Redemption (7 page)

"Get the riders together, general," commanded the dark prince. "Make them half archers and half swordsmen. Once they secure the marketplace, they are to turn and attack the defenders from behind."

"I protest," retorted the general. "If anything, the riders should sleep while we attack the gates. To form their party now would make them weary by the time we need them. If we must throw the lives of thousands of men away in haste, at least let the cavalry rest before battle."

"You have spirit," smiled the dark prince. "Not many officers would dare to object to an order from their king, but there is a limit to my patience with you. I will merely override your objection this time, but do not tire me with continual doubts. I value your service to Borunda, but no general is irreplaceable. Gather the riders. I will see that the gate is opened promptly."

Prince Zinan rode off into the city as the general frowned and watched him leave. General Wikner shouted orders for a portion of the cavalry to form up while the rest of the army spread out to secure the lowest level of the city.

* * *

"What are they doing?" scowled King Gregory. "They should be building siege engines or attacking the archers on the lowest wall, but instead they have the cavalry forming ranks as if they are just going to charge up the hill. It makes no sense."

"None whatsoever," agreed an officer. "If that cavalry charges the gate, they will be destroyed while they mill around in front of it."

"Prince Zinan is approaching the gate alone," Belon said as he pointed at the dark prince. "Perhaps he is coming to negotiate."

"Bah," scowled the king. "If he thinks we will fall for opening the gate to admit him while his cavalry sits behind him waiting to dash through the open gate, he is sadly mistaken. I will not fall for such treachery. Send word down for our archers to skewer him."

"Is that wise?" asked an officer. "I can understand not opening the gates to speak to him, but killing him would dash all chances of a peaceful settlement."

"There will be no peaceful settlement of this conflict," replied the king. "The battle will end when the Borundans take their wounded back over the bridge on their way home."

A sudden clap of thunder shook the hillside as the lowest gates disappeared in a flurry of wooden splinters. Dozens of defending archers were tossed from the wall in the vicinity of the gates. The loud roar of war cries quickly followed as the Borundan cavalry galloped through the shattered gates. The defenders tried to shoot at the horses speeding through the gates, but the Borundans dashed to the marketplace, which was out of range for the defenders.

Even as the cavalry flowed through the broken gates, the Borundan archers moved forward and began engaging the defenders on the wall. The Vinelanders were caught between the two forces. The Borundan cavalry archers slowly moved towards the defenders of the first wall. The Vinelanders' position on the wall left them exposed to the cavalry archers, and the cavalry swordsmen cut off their path of retreat to the next wall. Hundreds of Vinelanders died in the first few minutes of the battle, and the rest soon surrendered.

"We are in trouble," remarked an officer near the Vinelander king. "If they go through the other gates as quickly as the first one, they will be up here before the sun sets this day."

"If the Borundans can duplicate the destruction of the first gate," nodded another officer, "it will be even quicker than that. Most of our defenders were protecting the first wall, and much of the defense of the other walls depended upon their retreating. We should surrender."

"Get out of my sight," snapped King Gregory. "I will not be surrounded by such pessimism."

Belon watched as Prince Zinan approached the second gate, which led up to the first of three residential sections of the city. He noted that the dark prince halted just outside of bow range. He watched the Borundan prince as the second set of gates exploded. He never saw the prince move an arm or even make a gesture. Once again the Borundan cavalry charged through the destroyed gates and turned on the defenders. The Vinelanders at the second gate surrendered without much of a fight. They threw down their bows and quickly raised their hands over their heads in a show of submission.

"Cowards," snarled King Gregory. "Where is the army that is supposed to protect me? Pass the order that no more soldiers are to surrender. They are to fight to the death. Anyone who surrenders will have his family executed."

Belon's eyebrow rose as he backed away from King Gregory. He moved along the wall to where one of his men was standing and whispered to him. The soldier nodded and moved quickly down the stairs. Belon returned to the king's side and watched as the third gate splintered and disappeared. Again the defenders surrendered quickly, and the king flew into a rage. He started shouting orders for groups of soldiers to prepare to kill other soldiers if anyone tried to surrender. The enthusiasm for defending Laborg evaporated quickly.

