Search for Audric (36 page)

"What is Arin up to that alarms you and General Ortega so?" asked King Garrick.

"They have amassed a considerable army along the Arin River," replied Prince Zinan. "All indications are that they will march eastward at any moment."

"To invade Borunda?" balked King Garrick. "Surely, you cannot believe that they would be so foolish? Our armies would crush them."

"Most of our armies are not in a position to halt their advance," Prince Zinan pointed out. "As I just said, the bulk of your armies are in Tarent with orders not to leave."

"There is a reason for that," frowned the Borundan king, not wishing to speak of the reason publicly, but obviously referring to the holding of King Caedmon. "The army is needed there."

"True," agreed Prince Zinan, "but I do think that the Arin threat should be taken seriously, given the circumstances."

"We have already discussed this," the king sighed with frustration. "An attack on Koar would not be in their best interests. I do agree that they may be foolish enough to launch one, but they will seriously regret having done so. There would be ample time to react and send our armies northward."

"I agree," countered the dark prince, "but there is a new wrinkle in our plan."

"Oh?" frowned King Garrick. "What is it?"

"Your presence in Capri," Prince Zinan replied. "One would expect the Arin army to ignore the Castle of Capri in their haste to attack Koar, but I have reports that they might know of your visit here."

"Let them come," boasted King Quanto. "The whole Arin army cannot breach our walls."

"With no disrespect, King Quanto," Prince Zinan smiled thinly, "the Castle of Capri cannot withstand siege engines, nor would it last long under a siege. While it is a formidable fortress, your supplies of food would dwindle in a fortnight. In the days of old, when wars were declared before attacking, your castle would have spent months stockpiling food and necessities. Things are not the same today. The Arin army could be here in three or four days. Their advance units could be approaching through the forests to the north at this very moment, and you would not know."

"The Borundan armies could break the siege," retorted King Quanto.

"Had they not been ordered to remain in Tarent," Price Zinan smiled with a victorious grin. "The only course of action that makes sense, is to get King Garrick safely within the confines of Borunda, and to do so immediately."

"Out of the question," King Garrick replied. "I have come to seek the hand of Princess Emilie in marriage."

"That is wonderful," smiled Prince Zinan. "Bring her with you to Tarent. In fact, we must invite King Quanto and everyone who would wish to observe the ceremony, but you still must return to Tarent immediately."

"That would be acceptable," mused King Quanto. "While it is preferable to remain at the Castle of Capri, King Garrick's safety is a vital concern. I am sure the princess would enjoy the trip."

Unexpectedly, a soldier raced into the dining room, his face distraught and his breath short from exertion.

"What is it?" barked King Quanto, annoyed at the disruption.

"The Princess Emilie," gasped the soldier. "She has had an accident."

King Quanto and King Garrick leaped to their feet with concern. Prince Zinan rose slowly and turned to stare at the soldier.

"What has happened to her?" asked King Garrick. "Where is she?"

"She fell from the tower to the rocks," answered the soldier. "She is no more."

King Garrick threw his napkin on the table and raced out of the room. King Quanto sat down and sank into his seat, his breathing quick and short as he tried to calm himself. His hands clenched into fists and nervously tapped on the table in a chaotic rhythm.

"I am sorry," Prince Zinan said softly. "It is a great loss for Capri."

"And Borunda," retorted the king. "Did you not just hear of King Garrick's intentions? Our nations were to be joined by that marriage. Now there is only Tamil."

Prince Zinan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Caprian king. He had no intention of letting Garrick marry Tamil, or anyone else, but especially not Tamil.

"I would not be anxious to see you lose your last daughter," warned Prince Zinan. "It is said that there is a curse upon King Garrick and that he shall die unwed."

"What?" gasped King Quanto. "What nonsense is this that you are spouting? King Garrick will have you hung for such words."

"Only if someone is foolish enough to repeat them," Prince Zinan replied threateningly. "I can imagine that my cousin is quite bereaved at the moment. He is known to act quite irrationally at times like this. You would do well to avoid inflaming him. Besides, whom do you think my cousin would believe? Would he take the word of his closest advisor and relative, or the word of a neighboring monarch that seeks to enhance his own glory through the marriage of his daughters?"

"That is a vile and disgusting threat," snarled King Quanto.

"I meant my words as a warning to save your family," countered Prince Zinan. "That you would seek to betray my confidence is what is vile and disgusting. I did not believe the curse myself until this very moment. The events of this morning certainly caused me to reconsider it. Should I have kept it to myself, and let your family die as it might?"

King Quanto calmed himself and stared at the dark prince. Slowly he shook his head and sighed.

