Dark One Rising (56 page)

The evening air was cold, and his breath could be seen in front of him. He grumbled. He looked over at his friend who was pacing as well, having a drink from his bladder. This long winter was intolerable. He couldn’t understand how Kevaan could stand it. Just a few days before he was warmer and happier in Azlyn; now he was wandering around in this God forsaken realm again. Winter had not yet come to Azlyn; it was still fall, but Aaralyn’s bitterness had never left. It hung over the realm still.

After a light refreshment of cold meat and bread, they drank their fill of water and got back on their horses again for the remainder of their ride.

Fallon had not yet dared to cross over the eastern border into Azlyn, as far as they knew, knowing full well just how outfitted Dain was in border patrol and easily moveable troops. The Isamarians had to know what Fallon was planning. Even if they didn’t agree to help, they needed to be prepared.

Aaralyn was small and not as well funded, and he knew because of that, Fallon could place troops of his own enlistment anywhere he felt was the most beneficial for his movement. Alek suspected he wanted to re-draw the lines of the realm and put himself on the throne. Before he could do that, he would have to get rid of Kevaan. He was saddened for his friend’s loss and wondered how long Kevaan’s strength could endure the push from the wraith. One thing he knew, Fallon would have a fight with Kevaan, and if Alek knew his friend as well as he did, Fallon would have to kill him in order to prevail. Kevaan would never give up his realm while he was alive to prevent it.

Alek and Dain would have to make sure that didn’t happen, but he feared they would have to enlist more help to do so. With the elves, and Brogan on his way back from Yarden with news of the dwarves, they should have enough troops to start the war with, but they needed more if they planned on finishing. The cities in Isamar were small, with no armies of any force; however, they would be powerful by shear numbers alone.

They traveled for an hour more when Kevaan glanced over his shoulder. He shook his head, then glanced back again. Alek noticed.

“What is it, my friend?”

“I’m not sure, but I swear I saw two riders close behind us, but when I looked back again, they were gone. They may be using the trees to keep themselves just out of sight range.”

“Are they wearing Fallon’s colors?”

“I didn’t get a long enough look, but I don’t think so.”

“I know a way we could find out. Let’s get a drop on them.”

“Alright, let’s get a mile or two more up the trail; we’ll slip behind the ridge of boulders.”

They kicked their mounts into a harder run, then pulled in around the ridge, dismounting and drawing their weapons and crouched in waiting. Kevaan had his sword; Alek had his bow with a bolt nocked and ready. The men kept the mounts hidden and quiet. They waited for about fifteen minutes when they heard the snorting of horses and the crunching of needles and crushed rock under heavy hooves. Kevaan lifted his sword over his head, ready to swing down. Alek held his crossbow, ready with bolt. The first horse that emerged fully from the dark trees reared up when confronted with combatant.

“Make any moves for your weapon and my friend there will have the bolt through your head faster then you can blink,” Kevaan stated.

The man stopped his horse from rearing again a moment before the other horse and rider popped out of the trees. The new arrival looked down at the two men, weapons drawn, and stopped dead, pulling his horse next to his companion.

Alek raised his bow to the first man and said, “Get off your horse, nice and slow, hands were I can see them.”

The man swung down and slid to the ground, the bow leveled at his head. Kevaan lifted his sword up to the second man’s throat. “Now you.”

He slipped down out of his saddle as well.

“Now, let’s see what information you can give us that will make us happy. Lie to me and you’ll find your head rolling on the ground by your feet. Who are you, and why were you following us?” Kevaan demanded.

The first man looked at him, eyes flicking from him to Alek, then back to him.

“We weren’t. My name is Zayn. My companion is Aldis. We are knights in Lord Ulric’s army of Danyl. We were enlisted to carry a message to King Dainard.”

“What are you doing this far north. It’s a fairly straight journey from Danyl through the Zairn Pass into the capital.”

