Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  The King once again looked greatly stressed and said something to his sister. She turned to Hunter and asked, “The King wants to know how many will be coming across the sea?” Hunter hated to even tell the already despondent King, but knew he had to tell him the truth, he could think of no way to make it sound like anything less than a disaster, he told the Princess, “From what we could see as we traveled, there are at least 200,000 heavily armed men. Most will carry the weapons the assassins carried. They also have a large cavalry and war machines.” Without being told by his sister, the King dropped into a thickly padded armchair, looking as if it was the end of the world. From where he sat, there was no doubt that it was.

  The King wanted to be alone. He ended the meeting and had servants show Hunter and Vlad to guest rooms. They were both given a fresh change of clothes and servants filled large bronze tubs with scalding water for them to bathe. Before he cleaned-up, Hunter connected with the orbiting Destroyers and asked, “Any reports from Skiver or Stevonich?” When he was immediately connected to Paul on Verron he knew things did not go well. Paul in his usual humor asked, “Well, you want the good news or the bad news first?” Hunter knew which one Paul would prefer and said, “Good.” Paul informed him, “the Trapdoor Device worked perfectly and I have placed an order for enough of them for every man and women who serves in the Armed Forces of Verron to have one. Your two men assured me they worked flawlessly. That’s it; the rest is bad, except that your two men are healthy and well.” Hunter knew he had to ask before Paul would tell him the rest, he asked, “OK, now give me the bad news.” Paul hesitated a moment then began, “According to Skiver and Stevonich, these Niccaros are the most immoral, cold hearted and sadistic people either of them have ever seen and they have seen the worst of the worst Earth has to offer. They actually sell children for child sacrifices to their goddess Nicci. They have absolutely no regard for human life and will definitely murder, rape and destroy every human being in Darsai. Their religion is a satanic type religion, according to Tlase and Zimuel, these religions, no matter where they are, feel like the more of their enemy they kill, the stronger they become. They have more advanced weapons and heavier armor than anything the drones showed on the other continent and they were loading ships with soldiers and supplies when Skiver was discovered and had to escape. It can’t be much longer before they sail. According to Lucy and her analysis of the drone data and photos of the ships being used, it will take between 25 to 35 days to cross the sea between Niccaros and Darsai. Hunter, as much as I know you would like nothing more than to use your ship and wipe out the entire army of Niccaros, this war needs to be won locally or they will lose all faith in their existing leadership. We don’t want to rule their planet; we want to help the people be free to rule themselves. It seems there will be no freedom if the Niccaros win, so you have roughly a month to figure out how you can help them defeat a bigger and stronger enemy, without using spaceships, laser blasters and your gift of The Power.”

  That evening the royal family invited Hunter and Vlad to join them for dinner. The food was excellent and the conversation was going pretty well until one of the soldiers came in and whispered in the King’s ear. He immediately moved his chair back from the table and announced, “Sir Kaiyos has captured our traitor. I must go question him.” Vlad and Hunter both immediately rose and asked, “May we come with you?” The King simply waved them to come and took off at a brisk pace to the dungeon below. The man who was determined to be the traitor looked like he wouldn’t last much longer under the King’s questioning. Vlad reached into his pocket and produced a syringe. Hunter smiled and gave him a pat on the back and said, “No wonder you’re the Master Spy.” He approached the prisoner and asked the King’s permission to give him something to help him talk. Seconds after the injection, there was no longer any resistance from the man who had once been a trusted advisor to the king. He began to talk, saying, “You are a weak King with a weaker kingdom. The Goddess and God will soon rule Darsai. You’re such a fool. You don’t even know that there are over 200 of the Niccaros living in your pitiful little kingdom and soon, when the Armies of King Ronar come, all of you will die and your lands will be inhabited by Niccaros.” Hunter asked quickly, before the King killed the arrogant traitor, “Where are these 200 men located; what are their plans?” The man couldn’t resist the Kahlan and was angry that he was telling them everything, saying, “We have people in every city prepared to kill the leaders and set fire to your cities. There are assassins everywhere and the rest are camped in the mountains along the Laiix River.” Vlad asked, “When will they be here?” The traitor tried his best not to answer, but replied, “Long before you will be able to prepare any defense with these farmers, fishermen and pitiful army of yours. They set sail at the next full moon tide change and will be here within the moon cycle.” Hunter didn’t know much about the moon cycles of the planet, but knew from Lucy how long it would take to cross an ocean of that size.

