Redemption (25 page)

"It is time to ride," announced King Zinan jubilantly. "We have other things to attend to."

* * *

Paki was an old man, but he was not frail. Quite the opposite, he was a bear of a man hidden under the white hair of an elderly Odessian. While he could no longer endure extended hours in the saddle, he still occasionally taught young Odessian warriors the basics of horsemanship, and they were hard lessons that were never forgotten. Paki's main responsibilities now resided in the running of the city of Oran when the royal family was not in residence. He supervised the palace staff and detailed assignments to the officers of the Odessian army stationed in Oran. It was not an onerous task for an elderly man as Oran was a quiet city in the winter. The royal family and the army normally retreated to the desert sands around Natura until the winter winds died down.

The city of Oran continued to flourish in the absence of the royal family, as it was Odessia's center of trade. It was in Oran that merchants brought their wares to sell and where visitors to the country got their first taste of Odessia. Few foreigners ever ventured beyond the walls of the city unless they were just traveling through the country on the way to somewhere else. For the most part, Oran was an exotic city with a very subdued atmosphere.

So it was with great interest that Paki stood at the window in the royal palace in Oran and stared out at the commotion in the marketplace. People were running in every direction and shouts rose up from the city, although Paki could not distinguish the words being shouted. The old man waited impatiently for word to reach him regarding the turmoil.

A sharp knock on the door behind Paki was immediately followed by the sound of the door opening and a pair of booted feet hurrying into the room. Paki calmly turned around and faced the messenger with an air of indifference.

"There is a Borundan army marching northward out of Capri," the messenger reported nervously. "They were spotted yesterday by a shepherd who sent his two sons to warn the city."

"How large is the army?" Paki asked calmly, "and when will they arrive?"

"I don't know," the messenger replied. "The boys said there were thousands upon thousands of them. They did not stay to count them. They rode day and night to get here."

"Bring me the boys," commanded Paki.

"They are just young boys," frowned the messenger. "They will not know more than they have already said."

"Bring me the boys," repeated Paki. "They are Odessians, and they are shepherds. They know how to count."

The messenger swallowed hard and nodded as he retreated from the room. Paki turned around and continued to stare out he window. A few minutes later he heard the boys being escorted into the room. Without turning around to greet them, he waved the boys to the window. The young shepherds dutifully crossed the room and stood alongside the most powerful man in Oran.

"Look out the window," instructed Paki. "Imagine that what you see are the rolling hills where your flocks graze. Tell me what part of it is covered with Borundan soldiers."

"Over half of it," the older boy immediately replied, "but there would be more beyond our sight. We saw more clearly as we rode over the large hill to get here. If their whole army were to be put in one place, I do not see enough room out your window for them to fit into."

"And how fast were they moving?" asked Paki. "Did they ride on horses, or did they walk?"

"Most of them are walking," answered the younger brother, "but there are hundreds on horses, too. They are not Odessian beauties."

"There are also many wagons," added the older brother, "but they are towards the end of the line."

Paki smiled and put his arms around the two boys. He hugged them firmly and then released them.

"You lads have done exceedingly well," Paki smiled at the boys. "I will see that each of you get to attend horse camp when your time comes. I want you to stay in the palace for now. I may need some help in dealing with things. Will you stay and help me?"

"We should return to our father," the younger boy shook his head.

"Not now," Paki smiled sympathetically. "Your country needs your help right here in Oran."

Paki knew that it was likely that their father had already been killed. The Borundans would not leave shepherds alive as they passed by. It was obvious to him that the older brother already realized the truth. The boy's eyes teared up and he turned around to hide it from his younger brother.

"Take these heroic Odessians and make them comfortable," Paki said to the messenger. "They are to have whatever they want."

As soon as the boys were gone, Paki rang a bell on the desk. An officer immediately responded, and Paki ordered a meeting of all officers. Within a few minutes the room was packed with dozens of officers, most of them junior officers still undergoing training. The room was packed too tightly for anyone to sit down, but comfort was the last thing on Paki's mind at the moment. He turned away from the window to address the men.

"Within two days time, Oran will fall to the Borundans," Paki began. "The army that approaches us is much too large for us to mount any decent defense, although we will do the best we can. What we will not do is cause our civilians to suffer under Borundan boots. I want our civilians evacuated immediately. I want it done in a calm orderly manner, but I want it done without delay."

"Evacuate to where?" asked one of the officers. "The spring melt has already started. It will be impossible to get across the river into Arin, and the winter winds are still a threat if we try to go towards Natura."

"Our civilians are still Odessians," Paki declared. "They will brave the winter winds as Odessians have done for centuries. Children are to have the highest priority, followed by young women."

"And then the elderly?" asked and officer, confident that he already knew the answer.

