Prince of Malorn (Annals of Alasia Book 3)

by Annie Douglass Lima

  Even from back here, Ernth could hear gasps of astonishment, see the soldiers turning to each other in disbelief and delight. On the stump in front of him, Korram sighed. “I don’t think most Malornians would be this excited if I came back from the dead,” he grumbled. “How did Jaymin get so popular?”

  But Ernth wasn’t listening. Hungry and Clinja had just pricked up their ears and turned their heads, staring into the forest. “Someone is coming,” he warned Korram in a low voice. The other horses had noticed, too, but the Lowlanders didn’t seem to have. General Dirken was bending at the waist to Jaymin, who was smiling, turning to address the soldiers.

  Now Ernth could hear the crashing of a horse galloping through the forest at breakneck speed, a dangerous activity with the trees so close together. What was going on?

  Jaymin paused mid-sentence. The men all turned to look, startled, as a panicked rider burst into the clearing.

  “General!” the newcomer exclaimed, his eyes wide. “There’s a Malornian army on its way! It’s practically reached Camp Four!”

  Ernth gasped. Korram leaped to his feet with a yell of rage, pounding his fist against a tree. Regent Rampus has made his own plans and is coming here to attack us! All the details they had put together so carefully were for nothing.

  “How many?” Dirken demanded.

  “At least two thousand, sir,” the soldier replied. He looked uncertain, too panicked to be sure. “Maybe three!”

  We had better get ready for battle. At least they had their spears and shields handy. Ernth fumbled to untie the horses as Korram sprinted across the clearing to join the general and Jaymin at the front.

  “I swear I didn’t betray you!” Ernth heard him say. “The messenger must have!”

  Why hadn’t anyone thought of that? Either the Malornian who had taken the message to Rampus earlier or the Alasian who had gone with him as a guide could have done it. Now the regent knew that Korram was trying to deceive him, and he had sent his own army to wipe Korram’s out.

  Ernth seized his spear and Korram’s and slipped the protective coverings off of their tips. He leaped onto Hungry’s back and urged her forward, Clinja trotting along behind. “Do you think you can stop them?” Jaymin was asking.

  “I’ll try,” Korram assured him. “I’ll ride out and meet them before they get here. Maybe if Rampus is with them I can place him under arrest right now. Maybe I can convince his soldiers to do what I say.” He turned and reached for Clinja. “I’ll bring my horsemen with me,” he added, vaulting onto her back and catching the spear and shield Ernth tossed him, one in each hand.

  Ernth and Hungry raced after Korram and Clinja. “We’ll be right behind you with backup!” called Jaymin, and Korram raised a hand to show he had heard.

  The two of them galloped down the path that led to Camp Three, where their army had spent most of the day practicing with the new spears. Sanjik and his brother Ebbrem sat off to one side on their horses, talking quietly, but they both whirled around in alarm as Korram and Ernth thundered toward them.

  “Gather the troops! Rampus’s men are on their way to Camp Four!” Korram yelled. “I’m going ahead to try to stop them. Hurry!”

  “Wait, Sire,” protested Captain Ebbrem, but Korram had already wheeled Clinja and torn off again in the opposite direction.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll look after him,” Ernth called over his shoulder as he took off after his friend once more. From behind he could hear the shrill screech of Sanjik’s whistle as the sergeant blew one long blast: the signal for the platoons to form up.

  I wonder how long it will take them all to gather together and start after us. Now Ernth understood why Sanjik had made them practice that so many times, why he had told them so often that they needed to be faster, to hurry over and line up the instant they heard the signal.

  Ernth and Korram galloped down another path between the trees. In a moment they had burst out into the open again, into the clearing called Camp Four. Some of their own people had been here not long ago, but everyone had gone to practice together at Camp Three, so it was empty and bare.

  Korram didn’t hesitate. He steered Clinja toward the opposite end, slowing to a trot only when they reached the beginning of another path that cut its way into the woods.

