The Sorcerer's Ring: Book 05 - A Vow of Glory (31 page)

"Back
to the boat!" Thor yelled, stepping backwards slowly with the others.

As
one, they all turned and jumped back into the boat and gave it a good shove
from shore, paddling harder than ever. The tides picked up, and soon they were
rushing downriver, gaining distance from that shore. Thor and his men ducked as
they passed into yet another canal, leaving the cavernous room, just in time to
be out of reach of the advancing army.

It was
the first time in Thor's life that victory had been meaningless, and as they
entered yet another tunnel of darkness, he wondered, with a futile feeling,
what other horrors could await them around the bend.

Gwendolyn
stood on the broad stone landing of the lower city of Silesia, surrounded by her
generals, soldiers and Silesian citizens, all of them looking out in ominous
silence into the vast expanse of the Canyon, watching the second sun drop in
the sky. They had not heard a peep from the Empire's men all this time, and after
a long, agitated panic among the crowd, slowly, they had settled into a deep
quiet. The tension hung thick in the air, each of them lost in their own world,
looking out at the sky, facing their own mortality. It was the quiet of a
thousand souls in the eye of a storm, of people who knew they had nowhere left to
go but to their deaths.

The
silence from the Empire scared Gwendolyn more than their attack. She knew that
Andronicus was up there somewhere, plotting something, and she knew it was only
a matter time until he executed it. He was as ruthless a soldier as she had
ever seen. The worst part was that, even if he did nothing, there would still be
no way out for them but death. How long could they survive down here, until
their provisions ran out? They had nowhere to go but up. And up was not an
option.

Andronicus
knew that, of course. He had them all by the throat. He would make them wait it
out. Allow their panic to set in. He was probably reveling in it right now. He
had them exactly where he wanted.

Gwen
supposed she should be pleased with herself for at least fending them off as
well as she had in her first battle, for taking out so many of them, and for
saving so many of her people in the evacuation. But she was not pleased with
herself at all. She felt she had failed.

Nearby
stood Srog, Brom, Kolk and Godfrey, along with the other soldiers, and beside
her stood Steffen and Kendrick. They all looked out at the Canyon, faces grim.
She wished she knew what to say to them to cheer them up, wished she knew where
to go from here.

"Do
you remember that one time with father," Kendrick answered softly, nostalgically,
looking out at the sky, "when he was trying to teach you to swing a sword?
You refused. You said swords were for weak men.”

Gwendolyn
smiled.

"Only
vaguely," she said. "I must have been very young.”

Kendrick
smiled.

"Father
got so mad,” he continued. “He ended all of our training sessions for the day.
Back then, it seemed like you’d said the dumbest thing in the world.”

He
sighed.

"But
you know, now that I'm older, I realize there was great wisdom in what you said,”
he added. “The simplest battles are won by swords. The most complex ones are
won by other means. By strategy. By logistics. By willpower.”

"I'm
sure I was not hinting at all that when I said that as a youth," she
smiled.

He
smiled back.

"No,
I am sure you weren’t. What you’d said was wise beyond your years. Even then.”

He
turned and looked at her.

“I
just want you to know that you fought this battle brilliantly,” he said. “We
killed twenty times our ranks, and lost far fewer of our own than we should
have. For any other leader, that would be a victory to be remember for all
time. Don’t feel badly. Their numbers were too vast for any army to conquer.”

"He’s
right, my lady,” said Steffen beside her.

“Truer
words were never spoken,” added Srog.

"Thank
you, my brother," she said to Kendrick. "I want you to know that I've
always thought of you as my brother. My
true
brother. We share the same father. And that is blood enough for me.”

Kendrick
looked back to her and he could see in his eyes how much her words meant to
him.

"And
what now, my lady?" Srog asked. “I'm afraid we have no other contingency plans
beyond this. Now, the people look to you. Now, the decision is yours.”

"It
would do us little good to surrender as a people to Andronicus," Gwendolyn
said. "We all know his reputation: he does not keep his prisoners alive.
We must wait it out.”

"And
if hunger finds us first?" Brom asked.

Gwen
sighed.

"Then
we fight a different kind of death," she answered. “Unless one of you has
other ideas?”

They
all stood in the glum silence, listening to the howling of the wind. No one had
anything to add.

Kendrick
finally cleared his throat.

"When
we joined the Legion,” he said, “and then the Silver, we took a vow. It was a
vow to fight, even when there was no chance left to win. It was a vow of honor.
A vow of glory. That is what we have achieved here today. Not victory, but
glory. And sometimes, long after the victor has left, it is the glory that
remains, that is sung of, not the conquest. Sometimes, glory is greater.”

As they
all sat there in the silence, watching the sun drop, swayed by a gust of
howling wind, suddenly, a booming voice split the air.

"Gwendolyn,
I call for you!" came the voice, echoing off the Canyon walls.

They
all turned and looked at each other, baffled, then they all looked up, as one, and
as they did, Gwendolyn could see where the voice was coming from. A chill went
through her.

Andronicus.

There
he was, surrounded by hundreds of his men, leaning out over the edge of the
Canyon, looking down at her with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Gwendolyn,
ruler of the Western Kingdom of the Ring, it is only you left now. King’s Court
is no more. The McClouds are my prisoners. It is only you left who dares defy
me.”

He
paused.

"Despite
what you have heard about me, I am not a savage. In fact, I am a most
reasonable man. You fought bravely here today. Better than I had expected. And
for that, I commend you. And for that, I wish to reward you. I can use valuable
commanders like you in my armies, and I can use valuable soldiers like the
Silesians.

