The Path Of Destiny

by Mike Shelton

  He took another step towards Sean and let out a deeply held breath. He felt the power recede, but it was always present now. A prickle at the back of his mind. He knew now he could summon it with a moment’s notice; he just wasn’t always sure how to direct it or what its limits were.

  “I bet Cray and the others are quite worried by now,” said Sean.

  “You mean they didn't send you?”

  “No. If they knew I was here they wouldn’t like it very much. It’s against the rules.”

  “Then who sent you, Sean?”

  “Settle down, Darius.”

  Darius walked away from the water’s edge, rethinking again whether Sean deserved another reprieve.

  “Not much appreciation for saving your life,” Sean mocked.

  “I would have survived without you, I am sure. I always have.” Darius turned around in a blur.

  “Now, Darius, let's not get hostile. I came here to help you. We don't have to be best friends, but I may be able to help you.”

  “Who sent you, then, if it wasn't Cray?” asked Darius one more time, trying to regain a hold upon his patience.

  “Your father,” Sean said. “He sent me to make sure you remained safe.”

  Darius smiled inside. It had been ten days since his test in the mountains began. They had expected him to return after three or four days. He wanted to show them he could do what he wanted. And he had. In fact, Darius had begun to enjoy the quiet mountain surroundings, staying below the worst of the snow. Plenty of fish filled the cold mountain streams and he was able to catch a few winter rabbits with handmade traps. He smiled with the small triumph.

  “What do you find so funny, Darius?”

  “Are the men in the camp worried?”

  Sean raised his shoulders up and down. “I suppose that they are. I haven't been in camp for quite a few days. Like I said, they don't know I am here.” Sean lit a fire with wood he had gathered from nearby. “I know why you are still here, Darius. You and I are a lot alike, you know.”

  Darius raised his eyebrows, “And how is that?”

  “We are both independent people, not wanting others to order us around.”

  “But you want to be where I am. You want politics and power?”

  “And you are trying to escape it,” concluded Sean. “Is that what you really think you are doing? You are now more a part of this big game than you or I probably know. You are going to be the youngest commander in the King’s Elite Army. How does that make you feel?”

  Darius thought for a moment and then actually smiled. “It actually feels quite good.”

  “See, having power isn’t all that bad. It’s about how you use it and what you do with it.” Sean paused a few moments before turning back towards the fire. “Your father cares about you far more than you think, Darius,” whispered Sean. “He was truly concerned with your safety up here. Don’t hate everything that you are. Many are not given the privileges you have.“

  Darius sat back and ate a few bites of the fish Sean had caught and cooked for them. After the battle with the large birds, the food renewed his energy. He had never seen birds so large back in Anikari. He was tired of eating fish, edible roots, and rabbits. He felt a cold storm coming in the breeze. He should begin heading back to the others. He couldn’t stay in the mountains forever. Though it was a little tempting, he didn’t have the provisions or fortitude for that kind of life.

  Darius knew this final test was more symbolic than anything. Being on his own and fending for himself was just a way to solidify all that he had already accomplished in camp.

  Darius wondered why his father had sent Sean. Darius did not trust Sean now and he never would. He thought enough of his father’s senses to know that his father wouldn’t trust Sean either. Something is going on that my father is not telling me.

  They finished eating without much conversation, each deep in his own thoughts of what his part was in the whole plan of the Realm. The full moon rose from the east over the giant evergreens as darkness settled in around them. The cool wind picked up and began to blow down through the nearby canyons. Despite their differences they decided to work together, and they built a small lean-to to block out as much of the wind as possible.

  Through the rest of the evening conversation became lighter. They talked of Anikari and of things happening since Darius had left. Sean mentioned the problems in Belor and in the surrounding farmlands, which made Darius think of Kelln and Christine. Sometimes he longed for those simpler days back in Anikari. He knew they were never to be that way again. His position and his powers now changed all of that.

  The fire died down and the mountains became quiet as everything seemed to drift off to sleep, including Darius and Sean.

  All of a sudden, something woke Darius. He found Sean already standing up, turning his head as if listening for something.

  “Something woke me,” whispered Sean, “but with this wind I can't tell for sure.”

  The full moon lit up the tree-filled mountain landscape as far as a sharp ravine on the west and a thicket of large trees on the east. After studying the area for a few more minutes, they sat down once again behind the lean-to. Since waking up so suddenly Darius’s heart beat a quick rhythm. The power, always a heartbeat away, heightened his sense of awareness. Someone moved out among the trees. Or something.

  “Who’s there?” yelled Darius, hoping it was something that would answer back, but his voice was lost in the wind.

  Silence followed. Sean motioned that he would circle one way while Darius circled the other. The moonlit forest made an eerie kind of darkness, casting uncertain and hidden shadows.

  Darius crept along, being careful to step on the soft snow-covered portion of the ground, where no branches or leaves would give him away. His sight sharpened as he took in the surroundings. Despite the cold wind, sweat beaded from his taut body. With deliberate slowness he moved. A dark shape became visible to him up ahead, between two weathered trees.

