiting for daybreak. There was at least an hour before the stars started to fade, at which time Tooles moved to the center of the hilltop and kindled a fire. The light stirred Devlyn, who stood and stretched, then approached Kain.

  “Have you had any rest?” he asked the prince.

  “No, no chance of that tonight.”

  “Well, that is understandable. I know you don’t want to hear this, but you must hear it. If for some reason things do not go as planned,” Kain tried to interrupt but Devlyn continued anyway, “then ride south to the Royal Highway and travel to Gregorton. Lophan, son of Raphan, will help you know what to do.”

  Kain shook his head, “If you die, I will die here with you. I’m not afraid of death; the One God shall carry me to my new home in his great kingdom.”

  Devlyn merely nodded, then turned to gather his weapons.

  Kain could not eat; his stomach was as tight at the head of a drum. As the sky began to lighten, he looked across the field at the dark blob that was their enemies and silently prayed that his plan would work.

  “Good luck,” said Tooles, as Kain slid down the hill. “You’re going to need it.”

  Chapter 13

  Kain made sure the horses were ready, then climbed back up the hill. He ha
d decided to watch as much of the battle as he could before climbing back down to await Tooles’ signal. It wasn’t long until they could see the men beginning to stir in the enemy camp. The light was growing brighter by the minute now. Kain hoped that Gorton and Fairan had found good places to hide and wait for their signal to attack. Devlyn was moving stealthily across the plain now. He had two quivers full of arrows again and what remained of yesterday’s missiles in a quiver on the horse that Kain would bring to him. When he had reached the place he wanted, he launched his first arrow. Kain watched it streak across the sky then dive into the mass of men. It was impossible to see the effects of the individual arrows. Devlyn was taking his time with each shot, and the activity within the camp was now chaotic.

  Kain watched while his stomach writhed within him. It was going to work, he thought. It had to work. It wasn’t long before the soldiers, huddled together with shields held over their heads, hurried out to attack Devlyn. When they had closed half the distance between themselves and the archer, Tooles raised a spear with the falcon of Belanda on it, signaling to Fairan and Gorton to attack.

  There came, floating out of the distance, the sound of horses’ hooves thundering on the ground as the two warriors raced from hiding to attack their foes. Kain could see Gorton, his bald head shinning in the morning sunlight, which was just beginning to poke up from the horizon behind them. He had traded his long battle axe for a smaller axe with two large blades, which he held with one hand. He raised his weapon high and screamed his battle cry as his horse raced toward the band of men, which now seemed small and helpless.

  Fairan rode swiftly and silently from an angle different than Gorton’s; he kept his sword low. Meanwhile, Devlyn was still launching arrows into the mass of troops. Kain was gritting his teeth; everything seemed to be going so well, almost too well. And at that very moment, he saw them. The knights were mounted and riding downstream in an attempt to outflank him. Kain knew in an instant that the knights were either coming to attack the hill or, more than likely, to attack Devlyn. There was a small chance that he could stop them; they were riding low to their horses with their shields held at the ready, and Devlyn had not yet noticed them.

  “Devlyn, look out!” Kain shouted, even as he slid down the hill and leaped onto his horse. He was fully armed and riding as hard as he could. All thought of his own safety was forgotten. His horse seemed to sense the urgency and raced around the hill on a course to intercept the two knights. He pulled his sword from its glistening, green scabbard and held it low. He was operating solely on instinct now, all lessons forgotten, his only thought was to get between the knights and Devlyn.

  Devlyn had not heard Kain’s cry of warning, and only noticed the two riders as they raced toward him side by side. He nocked an arrow and aimed at the rider on the right’s horse. He let fly the arrow, which struck the horse in the chest, just under the long, graceful neck, a little right of center. But the arrow bounced off, and the horse was unaffected. Devlyn realized too late that the horses were armored in chainmail, an expensive, but not unheard of, precaution. And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kain racing to his defense.

  When the Prince reached the two knights, the collision was inevitable and thunderous. Kain had planned to ride across the path of the two knights, as close to their horses as possible. He reached out with his sword and swung as hard as he could. The first knight’s head sailed into the air, but the horses crashed together just as the sword was about to sever the second head. The knights’ horses had run broadside into Kain’s mount, knocking the horse out from under Kain, and throwing the bodies of the two knights forward. Kain’s sword sliced cleanly through the helmet and head of the second knight, killing him instantly. Kain was carried forward by the momentum of his horse, past the wreck of hooves and armor and bodies. He tucked his head and landed on his back, sliding through the grass. The breath was knocked out of him, but he quickly struggled to his feet, his sword ready for combat. Devlyn was racing toward him.

  “Are you okay?” shouted Devlyn, still some distance away from Kain.

  Kain nodded and shouted back, “Keep hammering them!”

  But the order was pointless. The soldiers had all seen the collision and had now thrown up their hands, dropped their swords, and were calling for mercy. Gorton and Fairan had reined in their horses and were now riding quickly around the troop toward Kain.

