“If our forces are shattered, why not work out an alliance with him. Offer him the position of Falconer, lands and gold,” Emilia offered.
“I know the man too well. It won’t work. There can only be one king and I know for fact that he will never accept that offer. He would expect one of us to take the position of Falconer and bow down to him. He’s not the type of man to quickly change his mind,” Ali-Samuel said.
Emilia spoke, “But he has no claim to the throne.”
“And he will argue that neither do we. Ali-Stanley is now three kings removed. Any or all ties to his claim have been washed away. Jon Colbert had no claim to the throne yet that’s where he sits right now. The Man with the Golden Sword wants to usurp the crown. He cares little for anyone’s claim, especially ours,” Ali-Samuel spoke from his experiences with his sudden enemy.
“The King Colbert factor does change the situation now. The bastard may see that the task has just hardened tenfold. Sometimes alliances come in the strangest of ways. It wouldn’t hurt to send an offer and see where he stands,” Ali-Steven recommended.
“It will be wasted time, vellum and a scrivener’s services, but we must do as our council wishes,” Ali-Samuel said.
“Do you have any positive suggestions or only harsh criticism? Help us solve this problem,” Emilia told her lover.
Ali-Samuel shot a stern look her way before speaking, “We need to appeal to his narcissism. He doesn’t have a proud family, only himself. That’s his only weakness that I know of, which is why he wants to be king. Use heavy flattery in your request,” Ali-Samuel suggested.
After the meeting, Emilia sat on the windy beach with Pariah and Princess. “So does everyone still hate me?” Emilia wanted to know.
“No. Most don’t like the Ali-Samuel. Blame him,” Pariah told her.
Good. The more I think about it, he seems to be the one behind everything, even pushing his father along.
“Rolog, he no live in this land,” Pariah said.
“What do you mean by that?” Emilia asked.
“He no on water and he no here. No Rolog. He no help us here. We pray, we pray, we pray. No help. No nothing. If we stay, we all die. I know. I see in my sleep,” Pariah started rambling.
“No need to worry. I’ve seen horrible visions in my dreams that didn’t come out to be true. Everything has gone against us up until this point and we are still here. When luck shifts to our side, we will make our mark and you will see that Rolog can go anywhere,” Emilia tried to calm her down but the words weren’t working well.
“Me hope. Me want go to Histomanji but no on water. Evil is water. I stay here forever until dead,” Pariah morbidly told Emilia.
Sunny
Sunny tossed around in his sleep, rolling back and forth on the moist dirt floor. An army marched toward him. He tried to run but he was buried in red sand up to his ankles and couldn’t budge. He looked ahead at the oncoming horde. They carried enormous banners of a crowned skull on a black field. The banners rippled in the breeze and served to scare Sunny even more. The wild, screaming men marched right up to Sunny, stopped and lined up. They were a strange group. The men moved like living bodies with ravaged flesh and pale blue skin with red splotches. Most were covered in armor or some type of mail but the exposed areas of skin shocked the boy. A tall warrior garbed in red and white with a fox helm walked through the soldiers and approached Sunny. The man took off his battle helm and looked almost exactly like Sunny except for the cleft palate. The man dropped to one knee and began to speak but Sunny’s eyes shot open.
Sunny had been having lucid dreams ever since the masters had started allowing them sleep for six hours a night. The School of the Learned Warrior sensed the oncoming battle and wanted the students to be better rested. Sunny had never remembered his dreams until he started to sleep longer.
The day’s activities remained strenuous, filled with exhausting mental and physical lessons. The bell sounded and several of the students were permitted to take leave. Sunny still worried about Ollor and wondered what had happened to his father figure. Muriel and Sunny were no longer allowed to leave together. Sunny walked alone to the beach that he now called Dragon Beach. The small pink pebbles rolled under his feet as he reached the water. The waves were huge and the tide had come in significantly since the last time he had been here. The dark and stormy day kept Sunny on edge with random lightning flashes and thunder strikes.
