Ampheus

by Jonathan Forth

  “Errr, Princess, no I can’t. I have no idea how.” She smiled and interrupted him.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll show you. I won’t let you go.” He winced but followed her. They lined up in groups of four. Leo tried to imitate the other men but ended up following their steps a few seconds behind, which meant he caused all sorts of problems as he bumped into people.

  The Princess laughed at him, but he did not mind. He loved her smile and every time he made a mistake she would grab his hand and pull him to the right place. Her hands seemed so fragile and cool. It gave him a thrill every time he touched her.

  Eventually he needed a rest, as although the dances were only a stroll, it was tiring trying to keep up. He smiled and bowed to the Princess in as gallant a way as he could manage and slid away to the side to observe everybody else. After a few seconds he realised the Prince had joined him by his side. Leo turned towards him but the Prince did not register his presence, and instead spoke looking directly in front of him.

  “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know how you got here, but I think you are only going to cause us trouble. No good will come of your involvement here. I don’t trust you and despite the vision, I think if ever you are called upon to help us in any way, you will fail us.

  “And as for my sister, steer clear of her. If you go anywhere near her or hurt her in any way, I will kill you. Is that clear?”

  Before Leo had time to respond the Prince turned and walked away.

  “Charming,” Leo said under his breath.

  Daylon had joined him. “What was that about?”

  “Well, apparently I’m not the Prince’s favourite. It seems that if I even roll out of bed in the morning, he’s likely to kill me.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Daylon. “He is loyal to his father. I’m sure he won’t do anything against his father’s wishes. He’s a proud young man and his father’s decision for him to leave Ampheus must be hard to swallow. He’s just lashing out.”

  “Hmmm,” said Leo. “I hope you are right.”

  The Princess, however, skipped over to him and put her arm around his waist and gave him a slight peck on the cheek. “Would you ride with me tomorrow?”

  Leo smiled. “Certainly Princess, as long as I don’t have to sit on that brute of a horse Flint again.”

  “Of course,” said the Princess. “We’ll find a little pony for you,” she laughed.

  “And we’ll give Flint to the local innkeeper so he can fill his pies.”

  Leo was shocked and started to protest but the Princess laughed louder.

  “Until the morning!” and whirled away from him. He suddenly felt tired himself and stole away to his room and gradually dozed off into a happy sleep.

  *

  Aron was fiercely protective of his younger sister Fayette. Perhaps because she was everything that he was not, and he delighted in that. She was gregarious, he more introverted. She emanated life with abandon, he more considered. He called her a dancing star, as that’s the way he imagined her: a swirling, prancing burst of energy fizzing across the sky. As the evenings drew to a close in the winter, he’d sit with his parents in a smaller parlour where they would relax in front of a glowing fire. His father and he perhaps smoking pipes, his mother reading or her fingers flitting over her embroidery. Fayette would tell a tale, play a soft flute or dance where her imagination took her. He would sit back, close his eyes and smile to himself, only to be woken up a few moments later by his sister laughing because he’d dozed off and was snoring.

  The day she was lost in the woods had been the hardest day of his life. The thought of not finding her left him hollow and empty inside. When many returned to the castle to rest and eat, he kept searching. He was not going to give up on her. He would keep looking for her as long as it took. He did not sleep the whole of that first night. By the morning his eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse from calling out her name. His closest friends stayed with him through the second day and second night.

  As the night drew in on the second evening, frustration got the better of him; he would curse the gods and those around him, and in equal measure cry out in pain at the plight of his sister whom he could not bring to safety. The thought of her lost, alone, cold and hungry was too much to bear. But he pushed on, heavy and stooped in his saddle, continuing the search. He was not going to give up on her.

  When news finally came that she had been found and was safe, he slumped from his saddle to the ground and wept as his body convulsed from relief. His friend, Ailin, in turn wearily dismounted from her charger ‘Far Ranger’ and embraced him in her arms, and held the Prince until he unburdened his doubts and fears from the days before.

  *

  Leo was awoken by a slight shuffling sound in his room; he opened his eyes and tried to focus in the dark. He sensed a couple of gloomy shadows, which seemed to materialise and form in front of him.

  Before he could react they pounced on him. He felt strong grips holding both his arms. A knee, which pushed hard down on his chest, forced the air out of his lungs. A leather-gloved hand clamped over his mouth and prevented him from crying out. He thrashed his legs and twisted his body but their grip held firm.

  A wave of panic swept over him as he felt the cool sharp edge of a dagger’s blade press against his throat.

  He could still not make out the faces of his assailants but one hissed, “Stop struggling or I will slit your throat. Shout out and I will slit your throat. As much as cough, sneeze, belch or blink and I will slit your throat. Do you understand? Nod if you understand.”

  Leo nodded, but his mind was a whirl. Who are these people? What do they want? How could he raise the alarm and escape? With the dagger at his neck, there was little he could do but follow their orders.

  One of the men removed his hand from Leo’s mouth. He stuffed it with a ragged cloth which clogged his mouth and made him gag. Next, they roughly turned him over, wrenched his arms behind him and bound his hands. They pulled him up off the bed and held him as he staggered to maintain his balance.

