When he reached the door, he paused and slowly cracked open the door. Peering out, he saw Loren a few feet away talking to a guard on duty by the door.
“What do you mean you’re alone? Who’s supposed to be on duty here with you? It’s mandatory that three guards be on guard at the palace entrance!” Loren spat.
A shadow to Loren’s right moved slowly toward him. Surely the guard could see him! But then why wasn’t he alerting the general? Suddenly, it made sense. The guard was a traitor! The dark soldier was ten feet, eight feet, six feet from Loren!
Xavier slammed open the door with a bang. Then with an ease he no longer found shocking, he blasted the dark soldier with a force that sent him twenty feet into the air before he dropped to the ground with a crack. The dark soldier was most certainly dead. Without hesitation, Xavier marched toward the traitor, and with one quick movement of his hand, slammed the man to the ground at Loren’s feet.
“What the hell?” Loren gasped, his eyes darting from the royal guard to the dead soldier in the middle of the drive before resting on Xavier. “Xavier?”
“He’s a traitor. He was distracting you so the dark soldier could kill you!”
The door behind them slammed open a second time, and the king stood in the doorway, his eyes quickly assessing the situation before he hurried toward his son.
“Loren, secure the prisoner and lock him up until we can interrogate him. I’m ordering all guards to do a sweep of the area. I doubt there’s a sole invader.” Jeremiah rubbed Xavier’s head affectionately. “Come, son. You need to get to safety.”
“No, Dad. You’re right. There are more dark soldiers, but I’m not going to run and hide while our people are in danger! I will help with the sweep of the area.”
“Son…”
“Dad! You can’t keep me from this war. You can’t protect me! It’s coming. I can feel it. It’s coming soon! This is what my training has been for! It’s my destiny!”
“You’re not ready…”
“Who is ever ready for war? Ready or not, it’s happening and I cannot hide. I must do this. You know what I say is true!”
The king stared down at his young son, just shy of fifteen. The prophecy was such an unfair burden for the boy to bear, but he was right. He couldn’t be protected from it. He was the only protection the world had against the darkness that was rising.
“Okay, son. We’ll do the sweep together.”
Xavier gave his father a quick nod. If he was with his father, he could protect him from unforeseen attacks. He could prevent his death. He had to prevent it!
The king motioned for him to follow, and father and son began to sweep the perimeter of the palace. Slowly, they made their way around the palace to the side lawn. There were very few places for soldiers to hide here, as there were no obstructions or bushes. However, the back garden was a different story. The king stopped short of the row of pines that served as a privacy fence for the back garden.
“Okay. Listen, I will go in first…”
“No,” Xavier hissed. “We go together. We watch each other’s backs.”
“Xavier…”
“Dad, we’re wasting time,” he whispered irritably and slipped into the pines.
His father followed behind him, pivoting often to make sure they weren’t being followed. Just as Xavier started to step from the pine foliage, a thought slammed into him and sent him staggering backward into his father.
“Wait!” he warned his father wordlessly. “There are half a dozen dark soldiers lying in wait in the garden.”
“Yes, I hear them now. Two are behind the raised garden wall, one behind the dogwood, and the other three are crouched on the lawn at the west and south parts of the garden,” his father responded quickly. “I will race out first and take cover behind the garden wall. My presence will create a diversion. The soldiers will be too busy trying to kill me to pay you any attention. Now, I want you to slide to the west along the pines using the foliage as cover. When you hear the fighting begin, you can pick off the men at the west part of the garden. Once that area is secure, you can emerge and take cover behind the garden wall at that end. If the men are still unaware of you, you can pick off more. And, son. Kill them. Do not try to keep them alive for information. Your life is too valuable to risk it. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, go now. Quiet as a mouse.”
Xavier crept quietly west, parallel to the garden just beyond the foliage. One soldier was very close. He could hear his pants and anxious thoughts. It seemed the man didn’t agree with his commander to remain at the palace in the hopes of completing their mission of killing the king. Any misgivings Xavier may have had about killing these men evaporated the moment he learned the men’s sole purpose.
Shaking with anger and fear, Xavier extended his hand toward the heavy breather, closed his eyes and twisted. The unmistakable cracking sound and a soft thud that followed sent relief and satisfaction through Xavier, and he opened his eyes to see a still, dark heap on the ground in front of him. When his father emerged from the pines, this man would have been the first to see him. His proximity was too close for comfort to ensure success with their plan. With a shudder and pushing away the fact that he had killed yet another man, Xavier continued to creep along the pines until he was about six feet from the fifteen-foot palace wall, where he stopped and waited.
“Ready?”
“Yes, sir. I’m in position.”
The king rushed into the garden, and immediately the dark soldiers shouted out urgently.
“To the right!”
“Attack, men!”
“It’s the king!”
“Kill him, kill him!”
Flashes of electro forces and other powers erupted in the night around him. Whistles, cracks, and pops filled the air, but Xavier stayed the course of the plan. He continued to monitor his father’s thoughts and status. Plan or not, if any of the dark men’s empowerments hit their mark, he would attack immediately.
“Move forward, men! We’ve got him pinned down by the north wall.”
