The Path of Decisions

by Mike Shelton

  “Commander,” said one, “we have heard the news. Congratulations.” They nodded their heads to him in acknowledgement of his new position as heir.

  Darius smiled and shook hands with a few of his Elite soldiers. Some, still seemed reluctant and untrusting. Darius couldn't blame them.

  “You got my message in time, I see.”

  “Yes. Alessandra and Kelln must have ridden through the night. All the way from Anikari to Belor in one night is an astonishing feat. We could hardly believe it,” said one of the Elite Army captains. “We came to Forest View as fast as we could, as you instructed.”

  Just then a young woman stepped out from the crowd. “It wasn’t too bad. I guess a lady had to show these men what could be done.” Alessandra smiled.

  Christine moved closer to Darius. Was that jealousy on her face?

  Darius introduced Christine to Alessandra.

  Kelln walked up, and Darius and he clasped arms. “Thank you, my friend.” Darius spoke in low tones.

  Alessandra moved over next to Kelln. Darius felt Christine relax somewhat when it became apparent Alessandra was more interested in Kelln than Darius.

  “And my... father?” asked Alessandra. “Where is he?”

  “He is on his way and should be here any minute,” Darius informed her.

  “Your father,” Christine gasped, “is the Preacher?”

  Alessandra looked ashamed but nodded.

  Darius asked for a horse other than Lightning, motioned orders to a few soldiers, and rode out to the entrance of the city. The Preacher’s men from Belor stood uncomfortably around the city gates as they eyed Darius’s small group of Elite soldiers. He positioned himself inside the tall, elaborate city gate and watched as the Preacher arrived. Darius smiled inside at the shock that spread across the face of the self-proclaimed leader of Belor.

  “You are a devil!” the Preacher yelled. A small group of men arrived behind the man, led by none other than Sean San Ghant. It seemed it hadn't taken them long to forge an alliance in prison and find some men to let them out and follow them into battle.

  “What do you want here?” Darius directed his question at the Preacher, trying to stall for some time.

  “I want you.”

  “I thought you wanted peace and freedom for Belor. Isn't that what your soldiers are fighting for? They don't want me. I am nothing to them.”

  The Preacher glanced around at his men. They were obviously considering what Darius had said. “Your death is a means to that peace,” he said to Darius.

  “My life is the only way to that peace!” Darius let some of his power seep through him, and his voice bounced off of the nearby buildings. The power filled him with righteous anger and determination. He turned to the Preacher’s soldiers. “I have been proclaimed today to be the next king of the Realm by King Edward himself. I promise you that I will listen to your grievances. I will even sign a proclamation to make Belor a safer and better place.”

  Many of the soldiers nodded in agreement. They had wives and children. If they could get what they wanted without fighting, so much the better. The Preacher’s fanaticism had moved beyond what many of them had originally signed on for. They served him now only through fear.

  “You are a liar,” shouted the Preacher. “You deceived us before. And now you lie again.”

  “I didn't deceive you. I had deceived myself.” Darius continued prancing his large brown horse in a circle. He wanted to make sure the entire crowd heard him. “Hasn't there been a time in each of your lives when you didn't know what you were searching for? Haven’t there been times when you made mistakes? I have been proclaimed to be a king, not a god. I am not perfect, but neither is your leader, the one we call the Preacher. I promise you I will do all I can as the next king to help your city, and to help the entire Realm have more equality among all of her wonderful and diverse people. But if you don't listen to me, I also promise you will receive the utmost punishment for continued rebellion against the Realm. Put down your arms. I am still commander of the King’s Elite Army, sworn to defend the Realm and have the King’s authority to maintain the law.”

  The men began to talk and argue among themselves. Some pulled out weapons. The Preacher tried to regroup them, but they were out of his control now. Many of them, convinced of what Darius had said, were tired of fighting. They wanted to go home. The portion of the Elite Army that had come up from Belor started to form a semi-circle around the outside of where the Preacher’s men stood. Somebody from within the rebels shot an arrow and hit a Realm soldier. Some of the soldiers retaliated and drew their arrows and swords.

