Redemption (18 page)

"Captain Xero's men are dead?" gasped the general. "How is that possible? Did the Hyremites kill them?"

"I hardly think so," replied the king. "Had the Hyremites killed them, they would not complain about the bodies. They would be more likely to say nothing about it. We must assume that Prince Antion has more help than we imagined. Perhaps a contingent of Arin soldiers has joined up with him."

"Why does the Arin prince matter so much to our endeavors?" asked the general. "I have never fully understood that. Surely, he will no longer matter after we have conquered his homeland?"

"He matters in ways that you cannot understand," replied King Zinan. "He must be found and destroyed. I want another group sent north to Hyrem. They are to find Prince Antion and destroy him and anyone who travels with him."

"I will form a small group of outstanding warriors to track him down," promised the general.

"I want the group to be larger than the last time," ordered the king.

"Anything greater than thirty will risk drawing attention to themselves," warned the general. "Even thirty men are likely to draw a good deal of attention, but I will follow your orders. I will choose forty of our best men."

"I want a hundred," declared King Zinan. "I do not care who notices or who complains. I want Prince Antion dead."

"A hundred soldiers will not be able to pass through any foreign city," frowned the general. "They are just as likely to be attacked by foreign forces as to find Prince Antion. You also risk alerting your enemies that you are preparing to attack. I beg you to rethink this order."

"The men can safely pass through Vineland and across the border to Hyrem," argued the king. "The only person who can complain will be King Gharkin and he has already complained. The Hyremites will do nothing other than complain. Send the hundred men, general."

"It shall be as you wish," promised the general.

"Good," the king nodded with finality. "Now, I want to start prepositioning supplies in Koar for the main offensive. That movement will begin tomorrow. When the order is given for your army to march north, I want everything sitting up there waiting for them."

* * *

When King Hector of Salacia entered the meeting room, Evan and General Fergus bowed in respect. A moment later King Caedmon entered the room and closed the door. The four men gathered around a long table with a map of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms on it.

"I came as soon as I got your message," King Hector said. "What have your spies discovered?"

"There was an assassination attempt on King Zinan," King Caedmon replied. "General Ortega and eight senior officers are dead as a result of it."

"Dissension in the Borundan camp?" King Hector's eyebrow rose. "Can we exploit this in some way?"

"I do not know of a way to exploit it," answered King Caedmon, "but the information I received tells a tale that is most disturbing. The eight officers surrounded King Zinan while he was taking a bath, yet there was not a scratch on the king. Rumors are running rampant through the royal palace in Tarent that King Zinan is invincible."

"Preposterous!" King Hector shook his head. "No one is invincible."

"Perhaps not," shrugged King Caedmon, "but General Ortega had a spy hole in the room where the king bathes. It is said that the officers caught King Zinan totally unawares, but their swords failed to inflict any damage. In fact, the swords broke in two when they touched the king's skin. I fear that the tales are accurate."

"What makes you think they are accurate?" asked the Salacian king.

"General Ortega knew right away that he had been betrayed by his assassins," replied the Arin king. "He actually managed to flee the city before they caught up to him. That tells me that the spy hole actually existed."

"No one truly knows what the Talent is capable of," interjected Evan. "We must plan for the worst, and that is that King Zinan is invincible."

"I will accept that premise for the sake of planning," sighed King Hector, "but surely that is not why you asked me to come down from Kyland?"

"No," King Caedmon admitted. "I also received word from King Rihad. Naveena showed up in Oran with information for the Odessians. She also stated that King Zinan is invincible. She said that the Talent will protect him from injury."

"And who would trust that witch?" scowled King Hector.

"Rihad did," answered King Caedmon. "Naveena no longer possesses the Talent. She lost it while trying to heal herself from wounds that Zinan inflicted on her. She told Rihad that the Borundans plan to attack Caxon before the spring melt. He is gathering his forces in Natura and will move them eastward as soon as the winter winds die down."

"That tells me that Rihad does indeed believe the witch." King Hector nodded. "Are you planning to aid him?"

"No," replied the Arin king. "I cannot imagine all of the Borundan forces going against Caroom. I fear that Zinan will also attack in the west at the same time. That means that he will be coming to Anatar."

"My people stand united with you, Caedmon," vowed the Salacian king. "Tell me what I can do to help."

