The Destiny of Amalah (83 page)

‘Yes my father is in Equer,’ said Seth, who was very worried. ‘He is an old man and lives alone.’

‘The people in Equer will look after him there Seth, we both know that.’

‘Yes, we do, but we know what that army can do too.’

‘There is no way into Equer,’ said Imogen. ‘That which isn’t heavily guarded by the army is defended by snow and ice that is higher than the towers of this palace.’

‘Then they have barricaded themselves in Equer, they are not trapped,’ Häkan said with a tone of disappointment.

‘That does not change things,’ Garrick said.

‘No it does not,’ agreed Amara.

The meeting came to an end and the six friends dispersed. They found a lounge and took the time to catch up with each other properly. Amara, Michael, Garrick and Häkan remained in the room with Callan and discussed what Imogen had told them.

‘I sense a trap,’ Callan said bluntly.

‘It makes no sense to barricade yourself into a place such as Equer,’ said Michael.

‘It makes perfect sense to them,’ said Garrick. ‘Could our army survive three months or fight in Equer? No, they could not, but
they
can and that is what makes perfect sense. Retreat into a place that only you can go.’

‘Are you sure they can survive?’ Callan asked.

‘Yes, when Kalon and Ellora were fourteen and Rakan, Rufus, Waldon and Kenaz were seventeen, they travelled around the world, just the six of them and they climbed Qomolangma.’

Callan Knight’s eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head a few times in disbelief. ‘Qomolangma! That’s impossible!’

‘No it is not,’ Ellora said, as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. ‘We all thought we were going to die, except of course Rakan. He insisted we go on and he insisted that we would live and back then, the six of us would do everything together, so if one was going to climb Qomolangma, we all were.’

‘Rakan is a very determined man,’ said Garrick.

‘Yes he is.’ agreed Ellora. ‘If he says the soldiers are going to live in Equer then they are going to live in Equer and I know him, they will follow him gladly, him, Waldon, Kenaz and Rufus, the guard who betrayed us and whoever else has now joined them.’

‘I know you have a plan,’ began Callan; ‘but I do not know if it will work. They are in Equer for a reason and they are staying there. That troubles me.’

‘It troubles me too,’ Garrick said. ‘But whatever their plan is we will end it when they leave Equer. I promise you that Callan Knight,’ he said in a determined voice.

Those in the palace who were at the forefront of the planning were worried and understandably so; Rakan and his army had destroyed half the world and were now hiding out in Equer. Their numbers were not depleting but rising and as every day passed, many became more fearful of what was to come in Parades, Lansten and finally Amalah but things changed one morning that would turn the tide.

The guardsman in the southeast tower was on watch duty, he had been in the tower now for three hours and he hoped that the time would pass sooner. There were only so many games a person could play in their head and he had played all of them at least twice. He was staring out of the window when he noticed a moving mass in the south east; it was moving north and was getting closer and closer. He reached for his telescope and saw an army approaching. He wasted no time at all, he reached for the horn that was hanging on the brick wall and he blew into it. The sound was that of an alarm, and Garrick and Häkan who were in the palace heard the sound of the tower and went rushing to where the guard was.

‘What is it?’ Garrick asked urgently, as he burst into the tower.

‘An army sir, it approaches from the South East,’ the guard told him as he handed Garrick the telescope.

Garrick took the telescope and hurried to the window. He put it in focus and brought it up to his eye. By now the army was even closer and he was able to see more.

‘They must be at least two thousand strong,’ Garrick said incredulously.

‘Who?’ Häkan asked, as he entered the room.

‘The army that is fast approaching Amalah City from the south,’ Garrick said, as he handed the telescope to Häkan.

Häkan took the telescope and stood next to Garrick; He looked in the direction that Garrick was pointing and saw the army approaching; he put the telescope down and looked at Garrick.

‘Perhaps not all of Rakan’s soldiers are in Equer after all.’

‘Perhaps not,’ Garrick said.

Häkan picked up the telescope and looked again and then he moved it westwards and when he saw what he saw, he stopped dead.

‘It cannot be,’ he said, in a low yet panicked voice.

‘What cannot be?’ asked Garrick.

‘Another army approaching from the South East but West from the one that approaches now.’

‘Let me see,’ Garrick said, holding out his hand so that Häkan could give him the telescope.

‘They are also at least two thousand strong,’ Häkan said, handing Garrick the telescope.

Garrick looked slightly west and saw the second army. He looked east again just to make sure that there really were two armies and when he saw that there was he put the telescope down and looked at Häkan.

‘Could it be an army of Rakan’s?’

‘It could be,’ Häkan replied.

‘If it is – then we are damned. Four thousand approaching from the South and I know his army are still up in Equer, which is now at least seven thousand strong. If this is his, we don’t stand a chance.’

‘It may not be,’ Häkan said.

Garrick looked at Häkan and then at the guard, who had been listening to every word they had said and was himself petrified.

‘Remain here guardsman,’ Garrick ordered. He handed the guardsman the telescope. ‘We will ride out to meet the army now. If, when we get there we raise the flag of Amalah, then all is well. If we raise the swords of either one of us, then it is not. Do not wait for us to return, signal to the archers and fire at will. Do you understand me?’

‘Yes sir,’ the Guard replied.

Garrick and Häkan ran out of the tower room and ran downstairs.

‘I will tell the Empress and Michael, will you get our swords, flag and horses?’ Garrick asked Häkan.

‘Of course,’ Häkan said.

When they reached the bottom of the tower, Garrick and Häkan ran their separate ways. Garrick went straight to Amara’s study where he found Amara, Michael, Callan and John. He knocked but did not wait for an answer before he entered.