  A sackcloth bag was pulled over his head, then his assailants fumbled to put on his clothes and shoes before wrapping him with a heavy hooded cloak.

  He was pushed towards the door, unable to resist. They manhandled him through the castle corridors and took his weight as they descended the stairs so he would not trip or tumble. In time, they paused.

  They passed through a creaking door, and he felt a slight change in temperature and a breeze as they stepped outside. They continued to descend through the cobbled streets; his assailants tightly gripped his arms and forced him ever onwards.

  Eventually he heard a slight whinny and huff of horses in the distance and a nervous stamp of muffled hooves on the cobbles ahead. Without warning he was pitched up and thrown over the back of a horse and had the wind knocked out of him. He was lashed to the horse.

  “Luck is on our side as clouds cover the moon tonight. It is dark and it will be difficult to follow us. We covered the horses’ hooves with cloth, so it should dampen their sound as we leave the castle.”

  Another voice interrupted, “Well indeed, but let us make haste; we must make as much distance between ourselves and the castle before we are discovered.” Leo could not make out how many riders mounted their horses, three, perhaps four? He could not tell. But the horses started on a slow walk down the streets. Leo was convinced he was being kidnapped by mercenaries of Gorath. How many of them were there, how had they managed to penetrate the castle’s defences?

  The one saving grace was they had not murdered him in his bed. They apparently needed him alive for the moment, and for that he was thankful. His kidnappers appeared to pause a while.

  Perhaps there may be a chance he may be saved if they were discovered trying to escape Ampheus. Leo wondered how they would avoid the guards and escape out of the castle. However, to his dismay he heard the turnin
g of the cogs of the portcullis and the drawbridge lowered.

  Not a sound, not a cry of alarm. How could they silence the guards, and how many of these mercenaries were there? The horses’ hooves sounded hollow as they passed over the drawbridge. As they stepped back on solid ground, his kidnappers dug in their heels. The stallions pranced into a gallop and sped away from the relative safety of Ampheus.

  Leo did not know how long they rode for. The hours seemed to pass; he felt his insides and bones pounded by the motion of the horse that carried him but after a while he found he was able to move with the rhythm of the horse and limit the pain. His muscles ached, his bound wrists were sore from the rubbing and his hands were getting numb.

  He tried to protest but could not utter a word with the cloth in his mouth. Not that his kidnappers would hear him over the sound of the straining horses, or would likely care about his comfort if they did. Without water he was nauseous with dehydration and his head started to pound.

  Just as he felt he could not stand any more, he sensed through the sackcloth it was getting light. Morning had arrived. The horses started to slow and came to a halt.

  He heard one or two of the riders dismount and after a moment was lifted off his stallion and left sitting on the grass. He could hear voices, but though he strained his hearing he could not make out what they were discussing.

  Suddenly the sackcloth was removed from his head. The sun coming up over the horizon in front of him blinded his eyes. Two men stood in front of him, the sun behind was so bright it darkened their silhouettes and light sparkled behind them and prevented him from making out their features.

  Leo’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dazzling light and the pink sunspots that blurred his vision, but they gradually cleared. He was startled as one of the men stood forward and reached out to remove the cloth from his mouth. Leo gulped in air, but his tongue was so dry he could not swallow or speak. The man uncorked a leather flask and poured some water into Leo’s mouth. He drank too fast and gagged, spilling water down his front, but was still grateful for the relief.

  Leo paused, confused. Daylon smiled at him. “Sorry Leo, I know this will come as a shock for you. It was the easiest way to smuggle you out of the castle without being discovered.”

  “If I unbind you, will you remain where you are and cooperate?” Leo nodded and Daylon leaned past him and slashed his bindings with a dagger. Leo rubbed his wrists to ease the marks and his hands tingled as the circulation returned.

  He stared at Daylon. “What the hell, what’s going on? What are you doing? Why are you kidnapping me? I don’t understand.”

  This time it was the man behind Daylon who spoke. “It’s not easy to defy your father, and even more of a challenge if he’s your King.”

  The man threw back his hood. It was Prince Aron.

  “Leo, you heard what he said, he wanted me to travel to the safety of the other realms. But I could not bring myself to do it. I truly believe only the Druids can save us from Gorath. If there is any truth in the chronicles, we must at least try to find them and seek their help. If there is any part for you to play we need you with us. We head north to the Misty Mountains in search of Saturnus.”

  Chapter 6

  Knights of the Guard

  Leo picked himself up from the ground. “Why all the subterfuge? Why not ask me? I would have said yes.”

  “Would you? Would you, Leo?” said the Prince.

  “Well I would have at least liked to have a discussion.”

  “I’m sorry, Leo, we could not take the risk. You have seen my father; he is a brave, just, honourable king but he puts too much faith in man and that good shall prevail. We do not battle against any foe; we fight a dark power and evil demon. If my father had found out what I had planned in any way he would have prevented us from leaving. I believe that would also have perhaps ended our last hope to save this world.

  “Leo, we need you on our side. We need you to believe in our cause, because the path we take will not be an easy one and we face many unknown perils.”

