Child of Hope (Prophecy Series Book 4)

by T. N. Hayden

  He shook his head, his soggy hair rained small droplets. “Hopefully it won’t rain until we reach an inn. Maybe we should get more camping supplies at Grebes.”

  Grebes was known for its carpentry and woodworkers, and Nate understood why as they walked through the city. Most of the shops sold carved tables, chairs, shelves, cabinets, wagons, carts, anything which could be made of wood.

  “So, who here should we ask about the Sorceress?” Brent looked at Kaleb.

  “You know, I think we should focus on seeing the city.” Kaleb answered. “This is my first time seeing my country, and I want to understand the people and why they are as they are.”

  Why they hate my father. Those were the words Nate heard between the lines. Kaleb was beginning to truly understand that most people in Waden didn’t admire the king.

  The three walked into an inn, and the innkeeper looked at them. “I don’t have enough food to feed all of you.”

  “Excuse me?” Kaleb frowned.

  “Them soldiers were here two days ago and took everything I had.” The innkeeper explained. “Took three of the boys here and rode off.”

  Kaleb shook his head. “Is there someplace we can get food for you?”

  The man laughed. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “No. What makes you say that?” Kaleb asked.

  Nate couldn’t wait for the day when Kaleb would make his own decision about King Marc. He touched the gold ring on his right index finger.

  “Food’s always scarce here because of the king’s taxes.” The innkeeper explained. “It’s only because of the Sorceress and her companion that we even had enough food to feed those soldiers who took everything from us.”

  “The Sorceress?” Brent repeated. “You accept help from the enemy of the king?”

  “If the king offered help, I would gladly accept it too.” The innkeeper walked from them. “I do have rooms, if you want to stay. You’ll have to find food in the forest though, same as the rest of us.”

  “Unless the rebels bring us food.” A woman walked into the room from somewhere that looked like a kitchen.

  Kaleb glanced at his friends. “We’ll take three rooms.” He tossed a bag of bronze to the innkeeper.

  After setting their belongings in their rooms, the three friends went outside and back into the forest. Kaleb stopped walking. “No wonder people hate my father. Do you think he knows what soldiers are doing in his name?”

  “Of course, he does.” Nate whispered as he looked at his friend. “Your father isn’t a fool.”

  “But what if rebels are truly the ones terrorizing the towns and then the Sorceress and her companion come by and save the day? It’s a perfect ploy for them.” Brent suggested.

  “You’re right.” Kaleb’s mood seemed to brighten. “You’re completely right. That must be it.”

  “Either way, things have to change for the people of Waden.” Nate added.

  ~ Chapter 7 ~

  Atz 546

  Queen Rose sat in the royal library with her youngest son, Prince Spencer. Spencer was not a fighter like his older brothers, and she was pleased to have a son more interested in learning than training. The prince was thirteen, and he looked over maps.

  “I want to sail and explore.” Spencer always seemed to brighten when he spoke about traveling. “It would be so incredible to go to your homeland and see magic.”

  “Don’t let your father hear you say that.” Rose warned as her fingers traced the gold bracelet she always wore, a gift from Marc. “You know he doesn’t appreciate that kind of life.”

  “I’ve never understood Father’s aversion to magic.” Spencer sat beside his mother with a large book of maps in his lap. “I think it’s fascinating.”

  “Fascinating, dangerous, and unpredictable at times.” Rose stroked his brown hair. She saw little of herself in her youngest son; all her traits were inside him.

  “Why don’t Kaleb, Izik, and I look alike?” Spencer’s brown eyes were curious.

  “Sometimes siblings don’t look similar.” Rose shrugged.

  “Izik looks more like you, while Kaleb and I look more like Father.” Spencer paused. “Did you look like your brother?”

  “Yes.” Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been far too long since she had seen Tyler and his family. She didn’t know if they were alive, dead, or what Filia had done to them.

  “I want to sail to Fedji and meet my cousins.” Spencer added. “They’re all a lot older than me, aren’t they?”

