Redemption (22 page)

"Not at all," the prince shook his head as he ran his fingers over his arm. "The skin feels normal. Are you sure it worked?"

Winona drew a knife from her belt and handed it to the prince. "Try it," she suggested. "Stab either your arm or mine."

Prince Antion took the knife and hesitantly put it to his skin. The skin dimpled under the point of the knife, but the blade did not pierce the flesh. He pushed harder and his eyes widened in amazement. He handed the knife back to Winona.

"How long will it last?" he asked.

"I don't know," admitted Winona. "It is something that Orro taught me. I could hardly practice it on myself. When I used it on you the other day, that was my first time."

The sound of thundering hooves forced the two warriors into silence. Although neither of them could see the trail, they both turned and stared in that direction. The noise came closer and closer as the Borundans rode up the hill. Unexpectedly, the sound distorted so that it sounded like horses galloping up both sides of the hill. Prince Antion and Winona stared at each other questioningly.

Sudden shouts ripped through the air and clashes of metal upon metal rang out loudly. The screams of dying men drifted on the winds and then everything became silent. The sounds of boots trampling over broken stones cracked loudly, and Prince Antion drew his sword. He tried to push Winona behind him for her protection, but she stepped aside and drew her own sword. Together the two warriors waited for the enemy to appear.

"Prince Antion?" called a voice from the old rock wall. "Are you here, Prince Antion?"

The prince did not answer and the footsteps suddenly halted. A distant whispering was heard, but the words were unintelligible.

"Prince Antion?" the voice resumed. "Do not attack us. I am Captain Laron of the Caroom army. I am a friend of Monte's brother, and Monte said you were in trouble. The Borundans are dead except for a few that ran away. It is safe for you to come out now."

Prince Antion and Winona looked at each other questioningly. Winona shrugged with indecision. The prince hesitated a moment before speaking. He tried to think of something the Borundans would be incapable of knowing.

"Name the person with me and where that person hails from," Prince Antion demanded loudly.

"You are with a woman named Winona," came the reply. "Monte did not say where she was from, but I assume she is from Hyrem. If you do not wish to trust me, that is understandable. I will return with my men to our patrol. I just wanted to make sure that you were alive and safe. Beware of the Borundans that might have escaped. I cannot afford to have my men chasing them right now."

The footsteps retreated along the old stone wall.

"I believe him," Prince Antion said softly. "I am going out to make sure. I will whistle if it is safe."

"Save your breath," smiled Winona. "I will be right behind you."

The two warriors grabbed the reins of their horses and started back along the stone wall. When they could see the trail, they saw scores of Caroom soldiers milling about. Prince Antion called out to them and a tall dark-haired man separated from the group and approached the edge of the woods.

"Thank goodness that you are still alive, Prince Antion," smiled the officer. "I am Captain Laron."

The prince exited the woods and surveyed the battlefield. Dozens of bodies littered the group and thankfully most of them were Borundan. The prince saw several wounded Caroomites and he nodded towards them for Winona's benefit. She nodded in return and rushed to their side.

"Winona is a wisper," Prince Antion declared. "Perhaps she can help your wounded."

"I would be forever grateful," smiled the captain. "We were fortunate that the Borundan horses were exhausted. They were very competent warriors."

"What is such a large patrol doing up here?" asked the prince.

"We are supposed to be on the next hill over," answered the captain. "Monte informed us of the Borundans and your predicament. I felt it was necessary to do what I could to aid you."

"I appreciate that," replied Prince Antion, "but is it usual for such large patrols to be this far north?"

"Nothing is usual these days," answered the captain. "Caxon is preparing for an attack by the Vinelanders. The next hill affords a fantastic view of the Vine River valley and the northern approaches to the city. We have been posted up there to provide a warning to Caxon of enemy troop movements. We are also prepared to act independently if the Vinelanders try to sneak a force across the frozen river north of the city."

"So war has been declared?" asked the prince.

"There has been no declaration," replied the captain. "King Rihad of Odessia came across certain information detailing the coming attack. The Odessians will be joining with us to defeat the Vinelanders once they make their move. It is said that they plan to cross the frozen river to avoid using the bridge."

"They will have to hurry then," frowned Prince Antion. "The spring melt is beginning. Do you have a spare horse that I might borrow?"

"I have a few," frowned the captain. "The Borundan animals will be of no use to you, but I also lost some men in this battle. I will have a horse brought to you. Do you plan to meet up with Monte in Caxon?"

"I do," answered the prince. "I would also like to meet with King Justin if he would agree to see me."

"He most certainly will," replied the captain. "Just the fact that you ride with Prince Umal will guarantee you a visitation. We are very grateful for the warning the Odessians have sent to us. Without those warnings, we would not have been prepared for such treachery."

