by M J Webb
Princess Zephany’s cavalry had been sent to the rear of the long columns of marching soldiers. They would deter the Dzorag from launching any attacks upon stragglers. She herself had remained at her father’s side at his request.
The young Princess had earned respect and admiration from everyone since the raid on Heron Getracht. Vantrax’s castle fortress was burned to ruins and lay smouldering.
At her father’s side she talked of strategy and the campaign. As the rebels marched south, Queen Bressial, Lord Castrad and most of their Nadjan knights had followed Jake’s orders and rode into as many cities and towns as they could along the way. They had delivered the joyous news to their people of the return of the Keeper and the stones, using it to recruit as many volunteers as possible to their cause.
At the Ruddite cities of Ydriel-Ciouf, and Rurgath, as well as at N’sede, Arod, Leavar, Erask, Geraff and Biest in Nadjan, and in many villages and towns within riding distance of the column, the local population had turned out in force to see their Queen and celebrate her release. The people listened avidly to her tales of the young boy from a far away land who had rekindled the fight; they heard her tell of his plans to oust the evil wizard from power and were inspired. Scores of knights and footsoldiers had answered the call, swelling the rebel army numbers with volunteers steeled with new resolve, energy and hope.
By nightfall, at the exact same time as Jake was explaining his time travel experience to Ben and the others in Leagh forest, the now quite vast rebel army was making camp for the night on the banks of a river, just north of the walled city of Triess in the heart of Nadjan. The King summoned his captains to a meeting at his campfire. He looked around him and at their tired and weary faces. He smiled gratefully.
“My friends, thank you for coming so quickly. I shall be brief, you probably want to retire to your beds, I know I do. I would just like to say right from the start that you have all performed wonders on this march so far. To cover such an incredible distance, in so few days, is… Well, in truth, I would never have thought it possible. And to visit so many places along the way, and have so many join us, it is… Miraculous! My eternal gratitude goes out to you all.”
“Charr… Sire, you lead this fight and we all serve you now with gladness in our hearts,” Queen Bressial replied, with a comforting smile. “Do not mistake our tiredness for discontent, good King. Weariness is but a temporary condition, these aches and pains we feel now; they will disappear soon enough, eased by a good night’s rest.”
Artrex nodded his approval to her. “Well said, your Majesty,” he replied, addressing her formally for the benefit of the others present. “I thank you for those heartfelt words and I do not forget that you are my equal in everything, my friend. I know that it could be you ruling in my place and I am certain that you would serve our people equally as well as I. The battle that lies ahead of us... As I see it, it is a fight we cannot avoid. We have to cross their lines, we have no choice. We also cannot afford to ease our pace, though many of our number are struggling. We have to keep moving as fast as we can, for to slow our march now would be to give my brother’s army a chance to encircle us, and destroy us.
The Southern Army we are heading towards will hear of our progress I am sure, they are bound to discover our plans, and they will turn and come out to meet us. They have to. They must prevent us from joining up with the Alliance. That has to be their first concern. Yes my friends, I am certain that a great battle for which we are ill prepared, is inevitable, and almost upon us. In this fight, we stand to lose many of our soldiers.
Many of us will die trying to reach Dassilliak. We may outnumber the army we face ahead of us now, given the volunteers we have recruited along the way. But the Southern army are formidable warriors. We have many in our number who are not, and many who are without weapons. So, I suggest we…”
“Forgive me, father,” interrupted Zephany suddenly, as she rose confidently to address the entire group. “Srrr… To ease our passage through their lines, would it not be to our advantage if the enemy could be occupied on both fronts? I mean, if they were made to divide their forces somehow?”
The King nodded at her. “Yes, of course it would.”
“Well then, I… I believe that I may have a plan.”
“Very well daughter. Good. Tell us, let us hear your thoughts.”
