The Path Of Destiny (7 page)

“Forgive the trouble,” Haman said. “My name is Haman, master
caretaker. There was a man here last night who was leaving as you came in. He
looked to cause trouble; I needed to make sure you were kept safe.”

“But you didn’t know who we were,” Kelln jumped in.

“Darius,” Haman whispered. Noticing that he had said it out
loud, he recovered and continued speaking. “The man was on his way to Belor. He
was evil, and I am told a wizard.”

The two young men looked at each other with wide eyes.

“The Preacher,” stated Darius.

“Yes, that is what some of the men referred to him as,”
added Haman. “Anyway, he is now gone and you are now here to pick up some
Cremelinos for the King. Unfortunately, they are deep inland, grazing, and may
not be back for a day or two. Why don’t you come to my house and we will see
about some breakfast?”

“Fantastic.” Kelln hopped up. “I am hungry.”

“He’s always hungry.” Darius stood up with his friend.

Thirty minutes later they entered into Haman’s simple
cottage. Everything was arranged neatly and the smell of bacon and bread hung
in the air. After introductions, Haman’s wife, Nhila, shooed them out of the
kitchen until everything was ready.

Jakob bounded in the front door and stopped short in front
of the two visitors.

“This is my son, Jakob. He helps me care for the
Cremelinos.”

“And how do you like caring for King Edward’s horses?” asked
Darius.

“Oh just fine.” Jakob puffed out his chest. “One day I will
be head caretaker like my father. “

“They are beautiful Cremelinos,” continued Darius.

Haman saw Kelln glance at the kitchen more than once. He
remembered being a young man once. A full stomach seemed to always be the
object of his desires. Now he looked at his young son, Jakob. Growing quickly,
he had just passed his thirteenth birthday. He would make a fine caretaker.

“Are you here to take some away?” asked Jakob.

“Where are my manners?” Haman scolded himself. “Jakob, these
young men are on the King’s errand and are here to pick up four new Cremelinos.
This is Kelln and Darius.”

Jakob went pale and his eyes widened three times. He looked
at his father. Haman shook his head slightly from side to side. He hoped his
son would keep the secret they had heard about Darius. It was not theirs to
tell.

The two young men looked at the boy and wondered what silent
exchange was happening. Suddenly the boy closed his mouth and squinted at
Darius. He seemed to be thinking about something before he spoke.

“You will be taking five with you when you leave,” stated
Jakob with a barely audible voice.

“Five? But we only need four.” Kelln looked confused. He
looked once again at the kitchen.

Haman’s wife called them in and Kelln bounced to his feet.
His stomach grumbled and they all laughed.

Darius put his hand on the young boy’s arm to ask a
question. “What do you mean we need five?”

“Four for the King and one for you, Darius.”

Darius shook his head in confusion.

“Jakob, what are you talking about? Darius didn’t come for
one.” His father stepped up close to his son.

“Darius needs to give the Cremelino to someone. Someone
special who will need it.”

Just then a horse neighed from outside the window. Everyone
jumped and looked around in surprise. Jakob was the first one to the door. The
others gathered behind him. There in front of the house stood one of the
pure-white Cremelino horses.

“There she is,” pointed Jakob.

Haman gave a loud sigh and turned to Darius. “Sir, I am
sorry if this causes you any problems. But sometimes these Cremelinos do have a
mind of their own.”

Darius stood staring at the horse as if listening to
something. His face grew pale and he took a step forward and then stopped.

Kelln reached out to his friend. “Darius. What’s wrong? You
all right?”

Darius turned back to the group as if he hadn’t heard their
comments. “What did you say?”

“Are you all right?” Kelln asked again.

Darius turned to Haman and Jakob. “You are right. We will be
taking five back, and I know just who it is for.”

Haman’s wife ushered them back inside to eat their fill of
bread, bacon, fresh fruit, and milk. After filling their stomachs they retired
to the porch. A slight breeze blew in off the Blue Sea, giving a salty tang to
the warming summer air.

“So what are you boys going to be doing after your summer
service?” asked Haman.

“I’m going to travel,” said Kelln, stuffing into his mouth a
sweet roll that he had taken from the kitchen on his way out of the house.

“Travel where?” Darius asked his friend. “Your father’s
going to have you sweating over that forge of his.”

