Lucian felt his muscles tensing again. He wouldn’t mind the protection, but the beautiful Tarriel gave him the shivers. Her hair always seemed as if it were on fire, burning from the rage within her. But he knew that this was non-negotiable, he also wondered if there was an ulterior motive involved. What Vanesht said next confirmed his suspicions.
“Once you discover that which you seek, Tarriel will return with you to your village. To confirm if what you say of your people is true. We will double our sentries and extend our boundaries. If your people move on us, we will know it."
"I swear to you, they would not do such a thing. But I understand your actions and do not take offense."
With that, the elder Vanesht smiled and dismissed them. Tarriel escorted them out of the chamber and to a large dining hall.
"We will eat first and then we leave. We will travel through the night so that it will be mid-day when we reach the outskirts of the borders of Averule in two days. It would not be wise to travel along their borders during the night." With that she walked off, leaving the two men alone in the large room.
Eliath and Lucian gave each other concerned looks. They had both heard of the Averese people. They were known for their savagery. It was said that the Averese were a small tribe that could easily be over run. But people fear them because they are cannibals. No one wants to be the unlucky warrior that falls in battle and might get eaten. So they are left alone for the most part. No one bothers them and they bother no one else. They are never seen wandering outside of their boundaries. Lucian hoped that much was true at least.
†††
Tarriel walked through the training grounds within the city. She knew exactly which warriors she would take on the journey. The elders told her to take as many as she needed. At first she hated the thought of escorting these men to Ganth. That the elders would heed the word of two Yavasurans was beyond her. She should be leading the war party on the march toward Yavasura right now. But as she thought of Eliath, the idea of traveling with them became more and more delightful. The large man was quite the warrior. No one in single combat had struck a blow to her in quite some time. She couldn't stop smiling as she played the fight through her head over and over again. She was so lost in thought that she ran right into her longtime friend, who yelped from the sting of Tarriel’s shoulder pad hitting her on the bridge of the nose. She was much shorter.
"Oh, I'm sorry Somlin. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Somlin gave her an appalled look. "Since when does the great Tarriel not watch everything and everyone around her?"
Tarriel gave a small shrug. "I was in deep thought."
"Oh? And what were you thinking about? It must have been something wonderful. I saw the smile on your face as you were coming down the hall. I think the shock of such a look on you is what kept me from moving, allowing you to nearly break my nose!"
Tarriel quickly changed the subject. "Oh stop blabbering on. We have a mission and I would like you to be with me."
Somlin raised her eyebrows and started rubbing her chin with her finger and thumb. "It must be a very important mission, for you to have come to me."
Tarriel ignored the jest. "We must escort two Yavasuran men to Ganth, and then back to Yavasura."
Somlin gave a puzzled look, but did not question her commander. "What others will you bring? How many will the Elders allow?"
"I am only taking six others. We will have to skirt the borders of Averule. If we have a large band it will be easier to spot us. I want to remain inconspicuous. And I do not want to appear threatening to Averule if they do see us or to Ganth when we arrive there."
Somlin stuck out her chin as she walked. "The mere sight of a single Culdoran warrior strikes utter fear into the hearts of any man. This will be difficult."
Tarriel smiled at her friend. "Thank the great warrior spirits that I have brought you along to laugh at Somlin. I will bring my five best scouts. We must use stealth over strength in this quest."
"And if stealth fails, you have me. I will protect you, dear sister."
Tarriel tried to hide away her smile as she shook her head. She truly loved Somlin. The woman was never serious, even in the midst of battle she would jest, and yet she fought like a caged beast. She was looking forward to being able to have her best friend on this quest with her. She could see that Somlin was equally joyed to be going along as well.
Tarriel found her six scouts in the barracks. They were her elite. She used them many times, and they were accustomed to working together. "Somlin, take the others and meet me at the armory. We will equip light armor so we can move faster, and more quietly. Stop by the galley and get enough rations for our trip. It will take us one week to get to Ganth and another two weeks to make it from there to Yavasura. But pack light. We can hunt our food as well."
Somlin gave a short nod and gathered the other scouts together to give them their orders. Tarriel made her way back to the dining hall within the fortress to get the two strangers and begin their journey.
†††
Tarriel was happy to see that the two men had eaten quickly. She hoped they did not stuff themselves to the point of slowing the party down. "Come, we must be on our way, the others are waiting for us at the Armorer."
Eliath and Lucian gave quick nods and set off after Tarriel's long-legged pace.
When they arrived at the Armorer, the other six warriors stopped what they were doing and studied the two men. Lucian recognized three of them as some of the scouts that had escorted him and Eliath back with Tarriel. The other three were new, two women and a man. The man was nearly as tall as Lucian but more slender, the corded muscles in his arm tensed as he stuck it out toward Lucian in a friendly gesture.
“Tophin,” he said, which Lucian realized must be his name.
He clasped wrists with the man and introduced himself as well. The two women moved in to greet them.