Winona spent two hours healing the wounded while Prince Antion transferred her belongings from her old horse to the one supplied by Captain Laron. The prince spent some time counting the Borundan bodies and learned that there were sixty fewer Borundans on his tail. He wondered what the remaining thirty would do now that they were back in civilization.

With his Odessian beauty refreshed and Winona on a fresh horse, the two warriors set off for Caxon. The sun had set before they reached the outskirts of the city, but people were still moving about the streets. Winona stared distractedly at the sights of the city, and Prince Antion remembered that she had never been out of the mountains before. He started explaining the history of Caxon as they rode towards the marketplace. When they reached the marketplace, Winona stared at the dozens of inns.

"How will we know where to find the others?" she asked.

"We are princes," chuckled Prince Antion. "We merely need to check out the most expensive inn in the city. Where else would you expect to find a prince?"

"You are mocking me," frowned Winona.

"Only a little," apologized Prince Antion as he led the way towards the Rose and Thorn Inn. "I am also mocking myself. As a prince, the Palace Arms is the first inn I would think of to search for someone like myself, which is precisely why we will not find the others there. The last time we were here, we stayed at the Rose and Thorn. It is one of the cheapest inns in the city. Prince Umal loathes the place. That alone would cause Prince Derri to choose it."

"I thought they liked each other?" Winona frowned with confusion.

"They love each other," smiled Prince Antion, "as only brothers can. Why else would they enjoy taunting each other so?"

Prince Antion halted at the stables behind the Rose and Thorn. Prince Umal was standing outside the stables and greeted them.

"You let Derri choose the inn?" chuckled Prince Antion.

"Oh no," grinned the Odessian prince. "Derri wanted to go to the Palace Arms and have a fine bath. It took me a while to convince him that we had to keep a low profile in the city."

"I don't believe it," Prince Antion responded with surprise. "You loathe this place."

"True," grinned Prince Umal. "You made me stay here the last time we were in the city. It is only fitting that Derri should have to suffer as well. I made sure that he got the room right at the top of the stairs so he can listen to the noise from the common room all night."

"You are brave to suffer so that your brother might share your experience," laughed Prince Antion.

"I try," Prince Umal laughed and shrugged. "It is most unfortunate that the Rose and Thorn is so crowded this spring. I was forced to book my own room at the Palace Arms. I thought I would wait here to let you know before you tied up your horses. Your comfortable rooms are waiting for you across the marketplace. Shall I lead the way?"

The loud banging on the door caused Prince Antion to roll out of bed and grab his sword. He saw Prince Umal across the room with his twin scimitars already in his hands. Prince Antion held his two-handed sword in one hand and yanked the door open with the other. He leaped away from the doorway ready for a fight. A Caroom officer stood in the doorway with his hand raised to knock again. His eyes narrowed as he saw the Arin prince with his sword drawn.

"Burglars normally do not knock," frowned the officer. "May I come in?"

Prince Antion nodded as he sheathed his sword. The officer walked in and saw Prince Umal sheathing his scimitars. His eyebrow rose and he shook his head.

"I have been looking all over the city for you," the officer declared. "We found the rest of your party at the Rose and Thorn, but they thought you also had rooms there."

"They were full," shrugged Prince Umal. "Why are you looking for us?"

"King Justin wants to speak to you," answered the officer.

"I thought we would be meeting him in the morning," replied the Odessian prince. "Is it urgent?"

"I would presume so," answered the officer. "The king is not known to wake people up in the middle of the night for just a chat."

"I will wake Winona," offered Prince Antion as he struggled into his clothes. "I am not comfortable leaving her here alone."

Prince Umal began getting dressed while the officer waited. He finished up by pulling his sheaths over his head, which brought a frown from the officer.

"It is impolite to wear such weapons in the presence of the king," stated the officer.

"King Justin will have to make an exception this time," declared the Odessian prince. "Too many people want members of my party dead. We go nowhere without our weapons."

"I did hear that you were followed by members of the Borundan army," noted the officer, "but you are in Caxon now. No one would dare attack you here."

"Then we will not have cause to unsheathe our weapons," shrugged Prince Umal. "Still, we will carry them with us."

The officer sighed with resignation. Moments later Prince Antion entered the room with Winona right behind him. The officer glanced at Winona and noted that she also wore a sword in a back sheath. He shook his head and led the way out of the room.

The officer led the trio through the dark streets of Caxon to the palace. They were shown into a large meeting room and told to wait with the others. The rest of the group was already there, and Prince Derri approached his friends as they entered. His nose wrinkled, and his eyes darkened.

"You smell of a bath," he said accusingly to Prince Umal. "Where are you staying?"