"Forgive me," he said softly. "I do not believe in such curses, but I see that you meant well enough. I will say nothing to King Garrick, but you should refrain from spreading such rumors in the future."

"Spreading rumors is something I detest," Prince Zinan responded calmly, "but this particular curse involves me personally, for if it is true, the burden of ruling Borunda would fall upon my shoulders. If such were to happen, I would like to think that Tamil would still be available."

King Quanto's eyes widened in understanding. He had not missed the closeness of Prince Zinan and Princess Tamil. He began to weigh the benefits of matching her up with Garrick versus waiting for Zinan to rule.

"If you will excuse me," smiled Prince Zinan. "I think I must attend to my cousin. I am sure he is in a weakened state after the tragic loss of Princess Emilie."

Prince Zinan exited the room and made his way down to the beach. He found King Garrick standing at the base of the rocks as soldiers picked up the body of the princess and tried to move it down to the beach by passing it along a chain of soldiers straddling the boulders.

"There is no need for you to stay and watch this," Prince Zinan said softly to his cousin. "I am sorry for your loss, but it is over now. Let us return to Tarent where you will be safe."

King Garrick turned and glared at Prince Zinan. "If you had anything to do with this, I will make you pay dearly."

"Dear cousin," the dark prince retorted defensively, "I was with you at the morning meal. I understand your anguish and the desire to lash out at everyone around you, but your accusation is horrendous. I will forgive you because you are dear to me, but I still insist that we depart immediately. Your safety is my primary concern."

The soldiers stumbled and dropped the body of the princess. King Garrick gritted his teeth and averted his eyes. He promptly turned around.

"Let us leave," he stated. "For once you are right. I have no desire to remain here and witness this. Gather the men. We leave at once."

Monte rode far ahead as he had been doing for the past few days. His task was to search for Borundan patrols or bandit ambushes in time to alert the rest of the group. King Caedmon and Jared rode directly behind the wagon so that they could quickly swing to one side of the wagon or the other and keep it between them and any prying eyes. Jared also wore his hooded robe, and he kept the hood over his head as much to ward off the blustery autumn winds as to conceal his features. Gunnar and Sandar rode in front of the wagon, while Horst and Talot rode a ways behind the group, almost as if they were not part of the wagon and its warriors.

"Company coming up behind us," Horst shouted.

King Caedmon turned and looked back along the road. He saw a patrol of Borundan soldiers riding fast and knew that he and Jared could not ride off into the woods without being seen.

"Keep your hood up," King Caedmon said softly to Jared. "Hopefully they will ride past as the others have."

The Arin king had let his facial hair grow, but they had not been on the road long enough to hide his features. He had also changed his clothes to the standard tunic and breeches worn by typical merchant warriors, but he knew that would not save him from a close inspection. His age alone made him an unlikely warrior, although the king was more fit than most and would have had little trouble in a contest in Capri. Gunnar had brought a sword, bow, and numerous knives to equip his father so at least the king was not defenseless. Jared alone rode without a weapon, his sword hidden under the seat of the wagon. While he still took lessons with sword and bow each night, he refused to ride with either.

The patrol consisted of twelve soldiers and an officer, and they appeared to be in a hurry. They raced by with only a passing glance, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, the officer called a halt, and the column slowed down and sat in the middle of the Tarent-Dulga Road. The officer turned and stared at the wagon. He shouted commands, but Kerzi and his warriors could not make out the words.

"How do we handle this?" Sandar asked nervously as two archers flanked the officer and nocked arrows.

"Very carefully," whispered Gunnar. "Make no sudden moves; those arrows are aimed at you and me."

The rest of the soldiers left the officer and his two archers and rode back towards the wagon, one of them waving for the group to stop. Kerzi pulled up on the reins and the wagon slowed. Horst and Talot immediately moved to the left as if to pass the wagon, but the soldiers blocked the entire road and showed no inclination to move aside.

"They are not buying the thought that we are separate travelers," whispered Talot. "What is the plan?"

"We stop," answered Horst, "but we keep as far away from the wagon as possible. Keep up the pretense of being separate travelers until it no longer matters."

The wagon came to a halt, as did the warriors. Two soldiers continued towards the wagon leaving eight soldiers blocking the road with the officer and archers far behind them.

"What is your business on the Tarent-Dulga Road?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I am a merchant," Kerzi answered loudly. "I am carrying nuts to Dulga. I have papers for the load."

"And you need such a great host of warriors to protect nuts?" the soldier asked suspiciously.

"Hardly," Kerzi replied. "Carrying nuts barely pays their wages. I require their services when I bring down loads of weapons and armor from Laborg to Tarent. They are a good crew, and I will not fire them in Tarent when I need them for the next load out of Laborg, and they will not ride for free. So I carry nuts to Dulga."