The first tapped her leather-armored chest and said “Somlin”. She had dark black hair and piercing blue eyes. She shared the same steel glare that Tarriel had. She only came up to Lucian's collarbone but her demeanor made her look ten feet tall. When he clasped wrists with her he was surprised by her strength. Her stomach, like Tarriel’s, was bare, revealing a solid chiseled abdomen. She looked beautiful and dangerously powerful all at once. She moved on to Eliath and the other woman moved up and greeted him, introducing herself as Voneel. She was built solidly and strong as well but didn't show forth the confidence that Somlin or Tarriel had. He greeted the other four women learning their names, Sadril, Dafine, Eanetha and Lorani. All six women were in perfect physical shape. And all of them, but Sadril, would be thought of as beautiful. Sadril had a square body and a rounded face. She was built more like a man and seemed to sport a sour expression all the time. Each woman stared up in awe at Eliath as they greeted him, none of them ever seeing such a large man.
Somlin moved up next to Tarriel and nudged her with an elbow. "Now I see why you have been grinning like a silly child all day."
Tarriel ignored Somlin, but felt her face heat. She couldn’t believe it, but she was nearly blushing.
"Let’s get moving. We must reach the outer boundaries of Averule in two days."
Somlin grabbed Tarriel’s arms as the rest of the group filed out of the armory. She was looking up at her with a small curious smile. "You fought him?"
Tarriel let the silence linger a little to tease her friend. "So the others told you, did they?"
Somlin clouted her on the shoulder. The smile stretched across her entire face now. "Of course they did. They also told me that he landed a kick on you, and that he seemed to be holding back throughout the fight. Is that true?"
The look on Tarriel’s face could have wilted flowers, and Somlin thought that she might strike out at her.
"He did not hold back,” she growled. “I was the one that held back.” And with that, she kicked open the door and stormed out into the night.
Somlin stood inside the armory fo
r a few minutes thinking about her friend’s reaction. She didn't believe that Tarriel held back. A Culdoran warrior never holds back. The smile crawled back onto Somlin's face. This was truly going to be a fine trip.
A Fleeting Hope Destroyed
Kyrianna and her three bodyguards had been running for days. They were all muddy and wet. Winter was coming, and the fall rains were growing more frequent. They hadn't wanted to waste time finding shelter from the downfall. They did not know if they were being hunted or not. Once they got into the Veenjaru Mountains they felt safe enough to be able to slow their flight and find better shelter each night. Tonight they were lucky to come across a cave. Once Toshinzu and Sanyi had made sure the cave was clear, they gathered some pine boughs and made up a bed for Kyrianna.
She sat on a natural, small, stone shelf near the back of the cave. The fire that Yosu had started was slowly warming the grotto. Now that they had slowed, Kyrianna had time to think about what had happened. She started sobbing into her damp robes. Yosu moved over to her until she put a hand out, halting him. She just wanted to be alone.
Only several days ago she had been outside the palace, perusing through the markets. She enjoyed doing so, enjoyed the smells of all the different foods, the colors of all the different clothes people made. She hated having her bodyguards with her, but despite the fact that Vorea was a very peaceful city and the people loved the Imperial Family, her father insisted that always be with her. Now she was glad for her father’s insistence.
She had been out of the palace since early that morning, and it had been dark for a few hours when the messenger came running up to her. It took him several minutes to get out what he needed to say, he was so out of breath. The second she saw his face as he approached, she knew something was terribly wrong. She was devastated at how right she was.
He told her simply, that both her parents had been murdered, along with her brother. He told her that Tossindoo had ordered her to return to the palace for her protection. She started to run back to the palace when Yosu caught her arm. She played the moment back in her head.
"Please don't go back Kyrianna, it isn't safe!"
Yosu had been her guard the longest and was the highest and most skilled of the elite palace guard. She always listened to his advice closely. But this time she just wanted to pull free and get back to the palace. She wouldn't believe her parents were dead until she saw for herself. He held onto her arm tighter, not letting go. She thought to strike him.
"Princess, the palace is not safe. Your entire family was just killed inside. For that to have happened there must have been a traitor in our midst. If you go back there, it could mean your death."
At first Toshinzu and Sanyi had been disturbed by Yosu's decision, but after hearing his explanation, they started to agree with him and encourage Kyrianna to run.
She was lost and didn't know what to do. Her heart screamed to run back to the palace and see her parents, but her mind told her to listen to Yosu. Her instinct told her to flee, so she gave into her guards and agreed to run.
Yosu bought three large, dark brown cloaks to conceal their identity while they fled the city. When they came to the outer posts of the borders, they kept Kyrianna hooded and showed their elite guard badges. They told the sentries that the woman was a thief that stole from the emperor and was to be taken from the kingdom and banished forever. The sentries wouldn't think to question any story of the elite guard, but Kyrianna knew that Yosu wanted to cover all the bases. She knew that once word got out of the Princess disappearing, that the guards were probably smart enough to realize what had happened. But by then, she would be far away and safe. And then she could send one of her guardians back to Vorea to find out some answers and prepare for her return. She knew that staying away from the city for too long would be very detrimental for her people. With her father and mother dead, they would need leadership.