  Now Ernth could hear the approaching army: hundreds and hundreds of hooves thudding against the frozen ground. Hundreds of people ready to fight. Ready to kill. There was no murmur of voices, but he recognized the squeak of leather saddles and the jingle and rattle of the metal that Lowlander soldiers and their horses wore.

  Ahead of him, his friend slowed Clinja to a walk and then stopped as the front of a line of soldiers rode into view. “General Dorralon!” Korram called.

  The man in red and black – actually, the first of many men in red and black, Ernth realized, staring down the path – looked shocked. “Halt!” he called, raising his arm. The fellow behind him put a long, shiny tube to his lips and blew two loud blasts that resounded through the trees. All the soldiers in sight stopped their horses, and in a moment the sound of hooves had stilled. There sat the soldiers, swords hanging from their belts, shields strapped to their arms. All looking tough and dangerous and ready to fight.

  Are we as tough as they are? But this was not the time to wonder that.

  “Your royal Highness!” exclaimed the general, staring at Korram in surprise. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” It was Korram’s turn to look surprised. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “The regent is afraid for your safety; that’s why we’re here. When the Alasians didn’t show up at the palace last night, he realized that your horsemen would be outnumbered and in grave danger, so we’ve brought our army to wipe the enemy out. Besides, they say the missing Alasian prince has been seen here, and the regent is determined to eliminate that threat.”

  Korram sat up straighter in his saddle. “I have new orders for you, General. You are not to harm the Alasian prince nor any of his men. His army is no threat to us. Prince Jaymin and I have spoken, and we both wish for peace between our kingdoms. So, it’s time for the Malornian army to return home.”

  Dorralon stared at Korram as though he thought he must be insane. “Surely you can’t mean that, your Highness. We are at war!”

  “I mean exactly what I said, General. Regent Rampus’s attack on Alasia was unprovoked. We had no right to invade our neighbors’ kingdom, and as soon-to-be king, I am putting an end to this pointless conflict now. Order your men to return to Sazellia.”

  Dorralon hesitated, and Ernth held his breath, wondering if the general would do as he had been told or not.

  “I beg your pardon, my lord, but I have my orders from the regent,” the general finally apologized. “In two months I will not hesitate to obey your commands, but Regent Rampus is legal ruler of Malorn until you are crowned, and I am required by law to follow the orders he’s given me.”

  “Where is the regent?” Korram demanded. “Is he here?”

  “He is, Sire.” The general glanced over his shoulder. “He’s further back, where he can be better protected.”

  The coward, Ernth thought. A good leader would be riding at the front, not hiding at the back.

  “Send someone to call him, then,” Korram ordered. “We’ll sort this out here and now.”

  “What of the enemy, Sire?” Dorralon protested. “They must be close by. I cannot request the regent’s presence at the front if we are about to be attacked.”

  “There will be no attack unless Malorn instigates it,” Korram replied impatiently. “Just like the first time. I told you, the Alasians are not our enemies; Prince Jaymin and I have come to an agreement. Now summon the regent.”

  Finally the general turned and spoke to one of the men behind him, who spun his horse around and pounded away through the trees.

  A moment later, Ernth heard the sound of galloping hooves from behind him. Before Dorralon could speak up, Korram waved his concern aside. “Don’t worry, Gene
ral. That’s my army, the one I recruited from up in the Impassables. My soldiers are completely loyal to me, and will gladly fight alongside anyone else who is – and against anyone who isn’t.”

  Korram’s implied threat wasn’t lost on the general or on the soldiers close enough to overhear. A few of them exchanged concerned glances or moved their hands closer to their swords.

  Turning, Ernth saw Sergeant Sanjik riding down the path toward them, followed by Thel and the rest of Platoon One. The other platoons were close behind. It didn’t take them long to get here. He wondered how soon the Alasians would arrive with the backup Jaymin had promised.

  Sanjik lifted his whistle to his mouth and blew the signal to slow and then stop, and the Alasian with the long tube struggled to hide a grin. He must think a whistle was a silly way to command an army. The other Malornian soldiers stared warily at the newcomers, obviously trying to gage how much of a danger they might pose.

