Prince of Malorn (Annals of Alasia Book 3)

by Annie Douglass Lima

  “So, by ‘a royal welcome’ you think Rampus means he’s going to try to kill you?” Ernth inquired with interest. At last things were starting to get more exciting.

  “Definitely.” Korram turned to his mother and sister. “What do you think? Do I really need to go to Alasia so soon, or can I pretend I didn’t get the message in time or that my army isn’t ready yet?”

  “I think it’s a little late to pretend that, dear,” his mother told him. “Rampus probably already knows the truth from his informants. No, I think you’ll have to go.”

  “And our army is ready,” Ernth pointed out, eager for action. “You said yesterday how good we’re all getting now.”

  “Yes, but just because we’re good doesn’t mean we’re prepared to take on Rampus yet.” Korram was looking suddenly nervous. “I didn’t think we’d have to actually do anything this soon.”

  “But what he said fits perfectly with what we were planning already,” Thel pointed out. “You wanted to go and talk to the Alasian leader, and now this Dannel person can tell you exactly where to find him. You can pretend you’re going to attack like Rampus wants, but when you get close you’ll meet with the leader and try to get him to help you.”

  “But by the time I get there, the soldiers will probably all be gone or dead,” Korram reminded her. “You heard what Rampus is planning.”

  “Get there early and warn them,” his mother suggested.

  Korram considered this. “To do that, I’d have to try to talk to them no later than Friday evening. Which means my army would have to leave the foothills no later than Friday morning, which means I’d need to get back and let them know by the end of Thursday, which means Thel and Ernth and I would have to leave here Thursday morning. Tomorrow.” He ran a hand through his hair. “So I wouldn’t be able to stay for the High Council meeting after all.” Rising to his feet, he started to pace back and forth. “Jeskie picked up the new spears today, or at least he was planning to, assuming they were ready on time. We parted ways after we got into town. He’ll take longer than we will to get back to camp, traveling on a loaded wagon, but if he leaves Sazellia at dawn, he can still be there before the end of the day. There won’t be much time for anyone to practice with the new weapons, though.”

  Ernth shrugged off the objection. “We don’t need to. The Lowlander soldiers are pretty good now.” He couldn’t help grinning. “Finally we get to do something besides just practice! And then once we’re finished in Alasia we can all go home. I can’t wait to return to the mountains again.”

  Thel didn’t look nearly so enthusiastic. “I’ve been enjoying our time in the Lowlands,” she objected. “Of course I want to go home too, but not just yet.”

  Korram seemed pleased that she felt that way. “In any case, we need to make a more specific plan,” he reminded all of them. “Knowing Rampus, he doesn’t intend even to let me get to Almar alive.”

  “But that’s where the Alasians could help,” put in Thel. “Maybe some of their soldiers could come with you or even show you a different way to get to the city.” She leaned forward in her seat, growing more excited about her own idea. “When we arrive, you can pretend you’re happy to see Rampus, but we can all surround him and tie him up when he isn’t expecting it!”

  Korram nodded. “Something along those lines might work. But Rampus will think it strange if I try to bring my soldiers into the Alasian palace. And he’s bound to be surrounded by guards of his own.”

  “Why don’t you send for Dannel again, Sire?” suggested the music player from his seat by the fire. “Have him tell you exactly where the Alasian army is camped, to start with, and then if you get him talking, perhaps you’ll learn a little about how the regent’s headquarters are laid out. We might discover some clue that would give us an idea about where and how you could meet with him.”

  Dannel, when he returned to the room, seemed eager to help. “I have a map of Alasia, Sire,” he told Korram, pulling out a large, folded piece of parchment from his jacket pocket. He knelt on the floor and smoothed out his map on the low table before them.

  The marks on the parchment meant nothing to Ernth, though he could see that they weren’t the same kind of marks Lowlanders used to send messages to each other. These ones almost seemed to form a picture, but nothing in the picture actually looked like anything real. That is, except for a drawing of a cluster of trees near a wavy line at the bottom.

