Divided (#1 Divided Destiny) (30 page)

The final part of the scroll mentioned ‘the Emperor.’ People had believed that this cave of light was a torture device he had left behind. It was unnatural and unholy, its immense power a reminder of the Emperor and his evil.

Leo frowned. A key piece of information was missing—the location of the cave of light.

“Did your people not discover where this cave is?” Leo asked. He handed Don the scroll to read.

“We do not speak of it,” Prince Edmund said firmly. He paled and shook his head. “The evil blighted the land. It is far from here. I know not where, and I do not wish to know.” He cleared his throat. “The other scrolls are signed letters to all the surrounding kingdoms, asking them to give you what aid they can manage.”

“Thank you,” Leo murmured, accepting that they would get no more out of Prince Edmund regarding the Emperor or the cave of light.

They could ask in the next kingdom. This cursed land had to share a border with somebody’s kingdom. It shouldn’t be hard to find. People might have wanted to forget the dark time; they might have tried to bury their past. However, no history could be completely erased.

“You know what we’re looking for: a superweapon to defend our world. What kingdom do you suggest we start with?”

Prince Edmund shrugged helplessly. “I know of nowhere that has what you seek. That does not mean it does not exist, for such an advantage would be kept secret.” He hesitated. “Gatlan is the closest kingdom. As you are aware, they are presently at war with Sintiya. It is a dark time, but perhaps you should start there.”

“Then we’ll leave at first light.” Leo held out his hand for the prince to shake.

Their business was concluded; the deal was done. With these letters, Kaslea would be a friend to their quest. They now had support so that they could traverse this strange alien world—so like their own, but still different—with less fear. They had a benefactor, a patron, someone to legitimize their standing. They needed that. Not all kingdoms would welcome strangers, especially one that was at war.

It was past time they came to terms with the reality. It had been two weeks already. This quest was not going to be over quickly. So rather than focus on speed, they needed to focus on getting it right. When they returned to Earth—and they
would
return—it would be to strike a decisive blow. They only had to pray that when they returned, there would still be something left to save. But that was out of their hands. They had a job to do, and worrying about what they couldn’t change wouldn’t help them.

The fact that Gatlan was at war was troubling. The last thing they wanted to do was pick sides. What if Sintiya had what they needed? However, the longer they stayed there, the more likely it was that they would be forced into the middle of the conflict. War made men desperate. If Gatlan was losing, they would be even more desperate. Prince Edmund had made his help conditional upon the dragon’s demise, ensuring the safety of his kingdom.

Leo didn’t know what they would do if Prince Oswald tried to make the same demand. They had no right to interfere in the politics of this world. It was a concern, but one for another day. All the clichés came to mind—they would cross that bridge when they came to it, there was no use borrowing trouble, etc.

It was time to move on. The three marines were going to Gatlan.

Epilogue

“These so-called marines are more formidable than I could have ever possibly believed,” Yannick acknowledged.

Eleanor didn’t blink at his arrival. He ghosted behind her where she stood on the balcony of her chambers. It was not so long ago they had both been here. The dragon’s spells had needed constant refreshing, and at the time their victory had seemed assured. Kaslea had been terrified; soon Prince Edmund would have been ready to promise anything to those who would save them.

She would have let the dragon’s spell lapse, and the sovereign prince would have handed over his kingdom, would have bowed down before her. She wouldn’t have had to send her army against him, to lay waste to what one day would be hers. That was why the dragon had been spelled not to touch the forest. She had wanted it to be as efficient as possible in its destruction.

Just a few more attacks and Kaslea would have invited her in. It would have been delicious; it would have been the perfect victory.

Ruined by these unknown strangers.

Her plans to have the dragon dispose of those knights who had failed her would now also need to be changed. She would need a different but still suitable punishment for them. That was a small matter, one easily dealt with. Formulating a new plan of how they would conquer Kaslea, though…that was going to be much more problematic.

Eleanor had thought on these
marines
many times since their arrival. She had always known they were dangerous, but she had hoped that they would be useful. She had tolerated them while she decided the best plan to get them working for her.

Now, they had interfered with her plans. Now, they had to pay. They would bow, or they would die. She would no longer tolerate their existence any other way.

“They are leaving Kaslea in the morning,” Yannick offered.

Eleanor turned and looked at him. He was being surprisingly subdued. There was none of the anger she had expected; there were no quips or calculating cackling laughs designed to make her doubt his sanity. He was in the guise he had first appeared to her as: the clever strategist.

They had made this plan to conquer the known kingdoms together. She supposed she should have expected that not everything would fall into place exactly as it was supposed to. However, Eleanor had hoped that the delay in victory with Gatlan would be the only setback. Everything else had been proceeding so smoothly—until now.

“Where are they heading?” Eleanor asked, unsurprised at his knowledge. Yannick always knew everything; it was something that was both wonderful and terrifying.

“Gatlan.”

Eleanor blinked hard. “That is simply unacceptable.”

Finally, Yannick smirked, the cruelty she was used to seeing on his expression finally making an appearance. He had a plan. Of course he did.

“Actually, it will win us the war.”

*****

To be continued in
Justified
, Book Two of Divided Destiny…

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About the Author

Taitrina Falcon is a passionate author who writes and dwells in England, U.K. She may have studied Computing Programming at university, but the art of writing has been her number one passion since she was just a kid. Taitrina began storytelling before she even jotted down her very first word.

When she's not creating, Taitrina Falcon is a gamer, swimmer, Star Wars fan, and DVD collector. Music is one of her many muses, and she never leaves the house without her iPod. The coast is also an inspiration of hers, with the calm crashing of the ocean waves and the salty tang in the air.

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