Kingdom's Hope (4 page)

Leinad drew his sword and took a swordsman's stance. “Then you swear in vain.”

Once again, the sound of clashing swords filled the
Nyland countryside. All eyes were fixed on the duel between castle lord and former slave. The fate of all onlookers depended on these two men and the outcome of their battle. Both men knew their opponent's strengths and weaknesses well. It was not necessary to feel out the fight. Their engagements were intense and direct.

The fight raged on—positions changed, tactics changed. Leinad focused on a seamless defense and a powerful, precise offense. Though Fairos appeared to hold nothing back, the fight turned against him once again. In spite of all his skill, experience, and rage, he could not bring Leinad down. His cuts came slower, and his parries were slightly delayed. It was all Leinad needed to open the fight to his favor, and he pressed in hard.

Leinad saw Fairos gather his strength for a counterattack and feigned an opening in his defenses. Fairos brought a combination crosscut and slice followed by a powerful thrust at Leinad's chest. Leinad quickly parried the thrust and stepped aside. Fairos stumbled forward and fell to the decking of the drawbridge. Leinad quickly covered him with his sword to prevent him from rising, but there was no fight left in Fairos.

“End this misery for everyone and let the people go, Fairos,” Leinad said as rivers of sweat ran from his brow.

Fairos worked to catch his breath. “I will not yield to a slave.” Fairos slapped Leinad's blade with his own and began to rise. “And I will not free my slaves.”

Leinad let Fairos pass to return to the castle, and it seemed to Leinad that the castle lord strode with his chin a little lower than normal.

“I challenge Fairos to another contest tomorrow so that all may see the work of the King!” Leinad shouted for all to hear.

Fairos stopped at the far side of the drawbridge and turned to face Leinad. His face projected the hate within him. He did not respond to Leinad but turned instead to Barak.

“Barak!” he yelled loud enough for every slave to hear. “Cut all of the slaves' food rations in half!” He then turned and walked to the gate of his castle. Those he passed kept their eyes to the ground.

Though he was victorious in the sword fight, Leinad stood on the drawbridge feeling completely defeated. The moan of the slaves crushed his heart and his hope. He walked to Tess and his horse.

“Some deliverer you are, Leinad,” said a man by the name of Garrin. “It looks like all you'll deliver is a bunch of dead slaves!” Garrin was a man who would compromise anything or anyone to better himself. Because of his overbearing personality, some of the slaves looked to him as a leader, and he despised Leinad's encroachment on his influence with the people.

“Leave us alone,” another man said. “Because of you, we're overworked, and now we're starvin' too.”

Leinad and Tess mounted Freedom and left the castle grounds to the sound of jeers and taunts.

They rode in silence. What should have been a day of celebration had become a day of oppression, and Leinad felt responsible for it all.

How many will die today because of me?
he asked himself.

The horse's rhythmic bounce seemed to pound that question into his mind over and over.

BROKEN CHAINS

The next morning, Leinad and Tess were back at the castle. Leinad knew his mission and steeled himself against the defiance of the slaves and of Fairos's people.

Unlike the previous day, the people were not gathered around the drawbridge. They were working hard, and the oppression of the overseers was severe. Virtually the only action the slaves took that did not bring a scourging from the overseers was when they cursed Leinad as he rode by. Hungry, exhausted, and beaten, they were a people in the depths of despair and hopelessness like they had never felt before.

It was almost too much for Leinad to continue, but he saw the face of the boy who had first recognized him when he returned three days ago and found all the encouragement he needed. The boy looked up from his burden and smiled at Leinad. It was a smile that gently said, “Take us away from
here.” Leinad found affirmation in the heart of one boy.

Leinad took his position in the middle of the drawbridge. There was no announcement, no herald. All knew he was there, but Fairos did not show.

By midafternoon, Leinad was still waiting in silence. He knew that Fairos could not ignore him forever. With every passing moment, Fairos was admitting defeat.

Eventually Fairos left the safety of his chamber and exited the castle gate. He rushed upon Leinad without any exchange of words.

The initial ferocity of Fairos's attack set Leinad in early retreat, and it took him some time to recover and counter with an advance of his own. But soon Leinad was aware of an attitude in Fairos's fight that he had never seen before. Though the strength of the fight was still available to Fairos, Leinad could feel his resignation to defeat. He guarded himself against a possible ruse Fairos might have planned.

The work on the castle grounds stopped once word of the fight spread. The slaves were not sure who they wished to win, for they could not imagine bearing the next hardship that was sure to come if Leinad was victorious again.

The fight continued and positions were exchanged many times until Leinad's back was to the castle. Fairos advanced with a quick and powerful combination just as Leinad heard the quick but quiet approach of someone behind him. Leinad knew this new attacker was close behind him, so he parried a hard thrust from Fairos slightly downward and began to sidestep and turn to face his second opponent.

“Nevin!”

The scream of Lady Fairos reached the ears of the combatants on the drawbridge, but it was too late. Fairos's young son, with his boy-size sword, had charged Leinad from behind to end his father's disgrace. As Leinad stepped clear of Fairos's deadly thrust, the boy ran full into his father's sword.

An instant of shock silenced everyone. The scream of a hysterical Lady Fairos shattered the silence. The boy looked briefly at his father and then collapsed to the deck of the drawbridge.

“No!” Fairos screamed in disbelief of the horrific scene before him. He withdrew his sword, threw it aside, and fell to the decking beside his son. He cradled him in his arms.

“My son! I've killed my son!”

Leinad stepped back in silence. Lady Fairos ran to her dead child and wept uncontrollably. Some of the castle guards approached with swords drawn, ready to do Fairos's bidding. Fairos looked up at Leinad with the face of a completely broken man.

“You have taken my honor … you have taken my son. Take these wretched people and leave me forever!”

Fairos lifted the limp body of his son and carried him into the castle. Lady Fairos's servants all but carried her back to the castle.

Leinad was shaken by the tragedy as well, but he reminded himself of the countless people that had come to an early death, some of them children, because of Fairos's enslavement of the people. He steeled himself for the monumental job that lay ahead.

He spoke to one of the guards he had once trained
when he was instructing Fairos's men. “Tell the rest of the guards and the overseers of Fairos's command to release the people. There has been enough bloodshed. We do not need any more.”

The guard acknowledged and began spreading the word. The people had been enslaved for so long that they were cautious and unwilling to accept their freedom.

Leinad found Tess and Quinn, and together they began to organize the people for their journey out of bondage.

EXODUS

The people quickly gathered food and their meager belongings and prepared to leave Pyron Mid. The slave dwellings became an instant bed of frenzied activity. Anxiety, excitement, and apprehension prevailed among most of the people. They felt anxiety because they could not believe that Fairos would release them without some reason to further his own power. They were excited because never before had they been so close to freedom. They were apprehensive because they did not know where to go or what lay ahead of them. Some of the people left on their own, to return to their homelands, but most of the people were from the Valley of Nan or without a homeland altogether and had no homes to return to.