  Thel peered at the parchment with interest. “What exactly is this? It looks like a drawing, but I don’t understand what it’s trying to show.”

  “It shows the shape of Alasia, my lady,” Dannel told her. “This line along the sides and top is the coastline, with the ocean beyond. The dots represent cities; this one in the north is Almar, the capital. The wavy line at the bottom is the Grenn River, which separates Alasia from Malorn. These trees beside the river show the location of a forest called the Southern Woods, where the Alasian army has their hidden base.”

  “Why do they call it a forest if it has so few trees?” Ernth wondered. “And how could anyone stay hidden in a place like that for long?”

  Korram grinned, and his sister put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. But Thel looked puzzled too, and Dannel explained it. “Actually, sir, this drawing isn’t intended to show the true number of trees in the forest. Only a few have been drawn, just to represent the fact that there is a forest in that location.”

  “So where exactly are the soldiers?” Korram demanded.

  Dannel took out a small knife and scratched a tiny mark in the center of the picture of the trees. “Right here, my lord. When you come to three large boulders by the forest’s edge, you can travel due west from that point and you’ll run straight into their main camp.”

  “Tell me more about this ambush and what the regent is planning,” Korram ordered.

  “Well, Sire, we have learned that the enemy is plotting an attack on the palace through a secret tunnel that begins somewhere in the hills outside the city,” Dannel began.

  Korram sat up straight. “There’s a secret tunnel leading into their palace?”

  “Yes, your Highness, though unfortunately we have been unable to discover the exact location of either of its ends,” Dannel replied. “We know only that the Alasian soldiers are confident they can get to it without being seen by anyone in Almar. It leads into the palace, presumably a cellar or basement, but so far our men have not found the opening. However, the regent plans to fill the whole bottom floor and the grounds with our soldiers that night, so we will be ready for them regardless.”

  “I see. All right, Dannel, thank you.” Korram seized the map and folded it up. “I’ll keep this; I may need it later. In the meantime, you’re dismissed. Tell the regent I’ll see him soon and that I’m looking forward to taking part in our glorious victory over the Alasians.”

  Dannel looked a little surprised to be sent away so suddenly, but he stood and bent over again. “I’ll give him your message, your Highness. It has been my pleasure to serve. If I can do you any other service, you have only to name it.”

  The cat seemed relieved when he left. The instant the door was shut, Korram burst into gleeful laughter. “There’s a secret tunnel! Can you believe it? That’s perfect!”

  “You weren’t very subtle, dear,” his mother scolded. “The man may very well suspect something’s afoot now.”

  Korram shrugged off her warning. “Let him think I had just heard all the information I needed. Which I have! We can warn the Alasians to cancel their attack on Friday, send our own troops into the secret tunnel on Saturday, and then they can be waiting to burst out and help me arrest Rampus after I arrive.”

  “But what about all those soldiers Rampus is going to have waiting in the palace?” Thel objected.

  “When the Alasians don’t attack on Friday night after all, he’ll think they changed their plans,” Korram told her. “Nobody plots a surprise attack for the middle of the day, so he’ll send his troops away at least un
til the next night.”

  “Not so fast,” his mother cautioned. “How do you plan to get your army into this secret tunnel if Rampus’s people can’t even find it?”

  Korram refused to be discouraged. “The Alasians can show us the way.”

  “The Alasians may not be very enthusiastic about revealing a secret like that to a foreigner,” his mother warned. “Until Rampus is actually in chains and our military is out of their kingdom, they may have trouble believing you’re actually on their side.”

  Korram considered this. “Then I’ll ask their ranking officer to send some of his own men through the tunnel instead. He doesn’t even have to let me see where it is. Anyway, I don’t need to figure out every single detail right now. I’ll have time to flesh out my plans in the next couple of days, and the Alasians will probably have some ideas of their own, too.”