The soldier nodded in understanding, and it appeared that his curiosity was satisfied, but the other soldier demanded to see the papers. Kerzi dug the papers out of his pouch and handed them to the soldier.

"Would you also like to see the papers for my last delivery of weapons to Tarent?" asked Kerzi.

"That will not be necessary," replied the first soldier. "Borunda is grateful for the weapons you bring in."

The second soldier handed the papers back to Kerzi, and the two men turned to leave. As if an afterthought struck the second soldier, he turned back towards the wagon. The first soldier followed.

"I will have a look at your cargo, merchant," declared the second soldier. "Come and open one of the sacks."

Kerzi sighed heavily and nodded. He applied the brake to the wagon and climbed down off the seat. The two soldiers dismounted and followed the merchant.

"Move away from the rear of the wagon," Kerzi shouted to his warriors as he walked slowly along the side of the wagon. "I need to open one of the sacks."

Jared and King Caedmon moved off the road to get away from the soldiers while Kerzi climbed up on the back of the wagon and wrestled a heavy burlap sack to the edge. He pulled a knife from his belt and slit the sack partially open and let the soldiers examine the contents.

"It is as he said," the first soldier remarked with impatience. "Let's continue the patrol. We have miles to go yet today."

The second soldier grabbed a handful of nuts and nodded to Kerzi that he could put the sack away. The soldier bit into one of the nuts and promptly spit it out.

"What are these foul things?" he said, wiping his mouth. "I have never tasted a nut so bitter."

Without waiting for an answer, the soldier hurled the nuts away from the road. One of the nuts struck Jared's horse, and the horse screamed and pranced away, pushing against King Caedmon's horse. The movement jostled the king, and he took a few seconds to stabilize his mount. The soldier looked at the commotion and his mouth fell open. He drew his sword and raced at King Caedmon.

"We found him!" shouted the soldier as he charged the Arin king.

King Caedmon drew his sword and slapped his horse to charge at the soldier. As the second soldier moved past Kerzi, the merchant pulled a knife and shoved it into the man's back. The king rode down the other soldier and sliced into his neck.

Everyone heard the cry of recognition, and the scene in front of the wagon turned to instant chaos. The four warriors drew their weapons and charged the eight soldiers blocking the road. Horst held a scimitar in each hand, and alongside him, Talot held his double-bladed axe. They tore into the leftmost soldiers with an unexpected fury that brought a quick death to four soldiers.

Most of the attention had been on the wagon, and Gunnar and Sandar sat right in front of it. They did not have the advantage of being on the periphery as Horst and Talot had. They charged the right most soldiers, but the soldiers were ready for them. Both of the Arin warriors wielded two-handed swords and their reach exceeded the weapons of the Borundans. Two of the soldiers quickly fell from their mounts with gaping wounds, but the battle was far from over. Distant bowstrings snapped, and an arrowed soared into Sandar's leg. Another arrow pierced his shoulder. The Arin soldier screamed in pain, and his sword fell from his hands.

Sandar slumped in his saddle, and Gunnar found himself facing two foes. The soldiers moved to flank the Arin prince, but the one on his right faltered, a thrown knife sticking out of his neck. Gunnar brought his sword hard to the left and sliced into the last soldier. Even as his opponent was falling from his saddle, Gunnar's eyes rose towards the enemy archers. He saw the two archers face down on the road with arrows in their backs. The officer had turned towards Monte, but he soon thought twice about making a charge towards the archer. The Borundan turned and raced into the woods. Horst and Talot raced after the officer.

"Help me with Sandar," ordered King Caedmon as he dismounted and held the Arin soldier's body on his horse.

Gunnar dismounted and ran to his father's side. Together they eased Sandar off his horse and placed him gently on the road. The king knelt next to Sandar and examined his wounds.

"This is not good," the king said. "Either of these wounds could be fatal without a healer, but both…"

"Let me see him," Jared said softly.

The king looked up in confusion, but Gunnar nodded vigorously, and the king moved out of the way. Gunnar walked to his father and led him away from Sandar.

"Kerzi almost died from a beating in Capri," Gunnar told his father. "Somehow Jared healed him. I have never even seen a wisper work in such a way before. If anyone can save Sandar, Jared can."

"Then I will leave him in Jared's hands," the king said as he bent down and retrieved his knife from the neck of the body before him. "We need to clean up this battlefield before someone comes along. Give me a hand."

The king and prince of Arin started dragging bodies off the road. Within minutes, Monte rode back and began helping.

"What happened?" asked Monte.

