When Twins War: Book I

by Ryan Peter

For two weeks Cadell and his men journeyed through Foré, trying their best to avoid the roads and keep away from being seen. Being a large army made it hard, of course, but Foré was a land of many hills and valleys and that in itself made it much easier than it could have been.

  To their knowledge they had not been seen at all, at least not by anyone of importance. At the end of the two weeks they at last came close to the border of Colone, needing to spend only one more night in Foré. The road they would take the next morning would pass the Meadow and lead straight to Iza-Kiêrre.

  Cadell was sitting lazily by a fireside, feeling the relief of knowing that they were almost out of danger's way. It would be to the Meadow, then to Iza-Kiêrre, and the road from here would be sufficiently easy with plenty of water stops. He looked around and watched his scattered army, each huddling around small fires about the large valley. Most were huddled between rocks and crevices on the sides of the hills.

  Suddenly there were shouts and arguing as a scout ran towards him. He got up at once.

  “Captain! I have seen a dragoon of Foré, not far from here! They are heading towards us! By their pace I think they are aware of our presence!”

  Cadell groaned. Certainly not – not now! They had some scares during the two weeks before this, and they were lucky enough to avoid those, but this seemed very serious. Another shout alerted him, but he couldn't hear it properly. He turned to look around at his men close by.

  “Captain, they are here,” said a grave voice. “The lookouts have seen them!”

  “Confound them, where did they come from!?” Cadell cried. “Get ready! All! Sound the alarm through the camp!”

  Immediately the men were up and about, groaning and exasperated. His heart sank, too. Why now, he thought. Why? Fighting against them would have worse repercussions than surrender — could his army flee now? Would the Foré army chase them all the way to Iza-Kiêrre?

  “I must be ready to meet them,” he said aloud, strapping his belt on.

  Before long horsemen arrived on top of a hill close by and stopped above them. Faces were illuminated from torches they were holding. Cadell could see arrows knocked and ready to fire.

  The Dernium men were silent, hoping against hope that they could avoid contact. All Cadell could hear around him was quiet breathing. But most knew it was hopeless. The Foré dragoon were equally silent.

  “Ahoy there!” came a cry at last. No one from Dernium replied, hoping that darkness and silence would be their escape. But it didn't work. “We have you surrounded!” said the voice again. “I desire to see your captain!”

  Cadell quietly and somberly mounted his horse, slowly trotting towards the source of the voice, stopping at the bottom of the hill and looking up at the bright faces above him. They couldn't see him but he knew it was useless trying to play this game.

  “We have no patience for this! Answer us!” said the voice again.

  Cadell lit a torch so they could see his face. There was some murmuring amidst the Foré dragoon.

  “State your name!” said the voice. Cadell looked around trying to see its source.

  “State yours first!” he replied gravely. “These lands are ravaged with raiders and the like. We are brave and honest, on a worthy task, and minding our own! You have not done so, so state your name first!”

  There was more mumbling amongst them and then a reply. “Captain Keff, of the Foré Army, northern battalion!”

  Cadell traced the source of the voice and bowed slightly. “My lord!” he replied.

  “Now yours!” said the captain. “I can see, plainly, that you are not a caravan, tradesman or anything less than an army! The darkness does not cover what is plain. In the light of your torch it is clear to me that you are of Dernium. What is your name and your business?”

  “We are lost from the deserts of Colone,” said Cadell quickly, avoiding his name, “and only sought refuge in your lands after suffering at the hands of the wretched goblins of the desert. We are journeying further north on our way back to the desert, which is not far from our camp here tonight.”

  “Indeed!” came a threatening reply and there was further murmuring amongst them. “I wish to speak to you closely,” announced Keff, moving his horse down the hill swiftly. Cadell gasped and readied his sword. He shouted out commands for his men to be ready.

  The Foré captain drew closer, and in the light Cadell could see a middle-aged man with a long beard and very long straggly hair. “You are Cadell, of Dernium,” he said to Cadell as he approached. “Myself and much of our army have been commanded to capture you and bring you to trial in our king's courts.” He stopped there, waiting on a reaction. But when he got none he said, “But that would depend on who gave the order.”

  “What do you mean?” replied Cadell, raising an eyebrow.

  “Many are on the hunt for you,” said Keff. “Some have been commanded to capture you and bring you to the king's courts. Some have been commanded to destroy you outright.”

  Cadell looked at Keff and tightened his grip on his sword. Eventually he spoke up, “and what have you been commanded to do?”

  “We shall soon see.”

  Cadell frowned. “We must get to the Twin Cities. The Twins come closer to war every day.”

  “Closer than those in the south even comprehend,” said Keff. “For it has already come to my knowledge that they have engaged in battle.”

  Cadell nodded. “Our mission is all the more urgent, then.”

  “Loosen your sword and listen to me,” said Keff sternly. Cadell obeyed immediately. “Good. I love my king and I will not disobey him. However, my king has a heart for peace. In this I shall not disobey him. I am not one who trusts all of the orders within our ranks. So, quickly you must go, for there are three other battalions who hunt for you and I personally know the captains of these. Some are seekers for glory. But I seek for peace.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes, this very hour. The news of you in our lands has spread far and wide.”

  “How?” asked Cadell. “If this is so I am sure by now our courts have heard too.”

  “Yes. But now no more talk. You must go now – ride hard and fast towards the Meadow – before the others find you.”

  Cadell hesitated. “Listen to what I'm telling you, get going!” Keff said.

  Reluctantly Cadell stretched out his hand. “Thank you,” he said slowly. “You are most kind and I shall remember you, captain. There may be a day when you are in need of my aid.”

  Keff did not shake his hand but merely turned his horse around. “I suspect sooner than you think! We go!”

  And so Garth's plan and that of his master was foiled. Having been warned of the approaching battalions, Dernium rode hard that night, hunted by those of Foré who wished to find their glory. A dark pursuit it was. Three times they came close to the edge of being found, but somehow the battalions were foiled. Cadell was not sure why, but he began to suspect that Keff had done more than just let them go free.

  At last, as the day was breaking, they came to the End Tower — a ruined Genicoin tower that stood as the marker between Foré and Colone. It was made of bright ancient rock, built with a spiral at the top in the familiar way that was often seen with Genicoin architecture. It stood high and lofty in the drier sand. The men of Dernium gave a cheer. Their mission was in sight: for now it would only be a few days travel. This road had sufficient wells and there was also the Meadow, a place of peace and provision. Once they would arrive there Iza-Kiêrre would know of their approach and send batallions out to meet them. Ben-Kiêrre, Cadell realised, would know also of their arrival, but he suspected Soilabi would have accounted for that. Indeed, he hoped.

  Now when Garth heard of their escape he wept. For there was an unsatisfied rage in him that would not subside, and it was his hope that if his lord’s bidding was achieved this rage would calm. But he had disappointed his master now and the rage became married with a deep and foreboding fear.

  H
e would not disappoint his lord again. And so his heart only grew darker.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE