"So what are you having General? My treat," He gave the general a wink and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Anything cold and wet, that will knock me off my feet."
The two men laughed at each other. Makashin waved the barmaid over to the table.
"Bring us a pitcher of your best brew. We are celebrating tonight!" ordered Makashin.
Hihanzo waited for the barmaid to leave. "Yes, what a fine catch, the princess of Vorea. She will fetch a wealthy price from her kingdom, once they find out we hold her for ransom."
"If the rumors are true, about her parents being assassinated, then she is to be the new Empress of Vorea. If that is the case, than we are in a much better situation than we could have hoped."
Hihanzo was nodding his head in agreement, an evil smile growing across his face. "The new Lord of Vorea, in our dungeon. Her kingdom will pay whatever price we ask of them."
"This will be the beginning of a new era for Kaheendra. The future of Vorea is coming to an end." Makashin raised his mug to Hihanzo and the two men toasted to their plots. They laughed and drank through a dozen pitchers until they were finally ready to return to the palace.
Just for spite, Hihanzo smashed his last empty mug into a big thug’s face that looked at him strangely on his way out of the Tavern. No one moved an inch, but the looks that followed him could have slain an army.
Despair
Kyrianna slowly opened her eyes. She felt as if her head was detached from her shoulders and that a large spike had been driven into each of her temples. She struggled to try and remember what had happened. As she lay on a cold, stone floor, smells of mildew and rotten human waste permeated the dark room she was in. She had to will herself not to throw up at the stench. She touched her left cheekbone and searing pain shot through her. The entire left side of her face was swollen and tender. She remembered now what had happened. She remembered being struck by the little ugly Kaheendran soldier just as her two guards were being slain.
She wondered about Yosu. They had spared him in front of her. That didn't mean that he was alive still. Why would they do this to her? Kaheendra was not at war with Vorea. If not before, than this would certainly spawn a war. Maybe that is what they wanted, but why? Kaheendra had no hope of defeating Vorea in battle. They were too small and not well equipped. Her head was spinning from trying to think of what reasons would cause them to do such a thing. She never thought that they would be so cruel to her, a princess.
The clink of a door bolt drew her attention. As the door opened, light spilled into the room, partially blinding her. It must be morning, which meant she was unconscious throughout the night, or she woke during the night and just didn't remember. She took a deep breath of the fresh air that rushed in. The dark silhouette in the doorway peered down at her for such a long time. She looked down at herself, thinking she may be naked. But the white sheet that she had taken off her bed in the Inn was still wrapped around her, although now it was a dirty brown, with only a few patches of dingy white left.
"Come, you walk on your own," came the gruff voice from the dark figure.
Kyrianna recognized that voice. It was the short muscular man that had smote her face with his armored gauntlet. She suddenly didn't care what she looked like, she wanted to rush up to him and slit his throat. But she didn't have any weapon, and he was no doubt armed. There were probably other soldiers waiting outside of the cell also. It would be reckless at the least, most likely a death sentence, for her to try anything.
She pulled up her sheet and tried to muster up some dignity. She turned her resolve to stone, like her father had taught her, and marched out of the cell. The light outside assaulted her eyes. She still couldn’t see the small man. He looked like a menacing shadow standing in front of her.
"Someone wants to see you,” he said. There was vile amusement in his voice.
Hihanzo turned and started walking away, the sharp pain that erupted through the small of her back made her scream out. She stumbled forward after Hihanzo, so as not to get prodded again by the guard following her. He led her into a small chamber where a man was sitting at a table reading a scroll by candlelight. The room was warm and comfortable looking. Incense burned on a corner table near the wall, giving it a calming aroma, however, Kyrianna was anything but calm. The candlelight only partially lit the face of the man who sat there, but what she could see was enough to identify him.
Now she understood how they had been caught. At the Knuckler, when they first walked in, this man was there. She noticed him watching them and had a strange feeling about him, like she knew him from somewhere, but couldn't place it. At the tavern he had been dressed like a peasant, his hair hanging down to his shoulders. Now that he was in his formal attire with his hair pulled up into a tight roll at the top of his head, she recognized him easily. The Kaheendran War Councilor, Makashin. She had seen him a few times before, during meetings between their two tribes. He was a vile man, she always thought, seeking any means to bring about war. Thankfully the King of Kaheendra was a sensible man and often stifled his War Councilor. She wondered if the King knew of her capture. Maybe he would scold Makashin and set her free. A small shiver ran up her spine as Makashin's black eyes slowly looked up at her. A wicked grin was set on his face. She wondered if the King would ever hear of her capture by this evil man.
"It is so good to be graced by your presence, your Highness." He chuckled to himself, and motioned for her to sit down in the seat across from him at the table. She thought to stand instead, until the tip of a sword rested on her shoulder telling her that it was not a request.
"Does the King know about this Makashin? Or are you plotting and scheming all on your own again?" She didn't like the look that came over him.
His smile widened further and his eyes seemed to glimmer with pleasure. "The great King is dead, assassinated only two days ago. The assassins were never caught, until now that is."