  Darius stood still, next to a tree, as if one with it, putting into practice all he had ever learned about tracking. The shadow moved. It appeared to be a person. A man, by the way he stalked. He came closer. Darius’s muscles held tight and still. He feared that the man, whoever he was, would hear Darius’s loud heartbeat. A twig snapped on the other side of the figure, and the man turned.

  It must have been Sean. Darius wasted no time. He sprang from the tree, covering the distance quicker than a normal man should have, and flung himself on top of the dark figure.

  The man was strong, but when Sean joined in he became no match for the two of them. They flung him to the ground.

  “Stop,” they heard the man say. “Stop. It’s me!”

  Darius recognized the voice and pulled the man’s head up off the ground, pulling back his hooded wool cloak. With a stern and bewildered gaze, Cray looked up at him.

  He turned to Sean in gasping breaths. “What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Anikari weeks ago.”

  Sean just smirked in apparent joy at the man's reactions.

  “Well, what are you doing here?” Darius asked Cray.

  “If you will let go of me, maybe we can sit down and talk about it,” mumbled Cray.

  They moved back over towards the lean-to and threw more wood on the fire. It seemed the mountain had come awake with Cray’s apprehending. They saw a few ground squirrels scuttle by and heard smaller birds take off in a midnight flight.

  Cray looked sternly into Darius’s eyes. “The camp is worried about you, Darius. You have been gone longer than expected.”

  “Are you worried also?” Darius challenged.

  Cray laughed and settled onto the ground more comfortably. “I am only anxious that you figure out what you really want, Darius. After a slow start, during the last few months you threw yourself into training, and I don’t think anyone will challenge your right to be the first commander. But what do you want?”

  “That’s what I have been trying to ask him,” Se
an piped in.

  Cray glared at the young noble. “I am more worried about why you are here, Sean, than why Darius didn’t come back yet.”

  The fierceness of Cray’s face made even Sean straighten and take notice. “I don’t report to you.”

  Even with Sean’s never-ending arrogance, Darius was surprised at how he stood up to Cray. Not many men could.

  “We will discuss that later.” Cray continued to stare forcibly into Sean’s eyes until finally turning back to Darius to continue talking.

  Darius learned that the camp indeed was worried about him. Rumors had him escaping or being eaten by wild animals. Cray had been sent to find him and bring him back.

  “King Edward has sent notice that he wants a group of the Elite soldiers in Denir as soon as possible,” said Cray after they had discussed all of the reasons why everyone was there. “You are the only one to lead them at this time. After watching the Gildanians building up a small army on their side of the border, our spies have said they have finally crossed over into our lands.”

  “Don't we need more training?” asked Darius.

  “Apparently not,” said Cray through tight lips. “But everyone is more than capable. The King doesn’t want a war; he wants to settle this as quietly as possible.”

  Darius sat back, lost in thought about his new command opportunity. He had stayed in the mountains longer to think about what he wanted. He didn’t know everything, but for now, yes, he would take the command and be able to make his own decisions. He would be a leader that others would watch and look at. He’d wanted to visit Denir anyways. This would be a good way to start seeing the Realm and protecting it from outside influences before he turned his attention inward.

  The three men decided to sleep for a few hours before heading back to the base camp. Cray took the time to continue to brief Darius on the tools of leadership, and how he should organize the group. The return trip was not long with Cray leading them back through the valleys of the mountains. They reached the camp in a day and a half.

  When they returned, the camp was in turmoil. Some of the young men did not want to actually fight in the King’s army and had left during the previous night, escaping with many of the horses.

  Cray shook his head in disgust. “It’s up to you, Darius. You must lead them to follow the King’s commands.”

  Darius wondered if the King actually knew that Darius would be leading the men on their first excursion. No matter what he felt personally for the King and politics, he couldn't deny the sentiment of pride and honor that had swept through him since being asked to lead the King’s Elite Army. The first commander of a new special unit of young fighters! It was what he had always wanted. He was not a general yet, but being a commander before he was twenty was a great start. He would lead a decisive victory in Denir!

  A few hours after he returned Leandra came up to him and offered a big hug. She told him she had been worried and didn't want to see him leave again. She pleaded for him to take her. Darius wasn't sure of the depth of feelings he had for Leandra. She excited him in a way that at times was exhilarating, but he seemed to lose control over his thoughts when she was around. He couldn't have that happen around the other men. He was their commander now. He must be strong and not be distracted. At this point, he didn’t need another distraction.

  Darius met with Cray and a few of the other men that night in one of the large cabins. They spread maps of the area out in front of them. Darius traced his finger along the main routes to Denir. They talked and planned as the candles burned down to the ends. Darius would take all two hundred men with him. In the next few days, supplies would be put together. The march would lead them out of the Superstition Mountains and straight down the road towards Denir. Darius would lead the army straight into the city and stop the Gildanian aggression.

  Leandra and Darius talked once over the next two days. Darius had been walking out of his cabin when off behind a tree he noticed Sean and Leandra talking. They conversed in low whispers. Sean’s hands flew out in the air around him as they appeared to be arguing.

  Darius approached them. “Leandra, are you all right?”