Still, Xavier waited.
“Give it one more minute, son. They’re moving very slowly. You’d think they were afraid of me or something,” his father jested with a silent chuckle that had Xavier smiling. “Okay. In three, two, one. Now!”
Xavier scrambled from behind the shrubbery just as his father stood from his hiding point. Xavier felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as the air pressure around them converged toward the king. Then, with one sweep of his hand, two thirds of the dark soldiers were thrown backwards twenty feet, several knocked unconscious. Xavier watched in awe as his father knelt, spun on his knee and took out another soldier. The unmistakable crack made it clear that the solider wouldn’t be getting up, ever.
A stinging jolt jerked the prince from his state of awe, and he spun to find a man advancing on him confidently. He saw him only as a boy—the poor fool.
Xavier smiled sweetly at the man before hitting him with a force so potent the man dropped like a stone with an expression of shock on his face. Xavier turned away from the dead man and saw his father take down the last of the soldiers by slamming the man to the ground so violently that his skull burst like a grape. With a grimace, Xavier looked away from the lifeless body and up at his father.
The king scanned the garden, and once satisfied that the threat had passed, he turned toward Xavier and frowned.
“You’re bleeding,” he commented and approached him to examine the wound.
“Yeah. I got too caught up in watching you kick butt, and I got zapped a little.”
The king tore Xavier’s hoodie at the shoulder to expose the wound. “This needs to be cleaned, and then it can be healed. Come. Let’s get back to the palace entrance.”
When father and son made their way back to the front of the palace, it was alive with activity.
“Sergeant Michaels, what’s the report from the exterior perimeter?” Loren barked.
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“All clear, sir. It appears there was just the one intruder, sir.”
“I wouldn’t be so confident of that, Sergeant,” King Wells announced briskly before addressing Loren. “Loren, send a group to the rear garden of the palace. There are a dozen soldiers there. No survivors. Then meet me in the residence. I’m getting Xavier out of this commotion.”
“Yes, Sire,” Loren nodded, before turning to give the order.
“Come on, son. It’s over for now. Let’s get inside,” Jeremiah said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and guiding him into the palace and up into the residence.
Lana greeted the pair at the door.
“Jeremy? What’s going on? The door guard said there was an intruder.”
“All is well now, sweetheart,” he answered, hugging his wife and kissing her tenderly. “Do you think you could fix us some coffee and Xavier some hot chocolate? Loren and Ephraim will be here soon for debriefing.”
“Of course. It won’t take but a couple of minutes,” she answered with a small smile and hurried into the kitchen, leaving father and son alone.
“Are you all right?”
Xavier nodded.
“Xavier, it’s okay to feel… upset about… I know seeing men die can be shocking regardless of the circumstances.”
“I’ve seen men die before, Dad,” he whispered, unable to keep his voice from cracking.
Tears filled the king’s eyes just before he grabbed his son by the nape of the neck and hauled him against him in a tight hug.
Xavier couldn’t stop the tears then. They flowed silently down his cheeks, and he closed his eyes, trying to fight the unwanted feelings of guilt and despair.
“It’s not something a father would ever want for his son. I wish to God I could take this burden from you. It kills me that I can’t,” the king muttered.
His father’s arms felt warm, safe. Xavier wished his father could take away the burden of his destiny, and they could just be… a family—a normal family. Well, as normal as they could be considering they possessed powers.
Chapter 22
The next morning, Xavier walked with Robbie to school.
“You’re quiet. Are you okay?”
Xavier nodded. No, he wasn’t okay, but what could Robbie do about the nightmares? What could she do to help him come to terms with what he was forced to do because he was somehow prophesized to be a great savior? Nothing. There was absolutely nothing she or his father could do to lessen the burden. His father had tried to talk him into sleeping in his room, but it felt awkward sleeping in the bed with Lana there. Plus, wasn’t he getting too big for that kind of thing?
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m okay. It was just a really long night.”
“I heard. Mom was talking about it with Aunt Rebecca on the phone. If you hadn’t come along when you did, Loren would have been killed. I’m really proud of you, Xavier,” she told him, taking his hand and squeezing it.
Xavier gave her a small smile. “Thanks.”
Robbie pulled him to a stop and smiled broadly up at him. “No, I mean it. I’m very proud to be your girlfriend. You are a great empowered, but I’m proud of you because you use your abilities to help others when some people would use them to help themselves.”
As Xavier pondered her words, suddenly she was kissing him. His heart lurched in his chest as her mouth moved against his. He dropped his books to the ground and grabbed her like she was a lifeline. Wrapping his arms around her, he took control of the kiss and kissed her back fiercely. They were too wrapped up in each other to hear the car honk behind them, and it wasn’t until the driver laid on the horn that the pair jerked apart. Blushing and embarrassed, Xavier scrambled to pick up his books and scurry to the side of the road. The driver slowly pulled past, grinning and shaking his head.
“Come on. We better get to school, or we’ll be late,” he muttered, grabbing Robbie’s hand and pulling her along.
The school morning went on as normal, but Xavier felt disconnected. One thought kept coming to mind. What would his life be like once the war was over? Would his father still be alive? Who else would die in this senseless war?
