The crew of less than one thousand had tentatively marched west, but Leimur planned to change that today. They stopped to set up camp and Tolaya approached with the words Leimur had been dreading, “My Queen, the General and council want to speak with you.”
She just nodded her head and got ready to deal with an unhappy group of advisors. Leimur entered the newly erected pavilion and sat down at the head of the rectangular table. She saw General Rigby, Captain Salina, Captain Tetine, Sir Randolf and Sir Pierre.
“Alright, I’ll make this quick. We are going back to Goldenfield. I’ll save you the trouble of trying to convince us that it is a good idea for you to send us back to our deaths,” General Rigby said sternly. He looked down at the table and avoided looking at the Queen.
Leimur stared at the circle of baldness on the General’s tanned head and spoke, “We can still take the King’s Castle.”
Rigby shook his lowered head as he talked, “We couldn’t take it by sneaking up on them. We walked in right behind an unprotected, unsuspecting king, and we couldn’t slit his throat. Now he’ll be in full armor, anticipating our every move.”
Leimur smiled and said, “Good. That’s exactly what I want. We aren’t going to take the castle from the King. We are going to cause a battle to capture the King of Donegal.”
Captain Tetine jumped in and sharply announced, “We hardly have any forces left after the last slaughtering.”
Leimur rebutted confidently, “A huge army of skilled warriors marches this way as you make talk about running home. You can leave as you will, but I shall have that crown by season’s end.”
Captain Salina asked sheepishly, “My Queen, what is the grand plan this time?”
“That is the beauty of the entire plan. I’ve been trying to play the games of crooked kings and queens. I forgot who I was, what Goldenfield stands for. I am a warrior. We are all warriors. We’ll start a big battle in an open field and do what we do best. We will make it a priority to capture their King at any cost. Then the crown will be as good as ours. I realized I had been putting all of you in unfamiliar situations. You aren’t sneaky, tactical fighters. Now I will let you be the open field warriors we all know ourselves to be. Go home right now if that’s what you wish, by all means, but I’m not leaving without a crown.” Leimur looked around and still didn’t think she had sold the proposition.
“I’m going home,” declared Sir Randolf.
“I’m staying,” Captain Salina chimed in.
“Leave,” announced Sir Pierre.
“I’ll stay to fight a real fight,” Captain Tetine said.
General Rigby finally looked up and made eye contact with Leimur as he asked, “What makes you believe we can win in open field battle?”
The Queen smiled and said, “Track records. When was the last time you lost in open field battle?”
The General shook his head quickly and responded, “Never.”
She proceeded to point to Captain Salina and Tetine, who both responded in the same way as Rigby.
Leimur said, “There you have it. Everyone is sure to lose at some point, but not all on the same day. We almost took their castle. I know we can win in open warfare and once we capture their King, we can retreat if necessary. We don’t need a resounding victory.”
The General scrunched his eyebrows together, giving the appearance of deep thought. “I’ll have to give the issue some further thought but it’s hard to refuse a proper fight for once, not trekking up mountains before even entering the battle. I was so damn tired by the time we had reached the King’s Castle, I could barely hold my sword. I’ll let you know soon.”
The meeting adjourned and Leimur raced to get back to her tent. She saw Tolaya waiting outside and asked, “Any messages?”
Tolaya looked disappointed and answered, “No, my Queen. I will check again.” The petite assistant ran off to check the message tent.
Nothing still? Where in all the kingdoms in all the world could they be? What am I supposed to think? I couldn’t even imagine that they are…no, they are perfectly fine. No harm has befallen them. They are just traveling outside the range of eyes and ears. That’s all. Tolaya will return any moment with a letter from Ali-Tiste.
Tolaya returned out of breath but wore a big smile. Leimur got excited, looked behind the young woman, and asked, “Any letters?”
Tolaya said, “No, my Queen.”
Then you should wipe that stupid smile from your face before I slap that smirk away. Why would she do that?
