“And what does my captain of the Bomani make of them?” Imari probed.
“It is yet to be seen, but they have not shown any signs of hostility.”
“The most dangerous enemies don’t,” said Imari. He stepped forward into the chamber to greet his distinguished guests. Sunlight bathed the tiled floor. The speckles of gold glimmered between its blue and white companions. The large overhanging gardens gave the room a sweet fragrance. Massive tapestries hung on either side displayed a pouncing leopard. All these things drew the eye to the throne upon its pedestal. Standing before that throne the group of men turned as he entered. Imari spread out his arms in a welcoming gesture.
“Welcome to the kingdom of Khala. I apologize I was not here to greet you sooner.”
A man stepped forward from the group. His neck and torso were wrapped with a smoky colored cloth. Underneath his scrappy form Imari could see a sliver of dark plated armor. Gray eyes sat fixed in a face worn with signs of long exposure to the sun. His faded brown hair fell loosely above his shoulders. The others in his party had various appearances. Some were dark skinned like the Khalans, others a pale complexion with narrow eyes and sharp features unlike any who dwelled in Islandia. The rest had an appearance similar to those of the Founders’ descendants. This was a strange visitation indeed.
“We thank you for your hospitality, Khosi. I was told that is your title. Please correct me if I have misspoken. My name is Cedric and my men and I hail from, well… the rest of the world,” Cedric said with a musing smile.
Imari was taken aback by the man’s words but quickly regained his composure. “You have not misspoken, Cedric from the world. My title is Khosi. Sadly, I must say if you wish to speak to the highest ruler of the land I am not he, but I can speak for my people here in Khala.”
Cedric gave a reassuring smile. “Rest assured we have come to speak with you, Khosi. Our leader, Ulric, insisted that a representative of our people go out to each of the kingdoms of your land. I hope this does not intrude on this… ruler of yours.”
Imari felt a tinge of unease at Cedric’s words. They were a slight at the High King’s claim, hidden in the drape of formality.
“So what is it you and your leader Ulric want, Cedric?”
Cedric turned to the others and cleared his throat. A large chest was brought forth and placed on the floor before Imari. One of the men clicked open the lock and carefully lifted the lid. Inside rested a dazzlingly array of gold, gems, and an assortment of riches.
“We are refugees in search of a new home. Our lands have been decimated by a dark force. We call them servants of the moon. Vile creatures that once were men but have been taken over by a Dark Master, as many of our people call him.”
“I am familiar with these beings,” Imari responded.
“Then, I will move on to why we are here. A little over a year ago something changed. All of our homes had been subjected by this fell being, but he had allowed us to live in relative peace as long as we answered his call. That is until The Reckoning.”
“What is this ‘Reckoning’?” Imari asked, playing along.
“Something strange happened. Something that made the Dark Master very upset. Many of our homes were ordered to be destroyed and our people were slain, or worse. We didn’t understand why this was happening. The Dark Master profited from many of our civilizations but something had caused him to be so enraged that he no longer cared.”
“Do you know what that might be?” asked Imari.
Cedric shot him a sideways glance. “We heard rumor of a land far off from the rest of the continents, one that had not yet come under the Dark Master’s rule. Word was this small kingdom had thrown back his army and stood against the Dark Master himself. We traveled far and wide looking for this rumored haven, and at last it seems we have found it.”
Imari examined them with a careful eye. He looked at the chest lavishly displayed in his hall and the men surrounding it. Something wasn’t right.
“You say you are refugees, do you not? How would refugees come to have such treasure? Did you have time to empty your treasuries before you fled? You also say you heard rumor of our lands and it took you some months to arrive on our shores. I knew a man once who had departed from here and it took him years to find his destination.”
Cedric swallowed, weighing his next words very carefully. Imari could feel Impatu and the other Bomani scattered around the throne room tense at his words.
“My Khosi, these things are all that we have left of our most precious belongings. We were not beggars where we lived. The Dark Master has turned us into such. As for the journey, word has spread of your High King’s escapades across the seas. It was not hard to trace them to the source, especially when those who knew the rumors joined us.”
“So, what is it you seek?”
“A home. A place where we can live without fear of evil. A land to share,” Cedric said.
“A home…” mused Imari. “So you intend to stay in Islandia?”
“If you will allow it, yes.”
“Do you hope to buy yourselves a home?” Imari asked pointing at the treasure. “Or do you intend to take it?”
Cedric looked uncomfortably at the piece of armor peeking out of Imari’s robes. “We come in peace, as weary travelers seeking a place away from the rule of darkness. We believed that Islandia was such a place.”
Impatu leaned in to Imari’s ear. “I do not like the look of this. These men do not appear to be starving survivors to me.”
Imari was glad to have another who felt the same. He turned to look at his sister who gave no inclination either way on how she felt, but he doubted she was feeling trustworthy toward any outsiders. He turned to Cedric once more.
“I am afraid your timing is poor, Cedric. Our people have endured much at the hands of outsiders.”
“So will you turn us away to wander the seas?” Cedric asked.
