The False Prince (Fall Of A King Book 1)

by Fuller, James

  "Damn it, Daden, I told you that would not be necessary," Kara barked angrily, rolling out of her bedroll.

  Daden turned around and walked past her toward the town. "I will be back shortly. Keep alert." He walked to the road that led into the town with the horses in tow.

  Meath fought hard against the drug that was dragging him down and making him want to slip into unconsciousness. He could see Kara standing in front of him and her mouth was moving but he could not hear anything. He watched her retrieve something from one of the packs and rush back over to him. He vaguely felt something bitter and warm roll down his throat before the drug won.

  Meath woke to the feeling of cold water hitting his face. He jumped forward, startled, not sure of where he was or why water was hitting him. Something hit his shoulders and pushed him back to the ground, causing waves of nausea to assault him.

  "There, he is awake, now let us get going - we still have a long trip ahead of us." Daden said, though it sounded more like an order.

  Kara bit back a retort and helped Meath to his feet. The drug's effects had been diluted by her elixir - she knew Meath would still be greatly disoriented for a while longer. "We should let him have some time to rest, Daden. If he trips and breaks something, it will greatly hinder us!"

  "He will be fine. This way, he will not even think to try and escape." Daden replied harshly, picking up the end of the rope that was attached to Meath's wrists and pulling him along.

  Meath wavered on his feet, barely able to keep upright. He knew he did not have it in him to try to fight now so he started off behind Daden. He tried as hard as he could to remember the landmarks and direction they were going, but it all just blurred in his mind as he tried to focus on walking.

  They traveled for nearly half the day without a word. Kara walked behind Meath a short distance and Daden lead the way through the dense growth. By now, the drug had worn off, thanks to Kara's help, and Meath was fully aware of everything, yet he continued to stagger as if the effects still lingered.

  "We will stop and rest," Daden told them when they reached a small familiar clearing. "We should be able to make it to that cave we camped in if we do not waste too much time."

  "Good, it looks like it is going to rain tonight," Kara replied bitterly, taking a gulp of water from her skin and handing it to Meath.

  Daden looked back at her and shook his head in frustration. "You know Kara, I do not understand what your problem seems to be - you should have thanked me for drugging him when I went into the town. He might have tried something. You know, you could have gotten hurt, or worse," he told her through gritted teeth, trying to justify his actions.

  "Let us go, I am done with my rest!" Kara called back to them, storming off to the east, resolutely taking the lead.

  They made it to the cave just as the last few rays of sun dropped behind the mountains. They ate in awkward silence near a warm fire a dozen paces into the cave. Meath could tell the cave was manmade - the sides were rough and jagged from pick axes and hammers. The cave entrance was not very high or wide but as you made your way inside, it expanded into a fairly large chamber. He guessed it must have been made by bandits as a hideout and a place to stash their goods, which meant roads could not be that far away.

  "Look Kara, I am sorry about what I did back there, I…I just thought it was best," Daden pleaded, trying to end this feud growing between them before it got any worse.

  Kara stared hard at him for a while. "It is not me you should be saying you are sorry to, now is it?"

  "You have got to be joking? You cannot be serious?" Daden moaned, knowing full well she meant it. "You know what, fine. Meath, I am sorry I drugged you because I figured you would try to escape, which would cause us much grief in having to find you again! There, are you happy?"

  Kara started laughing lightly. "Okay fine, I forgive you, but I am not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself. Not to mention, Meath is not some kind of monster."

  "I know, I just worry is all. I do not want to see you get hurt again," Daden remarked.

  "It is late and we all need our sleep. We should be safe enough in here tonight not to need to keep watch," Kara said, making sure to end the topic of discussion.

  Kara tied the free end of the hemp rope around her ankle. "I really wish I did not have to do this Meath - it really is undignified to you and really hurts my integrity, but it needs to be done."

  "She is a very light sleeper - you even try to remove that rope from her leg and you will regret it," Daden laughed, putting a few more small branches onto their small fire before crawling into his bedroll.