  Darius cringed as the fighting began. He hoped he had changed enough minds. He looked around for the Preacher. The man had somehow disappeared from the crowd. Darius heard a shriek from Christine. He turned around, and an arrow hit him in the thigh. He roared with pain as he searched out the shooter. “Sean!”

  “Now we will see who the best aim is.” Sean lifted another arrow up to shoot. The last time they had faced each other with bows and arrows was in an archery contest at the end of Darius’s last year at the academy. Sean had taunted him then, and Darius had lost his temper. In the end, however, Darius had won the tournament. Sean had been bitter about that loss ever since.

  Unexpectedly, someone jumped on Sean's back. It was Kelln. Darius sighed in disbelief. Impetuous, adventuresome, loyal Kelln.

  Sean dropped to the ground and rolled, with Kelln still holding on. Finally Sean jumped free, and Kelln got back up off the ground. Sean grabbed a sword from a neighboring soldier and began to approach again.

  “You!” The Preacher yelled at Kelln, as he came running hard from behind a nearby blacksmith’s shop. “I will have you once and for all.”

  Sean moved closer to the Preacher and stared at Kelln and Darius with a smug look on his face. The Preacher’s power must have not been fully functional yet, or he would have blasted Darius earlier. Now, though, Darius saw fire run down the length of the Preacher’s sword.

  The Preacher walked in a deliberate stride toward Kelln. “I am tired of you escaping me. Now you will die. You can’t escape from death.”

  “No, Father!”

  The Preacher froze and looked toward the voice. Alessandra stood in the muddied street. A look of shock ran across his face; then rage contorted his lips. “You’re as bad as he is. You will die next.”

  The Preacher’s eyes were afire, and his veins popped out of his neck. Power began to crackle around him as he broke free of the drug that had contained him. The wizard took two giant strides, bringing his sword up high in the air above Kelln.

  Darius took a step forward, but before he had gone any distance a shout came from close by.

  “No!” shouted a new voice as Kelln’s father jumped between the Preacher and Kelln. The power-filled blow of the Preacher’s sword hit him on top of the shoulder, almost severing his arm.

  Blood splattered over those who were close. Darius rushed to Kelln’s aid, who had fallen down to the ground. His father cried out in pain.

  Careful of showing too much of his power, Darius, with a quick motion of his hand, pushed the Preacher back with a thrust of air. Another of Darius’s soldiers grabbed the sword away from the man. The fire had vanished from the Preacher’s sword, his still-limited power spent for the time being. Others quickly bound him and Sean.

  Darius stood up, and Kelln knelt down beside his father. “Father...” came a choked sob.

  Alessandra stood next to Darius.

  “They talked last night,” she whispered to Darius. “His father came with us and apologized for what he had done. It seemed that many of the people left in Belor were freed from the Preacher’s powers once the Preacher had been gone a few days. Kelln and his father laughed and talked about old times. Kelln sure has a way of not giving up on people.” Alessandra left Darius to kneel down next to Kelln and his father.

  Darius nodded and smiled, understanding completely what she meant. He thought about his ow
n father. What if he died now? The things Darius had said to him over his life needed to be rectified. He looked around at the fighting that still continued on the outskirts and caught Mezar fighting a group of the Preacher’s men all by himself. A serene smile spread across the Gildanian’s face. Darius marveled at the smooth and effortless sword strokes, different from the Realm’s way of fighting. It was more fluid and graceful— almost an art the way that Mezar danced around his opponents. Once again Darius marveled at the man he had captured and wondered what else the Gildanian was hiding.

  Darius turned to find Christine standing next to him. She smiled at him, and among the sadness of the fighting, joy once again filled him just by her being there by his side.

  Darius winced as he remembered the wound in his thigh. He sat down slowly, and Christine wrapped his upper leg in a torn up piece of cloth. It throbbed but wasn’t severe. Kelln and Alessandra bound Kelln’s father’s wound as well, but he had lost a lot of blood and was unconscious.

