by Adrian Juhl
Chapter Three
Queen Shannon closed the door to her chambers, and turned to look at the tall, slender woman, who sat facing the window.
“Is it done?”
“Yes. My son will travel without the Apothecaries. But how will I know he is safe?”
“The child of a king is never safe. If you’ve followed my instructions to the letter, there is still hope.”
“All the items you listed are aboard the ship,”
“And his agenda?”
Shannon produced a parchment from her white gown. “I’ll give it to Kayne upon his departure.”
“No, not Kayne. Give it to his protector. The man you call Jack. He fought well yesterday and protected his master.”
“But Jack isn’t going.” Silence greeted her assertion. The queen acceded, “Very well. I’ll do as you ask…”
“Is there something else?” asked the woman.
“How will I know that you have fulfilled your promise?”
The chair squeaked as the woman stood and walked to the open window. She paused, choosing her words carefully. “You will know if your son returns in three moons.”
Before Queen Shannon could respond, the woman vanished. She rushed to the window but could see no sign of her. Frustrated, the queen left the room and prepared to make her way to the docks.
The king gasped in awe at the sight of his wife. Dressed in slender pants and a tight leather tunic, her traveling clothes accentuated her figure. Sunlight reflected off the hilt of her thin dagger. The three men rushed toward Queen Shannon. She struggled with various items of luggage, her high heels making the job more difficult.
She held up her hand and commanded them to stop. “I can do this myself. If you’re looking for someone to serve, Ophidia will be pleased to accept your offerings.”
Walking past them as regally as she could, she made her way to the gangplank, and boarded the Oleander. The pride of the king’s fleet.
Kayne looked at his father with a mixture of surprise and confusion, but the king’s attention was firmly on his wife. The guards and dockworkers were also in awe of their queen, who now stood waiting at the ship’s rail.
“Hurry up, Kayne. We must leave with the tide!”
“Dad!” Kayne implored.
The king snapped out of his reverie and summoned his wife from the ship. “Wow!” he exclaimed as she approached. “It would appear that you’ve been planning for at least a few days to accompany our son. When did you have those clothes made?”
“This? It was just something I threw together.” The twinkle in her eye gave away the lie.
“As lovely as it is, my dear, do you intend on embarrassing our son by accompanying him like a milk-maid?”
“Nonsense. He needs a servant. As there are no takers, I will go instead.”
Kayne took his mother by the arm and pulled her aside. The workers continued to load the ship, doing their best to give the queen and the prince some privacy.
“Mum, you know you can’t come with me. No women allowed!”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m coming. I’m a Subjugator, so your pilgrimage will be valid. Besides, with me there, you won’t need fighting men.”
“Mum, it has to be an Apothecary. Just because you’re above them in station, doesn’t change the rules. What are you going to do if we find ourselves in battle? Run around grabbing the heads of our enemies so you can subjugate them?”
“Oh.” She unconsciously pulled at her tunic. “What do you mean ‘battle’? You are not going to war, young man. You’re visiting the colonies to the south and then coming straight back home.”
“No, mother. Even though a mighty Apothecary is not accompanying me, I will still serve my pilgrimage as intended. This isn’t some goodwill trip to the south to boost our popularity.”
“Is that so, young man?”
Kayne laughed. “Yes, Mother. I’m going north to establish a peace treaty with the tribes.”
Horrified, the queen grabbed her son’s shoulders. “Oh no you’re not! They’re savages. How can you hope to succeed where the indomitable Bishops have failed? This is foolhardy! I won’t allow it.” The queen turned to her husband demanding, “Say something to your son!”
The king sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked up to Queen Shannon. He wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her body quivering in fear as she recalled the Dark Queen’s warning. Jim looked over her shoulder to his son. “It’s time to go.”
The queen struggled to free herself from her husband’s firm grasp. Kayne reached over, hugged his parents, and kissed them goodbye. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll bring back a trade agreement and long-lasting peace. And then I’ll visit the off-world colonies.”
Without a backward glance, Prince Kayne boarded the Oleander and took his place beside Jack, who stood near the helm. Beside him, a stranger, dressed in brown leather, stood at the wheel. Two curved, silver swords of elegant design, hung at his side, and a finely crafted bow and quiver hung across his back. On deck, one hundred and eighty men stood in formation dressed in light, leather armor that bore the royal crest. Jack stepped forward to address them.
