The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) (14 page)

“Stop this now!” the older man
shouted. Flinging his arms in the air he stilled all motion. He sent the girl a
grave look, and she subsided.

“King Darius DarSan Williams, I
presume.” The man spoke in a deep booming voice.

Darius nodded. “And who might you
be?”

“I am High Wizard Olan Sallir,
personal advisor to King Anwar of the Kingdom of Arc.”

“And her?” Darius motioned to the
girl.

Olan smiled and held in a laugh.
“Oh. She is my headstrong apprentice, Danijela Anwar. A growing earth wizard,
daughter of the King, and younger sister to Prince Bronwyn, whom you hold
behind you.” Olan examined the prince and frowned. Turning back to Darius, he
smiled. “I am sure this was not the reception you had planned.”

Darius, who still looked angry,
let out a deep breath. “It is well to make your acquaintance, High Wizard. I’ve
heard of you.” Darius held on to diplomacy by a thread. “Your prince here has
abducted my wife, the queen.”

“I did not,” the prince said,
sounding defiant.

“I will speak to you in a minute.”
Olan dismissed the Prince with a wave of his hand.

Darius continued. “Eyewitnesses
saw men in black, garbed in the Kingdom of Arc’s battle attire, attack my wife
and carry her off. We came to meet the prince as previously arranged for a
friendly meeting. Your prince had over five hundred men waiting here with him.”

The High Wizard looked at Bronwyn
and raised his eyebrows. “Seems like a lot of men for an honor guard to meet
the new King of the Realm, my Prince. I remember your father directing a few
dozen.”

“You still attacked him on our
soil.” Danijela’s first words were directed toward Darius.

“He took my wife.” Darius gritted
his teeth. The ground quivered slightly at his retort.

Olan glanced around a moment then
back to the King. Men had begun to retreat back to their own sides, stepping
over the small rock walls that had been erected.

“A lot of bodies fill this
valley, King Darius. The young lady does have a point.”

“I had reinforcements arrive when
they heard of an army building up in the pass. Then shortly afterward, another
battalion of Arc soldiers came down the pass just ahead of your arrival.”
Darius pointed to the soldiers. “They had obviously been directed ahead of
time.”

Olan glared at Bronwyn. “A fine
mess you have gotten us into, my Prince. You will be taken back to your
father.”

“High Wizard, with full respect,
I cannot let you take him back until I find out about my wife. He will be a
prisoner of the Realm, though I will let his remaining men leave in peace.”

Men from both sides started to tense
up and move farther away from the small gathering. The young wizard lifted her
hands once again; the rocks once more rose up and flowed together. Dirt and
trees began to fall, and a wall erected itself between the two camps.

“Don’t do me any favors, sister,”
Bronwyn shouted. “All of you wizards are an abomination. No one should have
that much power.” He pulled away from the guards and ran toward the group along
the edge of the ravine. His unfocused and wild eyes missed seeing a large root
sticking out of the ground. With no warning at all, the prince tripped on the
root, his speed carrying his body off the cliff and down the embankment. His
wailing echoed off of the walls until he landed with a distant thud on the
rocky bottom.

“No, Bronwyn!” Danijela yelled,
jumping off her horse and running to the edge of the ravine. Tears filled her
eyes and surprise and frustration filled the other men standing close by. She
sat staring into the deep opening while everyone else stood still.

Danijela stood, turned around,
and faced Darius. Her young eyes, red and blurred with tears, burned at him.
She lifted her arms, and fire crackled from the foggy sky. Elements of earth
began to gather around her, and her brother’s body lifted out of the ravine,
settling onto a cleared patch of dirt in front of the group.

Sean wanted nothing more than to
be farther away from this dangerous group of wizards. He began to back away.
Darius glimpsed him moving and shook his head. Without much thought, Sean found
himself obeying and stopped. He watched as Darius walked with slow but
deliberate steps toward the young girl. She bristled and stiffened as he
entered her personal space. With gentleness, he wrapped his arms around her,
closed his eyes, and held her. Rigid at first and crying, she eventually
relaxed and fell into his arms.