"Gather your armies and stage them along the Kyland-Caxon Road," instructed King Caedmon. "That will cut a week off your travel time when the Borundans make their move. I can hold the bridge across the Arin River outside Anatar for at least a week, no matter how many men he throws at us. That will give you sufficient time to come down through Oran and get behind the Borundans. If we can catch the Borundan army between us, we have a chance of surviving this war."

"I could bring them even closer," offered King Hector.

"No." King Caedmon shook his head. "If you position your troops on your side of the bridge over the Salacian River, it will appear as if you are afraid of an attack from Caroom, which would make sense to the Borundans. They will not expect you to move south, but if you go further than that, they will understand what we are trying to do. Once we lose the element of surprise, we are lost."

"I understand." King Hector nodded. "Actually, positioning my troops there makes a great deal of sense in any event. Otherwise I actually do leave Salacia open to an attack from Caroom. I can see that you have thought a great deal on this. When do you expect the attack to come?"

"I am not sure," admitted King Caedmon, "but it won't be long. The Borundans are already moving supplies north to Koar. I suspect that the attack will come within two months, three at the latest."

"I will be ready," promised King Hector. "What have you heard about our sons?"

"I have heard nothing," frowned King Caedmon. "The message that you received from King Gharkin was the last time we were assured that they were still alive. I fear for them."

"I don't fear for them," General Fergus offered encouragingly. "If any two lads can survive the destruction of the world, it would be Prince Antion and Prince Derri. No one needs worry about them."

"Thank you for trying," smiled King Caedmon. "You know I trust your opinion greatly, but I still fear for our sons. No one is invincible."

"No one except King Zinan," scowled King Hector.

It was a bright morning in Harangar when the foreigners gathered outside the palace to prepare for their journey. The sun was just peaking through the clouds of steam when Prince Umal led a mare from the stables to join the group.

"She is not an Odessian beauty," he announced, "but she is swift, strong, and has plenty of stamina. She is the best horse in Harangar."

No one replied as they strapped dozens of bundles onto the horses in preparation for the trip. They were almost done securing their provisions when Balrec and Winona walked out of the palace. Winona had obviously been crying, and she wiped the tears from her eyes as they approached the group.

"You place a heavy burden on the horses," noted Balrec. "Be careful that you do not overburden them."

"Odessian beauties can handle the load," replied Prince Umal, "and I have taken care to spare the Harangar horse of a heavy load. They will be all right."

Unexpectedly, citizens began appearing along every street. The people sang a song as they converged on the palace, and Balrec's lips spread wide in a warm grin.

"The people of Harangar are gathering to wish you a safe journey," he announced. "It is a song usually reserved for rescuers on their way out of the city to save victims of a snowfall."

Prince Antion listened to the song with interest. The mood of the music alternated between excitement and tragedy, and he wondered how often the city had been called upon to mourn their dead because of the harsh environment in which they lived.

"Are avalanches a constant threat to Harangar?" asked the Arin prince.

"One must be prepared for avalanches at any time in the mountains," nodded Balrec. "Your party will not have to worry as much as most others, though. I sent word to the scouts last week, and they have been preparing the path that you must take to leave Harangar. The snow will be hard-packed along your route, but you must still take care. New snow can fall at any time and it accumulates much quicker than the scouts can handle. Winona will recognize the dangers as they appear. There is no finer scout to guide your way."

"I appreciate everything you have done for us," smiled Prince Antion. "The entire city of Harangar has welcomed us into their midst as long lost relatives. We are grateful for that. Harangar will always be on our minds from this day forward. I personally will find some way to repay your people for their welcome. I also thank you for the use of a guide. We will follow Winona's orders to the edge of the mountains and bid her a safe journey back to you."

"Winona is more than a guide," replied Balrec. "She is now a member of your party. Orro has commanded her to leave the mountains and accompany Jared to his destiny."

Prince Antion frowned, but he did not object. He knew that if Orro wished the woman to accompany Jared, that she would do nothing else. No arguing would dissuade her or Balrec. He nodded silently.

"And as for repaying Harangar," smiled Balrec, "I must ask you to refrain. In fact, each of you has taken a vow not to speak of Harangar to outsiders. We fully expect you to honor those vows. Our safety rests in the disbelief of others. We can ill afford to have people know of our existence."

"It shall be as you wish." Prince Antion nodded.

