“I thought my bad dreams were done when Malak was finally born, but this one was horrible.”
Ari made herself comfortable next to kDira and rolled to face her, putting an arm over the top of the Queen Mother and one under her own head to act as a pillow.
“Are you not supposed to be on watch?”
“I just got relieved by Bracken. I can turn in now. Please tell me about your dream. What happened that got you so upset?”
“I do not want to talk about it. I am just glad you are here now. Just stay close and keep me safe.”
“Of course, kDira. I am not going anywhere.”
cHAPTER 14
By the middle of the next day, kDira and the others reached the Ocheebee Pass and headed north. The walls of the canyon rose higher and higher as they headed deeper and deeper.
kDira reflected on the first time she walked into the pass with Agis all those years ago, never expecting to find the Karn Keep, and never expecting to discover shortly after that their world had been turned upside down.
The group came upon the cave that kDira and Agis had discovered and decided to stop to have a meal, some bryne, and take a load off their tired feet. Noske took some time to explore the writings in the cave and listened to kDira tell him of what Elick had found on his first visit.
As they rested, the leftover cooked chideer was passed around to satisfy their hunger. The conversation was light as Ari sat near kDira up against the cave wall. She handed kDira a piece of her helping of meat which kDira took eagerly. kDira didn’t take Ari’s affection for her lightly; Ari had saved her life a number of times, and she never asked for anything from kDira. Though the Queen Mother didn’t find Ari attractive, not in an intimate sense, kDira did enjoy her company and her loyalty. She didn’t want to ever put that in jeopardy.
“How far to the Karn Keep?” Bracken asked.
“Not far. Less than an hour,” kDira replied between sips of bryne.
“Did you really bring it down with just a handful of Blackhorn warriors?”
“And one very brave and inventive interpreter.”
“Elick was with you?”
“Yes, he was. He created something called a cat-pult. The remnants of it might still be on the canyon floor underneath the ruins of the Karn Keep.”
“I do not know if I could have been so brave, Queen Mother.”
“When there are no other options, bravery comes much easier. The Karn had taken Princess Jilleane and Princess Abril and had killed Queen Dachraolene. We had nothing to lose. The Blackhorn tribe would have been lost if we had not gotten the Princesses back.”
Bracken sat there quietly, humbled by the impact of the story.
“I lost a good friend in that attack; my dear Esenice. She was like a sister to me. And she was a great shot with a bow,” kDira said with a wink to Ari. “She could have shown you a few things at the shooting range.”
Ari shrugged. “She sounds lovely,” she said, looking away.
“You would have liked her, Ari, maybe even more than you like me. She would have loved you.”
Ari turned back and smiled at kDira. “Thanks.”
“It was after that battle that you ran into the Midlanders?” Bracken asked, breaking the mood.
kDira let out a sigh. “Yes, and this is where our story will end. I do not wish to discuss the Midlanders.”
“I am sorry, Queen Mother.”
“Not to worry. Come, it is time we continued on our way.”
Everyone stood up, gathered their gear, and made their way back down from the cave to the canyon floor. Noske, like the other interpreters before him, was reluctant to leave the wall writings, but at the insistence of the others, finally made his way out of the cave also.
As the small Blackhorn troupe continued north, the smell of something burnt became noticeable, and it grew stronger as they neared the Karn Keep. It started as just a hint of a lingering odor in the air but grew stronger and stronger as they got closer.
“What is that smell?” Noske asked.
“The Keep. In our revenge attack, we set the insides of the keep ablaze. They had no place to go. The Karn were burned alive.”
“The bastards deserved it,” Ari said, “after all they did to the Blackhorn. If for no other reason than that they had killed the innocent babies of the village. They could have just taken the breeders, but they did not. They took the breeders and then killed everyone in the village. I would have burned them alive, too.”
“Thank you, Ari,” said kDira. “I wanted them to suffer for what they did, and if I had to do it all over again, I would not change what I did one bit.”
Malak stopped to marvel at the vastness of the Great Highway. Nearly twenty strides wide, carved from no rock as he had ever seen, it was truly a wonder to behold. Though the surface was cracking and weeds were finding their way through in places, it was still a very prominent sight to see.
“It goes on for as far as we can see,” Malak said in awe.
“Yes, it does. It is one of the few miracles of the past that still hold up today. Come, we will follow it to the east, to Midlandia.”
They began walking east, Malak pondered with each step, trying to understand how the wondrous path could have been created. What advanced civilization could have the skills and tools to cut this rock so flat that a wagon would roll easily without the use of beasts of burden?
“Will the Midlanders accept me into the tribe, Nonham?”
“Accept you? My young Prince, they are waiting for you. They have waited for you for all of your life.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Provicy, my boy. The Provicy tells of your coming to lead the Midlanders to the Promised Land.”
“I do not understand.”
“You will, young Prince. You will.”
The ruins of the Karn Keep blocked most of the canyon floor where it had been brought down by Elick’s cat-pult, but none could escape the smell of the burned-out ruins.
