Search for Audric (32 page)

"Will he truly be all right in Anatar?" asked Jared. "I know that you told him that he would be, but I am worried about him."

"Your father will be better than he has been in years," nodded Gunnar. "He will have lodging and meals, and I am sure that the king will find something for him to do to keep him occupied."

"How did you come to know the king of Arin?" asked Jared.

"What do you mean?" Gunnar asked cautiously.

"You fear my knowing the truth about you?" asked Jared. "You do. I can feel it in you. I merely meant that not everyone can send a personal note to a king, but I think there is something more that you are hiding from me. I trust you. Why don't you trust me?"

Gunnar's lips pressed tightly together as he turned to look at Jared. He hesitated a bit too long, and Jared broke eye contact, letting his gaze fall to the floor.

"I do trust you," Gunnar said softly. "I have never lied to you, but I have kept secrets, secrets that could harm us both. It is not that I fear you will betray me, but rather that someone will steal those thoughts from your head. Do you understand?"

"No," Jared shook his head. "If you are to be my brother, we must not have secrets between us. If I am captured, it will not be your secrets the Borundans will be after, it will be my own."

The simple truth expressed by Jared hit the Arin prince like the blow from a hammer. His own eyes fell downward, and he sighed heavily.

"You are right, little brother," Gunnar said softly. "If we are to travel together, you have the right to know who you travel with. My name is Antion, and I am the prince of Arin. King Caedmon is my father. That is how I am able to send a personal note to the king."

"You are truly a prince?" Jared brightened. "I have never met a prince before."

"You are also a prince," Antion pointed out. "Your mother was Princess Orenda."

"I forgot about that," admitted Jared. "I guess it means little to me as I never knew my mother, and my father was never a prince."

"Your father is a wise and courageous man," smiled Prince Antion, "and he cares for you deeply."

"I know that," smiled Jared, "but that does not make me feel like a prince. Why are you traveling as Gunnar?"

"The Borundans are hunting me," explained Prince Antion. "It has to do with the Talent inside me. That is why we must journey to Vineland and find Audric if he still lives. He will tell me what is inside me, and he will help you learn how to handle your powers. You do not still see the Talent as a curse, do you?"

"Somewhat," nodded Jared, "but my father explained a lot about his words and feelings on the subject. I may have to live with this curse inside me, but I will learn how to handle it properly so that I do not cause harm to others."

The door to the room opened and Zalman and Kerzi entered. They closed the door as Prince Antion looked up with concern.

"What happened?" the prince asked. "Did the king refuse to see you?"

"The king is not in Anatar," declared Kerzi. "We refused to give the note to anyone else."

"Not in Anatar?" frowned the prince. "Did they say where he had gone?"

"Would you expect them to tell a merchant about the king's business?" responded Kerzi.

"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "Did they give you an idea on when he might return?"

"It will be some time," answered Zalman. "While they would not say when the king would return, when we vowed to show up every morning, they told us that we would be wasting our time."

"I then asked if I should make a visit to Kyland while I was waiting," interjected Kerzi, "and one of the guards nodded before the other reprimanded him."

"So they expect him to be gone for some time," frowned the prince.

"It doesn't matter to me," offered Kerzi. "I will wait for him to return. That is no reason for the rest of you to remain in Anatar. Of course, I will move to a more reasonable inn after you leave. This one is a little pricey for my tastes."

"It has a good view of the palace," Prince Antion replied distractedly. "Something tells me that not everything is alright."

"Just because the king is gone?" asked Kerzi. "He is probably off visiting another country. Kings do that all the time."

"True," agreed the prince, "but that is not the case this time. Borunda is having a coronation for Prince Garrick. Every monarch in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms will be in Tarent. There is no one to visit."

"Perhaps he went to Tarent?" suggested Zalman.

"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "He told me that he was not going."

"He might have changed his mind," shrugged the merchant. "Kings always have a right to do that."

"They do," nodded the prince as he moved to the window and gazed out, "but I am getting a bad feeling in my gut. He was not going because it was not safe. If he changed his mind, there must have been a serious reason for doing so, and I have to find out what that is."

The room fell silent as the prince leaned out the window and looked both ways. He called Jared over and pointed to a soldier walking out of the gates of the palace.

"Do you see that soldier, Jared?" asked the prince as he fished his ring out of his pouch.

"I see him," answered Jared.

"Can you remember him enough to find him in the city if he gets away?" asked Prince Antion.

"I will remember him," promised Jared.

"Take this ring," instructed the prince. "Go out and find that soldier. Show him the ring, but do not let anyone else see it. He will demand to know where you got it. Tell him that its owner needs to speak to him secretly, then lead him up here to this room."

"What if he doesn't want to come?" asked Jared. "He may think I am a thief and arrest me."