The crowd of people reached the front of the palace, and they began to crowd around the small group. Winona's brother rushed forward and hugged his sister as other citizens moved tentatively forward and held out small packages to members of the group. Many of the packages were homemade foods presented as a parting gift to one of the group that the giver had become attached to during the winter. A bowyer presented Monte with a quiver of specially made arrows, and a smith gave Prince Derri a black throwing dagger.

Winona saw the outpouring of friendship from her neighbors and frowned as she hugged her brother. Her brother felt the sudden tenseness of his sister and turned to see what was happening. He smiled broadly.

"I have been trying to tell you for some time," he smiled. "The foreigners are truly accepted here. It is not how you thought, but rather true friendship."

"But they are being treated as our own rescuers would be," frowned the scout. "I did not think that our people were so gullible as to be bought off by royal outsiders."

"They are not gullible," her brother replied. "You may be the greatest scout Harangar has ever had, but you have misread the tracks this time. These men are not as you have portrayed them. I hope on your travels that you come to know them as many of our fellow citizens have. They are the caliber of men that Harangar should welcome."

Winona broke the embrace and shook her head.

"Mark my words, sister," smiled her brother. "You will come to understand them better. Orro would not send you off with enemies of Harangar. Be safe in your travels and hurry back to us."

Winona hugged her brother anew to hide her frown and tears from his eyes. She had not told her family that she would not be returning to the city in the clouds.

"You'd best be leaving," Balrec said to the group. "Daylight is short at this time of the year, and you must make good use of it while you can."

The group said goodbye to the friends they had made and mounted their horses. Winona gave her brother a tight squeeze and broke the embrace. She swiftly mounted her horse and started the procession towards the pots of boiling mud.

Winona led the group through the thick fog and into the forest. The snow in the forest was easy for the horses to get through, but it deepened as they moved away from the heat of the geothermal springs. Within an hour the horses were plowing through deeper snow, and Winona turned onto a path where someone had trampled the snow to make the going easier. The path climbed up the mountain, and the trees dropped away behind them.

The entire trail had not been trampled, and Prince Derri studied the terrain carefully in an attempt to understand why particular spots were trampled and not the rest. Finally, he could not stand the mystery any longer.

"How do they choose which sections to trample?" he asked Winona.

"The scouts know the mountains well," explained Winona. "Certain areas are more prone to snow walls and other areas present the image of a trail that is wider that the actual path. In such areas there is a great danger of your horse stepping on snow that has nothing underneath it. The scouts are not capable of preparing the entire route for us, so they concentrate on the areas most likely to cause danger to us. All of their preparations will come to naught if another heavy snow comes before we reach Hyrem."

Prince Derri nodded in appreciation of the answer and turned his attention to the bleak countryside again. He studied the next trampled area with understanding as he saw great piles of snow at the bottom of the cliff they were riding along. His eyes followed the footprints in an attempt to discover where the scout went after trampling the snow, but he shook his head in confusion. The tracks appeared to end at the base of a sheer wall of stone. The prince's eyes rose up the wall, but he could not find any other evidence of the scout's passing.

Several hours later, Winona halted the group on the side of a mountain. Before her the trail was covered in a fresh slide. The scout dismounted and studied the terrain.

"Is there another way around?" asked Prince Antion as he dismounted and stood next to Winona.

"There is," she nodded, "but it will cost us a day's journey. Have everyone dismount and back away from this area. Take my horse with you."

Prince Antion said nothing to Winona, but he followed her instructions. As the group slowly backed away from the slide, the woman put her hands to a sheer wall of rock and began to climb up it.

"How can she do that?" asked Sandar. "There is not a single handhold that I can see."

No one answered, but they all watched Winona's progress with interest. The young woman scaled the rock wall and disappeared over the top. A moment later a loud rumble rocked the air as a wall of heavy snow cascaded down the mountainside. The snow slammed onto the narrow trail and continued downward into the valley below. The size of the drift on the trail was greatly diminished as the new snowfall carried most of the previous drift with it. Winona gracefully climbed down the wall and waved the others forward.

"We must walk the horses over this area," she announced. "We will stay close to the rock wall and go slow. We will also use ropes to tie us together. If one of us slips, the others must brace themselves and pull the unfortunate one back up."

"Pulling a horse up can be a mighty big chore," commented Monte. "Should we only tie the people together?"

"We could," shrugged Winona, "but are you prepared to walk home?"