“Come,” kDira said, leading them to the east side of the canyon. There she entered a dark, damp opening in the east wall that led to steps rising before them. The others followed quietly, uncertain of what their Queen was getting them into.
Once at the top of the steps, kDira lead the others through some passages that eventually led to more steps going up to the surface on the east side of the Ocheebee Pass.
Once outside, the tall, dry grass and weeds stretched downward and to the east for as far as they could see. The hot midday sun distorted the horizon as it baked the already-dry earth.
“I am really glad to be out of there,” Lyren said.
“I agree with you, Lyren,” Noske said. “The smell alone is enough to make one run in fright.”
“Or retch in disgust,” Ari added.
“Or that,” Noske agreed.
“Okay, we are out of the bad place,” kDira said, “but trust me, things might get worse. We need to go as far as we can the rest of today so we can rest before we get to the Valley of Death.”
“The Valley of Death?” Noske asked, somewhat worriedly.
“It sounds worse than it is,” kDira reassured.
“I hope so. It sounds pretty bad.”
“Let’s go, krebs,” kDira teased, heading eastward toward the plains.
“Krebs? Who are you calling krebs?” Ari protested.
“She cannot be referring to me,” Noske averred, “I have never been a kreb.”
“You all whine like a bunch of young krebs, I forgot who I was with.”
“Is there anything to worry about out here on the plains?” Bracken asked.
“Mostly just wolf-dogs,” Ari explained. “I have never seen one, but I heard they run in packs in this area. They are vicious beasts that will single out the youngest of a group and rip him to shreds.”
The group pondered that thought for a moment, with everyone looking around, scanning the horizon.
“Great,” said Noske somewhat worried again, “I am the youn
gest one here.”
“Do not worry, young Interpreter,” kDira said, “we will protect you, but if we all start running, I do not recommend you linger behind.”
The warriors laughed, but Noske failed to find the humor in the Queen Mother’s words. He took small comfort in knowing that if the need should arise, he could probably outrun at least one of them. Lyren was probably the slowest of the bunch, and Noske vowed to at least outrun him.
As kDira and her party forged a path east across the plains, so did Malak and Nonham on the Great Highway. Just before nightfall, both groups found a place to make camp. Again, Ari set a watch for kDira’s sake, while Malak and Nonham found a place in the woods just off the Great Highway that offered some shelter and protection.
cHAPTER 15
“I would think Malak would be happy he was raised with you and kDira instead of a monster like Hayden,” Winter said, sitting down to the table across from Agis. Winter had grown into a tall and slender young woman. Her blonde hair hung down to her shoulders, and her sky-blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the torch-lit hut. “He really has a good life here. What could be bothering him so much?”
“I will not pretend to know how he feels. Hayden was a monster, and the fact that he found out that his real father was a monster has messed up his head, I think.”
“Do you think he will be back?”
“I think we will see him again. I fear it will not be the warmest of reunions, though.”
“Do you think he would be violent against one of us? Or you, or mum?”
“I don’t know. The last time he looked at me, I got the impression that he was done with me, that he didn’t want to see me again, ever. I think his hatred and anger is directed mostly at his mother, though.”
“And I think me,” Winter said. “Somehow, I think he has grown up hating me, resenting the closeness you and mum have for me.”
“Oh, I don’t think he could possibly hate you—”
“You haven’t seen the way he looks at me when no one else is looking, father. I think he has a very deep hatred for me. I fear if he does come back, it will be to kill me. It’s just a gut feeling I have.”
“Okay, if he comes back I will make sure he stays clear of you when no one else is around.”
“Thank you. But between you and me, I hope he doesn’t come back.”
Agis didn’t answer; he just began to eat his evening meal.
kDira awoke to find Ari once again lying next to her, arm around her. She lay there, relieved at not having had a nightmare, and she savored the safety and comfort that Ari’s close presence provided. It eased her mind just a bit to know that at a moment’s notice, Ari would sacrifice her own life for kDira’s if the need arose.
Lyren, the last to stand watch, was already tending to the fire to brew some bark tea for everyone. Noske had begun to stir and moved to a place closer to the fire, his blanket draped around his shoulders.
“Got a bit chilly last night, aye Noske?” Lyren asked.
“Just a little. I didn’t really notice it until I woke up.”
Ari stirred and pulled kDira close to her. kDira looked at her and smiled. “Time to get up, kreb,” she said jokingly.
“Okay, but I am not making you breakfast, kreb,” Ari retorted.
“Listen to you two squabble,” Lyren said. “If I did not know better I would say you two have a thing for each other. “
“You do know better,” kDira said sternly, “and you had best not say a thing.”
“Yes, Queen Mum… uh, Mother.”
Noske let out a chortle but stopped it quickly as kDira shot him a look. “That is enough!” kDira snapped. “We need to be thinking about the road ahead. Today we will enter the Valley of Death, and who knows what creatures we will find there. And remember, every step we take to the east brings us that much closer to Karn Country.”
“Yes, Queen Mother,” everyone said together.