Princess Zephany began to address the group with a boldness that belied her tender years. “Our task is clear; we need to get a message through to the commanders in Dassilliak. We have to warn them of our arrival, and we must ask them for help. That has to be done in person, by one of us. We cannot entrust such an important mission to anyone whose words may not be heard by those in power. If the Alliance can attack the Southern Army at the right time, and at the right place, from behind their lines, they will draw the enemy away from our path and divert their gaze from our march. At the very least, they will succeed in dividing King Vantrax’ forces, hopefully long enough for our entire army to pass through their lines. If all goes well, they may even be able to provide us with safe passage through to the city, to escort us in.”
“Ra… Yes, excellent!” shouted Lord Castrad eagerly. “The Princess is right, King Artrex. They may not agree to it but we should try, and I will go sire! If you so wish.”
The rebel King anticipated correctly that an objection was about to be voiced to Castrad undertaking this mission, but the words choked in Princess Zephany’s throat and she stopped herself before she made a sound. Artrex knew straight away that his daughter wanted to press her own case for going on this dangerous journey, but as a disciplined soldier, she had acted professionally and remained silent, deferring to her father’s command. It pleased him to see how much she had grown up in the past few days, the exuberance of youth still burned within her but it was tempered by logic and respect for others.
“Krmmnn… No, Castrad,” he said softly, “this was my daughter’s plan, and she will decide who goes. But she will have to consider her decision very carefully; it will be an extremely dangerous task. The ride to Dassilliak will be fraught with peril along every inch of the way for word of it is bound to reach the enemy.” He glanced over at Zephany, inviting her to respond. The young Princess smiled confidently at him.
“Thank you, father. And thank you, Lord Castrad,” she responded regally. “Your valour and your honour are beyond question. But your place now is beside your Queen, protect her and serve her well, as you have always done. You must continue to draw others to our cause, until the last possible moment. No, it is I who must undertake this journey. It is a task for two or three, not a large force. We will travel fast and light, and we will hope to go undetected. We will avoid a fight if we are able and hope to reach Dassilliak without incident of any kind, without the enemy hearing of our plans. I will take Onall and Arralf with me.”
King Artrex’ face beamed with pride as he looked upon the daughter he hardly recognised. Gone was the impetuous youth of days ago who he knew and loved, replaced it seemed by a woman of great bearing, a respected leader with nerves of steel. His child had become a warrior almost overnight, and right before his very eyes.
It was almost as if she had been transformed into a much younger, female version of his good friend, Gerada Knesh Corian, the Ruddite general who had been Zephany’s tutor and had fallen just days ago at the Battle of Erriard Forest. He could think of no greater compliment to pay her, and no more fitting comparison.
“Then we are all agreed. The decision has been made. When do you leave?”
“Now. We need to make use of the darkness. We will travel sparingly during the day to ensure we are not seen. I will meet you on the battlefield before Dassilliak with as many warriors as I can bring. Srr… It will take you three days to reach their lines, given the speed of our march. At dawn in three days time I will attack the army that comes out to meet you from the south. Father, if we are not there, something has gone wrong and…”
“Raart… You will be there, daughter,
” interrupted the King. He walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You are a warrior Princess of Rhuaddan. You have given your word, and we all believe in you.”
***
“Raaaarrrghh! Curse these incompetent fools for the rachtis they are! We are getting nowhere! We are moving too slowly!” Sawdon raged. He was a huge, muscled Thargw Gerada, a beast, marked with scars. His eyes were yellow and his snarling mouth full of sharp, glistening teeth.
“Patience, Sawdon, patience. No, I suppose that particular virtue was never really a strongpoint of yours, was it?” answered King Vantrax.
Sawdon grunted at his master through an array of tightly clenched teeth.
“This army of mine is not built for such an energetic pursuit. It is far more at home fighting pitch battles rather than chasing its prey across the countryside. But we approach such a battle. It is as certain as the coming of night.”
A gleeful smile crossed the wizard King’s lips.
“The Dzorag report to us every day that the rebel’s numbers are growing steadily with boys and old men from the villages. They are an army of slaves and farmers.” Vantrax softly laughed.