"He may very well think you are a thief," admitted the prince, "but he will not arrest you. He will follow you up here, because he cannot take the chance of missing my call for help."

Jared nodded and raced out of the room. Prince Antion asked Zalman and Kerzi to leave the room so he could talk to the soldier in private. Jared was quick to catch the soldier before he got very far. As the prince had said, the soldier was suspicious of Jared, but he followed him into the inn and up the stairs to the room. The soldier opened the door cautiously and gazed at the bearded warrior within. His eyes narrowed as he sought recognition of the prince.

"Come in, Sandar, and close the door," ordered Prince Antion.

"It is you," gasped the soldier as he bowed.

"It is," chuckled Prince Antion. "Please close the door."

The soldier immediately obeyed, and the prince waved him over to sit on the bed.

"Where has my father gone?" asked Prince Antion.

"We are not to say," answered Sandar.

"Sandar, my father told me that he was not going to Tarent because it was too dangerous," Prince Antion said sternly. "Yet that is the only place that I can think of that he might have gone. If the King of Arin were to die on this journey of his, I would become king. Can you imagine how I might react to a soldier who refused to give me vital information that might have saved my father's life?"

Sandar swallowed hard. Prince Antion did not enjoy his current task because he knew Sandar to be one of the soldiers most loyal to the royal family. In fact, Sandar was one of the king's personal bodyguards on most trips, but he had to have the information

"I will not be disloyal to the king," Sandar refused.

"Sandar," the prince softened his tone, "when the king swore you to secrecy, it was because he felt his life might be threatened if news of his travels leaked. Do you think for one moment that I would threaten my father's life?"

"No," Sandar answered quickly. "If I could answer your questions without breaking my oath, I would do so in an eye blink, Prince Antion, but do not ask me to break my vow."

"My father and I have no secrets from one another," declared the prince. "In fact, I was in the palace the morning after the invitation from Tarent arrived, and my father discussed the hazards of the journey with me. He had decided not to attend the coronation. What made him change his mind?"

"King Hector of Salacia arrived," answered Sandar.

Prince Antion knew enough to understand the situation. He sighed and nodded to the soldier to indicate that the interrogation was over.

"I will ask no more of you, Sandar," stated the Arin prince, "but I might ask for your services soon. Unless we get word that my father is safe, we may be going to Tarent to get him."

"I would be honored to serve under your command," responded the soldier, "and I would feel duty bound to be one of those selected to go. I should have been escorting the king to wherever it is he might have gone, which I am not permitted to talk about."

Prince Antion laughed and slapped the soldier on the back. "Your not being with him is no failure of yours, Sandar," smiled the prince.

Hundreds of years ago fierce, warring tribes who constantly fought against one another populated the land between the Salacian River and the Arin River. There arose in one of the minor tribes a man of strength, intelligence, and charisma. The young man was named Anatar, and he had a grand vision of a peaceful country, but he also possessed the wisdom to understand that peace could only come through strength and victory.

Anatar was the ultimate warrior and strategist, but he was also a compassionate victor and ruler. At the age of fifteen, Anatar challenged the ruler of his tribe in a ritual battle for leadership. The young man was victorious, but he did not slay the old ruler, as was the custom at that time. Instead, he made the old ruler his confidant and advisor, and in doing so, gained years of accumulated knowledge about the other tribes and their rulers. Together the old ruler and Anatar plotted their grand strategy and began to subdue the neighboring tribes. Tribe after tribe fell before Anatar's growing armies, and the young man declared himself King of Arin.

The declaration was a challenge to the largest of the remaining tribes, and they each sought to topple the self-declared king, but Anatar was always victorious, and he was always benevolent to those he conquered. As word spread about Anatar's compassion, dozens of smaller tribes rushed to his side to declare allegiance, and soon his armies were invincible. One by one the remaining tribes in the land were defeated and King Anatar established the Kingdom of Arin, which encompassed all the land between the two great rivers.

With peace came prosperity, and the king established a city on the coast where the Arin River emptied into the sea. While still a young man, Anatar had his tomb built in the northern section of the city and commissioned a great statue of himself to stand upon it.

Over the centuries, the city of Anatar grew and prospered. It became one of the principal cities of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, and the capital city of the country of Arin. The tomb and the statue stood in constant tribute to the man who made it all possible, but the tomb also held a special significance to the kings of Arin, including King Caedmon, and now his son, Prince Antion.

On a brisk autumn morning, a descendent of King Anatar made his way out of the Palace Shadow Inn. The stars were beginning to fade when Prince Antion stepped onto the street. He moved quickly, but stealthily, through the deserted streets of Anatar towards the north wall of the city where the statue of King Anatar stood. The statue was enormous, and a park with dozens of trees surrounded it. The huge base of the statue enclosed the tomb of the ancient ruler, and it was the site of an annual celebration to honor the founder of Arin. A walkway was carved into the ground to create a ramp leading down to the base where a door provided access to the remains of King Anatar. The door was kept locked, but a key was cleverly hidden in a hollow stone, and only three people in the world knew of its existence.