Malak and Nonham continued their journey eastward after having a quick breakfast of dried fowl and pressed fruit.
“How much longer before we are at Midlandia?” Malak asked.
“Not much further. Soon we will take a path north that will lead us straight to the village.”
They traveled onward, and true to Nonham’s word, in a short time, they turned onto a path leading north. The path did not show much recent use but gave evidence that it had once carried a lot of foot traffic. Malak studied the path and surroundings carefully as they walked further up the lane.
And then, through the trees, he could make out the walls of a once-great village. Not as robust as the walls of the Blackhorn, it was still impressive, or at least, had been at some point in the past.
“What happened to this place?” Malak asked.
“Without proper leadership, the walls and structures became run down. They really need some strong leadership to get them back to their former glory.”
“Is there no one leading them now?”
“They have a leader, but… well, you will see. We are near the gate. Do not tell them who you are, for I want you to see the place for what it is before we let them know your secret.”
“Wait. What are you going to do?”
“Brother Nonham, welcome back,” came a voice from atop the closed gate. “Who is this stranger you bring with you?”
“This is a traveler that has urgent news for King Eudart.”
“Please wait a moment,” the faceless voice atop the gate replied.
The moment turned into several minutes as Malak and Nonham exchanged glances back and forth.
“What if they do not let me in?”
“They will. Be patient.”
Moments later the gate opened, and again the voice called down from above. “Meet King Eudart in the Center Plaza.”
“Thank you, we will do that,” Nonham confirmed as they passed through the gate into the village.
Ahead was the Plaza and they could see the king standing prominently in the center of a group of Midlander warriors. He, himself looked to be a warrior, clad in a leather chest plate and a red velvet cape with golden fringe. He also wore a kilt that appeared to be made of leather and brown boots that came up to just below his knees. His face betrayed his fairly young age, compared to the other warriors, though Malak was certain that the king was ten years his elder. Eudart bore no scars or showed any signs of previous battle, but his presence was that of an experienced leader.
Malak and Nonham stopped several paces before reaching the king, and following Nonham’s lead, Malak bowed before the king.
“Your royalty, I have before you a challenger for the crown,” Nonham said.
Malak shot Nonham a look, not believing what he had just heard. “What are you doing, old man?” Malak protested.
“He says he has a claim on the crown and disputes your right to wear it.”
“What claim does this boy have on my crown?!” the king roared.
Malak again looked at Nonham, who looked back at him and smiled. “My King, this boy, Malak, is the son of Hayden.”
“Hayden and his legacy died fifteen years ago. This boy is no more the son of Sylys Hayden than I am.”
“Hayden died seventeen years ago, and this is his son.”
“Then he will fight me for the crown. I will not hand it over to a boy.”
“I did not come here to fight,” Malak protested, again looking to Nonham for some guidance.
“You see?” the king said loud enough for all to hear. “The boy is a coward, hardly a leader, let alone a king!”
“You have wanted a chance to prove yourself,” Nonham said to Malak. “Now is your chance.”
“Nonham,” the king called out, “When I strike this boy down, I will have you drawn and quartered for treason.”
“Then I shall hope for the boy to win. Are you ready, son of Hayden?”
Malak thought for a moment. What better time to prove himself than against the sword of the King of Midlandia? “Yes. I am ready.”
Malak looked at the king with the look reserved for his sister, Winter, and others that crossed him. The king saw the glare and looked away.
“Take my cape and fetch my sword,” ordered King Eudart. Two of the Midlander warriors helped him remove his cape as a third one ran off to get the sword.
“I will teach you what it means to fight a Midlander, boy,” exclaimed the king. “I want you to savor the moment my royal sword pierces your heart.”
Malak remained silent as he took several paces away from Nonham and narrowed the distance between himself and the king. Though he didn’t draw his sword just yet, he made sure his hand was secure on its grip.
Within minutes the king had his sword in hand and approached Malak. The two squared off and began pacing around in a circle, crouching down, and ready to strike. Each was waiting for the other to make the first move.
“Are you going to come and take my crown, little boy?” the king taunted.
“Are you going to stop me from taking it, false king?”
Suddenly, losing his patience at being called a false king, Eudart lunged at Malak, sword straight out in front of him. With the ringing of metal on metal, Malak knocked the sword out of its path with one quick swipe of his own sword. Those standing by let out a gasp as they were certain the fight would be over at the first lunge.
“You are a quick little boy, I grant you that, but you have no experience. I can sense that.”
“I am surprised a false king would have the courage to make the first move.”
“I will make you regret calling me a false king. Hayden was a fool, and he died like a fool, just as you shall!”
Again, the king lunged at Malak. The ring of steel against steel brought more onlookers from all over the village to see what was happening. Two swift blows by the king, followed by three more were all countered as Malak remained on the defensive, toying with the king.
“Your attacks are too predictable for a king trusted to lead men into battle.”
“I see you have scars on your face, much too big for such a young boy to have. Did you lose too many fights?”
The kDira's World Anthology Page 32