As the fourth gate disappeared in a spray of splinters, the king heard female screams coming from behind him. He whirled to find soldiers dragging the queen and princess from the palace.

"What treachery is this?" snarled the king. "Kill those men."

The officers who had been hanging around the king had slid off while everyone watched the fourth gate disappear. The only officer left was Belon. The king turned to Belon with fury in his deep red face.

"I want those men killed immediately," he demanded of Belon. "No one touches the royal family. See to it."

"I can't," Belon replied calmly. "Those are my men, and I ordered them to seize your family."

The king looked at Belon with disbelief. His face contorted, and the look took on a pained expression as he glanced down at the knife in Belon's hand. It was covered in blood, the king's blood. The king's eyes rolled upward as he sighed his final breath. Belon dropped the knife and caught the king's body as it pitched forward. He hefted the body of the king and tossed it over the wall to the barracks area below. As the body hit, soldiers dragged the queen and princess to the wall. With a nod from Belon, both of the women were thrown over the wall to smash upon the stone street below.

"Raise a white flag," commanded Belon. "Enough of us have died today. Tell the men to open the remaining gates and let the Borundans in. "

The soldiers on the level below looked up and saw the flag rising. Silence rippled through the soldiers as they dropped their bows and unsheathed their swords and placed them on the ground. Belon descended the stairs to the courtyard of the palace. He walked across the courtyard to the open gate and waited for the Borundans to arrive.

The first Borundans to arrive were the cavalry. They herded the Vinelander soldiers into the courtyard, but they left Belon standing at the gates. The Vinelander officer stood with his sword held by the blade. When General Wikner arrived, Belon extended the sword to him in act of surrender.

"I am Belon," stated the officer. "Vineland no longer has a ruler or a royal family. How may I serve Borunda?"

"You have already served well," smiled Prince Zinan as he moved forward to accept the sword.

The dark prince hefted the sword and then swung it hard at the Vinelander. Belon's neck was cut nearly in half. The officer died with an expression of disbelief as his body fell to the ground.

"Was that necessary?" asked General Wikner. "The man was probably responsible for the surrender of Laborg."

"Undoubtedly he was," remarked the dark prince as he dropped the sword to the ground. "I will not have such a traitorous dog working for me. I would spend all my time wondering if he was plotting against me."

"That could probably be said of any Vinelander," shrugged the general. "What are your plans for Laborg now that we have conquered it?"

"My first step is to be crowned King of Vineland," declared the dark prince. "You are to find some officers among the defeated who may prove to be amenable to serving under me. I want the rest of Vineland's army rounded up and reorganized under your command. You will then select a candidate to assume the position of general of the Vineland army."

"You plan to rule both Vineland and Borunda?" asked the general.

"And the rest of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms," nodded Prince Zinan. "We have just begun a momentous journey, general. As the general of the eastern armies, your importance has grown substantially. Are you excited about the conquest of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, or should I seek a replacement?"

"There is no turning back now," smiled the general. "If you can continue to destroy the enemy's defenses as you did here, there is nothing in the world to stop us. Count me in."

"Excellent," grinned the dark prince. "You are to select a new officer to lead Borunda's eastern army. Both he and the man selected to lead Vineland's army will report to you."

"Does the Borundan army return to Borunda then?" asked the general.

"Not yet," Prince Zinan shook his head. "There is more to do in this corner of the world. Organize the Vineland army first. There are fugitives in Vineland who must be found. After that, we will plan our next foreign excursion."

Audric stood observing Jared and Prince Antion working together. He nodded appreciatively as the huge sea rock rose off the beach. He saw Jared turn his head and gaze to the south. A frown fell over the old man's face, but he did not disrupt the experiment. Unexpectedly, the sea rock burst into a mist of tiny fragments. Audric quickly turned away and felt hundreds of tiny stings on his back. He turned back to see Prince Antion face down in the sand and rushed over to him.