Kelln frowned. “I’ll find some way to see the land.”

Haman smiled at the boys’ banter. “And you, Darius?”

Now it was Darius’s turn to frown. He sighed deeply. “My
father wants me to stay in Anikari and train to be a councilor.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bad life to most people,” Haman mused.

Darius stood up. “But I want to do more than that. I want to
fight and defend our great land. I want to help others and bring our people
closer together.”

“And you can’t do that as a councilor?” Haman smiled at the
boy’s enthusiasm.

“All the councilors do is sit around and have meetings. They
don’t know what is going on around them. They all think they are better than
the farmers and everyone else.”

“What’s wrong with farmers?” asked Jakob, sitting down next
to his dad.

“Oh, Darius likes the farmers,” added Kelln with a
mischievous smile.

Darius blushed bright red and headed out towards the well.
“I think I need a drink of water.”

The group all laughed as Darius’s step quickened and his
ears turned a darker shade of red. 

A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN

A
week after delivering the
Cremelinos safely back to the castle stables Kelln walked back home from eating
dinner at a nearby inn. His mother and sister had gone to visit a relative and
his father had left to Belor a few weeks earlier. It was not like his father to
leave so abruptly, and Kelln was thinking about traveling to Belor to find out
if he had met any trouble, if he could get out of his current duties to one of
the councilors.

The night was darkening and a few lamps lit the street.
Kelln heard a sound in the street behind him and turned around.

“Stop!” The guard yelled and rushed down the street toward
Kelln.

Kelln’s heart jumped. He wondered why the city guard would
be after him. Something about the way they were running after him vaulted him
to action. He took off running down the street toward his home.

The guard followed him into his home, banging the door
almost off its frame. Kelln ran quickly through the small home to outdistance
the guard. He didn’t know why he was being chased, but he knew he didn’t want
to get caught. He had done enough sneaking around in the city to warrant some
notice, but some of King Edward’s guards chasing him didn’t make sense. It must
be something to do with his father going to Belor. His father had been talking
about the trouble in Belor for some time but Kelln didn’t think he would
actually leave his forge and go there.

He grabbed a small cap from a peg on the wall and pulled it
down over his red hair. With his short thin frame he jumped out of a back
window and ran around the forge. The apprentices had let everything cool since
his father had left. His feet kicked a few small, stray pieces of steel out of
the way as he ran onto the cobblestone streets of a darker part of the city.

Guards shouted from behind, ordering him to stop and return.
He turned around once to see if they followed. Their bright swords flashed in
the lamplight of the late evening air.

A dark, moonless night threatened a summer thunderstorm. He
ran down a few less-populated streets and found himself in the merchants’
quarter. Large warehouses with their small storefronts were dark at this time
of night. Kelln turned down a nearby alley and waited a moment to catch his
breath and to think about where he would go. On such a dark and eerie night he
didn't relish the thought of staying in the narrow, dirty alley longer than was
required. It could be more dangerous than the guards. The small dark streets
seemed to breed thoughts of danger and despair.

He heard slowing footsteps approach. He tried to crouch into
the shadows. The men passed and he let out a sigh. Something brushed against
his leg and he went to hit it away. As he did so he bumped into an old crate
and knocked something down. The sound would alert the guards. He looked for a
way out. The backside of an abandoned inn with rooms upstairs sat a short
distance down the alley. He couldn't see well enough in the dark to distinguish
if the building held any promise for escape or not, but it held his only hope.

The guards’ voices floated through the air and their
footsteps came closer. Jumping up, he skirted towards the building. Kelln tried
one door after another. In sudden desperation he noticed an opened window on
the second floor. He jumped up on the ledge of a first-story window and pulled
himself up onto an overhang and into the top window, barely making it in before
the guards came back into the alley.

They stood talking right below him. He overhead them mention
his father. The dark masked his presence. The guards soon convinced themselves
the sound had only been rats or a stray cat. After a few moments they walked
away, talking about getting something warm to drink before they returned to
their guard station.

Kelln sat in the dark for a few more moments, letting his
brown eyes adjust to the old building. He got up to move and a hand covered his
mouth from behind him.