  As Hunter and Vlad were about to leave the room with the King, Vlad turned and told the man, “I want a complete list of everyone you know who is involved in this betrayal and I want it now. If you can’t write, someone will write them down for you.” The King nodded to one of his aides who looked nervous. He was trying to make his way toward the door and quickly drew a dagger and held it to the throat of one of the Kings officers. Obvious that he was one of the traitors about to be named, Hunter quickly jumped and subdued the man, taking the dagger from him and holding it to his throat. No one even saw him do it. Vlad held up another syringe and smiled. The next man was even more help. As one of the King’s closest friends, he had been spying on the King and his family and feeding information to the Niccaros for years. They wanted to kill him right then, but Hunter assured him that he should at least wait until they got everything they could from him. Soon names and locations of those loyal to the Niccaros invasion were revealed. While they talked and wrote, Hunter began to come up with a plan, at least for the short term. First he had to get rid of anyone disloyal to King Darsai and establish his reputation as a strong King once again. As they left the dungeon, Hunter could tell the King was nursing wounds from what was said and feeling as if he had failed his people. He was feeling like a weak king. Hunter quickly told him, “King Darsai, if you will allow me, I will be your champion and rid your land of these traitors in the King’s name. Then Vladimir and I will come up with a plan to defeat this enemy when they come to your shores.”

  The King looked at Hunter and told him, “You are but one man. We have hundreds of spies in my lands. I have seen you do some strange things, but how will you do this?” Hunter then told the King, “What your Kingdom needs is a strong King who takes control of a helpless situation. I will serve that King and Vladimir will help me. We will come up with something. There may be more of them and they may be better armed, but they are still just men. You will hold you’re thrown, and rule your people.”

  That evening Hunter lay on his big feather bed and thought of how Paul could have established himself as ruler of Klelta or Tecalna but instead did what he could to build-up the local leadership. There was a method to his decisions. Hunter now realized that he could take the easy approach and blast the fleet of ships out of the water while at sea and eliminate the entire army of Niccaros, but then he would be the hero and King Darsai would be looked upon as a puppet to a more powerful King. The war had to be won locally using the King’s army and under the King’s leadership then he would be an ally instead of a pawn. Hunter decided that the best thing to do was fight alongside the King as he got rid his countries traitors. He got up and made a gateway back to the orbiting Destroyer. The men on board were getting board, and wondered when Prince Hunter would be able to use them. He gave them an honest answer and saw the disappointment on their face, as he told them, “I’m not so sure at this point if we will be able to get involved with our army. They are not an advanced society and using our weapons there would undermine the King who is trying to maintain co
ntrol of his Kingdom. If we get involved, it will be as advisors or to train their people, but we can’t be the ones to win the war, the King needs to do that, at least in the eyes of his people.” Hunter put on his body armor and grabbed his other sword and dagger set. After a moment of thought, be grabbed a few more syringes of Kahlan and smiled as he saw a bag of Centipedes left behind in his room by someone who didn’t like them; Tala. He smiled and threw the bag over his shoulder, then made a gateway back to his room on Darsai.

  The next morning he arrived downstairs in his full body armor. He looked like a black knight in his dark gray armor and fit the bill as he carried his sword and dagger set at his side. When the King looked in wonder, he retracted his headgear and told him, “If you don’t mind, today we will begin to eliminate traitors together. I am here to serve the King. If you will allow me the honor, there will soon be 200 fewer Niccaros in your Kingdom. Then we will begin a plan to eliminate the 200,000 soon to come, one problem at a time.” The Princess was sitting beside the King and nodded her approval and smiled with admiration at the handsome Prince. No one knew his title, and at this point it was irrelevant. “Protect and Serve,” that was what Verron was all about and he was the crown Prince of Verron.

  Hunter handed Vlad the bag of centipedes before he and the King began their search for the traitors sold-out under the influence of Kahlan. Vlad wanted to go with him, but Hunter told him to spend his time looking over the Castle and its surrounding area to help figure out a way to defend it from an attack, and do something with the centipedes. The Castle looked strong and well designed, but the King’s small army would give little challenge to the larger and better equipped Niccaros, they desperately needed a plan of defense. The King and Hunter began at home. Three more traitors lived within his Castle walls. The two that actually lived in his palace were the man who acted as his political advisor and the man who handled his finances. No doubt, by now, his enemies knew his personal business and every detail of the advice he had received from his aides was now in question. They gave little resistance when faced with a Dark Knight standing beside the King, and surrounded by the King’s guard. The next person to be arrested was a different story. He was Lord Jinsne, commander of the King’s Guard, and the finest swordsman in the Kingdom of Darsai. The King was greatly upset to think that the man he trusted with his protection was no doubt the one who had coordinated his assassination attempt.

  When he saw the group approaching he drew his broadsword and immediately killed two of the guards before coming face to face with Hunter. At this point Hunter didn’t even have his sword drawn. The Commander of the Guard took a swing at Hunter. Before the blade was half-way to its target he drew his sword and severed the approaching blade inches above the hand-guard. As the shocked Lord tried to recover, Hunter punched him in the solar plexus, doubling him over. He immediately injected the Kahlan. Soon he knew the precise location of the Niccaros scouts and discovered that Prince Darlendr, the King’s uncle, was leading the traitors in a bid to overthrow the King from inside Niccaros. He evidently had worked out a deal to rule the Kingdom after the King’s defeat. With Prince Darlendr ruling the largest fortified city on the coast, he intended to offer no resistance to the approaching ships as they landed, thus saving his city from attack. This plot had evidently been going on for several years, right under the nose of the unsuspecting and trusting King. King Darsai couldn’t believe his own uncle would betray him, but then he suddenly realized how his uncle had questioned every decision he made for most of the time he had ruled.