"After I booked your rooms," smiled the Odessian prince, "there were no others available. I was forced to try another inn. Not wanting to waste a lot of time checking each and every inn, I crossed the marketplace to the Palace Arms."

"You swine!" scowled Prince Derri. "You are living in luxury while the rest of us have rooms in that hovel?"

"Actually," grinned Prince Antion, "Winona and I ended up over there, too. I've already enjoyed the atmosphere in the Rose and Thorn and much prefer the stables to it, but Umal insisted that we join him at the Palace Arms."

Monte was doubled over with laughter, and Talot sported a broad grin on his large face. Sandar was also laughing, but Jared appeared to be disinterested. His head was covered with a hood and his back was to the group as he gazed at a shelf of books. The door opened unexpectedly before Prince Derri could verbally lash out at his friends. Two soldiers entered the room and took up positions on each side of the doorway. A moment later the king entered and the door was closed.

"I apologize for waking all of you up," the king began, "but I have just had some distressing news from King Rihad. As your party includes the crown princes from three of my neighboring countries, I am hoping that one of you might have a solution to my problem. Are there any among you who should not be present for this discussion?"

"Everyone in this group is trustworthy," declared the Arin prince. "Had that not been so, we would not have assembled here tonight."

"Good," nodded the king. "Introduce me so that I might know whom I am addressing."

Prince Antion introduced the members one by one, ending with Jared. He did not mention anything about Jared's bloodline, but the king focused his attention on the hooded figure and did not return his attention to Prince Antion.

"Jared is shy and unarmed," declared the Arin prince. "If it would not disturb your majesty, it is preferable for him to remain hooded."

"It disturbs me greatly," scowled the king. "I have brought you here in the spirit of openness and trust. To refuse to reveal one's face is unacceptable."

Prince Antion opened his mouth to respond, but Jared immediately lowered his hood revealing his face. King Justin gasped and the two guards started to rush around the table, each one going in a different direction. Prince Umal and Prince Derri moved quickly to place their bodies between the guards and Jared.

"He is not King Zinan," Prince Antion proclaimed loudly. "His likeness to the Borundan king is precisely why he keeps his face covered. Call off your guards."

The guards glanced over their shoulders at the king, and King Justin waved them away. The guards returned to their posts flanking the doorway. King Justin glared at Jared and waited for an explanation.

"What I am about to reveal must not leave this room," Prince Antion said softly. "If you cannot guarantee that, we will all leave."

"I am not used to princes making demands of me in my own palace, Prince Antion," snapped the king. "I would have thought that your father had raised you to better standards."

"King Caedmon raised me to respect the rulers of other lands," Prince Antion replied calmly, "but he also raised me to always stand for truth and justice, and to do what is necessary to preserve the people of Arin. My party is on a mission to accomplish those goals, and Jared is an integral part of that justice. While I am anxious to be of help to the nation of Caroom in any way that I can, the safety of Jared is more important."

"More important that the whole nation of Caroom?" bellowed the king.

"More important than the whole nations of Arin, Salacia, and Odessia combined," asserted Prince Antion. "I am not making any slight against your fair kingdom, King Justin. The gravity of our mission will affect all of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms for generations to come. All I am asking is that our words do not leave this room. Is that such a weighty price to pay?"

King Justin remained silent for several moments, and the atmosphere within the room remained tense. Finally he turned and addressed his guards.

"You two will leave the room," he ordered. "You are to mention nothing about what has transpired in here. One single word out of either of you, and both of you will be tried for treason. Wait outside the door."

The guards bowed and slipped out the door. King Justin waited until the door was closed before nodding to Prince Antion.

"I will make this short," Prince Antion began, "because I am anxious to discover what problems you have that called us from our beds. Jared is the twin brother of King Zinan. He has spent his life running from the Borundans with his father, Zalman. He also has the capabilities of using the Talent as the Borundan king does. I am not sure how much you know about the Talent and King Zinan's abilities, but weapons cannot kill him. Jared is the only chance we have of halting the destruction of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms. Those traveling with me have vowed to escort Jared to the confrontation between him and his brother. We will probably die in the attempt, but we will not falter for any reason."

"A twin brother?" King Justin said in awe. "How is it possible that no one has ever known this?"

"Zalman kept the boy safe all those years," explained the Arin prince. "You will remember that Princess Orenda was murdered on the night that she gave birth. No one knew that she had birthed twins, so no one had gone looking for Jared. The Borundans did search for Zalman, but the man was quite capable of evading the bounty hunters. The problem now is that King Zinan knows about Jared. He has sent his minions to kill all of us. Your army dispatched sixty of them just north of the city, but there are another thirty still searching for us."

"Not to mention the spies that the dark king has entrenched in every city," interjected Prince Umal. "Jared's identity must be kept secret, King Justin. The fate of all of our countries is riding on that."