The small group gasped. Sean was
certain they all felt a calmness and tranquility reach into their hearts, just
as he did. Swords lowered, deep breaths were taken, and the battle ended. Sean
found tears coming to his own eyes as he gasped in admiration and wonder at his
King.

Lowering himself to the ground on
one knee, Sean, with newfound respect in his eyes, gazed up at his King, still
amazed his life had been spared. He had never known such feelings of devotion
before. His heart was open and bare. There was only one thing to do.

In a voice raw with emotion, Sean
bowed to his King and stated, “Darius DarSan Williams, King of the Realm and
wizard of the heart, I pledge my life to your service as your humble servant
until the end of my days.”

FRIENDS REUNITED

T
he day after the battle in the mountain
pass, Darius sat in a room of the mayor of Sur’s office. Gathered around a
table with him was Roland, who had arrived with Jakob and the rest of the
Cremelinos, High Wizard Sallir, Danijela Anwar, and Cray Dreydon. They would
have to send word to the King of Arc about his son Bronwyn.

The group had just eaten a light
lunch of open-faced roast sandwiches with gravy and slices of melon. So far
there was not much talk. Everyone was exhausted, and frustration and anger
still hung in the air between the two kingdoms.

“I’ve sent the rest of Prince
Bronwyn’s men back to Herro except for a small group of loyal soldiers I have
kept with me,” the High Wizard informed Darius.

“Herro isn’t very far away. What
is to stop them from coming back as soon as we leave?” Darius still hadn’t
found any clues to his wife’s disappearance or why the prince had brought so
many men to the border.

“You have my word as representative
of the King of Arc that they will not return.”

“A King whose son may have
captured my wife but in the least had other plans of invasion into my realm.”

Olan’s voice rose, but he
maintained control. “Young Bronwyn’s views did not reflect the views of his
father. He was young and brash. The men were following his orders, and may I
remind you that some of those orders came from sources inside your realm.”

Darius groaned inside and put his
hand out to settle the High Wizard down. “Forgive me. I am exhausted and not
thinking clearly. I do take responsibility for Sean San Ghant as a member of
the Realm. It appears he was part of the plans of an old nemesis of mine, known
as the Preacher. He is a wizard of evil, learning his trade among a sect in the
eastern kingdoms. He tried to take Belor, and now he has broadened his plans of
chaos. We do seem to be trying to find a path for peace.”

“May I make a suggestion, my
Lord?” Cray asked Darius.

Darius nodded his head in assent
and took a drink from his glass.

“This is not going to be solved
today. You need rest.”

Darius began to interrupt, but
Cray continued. “You need rest to be able to think. I know you want your wife
back, but you are King of the entire Realm. Word has come in just an hour ago
that another army is forming on the border of Gildan across from Denir.”

Darius slammed his fist down. “I
thought Mezar had things under control in Gildan.”

“It appears our neighbors are
testing the new King of the Realm.” Cray said. “How will you meet these tests,
young wizard?”

Darius laughed out loud. “You
give good advice. You are right as always. How will I meet these tests? I am
young and untrained, and so they all push against me. The Preacher in Mar, the
Arcs in Sur, the Gildanians in Denir.” He paused for a moment to think.

Rest, my young wizard. Things
will work out for you. Just remember where your power comes from.
Thunder
interrupted the King’s thoughts.
Help is on the way.

“Help from where? Do you know
where my wife is?”

No, we still cannot feel her
presence.
Lightning intruded in the conversation. Darius could sense the
sadness in her heart.

Send the young girl wizard to
us before she leaves,
Thunder said.

Darius smiled and stood up. “I am
going to rest for a bit. You all should also. It has been a long few days, and
I am afraid things are going to get worse before they get better. Rooms have
been arranged for all of you at the mayor’s lodge.” He turned to Cray.
“General, before you rest, send out some fresh men to once again study the area
where the queen was taken and ask around for any more information. If we can
believe them, both the prince and Sean say they had no knowledge of the
abduction.”

They all stood and bowed to the
King.

“Danijela.” Darius put his hand
softly on her arm. “Stay for a minute please.”

The young girl glanced at her
mentor. He nodded.

After the others left, Danijela
looked expectantly at the young King. “My Lord, have I offended you?”