“Earth to Xavier!” Court announced, tapping him smartly on the head.
“Ouch! What?” he snapped, rubbing the top of his head.
“It’s lunchtime, mate! Come on,” Court responded.
With a sigh, Xavier gathered his books and followed his best friend out of the classroom and into the crowded hall when suddenly a loud pulsating alarm blared throughout the school. There was a brief moment of inaction from the students as they looked around at each other in confusion. Then Michael Spencer’s voice came over the intercom system.
“All students report directly to the auditorium, immediately. This is not a drill!”
No sooner had the announcement been made than the crowded hallway erupted into a panic. Students pushed and shoved their way toward the auditorium.
“What’s wrong with everyone? Why are they panicking?” Xavier asked Court as a boy jostled him into his friend as he hurried by.
“They’re afraid. After the attack on the palace last night, most kids are saying their parents reckon it’s just a matter of time before another all-out invasion.”
They were probably right, but panicking didn’t make it better. It only made it worse.
“Ouch! Hey!” Daniel shouted when a larger boy shoved his way past and knocked the smaller boy to the ground. With this level of panic, Daniel was in danger of getting trampled. Xavier immediately shot his hand toward the smaller boy just as he cried out again as someone in the crowd stepped on him. Xavier lifted him into the air above the other students. Daniel’s shocked face would have been comical if the situation hadn’t been so serious.
“Hey! Everybody, stop it!” Xavier shouted, but no one was listening to him. He had to get their attention before someone got seriously hurt! He took a deep breath and shouted out, “Stop it, now!”
This time his voice came out as though he was speaking through a megaphone. The crowded hallway instantly stilled and quieted. “Stop acting like a panicked mob! No matter what’s happening, behaving like this will only help the enemy! So everyone take a deep breath, walk to the auditorium and watch out for the smaller students before someone gets hurt!”
Slowly the students began to move again, silently and slowly toward the auditorium. Xavier lowered Daniel to the floor, and the small boy nodded his thanks before following the crowd.
“Nicely done, mate,” Court muttered.
“Thanks. You better get going. I need to go and find my father and see if I can help.”
“Wait! Xavier, Spencer said to report to the auditorium.”
“I know, but if there’s an invasion, I need to help. You know I have to go, Court!”
Court gave his friend a dubious look before responding. “Well, okay, but at least find out what’s going on from Spencer before you leave. Right now, you don’t even know what’s going on or where to go!”
He had a good point. “Okay. You’re right. Let’s go. There’s no time to waste.”
As they entered the auditorium, Spencer was on the stage having a heated conversation with Sir Blaire. Xavier moved toward the men, working his way through the crowded room. Just as he reached the stage stairs, Spencer’s voice came over the speakers.
“Quickly find a seat and settle down so you can hear my directions.”
As the students quickly found their seats and grew quiet, Xavier hurried onto the stage and approached his uncle.
“Prince Wells, you need to take a seat,” he stated firmly, his voice echoing around the auditorium.
“No, sir,” he responded. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
“I will, sire. I will tell everyone once you’re seated.”
Xavier glanced at the other students seated in the auditorium watching their exchange in rapt silence. “Tell us now,” he responded, looking back at his uncle.
Spe
ncer glanced briefly to the children and back to Xavier. He gave him a slight nod before turning and facing the students.
“The Dark Army has been detected less than a mile from the kingdom, and they are heading this way. There’s no need to question their intentions. They seek to attack Warwood. The guard and other citizens are preparing to defend our city now. They will fight better if they are sure their children are safe. Therefore, every child under the age of sixteen will follow the teachers to the right of the stage through the escape passages and out of the kingdom to safety until the danger has past. Students sixteen and older who wish to fight may do so. You will follow Sir Blaire to the palace walls. You will work with the royal guard to protect the palace as the last line of defense.”
Xavier looked at his uncle with disbelief. He intended to send him to safety while war raged within the kingdom. Xavier turned on his heel and started for the door.
“Xavier Wells!” his voiced boomed loudly. “Stop right there, young man! You are not sixteen or older! You’re going with the younger students to safety.”
Xavier spun and gave his uncle a hard look. “I can’t do that, Uncle. You know I can’t! I need to find my father and help defend my kingdom.”
Red rushed up his uncle’s neck and spread over his face. “You will do as you are told, boy!” he shouted, stomping toward him and grabbing him by the arms.
“No!” Xavier shouted back before getting control of his emotions and continuing more calmly, “I’m sorry, Uncle. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I have to go! You know it’s… it’s my destiny.”
Stubbornness filled his uncle’s eyes. “Your destiny isn’t to go to battle at fourteen!”
He was nearly fifteen, but that wasn’t the point, so Xavier let the comment slide. “Uncle, my age doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I must go. Please, you must let me go!” he pleaded, trying to pull his arms free, but the man’s grip was like a vice.
“I will not allow you to go and get yourself killed!” he shouted, fear spiking his voice.
“I have to go!” Xavier shouted. “You know I do. Our world will fall if I don’t. My father will d… It’s my destiny!”
The Prince of Warwood and The War of Kings Page 21
