Kingdom's Reign (8 page)

The Prince's eyes were confident, and His countenance was fiercer than I had ever seen it. “We will split our forces and surround the valley,” He said. “We must maintain complete surprise. Five of our ships under the command of Keef and Ramon have disembarked west of the city and will travel north to cover the western ridge of the valley. Leinad and Tess, you will take your men into the city to reinforce the citizens of Chessington that have gone out to fight. Keep your men out of sight so that Lucius will not see any more than the force led by Fenton. You must take the brunt of the battle, for though Fenton's men are brave, they are ill-trained and inexperienced.”

Leinad and Tess nodded in acknowledgment.

The Prince addressed Gavinaugh, Weston, and Keanna. “Take your men north along the eastern ridge of the valley. You will pass beyond Lucius's advancing forces. Your challenge will be to remain undetected for you are outnumbered and we will be too far away to help you. Once beyond their advance, circle behind their forces to block any retreat they attempt to the north.”

The Prince turned. “Micalem and Gabrik will lead the main force from the east.”

The Prince turned at last to William and me. He hesitated momentarily, and His face showed more concern than before. “Cedric, William, your mission is the most dangerous of all. We must lure Lucius into attacking before he is ready, and you must be that lure. They would recognize Silent Warriors even from a distance, so I have given this mission to you. Take twenty men and ride into the valley. First meet with Fenton and tell him that the King has heard his plea. Tell him that the return of the Prince is imminent. Then you will ride north, straight to the enemy. Lucius usually sends a small contingent of men in advance to be his eyes. You will engage those men long enough for Lucius to see it. Retreat down the valley, and Lucius will pursue. Then join Leinad and Tess on the outskirts of Chessington.”

We nodded without hesitation. The Prince addressed us all. “When you hear the trumpet of Micalem, bring all of your forces to bear upon Lucius and his men—Shadow Warriors and Arrethtraens alike. We will have them surrounded on four sides. The day of mercy is over … the Day of Judgment has come!”

The Prince raised His magnificent sword above His head. “The King reigns!” He exclaimed.

“And His Son!” we replied. The Lion of the kingdom was to meet the dragon once again.

Our small circle dispersed, and we returned to the men. In a short time, our large force of Silent Warriors and knights was divided into three contingents. For my band, I chose twenty of
the best fighters, which included my brothers Rob, Barrett, and Cullen. It was a difficult decision, because I knew this could be the mission that ended their lives. We rode to the ridge and gazed into the Chessington Valley once again. It was more beautiful than ever. It was hard to believe that this lush, serene valley would soon be host to the greatest battle in the history of two kingdoms. I was suddenly aware of the anxious feelings rising within my chest.

From this distance, Chessington looked as though it were peacefully sleeping in the dawn's cool morning air, but I knew that was a false perception. I'm quite sure that every remaining inhabitant was sick with fear and apprehension. I could just see Fenton's makeshift army at the northern edge of the city. Tiny figures peppered the green countryside—although sizable, this army would be discouragingly small in comparison to Lucius's. I was not allowed to reveal the Prince's plan to them; however, I was anxious to share my message. At the very least, it might give them some hope.

I glanced at William, also deep in thought, and wondered at the picturesque scene below. He looked my way and nodded.

“Let's ride, men,” I commanded.

The closer we came to Fenton's army, the more distinct the forms became. Although twenty approaching men would not normally be a threat to any army, this one was visibly nervous and wary as we drew closer. Fenton and two hundred or so other men were mounted, but most of the force was not. Their weapons consisted of swords, axes, pitchforks, and a variety of
other farming implements. I pitied their position but admired their courage, as it was clear they believed that today they would surely die.

We slowed our gallop to a canter to appear less threatening. Some distance out, I stopped the men.

“Noble men of Chessington,” I called. “We look for the one called Fenton.”

One man and two others broke from the force and approached cautiously. Twenty strides away, they stopped. The leader sat tall on his mount.

“I am Fenton. Are you friend or foe?” he asked in a brusque voice. He was an older man with the look of a gentleman. Wisps of gray highlighted his temples.

“We are friends,” I said clearly. The tension on his face eased slightly.