  “They would be adults, but it’s been so long since I’ve spoken to my brother.”

  “I wish I could know my aunt, uncle, and cousins.” Spencer’s eyes turned back to the book of maps. “When I’m old enough to travel by myself, I’ll find them and bring them back home. They will get to know Kaleb, Izik, and me. Plus, they’ll get to know you again.”

  “I would like that, my son.” Rose smiled.

  “Najos.” His slim finger traced the map. “The land of magic and sorcery.” His eyes glanced to his mother once more, and Rose couldn’t help but see his father in his eyes. “Do you think there’s magic in your bloodline?”

  “I suppose there’s always a chance.” Rose nearly choked on her lie.

  “What is this?”

  Rose looked to the door, and Spencer flew to his feet, the book slipping from his lap and falling to the ground.

  “Father, I—” Spencer stammered.

  “How many times do I have to stop you from this foolishness?” Marc stepped into the room and slapped his son.

  “Stop it!” Rose leapt to her feet and grabbed his arm. “Marc, you don’t need all of your sons to be brutal warriors.” It was those infrequent moments when he hurt one of his sons that Rose wasn’t sure why she loved Marc so much. But her heart couldn’t let go of her love.

  “Of course, I do.” He shoved her back.

  Rose cried out as her elbow knocked into the side of the couch. Spencer rushed to her. “Are you alright, Mom?”

  “She’s fine.” Marc grabbed Spencer’s arm and yanked him to his feet. “You need to get these foolish ideas out of your head, boy.” He grabbed the book of maps from the floor. “And you need to stop feeding him such stupid notions.” Marc tore the pages.

  “No!” Spencer tried to grab his book, but Marc knocked him back.

  Marc tossed the damaged book into the fire and grabbed Rose’s arm, yanking her to her feet. “You will not disappoint me again, my dear.” He dragged her from the room, kicking Spencer aside as he marched her out.

  Marc gently touched the bracelet on her wrist. “Tell me how much you love me.”

  “You know I will always love you.” Her heart fluttered, and she forgot about her son as he kissed her.

  Kaleb moved his stallion through the wide river as they made their way east. The others were silent behind him.

  “Do you think they’re siblings or lovers?” Kaleb mused aloud.

  “Who?” Nate frowned.

  “The Sorceress and her companion.”

  Brent chuckled. “Lovers probably. Do you think the Sorceress could really have a brother? She’s too powerful. She’d probably kill her brother and gain more power.”

  “I don’t think they’re lovers.” Nate stated from his stallion. “It would be too hard to fight alongside your lover. Wouldn’t that be distracting?”

  “So, you think they’re siblings?” Kaleb glanced to his friend.

  Nate shook his head. “They’re probably battle companions, friends, like we are.”

  “Friends with a Sorceress.” Kaleb mused. She was too beautiful for her companion to want to be just friends. But the idea of him being her lover made Kaleb feel something he couldn’t quite understand. He hoped they were siblings. Could he ever be friends with the Sorceress? He had never imagined pondering such a question. The concept that magic made people evil had always been so clear to him.

  “Kaleb look out!” Brent screamed.

  Kaleb tur
ned in time to see the large tree trunk falling toward him. Kaleb reigned his stallion in. His horse reared and bucked, kicking Kaleb off. Kaleb fell hard, and he groaned as his stallion abandoned him to the ground. He glanced up to see four rebels flood into the meadow. Two of them seemed to appear from the water like nymphs.

  Kaleb found his feet and unsheathed his blade. They must be closer to finding the Sorceress than he had thought. He gutted the closest rebel as another faced him.

  “Where is she?” Kaleb demanded as he attacked the man. He brought his sword around high and kicked the man’s knee.

  Off balance, the man twisted at an odd angle, barely missing Kaleb’s stomach. Kaleb moved before coming back in with a thrust. The rebel stood steady, and Kaleb tightened his hold on his blade. He parried a blow but brought his sword around the opposite way. The rebel blocked the sword and twisted. Kaleb’s eyes widened as he saw the knife. When had the rebel gotten that?