Terror grabbed him for a few moments and he pushed his head
back into his attacker and tried to turn around. A girl not much older than
himself smiled at him. A dark black cape swirled around her when she stopped.
With her raven-black hair and black leather pants she was almost a shadow. His
heart beat in rapid succession. She was beautiful.

He lowered his fists.

“It’s all right,” she whispered with a smile, and her dark
eyes picked up a few stray flecks of light from somewhere. “Kelln, I'm here to
help. Your father sent me.”

“My father! Is he all right?”

“Yes he is, but he wants you to join him.”

“Wait. I don't even know who you are, yet you seem to know
more about my family than I do at this point.” Kelln glanced around him for any
other trouble.

“My name is Alessandra El’Lan. I, too, am Belorian, though I
may not appear that way at the moment. I had to disguise my red hair. Your father,
Grisham, went to Belor two weeks ago to oversee the delivery of weapons to the
King’s men there. At least that’s what everyone thought. In reality, he was
bringing them to us.”

“Us? Who are you?” asked Kelln. A dreadful feeling started
to develop in his gut. His father had been talking strangely the past few
months. The talk about a man in Belor who spoke about freedom and independence
had seemed to excite his father.

“I am part of the Belorian resistance. Belor has approached
the king for our independence, yet he has denied us, so we have taken up arms
to convince him ourselves. It’s not right that we should be under his rule. He
treats us as foreigners and his taxes are heavy. We contacted your father a few
months ago, and he agreed to help us reestablish the Belorian rule back to its
purity!”

Information came at Kelln too fast. He knew his father had
left for Belor to help deliver swords, just as the girl had said. During this
time his mother and two sisters had gone to visit an uncle in a small village
by Crystal Lake.

“What about the rest of my family? They are not in Belor,
are they?”

“We will arrange for them to meet you and your father again
in Belor after the present situation has died down.” Alessandra smiled a big
smile. “For now I will be your guide to safety.”

Kelln wasn't sure he needed a guide, but on the other hand
he sure didn't mind Alessandra's company. The way she looked at him and smiled
captivated him deep inside his heart. He found it hard to think in a reasonable
manner with her in front of him, but he tried his hardest.

“I have to think about this first. I have been born and
raised in Anikari. Now you want me to fight against the kingdom. I need to
think about this.”

“Don't think of it as fighting against anything, but for
something. For the freedom of your people.”

My people? Who are my people?

She did sound convincing. Maybe it was those alluring, dark,
almond-shaped eyes. “I need to talk to a friend first.” He thought of Darius
and tried to pull his mind from the girl.

“All right. Talk to him, but be careful. They may be
watching your house for someone to return. Your father made some of the best
weapons. I am sure they would love to have his son. Meet me tomorrow morning
behind the Mid-Summers Inn on the south end of town. Make sure you have clothes
and a weapon to travel with.”

She touched his arm with a few fingers, smiled again, then
disappeared. He sat alone for a few minutes in the dark. The night became quiet
once again except for the loud beating of his heart.

He absently rubbed his arm where Alessandra’s fingers had
touched him. He stood up and headed out towards Darius’ house.

The Williams’ home stood tall up on the hill in the nobles’
quarter. Kelln crept past a few bored guards. The lamps in the large stone
house were off, so he worked his way around until he was under Darius’s second
floor window. There were ornamental bushes to block the view from the street. A
night guard would be walking by soon, so he hurried.

Kelln threw a few pebbles at the window and waited. He knew
Darius slept lightly. This was not the first time he had woken up his friend
for a late-night adventure. After a few seconds, a sleepy Darius came to the
window. “Kelln. What are you doing?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Oh no. What sort of trouble are you in now? Can't this wait
until morning?” Darius pulled the window open a little further.

“No, I need to talk now.” He tried to sound as serious as he
could.

Darius snuck downstairs and outside and together they
hurried to the back corner of the courtyard. Darius brought up a flame in his
hand for light and lit a lamp on the wall. Kelln raised his eyebrows.

“Well, this strange power has got to be good for something.”

“Getting more comfortable with being a wizard, I see,” Kelln
commented.

“Kel, I am not a wizard.” Darius looked around the dark
yard. “And don’t say that out loud. No one knows about my powers.”

“Not even Christine?”