“ Everyone who would oppose me in this realm is joining them it seems. This is the moment I have been waiting patiently for all these years. I have dreamt of this for longer than I care to remember. This battle finally affords me the opportunity to kill them all. In one solitary day, I will destroy them. I will destroy my Brother.”
Sawdon sat back in his saddle. “Shaaargh… But what of the stones, my lord?” he asked sullenly.
The evil King looked thoughtfully at him for a few seconds before delivering his reply. “We will find them soon enough, though I have to admit it puzzles me, why have we not yet felt the true extent of their power? And the whereabouts of the young Keeper concerns me. I may have to use the Lichtus again to locate him. No. Perhaps not. Its powers are waning and I will not waste what is left. The battle ahead of us nears.”
“King Vantrax!”
A rider from the Personal Guard suddenly came galloping up to the head of the column at great speed, he halted his horse in front of the two leaders and dismounted quickly, bringing himself to attention.
“What is it? Report!” barked Sawdon.
“Warriors approach on horseback sire, three, from the east, ahead of a larger force some way behind,” he stated, pointing to some far away dots on the horizon.
“Well? What do you make of them?” the wizard asked of his Thargw Gerada.
Sawdon strained his superior eyes to identify the approaching strangers, they widened with surprise when he realised who it was. “It… I do not believe it! It cannot be.”
“What?” rasped King Vantrax. “What is it you see? Tell me!”
“It is… It is Melissa, sire.”
Vantrax was shocked and stunned by Sawdon’s reply. Melissa, the Sebantan warrior, was supposed to be carrying out his orders on another continent. He stopped his army and waited for the riders to approach.
“Melissa! What is the meaning of this? Why are you not leading my raiding force in Mynae as ordered? Speak! And if I were you, I would take great care to explain myself fully!” hissed the King.
Melissa was not concerned by Vantrax’ hostile reception, she smiled confidently and flashed her beautiful, green eyes towards them both. She dismissed her escort with a wave of her hand and the two impressive Sebantan warriors who were accompanying her rode off into the column.
“Sire, I assure you, I have a very good reason for returning. Half of my force will join us by nightfall, the rest have remained in Mynae to carry out your orders. I would never disobey your command unless I thought you would approve of my decision, I promise you will not be disappointed when you hear my explanation. But, I think it best that I deliver this news in private, may I suggest that we camp for the night? I will then tell you everything, and you may decide for yourself if I was right to come back. If not, I will accept any punishment you deem fitting.”
Sawdon glared down upon the warrior in disgust.
“Very well, Melissa. It is late, we will rest for the night as you suggest and continue our march in the morning. Come, I expect to hear a full report within the hour,” the King stated.
It was actually just over an hour later when Melissa entered his tent, Vantrax had rested a little and he was discussing his plans for the forthcoming battle with Sawdon.
“My Lord, I am reporting as commanded.”
“Good,” replied the King, “now, you will tell me why you have returned to Estia, what has caused you to disobey my orders? And where are your soldiers?”
The Sebantan warrior approached them both slowly; she flicked her long, black hair over her shoulders.
“Raaar… Report!” snapped Sawdon.
After a very brief, stony silence, Melissa turned her head towards her King. “As you wish, sire,” she began. “I landed in Mynae at the port of Herashtuk as you know, we took many slaves and prisoners there just as you ordered, but we needed more. We were about to move on to the next city when I was called by my warriors to attend the house of an old runaway, a deserter from the army of the north. Upon entering his dwelling, I found him with his hands bound, trying to barter with my guards for his freedom. I could not believe the desperation in his eyes, he was offering all he had, everything he owned, if we did not bring him back to Rhuaddan to face your wrath. Naturally, I refused all his attempts to avoid service again, and I informed him that we would be taking all he had anyway! It was then that he fell to his knees, begging and pleading. Are you ready for your surprise? He offered me this.”
She held out her hand. In it, was a small parcel wrapped in cloth.
“Well? What is it?” asked King Vantrax impatiently.