  Nate grabbed the rebel and brought his elbow down on the man’s forearm. Kaleb winced at the crack and bone that broke the skin.

  The rebel screamed as he fell to his knees.

  “Are you alright?” Nate looked at Kaleb.

  Kaleb nodded. “Is he the only one alive?” Kaleb tossed the rebel’s weapons away from the man writhing in pain.

  “Yes.” Brent joined them. “I’ll bandage his arm.”

  “Not yet.” Kaleb knelt beside the man. “What’s your name?”

  The man spat in Kaleb’s face. The prince frowned as he wiped the spittle from his cheek. “Fine.” He grabbed the man’s arm.

  The rebel’s cry of pain nearly changed Kaleb’s mind, but the prince had a mission to fulfill. It didn’t matter if he questioned his own father. He knew what he had to do.

  Kaleb marched the man to the river. “Tell me your name, rebel.”

  The rebel clenched his jaw.

  “Do you know how to swim?”

  The rebel eyed the river, and then he looked at Kaleb. “My name is Zared.”

  “Thank you, Zared.” Kaleb nodded to Brent. “My friend is going to bandage your arm, but only if you keep answering my questions.”

  Zared glared as Brent went to them and started bandaging the man’s arm.

  “How does a soldier know how to bandage?” Zared demanded. “I thought all you lot learned was to kill.”

  “Tell me where the rebel town is.” Kaleb stuck his chin out.

  “Rebel town?” Zared frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Kaleb held a hand out, and Brent stopped working on the man’s arm.

  “I told you to answer my questions.”

  “I did.” Zared cried. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was recruited in Kagu, and I’ve never lived anywhere else.”

  “Who recruited you?” Kaleb nodded to Brent, and his friend continued wrapping the man’s arm.

  “The Sorceress and Ryl.”

  “Ryl?” Kaleb frowned.

  “Her companion and friend.”

  “Friend?” Kaleb repeated. The word was music to his ears, and he tried to push the desire down. He couldn’t think of the Sorceress as anything but the enemy.

  “What?” Zared blinked. “Why does that matter?”

  “When did you last see them?” Kaleb ignored the question.

  “Yesterday.”

  “Were they still in Kagu?”

  “Yes, for the day.”

  “Where are they headed after Kagu?”

  “Usually they travel in the forest and stop soldiers from forcing boys into the army, or they rob the king’s carriages. No one knows where they live, or at least, I’ve never met a rebel who does.”

  “Alright.” Kaleb grabbed his bandaged arm.

  Zared cried out.

  “You’re coming with us to Kagu where I will turn you over to the sheriff.”

  ~ Chapter 8 ~

  Brent and Nate wandered through the fishing community of Kagu as Kaleb went off to speak with some soldiers loyal to his father.

  Nate looked at Brent. “What do you remember about the day you decided to join the army? Why did you?”

  “Because it’s noble.” Brent frowned. He paused as he tried to remember that day, back when he was twelve. It had only been five years, but he couldn’t remember much more than emerald eyes. “I always wanted to be a soldier.” He paused. “Or did I? I can’t recall exactly what made me want to join the army.”

  “What do you recall?”

  “I remember running through stalks of wheat after Father.” Brent smiled. “We’d kill the vermin who ate crops. I’ve always been handy with a knife for that reason.” He paused. “Whitney and I loved to chase each other, and there were several times we actually ruined crops ourselves.”

  “You don’t speak of your sister much.”

  “She’s my twin.” Brent looked at his friend. “I don’t know how I left home and dismissed her without a second thought.” He closed his eyes, trying to remember what made him stay away from Darter all those years. Was it training? Seeing Gizelle too often? He hadn’t been in a relationship with the palace courtesan, but when Brent thought about wanting to go home, he could only recall Gizelle’s grey-green eyes. “What about you? What made you want to join the army?”