  Soon Daden and Kara were fast asleep, and Meath watched the embers of the fire glow in the otherwise pitch-black cave. Frustration began welling inside him - he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to be able to get free. He still did not know what these people wanted him for or where they were taking him. He wondered what was going on back in Dragon's Cove, and what his friends were doing, if they were looking for him or assumed him dead after so long. Ursa would be back and have a plan to stop the evil Wizard in Draco, which would be more important than coming after him. His trail would be near impossible to follow now - much time had passed.

  "Wake up, you two, now!" Daden screamed, rushing back into the cave going straight for his things. Dawn was just breaking over the mountains.

  Kara and Meath both were on their feet quickly. "What is it, Daden?" Kara asked, her adrenaline already pumping hard.

  "We need to get away from here now!" Daden bellowed out in fear, throwing his pack over his shoulders after retrieving a dagger. "We are being surrounded by a small party of barbarians, they have seen me!"

  Kara paled, "Not what we needed! How many are there?"

  "I do not know, Kara - I did not stop to count!" Daden barked back. "The size is not what we need to worry about…"

  "What is it, Daden?"

  Daden swallowed hard. "They have Priestesses with them." He replied gravely.

  The blood from both Kara's and Meath's face drained - barbarian shaman were minor tricksters and illusionists for the most part, but priests and priestesses were deadly with their Gift of tainted magic. It was a whole different kind of Gift, not like that of a Wizards, druid or mage. It was something straight from the Keeper's pit itself.

  "Untie me! I can help! I am a Wizard and a soldier. I know how to fight!" Meath begged, knowing the trouble they were now in. "Three have a better chance than two!"

  "Like we could trust you! You would just run! Now let us get out of here." Daden ran for the entrance and Meath and Kara followed.

  They ran out of the cave just in time to see a quad of barbarian warriors and three priestesses come into view from the tree line.

  "So much for a clean get away!" Kara groaned, wasting no time drawing the mystical life energy from the plant life around her. Within moments, she had enough for her spell. She scooped up a handful of the shale rock around the mouth of the cave and threw it at the emerging barbarians at the same time, releasing the energy she had just absorbed. The jagged shale burst through the air toward the enemy. The razor sharp pieces sliced viciously into two barbarians, cutting jaggedly into their flesh and embedding deeply into their chests. They continued their charge valiantly for several more steps before death made itself apparent and they crashed into the cold earth.

  "Run!" Daden urged them, releasing a bolt of power, scoring a hit on a savage, spinning him around wildly, nearly tearing his arm and shoulder clean off.

  They ran quickly, hoping to lose the barbarians in the dense jungle before they were surrounded. When they reached the trees, the ground shifted violently, causing Meath and Kara to stumbled and trip. Daden threw himself into a forward roll, avoiding the fall, and came up paces away from a massive barbarian whose bone war club arced down and smashed into his side, cracking ribs and dropping him to the earth gasping for air.

  Kara watched in horror as Daden was hit across the back with a sickening crack. She pushe
d herself up with both hands, drawing energy from around her. When she had drawn enough energy, she slapped her hands together, a bolt of raw jade energy crackled through the air exploding through Daden's attacker's abdomen, sending him sprawling to the dirt in a blackened gory mess.

  "Cut me free! I can help!" Meath pleaded, knowing their chances of escape were fading quickly. Kara pulled her boot knife out and slashed through the hemp rope binding Meath's hands and Gift without need of more incentive.

  Meath wasted no time and rushed two enemies who were coming in from behind them. He called forth his innate power and fire leapt from his hands, engulfing the two savages in a wild eager hunger. The two dropped to the ground in agony, trying hopelessly to extinguish the Wizards' fire that consumed and blistered their flesh mercilessly.

  Meath snatched up one of their large rusted swords, the weight of the blade almost making him want to leave it; he knew he would never be able to fight well with it, but instinct would not let him drop it. He needed to know he had something other than his Gift to rely on.

