by Andrew Wood
Lanber had been one of the border towns that had been completely destroyed by the Darekian invasion in the last war. As far as it was known, only one person had survived that attack. A young lad known as Levin, had escaped that fateful day thanks to the selfless bravery of his father. That very same youngster had become a close friend and advisor to the king. Levin had for the last few years, been Governor of Lanber. His adoptive father was General Jak Corley who was commander of the town's large garrison.
The town was now completely encircled by a thirty-foot defensive wall. As it was close to the Darekian border, it was deemed that the place needed to be rebuilt with defence in mind. Lanber now had a large Garrison of over five hundred soldiers. Their job was to patrol and defend the border with Besemia, and more importantly the one with Darekia.
Since the king had asked all the country's garrison towns to be on a state of alert, soldiers from Lanber made daily patrols along the Ulga Mountain passes. It had been one of these patrols that had found Hope and Arran, and now carried them through the town gates.
The guards on the gate let the group ride through without stopping. Along a cobbled main street, they turned into a large yard, and pulled to a stop. "Get them down, and take them to the jail," snapped the Squad Leader as he slipped down from his horse. As he walked past Hope, he gave her an evil smirk. The soldier who had ridden with Hope helped her gently down from the horse. "Thank you," she mouthed before turning to watch the squad-leader disappear into one of the buildings.
Arran was not treated quite so well, as he was dragged to the ground. "Please tell me you really are the Lady Hope, niece of the King," the soldier with her whispered quietly in her ear. She looked him in the eye. He was quite young, with short fair hair and a rounded friendly looking face. Hope nodded, "I am she. What I said is the truth." She grabbed his sleeve with her bound hands, "I need you to find General Corley for me, before this idiot Squad-leader of yours has me flogged. Can you do that for me?" The soldier nodded, before bowing his head slightly, "Yes my Lady," he replied before running off to an impressive looking building.
Hope had put her trust in a young man to get her back to Corlan. She was now relying on another she had just met, to get her out of these jumped up charges. In the meantime, both she and Arran were escorted across a very busy garrison yard, towards another building. The two guards on the doorway looked down on them as they were shoved inside. "Will you stop pushing me," Hope turned scowling at one of the guards escorting her. The man just grinned a toothless smile, before shoving her forward again.
A metal barred door was opened, and both Arran and Hope were ushered through it. The door was then slammed behind them, and she looked on as a soldier turned the key to lock them in. "Won't be long before you get your punishment. Assault on one of the Kings Officers isn't taken lightly you Darekian scum," the man spat as he spoke. Hope was just about to remind the fool that she was from Corlan, but felt all her weakness and tiredness come back. The will to argue vanished, and she just slumped to the straw covered floor instead.
She now knew it was a race between the Squad Leader getting his charges heard, and the young soldier who had agreed to help getting to Jak Corley. She had barely time to think of the consequences of the former when she heard shouting. She stood and looked towards the doorway of the building but could not see who was making the ruckus.
Hope afforded a smile as a senior looking gent in full military uniform stood outside her cell. "Hello Jak," she said casually, as if meeting him under these circumstances were somewhat of an everyday occurrence. General Corley turned to one of the guards, "Open this bloody cell door...Now!" he bellowed. The soldier in question fumbled nervously with the set of keys, made all the worse by Jak tapping his foot impatiently.
Hope burst through the doorway, and wrapped her arms around the General. "Am I ever pleased to see a friendly face," she said squeezing him tightly. Arran walked out behind her, and waited for the two to finish their greeting. "I am sure you have much to tell me My Lady," Jak said with a smile. The General looked beyond Hope to the young Darekian stood behind her. Hope, noticing the uncertainty on Jak's face, told him that Arran was with her, and introduced the two to each other.
Once outside, Hope noticed the entire squad who had picked her up were lined up. There was one who she wanted to say thank you to, and so she walked over toward them. "Jak, that young man there was the only one who believed me. He fed me and helped get you to me before he," she said pointing to the Squad Leader, "Could have me flogged."