"Your story is incredible," sighed the king, "but I cannot fathom three crown princes making up such a farce while also consorting with a Borundan king. I am forced to believe what you have said."

"Good," smiled Prince Umal. "What was the reason for summoning us tonight?"

"I presume that you have heard about the coming attack on Caxon?" asked the king.

"Your soldiers informed us," nodded Prince Antion. "They said that the Odessians would be joining in the defense of Caxon."

"They were supposed to," frowned the king, "but I just received a message from King Rihad. The Vinelanders have freed the ice from the lower half of the river. There is no way for the Odessians to cross over and come up behind the Vinelanders. We are in dire straits without that help. There are far too many people in Caxon to fit them all inside the wall, and it is too late to send them fleeing into the countryside. Unless Caroom can get some help quickly, Caxon will fall to the Vinelanders."

"It does not sound as though there is much time," Prince Antion responded. "We could hardly go to our homes and plead your case. As much as our fathers would want to come to your aid, it would take a long time."

"Arin is definitely too far," conceded the king, "but my patrols tell me that the Salacian army is camped on my western border. Do you know if that is true, Prince Derri?"

"I do not know," answered the Salacian prince. "I have been out of the country for some time now, but I doubt that my father would be camped there with any evil intent towards Caroom. We have always had good relations with you and consider you a fine neighbor."

"When will the Vinelanders attack?" asked Prince Umal.

"The breaking of the ice on the lower river indicates that they are ready to march," answered King Justin. "I suspect that the march has already begun."

"Then my father's army would have to start marching right now," frowned Prince Derri. "I do not see how that is possible. It would take me days just to get to him."

"Nor do I," the king admitted with a heavy sigh. "Forgive my interruption of your sleep. I was grasping at straws because I cannot figure out how to save my country. Like a fool, I sold the Borundans the weapons they will be using to kill my people."

"How far up the river did they break the ice?" asked Talot.

"I am not sure," replied the king. "I suspect they did so for the entire length of the Odessian border. If we could just hold them off a week, the river would thaw and we could destroy the bridge. They would never be able to ford the river during the spring melt. The waters would carry them out of sea."

"What are you thinking?" Prince Antion asked Talot. "Would Lom commit to enter the war in favor of Caroom?"

"They will if I can convince them," shrugged the giant. "If there is still ice across the river at Lom, my people could come up behind the Vinelanders and force them to break off the attack on Caxon."

"Is there really a chance that the council would consider such a thing?" asked the king. "Lom and Caroom have never been close, but we have always respected their borders. There is no animus between our two nations."

"Lomites are loath to get involved in the affairs of other countries," answered the giant, "but these are special times. There is no reason to expect that the Borundans will be happy with their conquests while Lom still remains under separate rule. They intend to rule over all of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms. I think I can make the councilors understand that."

"If the Lomites will join in our defense," vowed King Justin, "I am willing to make concessions to them in the future. It would be a debt that I would never forget."

"I doubt that there is anything my people desire of Caroom," replied the Lomite, "but I should not speak for them. If you wish me to go to Lom and try to gain some help, I must leave immediately."

"I wish I could go with you," stated Prince Antion. "Perhaps my words would help where yours fail."

"Then you shall come," smiled the giant.

"Alas," sighed Prince Antion. "I have been expressly told not to ever visit again."

"Not true," chuckled the giant. "You were told that your invite had been rescinded. I am inviting you now. In fact, I invite all of you within this room to join me in a visit to my homeland."

"Can you do that?" asked Prince Antion. "I don't want to take a chance of Jared being put to death by your people."

"Jared will not be harmed," promised Talot. "A Lomite may invite his friends into the country as long as he vouches for their character. I have never traveled with a group of people who are as upstanding as this group. I will introduce each of you with pride."

"May we have the services of one of your soldiers?" Prince Umal asked the king. "Winona lost her horse on the ride into the city. As it happens, I have stabled two Odessian beauties in your city, but it is late at night and our time is short. Would it be possible for one of your men to gain access to one of my horses? It would allow us to leave the city earlier."

"I will see that all of your needs are met," promised the king. "If Jared will replace the hood over his head, I will call some men in to make sure that you get a speedy start out of Caxon."

Jared pulled his hood up and the king moved to the door to summon his guards. Prince Derri shook his head sadly and looked at the giant.

"I don't suppose there are any baths in Lom, are there?" the Salacian prince asked.

* * *

It was two hours from the end of the meeting with King Justin before the group left the gates of Caxon. The king had already ordered patrols along the Caxon-Kyland Road in case the remaining thirty Borundans were waiting to ambush the group. By high sun, they had outrun all of the Caroom patrols and had turned off the Caxon-Kyland Road.