Darius smiled, “No, no. You
intrigue me. Your power out in the mountain pass was impressive. Your ability
to reshape rock and the earth . . .”

“Pretty amazing huh?” She smiled,
seeming almost younger than her sixteen years.

“I must admit, I am still a
novice when it comes to my power, but what you did, I cannot even comprehend.”

“It comes with the power of the
earth I am told. I, too, am just a young apprentice, only taken in with the
High Wizard this past year,” Danijela said.

“Apprentice or not, you obviously
have the makings of one of the most powerful wizards in the west.”

Danijela laughed and twirled around,
her cape flowing behind her. “That is what I am told. Won’t it be fun?” There
was a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

Darius couldn’t help laughing
also. “It won’t all be fun and games. Power is dangerous if not used in the
proper way.”

The girl grew somber. “I know. My
brother was afraid and didn’t trust it. Look what happened to him.”

“I am sorry about that. I was
angry at him, but truly I would not have wished him dead like that.”

“In my moment of anger and
sadness, you held me. That was amazing. The comfort you sent into my being was
beyond my powers. Thank you.”

“A wizard of the heart does have
some advantages, even if I can’t create walls out of rock.”

There was an awkward silence for
a moment.

“The main reason I wanted to
speak to you is this: I want our kingdoms to be allies. I don’t want hatred or
fear to govern us. We both have the ability to do tremendous damage to one
another.”

The girl started to say
something, but Darius stalled her with his hands. “As a token of my
appreciation and by their consent and asking, one of the Cremelinos has chosen
you to bond with. ”

Danijela’s eyes misted over, and
she covered her mouth with her hands. She bobbed a short bow. “I don’t know
what to say. I’ve read about them in my histories, but I never knew the
Cremelinos of the Realm still bonded like old times.”

“You have books about them?”
Darius was excited. “All I know is from what they tell me themselves, and they
aren’t forthcoming about things very often.”

Darius felt a brief flicker of
amusement in his mind.

“In the time of the founding of
most of our kingdoms hundreds of years ago, the Cremelinos were companions to
the wizards,” Danijela said. “Each wizard had one to bond to. They gave their
master power and strength in times of need and shared information among each
other even over long distances. They are a race predating many of our western
civilizations. They are the guardians of our land.”

“Once again I find that I have a
lot to learn.” Darius made himself a note to discuss with his Cremelino the sharing
of power.

Thunder and Lightning sent their
approval through their bond with him.

“The Cremelinos already think
highly of you, earth wizard,” Darius said.

“You just talked to them?”
Danijela asked excitedly.

“Yes, I did, in my mind. Now I
need to rest if I am going to be any good to anyone, but the Cremelinos would
like you to go to the stables with them.”

Danijela bowed again. “This
treasure will not go unrewarded, my Lord. My father will hear of your
generosity. Just let us know when you need our help, and we will be there.”

Darius and Danijela headed out of
the room, she going one way, Darius the other. He almost ran into his captain
commander.

“I am sorry to disturb you, my
Lord.” Roland was almost out of breath. “A group of men and a lady just arrived.
They appear, ah, shall I say, like thieves or mercenaries. They say they have
an urgent message for you.”

“I guess sleep will have to wait,
Roland. Did they give names?”

“One with a slight Gildan accent
said to tell you that your old prisoner has returned.” Roland frowned. “What
does that mean?”

“Mezar is what it means.” Darius
hurried down the hall toward the reception room. “The prince and second in line
to the throne of Gildan.”

“Oh!” was all Roland said,
obviously taken by surprise.

Darius entered the room and saw a
group of men dressed as Roland had explained. They did look either like thieves
or mercenaries. A pretty girl stood next to them with short dark hair and dark
eyes. Her lips turned upward in a warm smile as he walked into the room.

“Darius,” she said. Roland’s brow
furrowed.

“My King” she added.

“Leandra, good to see you again.
You look well. And I see you brought some friends with you.”

Mezar stepped out from behind the
larger men; his muscular but slender body was much smaller. His black hair was
down around his shoulders, unlike the ponytail he had worn as Darius’s prisoner
earlier in the year.

Darius ran to his
prisoner-turned-friend and gave him a hug. “What are you doing here? We were
planning to be in Gildan next month.”