"The elderly will be the last to leave," Paki said to a room of astonished men. "After the young women have been safely evacuated, I want the young men moved out next. That will include the majority of our warriors."

"You are going to sacrifice the elderly to the Borundans?" gasped one of the officers.

"The Borundans will kill every fighting age man in this city," explained Paki. "They will do so to infuriate King Rihad and make him attack before he is ready to. I will not allow that to happen. Those young men and women are the future of this country, and we will have to be strong to take back what is ours. Let the Borundans inherit a city of aged invalids. If they do harm to such a population, they will be ridiculed throughout the ages."

"Who is going to tell the old people that they are being abandoned?" scowled one of the officers.

"I will tell them," Paki replied firmly. "I will be staying with them, and I think you will be surprised by their reactions to my decision. Odessians are not a selfish people. We are very much like the beauties that we are famous for. We are the herd, and the herd knows how to sacrifice properly. Carry out my orders."

The soldiers filed out of the room, and Paki returned to stare out the window. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he thought of families being separated from one another, but he held no regret concerning his orders.

Within two hours the exodus began. Every wagon in the city had been confiscated and children were loaded aboard. After a while, Paki left the palace and walked to the marketplace where the elderly had gathered to help with the loading of the children. Someone saw him approaching and the crowd grew silent. Paki walked to the center of the marketplace and climbed up onto a stall. When he spoke his voice boomed over the silent crowd.

"By now you have heard my orders," Paki shouted. "My young officers think that my actions are cruel to abandon the elderly and the infirm, but they do not know the heart of an old Odessian. They do not realize that what we love most about this country is the hope of its future, that our children and their children will have better lives than we have had. They think because we are old that we are preoccupied with the fear of death, but the opposite is closer to the truth. We will stay and greet the Borundans so that our loved ones will not have to. At least that is how this old Odessian feels. Am I wrong? Should we take our places in the wagons and leave the younger ones to fight?"

The crowd shouted negatively, and a wide grin spread across the Odessian's face. Many of the old men and women started shouting taunts aimed at the Borundans, but it was one old crippled woman that caught Paki's eye. He had been introduced to her when she was brought back to Oran from visiting with King Rihad. Her name was Naveena and she was the former regent of Borunda.

Naveena had climbed onto a stall near the edge of the marketplace and had fastened a large white cloth to the wall of an inn. She dipped her finger into a bottle of ink and wrote on the sheet in large letters. Paki's grin spread ear to ear as he read the message she had inscribed with her finger. He raised his arm and pointed to the sign with a nod of appreciation.

"Welcome Borundans," Paki read out loud, "conquerors of the infirm and feeble."

General Bassner reined his horse to the right and left the column of soldiers marching up the Koar-Oran Road. A dozen bodyguards with crossbows and six officers followed the general as he rode to the top of a small hill. He halted at the summit of the hill and gazed at the city of Oran, the jewel of Odessian trade. At once he noticed the lack of wall guards, and a broad smile spread over his face. He had succeeded in reaching the city undetected.

He glanced to the left and watched his army march on the city. His men were professional in their approach. Cavalry units preceded the infantry column in an attempt to kill any defenders found outside the walls, and the foremost ranks of the infantry were those units trained to secure the gates if they managed to reach them before they were closed. The general looked back at the city and saw that the gates were already closed. The smile began to fade.

"Something is not right," the general murmured. "Why are the gates closed?"

"The city appears to be undefended," offered one of the officers. "I do not see a single Odessian anywhere."

The general turned and glared at the officer before kicking his horse into motion. General Bassner raced down off the hill and alongside the road to the forwardmost positions of his army. His bodyguards and officers hurried to keep up with him. When he reached the area near the gates, his cavalry sat mystified staring at the closed gates.

"Open those gates," shouted General Bassner. "Get the rams up here."

Several of the infantrymen ran forward and pulled on the gates. They swung open. The soldiers shook their heads in wonder and peered into the city.

"There is no one here," one of the soldiers announced.

The general looked at the cavalry officer and scowled, "Move through the gates. Find out where the Odessians are hiding and report back to me."

The cavalry officer shouted orders to his men. They drew their swords and charged through the gates. Filled with impatience and feeling cheated out of his victory, the general ordered the infantry to march into the city. The huge column of soldiers started marching through the gates of Oran. It was over half an hour later before the cavalry officer returned, shouting for the continuous column of infantry to give way so he could exit the city. He finally succeeded in passing through the gates and rode to where General Bassner sat waiting.

"The only people in the city are the old and feeble," the officer reported. "They are all gathered in the marketplace."

"Inconceivable," snorted the general. "Did you search the palace?"

"We did," nodded the officer. "Not even the palace staff was present. There is no one there."

