The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3)

by Mike Shelton

  “Mar will be even warmer. The desert holds the heat later into the evening.” He brought up his hand in front of her and flourished his fingers back and forth a moment to bring up a cool breeze. “Here you go.”

  Christine laughed. “Oh, thank you. That’s much better.”

  Even after Darius’s hand stopped moving, a magical force continued to blow a cool wind into the queen’s face, lifting her curls on the side of her hair.

  “What good is being a wizard if I can’t use the power to help the ones I love?”

  A distant sound alerted Darius, and he stood and gazed around with sharp eyes. His guards noticed his sudden tense behavior and moved in closer, casting a questioning look at him.

  “Someone is coming down the road. A lone rider at breakneck speed.”

  One of the guards went up the small bank to alert the others. The other two guards stood by Christine and Darius. The rider was stopped by Roland, then told him the need to talk to the King. When the rider removed his hooded cloak, the guards gasped. It was a girl. She shook her hair and let it fall back down over her shoulders. Straight, dark hair framed her pale, youthful face. They stood and gawked a moment.

  “Haven’t you ever seen a girl before, boys?” She mocked them with her sparkling blue eyes but smiled sweetly. Darius walked to where she was.

  She bowed to him, “Your Majesty, I presume?”

  “Yes, and who are you?” He reached his hand toward her but pulled back before touching her. He didn’t know what made him decide to keep his distance from the lady, but he did.

  “I am Taliana Penrose. Governor Penrose’s daughter. He sent me to warn you. The messenger that you sent to us was ambushed after asking for the ambassador. The ambassador had to leave rather quickly a few days ago after an incident.”

  Darius raised his brows but said nothing. What had Kelln got himself in the middle of this time?

  Taliana continued, “The ambassador ran into some problems. Someone from the Thieves’ Guild was following him, and Rapp and I saved him.”

  “Saved him?” the King asked. He wasn’t quite following the girl’s words.

  “Yes, well, we distracted the man following him and brought him to one of my father’s houses. My father, the governor, is a good man, your Majesty, and is trying to clean up Mar and make things better. He and Ambassador El’Han were going to talk about these things, but another visitor showed up, a man named Mr. El’Lan.” Taliana paused. “He and Kelln did not get along well. In fact, I think Mr. El’Lan threatened to kill your ambassador.”

  “Should I know this Mr. El’Lan?” He regarded his wife and the others. They shook their heads in the negative.

  “I believe Kelln addressed him as the Preacher.”

  Darius felt his hand go involuntarily to his sword, his face flushed, and his power flared up inside him. The sword began to glow. The girl standing opposite him appeared surprised at his power surge. She brought her hands up in front of her with obvious intentions of defending herself. Christine put her hand on her husband’s arm, and his anger was replaced with the love and concern of her touch.

  Darius gave the girl a hard stare. “Where is my ambassador?”

  Taliana finished her report. “We sent Kelln away a few days ago. He mentioned having to go to White Island for you. Given the circumstances, my father recommends not coming to Mar at this time. We will let your messenger rest and return to you when he is feeling better. He was roughed up quite a bit.”

  Darius was about to ask why the governor had sent his teen daughter out on the road by herself, but he sighed as he remembered her defensive posture as his power flared. She had powers also. The others gathered around him, awaiting his decision.

  “Your Majesty.” Roland came forward. “We can go around Mar, west of the city, and catch the road heading to Sur. Travel will be harder with a group this size since the ground is sandy and not well for traveling, but it is doable.”

  Lightning nuzzled up next to Darius. His wife’s Cremelino was trying to get his attention. My brothers and sisters would like to meet you, wizard. A side trip to White Island is not too far, and you may find Kelln there.

  “Why do I suspect you keep nudging me to your homeland? I tried to send Kelln there, but now it seems that to find him, I must go also. What are you not telling me?” He sent his concerns to the horse.