Leimur’s anger had manifested because she was stewing over the lack of communication from the people she loved the most. She wanted to win the crown of Donegal, but she had always planned to put the coronet on Ali-Tiste’s head. Her lover would rule until Astrid was ready to become a proper king. Now the capturing of a new kingdom took on a bit of a hollow meaning. The will to press on became less imperative when compared to finding her brothers. She had sent a few search parties out to find the group, but no one could locate them. The Queen barely ate anymore and her stomach almost always writhed in pain. Holding down food was a real chore.
SUNNY
Sunny looked across the open room at the crew that had stumbled through the door about a week ago. Kazu kept telling him that everyone in the group was very special and could be the key to victory against the demons. Sunny didn’t see it. He felt secure going into battle with the Cyclops and Russell, but everyone else was so tiny or frail, he couldn’t envision them serving a purpose in live battle. Muriel had become fast friends with Lizeria and actually got the shy girl to start talking more. They both spoke Lizeria’s native language of Nowa Bashan, which the new girl seemed more comfortable with.
An instructor put his hand on Sunny’s shoulder and whispered, “You are free to take your leave. Be sure not to go north, the demons are lurking.”
Sunny hated to break the rules but he headed straight for the northern beach. He arrived and stared into the oncoming waves rolling in. He hoped Dolpho or Ali-Ster would show up to provide some more insight into the overall situation. Being sequestered at the underground School always made him wonder about what was happening outside.
The twelve-year-old warrior pushed away the worries about the upcoming battle. Nobody had thorough details on the fighting styles or weapons of the coldomores other than handed-down stories that seemed to stretch the limits of the truth. The demons had only participated in two major wars and the last one had been five hundred years ago, so most of it sounded like pure fantasy to Sunny. When they had studied the armies of different kingdoms in class, they had been provided with detailed notes on the battle tendencies of different forces. None of those behaviors had been chronicled in any of the battle records of the demons. Sunny only hoped that the demons weren’t well-versed in the battle tactics of the humans.
A man appeared to be walking on water and coming toward Sunny. He recognized King Ali-Ster Wamhoff gliding up and over the waves as he continued coming in to the beach. Sunny waited for the rest of the Army of Undead Kings but no one else appeared. The former monarch sloshed up onto the pink pebbles and approached Sunny. The boy asked, “You’ve come alone today?”
Ali-Ster chuckled and said, “What gave you that idea? The rest of the Army is scouting the demons and their progress. I’ve come to tell you that they are stuck in between Venom Island and where we stand right now. You aren’t going to see Dolpho because the water dragons are working together to keep the tides swirling around in a big circle. The demons cannot move forward or return home. Their boats move along the outer edge of this ring, but are unable to break out and continue to Gama Traka. That is the good half of the news. The other half is that they are bringing a force of coldomores, dragons and wild animals unlike anything the earth has ever seen. They are well prepared for an all-out fight. Their army is huge and supplemented by three ships of flesh-eating beasts.”
Sunny had to ask, “Why don’t the water dragons just come up to the top and sink their entire fleet?”
Ali-Ster answered, “I had that same question too. The dragons have come up and sunk a few ships but Damian Doome’s aerial dragons have moved in to protect the coldomores. Their dragons keep diving into the green waters, attempting to catch our noble friends. We thought they might starve out there but they don’t eat much and have already sacrificed some of the smaller animals for the greater good.”
Sunny had a question. “Can the water dragons keep them inside the circle forever?”
Ali-Ster quickly shook his head and replied, “Highly doubtful. There aren’t enough of them to control a fleet of that size. They will eventually find the small openings and break through to land right here. Most of us are surprised they haven’t broken through yet.”
Sunny wanted to know, “So you are here to tell me that they could arrive at any time. We’ve been hearing that for months now.”
Ali-Ster laughed and said, “Yes, but the Army of Undead Kings has seen the demons firsthand, not through some storybook or poets’ words. We will come ahead to warn you, but always be ready. I don’t know how much advance notice we can provide.”