  Darius moved over to Kelln and was about to bring his hands over his father’s bleeding wound, but Kelln must have felt his intentions and caught Darius’s eyes. Kelln shook his head to say that it was okay.

  “You need to conserve your strength. I will take care of him.”

  Thoughts about his own father continued swirling around Darius. What would happen to his father by the time he became king? How would the leadership really work? Would Richard be jealous of his son?

  A group of the Preacher’s men appeared, marching at a brisk pace toward Darius. Elite soldiers moved in to block them. They demanded the release of their leader. When Darius declined, one of them drew his sword and lunged forward. Darius rolled over on the ground and bounded upright as he pushed Christine behind him.

  Sword struck against sword. Back and forth the two men dueled. One would retreat and then the other. Everyone marveled at Darius’s use of the sword against the skilled swordsman opposite him. Another rebel joined in against Darius. Suddenly Mezar was at Darius’s side.

  Soon the battle rose to a new fury. The Elite solders were in an exhausted state at marching so quickly from Belor. It was wearing on them and slowing them down. The Preacher’s men had two days in Forest View and had plenty of rest and strength. Some of the Preacher’s men had decided not to join in the fight on either side, and stood on the outskirts and watched what the outcome would be.

  Darius wished to use his power and end it once and for all. But the people weren’t ready for it yet. An acknowledged wizard had not been seen around Anikari for at least two generations, if not more. He didn’t want to be like the Preacher. He wanted to earn the right to be king on his own. But he was torn. He felt so exhausted. If he didn’t use his power soon, he was afraid they would lose the battle, and possibly the kingdom.

  Two men jumped toward him at once. Darius howled and retreated, but stumbled on his way.

  Off in the distance new yelling was heard. Down the street came Jain and a large group of armed farmers fighting through the group toward Darius. The Preacher’s men, not knowing who the others were, but expecting it was the King’s army from Anikari, began to retreat. From where he was tied up, the Preacher ordered them to continue fighting, but many began to lay down their weapons and surrender. The Elite Army gained new hope and energy and forged forward until the Preacher’s dwindling group of fighters became surrounded on all sides by the new mixed army of farmers and Darius’s Elite Army. The battle was finished.

  Darius was still sitting on the ground, where he had stumbled. Someone had kicked him in the back of the leg, causing his previous injury to rip further. Blood soaked through his pants. The Preacher yelled out again, and one of Darius’s men clubbed him over the head with the hilt of a sword. The Preacher slumped unconscious to the ground.

  Christine ran over to Darius and helped him stand. She held him close to her side, looked into his strong, gray eyes, then leaned in and whispered, “I will marry you, Darius DarSan Williams. I don’t want to ever lose you.”

  Darius grinned, then laughed out loud with joy.

  Limping over to the group of soldiers, Darius felt the peace of Christine at his side. The Preacher’s followers, still in defiance of Darius, stood in a group together but now were unarmed. Darius directed the band of farmers to begin marching the prisoners toward Anikari. The rest of the Preacher’s men— those who agreed to leave in peace, he let go back to Belor and instructed them that representatives from the Realm would join them soon to re-establish an appropriate government.

  He motioned for some of his army to help Kelln load his father’s injured body into a wagon, but noticed tears streaming down Kelln’s face. Darius ran over to his friend.

  “He is gone, Darius.”

  “So quickly? I thought… I could have...” Darius stumbled with what to say to his best friend. The last he had seen of Kelln’s father, it looked to him as though he would recover from his injuries.

  Kelln half smiled. “It’s not your fault, Darius. The injury was too much for him. We made peace in the end, and he will rest well with God. I will never forget his sacrifice for me. He saved me in the end. He gave his life for me.” A sob escaped his lips.

  Darius put his arm around him. “He was a wonderful man. I will honor him with full honors as a hero in defending the Realm,” Darius said.

  “Why? Why did he go to Belor?” Kelln whispered, barely able to talk.