  “Regent Rampus is on his way here to talk to Korram,” Ernth explained over his shoulder to Sanjik.

  Rampus, when he finally came riding through the trees surrounded by six fierce-looking warriors, didn’t look at all happy. That is, he looked like an angry man pretending to be happy.

  “My prince!” he exclaimed as he approached. “It is a great joy to see you again after so many months. And I am immensely relieved to know you are safe.” A tall man with once-dark hair that had mostly turned gray, his pale eyes traveled over Ernth and the soldiers behind him. “This must be the army you brought back from the mountains. Have you defeated our enemies already?”

  Though he spoke politely, there was something vaguely insulting behind his words. It made Ernth think of the way he might talk to his niece, Thisti, asking if she had performed some brave deed with her toy spear in one of her games. Korram’s been Accepted, he wanted to say. You can’t treat him like a child.

  “We haven’t defeated the Alasians; we’ve made an alliance with them,” Korram informed Rampus. “They were never our enemies, and you had no right to attack their kingdom. Now we’re going to take all our soldiers back to Malorn and leave the Alasians alone.”

  Rampus blinked, and for an instant Ernth thought he looked startled, caught off guard. But then he chuckled.

  “You’ve made an alliance, have you?” The regent’s voice was patronizing. “What a good idea: practicing for when you’re king. Perhaps you don’t realize, however, that an underage prince has no legal authority to do any such thing. There’s a book called Malornian Law and Government that might help you understand more clearly what you can and can’t do before you’re crowned.”

  “Yes, Regent; I’ve read it,” Korram snapped. “Chapter Five, Section Three, addresses the matter. It clearly states that a crown prince may assist his father in any of the responsibilities of the crown; and Chapter Eleven lists creating alliances and trade agreements among optional royal duties. Considering that my father is not alive to make the alliance, I could see that my assistance was required in this matter.”

  Korram sounded pleased with himself, and Ernth grinned, glad that his friend had found a practical use for information from the boring book.

  But the regent merely chuckled once more. “I see you’ve been working hard at your lessons, my prince. Your father would be proud of you! However, you seem to be forgetting one key detail. As regent of Malorn, I hold the reins of government at the moment, and I neither requested nor need your assistance. I can assure you, I have the matter well in hand.”

  “On the contrary, Regent. In an act of inexcusable violence, you attacked a kingdom that hasn’t harmed Malorn in generations. I, on the other hand, have made an agreement that will result in a peaceful alliance and increased trade, which will benefit Malorn greatly. According to Chapter Eleven, Section Nine, if a regent has been seen to act against the kingdom’s best interests, he can be removed from power.”

  “Only by a vote from the High Council,” Rampus snapped.

  “And as the only other High Council member present, I vote unanimously to remove you from power. You have damaged international relations, and your actions have cost hundreds, if not thousands of lives.”

  “You’re only an honorary member of the High Council,” Rampus shot back, “and as Malornian Law and Government says, we would need a quorum of six, counting me, before we can vote on anything. Besides, my actions will bring about far more benefit to Malorn in the long run than any amount of trade. We will soon have access to a practically limitless supply of glass, for example, along with every other resource Alasia can boast.”

  “Resources you have no right to,” Korram countered. “You’re guilty of stealing! Chapter Eleven, Section Ten: Conduct Unbecoming to a Ruler!”

  “You’re grasping at straws,” Rampus sneered. “As conqueror, I now have a right to everything in Alasia as long as I use it for Malorn’s benefit, which is exactly what I have been doing.”

  Korram seemed to be running out of arguments. He ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign he was growing frustrated. “Withdraw your army until the High Council can decide whether this is called for.”

  “My dear young prince, we decided that weeks ago while you were off gallivanting through the mountains. Besides, I’m afraid you have no legal authority to order me to do any such thing. If you would be interested in sharing your opinion, the High Council and I will gladly hear it at our next meeting. But in the meantime, I’m afraid I must ask you to stand aside. I have a war to win here.”