Prince Antion looked around for any early morning passersby before he moved into the sloping trench. He removed the hidden key and unlocked the door. He replaced the key and stepped into the tomb and closed the door. Inside the tomb was another hidden key, and the prince locked the door before lighting a torch in the sconce by the door. A stone sarcophagus sat in the center of a large round room. The walls of the room were stone and were covered with battle scenes finely chiseled into the stone. Prince Antion walked up to the wall in front of one particular scene. He placed his hands on the wall and pushed hard with one palm covering the crescent moon, and the other palm over the face of a young boy. A section of the wall slowly pivoted and the dim light from the torch flickered into the dark corridor beyond the wall. Prince Antion retrieved the torch and lit a torch inside the revealed corridor. He then extinguished the first torch and returned it to its place. He moved into the corridor and slowly swung the secret door shut.

The tunnel that Prince Antion moved through was built at the dawn of the city. It was seldom used, and the dust of centuries was briefly disturbed by his passing. The tunnel culminated in a spiral stair that rose up between the walls of the castle. The stairs rose a great distance and extended a short way past the only platform that broke the monotony of the climb. At the top of the stairway was a narrow slit in the wall that allowed one to peer down into a sitting room next to the king's chambers. The sitting room was seldom used, but one never knew for sure, which was the purpose of the slit. The room was dark, and Prince Antion retreated a short way down the steps to the platform to where a pair of handles where fastened to the stone wall. A large counterweight hung from the wall to keep the door closed. Prince Antion extinguished the torch and set it in a sconce on the wall. He pulled on the handles, and a section of the stone wall eased open.

A tapestry covered the wall although the seams of the door were finely chiseled to look like the natural breaks in the stone. Prince Antion used his body to keep the tapestry away as he let the counterweight pull the door closed. He moved quickly from behind the tapestry to the door leading to the castle corridor beyond. He listened for any sounds of movement before easing the door open.

The hour was still early, but the palace was coming alive after an uneventful night. Prince Antion could hear the distant sounds of the staff preparing for a new day. Already the cooks would be busy, and the servants would be gathering items for the daily wash. Advisors and staff would be heading to the dining rooms for the morning meal before heading to their offices, and soldiers would be relieving other soldiers as the watch changed.

Prince Antion had not lived in the palace for some months, and he could not depend on schedules that had most certainly changed since his last period of residency, but he had an intimate knowledge of the layout of the palace, and a good amount of knowledge about how the Arin army operated. He knew that there was a risk of being caught sneaking around the palace, but the risk was only one of discovery, and his punishment would only be the unmasking of his identity.

The Arin prince set out on a circuitous route from the residency wing of the palace to the offices of the king and the king's advisor. Several times the prince was forced to hide as servants moved about the palace and soldiers executed their patrols, but Prince Antion finally arrived outside the king's office, only to find the door locked. Fearing discovery, Prince Antion moved immediately to the adjoining office door, the door to the office of the king's advisor. He opened the unlocked door and moved swiftly inside, closing the door in a single motion.

The king's advisor was at his desk, and he looked up in alarm at the intrusion. His hand reached for a pull cord that Prince Antion knew would summon soldiers within seconds.

"Don't, Evan," barked the prince. "Leave the cord be."

The king's advisor's hand froze an inch form the cord, and he stared at the man in his doorway.

"Prince Antion?" Evan asked. "Is that really you?"

"It is, Evan," nodded the prince. "I need to talk to you, but I do not wish others to know that I am here."

"Come closer," urged Evan.

Prince Antion crossed the room and stood before the desk of the king's advisor. Evan nodded and smiled broadly as hand his came away from the alarm.

"I can see it is you," he smiled, "but had it not been for your voice, I would have pulled the cord. It looks good on you and changes your appearance more than I would have thought. Some men look the same with or without facial hair, but yours is a fair disguise."

"It has served me well," the prince answered. "Why did my father change his mind about going to Tarent?"

Evan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the prince. "How is it you even know that he had not been planning on attending the coronation?"

"I spoke with my father a couple of weeks ago," answered the prince. "It was the day after the invitation arrived. We discussed the danger and he had decided to forego the trip. What changed?"

"King Hector of Salacia arrived here on his way to Tarent," answered Evan. "He convinced your father that Borunda would use his absence as a weapon to turn the other countries against Arin. He really had no choice in the end."

"But my father knew that they would try to kill him on his way to the coronation," frowned the prince. "How many soldiers did he take with him?"