  “Kel, I have learned this past year about many things we don't understand. Only a few years ago we were children with hardly a care. Today we are men who are shaping the future of the Realm. Who knows why it is us at this point in time? The reasons may not be evident for years, but I have learned there are reasons for everything.”

  “So wise now, huh?” Kelln smiled, his eyes still full of tears.

  “No, not wise, my friend, just finally figuring out some things.”

  Kelln reached around Darius with both arms and gave him a quick hug and strong slap on the back. Christine, Alessandra, and Mezar stood close by. There was no shame in the sadness of that moment. Their lives had crossed, friendships bonded, and though they would never be the same again, they would remain friends no matter where their intermediate travels would take them.

  Darius’s head picked up as he turned toward a sound off in the distance. It was a yell for him. A rider appeared around the side of an old house. His purple cape flew in the air behind him. He was one of the King’s messengers, only a few years older than Darius himself.

  “Your... men... said you... were still here.” He barely noticed the somber mood. “You must... must return to Anikari... immediately,” he said in between quick breaths.

  “What is it?” asked Alessandra.

  The messenger eyed her suspiciously. Darius nodded his approval of the question.

  “Senior Councilor Richard San Williams sent me. He told me a strange message. He said you must ride the white horse if possible... I don't know what that means.”

  Christine smiled. “It's my Cremelino. He must want you to return quickly, Darius.”

  “The King?” asked Darius anxiously.

  The messenger didn’t know, but Darius did. Whether it was the newfound kinship they shared or the imminent passing of the mantle of king to his heir, Darius knew King Edward DarSan Montere was passing on.

  Darius swayed on his feet, paled, and fell to his knees. A rush of power filled him. Tears and fear clouded his vision momentarily. Kelln rushed to his side and leaned down to him.

  “It is time. I must be strong,” Darius whispered almost to himself.

  “Time for what?” asked Kelln.

  He looked up to his old friend, tears streaming down his dirtied face. “My time in history, Kel. The time we never thought possible. The time I never wanted.”

  “You don't think...”

  Darius stood up again slow and deliberate, his power bringing him strength. “I know. I can sense things happening. It is time for my destiny to take an unexpected turn, my friend.
And once again I must ask ‘why me?’”

  “I will get Lightning.” Christine began to run off, but Lightning was already approaching.

  “Please join me as soon as possible,” Darius said to Kelln, Alessandra, and Mezar. Mezar’s eyes held his own for a brief moment. Darius felt something there. A power he hadn’t felt before. Mezar smiled and bowed his head in slight obeisance. He would have to trust Mezar to return on his own without taking him along with him. Somehow he did trust the man.

  Turning to Kelln, Darius spoke to him alone. “Take whatever time you need with your father. I will send a rider to Belor to bring back your family to Anikari.”

  Darius motioned for Christine to join him on her horse and rode off down the road to Anikari. Darius silently prayed with all the fervor he had. If he ever needed guidance and extra strength, it was now.

  They soon came up on the men marching from Forest View to Anikari that had previously left with the prisoners. He spoke a few words to Jain, and they continued on their way. He gave some of the herbs to Jain to make sure the Preacher’s power would not return anytime soon.

  Darius sat lost in his own thoughts as they galloped, and he realized they were halfway to Anikari when two units of the King’s Elite Army approached them on the main road. Darius informed the unit commander that an army from the farmlands was bringing in the captured rebels from Forest View and they were not needed for the battle, but they should accompany the men back to Anikari.

  Christine laughed behind him on the horse. “Darius, you set that all up, didn’t you? Did you see the look on that captain’s face when you mentioned that the farmers were bringing in the rebels? You are amazing. You tied together the Elite Army and the farmers with such skill that no one knew what was happening until it was over. Then you made sure that the King’s army here knew the farmers had captured the rebels.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek

  They reached the gate and rode through in a blur without stopping. The two arrived at the castle, handed their reins to a stable boy, and ran inside. The royal chamberlain met them in the hallway and directed them to the King's room. The long halls seemed to take forever. Darius limped painfully and trembled from the exhaustion of battle. The weight he felt sat more heavily on his shoulders with every step he took.