The Path Of Destiny (9 page)

THE KING’S SUMMONS

A
gain the voice came. It
wasn't louder, yet it seemed closer. Darius thought he heard someone, or
something, breathing. All he could do was stare into the black nothing and
wait. He reached for a wall. Anything solid to hold on to. Before he reached
anything, something reached him instead, and grabbed hold of his hand.

“Darius,” a female voice whispered. He tried to jump back.

“Darius,” it said again as the unseen hand shook him harder.
He screamed and tried to push the hands away. Darius opened his eyes. As he did
so light flooded in upon him, and he closed them again.

Darius heard his name once again, but this time the voice
sounded more familiar and closer. His eyes were slow to open the second time.
When they did they began to focus on a woman . . . his mother, Elizabeth. How
could she have gotten here? As if to answer him, she spoke.

“Darius I have been trying to get you awake for minutes.
Couldn't you hear me or feel me shaking you?”

Darius looked around, eyes darting to take in his
surroundings. Feelings of familiarity flooded back into him as he realized he
had been sleeping and dreaming. His mother, Elizabeth, stood next to him,
trying to wake him up. He looked up at her again, seeing love spread across her
face after a brief hint of concern—or was it frustration?

“I guess I was dreaming,” yawned Darius, still trying to
shake the all-too-real dream from his head. His bed felt good. Since Kelln had
left about a month earlier he had spent later hours with Christine and her
family in the farmlands. Not having any other duties this morning he was
looking forward to a morning of relaxation before heading back to Christine’s.

“Your father left a note for you this morning.”

“What? What kind of note?” The anxiousness drove the
remaining sluggishness from his mind, and he grunted. It was probably another
meeting his father wanted him to attend. He hoped it wasn’t going to take too
long. He planned to go and take the Cremelino to Christine today. A gift for
her upcoming seventeenth birthday. He also planned to let her know about his
powers. Finally. He was prepared to face whatever consequences would come. He
dreaded telling her, but he hated more keeping secrets from her.

His mother handed him the note and he opened it with
curiosity.

“It’s a summons from King Edward.” Darius was surprised. “I
don’t have much time.”

Elizabeth nodded as if she knew, then walked out of the
room. “I have breakfast ready. Don’t run off too quickly.”

Darius glanced out of the window from his second-floor
bedroom. From high up on the hill he could see much of the city from his
vantage point. He supposed that was why they lived in this section of the city.
So his father felt even more superior to everyone. When Darius was a younger
boy they had lived down in the lower parts of the city. That was when his
father had spent more time with him and his mother.

His mother pretended to be busy around the kitchen as Darius
ate, but he watched the worried glances towards him when she thought he wasn’t
looking. His mother, Elizabeth, liked to cook, so she shooed the servants out
that morning.

She was still a striking woman into her early forties. With
long brown hair and blue eyes, she kept up with the latest court fashions, though
Darius thought this was more out of duty than real interest. She stood behind
her husband, but was much softer in her approach to Darius and his interests,
especially with Christine.

His mother seemed more somber this morning. He looked at
her. “Mom?”

She just shook her head and kissed him on his forehead as
she encouraged him to hurry to the castle. He sensed concern.

The castle wasn't too far from his house. With a brisk step
he walked along the cobblestone streets that marked his neighborhood and
wondered what the King wanted. King Edward was, but still, a summoning by him
must be something important. Due to his father’s position, Darius had met the
King many times.

Lost in his thoughts, he tripped over a broken stone and
winced as his knee hit the ground. He hated these stones. They always came out.
His father would tell him they marked the upper-class neighborhood of Anikari.
He liked brick himself. His father, having grown up laying bricks with his
father, was adamant about surrounding himself with stone. Darius also liked the
simple thatched houses of the countryside rather than the tile roofs now
popular in the upper part of the city. Thoughts of the countryside brought
thoughts of Christine back to his mind and he smiled, excited to bring her the
Cremelino today.