The general's eyes narrowed and he kicked his horse. His entourage quickly followed as the general rode straight into the line of infantry still flowing through the gates. Infantrymen shouted and leaped aside as the general rode through their line. Oran's defensive walls were a series of concentric rings around the city center, and General Bassner looked around the city as he passed through each set of gates. When he arrived at the marketplace, his soldiers had the entire area surrounded. Hundreds of old people sat on the ground staring blankly at the soldiers around them. The general dismounted, barely able to control his rage.

As the general gazed around the marketplace, he saw a large white cloth with a message written in ink. His temples pounded and his veins bulged so much that he looked as if they would pop through his skin at any moment. The general's eyes searched the crowd for the person with the stained finger. When he found the woman dressed in black, his eyes grew large at the sight of her. The general recognized Naveena, and he immediately extended his arm and pointed directly at her.

"Kill her!" he shouted. "Kill her now!"

A dozen crossbows released simultaneously. Naveena's body was torn apart as multiple quarrels ripped into her body. The general was visibly shaking with fear, and the Odessians focused their attention on him. The old men and women realized that the general was out of his mind and fear grew within them, but their faces remained blank, refusing to show any emotion. At that moment, Paki stood up in the middle of the marketplace.

"She was a visitor from your country, I believe," Paki said calmly hoping to calm the general down. "I am Paki, and I am in charge of this city. We left the gates unlocked so that you would not have to destroy them."

"She was a witch," snarled the general.

"The Talent was burned out of her," Paki replied. "She was only harmful to herself. Like the rest of us, she did not have long to live regardless of the events of today."

General Bassner's veins started to subside, but the rage still flowed within him. "Where are the people?" he asked.

"They left days ago," answered Paki. "Some boys saw your army advancing, and the decision was made to abandon Oran. There were not enough wagons or horses for all of us. We are all that is left of Oran."

"Where were the others taken?" snapped the general.

"They were sent eastward," replied Paki. "They will be taken to Natura."

Paki felt no need to mention the winter winds and the danger they posed to travel along the Oran-Natura Road. While all Odessians knew of the dangerous winds, not many foreigners had heard more than a passing mention of them. One could not appreciate such danger if he had not witnessed it himself.

The general was at a loss of what to do. He had envisioned a glorious battle and a victory celebration, but there was nothing to celebrate. He had been cheated out of an historic moment by a bunch of old men and women. While he was deciding what to do, an officer stepped up behind him.

"The king is entering the city," whispered the officer.

The general turned and walked away from the captives. He passed through the ring of soldiers and waited by the innermost gates. He did not have long to wait before King Zinan and his small escort arrived.

"It is over already?" frowned King Zinan as he reached the general. "I expected the battle to rage for days."

"They abandoned the city," reported General Bassner. "They left only the aged and infirm behind."

"They fled?" the king asked with a puzzled expression. "Why?"

"Their spokesman said that they saw us coming," shrugged the general, "but I do not believe him. We moved through the forest of Capri for over half the trip. We only moved onto the road when the river forced us to."

"I am not surprised that they saw you coming," frowned King Zinan, "but where is the Odessian army? Take me to this spokesman."

The king dismounted and followed the general. They halted at the edge of the marketplace and the general pointed to Paki. King Zinan's eyes scanned the hundreds of old people and his eyes fell on Naveena's shattered body. He could not believe his eyes. He stormed through the crowd of Odessians and stood over the wisper's body. He noticed her dyed finger and glanced up at the sign.

"How long has this woman been in Oran?" he demanded to know.

"She arrived months ago," answered Paki. "She no longer possessed the Talent so we let her stay."

"What words did she bring with her?" asked King Zinan.

"I cannot say," shrugged Paki. "She told me nothing."

King Zinan marched through the crowd of seated Odessians until he reached Paki. He placed his hands on the Odessian's head. Paki's eyes bulged and eventually rolled up in his head as he collapsed to the ground. King Zinan seethed with anger and marched back to General Bassner.

"You will hold this city," the king instructed the general. "Rest your men for a few days and then head eastward. You are to conquer Natura."

"As my king wishes," frowned the general. "Is that where the Odessian army is camped?"

"The Odessian army will not bother you," replied King Zinan. "Naveena told the Odessians of our plans to attack Caroom. The Odessians will be massed on the eastern frontier. Fortunately, I anticipated that the Odessians might stick their noses into my business. They will find no way to gain access to Vineland. They will be forced to ride north around Lom and they will arrive too late to do any good. Seize Natura while they are gone."

"I shall take another Odessian city for the glory of Borunda," smiled the general.