“The Zairn Pass is too dangerous to travel through these days, so we went the long way. Fallon has taken Bardolf and Ashlan. We barely escaped. We had to barter passage across the Elanorrah Lake. When we got into Amaris we saw that it had been destroyed. As we were leaving another horde came through, and we were ambushed. I lost twenty of my men. The city is no more.”

So Alek was right about them returning. He had evacuated the city just in time. Kevaan lowered his sword and Alek his bow. “We know about Amaris. I evacuated the city myself. So Danyl does not stand with Fallon?” Alek said to the men.

The other man answered him. “No, Lord Ulric has refused to join Fallon’s duchy. He stands alone. We were on our way to Zhen. We had a garrison holding the fortress there, but it has fallen. The giants are on the march. They have already been through Ianna and are making their way toward the border. Fallon intends to take the Isamarian cities next. Lord Ulric stands against Fallon and, because of that, has lost a lot of men. Fallon seems to have no qualms about stepping where he has no place to, and the giants have only solidified his ability to bully the nobles into his cause. Lord Ulric knows that he won’t be able to withstand Fallon’s army forever. He needs more troops.”

Alek shook Zayn’s hand then Aldis’. “We are friends here, you have nothing to fear from us. This is Kevaan Breslin of Aaralyn. I’m Alek Morgan, King Dainard’s Royal Advisor. I have to ask. The Earl of Hallmar, Ruan de Gracy, was he with the garrison at Zhen?”

“No. He is helping to hold down the keep in Danyl with Lord Ulric. Why?”

“The king will be most pleased to know that his cousin is still walking upright.”

“At least from when we left him. It’s hard to say what’s happened since then. It was three weeks ago after all.”

“I will remain optimistic for His Majesty’s sake.”

Zayn nodded. “Where were you headed, Your Highness?”

“We were on our way to the Triple Cities to make sure the wall was secure, then on to Isamar to speak with the chancellor.”

“You won’t like what you find there. The wall at Ulam withstood the most, but it still has been breached. Like I said, Zhen has fallen, and it and Bohden are in ruins, the people fleeing into Lakendra as we speak, but there’s not much room for them. King Dainard may just have thousands come into Eston to escape hunger and death, and I don’t think the city can hold that many. It is a dire situation indeed.”

“The border has been breached? This is worse than I suspected. I’m sure the king was not expecting this either. That means getting into Kingswell will be nearly impossible from here. We’ll have to take the woods all the way into Barden, then cross into Kingswell from the Northeast.”

“It will take more time,” Kevaan said.

“It hardly matters,” Aldis said. “We heard that Fallon’s army is already marching toward Kingswell. He tried to take the castle once, but your men were ready and held them back. But you can bet he won’t fail a second time.”

“Damn him!” Kevaan growled. “You’re telling me I’m already too late, or will be by the time we get there?”

“I’m sorry for the bad news, Your Highness, but I fear Fallon may already sit on the throne.”

Alek looked at Kevaan with concern. “What’s your move now?”

“I will need to get to Charbonneau to ready my garrison for war.”

Alek nodded sadly. He shifted his attention to Zayn. “How long do you reckon that Lord Ulric can hold the army back?”

“No more than a few weeks. He has lost a lot of men, but his keep is fortified adequately. Fallon has already taken all of the towns on his side of the Indriahs. He is moving some of his troops east into Azlyn and the rest of them north into Isamar. The coastal city of Kieran might be next. It would give him the advantage, with an armada of ships from there, to attack the east from the coast.”

“I can’t believe Fallon is bold enough to try and attack His Ma-jesty right under his nose,” Alek said.

Aldis answered, “With control of Lachlan Castle, I think he’s confident he will prevail. The giants and the creatures that he has in his ranks are enough for anyone to bend to his will. Most of the commanders are unaware of the influence he has. I don’t think they are in their right minds. Lord Ulric is strong minded and has up to now withstood whatever mind numbing Fallon’s creature has tried to create, but it’s only a matter of time. His creature is strong and will eventually wear him down.”