  Leandra breathed deeply and tried to compose herself. “I am fine.” She glanced quickly at Sean and then back to Darius.

  “We were just talking about things going on in Anikari, Darius,” Sean said, looking at Leandra for confirmation.

  “Oh. Yes,” Leandra agreed. “Sean was telling me about the happenings back in Anikari.” She forced a laugh.

  Darius glared at Sean, not trusting the truth of the exchange. Without anything better to go on he nodded his head and walked away, without saying anything more to Leandra.

  The next morning the camp awoke with an excited fever. Young men covered the open meadow, practicing their swordsmanship and restringing their bows. A late-winter cold snap settled into the air. Everything was just about ready for the march to Denir. The trek would take them two weeks, depending on the weather. With the temperature dropping, they hoped to get out before additional snow dropped to their level.

  Darius climbed up onto a ridge overlooking the camp. Men were running everywhere, churning the ground into a mix of sludge and mud. The smell of campfires being doused hung in the air. He turned and looked south towards Denir. The morning sun cast long shadows across the dark mountains, turning them into mounds of fading grays and purples. Darius looked past the tall pines and the purple mountains standing in majestic forms around him. He looked past the rising mists clinging to the distant snowy peaks. Darius envisioned himself peering into the city of Denir itself. He imagined his army marching into one of the oldest cities in the Realm. He would now get to travel and find out what was out in the Realm for him. Anticipating the honor he would receive from the people as he rode at the head of this elite, trained army made him smile to himself.

  He breathed in and let his power flood into him. A slight shift of focus came. Everything around him became more clear. A cold wind blew at Darius’s back, making the tall pines sway as if to silent chords of music. The chill clung to him and dug into his breast. He wrapped his cloak around him more tightly, trying to shut the cold out, but it penetrated deeper.

  Darius closed his eyes and took power from the cold. He thought of the mighty wind, the drenching rain, and the numbing snow that winter brought. He thought of the icy lakes that kept fishermen away. He thought about the dark, foreboding clouds that took over the mountains. And he drew strength from them. Yes, there is strength and power in all of them.

  He thought about the King and his father and how they continued to try and use him. There was power in anger and darkness. He finally recognized that. He would lead and fight and win. Darius became one with the power and pushed it back out of him with all his might. Lightning darted down from the sky and struck the ground on the other side of camp. He was in control of so much power he could hardly contain the force. A sharp crack of thunder rocked the ground. The men would think it was the storm, but Darius knew better. His power could do anything. He let it fill him to the breaking point. He let the anger take control. It gave him so much strength.

  Now he was hardened. Now he was ready for battle.

  The sound of a loud, shrill whistle tore Darius from his heady thoughts—the signal that it was time to depart. He stood for a moment, trying to remember what had been going through his mind. He glanced back towards the breaking camp.

  Cray, a lone figure not working, stood still in his black jacket and glared up at Darius. His facial expression was emotionless. Darius noticed a burned tree off to the side and wondered if he had done that. Darius noticed Cray’s eyes widen as he too looked in the same direction.

  Cray gave a quick salute to show that he had seen Darius looking in his direction, then motioned for Darius to join him. Darius walked down off the ridge, rejuvenated and alive now. The power brought clarity to his mind and increased awareness to his senses. He understood now what he would do. Darius turned towards the camp and into the col
d wind towards Cray. He didn't sense the cold anymore. He only felt the raw power. All other feelings were insignificant compared to that.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  THE DUNGEON

  Kelln groaned and rolled over. The thin blanket did nothing to ease the pain of his tortured body on the hard, rocky floor of the dungeon. The odor of stale food and urine whiffed at his nostrils. He couldn’t keep track of how many weeks he had been in the cell, though he surmised it was much longer than he thought, maybe even months. Everything had become a blur of time. There were many moments he wished he were dead. It would be easier that way.

  The cell door creaked and Kelln held his eyes closed. He couldn’t do this again. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed they would leave him alone. Some part of his mind screamed with the absurdity of the thought. They didn’t care if he was asleep or awake.

  Two large hands hauled him up from the ground. “Open your eyes, traitor.”

  Kelln slowly opened his eyes, the right one still swollen from last week’s beatings. He groaned out loud. One man held him on his feet, arms behind his back. The other staring back at him gave him a wicked grin, showing he only had half his teeth. But Kelln didn’t care about the man’s teeth; it was the large muscles and whip he held that would inflict the damage.

  “Ready to admit you were wrong and swear to the Preacher, traitor?” the man asked.

  Kelln knew he couldn’t hold out much longer. He yearned to say yes and accept his fate as a follower of the Preacher, but some kind of stubbornness stayed buried deep inside his injured soul. Enough that he wouldn’t fold. At least not yet.

  “Never,” Kelln said through gritted teeth.

  The lash cracked across his legs and he cried out in pain. He found no shame in showing how much it hurt. The man holding him turned him around, with his back facing the torturer. Another lash across his back, another across his shoulders. Pain seared through his body and tears flowed freely from his eyes. If this day was like others, they would whip him until barely conscious, then put salve on his wounds and allow it to barely heal over the next few days. Then it would start all over again.