The early summer air was warm already that morning. Darius
now wished he had worn something less formal. The wool coat over a silk shirt,
along with the woolen pants tucked into his high black boots seemed to hold in
the heat. A summons by the King, however, did warrant the nicer attire. He ran
his hand over his hair once again making sure it wasn’t sticking up anywhere.

He arrived at the castle.  Other young men a few years older
than him were walking in through the same gate. He recognized many of them from
the academy from when he was a few years younger. They weren’t all sons of
nobles, but most seemed to be from the city.

An old, wrinkle-faced guard stood at the south gate to the
castle and nodded to him as he entered. “Darius, looks like something exciting
going on today.”

“Nothing exciting ever happens around here, Robert, not like
when you were out traveling the Realm.” He had grown up listening to all the
stories of the guards. They had recounted their adventures to him of when they
traveled away from Anikari in guarding the Realm.

The guard seemed to get a dreamy look in his old, tired
eyes. “That is true, young sir. It’s not like it was in the days of King
Charles or his mother. Those were the glory days of the Realm. Seems like we
are kept closer to home now lad.”

“Not me. I am going to go out and fight for those glory days
again, Robert.” Darius smiled, hurried through the broad stone gate, and
climbed the smooth carved granite steps.

He followed the others, even though he was familiar with a
short cut to the palace court. The King’s court sat outside for the most part.
Up front stood a raised diadem where the King and his councilors were covered
by a large canopy. The rest of the court had benches of varying lengths spread throughout.
The castle surrounded the open court on all four sides, except for the small
walkways where the young men had just entered.

This was where King Edward held large meetings, gave out
sentences, made official announcements, and did everything that was outwardly
important to the Realm and city of Anikari. This differed from the inner throne
room, where the Throne of Power resided. It was in there that petitioners would
gather once a month and where matters that were more private were discussed.

Darius looked up at one side of the castle wall, and even
though he had seen it many times, he still marveled at its size. Legend said
the castle had only taken ten years to build, a feat that was amazing for this
size of structure. Of course, it was also rumored that a few wizards had
contributed their help. He wondered again at the potential of his power. Would
he be able to build something some day? Would he be shunned for it or, worse
yet, kicked outside the city, like the wizards of old? Maybe living in the
countryside with Christine wouldn’t be so bad after all. He blushed at the
thought and turned his attention back to the gathering.

Looking around the large area, others were already sitting
down. Within minutes, more than 200 other men arrived. With a quick glance
Darius noticed he was the youngest of the group, and a small feeling of dread
began to creep into his heart.

Royal guards stood at attention around the perimeter of the
courtyard. Darius sat in nervous anticipation, wondering again what was going
to happen. He wished that Kelln was there. It had been a month since his best
friend had left for Belor. He was anxious to hear what he had found out in the
southern Realm city. If he didn’t hear from Kelln soon he would plan a trip
there himself.

The power within him began to gather, even without any
prompting, rising up in him as preparation for any trouble. It seemed nervous
too, if that were possible. At one point, his feelings almost made him get up
and run away, though he didn't know where. Only his strict upbringing and
teaching kept him in rooted to his hard seat.

The men seemed to quiet down as they looked up towards the
podium. Darius’s father, Richard, stood up in the front. He looked Darius in
the eyes, but gave no outward indication he saw him. Darius sensed a strange
air of sadness and exhaustion on his face.

Richard motioned for all to stand.

In came the King in his entire royal splendor, from his
brilliant golden crown atop his head to his purple cloak swirling around his
tall frame. It was the first time that Darius really noticed that the King’s
eyes were similar in color to his own.

 King Edward proceeded to sit on a throne that was a smaller
and less ornate version of the Throne of Power. Richard motioned for all of the
men to sit.

“Our loyal King Edward, friend of the people, protector of
the people, and one of the people, has summoned us here today,” began Richard.