  An amused feeling came over him from the magical creature. There are many things we do not share with others; however, we make many exceptions for you, young Wizard King. You are our hope; the prophecy guides all we do.

  “The prophecy again,” Darius muttered.

  “Excuse me, Sire?” Roland asked.

  Darius had been quiet for a few moments while communicating with Lightning. Christine looked at him expectantly.

  Darius turned to Roland and said, “Your men will need to care for my wife.”

  “Darius?” Christine blurted. “What are you talking about? You’re not thinking of leaving me, are you?”

  I will take care of her, Wizard, as if my life depended on it, Lightning voiced in his mind.

  Darius and Christine heard the Cremelino, but the others, who had become somewhat used to this silent exchange between horse and their King and his wife, waited patiently. Darius drew Christine off to one side to speak in hushed tones.

  “I don’t like this, Darius. Lightning is always so cryptic in her answers. I feel a sense of danger from her.”

  “As do I.” Darius put his arm around his beloved queen. “That’s why I think this is the best. You are not feeling well. I need to go to White Island for some reason.” He glanced over at Lightning.

  “Why don’t we stay the night here and think about it some more?” Christine offered. “Maybe send a messenger to Kelln instead.”

  “No, Christine. More time won’t make a difference.” Darius knew, as a wizard of the heart, he tended to make quick decisions based on what he felt. Sometimes they were brash and needed to be checked, but he felt a strong compulsion toward White Island.

  “I have to go,” he continued. “Lightning is right. There is a reason for me to travel to the Cremelino’s home. I can feel the importance, though I don’t know why. I need to talk to Kelln also and find out what we can do about the Preacher.”

  Christine hugged him as if she didn’t want to let him go. Lightning came over and gave her comfort also.

  Darius informed the group that he would travel to White Island while the rest would travel back through Anikari and on to Sur from there. Darius would meet up with them in Sur after taking care of matters on White Island and Mar.

  “I will travel to White Island with you also,” Taliana declared.

  Roland gave a sudden grin. “I will accompany the King also, and I will be happy to be your protector, my lady. My King is used to handling himself.” He smiled at Darius.

  “Don’t patronize me, guard man. I can hold my own,” Tali said.

  “Guard man?” Roland choked and turned red.

  Everyone else laughed at his obvious discomfort.

  “I am the captain of the King’s guard,” he stated formally, “and I will protect you, little girl.” He said the last part in mock imitation of how she had addressed him.

  Without warning, Roland jumped in the air with a yelp. He reached back and rubbed his behind. “What the . . . ?”

  “I am not a little girl. As I said, I can handle myself.”

  “How did you do that?” Roland muttered. “You didn’t even move.”

  “There are lots of things a woman of power can do.” Taliana smiled.

  “Oh no, not another wizard,” Roland groaned. “Is there anyone else who needs protecting?” He spread his hands wide in mock supplication. The crowd laughed and joined in Roland’s mirth.

  Darius motioned Roland to the side and addressed the others in the group. “Roland and Taliana will come with me. The rest of you will ride back to Anikari with the queen. After a few days of rest, you will accompany the queen to Sur.
Roland and I will meet up with you there to meet with the people of Sur and the Kingdom of Arc’s leaders.”

  Turning, he called Taliana to his side. “Using the power is not a game,” he admonished.

  Taliana looked down, cheeks red, and curtsied. “Forgive me, Sire.”

  Darius felt her contrition. “No need to dwell on the past.” He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

  “My Lord, there are rumors you have powers as I do, though I guess you are much more powerful. Is that true?”

  “It is.” Darius still had a hard time realizing what he was. “I am a wizard of the heart.”

  Taliana smiled. “Is that how you convinced your queen to marry you?” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Darius laughed. “Taliana, you are going to be a handful, aren’t you?”

  “Call me Tali.” She examined the sky and watched a flock of birds flying overhead. They were coming from the west. “Must be a storm coming. We should hurry.”

  Darius’s eyes opened wider at that knowledge.