“Not even Christine,” Darius answered. “I still haven’t
found the right time. Soon, though. Soon. I promise you. I just have to figure
it out for myself first.”

Kelln smiled and proceeded to tell him what had happened
over the past hour. Darius had a little knowledge about the current situation
in Belor. He shared what his father had told him about the uprising and the
Preacher.

“My father has been telling me a lot more about the Realm of
late. I’m not sure why,” Darius added.

Kelln furrowed his eyebrows. “Don’t you know? He is grooming
you to be a councilor, now that we have graduated. Your full training will
start in the fall.”

“He knows I’m not interested. I am still hoping to train for
the army in the fall. He hasn’t said anything more about my relationship with
Christine since he was embarrassed at the archery contest either. But since
that day he has been more patient and at least not as angry at me. Well, when
you get me in trouble, his still gets mad at me then.”

Kelln laughed. “Trouble? Me? It’s that power of yours that
has gotten us in more trouble lately. You seem to be growing more powerful.”

“So what are you going to do about Belor?” asked Darius,
pushing the subject of his powers away from Kelln.

“I realize I am Belorian by heritage, but I am also a member
of the Realm. My parents may have ties to Belor, but I don't. Why should I go?”

“Have you been there to notice if things are as bad as it
sounds?” asked Darius.

“The last time I was in Belor was about two years ago. It
seemed like a nice city to me. It was clean and had new construction going on.
It looked different from here, but in an exotic sort of way. I don't understand
what the problem is.”

“I have heard about a man in Belor they call the Preacher.”

“You mean a religious man is causing this trouble?”

“No, I don’t think so. They call him the Preacher because he
preaches that they are better than us and that the Belorians should take
control of their own land. Not exactly religion, more like some political
maneuvering, it seems. He’s also rumored to be a wizard.”

“You mean there are two of you now?”

“Kel, I am not a wizard.” Darius was adamant.

“Then what do you call it?

The two had been over this a thousand times and Darius still
didn’t have an appropriate answer for Kelln.

“This isn’t about me, Kelln. This is about you. If you go
and fight, that’s civil war. You would be fighting against the armies of
Anikari!” exclaimed Darius. “Maybe an army that I will be in someday. Our army
could kill you or arrest you for treason.”

“I know. I know!” Kelln paced the garden area. “But my dad
wants me. You know my dad, Darius. He wouldn't go if there wasn't a good
reason.” Kelln’s father had been making swords for King Edward and his father
before him. He had always been level-headed, a good businessperson, and a great
father.

They continued to reason back and forth well into the night.
In the end Kelln decided he would go. He would not do any fighting until he
talked to his father and saw for himself what was going on.

They said their goodbyes and Kelln went a back way to his
house. He looked around the outside of the home and waited for a few minutes in
the dark to make certain he was not being watched. Two guards sitting on the
ground down the street seemed to be sleeping against a lamppost. He went in
through the back and arranged some clothes together. He grabbed his sword and
bow and laid down to rest a little.

He tossed and turned between dreams of fighting and dreams
of Alessandra. He dreamed she had deceived him and that his father was held as
a prisoner. He dreamed she loved him. He dreamed Belor destroyed under rubble.
Some of the dreams seemed so real. Others seemed like dreams. Still others
seemed to be warnings or premonitions of future events.

Kelln woke in a sweat as sunlight streamed into his room. It
was an hour before he was to meet Alessandra. He looked outside. The previous
night’s threatening storm had seemed to pass away. It was the kind of clear
summer day that made him remember lying in the field with his dad and finding
shapes in the clouds as a young boy. He pulled a cap over his head and walked
out to find the mysterious girl from the night before.

Noises made him jump and glance around. He thought someone
watched him. That everyone was calling him a traitor for leaving. Doubts crept
back into his mind as to what he should do. If he fought, he could possibly be
fighting against friends he knew.

He was so deep in his thoughts he almost bumped into
Alessandra. She wore men’s dark leather pants again, a dark shirt, and a dark
cape. Her hair was tucked up under a hood, but in the light of day and up close
he could see the soft features of her face. She looked even more beautiful than
the night before.

“How are we getting out of the city? I am sure they will
have guards on the lookout for me,” Kelln asked Alessandra, to see if she did
have a plan. “They found me easily last night by watching my home.”