“If that be so, then I am bound to warn you to leave this valley, for today Histen comes to destroy our city and our people.”

“I am afraid we cannot do so, sir,” I replied. “I have a message for you and the courageous people of Chessington.”

Appearing somewhat bewildered, Fenton cocked his head to the left and squinted his eyes.

“The King has heard your plea, and the return of the Prince is imminent,” I said.

Fenton lowered his voice. “Who are you, sir?”

“Stand strong, gentlemen, and prepare for battle!” I exclaimed. I kicked my horse and commanded the rest of my men to follow. We rode north at full gallop, up the Chessington Valley, directly toward the enemy. The flow of wind across my
face and the pounding of the horses' hooves upon the ground helped to ease my growing apprehension. A hundred things could go wrong, and we were delivering ourselves into the teeth of the dragon.

I did not know how many men we would encounter in Lucius's advance contingent. The success of our lure would depend largely on how long we could hold them off without being killed. To my left and right were twenty of the best swordsmen in the entire kingdom—men I trusted with my life.

And today we would all trust our lives to one another and to the wisdom of the Prince.

We rode hard, and our mounts seemed to love the race. The air was cool and sweet. Near the end of the valley, we descended into a thick, low fog. Our legless steeds seemed to float across, leaving a swirling misty wake behind. The brisk morning air bit into my cheeks, and my eyes began to water. Eventually, the terrain lifted us out of the lowest portion of the valley, and Chessington fell behind and out of sight. The air warmed slightly. Ahead, we could see a thin cloud of dust kicked up by thousands of mounts, which meant that Lucius's army had left the higher plains.

After some time, I slowed the men, and we rode more cautiously. All eyes were on the horizon as the tension mounted. A thick grove of trees obscured our view, and we approached it carefully. Then we entered the trees and worked our way through to the other side. At the edge of the tree line, I stopped the men. Although the country was open, we could not see beyond the rise a few hundred paces before us.

I gathered my men around and spoke softly. “We must be getting close! William and I will ride to the ridge and try to spot the advance contingent. I hope to lead them into the trees. Stay out of sight until we return.”

William and I exited the trees, and I heard Rob order the men to spread out and stay secluded. We moved as quietly as possible, now looking all around us rather than just ahead. I felt uneasy, as though we were entering the dragon's lair. We drew our swords and rode up to the ridge that separated us from a view of the unknown.

But before we could reach the ridge, an avalanche of riders crashed down on us. Fifteen Shadow Warriors broke the line of the ridge, and time seemed to stand still as we felt the forked tongue of the dragon reach out and smell our purpose. The stench of evil seemed to flow down the hill and envelop us. With our swords drawn and the armor of the Prince clearly visible, our frozen moment quickly shattered. One warrior disappeared in retreat while the others drew their swords and charged us explosively. There was no way of knowing just how far behind the rest of the army was, which caused me much anguish.

I did not need to speak a word to William. We turned and rode hard to the trees where our men were waiting. I quickly calculated the odds of victory against these brutes and considered our chances at least even. We entered the trees with our enemy in close pursuit. Rob had predicted our path and had split the men to flank the Shadow Warriors with a surprise attack. We continued our feigned flight until I heard Rob bark
the order for attack. We turned back and engaged the leading warriors as Rob and the rest of the men closed in from each side. Our ambush and larger number put us at an immediate advantage.

The familiar sound of clashing swords filled the air, but it had been some time since I had felt the intensity of real battle. Fighting on horseback required extra skill, but the Prince had taught us well. The first Shadow Warrior fell, and I advanced on the next. One of my men took a flesh wound, and two others protected him. Soon the ground held the bodies of five Shadow Warriors, and those remaining fell into retreat.

“Shall we pursue?” Cullen asked.

I faced a conundrum. We needed Lucius's army to pursue, not just to be warned. Yet I did not know how far over the ridge they were.

“Yes, pursue!” I ordered and kicked my horse to lead the way.

The Shadow Warriors crested the ridge and disappeared. We soon arrived on the ridge behind them and found ourselves looking full into the fiery eyes of the dragon—Lucius's massive army. We pulled so hard on the reins of our horses that some of my men nearly fell backward. It was an ominous sight, and a body-wrenching fear swept over me. The talons of the dragon reached for us as we turned and pressed our steeds to their fastest speed.