He wished the dragons would come out of the sea but didn’t know how to summon them. He stood and stared blindly at the crashing waves. Sunny wondered if he would ever be permitted to get married and have children of his own. He had pledged his life to the School but if he survived the Ultimate War, they wouldn’t need to train any longer. The only female he had really known was his younger sister. He didn’t know how to properly treat a girl, but even at only twelve, Sunny was intrigued by the prospect of a family.
Something caught the corner of his vision. A large object washed ashore and lay harmlessly on the sand. Sunny slowly moved in for a closer look. He saw the dead body of a man he recognized, Ollor. A lifeless body that wore the same clothes Sunny had last seen him in.
He must have drowned in a storm while fishing. My father…at least, I will always consider him my father. How am I going to explain this to Muriel?
The sorrow was short-lived as black hands sprouted from the sand to grab at Ollor’s body. The hands started to pull the body under the pink pebbles until a silver flash in the sky startled Sunny and he sprang back from the peculiar site. The dark clouds parted and a blue beam of light shot down from the opening. The brightness stunned Sunny’s eyes and when his vision readjusted, he saw a battle for the body in progress. The upright body of Ollor was buried up to his midsection and the underground hands pulled him down further. The tugging battle continued with the body moving up and down until Sunny looked up and noticed a gold adumbration of a giant man in the sky. The beam changed from blue to gold and Ollor started to rise up. The underground hands disappeared and the golden beam carried Ollor up to the heavens.
Did the Gods just pull him up into the heavens? I knew he was a good man, worthy of the Gods. I wish I could have said goodbye.
The clouds closed back up and darkness reigned once again. Most of Sunny’s life had been filled with inexplicable occurrences and this new one baffled the boy. He suddenly realized he would never see Ollor again and started to cry until another great sight appeared. Dolpho, the blue sea dragon, peaked through the raging waves and extended her tongue. Sunny stood on the smoky tongue and the dragon pulled him into her mouth. The fiery underwater trip seemed to take longer this time and just when he thought he would burst into flames, they arrived at the secret cove. Dolpho’s mouth opened and Sunny could see the other dragons. He walked down the tongue and the cordial dragons greeted him.
“I didn’t realize I was allowed to come without my sister,” said Sunny.
“The time is much closer than most think. The demons will crash the shores of Gama Traka within the season. The humans think they are ready but Damian Doome will bring a war unlike any seen before. We detecteth a demon amongst thy School. Beware, you must. The predatory wolf dons the dress of a sheep, ready to strike without warning. We do not know who the inflicted human, but you need to figure out the mystery. We have a message to deliver to Muriel,” Dolpho said. Sunny listened intently as the dragon spoke, “Be certain of all who surround both of you. There will be many people to trust but a demon lurks in the sand. As I have said, the disguised demon will try to destroy anyone who holds or knows the holder of the Pearl of Wisdom. Muriel doesn’t hold a physical object but her internal ability could put her in grave danger if the secret is exposed to the wrong person. They will look to kill her or infest her body to use her special forces for evil. You must watch over her and protect the young girl. Without her, your life will be at the mercy of Damian Doome. I wouldn’t want my fate determined by a blood-thirsty demon,” Dolpho instructed.
Several of the dragons
poured more information into Sunny’s ears, and he promised to relay the information to his sister.
LEIMUR
The Queen of Goldenfield and her contingent moved through Burkeville. Leimur had brought a smaller army than planned to navigate stealthily through an invaded kingdom. She witnessed the squalor of Donegal and not a single citizen seemed to care for King Ali-Tersen. The people peacefully let her pass through and some wished her well along the way. This slightly concerned Leimur that an army would be able to walk right through her kingdom and capture her princes. Several men even took up with her cause and pledged to fight against the tyrannical Ali-Tersen Wamhoff. She had heard the names, ‘White Demon, Albino King, King Killer, Ali-Tersen the Treasonous, Albino Snake and Ali-Tersen the Hunter King’ used to describe him. She didn’t hear any positive words about the King of Donegal during the entire trip.
This is going better than expected. We are well ahead of our travel plans and our sources report very little standing in our way. We need a quick victory so I can see my brothers and Ali-Tiste.
