An idea suddenly came to her. Did she really need to say goodbye to him the next morning? Why couldn’t she accompany him to the camp? She had traveled with the army all the way from Calyn. Why shouldn’t she continue traveling with them until they reached their final destination? The plan had been for her to stay in Candus during the battle, but the battle shouldn’t begin for another week.
She hoped that Gavin wouldn’t object. He had been fine with her accompanying the army thus far. She did not see any reason for him to worry as long as she was safely on her way back to Candus before the battle began. Perhaps he would even be excited that she was willing to stay by his side all the way to the army’s main camp.
She hurriedly got ready for bed. She needed to get to sleep soon so she could arise as early as she needed to. She would have to quickly get all of her supplies together in the morning so that she could accompany Gavin when he left. She lay down on the comfortable bed with excitement instead of worry. She wouldn’t have to say goodbye yet. She had found a way to delay the sad farewell for several more days.
Kalista arose early the next morning. She commanded her servants to prepare the necessary things as she finished getting ready for the day. Before the sun had risen, she was completely prepared. She knew that the troops had been told to be ready to march with the rising of the sun. She made her way to the courtyard where she was supposed to bid Gavin farewell. When she reached the courtyard, she was pleased to see that he had not yet arrived.
She sat down on a sculpted stone bench to wait for him. She was excited to tell him that she was coming along and they would not have to be parted for a few more days. When he walked into the courtyard a short time later, she could see the surprise clearly written on his face. She hopped up with open arms to greet him.
“Surprise,” she said.
“Why are you dressed in your traveling clothes?” he asked. “I thought you would be sick of them by now.”
“Oh I am,” she said with a grin. “But how else would I dress if I’m planning on traveling?”
“What do you mean?” Gavin said with a concerned look. “You’re not heading back to Calyn are you?”
“Of course not,” she replied. “I’m going to the pass with you and the army!”
First Gavin’s face took on a look of surprise. Then it became stern. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned.
“You are doing no such thing,” he stated firmly. “Your place is here, safe in the palace, not anywhere near the battle.”
“Oh, I will return here before the battle starts,” she replied.
“No,” Gavin said firmly. “You will remain here.”
Kalista stared back at her fiancé’s determined face. Did he really think he could tell her what to do? From the look on his face, she could see that he did.
“I am not asking for your permission,” she stated back just as firmly. “I am informing you that I will be joining you on the march to the pass.”
“No you will not,” he said again. “There is no reason for you to-”
“Stop right there,” she said, cutting him off. “You cannot give me orders. You forget your place. We are not married yet, and I am still your princess and you my subject. You will do as I say!”
Her statement and the authority with which she said it caused her fiancé to pause. She could see the conflicting emotions in his face. He took several deep breaths before continuing on. This time he moved forward more cautiously and with a different tone.
“Kalista,” he began as he took her hands in his, “it’s not that I don’t want you to accompany me. I am going to miss you dearly over the next couple of weeks and would love nothing more than to have you by my side. However, the most important thing to me is your safety. I want you to stay here so that you will be safe and no harm will come to you. Will you please remain here in the palace?”
She stared back at him. She could hardly believe it. She had affirmatively stated that she would do as she wished, and yet Gavin was still trying to convince her to stay. Did he think she hadn’t thought through her decision? Did he think she needed him to tell her what was best? She would not give in, no matter how hard he tried to get her to. She was going and that was that.
“I appreciate your concern,” she said curtly. “But I have already made up my mind on the matter. I will be joining you as you head for the pass. When we reach the army’s encampment at the opening of the pass, I will then wish you good luck and return to the palace. I will be safely on my way long before the battle begins.” Gavin opened his mouth as if to say something, but she cut him off. “That is my final decision.”
Her fiancé stared back at her with firm shoulders for a few moments before they slumped. She inwardly smiled. He had finally admitted defeat.
“As you wish,” he said. “Do you have what you need? The sun is almost up.”
“Everything is ready,” she replied. “Now if you would please escort me to the stables, we can mount our horses and begin the march.”
Gavin offered her his arm, and they walked from the courtyard towards the stables. By the time they reached the stables and mounted their horses, she was calm and feeling better. She had expected him to be excited about her coming along, not mad. However, she did understand his concern and was thankful that he cared for her safety so much. She turned to him with a smile as they led their horses around to the front of the palace. He smiled back at her.
“I am glad to have you with me a few more days,” he said. “I am only concerned for your welfare. Will you promise me that you will turn back as soon as we reach the opening of the pass?”
“Of course I will,” she said with a smile. “Wasn’t that my plan after all?” Gavin just shook his head and chuckled.
They were soon around the palace. The Baron Mikel gave his son and Kalista a strange look as they rode up to him but didn’t say anything. He glanced between the two, raised his eyebrows, and said that they should be on their way. All three, along with a procession of flag bearers and guards, rode out of the front of the city.