  Leo nodded weakly, the Prince smiled and grabbed Leo’s arm in a bind. “Well sworn Leo; maybe in the future, history will remember us and our endeavours.”

  Aron turned and beckoned to two other riders who had been standing with the horses to the side. “Here are your kidnappers. Aland and Ailin.” Leo recognised the man and woman as members of the Prince’s private guard.

  “They are my most loyal soldiers but also we have known each other since we were children, and we would die for each other.

  Now, we made good ground, but we must make haste in case the King sends some pursuers after us. We need to distance ourselves as quickly as possible.

  “Leo, take your horse and let’s ride.”

  Ailin strode over to Leo holding Flint by the reins. Flint bared his teeth at Leo.

  “You’re joking, right; this horse hates me. He almost killed me yesterday.”

  “Rubbish,” said Ailin. “I heard you’ve developed a close relationship with Flint. Don’t worry about him, I think he simply does not realise he’s a horse and gets upset when people treat him like one. Perhaps he’s a little hard-headed, but when you are up against it he’ll probably save your life.”

  “Probably. Well unless he really does hate you,” added Aland unhelpfully.

  “Fantastic!” said Leo. “Just what I need: a temperamental horse.” Daylon stepped forward and placed a hand on Flint’s temple, leant in and whispered into Flint’s ear.

  “Don’t worry, Leo, he understands how important our journey is; he will be on his best behaviour.”

  The Prince kicked his white stallion ‘Wildwind’ into motion. The five of them set off at a canter along a muddied path from the copse where they had rested.

  As they got under way, Ailin drew up next to Daylon. “What was that all about?”

  Daylon winked. “Leo believes seers have the ability to read and influence minds. I just wanted to put his mind at rest by talking to Flint.”

  Ailin raised her eyebrows at him quizzically. “I thought that only worked with humans.”

  Daylon shrugged. “Well indeed, but Leo does not know that.”

  Ailin grimaced. “What if he throws him into a tree or worse, bites his fingers off?”

  “Well, it’s a possibility, but I do think Flint is mellowing in his old age. I think he’ll be all right.” Ailin shook her head at Daylon, doubtfully.

  The riders passed through the meadows and the farmers working in the fields acknowledged them. They stopped at the crest of the hill. Far in the distance was perhaps their last view of Ampheus; its grey walls appeared to shimmer silver and pink in the dawn light. The flags still flew proud over the battlements. The Prince pulled round his horse followed by the others who stood looking back in silence for a few moments.

  “I feel the fate of Ampheus may be decided long before we return here again.”

  He hung his head then shouted, “Yeahh!” And Aron kicked Wildwind with his spurs and urged him onwards and away. They galloped hard and fast; clearly he wanted to distance himself from his home as quickly as possible.

  *

  The alarm was raised early in the morning once the Prince was discovered missing. It was not long before it was apparent that Leo, Daylon and the two guards had also disappeared.

  The King was furious. “Did nobody know about this, how could this be? Logar, how could they evade the guards and escape the castle; did nobody spot them?”

  Logar tried to placate the King. “We sent twenty knights after them, but I fear they have too far a head start.

  Sire, we can’t blame the guards. This was not an escape, but the Crown Prince who ordered the guards to let them through. He demanded an oath of silence; it put the guards in a difficult situation. Bear in mind, the Prince is well liked and respected by the men. Most would have gone with him without ques
tion if he had asked them.”

  The King sighed as he was well aware of how loyal the Prince’s guard was. “You think he’s heading to the Misty Mountains to find Saturnus?”

  “I believe so, Sire,” said Logar, who paused for the King to speak. The King was lost in his thoughts, but abruptly came to a decision.

  “Recall the knights, Logar; perhaps in old age I’ve become too blinkered, too narrow-minded. Aron is my son but also an intelligent and brave man who one day will be king. Perhaps it is time we trust in his judgement. Maybe he is right, and maybe in the future he will bring the Druid to our aid.

  “We cannot deny him the chance to prove himself. If he is right, he may turn out to be our saviour. Let’s wish him fair and safe travels, and for him to return to us in one piece.”

  Logar stood on the battlements and released a kestrel. The kestrel would fly above the meadows and forests and swoop down on the knights.

  Urien checked the message, paused and circled his arm above his head, signalling to the cavalry that they should return to Ampheus. With that they pulled left on the reins of their horses and circled round as one.

  *

  A melancholy depression hung over the castle as the news of Prince Aron’s disappearance became known. Preparations were made for the two Ambassadors of the Realms to leave for Aquamura and Windstrom, though the logistics were complicated due to the sizeable entourages that escorted them. Typically, each had two or three advisers, a military guard and a number of junior staff that catered to the ambassadors’ every need.

  Each entourage would total fifty people. Overall, one hundred readying to leave. King Armanar swelled the ranks by insisting an additional company of twenty Amphean knights accompany each party.

  Logar had protested but the King considered this a much-needed sacrifice to ensure the ambassadors reached their realms safely.

  Further, in the absence of Prince Aron, the King had decided to send Queen Laila. She would journey with the Ambassador to Aquamura, and its capital Lumines. The King was adamant; in the Prince’s stead she would represent Terramis if Ampheus should fall.