“The wraith.”

“Yes.”

Kevaan and Alek looked at each other and frowned. “We have witnessed his power first hand. He bent my father to his will, getting him to relinquish his hold on assets and accounts. My father could not withstand the push any longer. He is dead.”

Zayn frowned. He looked at Aldis and then back at Keevan. “My condolences, Sire.” Both men bowed to him. “Then it’s your throne that’s in danger,” Zayn said.

“Aye.”

Alek said, “I guess I will still go to Isamar. We need all the fighters we can get.”

“You will be hard pressed to get there before he does. He has already struck the village of Barksdale on the border and has moved into Xandra. Your best bet would be to move west from here into Salador and beat him there. The Tribal Council of Isamar have their headquarters there. It would be the fastest way of reaching Chancellor Jaxon before he does.”

“I think the elves could get there faster from Vallis,” Alek declared

The two guards looked at each other then back at Alek.“You can get in touch with the elves?”

“Sort of. I know how to get as far as their front door but don’t know if I can get in.”

“Would they help us?”

“Yes, they have already given their allegiance to us. The dwarves as well. I’m sure the elves would send a representative to accompany me to the Isamarian headquarters.”

“What extraordinary times these are. I never would have thought I’d see the day when the elves joined man.”

“This cause goes beyond just us, beyond anything we could ever have imagined. Fallon is in league with the Dark One, and the demons are helping him take down the realms. There is only one who can stop him. She has already been sent to Vallis to prepare for battle.”

“She?”

“Yes. The Tanith Prophecy is true, and the Chosen One is a female.”

“I didn’t even hear that the Chosen One had been born, much less that it’s a female.”

Alek and Kevaan looked at each other knowingly. “You don’t get out much, I assume. The rumors have been traveling for some time now.”

“We are a bit isolated from things on our side of the pass. News usually gets to us last. The Pass is not easily crossed through, especially not in the last few months. Most go around, and that takes time. So news gets to us rather slowly. We have heard of the rumor, but not that it was truth.”

“We were just as surprised. With Randor dead, Kevaan will be next. He needs to ready his army. I need to continue on. We have to enlist as many cities as we can. Every able body must prepare for war.”

“What can we do?”

“You can get to Drydon Keep like you planned and give the king an update. He will need to know that Fallon has moved east, and Lachlan Castle has been besieged. Tarak and Henri will accompany you. The rest of the men and I will make sure Kevaan reaches Charbonneau safely, then I’ll ride back to Vallis. It’ll take time but I won’t take any chances with his life. With Randor gone, Kevaan is the only hope for Aaralyn. After that I’ll go to Salador and see about getting to the chancellor before Fallon does. If the Isamarians know he’s coming, they can prepare. With an elf or two with me, I will feel safe enough to travel into unknown territory. You’ll need all the protection you can get in order to reach Drydon Keep with no incidents. That’s the plan. Make sure His Majesty gets the message.”

The two men mounted their horses again and nodded down to Alek and Kevaan. “Good luck to you.”

“To you as well.”

The four men disappeared into the trees again, heading back toward Eston.

“What are the odds that they’ll make it in time?” Alek asked.

“If they can avoid most of the main roads, and if the troops in the Triple Cities stay put, they have a good chance. If Dain gets that message, he’ll make sure he dispatches his army into the west and spreads them out along both borders.” He grimaced. “Fallon is getting bolder”

“He knows that with the help of the giants, and whatever other creatures he has enlisted, he can instill fear, and when people are afraid, they will bend.”

Kevaan frowned. “What do you think happened to my men and my staff?”

“He probably has them locked up and out of the way.”

“If they are dead….” He let it hang.

“He wouldn’t do that. They are more valuable to him alive than dead. I wish I was Melenthia. She gets the fun of killing that bastard.”

“I wouldn’t put too much stock in my sisters ability to kill someone. She may be the Chosen One, but I think she’ll have a hard time going through with it when the time comes.”