  Three more barbarians emerged from the growth, leading them was a ragged, deranged looking Priestess. Knowing full well he would not be able to fend them off, he turned to run. A sharp pain erupted from his ankle before he could take more than a step. He looked down to see a thorny vine slithering up his leg from the earth. He slashed the blade through the vine and ran to where Kara was now standing, drawing more energy for another spell.

  "We cannot win this - we have got to run!" Meath told her, trying to pull her along.

  "I will not leave without Daden!" Kara cried out, dropping down and digging both hands into the earth. The ground trembled and a crack formed in front of her and rapidly cut forward, widening as it went. By the time it reached Daden the fissure was the length of a tall man and caught a handful of barbarians who were charging Daden off guard, swallowing them into its depths.

  Meath watched the attacking barbarians disappear into the fissure Kara had made, buying Daden precious time, and already she was drawing energy for another attack. Meath knew Daden could not last much longer as more enemies advanced on him. Already the ground around him was littered with bodies.

  Meath heard a strained war cry and pulled Kara to the ground with him on instinct - a large war axe flew by where they had been standing. They clamored to their feet and turned to see three Priestesses standing a dozen strides away, the fighting had stopped and the enemy was eerily still, awaiting what their spiritual leaders would do to punish their enemies.

  "This might be our only chance." Meath whispered to Kara nervously.

  "What are you talking about? We are dead now," she whispered back in defeat.

  Meath turned to her with a look of sheer desperation. "Then we have nothing to lose. Be ready." As he finished the words, he charged into a dead run toward them with sword held high.

  One of the Priestesses howled in cackling laughter, she swung her arm out, releasing an arc of ebon energy, hitting Meath's shoulder and throwing him to the ground shuddering, but not before he had released his own Gift, sending a torrent of air at the Priestesses along with the heavy sword he had been holding. The rusty blade impaled through the cackling hag's belly, sending her to the dirt, screaming madly in a dying fit. Another was caught unprepared by the torrent and was thrown back to the ground, winded momentarily.

  Kara watched Meath's bold move in utter amazement, almost too stunned to proceed. She watched Meath try to scramble to his feet desperately and knew the final Priestess would release her spell before he could get away. "Get down!" Kara screamed, a spiraling flame released from her outstretched palm, nearly engulfing Meath's head as it passed. A warrior pushed the Priestess out of harm's way and was overwhelmed by the Druids bitter fire. The warrior threw himself to the damp earth and rolled, unlike Wizard fire, Druid fire could be put out and the enemy knew this.

  Daden had made it to his feet and slammed his dagger into the stomach of the barbarian closest to him, then reversed back the other way, driving it into the heart of another who had just noticed the fighting had continued.

  Seeing the opening Daden had made, Meath staggered to his feet and sprang into a limping run, grabbing Kara's hand as he went. They reached Daden and ran into the thick overgrowth, nearly being impaled by several hastily thrown spears.

  "I thought we were gonna die back there." Daden coughed, holding his side, grimacing in pain.

  Kara had finally forced a stop to rest, knowing Daden and Meath's wounds were serious and needed attending. Escaping death at the hands of the enemy would mean little only to die of the wounds inflicted.

  "We would have, if I had not cut Meath's bonds!" Kara wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "You saved all our lives back there, you know." She smiled at him.

  Meath wished he had a bit longer to catch his breath and let his wounded leg rest, but knew the longer he waited, the less likely he would be able to escape. Before anyone could react, Meath sprinted into the jungle as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him, not caring about the burning pain through his body or lungs.

  "Damn it, stop!" Daden yelled getting up to give chase but pain erupted through him and he collapsed in a coughing fit, holding his side wincing.

  "Meath come back - you cannot do this, not now!" Kara cried out in frustration.

  "Go after him! Do not let him get away!"

  "What about you? I cannot just leave you here, what if the barbarians find you? They will kill you!" she said, helping Daden back into a sitting position.