  Korram’s mother still didn’t look happy. “It’s a risky plan, dear.” She reached out to smooth down his hair, which was standing on end the way it always did after Korram ran his hands through it. “Please be careful.” For a moment Ernth thought she was going to ask him not to do it. In some ways she reminded him of his own mother, who was still overprotective toward him now and then, even though he had been Accepted more than two years ago.

  But perhaps she remembered that Korram was an adult now too and could take care of himself. Instead of warning him again, she smiled, her expression a combination of sadness, worry, and pride. Exactly the way my mother looked at me right before I went off to attempt the Rite of Acceptance.

  “Don’t worry,” Thel urged her, noticing her expression too. “Ernth and I will take care of Korram and make sure nothing bad happens to him. Ernth owes him his life, after all, and I – well, I met him on the Rite of Acceptance.”

  It was funny the way no one else in the room – not even Korram – had any idea what that meant. But his mother nodded seriously. “I’m glad my son has friends like the two of you,” she told them both. “I trust you’ll help him through the challenges he’s going to face and make sure he returns home safely.”

  Part 4: Alasia

  Chapter 22

  “Dannel should have come with us,” Ernth grumbled two days later as the army paused for a brief rest on the bank of the largest river he had ever seen. The Grenn was much too deep to wade and too wide for their horses to swim across. They had heard that Rampus had created some sort of temporary bridge, but it was hard for Ernth to picture any method that would allow a whole army to cross a body of water this wide. “Dannel could probably have told us where the other army got over,” he pointed out, watching Korram run his hands through his hair and stare across the water.

  “I didn’t want to bring Dannel because when we got to the Southern Woods he’d see that we were going to talk to the Alasians, not attack them,” explained Korram patiently from beside Ernth. “He works for Rampus, remember? I don’t want him telling the regent what we’re up to. Anyway, he probably had to return to Almar and report for his next assignment.” Korram glanced down at the map he held. “This doesn’t show where the best place to cross is, but surely it can’t be much further now.”

  “If we just keep riding along the bank, we’re bound to find the spot eventually, Sire,” Sergeant Sanjik pointed out from Korram’s other side. They had been following the river, twists and turns and all, instead of traveling in a straight line as they would have if they had known exactly where they were going.

  “And if we don’t find the bridge soon, we could try turning around and going the other direction, away from the city,” Ernth suggested. “You said the river gets wider but shallower at the place where it flows into the ocean. Maybe we can find a spot to ford it.”

  “The delta wouldn’t be a good place to cross,” Korram told him. “The Grenn splits into scores of little channels that crisscross each other in a huge reeking swamp spreading over dozens of square miles. The place is full of snakes, the ground is soft and marshy, and there aren’t any reliable paths across as far as I know. People joke about travelers getting lost in the swamp and wandering around for years trying to find a way out.”

  “But closer to Sazellia there’s the ferry crossing, your Highness,” the sergeant pointed out. “There are nearly five hundred of us now, so it would take a long time to get everyone across that way. But if the temporary bridge has been dismantled, it would be better than nothing.”

  “What’s a ferry?” Ernth wondered.

  “It’s the large raft that people usually use to cross the Grenn,” Sanjik told him. “There’s a rope that stretches all the way across the river, attached to posts on either side, and the raft is connected to a pulley system. Merchants or travelers pay a fee, and the ferryman lets them on board and pulls on the rope to move the raft from one bank to the other. It’s large enough to hold a loaded wagon, but we’d have to make dozens of trips to get all our people and horses across. There are fishing villages here and there where the people would have boats, but not many are large or sturdy enough for horses.”

  Ernth had no idea what the man was talking about, but in any case, they were wasting time. His friend obviously felt the same way. “Let’s just keep going for now,” Korram told Sanjik.

  The sergeant turned in his saddle and blew one medium blast on his whistle and then one short one: the signal that meant Forward, march! Then he led the way downstream once more, Korram and Ernth just behind, the joint army following. Ernth was proud that he got to ride in front, due to the fact that he was Korram’s bodyguard. Thel came next leading her platoon, followed by all the other corporals with their own platoons. Captain Ebbrem and his Lowlander soldiers brought up the rear.