"We can rescue a horse if we have to," interjected Talot, "even if it means gently lowering it to the ground and then going down to get it. I would suggest only one horse and one rider cross at a time."

"That will work," nodded Winona. "I will go across first."

Valuable daylight was spent as the group slowly crossed the slide area, but everyone made it without mishap. As the sky began to darken, Winona halted in front of a cave and announced that they would spend the night there. There was a stack of wood inside the cave, and they set up a fire ring outside in an area cleared of snow. Jared prepared a simple meal, and everyone began to file into the cave to get some rest. Only Prince Antion and Winona remained outside.

"I do not know how you accomplished that feat today with the snow slide," Prince Antion said softly, "but it was remarkable. I am glad that you are guiding us through these mountains."

"But not after the mountains?" retorted Winona. "Let's be clear and honest about this, Prince Antion. I am no more thrilled at accompanying you into the Land of the Nine Kingdoms than you are to have me along. For some reason, Orro has decided to bind our lives together on this journey. Neither of us has to approve of it, but both of us must accept it as the way things must be. We will get along better if we do not discuss it."

"I disagree," frowned the Arin prince. "We are being forced to spend many weeks together. For our survival, we must become better acquainted. When it comes time to battle our enemies, we must perform with one mind, not two."

"You and I will never be of one mind," countered the scout. "We are as different as night and day. I am a servant of my people, while your people are servants to you. I come from a land where peace and honesty are the most precious things in the world, while the Land of the Nine Kingdoms is known for its treachery and deceit. You are on a journey to return to your homeland, while I am being torn from mine forever. No, Prince Antion, we will never be of one mind about anything in the world. Let us agree to disagree and leave it at that."

"You have some distorted views of my homeland," frowned the Arin prince. "While there are many who are deceitful, there are also many who never deviate from the truth. As for a warring people, the Great Peace has lasted for many generations. It is only recently that any talk of war has occurred. It is my strongest desire to return the Land of the Nine Kingdoms to a peaceful world."

"Your Great Peace has been nothing but a momentary illusion," retorted Winona. "Were it not for Orro, even that brief pause in your bloodshed-oriented world would never have occurred."

"You know of things that I do not," replied Prince Antion. "I have heard tales that Orro created the Great Peace, but you speak as if you truly know what happened those many years ago. Can you share your knowledge with me?"

Winona cocked an eyebrow as she glanced at the prince. She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or not, but she didn't really care at this point.

"Orro once dwelt in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms," declared Winona. "He was greater with the Talent than any man had ever been. He grew weary of the constant wars and bloodshed, and he demanded that peace reign over the land. The royal families of the countries scoffed at him and ridiculed him. Finally, he had had enough. He announced that if the countries could not find peaceful ways, he would take the transgressors and banish them from the land. He was laughed at."

"I am sorry," Prince Antion said softly.

Winona continued without notice of the prince's apology. "Orro made good on his threat. Each time one of the rulers threatened another. Orro stole a member of the royal family of the offending country. He secreted them in the mountains beyond the reach of the rulers. For years this process went on, and Orro became a wanted man. All of the countries eventually banded together to hunt down Orro and kill him. That banding together was the start of your Great Peace. It was not because your enlightened forefathers had learned that peace is right and proper. They banded together to hunt down Orro."

"Yet their actions did result in peace," Prince Antion pointed out. "Perhaps they needed Orro's wisdom to start the process, but it was lasting once they began."

"Was it?" retorted Winona. "Why then is your land once again embroiled in war? I will tell you why. As long as you have an elite group of royal families controlling the countries, they will try to extend their power over others. That is what royals do. Orro understood this. Everyone in Harangar descends from the royal blood of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, yet no one seeks power over another. Through the generations, Orro has taught us of the evils of royalty. We denounce such ambitions, while you embrace them, yet we are from the same stock as you are. I could imagine that I am probably as entitled to your status as you are, but the people of Harangar no longer care for such trappings. Each of us is sworn to serve the people of Harangar, not any leader."

"Is that true?" countered Prince Antion. "It seems to me that Orro is the king of Harangar. Whatever he commands, the people of the city will do. You are embarking on a journey that will likely end your life. You don't want to be on it, but Orro has commanded it. I do not see the difference that you claim exists between our two lands."

"Orro is different," scowled Winona. "How dare you attack him like this after all he has done for you? You have spent more time in Orro's presence than any person in all of Harangar and yet you besmirch his name?"