“No, but this is not a decision for Khala to make alone. You will return to your leader Ulric and tell him that this is a matter for all of Islandia’s rulers to decide. Tell him we will gather a council at a city called Kingshelm. You are welcome to stay the evening, then I think it best you deliver this message.”
Imari could see the frustration on Cedric’s face, but the man pushed his emotion aside. “We will abide by your council, Khosi.”
Imari gave him a bow and turned to leave. Impatu was quick to his side.
“Make sure the Bomani keep a close eye on them. I want them gone from the city by tomorrow morning, and make sure they do not get a chance to see our defenses,” he ordered.
Impatu gave him a bow as he stepped aside to convey the order. Khaleena came rushing to his side.
“Where are you going now, brother?” she asked.
“I need to pay a visit to Sahra.”
“Sahra?” she said taken aback. “Why would you go to our enemies now?”
He gave her a disapproving look. “I need to know if these same outsiders have sent messengers to Nabila. If so, I need to know what Sahra intends to do, and if they haven’t… Nabila deserves a seat at the council regardless of the past.”
Khaleena shook her head and stomped down the hall, muttering under her breath.
Imari let out a sigh. He hoped of all the new threats rising that the most dangerous one didn’t share his blood.
5
Lydia
She pushed deeper into the woods, following the trail of trampled flora and broken branches. It took her back to simpler days. She envisioned her sister running ahead of her, excited to keep pace with the deer they stalked. An exasperated Geralt kept reminding them they would find no deer if they couldn’t keep quiet. Even her brothers had joined in on the hunt. Brayan held his typical shy demeanor but Aiden was eager to prove himself.
As they approached a sharp ledge within Valkara’s woods they had spotted their prey. Aiden, without advising the others, rushed ahead, unaware of the cliff. Hi
s recklessness sent him crashing to the ground with more than his pride injured. Needless to say, the buck had escaped and it was a long, disheartening trudge back home.
“Oh Aiden, I hope you don’t repeat your mistake,” she sighed to herself. She had made the decision to seek out his surrender. He must lay down his arms and in exchange they would finish Jorn off once and for all, together.And after? After there could finally be peace. At least, she hoped there would be. Something told her it would be much more complicated.
Just ahead, she spotted a wooden palisade with patrols of archers at its base. The last remnants from the fight were trickling in behind the defense. She mustered up her courage. These men may be led by her brother, but they all had experienced treachery by those they trusted. She was thankful Lancelin was willing to hold back the army and give her the chance to speak with Aiden alone.
She moved toward the encampment with her hands raised in the air. Her sword hung sheathed at her side while her shield draped loosely against her back. At the sight of her arrival the patrol of archers bolted into action. Each tightened their bowstrings with arrows notched. One shouted out to her, “Stop now if you value your life!”
“Kill her. She’s seen our camp already!” cried another.
“My name is Lydia, sister of Aiden. I come in peace,” she shouted back.
Hesitation crossed the face of the first guard as he lowered his bow.
“Are you mad? She is the enemy! Was she not part of the army that marched up here to wipe us out?” protested the anxious comrade.
Lydia looked each of the men in the eyes, searching for pity. They were a mixed company, with some still desiring a home of safety and freedom. Others were eager to be done with the wretched day.
“Men of my brother, I wish you no harm. I only desire peace.”
“Peace,” scoffed one of the men. “Yeah, we’ve seen enough of the type of peace your kind brings.”
“Please, I do not want more violence on this day.” Slowly she reached for her sword, slid it from its sheath and threw it onto the ground.
“You may spill my blood if you like, but it will be the blood of an unarmed ally.”
The leader of the pack let out a disgusted noise. “Come lads, drop your bows. If it’s Aiden she wants let him decide for himself what to do with her.”
“But sir, the commander is in no shape to…”
“Silence lad!” the captain’s face flared with annoyance at the loose lipped underling.
No shape for what? Lydia wondered. Had her brother been injured in the fighting?
“Come, lass,” waved the captain, ushering her forward. With quickened pace she moved to the opening in the camp’s wall. Inside, a host of wounded men rested, tending their injuries. Those who were healthy enough to stand rushed to and fro doing whatever was necessary. She was led to a small longhouse that stood in the center. Its timber walls were decorated with the symbol she knew well, the blue field and black ram. Alongside it many different symbols hung on display. Each represented the collaboration of the movement. A cause that now had reached its death throes.
She was escorted inside a dimly lit room. A group of armed men stood huddled over a cot. Their heads turned as the unexpected visitor entered.
“I thought we said no visitors!” One of the captains barked.
“This is no simple visitor, captain…”
All eyes fell on her. Each of their faces softened with realization. They parted from their circle to reveal Aiden reclining, his breathing labored. From his right shoulder protruded the shaft of an arrow.
“Brother!” Lydia said with concern as she knelt by his side.
Aiden let out a cough as he sat up to greet her. “Don’t be alarmed, sister. They say it won’t be fatal.”
Tears began to fill her eyes. “Why did you have to go and be a fool, Aiden? I can’t lose you, too.”