"Are you all right?" asked Audric.

"I think so," Prince Antion responded. "Check on Jared."

Audric looked up at Jared and shook his head. The young mage was still staring off to the south, although tiny rivulets of blood were visible on his neck.

"Jared!" shouted Audric. "Pay attention."

Jared turned around and blinked in confusion. "What?" he asked.

"Help me with Prince Antion," ordered the albino. "Your carelessness has wounded him."

Jared rushed to help. He knelt next to Prince Antion and began picking small shards of stone out of the prince's arm. For several minutes both mages checked and healed the prince's body then they inspected each other. None of the injuries were more than tiny splinter wounds, but there were hundreds of them. An hour later they were done and sitting on the sand talking.

"You cannot be distracted when you are drawing the Talent out of the prince," admonished Audric. "Using him is like taking a drink from a waterfall. If you are not careful, the power will overwhelm you."

"I am sorry," sighed Jared. "It would be easier if I just did not use the Talent at all."

"You must use it," instructed Audric. "Try to use it everyday. It is only with constant use that you will gain the skill to enable you to have greater control over it. The Talent is not something to be used once and then forgotten. Use it everyday."

"I don't like using it," frowned Jared. "I wish I was unable to use it."

"Wishing accomplishes nothing," Prince Antion said softly. "Neither of us had a choice about the Talent inhabiting our bodies, but we must learn to live with it. What was distracting you so?"

"I don't know," replied Jared. "I felt something much like the time that I was blindfolded, and you and Audric walked around me. Remember? I had to guess where you were and how far away?"

"I remember," nodded Prince Antion, "but neither one of us was moving."

"I know," nodded Jared. "It was much too far away to be either of you, but I was drawn towards it."

"How far away?" Audric asked with concern.

"Very far," answered Jared. "It felt like it was days away. Does that make sense? Can I feel something that far away, or am I going mad?"

Audric did not answer. He sat staring south in silence. Finally he looked back at Jared.

"How many days south?" the old mage asked.

Jared frowned in concentration and eventually sighed heavily. "Maybe seven or eight days with Kerzi's wagon," he answered, "but I can't be sure."

"Point to it," Audric commanded as he rose to his feet.

Jared rose and pointed slightly west of due south.

"Do you still feel it?" Audric asked.

Jared nodded. "It is very faint, but I can still feel it."

"What is it, Audric?" asked Prince Antion as he rose.

"His distance and direction points to Laborg," answered the old man. "Didn't you say that the dark prince travels to all of the major cities?"

"I did," replied Prince Antion. "Do you think he is feeling his brother?"

"I feel nothing," declared Audric, "and I have had a great deal of training in the art, but I have no doubt that Jared is feeling the presence of the Talent in someone else."

"Why would it have to be my brother?" asked Jared. "There must be hundreds of people who have the Talent within them."

"There are," agreed Audric, "but none so strong as you, except maybe one who is much like you. Have you felt any other sources of the Talent since I taught you how to feel it?"

"No," admitted Jared, "but that doesn't mean anything, does it?"

"It means a great deal," replied Audric. "I know of at least six wispers of lesser Talent within two day's ride from here, yet you have never felt them. All of a sudden, you feel the presence of someone a week away. That person must be strong in the Talent."

"If Jared can feel Prince Zinan," Prince Antion asked anxiously, "then couldn't it work the other way around?"

"It certainly could," nodded Audric, "but only if the prince has been schooled in its use. If he has not been taught to develop the Talent in such a way, Jared should be safe until he gets very close to Prince Zinan."

"And if Prince Zinan has been schooled?" frowned the Arin prince.

"Then it is time for you to leave," stated the albino.

"Autumn is upon us," shrugged Prince Antion. "It is time for us to be heading back to Anatar anyway. How much more can you teach Jared?"