  “My powers are in the earth . . . as are my father’s.”

  “The governor of Mar is a wizard?” Darius found this all too much. At first, he thought he was the only one. Since then he had found Mezar; Alastair, the father of the Preacher; the Preacher himself; and now this girl and her father, the governor of one of his most troubled cities. “And I thought I was all alone.” He wondered how many others had powers that they kept hidden for fear of retribution. He would have to remedy that.

  Darius walked over to Christine, who was sitting on the ground next to Lightning. She looked pale and sick. “I won’t be gone long. In a week or two, we will both be back together in Sur.”

  “I know.” She reached up her hands to him, and he pulled her up and close, her slender body folding into his. “It’s just this is the first time we have been separated since you returned to Anikari.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Darius held her closer and sent his power of love into her. She relaxed in his arms and breathed out in slow rhythms. Christine turned her head up to his and kissed him.

  He whispered, “You need some rest, Christine. You are only a day’s ride back to the city. I hate to leave you, too, but I need to go to White Island. It is drawing me more now that we are closer. I will see you in a week or no more than ten days.”

  Christine stayed in his arms and sighed but didn’t say anything.

  After a few moments, Lightning nudged them, and they turned around. The entire group was standing and watching Darius and Christine. They had deep smiles on their faces. Most of them had served under King Edward and were still getting used to the ways of their young King and his wife.

  Darius gazed over his subjects and thought of them as his friends. He loved his people. He spread his hands outward and raised his palms up, spreading a trickle of the love he felt outward for them to feel. They received it wide-eyed and dropped to one knee in reverence of their leader.

  Roland, always the one to keep things moving, stood back up first. “My Lord, the young girl—” He stumbled on his words. “I mean, the young lady from Mar is correct: it does look like a storm coming. If we all leave now, the queen and her group should reach Forest View before the storm. Those of us going with you might not be so lucky.”

  Turning to his wife’s group, Darius said, “We will meet up with you in Sur.” Then he turned and with his group galloped off in a northeasterly direction. He turned around once, waving and smiling at his young wife.

  Give greetings and love to my family. Darius listened to Lightning’s voice inside his head.

  Chapter Four

  THE PRINCE OF ARC

  Sean San Ghant sat in the parlor of the mayor’s home. The town of Toth sat on the border of Arc and the Realm in a small valley at the mouth of a pass. The road through Toth led between the Superstition Mountains and served as the checkpoint for goods going between the two kingdoms. The road was treacherous but navigable, and through the years, quite a large population of guides and hardened trackers had made Toth their home. Technically it sat on the Arc side of the border, but people from many lands could be found among its citizens. The population held quite a mixed marriage of races and cultures.

  The room, much more rustic than Sean’s tastes ran, was comfortable, though not large. He had the good pleasure of the mayor’s daughter to bring him some morning refreshments. Her skin tone favored a dusty brown mixture of the darker Gildanian and the lighter Arc parentage. Her blue eyes were slightly turned. He rubbed his hand over his close-cropped light hair and winked his thanks at her. She smiled back with flushed cheeks.

  Sean had been in the city for over two months now, establishing his front as the son of a successful trader. By his looks, others supposed him of Anikarian heritage, but he never offered the information, and others never pushed it. He was vague on purpose so as not to focus anyone’s attention on him. Twice so far, he had to hide from visitors from the Realm that he recognized.

  Soon Sean would meet his contact from inside the Kingdom of Arc. He had been planting seeds of discontent against the Realm with the mayor and other local nobles and traders in the important border town. It didn’t take much to fire up age-old animosity toward their neighboring kingdom. Historically, the Realm under both Kings Edward and Charles had been monetarily successful, border taxes had been raised, and an air of supremacy had developed. Sean played the part of a disgruntled son looking for opportunity. If that meant betrayal of his country, it didn’t matter to him. They had betrayed him by putting Darius on the throne, a man who hadn’t cared about his noble heritage.