Now, thinking about her parents and her brother, the tears rolled down her cheeks. Part of her believed that they were still alive. Believed and hoped. But logic told her that they must certainly be dead. No one would dare lie about such a thing. She smothered her face in her soaked robes. Her shoulders were heaving with the sobs. She had no idea what she would do. The kingdom would need her to assume the throne. What would happen if she didn't return soon? Would Tossindoo try to seize control of the empire? Is he the one who betrayed her family? The thought burned her tears away. Anger rushed in to replace sorrow.
Tossindoo, the man who was in charge of the palace defense, could very well be the traitor. What better a position to be in if you wanted to have the Emperor assassinated? She was in such a rage that when Yosu put his hand on her shoulder she spun and struck out with a backhanded chop toward his throat. Luckily, he was fast, and must have been ready for such a response. He caught her wrist in his hand. Kyrianna stared at him with such burning hatred that he blanched and stepped back.
Realizing what she had just done, Kyrianna threw her arms around him, and began to weep into his shoulder. He was more than her bodyguard. He had been with her for so long he was as close a friend as she could ever have. She knew that he felt strongly about her, even though he never conveyed his feelings. He never would. His duty was to protect her. To show love for her would dishonor him. She was glad too, for she thought of him only as a dear friend and did not want to lose him as her protector, even if she could hold her own with a blade.
She let her thoughts wash away with her tears and cried herself to sleep in his arms. Yosu set her down on the bedding they had prepared for her near the fire. He did not cover her because she was still wet and putting the cloaks they had dried by the fire over her would just make them wet as well. The heat would dry her clothing out and keep her warm while she slept.
†††
Yosu took up the first watch and let Toshinzu and Sanyi get some sleep. They would take turns watching over the princess. Toshinzu and Sanyi finished covering the mouth of the cave with pine boughs to block the light of the fire from being seen outside from a distance, and they both took up as comfortable a position as they could find, and fell asleep.
Yosu watched the woman he loved as she slept. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had looked upon women from all over Vorea, and other tribes, and never has one come close to the beauty of Princess Kyrianna. She was taller than most, even as tall as some of the men of Vorea, but it was her eyes that made her stand out above them all. Almost all of the people of Vorea were born with dark brown or black eyes. On very rare occasions one might be born with a lighter colored eye. Kyrianna’s were the brightest emerald green. Yosu could count on one hand, the women in Vorean history that had been born with green eyes. It was always a big event when this happened. Hundreds of years ago if a Vorean woman was born with green eyes, she was seen as a Goddess. But even in history, no woman of the Imperial family had ever been born with green eyes. And they were never described like Kyrianna’s, so bright that they seemed as if they would glow in the darkness of night. Because of her status, she was respected. Because of her eyes, she was revered.
Yosu looked to the floor of the cave. His heart sank at the knowledge that he would never be with her. She was a Princess, and with the assassination of her entire family, she would now take the thrown as Empress of Vorea. He was an insignificant guard with no royal blood. It would never be allowed for him to marry Kyrianna. Sometimes, he wondered if she felt the same way for him. He wondered if she would run away with him if he asked her. The other two guards would never allow it. What if they weren’t around to have a voice in the matter? He scolded himself for the thought. He didn't know what was coming over him. He loved the princess and he would serve her the best way he knew how, as her loyal bodyguard.
†††
Kyrianna woke to the popping of the fire inside the cave and the sound of rain on the outside. She was facing the blaze and laid still for a short time, just watching the flames dance across the wood, licking and caressing it. The low drum o
f rain on the outside of the cave wall, and on the pine covered forest floor, was calming. She thought to let herself fall back to sleep, but movement beyond the opening, out among the trees, alerted her senses. She sat up straight, looking around the cave for her guards. None of them were there. A cool tingle ran up the back of her neck. She felt the ground around where she was sitting, trying to find the small dagger that she carried with her at all times, while keeping her eyes on the forest beyond the cave opening. Just as her finger touched the familiar handle of her dagger, she saw it again, movement within the trees. She couldn't tell if it was human or beast. It was only a brief glimpse. She wondered where her guards were, or if what she saw was one of them. She tried to keep calm by telling herself that it was just one of her guards, but she knew better. One of the three men was always by her side. They would never have left her alone.
She strained her eyes, trying to see what was out there. There were still some pine boughs in front of the entrance to the cave. Whoever, or whatever was out there, might not have noticed the cave yet. Just in case, she scooped up some dirt and used it to douse the small fire. She moved slowly over to the side, putting her back to the wall of the cave. She hadn't noticed the movement again and was beginning to wonder if she had just been seeing things in the first place. But no matter what she tried to tell herself to calm her fears, the fact that all three of her guards were gone made her skin crawl.
She tried to decide if she should stay in the cave, or get out. If someone was out there and was looking for her, they would surely check the cave once they spotted it. If so, she would be trapped. She had to act now. If she was spotted leaving the cave at least she could attempt to run. And if she couldn't run, she would at least have more room to fight.
Revelations of Doom Page 11