The Royal Army was ready and waiting just outside the city walls. Once the three of them made it to the front of the column, Baron Mikel gave the signal to begin the march. The trumpets sounded just as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, and the army began marching directly towards it. After riding in silence for the first ten minutes, Baron Mikel turned to Gavin.
“Scouts reported this morning that the Balthan Army was camped at the eastern side of the pass five days ago,” he said.
“Then the battle has already begun?” Gavin asked worriedly. It was only a five day march through the pass. Was it possible that the Balthan Army had already made it through and entered Kalia? “You should be there to lead the army.”
“I have very capable generals under me,” the baron replied. “And I don’t believe the battle has begun yet.”
“Why do you say that?” Gavin inquired.
“Our scouts set off an avalanche near the eastern opening when they saw the Balthan Army approaching,” he said with a smile. “Apparently it was quite an impressive one. The scouts don’t expect the route to be passable for a week or so. We determined that waiting until the last minute to create the avalanche would give us the best chance of disrupting the Balthan Army’s plans. We should have plenty of time to join your troops with the rest of the Kalian Army before the pass is clear enough for an army to traverse.”
“I see,” Gavin said with a smile. “It looks as though your scouts have bought us plenty of time to prepare for the invasion. Congratulations!”
“I do have several tricks up my sleeves,” the baron said. “We wanted the Bathan Army to clearly understand how we feel about them crossing into Kalia.”
Kalista smiled as father and son continued to discuss the details and timing of the eventual invasion. She was glad that the baron had the foresight to stall the Balthan Army long enough to allow the Kalian reserves to fortify the Kalian Army’s position. Hopefully the extra time would
help give their army an even greater advantage over the Balthans.
Kalista felt a slight breeze at her back and looked around. She could have sworn that she had just heard someone whispering near her ear. However, no one was near her but Gavin and his father, and they were both still talking excitedly to one another. She shook her head and looked forward once again.
Another breeze made the stray bits of hair around her face flutter. She heard the same whispering sound again but looking around saw that, just as before, no one was near. What was going on? She hadn’t been able to make out any words, but she was certain that she was indeed hearing whispers.
She kept her face turned around as she searched the nearest of her guards wondering if any of them were whispering. All were silent and appeared lost in their own thoughts. As she was about to turn forward, a stronger breeze gusted against her face.
“. . . careful . . .”
Kalista’s eyes widened with amazement. There was no mistaking it this time. Not one of her guards had moved his mouth, yet she had faintly heard the word ‘careful’. She searched the skies but saw nothing unusual. It was as though the whisper had been carried on the wind. No one else seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.
She turned around and looked forward towards the sun. What had the whisper been? Where had the message come from? Was it simply a message or was it a warning? She strained her ears to hear anything else, but the only sounds were those of the army making its way eastward.
After awhile she began to wonder if she really had heard anything at all. Perhaps it was merely her mind playing tricks on her. She settled back into her saddle as comfortably as she could and returned to listening to Gavin and his father discussing how they hoped the battle would turn out. Kalista would be delighted if the battle would be as easy to win as the two hoped.
* * * * *
“Do you think she heard it?” Darian asked as Traven stepped back from the screeing dish.
“I think she heard something,” he replied. “I just hope she got the message and takes it to heart. What is she thinking leaving Candus and heading to the battlefront?”
Darian shrugged in response. Traven picked up the small water dish and after dumping out the water, hastily packed it away. They needed to get moving, and he had spent long enough trying to get a warning to the princess.
He had woken up this morning from a particularly disturbing vision. The princess had finally returned to his dreams. Unfortunately, it had not been the return he had hoped for. The vision had been of the Princess Kalista’s funeral. He had stood over her lifeless body and wept with the crown of Kalia nestled on his head. He had woken with tears in his eyes and an overwhelming sense of sorrow.
The feelings of sorrow and loss had been so strong that he had decided to call up an image of the princess. He needed to see her safe in the palace. He feared that her return to his visions signaled something important. When he called up her image, he had been dismayed to find her not safe in the palace, but riding towards the pass with the rest of the army. He had decided that perhaps he could send her a warning.
He had attempted for the first time to send a message further than he could physically see. He had used the screeing dish to guide his message all the way to the princess. He had lost hold of the particle container several times before he was finally able to guide it all the way to her. It had taken longer than he thought it would to guide it so far. He had finally been able to deliver the simple message, ‘Please be careful’. He hoped that it had been beneficial and not just a waste of time.
Perhaps the closer he got to the princess, the easier it would be for him to send another message. He quickly mounted Pennon, and they were once again hurrying down the road towards Candus. They needed to be swifter and travel longer each day if they hoped to reach the princess in time. Her heading towards the pass would make it that much harder for him to reach her and protect her.