Not daring to look back, my men exploded through the grove of trees and pressed straight on for Chessington. I finally turned and saw that the leading edge of the army had slowed
to a cautious advance through the trees. This widened the distance between us, for which I was grateful. The size of Lucius's army was overwhelming, yet it dawned on me that I should have been as afraid of the first hundred warriors as I was of the next ten thousand, but it was not so—I think because I was afraid for not only myself, but for all the people of Chessington as well. I hoped the Knights of the Prince and the Silent Warriors were ready for the ferocious army that charged behind us.

The lower Chessington Valley and its beautiful city came into view. As we neared Fenton's army, his men seemed to panic, for the valley behind us was filling with the advancing dark army of Lucius.

My knights rode straight to Fenton and gathered around him.

“What have you done?” he asked with a voice that carried the fear he felt.

“I have done the bidding of the Prince, Fenton. Settle your men, and prepare them to protect the city.”

Lucius's army was just minutes away as they advanced unhindered upon the apparently helpless city of Chessington. The pounding of hoofbeats was broken only by the penetrating sound of one lone trumpet—Micalem's.

Behind Fenton's forces, the streets of the city came alive as Leinad and Tess ordered the advance of their men. I pointed to our forces as they moved forward through Fenton's men to join us.

“The battle belongs to the Prince!” I exclaimed.

Fenton turned and saw only a portion of his city's deliverance.
Lucius's army was nearly upon us, and I felt the hot breath of the dragon as its jaws opened to devour us.

Fenton shouted above the noise of thousands of advancing horses. “May the Prince live forever, sir, and may our hearts be ever His, but even this is not enough to overcome the onslaught of Alexander Histen.” Fenton looked at me with a mixture of hope and fear in his eyes as our men gripped their swords and weapons tightly and readied themselves.

I swept my sword across the valley's eastern and western horizons. “Look to the hills, from where comes your help!”

The valley horizons filled with the powerful forms of thousands of Silent Warriors. Lucius's men hesitated as they became aware of their impending demise. Keef and Ramon and their men were to the west; Micalem and Gabrik and their men to the east. Gavinaugh, Keanna, and Weston were positioning their men to the north behind Lucius's army. Leinad and Tess joined us with thousands of fellow knights, and we ordered Fenton to retreat to the city's edge. We positioned our men, and I beheld the unfolding of the battle of the ages. Leinad, Tess, Gavinaugh, Keanna, Weston, William, Rob, Barrett, Cullen, Keef, Ramon, Micalem, Gabrik, and countless courageous others all joined in one final battle to end the evil reign of Lucius once and for all. My fear was gone, for we all belonged to the Prince, and I was in the company of legends and heroes.

The sound of thundering horses faded to silence, and I sensed fear in the heart of the dragon. Now but a few hundred paces away, I still could not see individual faces, but one figure at the front stood out from the rest. He broke from his
warriors a short distance and circled his horse a number of times. He was looking for someone. From the city behind us, Fenton's men and our men parted to allow the approach of a single rider. The Prince rode forward to where Leinad, Tess, William, and I were positioned. I felt insignificant but empowered next to Him.

Lucius stopped his horse when he recognized the majestic form of the Prince before him. There across the small expanse that separated these age-old foes, the fury of a fallen, jealous warrior met the judgment of a perfect King. The pain and anguish of many generations was heaped upon the ground between them, all because of the pride of one powerful warrior.

Lucius burst forth with a battle cry that swept through his men, and they charged full upon us. The Prince was unaffected and drew His magnificent sword, and Micalem blew his trumpet once again as the King's army advanced to slay the dragon. The Prince led the charge, and we followed. The distance between our forces diminished to nothing as the clash of thousands of swords and a thousand battle cries filled the air. The Prince focused only on Lucius, for no other dared face Lucius's sword. I concentrated on each adversary but was intently aware of the duel of masters next to me. Lucius's and the Prince's swords flew with blinding speed, but the Prince was the master of all … including Lucius. How he thought he could ever overcome the Prince was evidence to the power of his pride. There had been only one outcome from the beginning, and Judgment Day was here.