  "We need him, now go!" he ordered her. "I will be fine." He assured her. "Go!" Kara took one last look at her injured friend before running off into the jungle after Meath.

  Meath knew he was leaving an easy trail to follow, but he had to get far enough away before he could tend to his wounds. His left shoulder and arm that had been hit by the Priestess burned and pulsed horribly, and his leg had gone fearfully numb. He knew he would have to stop soon or he would risk bleeding out and infection.

  Finally, exhaustion dropped him near a small murky pool of water. Small pools of water in the jungle were a dangerous thing - they could be full of sickness. Meath searched quickly and was content that the pool looked to be filling up from a small rocky fissure. He did not even cup the water in his hands but plunged his face into the cool water and drank until his stomach was bloated.

  Feeling slightly revitalized, he ripped away his buck-skinned pants up to his knee on his wounded leg, and soaked it in the water, washing away the dried blood and dirt. He slowly and painfully began pulling out the razor sharp thorns that were embedded into his ankle. The cuts and tears were turning a charcoal black, which seemed to be slowly spreading throughout his leg in vein-like streaks. He tied a strip of leather around his calf to stop the oozing blood and hoped it would slow or prevent the black infection from going any further up his leg. He pulled off his shirt and looked at his burnt, torn shoulder. The wound was bad and he feared without proper healing or tending he would lose his arm.

  "What I would not give to have my potions with me," Meath moaned. He wished he had learned how to heal with his Gift, but it was one of the hardest things to learn and he doubted he had enough strength left in him to do so anyway or even attempt it like he had so long ago with Stewart.

  He stood up and was glad to find his leg was still fairly numb and that he could still put weight on it. He found a thick stick to help support his weight, and then used the sun to turn west, hoping to find a road. If he did not, he would have to find shelter before nightfall. Other than his Gift, which he did not think he could concentrate enough to use, he was weaponless, making him easy prey for anything that could be about.

  Meath walked until it got dark. The only shelter he found before total darkness was a small overhang in a rock wall. He took it without complaint, knowing it was better than nothing.

  The night seemed colder than normal - he did not know if that was from loss of blood or the fact he had not eaten all day. He wanted to light a
fire to help warm him, but knew better than to risk such a thing.

  Hunger began to grip his thoughts and Meath started searching under rocks and digging around his shelter, eating the insects that hid under them. He thought back to when he was training in Drandor with Zehava and Dahak and the first time they had to eat grubs to pass the survival test. Dahak had vomited before he had even swallowed.

  After eating the few he could find and catch, his stomach stopped aching as much and he drifted off into a fitful sleep wondering if he would ever see Nicolette or his friends again, or if he would even wake up.

  *****

  Kara sat in a large, dead, rotted-out stump she had stumbled upon just before nightfall and decided she would stay for the night, not wanting to be stuck out in the jungle with no shelter. She had gathered some large flat leafs and built a temporary roof in case of rain and to help keep her hidden; she had almost been sighted several times by barbarians and did not want to be caught while she slept.

  Not knowing how much longer she might be out here looking for Meath and then getting back to Daden, she rationed her small supply of food wisely.

  She had followed Meath's trail and had found the small pool where he had stopped to clean his wounds and was sure he could not be too far ahead of her now. His wounds were bad and that would mean he was traveling slow. She hoped she could get to him in time; she knew his wounds were worse than he might think. Priestess magic was an evil thing indeed, his wounds would already have started rotting and decaying and if it spread long enough it would kill him. If she did not find him within the next day, she was not sure if she would be able to save him.

  14

  Ursa dismounted as he neared his destination, he walked the beast the rest of the way - thoughts flooding back into his mind of his time spent here long ago as a young man. He picked an apple from a nearby tree in the grove and gave it to his horse, which ate it greedily, and then looked for another. He scratched behind the beast's ears, letting it know it had done a great job getting him here swiftly, and then fed it another of the crisp apples.