Ali-Ster said, “You’re scared. Not to worry, it’s perfectly natural. I had all the training a prince could ever ask for before I was sent away to war. It did little good as I rode into that first battle and thought my heart would bust through my thumping chest. You will see the overwhelmed men start to die and you will either join them or you will feel the burning rage inside, stirring around your body. It will precipitate you to do anything possible to not end up like your fallen brothers. Once you sink your sword into a few of your enemies’ bodies, you’ll become numb to all the killing and death. Once you realize that someone else’s sword can deliver the same destruction, something is set off in your head, your eyes widen and you’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive. All the physical pain you have caused your opponents in practice will pale in comparison to the first man or demon you lay down forever. It’s easier to kill a demon, I should think, but don’t allow it to swallow your mind. That is your most important weapon on the field of battle. I watched some of the most legendary swordsmen die because they gave in to that fear. Don’t allow it to happen. Luckily, I don’t have that problem as I am already dead.”
Sunny asked, “So you can’t be killed?”
Ali-Ster returned, “No, what I meant was that it’s hard to be scared of death, if you’ve already gone through it. The Army of Undead Kings can be killed just as easily as a living human and to top it off we aren’t even guaranteed we will get back into the heavens. An oath and sacrifice we accepted to help save the world.”
Sunny realized he had been gone from the underground lair for a while and said, “I must return to the School but when will I see you again?”
The former king said, “When the time is right. I need to move inland to see the rulers of Gama Traka.”
Sunny quickly asked, “The Triumvirate. Why?”
Ali-Ster explained, “I need to recruit a greater number of warriors to fend off the demons. I don’t believe the students of the School can stave off this advance on their own.”
Sunny tried to warn him, “But the Triumvirate has a long-standing reputation for not granting any requests from their citizens, not to mention the cruelty and injustice they practice. They could kill you just for asking.”
Ali-Ster gave him a goofy grin and said, “They could, but this is a chance to save all of mankind. This is much bigger than just me and if I have to sacrifice my life again, I took the oath. I can’t turn my back now as this might be our only hope to secure victory. I must take action. This could end up being more valuable than the actual fighting.”
Sunny closed by saying, “I wish you the best of luck and truly hope to see you again.”
The two redheads walked in silence until Ali-Ster veered to the right and Sunny continued toward the School. He entered through the back entrance and walked down the main hallway. He saw the new group sitting around a long rectangular table made of driftwood in the library. He entered to see Kazu, Dragon-Eyes, Russel, Dioneer, Riceros, Lizeria, Muriel and Shireez.
He sat down as Dragon-Eyes said, “Sunny, I need to have a few words with you and your sister.”
“Alright,” Sunny agreed and immediately popped back up. The Imp Wizard jumped down from his chair and landed awkwardly. He used his hand to brace himself and get back onto to his feet. The old man moved slower than a sloth bear as he led them to Kazu’s quarters.
They sat at a small table made of reinforced bamboo. Sunny wondered what this reverse aging man wanted to say. The Imp gave a warm smile and started by saying, “Look at the two of you. I never thought I would see you again.” See us again? Who is this man?
The dwarf continued, “I am here to tell you where you both have come from. Ollor was a father to you, but he was never your true father. I know you are probably tired of hearing that you are special, but you are, and it might have to do with the mystery of your births. The long and the short will reveal that you both come from royalty.”
Muriel and Sunny perked up as Dragon Eyes continued. He looked at Sunny and said, “Ali-Sundry Wamhoff, Prince of Donegal, trueborn son of King Ali-Stanley and Queen Emilia. You were sent away because of your deformed lip. The King wanted to keep his own hands clean of the matter, so he had his men put you out in the woods to be eaten by hungry animals. Ollor and I searched the King’s Woods to save you from a sad end. We split up and I finally found you. However, wolves and rabid foxes had you surrounded. I panicked. I shot fire from my eyes and engulfed the entire circle of animals in flames. In my haste, I also severely burned a newborn child. I looked down on a charred black body but I didn’t even have a chance to shed a tear. Before my tiny eyes, I saw your transformation back into a normal, living baby boy. The dead animals provided enough warning for others to keep clear and Ollor eventually stumbled upon you.”