‘Empress, everyone – two armies approach us from the South. I do not know whose army they are but they are at least four thousand strong.’

‘Can we summon the guard now?’ she asked.

‘Yes we can, Michael will you do so. Line the palace room with archers. I have told the guard to raise the alarm on my signal. Häkan and I will ride out. If we raise the flag of Amalah, all is well. If we raise our swords it is not and the tower guards will signal the archers, who must fire at will. They must not wait for us to return or to hesitate.’

‘There has to be another way,’ said Amara.

‘There is not,’ said Garrick flatly. ‘Michael, call on all of the guard, have them ready.’

‘I will come with you and Häkan,’ Callan said.

‘As will I,’ John said.

‘No!’ commanded Garrick. ‘It is too dangerous, remain here.’

‘This world is dangerous,’ Callan said stubbornly. ‘I’m coming and I will not be told otherwise.’ Garrick opened his mouth to argue but Callan beat him too it. ‘We could argue and waste time as the army approaches, or we leave now.’

‘We leave now,’ Garrick said, turning and making for the door.

Callan and John followed him and they ran to the palace court yard. Callan let out a loud animal cry on the way and when she got there, her horse was waiting at the front. Häkan was also there with his and Garrick’s horse and the three of them mounted their horses. John’s horse stood yards from theirs and he ran and mounted it.

The four of them raced to where the armies were approaching; Garrick and Callan rode east and Häkan and John rode west. They rode fast and hard and when they were yards away, they broke into a canter and then a trot.

Both troops were led by one man and when they shouted a command, the troops came to a simultaneous halt. Garrick and Callan, and Häkan and John came to a halt also and they looked at the troops in front of them. The two men walked towards the horses slowly and when they were a few yards apart they stopped and nodded.

‘We come in peace,’ the man said to Garrick and Callan respectively.

‘I am Hassan of Lansten,’ the tall Arab man said to Garrick and Callan.

‘I am Garrick, Commander of the Empresses’ guard, and this is Callan of Mantor.’

‘It is an honour to meet you, even though we meet under such dire circumstances,’ Hassan said.

In the west, Häkan and John were also meeting with the leader of the new army and he too assured them that they came in peace.

‘I am Hemi of Aradene,’ the Aborigine told Häkan and John.

‘I am Häkan, Commander of the Empresses’ guard and this is John of Equer,’ Häkan said to Hemi.

‘I wish we were meeting under different circumstances,’ Hemi said.

‘As do I,’ agreed Häkan.

The two parties then rode and walked until they met each other in the middle and when they were all together; Garrick, Callan, John and Häkan dismounted and shook hands with the men they had not yet met. Michael and the guard were watching from the tower and they waited anxiously for a signal from either Garrick or Häkan.

‘Who are they?’ Garrick asked, looking at the army behind the two men.

‘They are the people of the islands from the South and the East,’ said Hemi.

‘They know what has befallen Santeb, Aradene and Mantor.’

‘And now Filine and Basimine,’ Häkan said.

‘How did they hear?’ asked Callan.

‘From me, said Hassan. ‘I spent much of my life between Lansten, Aradene and the islands.’

‘As did I,’ said Hemi.

‘When the army struck Aradene, I was on one of the islands and when I returned everyone who was on the wrong side of the army was dead.’

‘We went to Santeb and to Mantor and found the same thing, so we returned to the islands.’

‘Why?’ asked Garrick. ‘Why did you not seek help from Amalah?’

‘Hassan of Lansten is a sorcerer,’ said Hemi.

‘Yes. I was able to cast a spell and see who or what, had done such a thing and then I saw the truth. Firstly, whoever did this came from Amalah and secondly to fight this – and we must fight this – we would need an army.

‘Why come to Amalah now?’ Häkan asked.

‘We have seers too,’ said Hemi.

‘Yes, we saw that those from Amalah who did this are not the power of Amalah and they have long since gone. We also had to take time reaching the islands, getting the people, the weapons and the boats.’

‘It was no easy task,’ said Hemi.

‘No, it was not,’ agreed Hassan. ‘But we are here now and we wish to join with you and defeat that which has cast half the world into darkness.’

Garrick looked at Häkan for a long moment and Häkan nodded and then Garrick looked at the two men.

‘Then welcome,’ said Garrick as he shook their hands.

The two men shook hands with Garrick, Häkan, John and Callan and they went back to their troops. Garrick and Häkan went to their horses and put up the flag of Amalah and Michael and the guard in the tower, breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Garrick and Häkan walked towards Hassan and Hemi and instructed them to follow them back to Amalah City. The four mounted their horses and began the journey back to the palace. When they arrived, they were greeted by Amara, Ellora, Michael and the council and welcomed to Amalah.

‘This changes things considerably,’ Michael said to Amara, Garrick and Häkan.

‘For the better,’ Häkan said.

‘Yes,’ agreed Garrick.

That night Amalah celebrated, they partied until the early hours of the morning, they celebrated to welcome the people from the islands and they celebrated, because their chances had increased; but above all they celebrated because they could and because they had not had anything to celebrate in such a long time.

Amara and Michael retired for the evening; they had stayed with Ellora, Häkan, Thaddeus and Garrick and spent time with the islanders but as the early hours drew near, fatigue got the better of them. They made their way to Amara’s room, Amara entered first and Michael followed behind and when she was in the middle of the room, he stood behind her and pulled her to him, she leaned back against him and he put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

‘What a day,’ she said happily.

‘Yes it was,’ he agreed. ‘Our fortunes have changed today.’

‘They needed to.’

‘Well they have,’ he said before he kissed her again.

The two of them held onto each other for a while and then they went to bed, where they fell asleep in each others arms and felt renewed hope about their future and the destiny of the nations.