A strange prickling sensation suddenly passed over him, making him shiver. Someone was watching him. He scanned the empty countryside, looking for the source of his discomfort. All was empty and quiet, but the feeling didn’t go away. He suddenly remembered what the keeper had told him and cast a quick shield of invisibility above him and the guardians.
The feeling instantly vanished. Traven frowned. It seemed as though the wielder leading the Balthan Army knew about him and where he was. He would have to be more careful going forward. At least he now knew what feeling to be weary of. He left the shield above his group for about five minutes before letting it drop. Fortunately, the feeling didn’t return.
He shook his head with frustration. Not only could he not get the image of the lifeless body of the princess out of his mind, he now had to worry about being tracked by the Balthan wielder. At least the threat was still distant. For now, he just hoped he could reach the princess in time.
24
Kadrak sat on his horse at the opening of the pass, staring forward at the immense pile of snow blocking his army from advancing into Kalia. He had camped at the base of the mountains with his army for the last five days in hopes that the snow would melt on its own. Unfortunately, the weather had been less than cooperative. A cold spell had set in, and very little snow had melted at all. The situation wasn’t any better than it had been when his army had first arrived at the pass.
The Royal Kalian Army had done well. The avalanche they had orchestrated had effectively stopped Kadrak’s army. He knew that the second group of soldiers would now have time to join the ones already camped at the western edge of the pass before he could attack them. He had watched from his screeing dish as they had left Candus earlier that morning. Not only would the full Kalian Army be in place to oppose him, but he had also seen that the Kalian wielder was heading towards the battle as well.
He had seen the pinprick of light indicating another wielder while he was screeing. However, as he had closed in on the wielder, the growing spot of light had suddenly vanished. The young boy must have learned how to shield himself. Kadrak wondered what the boy had been doing in the desert and what he was now trying to hide. Luckily, the young wielder was at least ten days away from the pass, if not more.
Whatever surprise the young wielder might have for him, he would face it when the time came. He wasn’t overly concerned. He still had hope that the young wielder would never reach the battle.
However, if the boy did reach the pass, he would rather not face the wielder and the Kalian Army at the same time. As soon as he had finished screeing, he had decided on what must be done. That was why he was sitting at the mouth of the pass, staring at the enormous mountain of snow blocking his way.
He was tired of waiting on nature to allow him to march to victory. He had waited long enough for the snow to melt. It was now time for him to take action. It was time for him to clear the pass himself.
Kadrak raised his hands above his head and concentrated. Time froze, and the air thickened. Behind him, his army stood frozen in silence, intently watching their leader. They would be reminded once again of his unmatched power. The air began to swirl far overhead. It continued to swirl faster and faster.
Time and sound rushed back as fireballs began to rain down from the sky. The snow hissed as each fireball slammed into the mountain of snow. As the fireballs continued raining down, he focused the light of the sun at the front of the snow. He slowly eased the beam of light and heat forward along the base of the pass, creating a narrow path directly through the center of the snow. As soon as the beam reached the end of the avalanche, he let it disappear along with the fireballs
He took a deep breath and steadied himself as he admired his handiwork. The mountain of snow had been reduced, and there was now a clear path straight through the center of it. It was not as wide as he would have liked, but he didn’t have the strength left to enlarge it. It would be wide enough for the supply wagons to pass through, and that was all that was necessary.
Kadrak raised his fist in the air. A thunderous ch
eer rose up from behind, washing over him. He smiled. His troops were ready and anxious for battle. When he had commanded that they assemble and prepare to march this morning, he was sure there were plenty who were confused and wondering if their leader had lost his mind. Everyone had known that the pass was still blocked.
It had been impassable, until faced with his power. Even nature could not stand against him. He basked in the cheers and adoration of his army for several more moments before dropping his fist. He immediately gripped his mount’s reins tightly and booted him. As his horse leapt forward, the cheers of his army increased as they too surged forward with exuberance.
Kadrak led the way through the narrow path he had cut through the snow. Walls of snow and ice rose several stories on both sides. He studied them out of the corner of his eyes, making sure that they would hold. Luckily the snow was compacted enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. The only drawback was the muddy ground underneath his horse’s hooves.
With effort, he kept himself perfectly straight in the saddle as he led his troops along the narrow path. It had been wise for him to wield the ambience from his saddle instead of dismounting first. He had used so much of the ambience that it had left him incredibly weakened. He might not have been able to pull himself up into the saddle if he had worked his show of power from the ground.
He tried to ignore the twinge of a headache that had set in and stayed alert in case there were any enemies nearby. Thankfully, he didn’t sense anyone ahead. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. It was cold with the snow rising on both sides, but the cold was welcome. It helped to cool his overheated body.
As soon as he was past the avalanche, the path opened back up. While the tall mountains on the north and south kept him in shadow, there was plenty of space for the army to spread back out and march in their normal formations. He signaled for Gilrod to move to his side. His second in command hurried to fulfill his master’s wish and was soon riding next to Kadrak.
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