“I will speak to my father this evening.”
“GOOD!” Ganasis said rising to his feet and tapping the Prince affectionately before leaving the room.
“I will leave you your privacy Arun, you have much to consider” added Talon as he did the same as Ganasis and left the room.
Later that evening Talon made his way to the Palace garden where he asked a guard to fetch him some wine and once the soldier returned Talon poured some and relaxed looking up at the clear night sky.
Talon sat exhausted from all the plans and decisions that he had been a part of which he had spent most of the day going over, as he raised his cup for another sip of wine he was disturbed by the sound of footsteps behind so he turned to see it was the beautiful Princess
“How are you?” Talon said surprising her.
“Oh sir Talon, I am fine thank you, I didn’t see you.”
Talon lost himself for a moment as he studied her stunning beauty and felt a warm glow rise through him at being so close to her, the Princess felt shy at Talon’s silence and she lowered her head at the attention she was getting until Talon suddenly just spoke in a voice which surprised them both.
“You are beautiful my Princess.”
The Princess blushed as she just stood there not knowing what do or say until she began to politely excuse herself.
“I am sorry; please stay with me for a while.” Talon asked.
The Princess stood still for a moment slightly smiling but still looking down at the ground and then taking fleeting glimpses at Talon but still trying not to catch Talon’s eye.
“Please I won’t embarrass you again.” Talon added while holding out his hand offering her a seat close by.
The Princess very slowly and so elegantly, Talon thought sat down where she didn’t speak for a moment until she got control of her blushes.
“My mother says you are a strong and cold warrior” she suddenly sighed.
Talon put down the bottle of wine and tried to reply in a soft tone of voice.
“Yes it’s true, I am a warrior, but I am not cold, there are things I have to do that not everyone will agree with, but I do them for Zachania.”
“My brother is always speaking of you; he says he admires your spirit and convictions.”
Talon then broke into a big smile.
“Now it is you who embarrass me” he said which made both of them smile.
“Would you like a drink?” Talon suddenly asked holding out the bottle of wine which made the Princess look at the bottle making Talon regret quickly asking a Princess to take a swig from a bottle like a common soldier.
“I’m sorry.” Talon said quietly.
“That’s ok, but no thank you I am on my way to see my mother before she retires”
The Princess then rose to her feet and before she could excuse herself Talon who was feeling his inhibitions fade away by the wine paid her another complement.
“I often think of you, I am not sure why but in my heart there is care for you.”
The Princess smiled again before looking down and speaking very softly.
“I think of you to.”
“You do.” Talon said like an enthusiastic boy.
The Princess just smiled again and then turned away.
“Su-Maria can I see you again?” Talon asked as she walked off ignoring him for a moment and then she stopped and turned.
“I walk in the garden every day at noon.”
Prince Arun paused as he neared his father’s bedroom. As he walked he had been revising over and over again what he was going to say once he stood before the King. His mind flicked back to when he was a boy and how strong his father used to be and the pride his father once showed at being King. Then he thought about the last few years and his father’s damn addiction to the dread of Zac and how that cursed weed had withered away his father’s stature and took away his will to live. The Prince raised his hand to knock upon the door but hesitated as he thought for a moment that maybe he would sleep on it and speak to his father in the morning but as he looked at the door he thought of how his father never left the room now and paid no attention to anything that was going on in Zachania. The Prince swallowed hard and raised his fist and knocked three times, he waited but there was as usual no reply so he let himself in the room and found his father lying on the bed just staring at the wall and totally oblivious to the fact that he had just joined him. The Prince walked over and sat down besides his father where he took his hand and leaned closer to him.
“Father, father it is I Arun.”
The King then slowly turned his head towards his son and after a short pause while he had difficulty focusing his eyes he spoke very slowly and slurred.
“My son, I was thinking about you, I was thinking about when I took you on your first hunt do you remember.”
“Yes father those were good days.” replied Arun with a warm smile.
“Do you remember when I made you drink the blood of the beast we had just killed and then after you drank it you asked me if you would grow horns and a tail like the beast.”
“Yes father and mother went crazy when she heard I tasted blood, she called you a savage.”
“yess!” the King replied before starting to laugh which only had the effect of sending him into a coughing fit where Arun lifted him more upright onto his pillows and holding him till his coughing stopped.
“Father are you alright?”
“Argh it’s just a damn cough!”
The Prince then straightened himself and took a deep breath.
“Father I have come to ask you something but it is not for me I ask, it is for Zachania.”
“Zachania, speak my son.”
The Prince then lowered his head till he looked sincerely into his father’s eyes and spoke very softly.
“Abdicate!” he whispered before the sound of the word sent a shiver down his spine, the Prince took his father’s hand and still looking in his father eyes he waited fearfully for a response.
The King leaned back into his pillows and gripped his sons hand tightly and a large sad smile broke across his face as one of his eyes began to drop a tear.