Melissa smiled as she unravelled it slowly. She pulled back the last piece of cloth and a small, white stone lay in the middle of the rag, perched neatly in the centre of her palm.
“Reolite!” the King shouted out excitedly. “Excellent! Well done, Melissa! Everything is forgiven, you were right to return.”
“Kraa… Yes, very good, Melissa. Well done. But, what became of the slave? Where is he now?” enquired Sawdon.
“What? Oh, his wish was granted,” replied the Sebantan Princess, in a matter of fact tone of voice. “He does not return with the raiding force to Rhuaddan, just as he desired. His head was posted on the city walls, as a warning to all who would hide such treasures from their King!”
Chapter 5
21st August – Leagh Forest - Nadjan
“Hey! Oh no... No, hold on just a minute! What the…? Oh for… Come on, Jay? You’ve got to be kiddin’? You’re havin’ a laff, aren’t ya?”
Ben Brooker was holding up the clothes that Jake had given him with a look of complete revulsion on his face. He was not impressed by the attire and he was further annoyed by his friends’ response to his reaction. They howled with laughter to the point where they each had to hold their sides to stop them from hurting.
“What? That’s… No, hey, stop it! Come on will ya you guys? Stop laffin’. It’s not funny! They’re… Well, they’re just not right, are they?” Ben pleaded, trying to make himself heard above their hysterics. “Aw, come on Jake? After all we’ve been through together. You can’t do this to me. I’ve got my street cred to think of ya know. I mean, just look at ‘em! What if someone sees me?”
Jake shook his head in disbelief. He continued laughing hard, forcing his reply out between giggles. “Ha ha… You’ve got to be joking, Ben? Who’s gonna see ya out here? Don’t be so daft. Just put them on and stop your whining. You should be grateful we’ve been given anything, and anyway, I don’t know what your problem is, mine are just as bad, look.”
He held up his own clothes to pacify his friend. Ben’s mood visibly improved a little and the laughter eventually stopped. The two sets of loose fitting trousers and shirts were a drab, brown colour. They were made from a kind of rough, hard wearing fibre that was more
like hessian than the cotton garments the boys were used to. They would itch like crazy when worn. Jake decided to leave his Villa top on underneath; it comforted him somehow to know that he would still be wearing something from his life back at home. There was a single length of rope with each set of clothes, there to tie around the waist as a belt. A short, leather waistcoat was all they had to protect them against the elements and there was a pair of tough, brown leather boots for their feet. Ben reluctantly accepted that he had no choice but to change and began undressing. The sun had risen by now but it was a dark and overcast morning. To the south a storm was rising.
Jake had sneaked back into camp and returned to his companions shortly after they had woken, following his encounter with the Heynai. He stashed the items they gave him in his sheets without being seen and then thrust the clothes at Ben, preferring to save the best of his news until last. Now that his friend was finally changed and seemed a little less hostile, he decided that the time was right to give out the rest of the spirit’s gifts.
“Alright then... Here! Maybe this’ll cheer you up? A little present from our new friends.”
“Oh yes!” cried Ben happily. His eyes lit up as he took hold of the sword and shield that Jake passed to him. “Whey-hey! Now you’re talking! These are da bomb! Ha ha… I can do some serious damage with these,” he added, staring at them with all the excitement of a child receiving his first Christmas present. He quickly fastened the sword and scabbard to his waist. Then he drew the sword as if he was being attacked by some imaginary foe, before turning sharply to face Verastus. “Come on then, big man. Let’s see what you’ve got!” he said, playfully.
The mighty Falorian chuckled to himself at Ben’s impudence. He did not seem to be taking the youngster too seriously but he stood up slowly to tower over him. “Raaar… Well now, just look at you. Ha ha… At least now you look like a warrior. But listen to me; be careful where you point that thing, please. Looks alone will not be enough on this quest I fear, they can serve a purpose I suppose, they may fool an enemy once, but make no mistake, looks do not kill! They cannot fight!”