“I never
keep captives alive. But on this day, because of your bravery, I will make an
exception. If you surrender to me, you personally, then I will spare your
entire city from destruction. I will let everyone live, including your
soldiers. I will even free each one of you. You will live in peace in my Empire,
and I will leave Silesia alone.

“All I
ask in return is that you swear allegiance to me. That you vow to serve me, to
be a ruler under my command. I will treat you justly and fairly. You will be
given any position you choose at my court. Surely it is a small price to pay—your
personal sacrifice for the good of your nation.

“It is
a kind and generous offer. Be wise, and accept it, on behalf of the thousands
of souls around you. Look around you, see their faces. They are alive. If you
defy me, they will face the wrath of the great Andronicus.

“Do
not think too long. If I do not have your answer in the morning, I will rain fire
on you unlike any you have ever seen. And by the time of the second sunset
tomorrow, the legend of Silesia will be no more. Not even in the history books,
which I will destroy.”

Finally,
Andronicus’ voice stopped booming. It echoed briefly on the wind, then disappeared,
retreating back to wherever it come from. As she looked up, he and his men
retreated from the upper landing, disappearing from view.

Gwen
turned and looked at the others, who all looked back at her, wide-eyed in
surprise.

"Don't
do it," Srog said gravely.

"You
cannot trust him," Kendrick said.

"It
is a false offer," Steffen said.

"I
would never have you serve him to save my soul,” Kolk said.

"Now
would I," Kendrick said.

Gwendolyn
stood there, thinking. She knew Andronicus was not be trusted. Yet his words
seemed genuine. And what choice did they have, really? As he said, if they
refused, they would all be dead. She knew that herself. If not by his hand,
then by some other way.

"I
would gladly go into his servitude to spare the lives of all of you," she
said. "I feel it is an offer that I should accept.”

"You
cannot my lady!" Kendrick called out. "I will not hear of it!”

“I
would never have you sacrifice on my behalf!” Srog said. “I would rather go
down fighting.”

“Is
life that precious to you?" Brom asked.

“Not
my life,” she answered. “But yours. All of yours. It would be selfish for me to
reject it and have you all die.”

“Your
honor is at stake!” Srog said.

“We
have fought honorably," she said. "The only one that will be in
servitude is myself.”

"Your
servitude is one too many," Kendrick said. “It is not fair for you to
sacrifice for all of us.”

"I
am with Kendrick,” Srog said.

“So am
I,” echoed the others.

“We
will not let you go, my lady,” Steffen said. “We are all for one and one for
all.”

A cheer
arose among the men. She was touched by their loyalty. Yet the weight of Andronicus’
offer sat heavily on her shoulders. Her life for everyone else’s. It was
something she would gladly give.

*

Gwendolyn
stood alone, on the edge of Canyon Point, watching the last light of day cast a
pall over the Canyon. It was the most beautiful sunset of her life, sparkling in
the swirling mist, a flaming red which seemed to set the world on fire. It was
somber and fatalistic. It matched her mood.

As she
watched it, a part of her felt she was watching the last sunset of her life.
Especially since she had, finally, come to a decision.

Gwendolyn
had walked through the camp, had looked closely at the faces of all the men and
women and children, the young soldiers—had seen all the aspiration, all the
hope, in their eyes; they looked at her as if she held some long lost answer, as
if she were their savior. It struck her that she had been given a chance, a unique
ability at a unique moment in time to save these people. Her life for theirs.
It would be a great honor. Maybe she had been put here, in this time and place
for just this reason, for just this one moment in time, for this decision.
Maybe that was why she had been meant to rule—to make this one decision that
would save thousands of lives.

Gwendolyn
had made up her mind. She knew what she would do. Not what her advisors would
do, not what her father would do, not what Kendrick would do. But what
she
would do. And that’s all that
mattered now.

At
first dawn, when it was still dark, when there was no one around to stop her,
she would go up there. Alone. She would surrender herself to Andronicus. She
would agree to his terms, serve him, and give herself up for the greater good.

As Gwendolyn
stood there, looking out at her last sunset as a free woman, she thought of
Thor. She reached down and felt her stomach, and thought of their child. She
wanted this child to live. For this child, if for no one else, she wanted to
spare more bloodshed. She might be a servant to Andronicus, but this child would
be free.

Gwendolyn
looked out and had to admit that a part of her hoped for Thor to appear, to
swoop down with the Sword and rescue her from all this. She would give
anything, and her heart pounded at the thought.

But
deep down she knew it was just a dream. Thor was gone, far away from here. She
was all alone. It was meant for her to stand alone, as her own woman. As the
woman her father had expected her to be. This was what being a ruler meant, she
finally understood. To be surrounded by people—and yet, to be utterly alone.

"Not
all dreams are meant to be fulfilled," came a voice.

Gwendolyn
looked over to see Argon standing there, beside her, staring out at the sunset.
She felt numb to the world, and a part of her was not even surprised to see
him. Little mattered to her anymore now, since her mind had been made up. She
faced the sunset with him.

"You
come at a time when I no longer need your counsel," she said to him.

"I
have not come to give you counsel,” he said. “But to pay my respects. I had not
seen your decision coming. So brave. Your father would be proud. You are the
finest of the MacGils.”

"Is
that why you have come?” she asked, sensing there was something more.

"No,”
he answered. “I have also come to say goodbye.”