“Yes” he sighed just before raising a hand to cover the tears that were now falling from his eyes.
Prince Arun quickly hugged his father and pulled his old grey head into his chest as the King began sobbing uncontrollably. The King was no fool he was very ill but deep down he still had his wisdom and he had grown to be ashamed at himself at the King he had become.
“I am sorry father.” Arun whispered as he felt a few tears himself.
The Prince held his father all through the night even when the King fell into sleep. When the dawn broke Arun kissed his father on the head and then rose and left the room and slowly made his way to where he thought Ganasis would be, he did not knock he just walked in and found the wizard busy amidst a huge pile of books and papers.
“Have you not slept?” Arun asked looking at all the mess.
“You forget Arun; sleep to a wizard is a luxury not necessity.”
“It’s done!” Arun suddenly said with a voice full of remorse.
“You spoke to your father.”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
“Ganasis I feel no joy in what I have done.”
“Arun, you have just proved your substance as King, never forget that as King there are things that you must do which you do not want to do, that is what makes a King, it’s the ability to act when most men doubt.”
The Prince then slumped into a chair and looked tiredly at the ceiling.
“How was your father” asked Ganasis sitting down next to him.
Arun thought for a second and then told a lie to protect his father’s dignity.
“My father is fine; he says it is for the best.”
Ganasis smiled slightly as the old wizard was too old and wise to fall for someone lying to him so he leaned across realising why Arun had been untruthful and tried to consol
e him.
“Arun, what you have done is best for Zachania, now you feel bad but if you did not do this and people die then how would your feelings be in comparison to those who lose the ones they love, your father is no fool and once he contemplates this he will respect you for asking it, it is the order of things that the young take over from the old.”
The Prince yawned loudly as Ganasis finished.
“Ganasis I think I will spend this day to myself if that is ok I feel drained.”
“Of course Arun, indeed you need time to gather your thoughts, you have just become a King; don’t worry about anything we will take care of things.”
Chapter 19
Talon banged loudly for the second time on Ganasis’s door wondering where the wizard could be.
“Ganasis it’s me Talon are you in there!”
“Let yourself in.”
Talon opened the door and frowned at the mess, there were maps and books spread all across the tables and across half the floor.
“Ganasis what are you doing/”
Ganasis waved Talon over and cleared a space on the table by sweeping half the books onto the floor.
“Talon! Look at this.”
“Yes.”
“What do you see?”
“It’s a map of Zachania.” added Talon.
“Yes but it’s an old map, look here! Can you see these markings; they mark the points where we lost battles to the Empire.”
Talon now took a closer view.
“These were written in the time of the Great War.”
Ganasis smiled at Talon.
“Yes, I have been looking at them all night trying to find where the Empires strengths and weaknesses are.”
“Well I can tell you one weakness of the Empire, never fight them down wind.”
Ganasis smiled and laughed.
“Ha indeed the Empire do smell!”
“No Ganasis! I mean to avoid being victims of spinal powder.”
Ganasis’s smiling face straightened.
“What do you mean?”
“I learnt many things while I studied in the Empire, when I was in military school I learnt of a weapon called spinal powder.”
“Tell me about this.”
“It is part of the plant that grows around the north, the spinal plant, have you heard of this.”
“Of course I have.”
“Well spinal powder is the leafs of the plant ground down and dried out, I read that the Empires wizards found this plant and thought that if it was ground down into a fine powder and cast into the wind it would kill anyone downwind but the effects were not what the Empire first expected.”
“Go on” Ganasis added with his voice full of eagerness.
“At first the Empire tested it on their own soldiers but it did not kill them, instead it had the effect of intoxicating them as if drunk from ale, it also burned their eyes and skin making fighting somewhat uncomfortable, I read that it was used successfully many times on the Zachanian’s.”
“Why did you not tell me of this before Talon?”
“I was going to Ganasis.”
“How is this spinal powder used?”
“It is placed on large canvas sheets then soldiers usually on a hill above the battlefield cast it into the air, the tiny particles of powder are so light they just float on the wind.”
“But surely this would affect the Empire as well.”
“That Ganasis depends on the wind.”
Ganasis then pulled up a chair and went silent as if remembering something.
“Thinking about it Talon I can remember times when the soldiers did complain, we thought it was just weariness from battle and fear.”
“Spinal powder” remarked Talon.
“This information will help us Talon, I will find a way to defend this if the Empire uses it again.”
“There are many more things I know about the Empires tactics Ganasis but I was waiting for a military conference where I could tell all I know.”
“Splendid.” snapped Ganasis.
Talon then changed the conversation to ask about the Prince.
“Have you spoken to Arun?”
The wizards face turned to Talon with a large smile.
“We are to have a new King.”
“How is he, it must have been hard for him.”