Mezar smiled at seeing his
friend, but then returned to his grave look. “There are troubles in Gildan.”

“I have heard of troops on the
border. What is the meaning of that, Mezar? I thought you were going to take
care of things in Gildan.”

Mezar cringed. “That is a long
story. First, is Christine here with you?”

Darius grew solemn and gathered
his emotions before speaking. “No, Mezar, she has been abducted by the Kingdom
of Arc, but we don’t have any clues and cannot find out any information about
her. My guards are combing the area again.”

“I thought to get here in time,”
Mezar groaned.

“What do you mean?”

“Can we meet in private, please?”
Mezar asked.

Darius had a dire impression
overtake him. What did Mezar know about his wife? Was she still alive? Every
time he thought of her, he was almost taken to his knees in grief and pain.
Thoughts of her running in the rain with him in the forest around Anikari and
finding their Field of Diamonds. Thoughts of seeing her pleasure when he gave
her Lightning. Thoughts of her kissing him for the first time and running his
fingers through her soft, golden hair. Pain when he remembered their year apart
and what it had almost cost both of them.

With an aching heart, putting his
grief into a small corner of his mind, he nodded to Roland to clear the room.
After everyone had left, the two young men sat on stuffed, high-backed chairs.
They were centered around a fireplace glowing with a small fire. The late
autumn chill had begun to set in this close to the mountains.

Darius motioned to offer Mezar a
drink. Mezar shook his head.

“My Lord, my friend,” the prince
of Gildan began. “Gildan has taken your wife.”

Darius was struck with a blow he
had not anticipated. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, forcing the
tears away for the hundredth time in the past week.

“How? Why?” the young King tried
to say.

“When I say Gildan, I really mean
my father, the general of our armies and heir to the throne of Gildan. He is
slowly poisoning his father, the Emperor, and he has abducted your wife as
well.”

“But why, Mezar? What does he
hope to accomplish?” Darius raised his voice louder and in anger. “And why
didn’t you know about this or warn me earlier?” Darius glared at Mezar. Maybe
he wasn’t what he pretended to be. Maybe he wasn’t a friend. A powerful young
wizard in his own right, maybe he had tricked Darius.

Mezar leaned forward to the edge
of his chair. “You must believe me, Darius. I had nothing to do with this. My
father tried to kill me, and I barely escaped. He is mad with desire for power.
He intends to take over the empire and the Realm.”

Darius stood in fury. “Why does
everyone want the Realm? My realm? Her people are not for sale or to be
captured. If Arc, Gildan, the Preacher, or any other group or kingdom try to
take her, they will face serious consequences.” Bright light erupted from his
hand and smashed a table into pieces. A wind wiped around the room, blowing out
the fire and darkening the area where they sat. “I may be a young King, but I
can be a dangerous one!”

Mezar jumped out of his seat.
Darius turned on him. His eyes were unfocused, and he sent forth a bolt of
fire. In his mad grief, Darius lashed out at anyone and everything in the room.
Mezar pushed the incoming fire away from him with a bout of air.

“Darius. Listen to me!” he
yelled.

Darius stood, chest heaving with
exertion, fuming at Mezar, and thinking of his next move.

“I can help you find your wife. I
know my father’s places and his people,” Mezar pleaded.

“My wife!” Darius’s eyes cleared,
and he came out of his rage, realizing what he had done. He groaned and sunk
back into the cushioned chair. Tears came unbidden and uncontrolled to his
eyes, running in streams down his haggard face.

The door to the room opened with
a soft creak, and Roland stuck his head in.

“Your King needs to rest,” was
all Mezar said.

Roland nodded, went to a corner,
and found a rough blanket. He put it tenderly over his weeping King.

Mezar and Roland slowly backed
out of the room. They were about to close the door when Darius whispered Mezar’s
name.

“Mezar. I am sorry. Forgive me.”

“Always, my friend.” Mezar
smiled. “Now get some rest. We’ll talk again later.” He closed the door softly.

Darius, alone with his grief and
pain, tried to think of solutions, but his thoughts drifted aimlessly, and in a
matter of moments, he fell asleep.