  Korram ran his other hand through his hair. Finally he seemed to decide on a different tactic. “I know what you’re attempting to do, Regent. And since you won’t listen, I’ll explain it to your men.” Without waiting for a response, he urged Clinja forward, past the regent and the six warriors surrounding him, until he was face to face with the general. But he raised his voice, shouting so that as many soldiers as possible would hear him.

  “Alasia was never any threat to Malorn,” he called. “Rampus made that story up so he would have an excuse to invade. He wants to ensure that the High Council will vote him in as the next king after my death, which he has been plotting. Rampus is a traitor, and anyone loyal to Malorn will join me in putting an end to his schemes. Do not attack the Alasians today! I repeat, do not attack them!”

  Rampus turned to face his own men as well, cutting him off. “The prince has no basis for these slanderous accusations against me,” he bellowed. “We’ve wasted enough time here! General, your orders stand. Attack!”

  “Attack whom, sir?” the general questioned, no longer looking quite as sure of himself. “The soldiers facing us don’t appear to be Alasian.”

  “They’re not!” Korram exclaimed. “They’re Malornian. Some are Mountain Folk and some Lowlanders, but they’re our own people.” He was still shouting, watching Rampus’s men for their reactions. “And they’re working for me, so anyone who lifts a weapon against them will be guilty of attacking their prince as well as possibly starting a civil war.” He turned to glare at Rampus. “If you order our soldiers to attack them, you will personally be guilty of starting said civil war, and an unprovoked attack on Malornian citizens definitely goes against Chapter –”

  “Then don’t attack any Malornians,” Rampus bellowed to Dorralon and the others. “But defending yourself if they attack you first is certainly legal. In any case, you only have to get around these people and find the Alasians and Prince Jaymin. We know they’re somewhere nearby. They are our enemies, and those are your orders, General.”

  The general didn’t look pleased about this, and neither did any of the men with him. Will they obey Korram or Rampus? Ernth wondered.

  Finally Dorralon sighed, his expression troubled. “Forgive me, my prince. I mean you no harm, and I am yours to command in two months when you’re king, but for now my orders are clear.” He turned to the man with the tube. “Sound the attack.”

  Before the man could even lift the instrument to his lips, Korram dug his heels into Clinja’s sides a
nd began to canter down the line of soldiers, shouting all the way. “Don’t attack the Alasians! Rampus is trying to kill me and make himself king! Everyone loyal to Malorn, join me against him!”

  Ernth tried to hurry Hungry after Korram and Clinja, but Rampus’s half dozen warriors had moved forward and were blocking his way. “Someone stop that idiot before he hands our whole army over to our enemies,” the regent seethed. Three of the warriors kicked their horses and took off after Korram, who was continuing to careen along the edge of the path, yelling as he went.

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” bellowed Ernth, seeing the trio draw their swords. The musical blast that must be the Lowland army’s signal to attack blared in his ears as he kicked his own horse. Hungry leaped forward.

  But as Sanjik’s whistle screeched behind him, two more of Rampus’s men urged their horses forward, angling them to block Ernth’s way. Their faces were grim and determined, and they both raised their swords, eyes fixed on him.

  Ernth’s heart lurched. They really want to hurt me! He was sure of it. The fighting is about to start. Real fighting, not like when we practice.

  His mouth had gone unexpectedly dry, but he aimed Hungry at the closer man, noted the position of his sword, and decided Offense Two would be the most effective move. He lowered his spear, raised his shield, ducked low at the last moment to avoid the soldier’s sweeping slash, and was shocked when his spear pierced flesh and his enemy slumped sideways in his saddle.

  Did I kill him? There was no time to check. Ernth jerked his spear free and raised his shield again as the second man swung his sword viciously. The blow clanged off of his shield, jarring Ernth’s arm, and his heart pounded faster. If it weren’t for my shield, that would have killed me!

  The man drew back his sword for another blow. Then a third soldier appeared on Ernth’s other side, weapon raised and fierce hatred in his face. Ernth knew he couldn’t possibly defend himself against both their attacks at once.