Leimur had never expected to fall in love with her sworn enemy. She had never understood what love truly felt like. A captain once told her, ‘When you can’t stand to be parted from them and they are all you think about, you are in love.’ If this were true, Leimur was deeply in love and felt the rotten side of being separated from her partner. She had been slightly under the weather for a few days and the condition exacerbated her worries about the defenseless boys back at the palace.
The leaves were changing shades on a daily basis and deep scarlet and banana yellow caught her eyes as they passed through a bosky. Her horse trotted along as she looked back to see the cavalry following behind. The destrier’s hooves started to sink and stick in the ground and Leimur knew they were coming up to the Pyesville Marshlands. Ali-Tiste had educated her on this area near the Fox Chapel Border. A crucial decision had to be made so she called for a quick meal before moving on. Her real motivation was to have a meeting to discuss how they should move forward.
The men constructed a pavilion and even though it wasn’t perfect, the Queen knew the structure would serve it’s short purpose. General Rigby and Captain Tetine propped up a portable table and Leimur set maps on the top. Captain Salina sat down and the quaternion got started. Leimur wasted no time pointing at the maps as she spoke, “We have two routes we can take. The first would take us well north around the Marshlands and much, much farther from our destination. On the other hand, if we cut straight across the smallest section of the Marshlands right here, we could surprise the king and have an easy takeover. The first way will take us far from Falconhurst where they can bring the fight to us, and they know the land better.” The Queen tried to sell her idea arbitrarily rather than explain both sides.
“Countless thousands of Goldenfield soldiers lie under those marshes from ill-advised attempts at crossing. As long as my voice has a forum, I will advise against it. It’s a death wish. No one has ever successfully crossed the Pyesville Marshlands,” argued Captain Tetine.
“But those people didn’t have inside information like we do. It won’t be easy, but we will have to wait for more men-at-arms to arrive from Goldenfield if we go up and around,” Leimur pleaded.
“A message has arrived, my Queen,” said a voice from outside that Leimur recognized as her guard, Thadley.
“Bring it in,” she yelled toward the door.
Thadley walked in, bowed to everyone, and handed a rolled scroll to Leimur. She read the message and lowered her head before speaking, “Our hand may have just been forced on this matter. There is a new King of Donegal. King Jon Colbert. Looks like he beat us to the prize but that doesn’t mean we won’t take it away from him.”
“I say we wait for backup forces and then go up and around the Marshlands. We need more men to defeat the new King and I don’t want to walk over our fallen brethren,” General Rigby counseled.
“No. If we cross this narrow strip, we can get to the Capitol before the King has a chance to garrison his surroundings properly. The reason no other Goldenfield officer has been successful is because they have been trying to cross at the worst possible points,” argued Leimur.
“I’m sorry, my Queen, but I’ve heard this argument before and we lost some good men to that marsh after General Hambauer said almost those exact same words.” Captain Salina told her.
“But we have inside information that nobody else had,” Leimur pleaded.
“Are we certain we can trust this Wamhoff woman?” General Rigby asked.
Leimur answered quickly, “This Wamhoff woman has gotten us across Burkeville completely unscathed up to this point. It’s not her fault a stronger king has emerged from the rubble. Besides, it’s not her decision whether we cross the marsh. She simply pointed out the best place to cross. She has no idea if we will even use that counsel. Ultimately, the decision comes down to me.”
“Yes, well, remember what happened when you refused your council in the past, my Queen,” General Rigby reminded her.
“Sorry General, but my mind is made on this matter. We will press on through the muck. Three-quarters of our forces will cross the narrow strait and the rest will head south for a diversionary tactic. We need to be craftier than this new King. We’ll camp here for the night. We will make it across these mud lands,” Leimur said.
General Rigby started to raise a hand in protest but Leimur talked before he had the chance, “Please don’t try to debate me on this matter, General, my decision is final.”