"None," replied Evan. "He devised a plan with King Hector to travel as the king's personal attendant. They thought it would be sufficient to deceive the Borundans."

"That might work," mused the prince, "but how is he getting back? Once he makes his appearance, the Borundans will not be fooled any longer."

"I don't know," sighed the advisor. "The last I heard, your father and King Hector were going to discuss that on the journey to Tarent. I have heard nothing since."

"Yet the coronation was a week ago," declared Prince Antion. "He should be home by now."

"No," Evan shook his head. "If he travels by carriage, it will be another week before he arrives. Even if he rode hard by horse, today would be the earliest he could arrive. Do not react carelessly, Prince Antion. I know the thoughts that must be going through your head right now, but remember that patience is one of the kingly virtues. Many a ruler has fallen from rash actions."

"You sound much like my father now," Prince Antion smiled thinly, "yet he may indeed have acted carelessly."

"You are correct," nodded the advisor, "but he did not do so without thought, and he had little choice in the matter. You have a great deal of choice with your reactions should any be needed."

"Have any troops been positioned to aid his return should it be necessary?" asked Prince Antion.

"The king expressly asked that no troops be sent outside our borders until his return," the advisor shook his head. "I think he feared heroic movements by General Fergus might intimidate the Borundans."

"I could understand his wishes in that respect," nodded the prince. "The general must have chafed at being denied the opportunity to provide a healthy escort."

"He did," agreed Evan. "General Fergus is an excellent soldier, but he tends to overreact to any threat to the royal family."

"So," frowned the prince," you are not concerned for my father's welfare?"

"Quite the contrary," replied Evan. "I have not slept well since he left, but I will react as I know your father would wish me to. He is the king, after all, and I am but his advisor. I give him whatever wisdom I can muster, but I obey him explicitly. One in my position must never take things into his own hands. That would be usurping the Crown."

"I apologize," the prince said with a slight sigh. "I certainly know better than to say such a thing."

"I understand completely," smiled the advisor. "There are times when it takes great willpower to control myself, but I always remember my place." The advisor turned and looked out the window at the sun rising over the sea. He turned back to the prince and asked, "How did you manage to get into the palace if you are trying to keep your identity secret?"

"When I was last here," explained the prince, "my father thought it best to share with me a secret that is known only to you and the king."

"I understand," nodded the advisor. "He has prepared you well, Prince Antion," he smiled. "If you wish, I can give you a key to your father's office. No one will disturb you in there and it will give you some place to stay while you wait for an appropriate time to leave. The connecting door between our offices is currently locked, but we can safely leave it unlocked until I retire for the night."

"Thank you," responded the prince. "I think that is a wise idea, but there is another matter that I would like to discuss with you while I am here. There are two men that I want protected by Arin. They are currently staying at the Palace Shadow. I had prepared a personal note for my father, but in his absence, I would like you to make the arrangements."

"Of course," nodded Evan. "Tell me what I need to know about them, and what you want me to do."

"One is a merchant from Capri," answered the prince. "His name is Kerzi, and he has been invaluable to me over the last couple of months. He is a good honest man, and I thought we could use him on runs between Anatar and Kyland. He has already brought one load of weapons down, and I am sure he can bring many more, but his wagon was destroyed in Capri. He was nearly killed there, and I would like to keep him out of Capri for a time."

"I will see to it today," promised the advisor.

"The other man is named Zalman," the prince began.

"Zalman?" interrupted the advisor. "The same Zalman that Borunda has been hunting since the death of Princess Orenda?"

"The same," nodded the prince. "Before you get excited, Zalman has told me the complete story of that night. He did not kill Princess Orenda. He was her husband and deeply in love with her. I know that the man is telling me the truth, Evan. He has bared his soul to me, and I want him protected. It will be a tricky thing to do. I understand that. You will probably need to find him a place inside the palace in order to keep him alive."

"I do not doubt your sincerity," frowned the king's advisor, "but you are asking me to put an accused royal assassin under the roof that protects the royal family of Arin. I don't think that I can do that with a clear conscience."

"He did not kill the princess," Prince Antion retorted strongly. "I am quite sure of it. Borunda tried to kill him to silence him."

"Then who killed Princess Orenda?" asked Evan.

"Naveena," answered Prince Antion. "She killed his wife and stole his son and then sent bounty hunters out to silence him forever."

Evan sat stunned for several long moments. The whole world had searched for Zalman the assassin for years after the death of Princess Orenda. Eventually the task was left to bounty hunters as everyone else assumed that the man had died a nameless death.

"I cannot do this without the express authorization of King Caedmon," declared Evan. "I do not mean to rebuke you, Prince Antion, but I would be severely derelict in my duties if I acceded to your wish."