Kyrianna rocked back on her heals. She wondered if what he was saying was true. What were the chances of both kingdoms suffering from an assassination on their monarchy in the same week? But what shocked her more, was what Makashin had said last. Did he believe the assassins to be Kyrianna and her bodyguards?
"We are not your assassins. I was fleeing my homeland because the same thing has happened to my parents. They were assassinated just as your King! This is preposterous. Why would a Princess, be sent to-"
The backhand to the side of her face knocked her out of the chair to the floor. Shackled the way she was, she couldn't brace herself, and the landing hurt almost as much as the strike to the face. She groaned in pain and pulled her knees into her stomach reflexively. The short, powerful man picked her up by her arms and slammed her back into the seat. Her sheet had fallen down, exposing her flesh. She started to try and pull the sheet up and Makashin signaled to Hihanzo. He reached down and stopped her from doing so.
"Leave it. I’ve always wondered what the flesh of a Princess looks like." He stared at her for a short time.
Kyrianna felt as though her skin was crawling with spiders as the man looked at her bare breasts. No man had ever seen her naked before now, except for that brief moment with Yosu. She would not let herself be ashamed though. She glared into his eyes with as much contempt as she could muster. "Seen enough? It's a pity that I won't give you the same satisfaction as you would have with young boys."
She braced for the strike that she was sure would come. But Makashin stayed the hand of his General. His smile had disappeared. He looked as if smoke would bellow from his ears.
"Cover yourself, Princess. We wouldn't want you catching a cold and dying on us before we hang you for the assassination of our beloved King."
Kyrianna began to speak out against the accusation when the short man’s powerful hand clamped around her neck, cutting off her voice, and her air.
"I did not introduce you to my friend here princess. This is General Hihanzo. If you speak again without my asking, the General will gladly start brea
king your bones. He loves the sound of such things."
The General let go her throat. She coughed and gasped for air.
"Do you understand Princess?"
"Yes, I unders-" She screamed out as the General pulled out his dagger and slammed the pummel down onto her little finger resting on the table, snapping the small bone. She wanted to scream more but the General clamped down on her throat again. She shook with pain, trying not to panic as she choked. He loosened his grip and a few muffled whimpers came out before she could control herself. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I told you not to speak, do you fully understand now?"
Kyrianna nodded her head vigorously. She was not going to make that mistake again. It took her a moment to control her breathing. Pain was surging through her arm from her finger. She took her mind off the pain, instead, focusing her thoughts, and brought herself into a trance like state where she could barely feel her body, locking the pain away like her father had taught her.
She remembered sitting with him for hours out by the waterfall a few miles from her city. He would take her out there several times a week and sit with her on the flat stones at the base of the waterfall. She hated it at first, sitting in one place for so long. He would tell her to concentrate on a single thing, something that gave her peace, and think so hard on that one thing, until everything else around her went away. She would complain to him that she couldn't do it, but he would keep her there for hours, telling her to keep trying.
They had been going out there for over a year when the day came that she finally realized what he had been trying to show her. She had wanted to do anything but go to the waterfall that day. She told herself she would concentrate really hard, so that she could do whatever it was her father wanted, and then they could go home. Usually she thought of everything else that she could be doing while she was there, but this time she started to listen to the water coming off the fall. She loved the sound of it. At first it was a loud roar, but the more she concentrated, the softer it became, until it seemed like a low drumming beat all around her. The mist coming off of the fall caressed her skin, tickling her nose and ears. She could feel the beat of every drop as it hit her, adding to the melody of the wash. She pictured herself as part of the water, the mist, leaping off the edge, tumbling around beneath the surface, and then coming up and dancing among the soft, flat, mossy rocks.
Her father’s voice calling out to her brought her out of the trance. She remembered yelling at him for cutting her trance so short and him telling her that she had been sitting there for the entire day. She couldn't believe it. It had seemed like only a moment. Since that day, she had been able to bring herself into the same trance like state, at will. She would still visit the waterfall often to gain that peace, but she didn't have to be there to do so. No matter where she was, all she had to do was concentrate on the scene to carry her mind away. This time, while she thought of the waterfall, she could see her father’s face inside it, smiling at her. Fresh tears rolled down her cheek for the father she loved so dearly.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Makashin differently. He no longer looked so menacing. His eyes roamed her body, as if she was still unclothed, but she no longer cared. Her body was numb, the pain was gone. It was only a shell. No matter what they did to it, they would never take her mind.
Makashin, seeing that she was no longer bothered by his probing glare, became bored with it. "So tell me Princess, why were you sent to kill our beloved King?"
"I did not kill your King, nor did anyone from Vorea. I have already told you that my parents were also assassinated. The fact that you did not comment on this tells me that you already knew, which means that you don’t truly believe I am the assassin." Her tone was flat.
Kyrianna knew she had hit on something by the way Makashin looked at her. "You would blame me for the murder of your King, so that you can start the war with Vorea that you have been yearning for. Placing me on trial in front of your people will enrage them into wanting to go to war with Vorea, and hanging me for a crime I did not commit will enrage my people into going to war with Kaheendra."