"I never encountered a person such as you, Prince Antion," frowned the old man. "I cannot teach Jared how to properly draw the power from you. All that I can do now is to help him experiment, and that becomes increasingly dangerous as he tries to draw even greater amounts of the Talent from you."

"Is there no one else who can teach him?" asked Prince Antion.

Audric did not respond immediately, and Prince Antion knew that there was someone that the old man knew about, but was hesitant to mention for some reason.

"Tell us," urged the Arin prince. "Jared must learn to draw from me."

"I do not even know if he truly exists," sighed the albino, "and if he does exist, I am not sure that taking Jared to him would be wise."

"Why wouldn't it be wise if we can learn from him?" asked Jared.

"Because he may be much like your brother," Audric replied.

"You need to tell both of us about him," declared Prince Antion as he sat back down on the sand. "We will make the decision regarding his fitness."

Jared also sat down and both of the men stared up at the albino. Finally Audric sighed and nodded as he sat down.

"Let me start by saying that what I am about to tell you may very well be mere fiction," explained the old man. "I learned of the ancient one, Orro, from my masters when I was young like Jared."

"Wait," frowned Prince Antion. "You are going to tell us of a man who was old when you were not much more than a child? There is no chance that he would still be alive."

"I did say that I was not sure if he existed," shrugged Audric, "but it is stranger than you think. Orro was an old man when my masters where children, and they learned of him from their masters. In fact, it is said that Orro existed before the beginning of the Great Peace."

"That is many generations ago," scoffed Prince Antion. "No one lives forever. The way you hesitated when you were asked the question led me to believe that you knew of someone who could help us."

"Perhaps he can," mused Audric. "My hesitancy was not because I know that Orro is a figment of someone's imagination. Quite the contrary, no one knows the true extent of the power of the Talent. Today we watched Jared raise a huge sea rock into the air. Could that same power prolong life beyond what we think is possible? I do not know the answer."

"Why do you think Orro may be evil?" asked Jared.

"The stories that were handed down to me of Orro," explained Audric, "were the stories of infinite power. It is said that the Great Peace came to the Land of the Nine Kingdoms only because Orro left, taking the evil with him. They said that he was so full of evil that good could only exist in the absence of Orro."

"He left the Land of the Nine Kingdoms?" questioned the Arin prince. "How can that be? There is nothing but the Land of the Nine Kingdoms."

"That is not true," Audric shook his head. "There are people who live beyond the Roof of the World. I met one once when I was studying under my masters. He spoke of great cities and endless plains."

"No one has ever crossed the Roof of the World," Prince Antion replied skeptically. "Perhaps this man was the teller of tall tales?"

"No," Audric shook his head. "The man's staff was made from a wood the likes of which I have never seen before, or since. He carried gold coins with images of rulers who have never been known in our world, and he spoke in a language that none could understand."

"Then how did he describe his world to you?" asked Jared.

"The man was filled with the Talent, much as you and I, Jared," answered Audric. "He learned our language by taking the memories of one of my masters."

"I thought that was a dark usage of the Talent?" frowned Jared.

"Not when it is done with permission," replied Audric. "My masters were keen to learn of this man and hear of his travels. They eagerly submitted to the probe."

"Was this man Orro?" asked Prince Antion.

"No," Audric shook his head, "but he knew of Orro. It was because of this man's visit that my masters told me the tales of the ancient one. Like you, Prince Antion, my masters assumed that Orro was long dead. When this foreigner mentioned Orro, my masters finally told me the tales that were passed down to them."

"How do we cross the Roof of the World?" asked Jared.

"I do not know," answered the albino. "The visitor came through into Hyrem. That is all that I know."

"Hyrem is a large country," stated Prince Antion. "One could spend the rest of their lives searching for a path through to this other world."

"True," agreed the albino, "but unless Jared learns to draw the Talent from you efficiently, he will never overcome the evil in his brother enough to kill him. Remember that the evil Talent is far stronger than the good."