“Men. Today we leave on a momentous journey in support of our prince. Out of love and respect for him, each of you has volunteered for this noble duty. While the church will not substantiate his effort to serve the people—our people, our wives, our children, and our homes—his actions will. Prince Kayne could have elected to wait for his first child to legitimize his birthright to the throne. Instead, he chooses to risk his own life to improve ours. That is why we are here. We validate our oaths this day. We affirm our love to homeland and families, for the wealthy and the poor. We serve our prince this day, unbound by duty to church and state. That’s why we will make a difference. A difference that will resound in the ears of our children for generations to come! Today, we journey north. Not to wage war but to establish peace. We will put an end to the three hundred year conflict that has ravaged both our peoples and unite against the threat of the Necromancers!”
The men erupted in cheers of approval and applause. They raised their swords above their heads and chanted the prince’s name.
Jack turned to the man at the wheel. “Captain Garos, if you could spare a moment, I’d like to introduce you to His Royal Highness, Prince Kayne.”
The Captain held out his hand in greeting. The prince shook it firmly.
“Prince Kayne, I wish to introduce you to Captain Garos from Whetu.”
Garos bowed to the prince. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness.”
“Whetu! It’s not often your people leave their home world.”
Garos smiled. “That is correct, Your Highness. The Druid Mother sent me to assist you on your voyage.”
Kayne turned to Jack with a puzzled expression.
“Their leader,” Jack whispered.
“Oh. I see. Well, that is very fortunate. I have something to discuss later that could benefit from a Ranger’s skills.”
“I am at your disposal, Your Highness,” Garos replied.
“It is odd, though. A Ranger heading out to sea. One would think you would be more at home among the trees. Please excuse the pun, but aren’t you a little out of your depth?”
“Rangers are the Earth Mother’s warriors and scouts. Her domain is ours, be it a forest, a cave or the ocean. While many of my people prefer the comfort of the forest, my village is near to the sea, so we are equally adept on the water. I have many years of seafaring experience.”
Kayne slapped Garos on the back. “Excellent!”
Surprised by the prince’s familiarity, Garos paused, uncertain whether to return the gesture. “I expect we’ll encounter no issues at sea in a vessel as glorious as this one.”
“Thank you, Captain Garos. My father is rather fond of the Oleander. I know it was a difficult decision for him to part with it.”
“Please, Your Highness, just Garos.”
“As you wish, Garos. The ship is yours t
o command. As you were.”
Garos acknowledged the prince once more, then turned his attention to the running of the ship. The Oleander’s three masts rose high into the air. On the lower decks, oars sat behind closed portholes, ready at a moment’s notice. The hull’s design made it a formidable shallow-water fighting ship. The decks housed many cannons and other tools of war, and the sleek bow was designed to cut through the waves.
Garos pointed to the sails and anchor. The men broke ranks and attended their stations. Most of them disappeared below deck, taking positions behind the large oars. Each oar seated five men. They readied themselves for what would be a long trip. The men strained against the winches, raising the anchor.
The warm, humid air carried no wind, something that did not pass the Ranger’s notice.
Garos nodded to his First Mate. “Take us out, Reesus.”
Reesus lifted his arms, bringing them down to chest height and pushing them in front of him.
“What’s he doing, Jack?” Kayne asked.
Jack laughed. “You’ll see. You might want to hold on to something, boy.” He pointed to where the king and queen stood. “But first, you’d better wave to your parents before it’s too late.”
Kayne gave a short wave. His parents waved back as the ship suddenly lurched sideways, pulling violently away from the dock. The surging water broke over the starboard rail. As the sea flooded in through the portholes, it saturated the oarsmen. Mixed laughter and complaints echoed through the lower decks. The queen gasped while her husband laughed, watching as Kayne picked himself up off the deck.
Reesus looked at the Captain. “Sorry, Garos. First time I’ve moved a ship.”
Garos frowned at Reesus and took the wheel. “The ship seems to be listing a little. How about we fix that and get started?”
The Elemental’s eyes glowed. He opened his palms and moved them in a uniform manner from left to right. As he did so the water within the ship emptied back into the harbor. With another gesture, a strong gust of wind caught the sails amidst the crew’s cheers of approval.
As he watched the boat move away from the wharf, the king chuckled to himself. “A Ranger and an Elemental. How on earth did you manage that, Jack?”
The men sailed from the harbor past the confused anglers and merchants, who marveled at the sight of the prince and the Oleander. The full sails on the windless day gave them hope and pride in their future king. One person did not cheer, nor share in the excitement of the day. She watched her son disappear beyond the harbor mouth. Tears streaked her face as she looked up at the sky. ‘I tried, I tried. Please save my son!’