If looks could have killed then the squirming figure of the squad leader would have been dead the moment Jak Corley laid eyes on him. The man that had helped was thanked by both the General and Hope, before being told to report back to duty. The others were then severely reprimanded, and told they would all be mucking out the stables everyday for the next week. The squad leader however was not going to get off so lightly. With rank came responsibility, and it was quite clear this man had shown none. "You, will report to my office and wait for me to return," Jak shouted at him, clearly angry at the way he had treated Hope.
The man slowly trudged off in the direction of the main building rather crest fallen, to await his punishment. Hope turned to Jak, "Can we have some food Jak, aside from the little given to me by the soldier, neither I nor Arran has eaten for some time." The General looked down at her, his weathered aged face smiling as he held out an arm so he may lead her to the mess hall.
It was still quite clear that the General was not sure what to make of Arran. The youngster was Darekian after all, and trusting one as such was not something one did lightly. Jak sat opposite the pair as two bowls of stew were placed before them, along with several slices of thick bread and butter. "Eat up," the General said getting to his feet. "I will be back in a little while after I've dealt with that snivelling little weasel." Hope was about to say not to go too hard on the man, but thought better of it; he deserved to get whatever was coming his way.
In his office, Jak Corley sat behind his desk looking up at the nervous looking figure before him. "What is your name?" he asked. "Squad Leader Amson Sir," came the reply. A silence followed as Jak thought about what to do. "Well you are now private Amson," Jak said calmly. "Did you not think for one second that what the girl told you was truth," he added raising his voice. "Do you realise that had one of your men not shown initiative to come and find me, you would have just flogged the Kings niece. Had I not arrived when I did you would most likely be finding yourself swinging from a noose now," he bellowed, making the man step back. The man grimaced as Jak walked around his desk to stand in front of him. "Get out of my office and thank the lucky stars I'm not having you charged for treasonous acts." Private Amson nodded and quickly shuffled out of the doorway.
In the mess hall, Hope used a piece of bread to mop up the last of her stew. "Don't go to mad Hope, or you'll make yourself sick," Arran said having already finished eating. Hope just smiled at him, and then shoved another chunk of bread in her mouth. The two looked up to see Jak Corley walking towards them. Behind him was a younger man whose face Hope also knew. "Levin," she shouted jumping to her feet excitedly.
Hope and Levin quickly closed the gap between them, and with arms held open, embraced each other with the biggest of hugs. The two chuckled as they parted, "Thank the gods you are safe. I barely believed it when Jak came and told me you were here. Look how you've grown...Listen to me prattling on..." Levin took a step back, and looked at the young lady before him. Now in his thirties, married with children of his own, he had always thought of Taylor, Hope and Luca as family. Although when he and Jak had moved to take over at Lanber, it had meant not seeing them so often.
After Hope introduced Arran, all four of them left the garrison and headed for a large walled house in the centre of town. The guards on the gate saluted Jak as the group passed through. The large brick house was home to Levin, who was Governor of Lanber. "You will of course stay with me," Levin said opening the front door for them
to enter. Once inside, he asked one of the maids to bring drinks to the lounge. "Come," he said still clearly excited by having visitors.
The maid bought in a tray of tea and cakes, and placed it down on a small mahogany table in the centre of the room. Levin listened as Hope told him the entire story of her capture and escape, right up to the point of her meeting him just a little earlier. Arran sat quietly beside her, looking a little more forlorn than usual. It was only after Hope had finished the story of their adventure that she turned to notice him.
Both Levin and Jak apologised for being such poor hosts, as they both excused themselves. Levin had a meeting to attend, but would return in time for their evening meal. Levin's wife was with their children, and was out of town, visiting her Parents. Jak also apologised, and as much as he would like to have stayed and chatted, he had duties at the garrison that needed his attention.