She rested her head on his chest and began to weep. He raised his hand to comfort her but paused a moment.
“I didn’t realize you still cared, sister.”
She lifted her head to glare at him. “How could you say such a thing? You are my flesh and blood and all I have left of our family.”
His eyes turned away. “You married that Kingshelm lacka and I thought…”
“You thought what, Aiden? That I threw away all I cared about? That I abandoned my family?”
She shook her head. “Don’t you see it is exactly that kind of thinking that has destroyed our people for so many years? Titus is not your enemy. He sent us…”
“He sent you to finish us,” Aiden interrupted.
“He sent us to aid you. He knows the kind of monster Jorn is, and he knew you would not be able to stand against him alone.”
“This aid.What comes attached to it? That we give up our cause of a free Islandia? That we should come under the banner of Kingshelm whenever he needs to call on us? An aid with a price attached. If we refused, then what?”
Lydia scrunched her face at his words. “Brother… has the world jaded you so? Yes, Titus would ask you to lay down your rebellion and in exchange you would be free to rule Valkara again, your rightful kingdom. He does not wish to be your enemy.”
Aiden grew still. His eyes fixed on the ceiling in deep thought. After a moment he looked at his captains. “Leave us.”
“But sir?”
“I said, leave us.”
Without another word the room emptied, leaving only the Valkaran heirs behind.
“Are these his words or yours?” he asked.
“Titus and I have spoken on this many times leading up to this day. We have decided that this is what is best for the kingdom. You may rule Valkara as our forefathers have always done, so long as you keep the peace.”
Aiden shifted, letting out a grunt of pain from the wound.
“What was the result of the battle? How many lost?” he asked.
“Our forces remained relatively fine. Yours, however…”
“So, the captains were lying to me,” he mused.
“I doubt lying is what they intended, only…” she stopped.
“Only, holding on to a dying dream,” he sighed. Her silence was the answer he had now come to realize for himself.
“I suppose it was a foolish dream,” he said ruefully.
“Not foolish, brother. Misguided. You desired freedom from what you perceived as corrupt rule. In many ways the old way of things had to be destroyed, but something new is rising.”
He let out a faint chuckle. “You really think that?”
“I have seen too much sacrifice to believe it was all for nothing,” she said.
“This world is a cruel place, sister. It takes without mercy, nothing more.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Aiden. If you look hard enough you can find beauty in it. Hints of something more, something that will take all these wrongs and make them right.”
“The New Dawn? Is that what you speak? Don’t tell me you believe that child’s tale.”
She examined her heart. Did she really believe what she was saying? Something inside her confirmed the truth she had come to believe. Yes, despite everything they now endured there would be purpose to the pain. Whatever the New Dawn may be, it would make things right at last. All they had suffered would no longer remain a sorrow in which they could never escape.
“I do, brother.”
He scoffed. “There we may disagree, but I see no reason why we cannot come to terms if Kingshelm will keep their word on restoring Valkara to our family. I will need more than word though. I have seen enough of man’s broken word to last the rest of my lifetime.”
“Come to Kingshelm with me. Titus will confirm my words. We will march together and end this reign of Jorn’s once and for all, together,” she looked down at the wounded shoulder. “Maybe you should get that mended before we go.”
He let out an annoyed grunt.
“One more thing, brother. Where have
you kept the man named Henry? Titus asked me specifically for his release.”
“He will be returned to you just as soon as we arrive safely at Kingshelm.”
She gave him a nod of approval as she stood to her feet.
“Let’s see what this High King has to say,” Aiden said.
Lydia found herself barely able to contain the joy she felt returning to Lancelin and the others. The Leviatanas prince was busy giving orders when she came from the woods. A hopeful look filled his eyes as he saw her approach. He was accompanied by his strange companions from the Dreadwood, Zuma and Izel. Both were practically twins of dark complexion and even darker hair. They carried a look of anticipation for the news she brought.
“Please tell me we have terms,” Lancelin said.
“We have terms,” she said with a smile. “We will march tomorrow with Aiden and his remaining forces to Kingshelm. From there we will make plans for a final assault on Jorn.
“What convinced him to give up his rebellion?” asked Zuma.
“I’m not entirely sure. Maybe the prospect of home, the loss of so many, family?”
“Whatever it is, I am happy there can finally be peace,” said Izel.
Lydia looked the two Dreadwood natives over, curious at their interest in affairs far from their home and wondered when they had arrived at the battle.
Turning to Lancelin she asked, “I didn’t realize our friends here had joined us in the fight.”
Lancelin grinned as he looked at Zuma and Izel. “I sent a message to them some time before we marched. Things have settled in their new homes here in the Riverlands. They joined our company a few days back on the march, wanting to help.
Zuma continued for him, “This is our home now. Since our fight with Eloy, we realize we cannot just sit idly by, shutting out the rest of the world.”
“So, we came to help in any way we could,” finished Izel.
“Noble of you. But why this fight?”
They looked to Lancelin. With a shrug of the shoulders he said, “I asked them. I knew they were deadly with a bow and they wanted to help.”
A New Dawn Page 5