"Hopefully the next one will require some skill of your soldiers," scoffed the king. "You are to drive the old people before you on the trek to the east. Any Odessians scattered in the sands will refuse to attack your column for fear of hurting the old people, and there is another reason. The spokesman's mind revealed a certain danger in the winter winds. It may be hard to see the Oran-Natura Road at times, but these old people will know where it is. Make them guide you to Natura."

The king started to walk away when he suddenly halted and turned back to face the general.

"Send a dozen riders to Caxon," instructed King Zinan. "Inform General Vanatay that the Odessians will be heading north around Lom and will be approaching Caxon from the west. Make sure they are fast riders or they will not arrive before the Odessians. They are to ride day and night. Send word to me in Capri when Natura is in your hands."

* * *

The warriors stood staring at the destroyed bridge. Splintered timbers and collapsed stone columns littered both banks of the river. Prince Derri's eyes scanned the forests on the far bank of the river and shook his head.

"There is no sign of the Salacian army over there," he announced.

"There would be no reason for them to be there after the destruction of the bridge," replied Prince Antion. "Whatever your father had planned, he will have to make new plans now. It will take months to replace that bridge, and the flow of the river during spring melt makes it impossible to cross any other way."

"Could King Zinan really have done this?" asked Sandar. "I cannot imagine the power that must have been used."

"He could do it," Jared declared solemnly. "The Talent is the most powerful force of all."

"But for what purpose?" asked Monte. "If the Salacians had planned on coming to Caroom's aid, they would have already been across this bridge. We know that King Zinan had not yet reached this spot until well after we left Caxon, so what were the Salacians doing here?"

"They were obviously poised on the border to take action," posed Prince Derri. "Salacia felt no threat from Odessia or Caroom. Even if General Vanatay succeeded in capturing Caxon, it would take him a month to move his army to this bridge. My father would never move his army that prematurely and show his hand in doing so. The soldiers were poised to attack, but attack where?"

"Well," mused Sandar, "there is nothing up here for them to attack, so whatever they were after, they could use the bridge at Anatar to cross the river and still get to where they were going."

"That is assuming that they have an additional month to reach their destination," scowled Prince Derri. "That is how long it would take the army to reach Koar through Anatar. It would have been easier to let King Caedmon handle the problem."

"Unless my father already has a problem of his own," Prince Antion said with concern. "Didn't King Justin mention that Zinan had taken a wife?"

"Princess Tamil of Capri," nodded Winona.

"Which gives King Zinan an opening to move his armies right up to the Arin border," Prince Antion nodded knowingly. "The Salacians were poised to attack the Borundans from the rear when Zinan attacks Anatar."

"That makes sense," agreed Prince Derri. "That is something our fathers would work together on. King Caedmon could hold the Borundans at the Anatar bridge while the Salacians got into position to attack from the rear. It is a sound strategy."

"And one that will fail," Prince Umal pointed out. "The Arinites will not even know that the Salacians will be unable to come to their aid. Because of that, they will hold off destroying their own bridge."

"And the Borundans will be able to move into Anatar over the bridge," nodded Prince Antion.

"What if the Arinites destroyed the bridge?" asked Winona.

"That would only hold the Borundans at bay for two weeks," answered Prince Antion. "As soon as the rush of the spring melt fades, there are numerous fords across the Arin River. The Borundans will be able to flow into Arin in a dozen places. My father would never be able to guard them all with sufficient troops to turn back the attack."

"And the Salacians will still be marching back from this bridge," added Prince Derri. "They will not be in a position to help."

"King Zinan overlooked one thing," smiled Prince Umal. "The Odessians would surely come to the aid of Arin."

"Only if they know what is going on," Monte pointed out. "Your people are busy in the east with Vineland."

"A perfect plan," frowned Talot. "King Zinan may be evil, but he is no fool. He has managed to tie up all of the armies of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms at the same time. It does not even matter that we saved Caxon from the Vinelanders or freed Vineland from his tyranny. That was just a feint to keep the eastern countries away from the real battle. He will sweep through Arin and then Salacia one at a time instead of facing them together."

"Where is Zinan now?" Prince Antion asked Jared.

"He is far to the south of us," answered Jared. "We should not waste any more time here talking about things that we cannot affect. We have an appointment that must be kept."

The warriors mounted their Odessian beauties and headed south towards Oran. They had not been on the road more than an hour when Prince Derri shouted an alarm.

"A dozen riders approaching," warned the Salacian prince. "Be alert. They appear to be in a great hurry."

The area of southwestern Caroom that they were riding in was a vast plain of rolling grasslands. As the road rose up over the next hill, the twelve galloping riders were plainly visible to all.

"Borundans!" shouted Prince Derri.

"Ready your bow, Monte," ordered Prince Antion as he drew his sword, "and stay next to Jared." To the others in the group, the Arin prince commanded, "I want one of them kept alive. I want to know what is going on from a Borundan perspective."