Left on their own, Hope turned to Arran and asked what the matter was. "I am happy you are home now Hope," he said. "I shall head back to Darekia tomorrow maybe." Hope froze; did Arran mean to leave her now? The young Darekian had done as he had promised, and gotten her back safely. "Please stay Arran. After all I am not home yet," she added hoping to sway his train of thought. Although the thought of being back amongst friendly faces was something she had longed for, she realised the idea of not having Arran with her was not something she liked.
Hope knew it was probably selfish of her to ask. Arran after all, had a family of his own to get back too. The young man had already gone far beyond anything she could have expected in getting her this far. "Come with me to Forwich and meet my family," she asked placing her hand on his. Arran took her hand, his face hard to read. Hope could feel her heart pounding loudly as she watched his lips move, about to speak. "Of course I will stay Hope. I thought now you were back, I would not be needed." She squeezed his hand, and smiled, and mouthed the words thank you, before planting the smallest of kisses on his cheek.
Chapter 5.
Dalia waited patiently as she watched one of her men return from the town of Sarus. The soldier in question had carried an offer of a peaceful solution to the commander in charge of the defending force. It was clear even to her that many of the people had deserted the place anticipating a fight to take place. Whether that happened or not, would depend on the reply her soldier was bringing back to her.
The man bowed his head before he spoke. "My lady, they have refused your most generous offer," he said before being waved away. Dalia sighed; she had so hoped to avoid killing her fellow countrymen. The soldiers before her were not her real enemy, that title was reserved for the people of Corlan and Besemia.
Never one to wallow to long in disappointment, she waved a hand towards her young commander. "Send in the archers. Target the defensive lines," she added. The man bowed his head, catching her gaze as he did. Dalia afforded a smile, as she once more recalled the hours she had spent with the man making passionate love. Their time since removing the bracelet was not as intense as it had been, but she still enjoyed his company none the less.
A hundred bowmen lined up in four ranks, one behind the other. An order was shouted and a plethora of black feathered arrows went arcing skyward. Their target, just a few hundred yards away, was a group of defenders, probably no more than fifty strong. The town was clearly too large for the small number given the task of shielding it from attack. The man in charge of defence had clearly positioned his men well; splitting them up too try and block attack from any direction.
The defenders raised their shields, as the arrows rained down above them. These were not the same as the longbows used by Corlan, and carried neither the range nor the potency of that weapon. Many of the arrows were simply deflected harmlessly away, but one or two did find gaps amongst the shield barriers. A couple of men cried out as the razor sharp steel-tipped shafts pierced the flesh of their bodies.
The defenders were clearly not going to let Dalia and her soldiers have everything their own way, as a much smaller barrage of arrows was sent back towards her archers. Luckily, for her, and her men, the number of arrows fired at them was much less. Her archers who had moved forward to be in range found themselves open to the attack. Not having any infantry with them to deflect the shafts away, several found their mark.
Dalia stamped her foot to the floor in her anger. She was stood here watching Darekian kill Darekian, and it was apparent another tactic was needed. "Call your archers back out of their range," she snapped at her commander. She had thought of a better way to demonstrate her power. Dalia realised it was not the number in her army that would make people fear her, but the powers she could wield.
She stepped forward to the front of her ranks with her staff in hand. She looked for a suitable target that would show off her abilities, but still minimise the number of casualties. Along the road were two overturned wagons, with a handful of men taking shelter behind them. This she thought would make an ideal target. Without any further ado, she thrust her staff forward in the direction of the wagons. A large ball of fire emerged from the tip and flew through the air, before smashing down into her target. The wooden carts almost exploded as the fire struck them. Splinters of burning wood flew upward and back down to the ground. Those defenders unfortunate enough to be taking cover there were caught up in the fire and blast.
Dalia took a few steps backwards, before resuming her position amongst her own men. She hoped she had shown the others just how powerful she was. Perhaps now the defenders would come over to her side without the loss of any further life.