  “I understood what kind of man the king was, and I wanted to get close to his son.” Nate shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to be close to Kaleb, and the closer I got, the more I realized exactly who the prince truly was. I didn’t used to believe in him as much as I do now, and I’m proud to be by his side on his journey.”

  “As am I.”

  “I must admit, this mission hasn’t been going exactly as I expected it to.”

  “Me either.”

  “Did you get a good look at the Sorceress?”

  Brent nodded. He still couldn’t shake the idea that she was familiar to him. He knew she was using some sort of enchantment, magic against him, but he didn’t know how to defend himself from it.

  “She’s very beautiful.” Nate stated.

  “Much prettier than I expected someone filled with magic to be.” Brent agreed.

  “I don’t understand why, but I had this strange feeling that she was familiar. Did you get the same feeling from her?”

  “Yes!” It wasn’t just him under her control. “I won’t do anything to betray Kaleb, but there’s this part of me which wants to find out why she’s familiar. It must be her magic.”

  Nate nodded.

  “She has to be drawing us to her.” Brent frowned. “I don’t like it.”

  “We are stronger than magic.” Nate stated. “I promise you, we will not fall prey to magic.”

  “Don’t hand me over to the sheriff.” Zared looked at Kaleb. “It’d be better if you just killed me.”

  “Killed you?” Kaleb frowned.

  “You work for the king, don’t you?” Zared frowned. “Who exactly are you?”

  Kaleb entered the prison. “Where is the sheriff?”

  “I’m Sheriff Dyckan.” A stout man walked to them, holding a round pastry in hand. “What can I do for you, sir?” He bit into the treat.

  Kaleb frowned. “I’m here to turn a rebel over to you Sheriff.”

  The man’s eyes widened. “Oh?”

  “My men and I were attacked on our way to town. We killed the other three, but this man gave us information we need.”

  “Well then I’ll have to take him to the prisons.” The sheriff took Zared by his wound.

  “Don’t do this.” Zared struggled. “Have you ever seen one of the king’s prisons?”

  “I would like to see this prison.” Kaleb stepped forward.

  The sheriff laughed, and bits of his half-eaten pastry flew from his lips. “And who exactly do you think you are to deserve a visit to a prison? How do I know you’re not working with the rebel to free other traitors in the prison?”

  “I am not a rebel.” Kaleb glowered. “I am Crown Prince Kaleb Donnie.”

  The sheriff’
s and Zared’s mouths fell open.

  “The prince is hunting the Sorceress?” Zared whispered.

  Kaleb glanced at the man. “Yes. It is my honor and mission to destroy the woman destined to kill my father.”

  “It’s my honor to show the prince my prison.” The sheriff wiped glaze from his jacket. “Please come with me, Your Highness.”

  Kaleb followed the man as he dragged Zared with him down a long staircase. “The prison is under the city.” The sheriff explained as they walked. “It makes it harder for rebels to break in and rescue their comrades.” He stopped at a steel door and pulled a key from under his shirt. He unlocked the door, and the stench nearly made Kaleb gag.

  Kaleb followed the man into a poorly lit room full of bars, smoke, and prisoners who looked to be dead. “What is this?”

  “One of your father’s finest prisons.” The sheriff grinned. “This is the only one with enough chamber pots for each prisoner.”

  Kaleb shook his head, and he walked through the small room. Each cell contained nearly a dozen prisoners. Some, like Zared, were wounded. Their wounds looked infected. One boy’s arm hung limp by his side, as if it had been broken and healed in the wrong position.

  “Does my father know of this place?” Kaleb spun to face the sheriff.

  “He visited a few months ago.” The sheriff replied as he shoved Zared into a cell and locked it again. “I used to only have four prisoners to each cell, but he told me to have ten. He was right. I have a lot more room for rebels and suspected rebels now.”

  “Suspected rebels?”

  “Well I don’t always know who truly is loyal to your father and who isn’t.” The sheriff walked back to the steel door. “Come on. No one wants to be down here long.”

  “Do you have dead in the cells with the living?” Kaleb stared at a body being eaten by maggots.