Makashin sat back in his chair, resting his elbow on the arm, and started rubbing his chin. The sinister smile slid back across his face.
"Well, well, well, it seems as though the Princess of Vorea is quite clever. But how will knowing our true intentions help you my dear?” He paused as if expecting an answer from her, and then went on. “It won’t. Your future is looking dark, and hopeless. If you think that you will not be giving us a confession, then you are mistaken. I’m sure after a little persuasion, you will be happy to confess to what you have done, and whatever else we may think up in the process."
Kyrianna knew she was to be tortured. Kaheendra did not need her confession to raise her people against Vorea. It would only justify them in their actions. They didn't want to have the death of someone swearing to be innocent on their conscience. She almost laughed openly at the rationalization.
"Torture me all you like. I'll not give you the pleasure of confessing to this false crime. I'll not justify your reason for starting a war, where thousands upon thousands will surely die."
Makashin leaned over the table, his evil smile was so menacing that she thought of attempting to bite off his nose. But his eyes held a secret that made her nervous.
"A war against Vorea is already immanent, and not with the tribe of Kaheendra."
Before she could question his meaning, Makashin signaled to Hihanzo. The small man grabbed a handful of her hair and heaved her up from the chair, thrusting her toward the door. She didn't feel the hair ripping from her scalp but she couldn't resist his direction. He marched past her and the distant feeling of a stab to her lower back told her to follow him again.
When they reached her cell, Hihanzo turned and slapped her face, sending her tumbling down into the dark pit. Her body was numb to the slap, and the fall. She lay on the dirt floor for a long time, picturing her waterfall, her peace, but Makashin’s words echoed in the back of her mind.
Fear of the Unknown
It had been nearly a full day since they had last seen the Averese patrol that had been shadowing them all along the outskirts of their lands. Lucian didn't know if that meant that they weren’t still there, watching them. Tarriel had told him that they were nearly a full league outside of the Averese borders and that there was nothing to worry about. Still, Lucian felt an uncomfortable heat on the back of his neck. Like the feeling you get when you’re being watched. He wanted badly to go off on his own and scout the woods, but Tarriel wouldn't allow it. She even got upset with him for acting as if she didn't know what she was doing. He felt as though he couldn't say anything right around her. She was always getting upset with him. What boiled his blood even more was that Eliath seemed to enjoy the spectacle.
Often, when she became increasingly angry with Lucian, Eliath would have to step in and say something that would calm her down. Lucian didn't know what it was about him that vexed her so. He had never angered anyone so much in his entire life. Most of the time he decided it best to just keep his mouth shut so he wouldn't draw her fiery gaze.
The wind had picked up and dark rolling clouds were beginning to form above them. Rain was coming, that much Lucian was sure of. Soon it would be night and they would have a miserable time finding shelter in the rain. He turned to say something to Tarriel and she lifted her hand, stopping him short.
"I know, let’s look for a place to take shelter for the night. We don't want to be stuck out in the rain."
Lucian gave Tarriel a short nod, to which she rolled her eyes. He looked to Eliath with an exasperated expression, "She hates me. That’s all it is, she hates me."
Eliath chuckled and followed after the party to help look for an area to set camp. When they found a tight pack of pine trees that would prove good shelter against the rain, everyone went about the task of cutting down boughs and setting up whatever type of small shelter they preferred. Lucian and Eliath built th
eir enclosure around a pine that had fallen, stopping at an angle several feet off the ground. All they had to do was lean the boughs on either side of the fallen tree.
Once the camp was built, they started a small fire and began cooking a soup with cabbage, mushrooms, and beans. Lucian had some dried meat that he shared with everyone. A thin loaf of bread was split up to help soak up the soup. Lucian thought it was quite the tasty meal considering how quickly they had left Culdora. He could tell that these warriors were used to moving out at a moment’s notice. They were efficient to the point that they knew exactly what to take with them in order to have some moderate comfort.
The rain began to fall in thick sheets. Lucian laid down on his bedroll and listened to the tumult. He could hear the women talking about who would take first watch. There would be a rotating shift of two, while others slept. Lucian had told Tarriel earlier that he wished to help stand one of the watches. She only laughed at him, and said that no Culdoran warrior would be able to sleep knowing that someone other than a Culdoran stood watch. He decided he would help anyway and told Eliath to wake him for the second watch.
Lucian began to fall asleep, his lids growing heavier with each passing second. The rain seemed to drown out the sound of the voices of those talking around the fire. He didn't think he would be able to fall asleep right away, but it took him quickly.
†††
Eliath stayed up with Tarriel and Somlin for the first watch. Somlin seemed irritated at his insistence to stay up with them but Tarriel gave her a dirty look and welcomed Eliath's help. Somlin just rolled her eyes and walked off into the woods a little ways. Eliath was impressed with the system the Culdorans used. Tarriel and Somlin both moved away from the camp at opposite sides. They carried a long thin string with them that ran from the sentries, to someone in the camp, tied off on each other. If either lookout saw signs of a threat they would tug lightly on the string. The pull would be strong enough to alert the others without giving away their position and the enemy would no longer have the element of surprise.
Revelations of Doom Page 13