  The three men were taken to the city gate and hung by the neck until dead then left hanging as a reminder of what happens to traitors to the King. The King gathered 1500 of his soldiers; all he had enough mounts to carry, and headed for the caves above the Laixx River, only 20 miles north of the Castle. He couldn’t believe these men had been living so close and never detected. He knew that the locals had to be involved with the enemy soldiers for them to exist so long with no one knowing. As the King and his army rode along the river, he soon realized how little he knew about his people and began to question himself as a leader. The fact that so many were involved in this conspiracy made him feel very alone. The two scouts that Hunter and Vlad had disarmed were out scouting ahead of the King and soon returned to inform them that about 150 soldiers had set up a base of operations in the large cave overlooking the river. It was difficult to approach without being seen and they could easily escape out of two cave exits on the back side of the low mountain. Hunter had the King and his archers move across the river, out of sight of the cave entrance, and behind the mountain to cover any possible escape route. The King looked at Hunter and asked, “What are you planning to do?” Hunter dismounted his horse and looked to the King, saying, “I plan to run them out of the cave and into your hands. I promise none will come out the entrance above the river. I’ll wait until you’ve had enough time to get into position. Fire a flaming arrow into the air when you’re ready. They won’t see it since it will be behind them. Then get ready, they’ll be coming out the back.”

  Hunter waited patiently for what seemed like an hour. The flaming arrow barely made it past the top of the ridge, but was clearly visible. He made a jump directly to the cave entrance, with his sword and dagger drawn. The first to die were the four sentries at the entrance. He slowly walked through the cave, quickly cutting down any that tried to resist him, and there were plenty that tried, but when a row of twenty archers fired at him with heavy crossbows and their bolts clanged off his armor, ringing against the cave walls, the smart ones began to race for the escape route at the rear. Those running or riding from the rear of the cave were quickly shot down by the King’s archers. These men had been using longbows and arrows since childhood and all their arrows found their target. The men inside the cave had to decide on a wall of arrows or the certain-death-in-black stalking the cave behind them. Most chose the arrows. A few inside the cave were smart enough to lay down their weapons and surrender. A pommel blow to the head and they were out like a light, to be questioned and probably hung later. By the time Hunter exited the cave into the small valley behind the mountain, only four men remained alive. He thought that they would have a heart attack when he approached them.

  The captive men soon revealed that the local village constable had been keeping them safe by threats to the village and surrounding farmers. He and his deputy would be dealt with next. Every man killed in the cave wore the tattoo of the Goddess Nicci on their forearm. It was discovered that they had traveled the long way around, following the coast and then traveled cross-country to where they were now, each under the protection of the King’s uncle and his army. The King and his soldiers surrounded the small village where the constable and his deputies lived; he then rode to the center of town. King Darsai declared to the village what he was there for and told them that if they did not surrender the constable and deputies that the whole village would be burned to the ground. In minutes a battered and beaten bald-headed man and a younger man with a bad cut across his forehead were delivered struggling into the King’s presence. The constable begged for mercy and swore that the King’s uncle had forced him to do it or he would kill the constable’s daughter and grandchildren. It sounded very believable until Hunter approached the trembling men and ripped the sleeve from their shirts. Both men had a tattoo declaring loyalty to the Goddess Nicci. The King had the two men hung in the center of town from a large sturdy tree. No one, not even the constable’s wife, uttered a word in protest.

  As Hunter rode beside the King on their way back to the castle, he asked, “Exactly where does your uncle live?” The King looked very disturbed that he was in a position of having to deal with a relative who he thought a friend, and now discovered he was plotting to take his throne. He pointed towards the east, and answered, “Four to five days ride towards the sea. His city is the largest and wealthiest in my Kingdom and has our busiest port. He is the youngest brother to my father. My uncle in the middle died suspici
ously a year ago in a hunting accident. Now I believe Darlendr had his own brother killed so no one could stand in his way to claim the throne if I died. I can’t believe I have been such a fool.” Hunter replied, “You would only be a fool if you now did nothing about this betrayal. Anyone can make a mistake, but a strong man corrects his mistakes and deals with his problems decisively, and never looks back.” The King looked over at a man half his age and asked, “How did you become so wise my friend?” Hunter declared, “I had a good teacher. A man who made every mistake in life a person could make and yet overcame it to become a great leader, forgetting about the past and driven towards the goals ahead. You must do the same.” Darsai nodded his agreement and replied, “Is this man you’re King? I would like to meet him.” Hunter smiled and was amused by the look on the King’s face when he replied, “The man is my King and my grandfather and when this is all over, I have no doubt he will visit you personally.”