I’m not so sure I believe this guy. Dolpho said to be wary of a dark spirit. Maybe this is the demon I have been forewarned about. His eyes look fiery but I hardly think he has dragon-like qualities. Stories can inflate the skills of a warrior or wizard.
He remained silent as Dragon-Eyes went on, “Ollor’s wife couldn’t produce a child, which made you very special to him. Ollor raised you in Donegal until it became too dangerous to harbor an expelled prince in his native land. He took you to Goldenfield to stay for a brief period until you were ready for Androsi. I came across Ollor and you when the vital piece of news arrived.”
An excited Muriel asked, “What news?”
Dragon-Eyes smiled at the little girl and said, “The news of another member of a royal family being cast away. The new princess apparently had an issue with her feet. King Pascal Leluc and Queen Harla planned to send their baby down the Rushing River on a floating bassinet. They were certain the nasty beasts of the water would devour their daughter and therefore, they could avoid the curse that comes with killing a castaway. But luckily, Princess Muriel Leluc, sister of Leimur Leluc, wasn’t quite ready to die. Ollor rescued you from certain death as well. He kept you hidden in Goldenfield until you were of age to be moved to Androsi. So as you both can see, you are indeed very special children. I was convinced you were the ones who would lead the water dragons. Ollor was to deliver both of you to this School to prepare for the eventual battle against Damian Doome. You look a little overwhelmed, my dear, do you have any questions?”
Muriel stuttered, “I…I…I don’t know.”
Sunny needed to know and asked, “How could our parents throw us aside so easily?”
The calm wizard tried to explain, “Widespread belief in both kingdoms was that children born with deformities could be demons or demonic creatures in human form. Most believe them to be inherently evil but don’t want to actually do the killing themselves because the curse has been said to transfer to the killer. So they send them away to be sorted out by the Gods. Most parents find this to be the easiest solution. Look at the both of you, poised to save the families
that once sent you away.”
Muriel made an observation, “If we had been raised as a princess and prince we wouldn’t be anywhere near here. We’d be sitting in a castle praying for someone else to save us from the demons.”
Everything surprisingly made sense to Sunny. Now he knew why he looked exactly like Ali-Ster. He didn’t get mad about being cast away because he had never known castle life and what he had missed out on. He worried about Muriel and how she would react to this news.
The Imp spoke in a gentle voice, “Have you seen Ollor lately?”
Sunny told Dragon-Eyes all the stories about Ollor including the final time he had seen his father figure.
A-RICEROS
Riceros sat in the library of the School of the Learned Warrior. He felt the eyes of the old man staring at him again and quickly glanced over. Kazu looked away and Riceros wondered why the old man kept doing that. Dragon-Eyes had taken Sunny and Muriel away to talk to them. Everyone endured an awkward silence while trying to look around without making eye contact with each other. Riceros looked at several books that he would like to read after the battle. He pulled out his black slab and looked down. His eyes widened as he read the words, “We must see you before the war. Sneak outside and be absolutely certain you are alone before you draw your wings and fly up to our lair in the sky.”
Riceros looked around the table and said, “I need to go outside for a bit.”
Kazu narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why?”
Riceros stumbled with the words as he said, “I need to see the sun again before we go off to battle. My senses are a bit off.” Why did I just say that? That was so obvious. They’ll never believe that.
Kazu responded, “That is fine. Do be careful.”
Dioneer spoke up, “He need not be careful. I will escort him to fulfill the oath that I took.”
Six Heads One Crown (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 3) Page 22
