She asked Tallon numerous questions, all of which he answered truthfully. Eventually she, too, gave up and announced that he was either telling the truth or under a more powerful enchantment than she had ever come across before. Yeland, however, was still not convinced. He was about to declare that the time for talking was over, when he spotted Hurst, who was conversing with Tor. Hurst had once travelled through Kinfen and spent a few weeks staying at the palace, where Yeland had made use of his talents when meeting with visiting dignitaries. Yeland requested his assistance, which he willingly gave.
Taking hold of Tallon’s hand, he softly told the Prince to remain calm. Within seconds he started to reveal what he saw of Tallon’s mind. “He has a lot of conflicting emotions at the moment. He is uneasy with his truce with King Allias, but knows he has to stick with it in order to have a future with Princess Selene. He is overjoyed at the prospect of marrying, but sad that he will have to give up his home and his country to follow his heart. He is also concerned with the conflicting reports in the history books of both Kinfen and Emvale. He thinks that his father acts too rashly sometimes, like now for instance, and that his brother is an arrogant prig who needs to be brought into line.” Hurst released Tallon’s hand and went silent.
Across the ‘no man’s land’ dividing the two armies, Tallon’s brother could be heard spluttering with indignation. Yeland showed no reaction outwardly; internally his mind was racing. Eventually he called for some examples of the Emvale history books Tallon referred to; he wished to see them for himself. Allias nodded and a messenger was quickly dispatched.
Bellak stepped forward and whispered to Allias, who nodded. Bellak orated an incantation and waved his hands, causing a large square tent to appear between the two armies. Allias dismounted and, walking toward the tent, visibly removed his sword and handed it to Tallon. He called out to Yeland. “Why not get out of the sun while we await the arrival of the books. I have arranged for refreshments to be delivered. As you can see, I am entering the tent unarmed. Feel free to have your own magician verify that there are no magical traps on the tent.” He entered alone, everyone outside watching Yeland expectantly, until he, too, dismounted and disarmed.
Inside the tent, he found Allias slouched on a sofa with his feet up. “Magicians are useful to have around it seems,” he commented as Allias looked him up and down as though visibly checking for concealed weapons.
Yeland sat on a sofa opposite, staying still and upright. It was quiet inside the tent, too quiet. It made him nervous. There was only a thin layer of canvas between him and two opposing armies; he should be able to hear something. He commented, trying to sound casual, and Allias explained that a spell had been placed around them. It was designed to prevent anyone eavesdropping on their conversation and must have had the added effect of hiding outside sounds from them.
Yeland smiled grimly. “So my guards will not hear if you murder me.”
Allias laughed. “I did not think of that. Good idea though. Look around and let me know what I can use as a weapon.”
Yeland did as he was asked and saw nothing readily available that could be used to attack him with, or, more importantly, nothing he could use to attack Allias. “Why do you despise me and my people so much?” he asked.
Allias paused before answering. “Do you realise that this is the first time we have actually spoken? It is not you I hate, more the atrocities that your country has committed and you allow to continue.”
Yeland jumped up, anger flashing across his face. “How dare you accuse us of monstrosities,” he spat. “Anything my soldiers did in the last war was in retaliation to the horrendous acts of your own men. Some of the things they did to innocent women and children can only be described as pure evil.”
At this Allias also jumped to his feet, his hand automatically going to draw his sword. He looked down in frustration when he realised it was not there. Before he could shout his reply they were interrupted by a knock at the entrance to the tent. Both men were too consumed by their rage to wonder how anyone could knock on canvas.
“Come in,” Allias yelled and a servant very timidly entered, placing a tray of fruit and a jug of wine on the table. He rushed out, almost immediately returning with a bowl of washing water, towels and glasses. He left again, without asking permission to withdraw, protocol ignored in his haste to get out. The two men continued to glare at each other until eventually Allias poured himself some wine and sat back down. He did not offer any to Yeland, who proceeded to help himself, taking some of the fruit to demonstrate he was not worried about poison.
Neither man spoke until there was another knock on the tent and Halvine entered, laden down with books. This time both occupants noticed the oddity, but chose not to comment; they had more serious things on their minds.
Halvine placed the books on the table, handed one to Yeland, bowed to Allias and withdrew without saying a word. Allias remained silent while Yeland read. After a few lines, he flicked through to another page and read a few more lines, a frown beginning to crease his face. After doing this a few more times, he went back to the first page, his frown deepening further. He threw the book on the sofa beside him and randomly selected another from the table. He flicked through this in the same manner before throwing it on top of the first.
He proceeded through each book until he came to one entitled ‘Yeland, King of Kinfen.’ Allias, who was growing bored, poured himself some more wine and refilled Yeland’s glass.
Anger had left both men by the time Yeland put down the last book. He was looking weary. “Well?” Allias asked.
“Everything in these books is a lie. I can understand you hating me and my country if this is what you have been taught.”
“How did I know you were going to say that?” Allias sneered. “Why should I believe you instead of what historians have written?”