  The only person who wasn’t with them was Jeskie. Though he was smart and resourceful, the boy had no weapon and had not been allowed to join in their military training, so Korram had sent the disappointed youngster back to Sazellia where he would be safe. But if the look on his face had been any indication, Ernth suspected that Jeskie would try to sneak after them and join in the action somehow.

  When they rounded the next bend in the river, Ernth, Korram, and all the others stared in astonishment.

  “That must be the temporary bridge,” Thel exclaimed unnecessarily. Before them stretched what looked like a long, jointed wooden snake. As they drew closer Ernth saw that it was made of a lot of flat, square wooden platforms floating on the surface of the water, each tied to the one beyond. The closest one was fastened securely to two wooden poles that had been driven into the ground on the bank.

  “It’s like a whole set of rafts turned into a bridge,” Sanjik marveled. “So that’s how they did it!”

  “It looks a little unsteady, but I suppose if all Rampus’s men and their horses could get across, we can do it too,” murmured Korram. He eyed the floating pieces of wood doubtfully. “It would probably be safer to dismount and lead the horses than try to ride across.”

  Sanjik glanced at Ernth. “Can any of your people swim?”

  “Swim?” Ernth echoed. “Why would we need to swim in the mountains? There aren’t any rivers like this up there. Just streams we can wade across.”

  “Well, then you’ll have to be careful to keep your balance and not fall in,” Sanjik warned. “If you’ve never walked on something that moves under your feet, it might not be as easy as you think. Don’t let your horses panic and fall overboard either.”

  Ernth raised his chin proudly. “We can do it. Hungry and I will go first to show everyone how.”

  Korram frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Maybe I should go first. I know how to swim.”

  “I can do this, Prince of Malorn.” Ernth glared at him. He turned to see the rest of the army on their horses in formation behind him, all watching. “I’m not going to fall in.”

  “Well, take it slowly,” advised Korram. “We’ll wait and let you get all the way to the other side before anyone else tries it.”

  Ernth slid off Hungry’s back and led her forward with one han
d on her withers. She stopped at the bank, rolling her eyes nervously at the floating bridge.

  “Come on, Hungry,” Ernth urged her, stroking her neck. She extended a leg, felt one of the boards drift a little with the current under it, and hastily backed away.

  “Try walking on it yourself first,” Korram suggested from behind.

  “I was just going to do that.” Ernth stepped forward, and the bridge swayed alarmingly under his feet. He waved his arms for balance, determined not to fall with hundreds of people watching. Feet spread wide apart, he took a step, and then another, slowly getting used to keeping his balance with the motion of the water.

  The creak of wood and the wet thud of the rafts bumping into each other bothered him, but walking on the floating planks wasn’t as hard as Ernth had thought once he got used to it. He tried a few more steps and then carefully turned and made his way back to the bank. “All right, Hungry. You can do it. You saw me do it already,” he pointed out, stroking her once again. “And you’ve got four legs, so it will be easier to keep your balance. Come on; show all the other horses how brave you are.”

  He tugged gently at her mane and she followed him onto the bridge. She was still nervous, so he let her stand there for a moment to get used to the feel of it while he stroked her and murmured reassuringly into her ear. Finally, at his urging, she took another step, and then another. Her body quivered and she stared down at the powerful water flowing past beneath them. But she kept walking, a few steps at a time at first, and then with a steadier pace as her confidence grew.

  The hardest part was stepping from one raft to the next, where they could look down and see the water right at their feet. Ernth tried not to think of what would happen if he lost his balance and slipped in. He couldn’t allow himself to focus on that; Hungry would sense his fear and be afraid too. He had to keep his horse calm.

  Ernth had never been in a place as flat and open and empty as the middle of this bridge, and it made him nervous. In some ways it was even worse than being in the city. The sky seemed unnaturally large here, no hills or trees or buildings close by to rise up into it.