Darius had heard these lines before. A rhetoric that was
repeated each time a king spoke. The words were supposed to make them proud of
the Realm and honor her king. He was proud of being a citizen of the Realm. He
loved his kingdom and would fight for it, but growing up with his father as the
first councilor to King Edward he didn’t like the game of politics and its impact
on his family. He felt like his father gave more loyalty to the Kingdom than to
his own family.

The King stood and walked to the podium. His fierce, greyish
eyes looked at each young man. It seemed he lingered just a brief moment longer
on Darius before looking back over the crowd to speak.

“My young men of Anikari and of the Realm,” the King’s voice
boomed. “You have been gathered together this day for an exceptional purpose.
You have grown up in a world of relative peace and safety. That was not always
so. Many people among your ancestors and mine fought for this long reign of
peace that began with my father and that has carried into my reign. It is not I
who established the peace. It is you. You the people. You the young and the
brave and the loyal.”

Darius still wasn't sure what was happening, but he joined
many of the other men as they moved to edges of their seats. Anticipation
filled the air.

“The peace I have spoken of is becoming fragile. There are
those in, and out of, the Realm who would like to watch us fall and fail. In
order to protect our peace and our people I have selected you, a chosen group,
to become what will be known throughout the lands as the King's Elite Army.”

The King paused, letting his words sink in. Darius’s heart
leapt with joy. He was finally going to be trained in the army. That is what he
had wanted all along. He wondered why his father had said nothing to him, or
why he had experienced a change of heart from Darius being trained as a
councilor. He looked at his father, but got no response back.

“You will work and train hard to become one together. A
group so cunning, strong, and brave that no one would dare take our freedom and
peace away. You will be trained, as warriors of old were, to become one with
your weapon, one with yourself, and one with the Realm.”

Darius heard cheers and handclaps emerge from the others,
rising to their feet. He found himself bewildered and full of questions, but
joining the others in praise of their King. He felt a sudden sense of pride.
Who wouldn’t? He would be trained as in the legends of old. He looked around
the room and realized again that he was the youngest by at least two to five
years. What did that mean? Was he being given special treatment because of his
father? He hoped not. He wanted to prove himself on his own. He couldn’t wait
to tell Christine that news.

Darius thought once more of Kelln. Maybe he could get his
father to allow Kelln to join him also. He could ride to Belor and back in a
week’s time and bring Kelln back to Anikari before they started training.

The King sat down and Richard returned to the podium. The
crowd resumed their seats. Darius’s father looked tense and stern as he began
to layout the finer details of the plan. Darius half listened as he daydreamed
about what the King had said. Every young boy dreamed of being a great warrior,
like in the ancient tales. His power flared inside him with those thoughts.

“ . . . We will leave late tonight,” was all he heard to
shake him from his dreams.
What?
He almost said out loud.
Leave
where?
The King hadn’t said they were going anywhere. Didn’t they have to
get ready and train first?

To answer Darius’s silent question, Richard continued. “We
will be going up into a special camp that has been set up in the Superstition
Mountains. There you will not be distracted. You will leave here when I dismiss
you, to go home, pack any clothing and weapons you have, and return in three
hours’ time. Everything else will be provided for you. An escort will accompany
you to make sure everything goes according to plan. This news . . . this idea
of a new Elite Army will be kept confidential for now. The location of your
training will be guarded and kept secret.”

Darius felt his world slam shut. Why this sudden move to the
mountains? How could his father do this to him? It must be a plan to keep him
away from Christine. Thoughts of her made him swoon in his seat. He had to tell
her. He had to hold her one more time before he went. He had known that he
might have to leave for short periods of time to defend the Realm, but not like
this. Not so suddenly and secretly. He thought about escape, but he realized it
would never work. Not now
.
Maybe later, after he had time to think about
the situation. His heart ached, and he choked back the lump forming in his
throat. What would he do without her? He wasn't prepared to deal with this now.