Yeland picked up a book at random and threw it at Allias. “Because I have read most of these books before.” Allias looked at him in surprise. “My own library has copies, as do most libraries across Kinfen. The only difference is that they describe Emvale not Kinfen.” He picked up his self-titled book. “I even have a copy of this one, by the same author, except it is called “Allias, King of Emvale. It describes you and your accomplishments identically, right down to your abuse of your servants, which it states is just a more polite name for slaves.”
“Are you telling me that the enmity between our two countries is totally based on lies?”
“Who knows? There may be some truth in some of the books, but I haven’t come across anything yet.”
“But why?”
“Think about it. Our fathers fought, as did their fathers. When getting back from a war, the first thing that happens is accounts get written that show your enemies as monsters and your own men as saintly heroes. What King is going to allow a book to be written that tells of horrific deeds performed by his own men, even if it is the truth?” Yeland rubbed his face with his hands. It seemed that everything he had been told his whole life had been a lie. Accepting it was hard. He suddenly laughed. “You have to admire the authors. Think how much money they must have made selling both versions of their books.”
Allias also grinned before turning serious again. “So where do we go from here?
“I do not know,” Yeland admitted. “I guess the first thing we have to do is find out what actually is true. Maybe we should spend some time in each other’s countries, without official guides showing us only what they want us to see. We may even uncover things happening in our own countries that we do not know about and need to put a stop to.”
Allias thought this was a good idea but said there was one major stumbling block that would prevent any sort of truce between the two counties. “My daughter knows first-hand that in Kinfen slavery is legal and a lot of them are abused. That is something I can never condone.”
“I agree completely,” Yeland surprised him by saying. “While we do have slaves, they are well treated. Any owner that
abuses a slave is severely dealt with. Unfortunately, however, all governments have corrupt officials that can be bribed to look the other way, as do all law enforcement agencies. I am sure that the same thing goes on in your country though you probably do not get to hear about it.”
His comments disturbed Allias, but eventually he was forced to agree. He nodded his head, allowing Yeland to continue. “As for slavery, that is harder to abandon than you would imagine. What would happen to all of the slaves? Currently the majority are provided with food, shelter and clothing. Who would provide for them if they no longer had an owner? I have some of my top officials working on a plan, but it will take many years before we can totally abolish slavery. The first step is for my officials to take over all of the slave markets, requiring sellers to have proper paperwork showing rights of ownership. It will not stop the kidnappings and forced slavery, but it should greatly reduce it. Tallon has some ideas about what the next steps should be, but we have yet to discuss them in great detail.”
“I have not had much chance to talk to your son, but he appears to have a good head on his shoulders. He is serious about marrying my daughter by the way. They appear to be genuinely in love.”
This news stunned Yeland. He had not really taken in any of what his son had told him, thinking he was not in control of his own mind at the time. He was even more shocked to hear that Selene had been the slave Tallon had purchased and run off to find. He now understood Allias’s comment about her first-hand knowledge of slavery.
They continued talking for hours, covering subjects from the difficulty of keeping control over outlying provinces to the joys and frustrations of parenthood. They were amazed to find how much they agreed on and how many of the same problems were faced by both countries.
They were interrupted by Halvine, enquiring if any more books would be needed. He was sent away with orders for a meal to be brought in.
When they eventually left the tent they were surprised to find that, not only was it dark, but that both armies were still in position, ready to attack if the command was given. The looks that Tallon and his brother were throwing each other suggested that it was only concern about starting a war that held them back from going for each other’s throats.
The Kings returned to their own ranks, calling together their top ranking officers and noblemen, explaining that there would be no war. The news quickly spread, along with orders for everyone to return to their own garrisons. Captains called their units together and the withdrawals were orderly on both sides. Bellak vanished the tent and headed back toward the castle with the rest of Tor’s party.
Yeland agreed to remain, with a detachment of guards, and spend a few days in Vada as a guest at the palace. There was a lot to discuss and formal declarations of peace to be drawn up and signed. Allias, however, at the request of Tallon, refused to allow Yeland’s younger son to remain. He expected Yeland to disagree, but the King saw the wisdom of this and sent him away with the soldiers. Tallon’s personal guard also wished to remain and their request was granted.
Allias and Yeland rode slowly toward the city, side by side, while Tallon and Selene galloped on ahead to ensure that everyone at the palace had been notified of the imminent arrival of an honoured guest.
Watching them disappear from view, Allias suddenly grinned and called across to Yeland. “That reminds me,” he said mischievously. “Congratulations are in order. You are going to be a grandfather.” The look on Yeland’s face made him burst out laughing.
Chapter 18
A few days later, everyone was departing; Yeland was returning to Kinfen, signed treaty and even some trade agreements in hand, while Tor and his team were ready to continue their quest. Bellak had argued for leaving as soon as Tor returned, but Tor insisted that some of his colleagues needed time to recover from their journey. Tallon had explained his reasons for staying in Vada and Yeland had reluctantly agreed; if their positions have been reversed, he would have wanted the same thing. He had missed the birth of both of his sons and it was the biggest regret of his life.