"They recognized me," answered King Caedmon. "Perhaps you should ride forward and get Kenra. The campsite he is looking for will be too far away by the time we finish up here, and Sandar caught two arrows, so we will not be going very far anyway. Have him find the closest site to us that offers us security."

Monte nodded and mounted his horse. Within minutes he was out of sight.

"What do we do with the horses?" asked Gunnar. "We cannot take them with us. We already stand out too much."

"The Odessian will never stand for killing them," commented the king, "and I don't blame him. He will have to take them deep into the woods when we camp tonight. We cannot leave a single trace of this patrol, or they will narrow down our location. It is bad enough that they will soon know that they lost a patrol on the Tarent-Dulga Road. Tomorrow the patrols will be doubled."

"I am sorry, father," sighed Gunnar. "This plan is not working out as well as I thought it would."

"The plan was a fine one," smiled the king. "We would not have gotten very far on the Tarent-Koar Road, and traveling without the wagon would have got us caught days ago. I do think we need to make some alterations, though. We will talk about it over the evening meal."

Horst and Talot returned from the forest. Horst led the officer's horse, and Talot had a Borundan officer's uniform draped over his saddle. The Odessian handed the reins to Talot and immediately began rounding up the other horses.

"Are you collecting uniforms?" Gunnar called to Talot.

"It is an officer's uniform," smiled Talot. "They are hard to come by.'

King Caedmon looked at the Lomite and smiled. "Get all of the uniforms," he instructed. "We will also bury the bodies. The longer we keep them from finding the site of the battle, the better our chances of leaving Borunda alive."

Kerzi joined in, and soon Horst had secured all of the horses in the forest, and he also began digging graves.

"Riders coming," shouted Jared.

"Kerzi, get the wagon moving slowly," ordered the king. "Talot, help me get Sandar into the wagon and then you ride as Kerzi's warrior. The rest of us will hide in the forest."

Talot and King Caedmon raced to pick up Sandar while Kerzi climbed onto the seat. They carried Sandar to the back of the wagon and placed him inside. Jared climbed up and sat next to Sandar. King Caedmon faded into the woods as Kerzi released the brake and started the wagon rolling.

A group of four riders passed the wagon on their way towards Tarent. They gave the wagon only a passing glance and continued on their way. A few minutes after the men had passed out of sight, Monte and Kenra appeared, and the whole group moved onto the road and headed towards Dulga. Kenra took the lead and led the way up a side trail to a spot he had chosen for the campsite.

While the camp was being set up, Horst and Gunnar took the captured horses deeper into the forest. Eventually they encountered a large meadow, and the horses were set free. The two princes returned to the campsite just in time for the evening meal.

The campsite was quiet as everyone ate in silence. Kenra was dying to know what had transpired, but his efforts to talk about it were not responded to. Everyone ate with their eyes glued to the plate they were eating off of, except for glances towards Jared who still kneeled over Sandar.

"Where am I?" Sandar said unexpectedly.

Everyone rose and rushed over to Jared and the wounded Arin soldier.

"We are camped for the night," Jared answered. "How do you feel?"

"I am sore in my leg and shoulder," Sandar replied. "I took an arrow right here."

His hand went to his shoulder and his fingers probed for the wound, but they could not find it. His eyes clouded with confusion and he tried to twist his neck to look with his eyes.

"The wounds are healed," Jared said softly, "but I do not know if that makes you well."

"What do you mean, Jared?" asked King Caedmon. "You healed him. You should know if he is well."

"But I don't," frowned Jared. "I do not even know what I did to heal the wounds. When Kerzi was hurt, I bathed his wounds, and he got better, but I could not do that for Sandar in the wagon, so I just held my hands over his wounds. They closed up and then disappeared, but I don't know about inside him."

"You don't know if he is bleeding inside?" asked Kerzi, his face paling with the realization that Jared must not have known that when he healed the merchant either.

"No," Jared shook his head. "I don't know anything about this power. Healing you was an accident when it happened, so I thought I would try with Sandar. That is all that I know."

"Your power is no accident," Gunnar smiled sympathetically. "You have healed his wounds. We will keep watch on him and find a wisper in Dulga tomorrow. When we get to Vineland, you will be taught about your powers so that you can heal others and understand what is going on."

King Caedmon turned and walked away. He sat down by the fire and stared into the flames. Gunnar knew his father well enough to know that his mind was focused on some great conflict. He walked over and sat down next to his father as the rest of the group returned to the campfire.

"What is troubling you, father?" Gunnar asked.

King Caedmon looked over his shoulder at Jared and Sandar and then looked into his son's eyes.

"We cannot take Sandar to Dulga tomorrow," he stated.