It was late afternoon before any sign of anything happening came to her notice. Her own men reported a few small skirmishes in the town, "I believe they are fighting each other My Lady," her young commander said letting her have his opinion on the matter. Silas her Orlac, grunted his agreement. Dalia cursed again, and was about to order all her men forward to take the town by force when another shout came.
She moved to the front of her ranks, her commander and Orlac flanking her. Emerging from the town was a short stocky man, who stopped some twenty paces short of where she stood. "I am Haken," the man spoke clearly. "I am one of the bureaucrats left in Sarus. I have seized control, and offer the surrender of its soldiers and people." Dalia grinned, at last a man with some sense. Silas grunted his approval, seemingly knowing what she was thinking. "I accept your surrender Haken. Please have the soldiers defending the town lay down their arms, and I promise no harm shall come to them," she added knowing that was not exactly going to be true.
Another hour passed before the barricades blocking the town were removed, to allow Dalia and her men to walk triumphantly into Sarus. The first part of taking Darekia back was over. Now the real hard work would begin. After walking into the government building used by the nation's puppet leaders, there were several signs of the skirmishes that had seen Haken take control. A dozen or so dead soldiers, all wearing the same uniforms, but fighting on different sides lay around the entrance. Dalia did not flinch at the sight however and merely stepped around them.
Inside she was once more greeted by the man known as Haken. Probably in his forties, plump around the waist with a neatly trimmed beard, he was certainly not the type she would even consider bedding. She stood as the man knelt to one knee, "I am your servant My Lady," he said subserviently. Although for most rulers, a man making such a gesture or swearing of an oath was enough to gain trust, for her it was not. Already prepared in her cloak pocket was a small vial, which she produced. Holding it in the palm of her hand, "Very well Haken, if you are as loyal as you say, then please drink this." To his credit Haken, did not even so much as pause, before he took the vial from her palm, removed the stopper and gulped the contents down.
After a short coughing fit, that had seen Haken fall to the floor clutching his throat, the man quickly regained his composure. His once brown eyes were now much darker than they had been, as the compulsion spell took effect. "Haken you shall now be my Chief Minister. I want you to run the country as
you see fit," she stated giving him his first orders. A few more followed. No more payments were to be made to Corlan or Besemia. All was now to be done for the good of Darekia, and word was to go out that Lady Dalia was now ruler. Most importantly, she ended her list with, "I want an army formed, trained and correctly equipped." Haken simply bowed his head, "I shall see it done My Lady," he said.
Dalia was quite aware nothing was going to happen overnight. It would take weeks before the news of her taking power would even spread to the outer regions of Darekia. At least the draining of the nation's treasury could stop with immediate effect. Building her an efficient fighting force would take considerably longer. Time was on her side, and she knew waiting would reap its own benefits in the end. She could if she wished just arm every man and strong boy and call it an army. Although the numbers might look good on paper, she was smart enough to know, that as a fighting force they would be no match for any professional army.
With another step of her plan accomplished, Dalia selected a fine house she wished to use. The current occupants were removed and re-housed into more suitable accommodation to their new lower standing. The home she picked had a large fenced garden, perfect she thought for Dawid to run around safely. Its lush green lawns had clearly been well maintained, and around the back were several fruit trees, which she was told would give a fine harvest come the summer months.
Inside the large opulent hallway with its marble floor, she was given a quick guided tour. Her commander followed behind her and Dawid, as she was shown the finely furnished lounge and dining areas. The kitchen was well staffed, and after putting all the cooks, maids, cleaners and butlers under her compulsion, were told to prepare her an evening meal. As the day had gone well, she felt in a good mood, and deserving of a treat. As she was shown the bedroom, with its wide elaborately carved wooden four-poster bed, she sent Dawid away to his two carers. After locking the door, leaving just her and her commander in the room, she ordered him to strip off.