Tallon’s guards were also staying, until he returned to his homeland for the wedding. Royalty had to marry in their capital city and as the heir apparent, Tallon had to marry in his own country first, thus there would be two weddings, the first in Bedden with the second in Vada a few weeks later. Timing was the big issue. Both kings thought it best to wait until after the birth, but Tallon and Selene were not prepared to wait. In the end they threatened to elope unless their fathers agreed. They got what they wanted and wedding number one would take place in exactly one month.
Selene had begged Sam to stay, but Tor would not give his approval. She had been brought forward in time to help them obtain the next clue and they could not continue without her. He had, however, agreed to do his best to return Sam to Vada in time for the second wedding, though he made no promises. It would take them at least two weeks to reach the outskirts of the Loden desert and no plan had yet been formulated on how to cross it. In all of the excitement caused by births, wars and weddings, Sam had completely forgotten that she had a suggestion to make in that regard.
Selene was not the only person to ask Sam to remain at the palace. The previous evening, Rupert had requested she join him for a nightcap in his rooms, where he formally asked her to be his official consort. He explained that he would not be able to marry her, as his father would probably arrange for him to marry a suitable Lady ‘for the good of the country’, but he promised he would be faithful to her until that day and would make sure she was well provided for afterward.
If he had not looked so solemn, Sam would have laughed. Instead, she headed off to find Halvine, promising she would return shortly. When she explained to Halvine what she needed and why, he readily agreed to help. She returned to Rupert carrying a golden goblet and a small plain glass, the kind the servants usually drank from. Pouring a little brandy into the goblet, she handed it to Rupert, asking him to drink. Next she poured some into the glass and handed it to him, indicating he should drink again. When he had done so, she asked him which tasted better. Confused, he told her it was the same drink so they both tasted the same.
She then asked why he usually drank from expensive gold or crystal instead of cheap glass. His response that it was his right as Prince and future ruler was what she had been expecting to hear, but she was still slightly disappointed. Taking his hand gently in her own she then explained how she could never be involved with a man who thought he was automatically entitled to the best of everything, even if he genuinely was. She needed to be treated as an equal, not a subordinate and she didn’t think Rupert would ever be able to do that. Reluctantly he agreed, but still tried to persuade her to at least stay that night with him. She declined.
Others had also been invited to stay. Sabastian asked Torrick and Oak to remain behind to continue helping train his men, but both had declined; they had volunteered to help Tor in his quest and did not wish to let him down. He also jokingly asked Samson, who appeared to think about it before shaking his head. Sabastian stared at him in shock, so the wolf grinned at him. Mrs Hubert, who turned out to be widowed, asked Hurst to remain. He gave the request serious consideration, before turning her down, explaining that Tor may still have need of him. He promised to return once the quest was complete and there were tears in both their eyes when it was time to depart.
They headed north, Sam once again riding Thresnine. It did not take them long to get back into their old routine. Hawk provided fresh meat for them and River and Oak managed to find plenty of fresh plants and nuts to compliment the meat; they even found some potatoes one day. There was always a fresh supply of water nearby whenever they made camp and the weather remained dry. The temperature was warm, seeming to get a little hotter each day, though not unpleasantly so. Dal continued his lessons with Tor and Seth, though he seemed to spend more and more time alone with Seth as the days wore on, and Sam went back to sleeping in Hawk’s coffin as the ground was so uncomfortable after her we
eks in a proper bed.
One night, Sam was awoken by scratching on the side of the coffin and she could just make out Samson’s soft whine. “Get in then you stupid lump,” she called to him, moving her legs to make room for him. When the whining did not stop she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. The night was pitch black, no moon or stars could be seen in the sky. This puzzled her. The cloud must be widespread and thick to obscure everything so thoroughly and there had been no sign of any in the sky when she had gone to sleep.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows and banged her head. She immediately realised what was going on. The night sky was not covered by a layer of cloud. She could see no stars because someone had put the lid on the coffin. She positioned her hands above her and attempted to push it off. It would not move. She tried to position her feet underneath, but there was not enough room so she pushed with her knees instead, but to no avail. Panic set in as claustrophobia took hold.
Her breathing became shallow and rapid as she started to hyperventilate and her body began to shake uncontrollably. Tears ran unnoticed down her cheeks. She tried to scream, but was unable. She began banging on the lid of the coffin, kicking as hard as she could at the same time. She was unable to grasp the reality that the coffin was not air tight and she would be perfectly alright if she remained calm until she was set free. All she knew was that she could not breathe properly and that she was going to die if she did not get out quickly.
Suddenly the lid was thrown off and she found herself in Hawk’s arms. He gently lifted her from the coffin and placed her in his lap, cradling her like a baby as she sobbed into his chest. Samson paced up and down next to them, frustrated at not being able to help. The noise had awoken the whole camp and they all approached the wagon, concern evident on most of their faces. Dal had gone white and tears were streaking down his face. “I am sorry,” he said quietly as he nervously approached Hawk. “It was meant to be a joke. Is she going to be alright?”
The Guide Page 23