"I cannot kill my brother," balked Jared. "We have talked about this before."

"You must, Jared," sighed Audric. "No one else has the power to even attempt it. If I were as strong in the Talent as you are, I would attempt it myself, but that is beyond my means. The task falls upon your shoulders. If you do not kill Zinan, then no one will. Can you truly let evil reclaim the Land of the Nine Kingdoms?"

"We don't know that Zinan will harm anyone," argued Jared. "He is probably just carrying out the will of King Garrick. We can reform him. I am sure of it."

"No, Jared," Audric said sternly. "I have explained this a hundred different ways during your months with me. You cannot roll that pebble back up out of the sea. It cannot be done. It is against the very laws of the Talent. If there were a hundred people with your ability, and they all teamed together to help cure Zinan, they would all die. If you remember nothing else from your time with me, remember that one lesson. He cannot be reformed."

Jared rose and ran towards the cave. Prince Antion rose to go after him, but Audric intervened.

"Sit, Prince Antion," commanded the albino. "We must talk."

The Arin prince hesitated, torn between helping Jared and listening to the old man. Finally he sighed and sat down.

"Jared has power unlike any that I have ever seen before," Audric began. "If Zinan is as powerful, and there is every reason to believe that he is, the Land of the Nine Kingdoms will fall before him. No army will be able to halt his advance, and he will not be satisfied even after he has conquered it all. His depravity will grow daily, and the lives of those who live under his yolk will be worse than death."

"There is only so much harm one man can cause," responded the Arin prince.

"We are not talking about a man," Audric shook his head. "Zinan may be Jared's brother now, but he will not be for long. The Talent will consume him entirely. It will be the dark side of the Talent that oppresses the people of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, not the person you know as Zinan. You must make Jared understand that. He must kill his brother. He must do it for the sake of mankind."

"I do not believe that Jared is capable of harming another," sighed Prince Antion, "at least not intentionally. I thought it was because of the way his father raised him, but it is more than that. He seems incapable of hurting anyone, even if they are about to kill him."

"Then perhaps seeking Orro is the right path for you," shrugged Audric. "Orro may be evil, but at least he will counsel Jared to do what is necessary for him to survive. If Jared survives, it will only be because he has killed Zinan. Take him to Hyrem and find a way through the Roof of the World. There is nothing else that I can teach him."

"Not before I take him back to Anatar," replied Prince Antion. "Perhaps his father will be able to change his mind."

"There is danger in returning to Anatar or any other big city," warned Audric. "I did not want to mention this in front of Jared for fear of scaring him, but the evil side of the Talent will search him out, even if Zinan does not."

"What do you mean?" asked Prince Antion.

"The Talent is aware," declared Audric, "and it has split in two. Why do you think you are filled with the Talent? Do you think it is just some freak accident that has not happened in millennia? Do not be deceived. The Talent seeks equilibrium, but someone has upset that delicate balance. Zinan has been purposely groomed to foster the dark side of the Talent. The light side of the Talent has reacted not only by filling you like a water vessel, but probably in preserving Jared's life for the sixteen years he was on the run. The dark side is not unaware of what is going on. If it cannot manipulate Zinan into searching for Jared, it will find another way to locate him. The battle between Jared and Zinan will happen; it must happen."

"How will we know when Zinan is beyond help?" asked Prince Antion.

"He probably already is," shrugged the old man.

"Jared will not be convinced that Zinan cannot be saved," countered Prince Antion. "Tell me a sign that I can be sure of. How will I know when it is too late to do anything other than kill Zinan?"

"If Zinan uses the Talent to kill without remorse," Audric replied, "then it is too late to change him, but it could be too late well before that as well. It is not an easy thing to say, but this I am sure of. I know it is already too late for Zinan to change because the Talent resides within you. That would not be the case if there were still a chance for Zinan to reform. The Talent within you is a reaction to the evil within Zinan. That is all that I need to know."