“He is tired Talon so he has retired to his room for the day, it is best that he spends a few hours alone.”
Talon nodded sympathetically.
“Then we will respect that, did he say how the King is.”
“Arun said his father is fine.”
“So we are to have a coronation Ganasis.”
Ganasis smiled.
“I will speak to the Prince later about it.”
Talon then stood up and excused himself and told Ganasis he would return later in the day. Talon left the wizards room and walked down into the gardens where he breathed in heavily the smell of the flowers and pines, he sat down and felt the sun on his face as the tranquillity of the gardens made him for a moment almost forget about the forthcoming war. Talon walked across to the pond where he sat down next to it and then began to look around to see if the Princess was about. As he closed his eyes he could still hear her voice from the night before, then just as Talon was feeling very relaxed he was disturbed by the sound of galloping horses coming from the far side of the wall, Talon stood up realising the sound was becoming louder and was heading towards the Palace gates.
“Open the gates now!”
Talon heard being shouted in a voice which sounded urgent, without hesitating Talon strolled off in the direction of the noise and when he reached the grand hall he saw three men, one was standing as the other two sat, all three looked tired and dishevelled, the man standing was talking to a Palace guard and demanding that he see Prince Arun immediately and the guard was trying to tell the man that the Prince had asked not to be disturbed.
“I have urgent news for the Prince, it cannot wait.”
As Talon walked over the guard growing frustrated decided to seek out a senior member disappeared off in the direction of the Prince’s wing.
When Talon approached he did not recognise the men sitting down but the face of the man standing up was familiar, Talon then recognised him as one of the men who left with General Pelkan.
Perad turned looking exhausted as he heard Talon close.
“Lord Talon!” he snapped.
But before Talon could answer they were both drawn to heavy footsteps walking swiftly towards them.
“What’s this urgent news?” Ganasis said looking very concerned.
Perad turned and saluted the wizard before coughing and answering.
“Wise and holy one we have just returned from Zanlia, we are lucky to be alive.”
Talon then interrupted.
“Where is Pelkan?”
Perad then turned and faced Talon where Talon noticed his face looked stricken with grief; Talon sensed something very grave within him.
“Pelkan.” added Talon softly although he already sensed the answer.
Perad lowered his gaze.
“He is dead my Lord, I think.”
Talon scowled.
“What does that mean, I think.”
Ganasis then grabbed Talon’s arm as if saying leave this to him.
“Tell me from the beginning, tell me everything that has happened” Ganasis said.
Perad then began to explain everything from the storm where they got lost to the capture of the men up until he said his goodbyes to General Pelkan.
“He gave his life” Perad said sadly but with an air of respect, which had the effect of creating a silence where each man took in the gallant act from Pelkan.
“Did he succeed” asked Talon looking concerned on whether Pelkan killed his men and himself.
“Lord Falkan believes so because there was no reaction, the men knew Falkan so surely if the Empire questioned them they would have named him, Falkan then gave us the infor
mation we asked for and we returned to Zachania immediately.”
Ganasis then turned to Talon with a look of great concern.
“Do you know what this could mean Talon?”
“Yes it means the Empire may know of our plan to attack.” replied Talon.
“The Prince must be informed of this now!”
“I will come with you.” added Talon following the wizard.
Prince Arun reluctantly and angrily rose to answer the door, he had asked to be left alone so he was just about to explode at whoever was banging on his door, but when he opened it he saw straight away by the expressions on the faces of Ganasis and Talon that it was urgent.
“Ganasis what is wrong?” he said inviting them in.
“What’s wrong?” he added as Ganasis quickly walked into the room.
“Grave news sire! The mission to Zanlia was unsuccessful and may have jeopardised all our plans.”
“Where Pelkan!” interrupted the Prince.
“Where is he?” he added turning to Ganasis then Talon and seeing both men refuse to look him in the eye.
“Pelkan is dead Arun.” Talon finally said.
The Prince looked deeply into Talon’s eyes, Talon did not flinch, the Prince then turned away and gasped as he raised a hand to his face.
“How did it happen?” asked the Prince sitting on his bed.
Ganasis then explained all that Perad had told him and when he finished the Prince just sat still with a look full of sorrow and regret, then suddenly the Prince jumped to his feet and began storming towards the door.
“Where is Perad, I will make an example of him!”
“ARUN!” shouted Ganasis.
“No Ganasis! This man will be punished; the people will know what happens when you leave your superior officer to die.”
Talon then quickly moved himself between the Prince and the door blocking his path.
“MOVE ASIDE Talon!” the Prince demanded now clearly enraged.
“NO!” replied Talon in a very stern tone of voice.
The Prince then tried to push Talon out of the way but Talon reacted by restraining the Prince.
“Arun get a grip of yourself!” Talon shouted while still holding the struggling Prince who all of a sudden broke free and retreated back towards his bed.
Zachania Page 31