  When they reached him, Fairan shouted, “What in the name of the gods do you think you were doing?”

  “Saving my life,” Devlyn said.

  Kain was beginning to feel the sting of where his slide had skinned his back, but he was so full of the battle rage that he could not answer.

  “That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen,” said Gorton, suddenly throwing back his head and laughing.

  Kain had finally gained control of himself and said, “You better see to those men, Fairan.” He indicated the troops who were still staring at them, with their hands above their heads.

  Fairan turned his horse toward the now surrendered attackers, while Gorton went to see about the horses. Kain looked at Devlyn, who was staring at him with eyes almost as wide as their prisoners.

  “Thank you, my Lord,” he said.

  “Forget it,” Kain said, the adrenalin now causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

  For the next hour, there was much to do. Kain’s horse had taken the brunt of the collision and had died from the trauma. The other horses had broken bones and had to be put down. The prisoners were deprived of their weapons and led away from their camp. Fairan was interrogating them to see what he could learn, but the soldiers didn’t know much, only what they had overheard on the march out from Royal City. Tooles had moved their belongings to a quiet spot near the stream and was preparing food.

  Kain was washing in the cool water of the stream, his back was red, and in some places raw. Tooles had given him a paste to put on the worst places. He would be sore, but he could live with that. None of their group had been injured, and soon they could push on toward Royal City.

  Devlyn spent the time retrieving as many arrows as he could. Most were ruined, but he salvaged as much as possible by putting the odd parts in a bag he kept full of materials to make and repair his arrows.

  When Kain noticed the others gathering around Tooles’ fire, he rose from the cool, refreshing water and dressed quickly. The paste he applied to his back had a strange odor, but kept the fabric of his tunic from sticking to the raw flesh. As he drew near to the others he heard their conversation.

  Gorton was speaking, “… a near perfect solution to an otherwise hopeless situation.”

  “I disagree,” Fairan said, looking down at the dirt he was scratching with his foot. His temper was evident, although Kain wasn’t able to guess why. He himself was elated at their victory.

  The group fell silent as he approached. Tooles began passing out bacon and bowls of porridge to everyone.

  “Why are you all so quiet?” Kain asked. “You were talking before I arrived. What’s wrong?” The last question he directed to Fairan.

  “That was foolish, what you did back there,” Fairan said.

  “I was trying to save Devlyn’s life.”

  “His life isn’t worth the risk,” Fairan said harshly.

  Devlyn looked down at his food, although he was not eating.

  “That is ridiculous,” Kain stated. “Are you saying you would have done differently if you had been in my situation?”

  “He couldn’t have done what you did,” Gorton said. “Don’t know that I could have done that.”

  “What do you mean? I about got myself killed.”

  “That is exactly the point,” said Fairan. “I thought we agreed you would not do anything foolhardy.”

  “Well, forgive me. I wasn’t thinking about myself.”

  Fairan threw up his hands, his food flying into the air. He stormed away, muttering under his breath.

  “Why is he so mad? Everything turned out o
kay,” Kain said.

  “He is angry because he thought you would be killed,” Tooles said lightly, with a mouth full of bacon. “He thought he had failed your father once again. It scared him, and he doesn’t like being scared.”

  “Well, he’ll just have to get over it.”

  “You shouldn’t have risked yourself for me,” Devlyn said quietly.

  Kain was about to protest once again, but Devlyn continued. “I have lived an unworthy life. When I realized that my arrows would not penetrate the armor on their horses, I knew I was going to die. My life flashed in front of me.”

  The others were totally silent. Kain noticed the tears starting to well up in Devlyn’s eyes.

  “I have lived solely for myself. I have always taken and never given. I realized that my life has been wasted.”

  “That’s not true,” Gorton rumbled. “You have contributed to this country. You have fought alongside me, you have saved countless lives. You committed yourself to Elkain because he is the rightful king.”

  “No,” said Devlyn, “I committed myself to Elkain because I do not want Derrick to rule. I fought with your horsemen because I wanted to. Everything in my life has been about me.” He turned suddenly off his camp chair and knelt before Elkain. He raised his bow with both hands while he bowed his head and said, “I pledge my life for yours. I will serve you, in whatever way you desire, for as long as I live.”

  Kain quickly stood the man up. They both stood for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes as if reading their souls.

  Then Kain said, “I do not want a servant, instead, I embrace you as a friend.” Kain hugged the taller man. There were quiet sobs, but Kain knew it was not because he had save Devlyn’s life. He whispered, “There is only one who deserves your life long devotion, the King of kings, the One True God. He has the peace you seek.”

  Then stepping back, Devlyn nodded and regained his composure. He picked up his food and wandered away. The three men at the fire watched him go. They ate in silence for a short time until Gorton finally spoke.

  “I hope he finds what he is searching for,” Gorton said.