She left the meeting and went to her personal tent. The rain had picked up as nightfall approached and Leimur could hear the pitter patter of heavy drops over her head. Tolaya entered with some blankets and set them next to the Queen. “Go fetch a scribe. I must send a letter,” Leimur ordered.
Her dutiful servant ran off to locate one of the scribes. Tolaya returned quickly with a young man who set up a trestle table, laid out his paper and massaged it flat, then waited for Leimur.
The Queen saw he was ready and dictated, “Dearest Ali-Tiste, We are making progress even faster than expected but we’ve run into a problem. King Jon Colbert presents an extremely dangerous element for a returning Wamhoff. It pains me to say this but perhaps you should stay at the palace with our boys. If you are to be caught in Donegal, the usurper king wouldn’t hesitate to kill all of you. For these reasons, please stay in the safety of Goldenfield and the royal palace. I have sent instructions to Bero Sandway to increase security around the palace. This new situation also brings to my attention that the extreme possibility of death exists. If that were to happen, I would like you to take custody of Huber and Romer. My wish would be for you to rule Goldenfield as regent until Huber is ready to be king. Raise them well. Don’t be easy on them, but shower them in love. They deserve it, our boys deserve love.” She looked at the scribe and said, “Now make sure that gets to the palace.”
“Yes, my Queen,” the scribe said. He waited for the Queen to affix her signature before he broke down his equipment and left.
Leimur didn’t sleep well that night. Her last major decision had ended in disaster and she worried about the marshlands all night long. Ali-Tiste had never taken an army across the Pyesville Marshlands or even traversed them herself. Leimur’s wise men assured her that the footwear they had designed should work in the swampiest of conditions. In theory, everything should work out, but everything should have worked out on the Rushing River. She realized that if she got more men killed because of a bad choice, she could face a mutiny.
The next day, they packed everything up and split into two divisions. The horses were fitted with their special, oversized shoes that were secured around their ankles. Crosshatched strips of bamboo were tied together with sinew and hemp string to distribute the weight evenly and allow the mud to handle the pressure better. The infantry used smaller shoes to get across the sinking earth.
The marshlands were sticky, slimy and muddy at the same time. Black trees grew out of the muck
and their twisted branches only made the crossing even harder to navigate. Legs and arms in various stages of decomposition stuck out of the mud and kept the area infested with bugs. Leimur could already feel them inside her armor and layers of clothes. The insects made her sweat even more in the sultry marshlands. The smell of the bodies started to hit her and make her gag. She wanted to throw up and strip her clothes off to swat away all the biting and pinching bugs. Despite experiencing the most uncomfortable feeling of her life, Leimur Leluc pressed ahead.
Shunning objections from anyone with a voice, the Queen heeled her horse and didn’t look back. General Rigby and Captain Tetine kept pace with Leimur. The special gear worked well as the sounds of crushed leaves and twigs below the horses’ shoes mingled with the buzzing of the insects and whistling of the birds. It got much hotter and more odious as they went farther and the sounds of the birds disappeared as the bugs became much louder. They got about one hundred feet into the steaming sludge and the horses adjusted to the awkward footwear. Leimur was starting to feel confident when she spotted a problem. The busted, fallen brush and leaves were matting into the small square openings. The shoes were sinking much deeper than before and the ground seemed to be getting looser as they moved forward.
Leimur ordered everyone to stop and dismount to clean the brush from the horses’ shoes. The insects had an insatiable appetite for blood, constantly attacking any exposed skin. The panicked Queen managed to close her eye just in time before a mosquito stung her eyelid. Blurry vision had to be moved down the priority list as she frantically tried to avoid sinking. The Queen of Goldenfield pried the leaves from her horse’s feet. Getting back on the horses proved to be quite a chore for everyone. Leimur dragged her body up with both hands on the saddle. She kicked her leg over, but the tar-like substance was all over the Queen when she got back on her mount.
She looked back through one eye and saw the other men struggling to get onto their animals. As they forged on, the conditions became worse and the horses sank deeper with every step. Leimur hoped she would wake up from this nightmare soon, but knew this wasn’t a dream.
Six Heads One Crown (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 3) Page 10