  The door opened, and he felt the cooler mountain breeze blow into the room. In the doorway stood two men dressed in the finery of Arc. They both had on black boots and pants. A white shirt stuck out only slightly from the black jacket and cloaks they wore. Although identical in dress, the two men were opposite in physical stature. One favored the truer Arc heritage of blond hair on top of a tall, slender body. While the other stood shorter, with brown hair, and of a heavier build. Both carried an aura of danger around them.

  Sean, deciding these were the men he was to meet, stood up and walked toward them with an air of importance. He smoothed down his own richly made clothes on his way to them.

  “Good day, sirs. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He looked around to make sure the mayor’s daughter was out of the parlor room. “We have a lot of business to discuss.”

  The thinner man put his hand on his sword hilt and anger flashed in his light eyes. “We don’t have any business to discuss with you, Realm spy.”

  Sean‘s jaw dropped in surprise. Stammering, he tried to regain control. “Spy? Spy? No, no. You have things all wrong.”

  “Seems to me you might have things all wrong,” the thinner man continued. He seemed to be a few years older than Sean. “You say you are a trader, but I see nothing being traded, you reek of Anikarian nobility with your speech and clothes, and you are trying to get in the good graces of our local leaders. What is it you are looking for?”

  “Looking for?” Sean repeated, then became angry. “I am looking for you. I was told to meet a contact here, and I’ve been waiting for weeks trying to keep myself busy. You are wasting my time now.”

  The larger, older man took a step forward and said his first words. The accent was not one that Sean recognized, but the intent he did. “You will speak respectfully to the prince, or you will be removed from his presence.”

  The prince? Sean’s mind whirled around as he tried to remember who the King of Arc even was. The Preacher had said nothing about getting involved with the Prince. This was more dangerous than he had intended. He had to be careful. He needed to smooth things over.

  Bowing low, Sean apologized, “I am sorry, your Highness. I seem to have forgotten my manners while sitting in this mountain pass. I assure you I meant no disrespect. I’m sure you are busy, and I appreciate the time taken to come to me.”

  The larger man, obviously
the younger’s body guard, stepped back and seemed to relax, though Sean was sure that could change in a moment’s notice.

  “You will come with us,” the prince instructed. He motioned toward the door. “Now.”

  Sean was annoyed at having to leave some things behind, but he recognized the opportunity of the moment and followed.

  Outside of the mayor’s house stood three guards, dressed the same as the two men he'd already met. The prince motioned one of the men forward.

  “Tie his wrists and set him on a horse with one of the men. He will be taken and tried,” the prince ordered.

  Sean couldn’t believe what was happening. Maybe these weren’t his contacts. “Prince Bronwyn, as I said before, there has been a misunderstanding. I am no spy; just a merchant’s son trying to make my way in life. My benefactor told me to meet a contact here to discuss some important business.”

  The prince ignored Sean’s plea. “We ride to Herro. If we hurry, we can be there by nightfall.”

  Sean tried once again to get the prince’s attention, but one of the guards grabbed him in a rough manner, tied a rope around his wrists, set him on a horse in front of another guard, and told him that if he caused any trouble, he would ride unconscious the rest of the way.

  Herro was the closest major city to the border, and after riding hard all day, they arrived at the small castle of the local ruler. On the backside of the Superstition Mountains, the ground was not as green and the air drier, but was still comfortable compared to the rest of the desert kingdom.

  One of the guards had given Sean some food and allowed him to drink water each time they stopped to rest the horses, but his wrists ached. The skin under the ropes had been rubbed raw. This was the first time the young noble had been outside of the Realm. He thought it would be more exciting. Now he began to fear for his life.

  Sean was dragged off the horse and marched into the manor. The prince ordered a guard to get him cleaned up and present him at the dining table to join them in a meal. The Preacher had promised him power, and so he took a deep breath and tried to maintain a show of confidence. Being a noble from the Realm should still get him the respect he deserved.