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Rian
“I have been thinking.”
Laughing, I slapped Garrett on the back. “This could mean trouble.”
We had been traveling for a week now at what seemed an insufferably slow pace. There had been many stops along the way as we gathered more warriors. Each night, we quit before dark for training. Once I felt they were ready, groups of warriors were sent on ahead to the battle. The heat and lack of water sources were becoming a problem. The terrain became rockier the further we went. It was slowing us down as the animals worked hard to navigate on the path. Those on mules were now faring better than the horses.
Garrett laughed good naturedly at my jest before his face sobered. “I was just thinking that maybe you were meant to have gone off to Rivania. Maybe things happened exactly as God planned.”
I hated that his mind was on my past. I refused to apologize to my family again, but the guilty feelings were still there. Hoping this conversation would be short lived, I withheld any response and busied myself with tending the fire in front of us.
“I mean, who in this country is more qualified than you to plan a strategy for war and then execute that plan? Reagan and I have prepared our kingdoms for battle, but you have actually lived it.”
I could only look at him. Yes, I had lived in a war-torn country where I led others into battle, but that was not what I had done so far here. I had been involved in training and strategy, but I was still behind the line of the fight. We had stopped early on this night after seeing the first evidence of struggle. It made my heart sing to know that the enemy had been pushed back from this point, but I had not been a part of that victory.
Garrett positioned the rabbit I had prepared over the fire. “The path you chose also led you to Adrika. Because of that, you will one day be king.”
I ran my hands over my bearded face. “Garrett, my life is not as glamorous as you make it out to be. I will not lie. The thought of being king is thrilling, if for no other reason than the challenge of one day being able to make right all that Farris has made wrong. Even though it did not start out that way, I do love Adrika. I think she may even love me too. But something is not right. Like you, I was positive God had planned for us to be together, but now I am not so sure.”
“Is this about the fight the two of you had?”
“It’s more about her actions after the fight. She says she did not invite the man out to the balcony, and I believe her, but then she defended him and justified his actions.”
“Are you worried that she still loves him?”
I placed a couple of potatoes next to the fire. “Maybe. The truth is, I have no idea how she feels about anything.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to feel intimate with someone you do not know.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “We get along fine physically. Our problems lie outside the bedchamber.”
Garrett’s hearty laugh rang out around us. “That is not the type of intimacy I was referring to. Have you gotten to know your wife on a personal level? Have you talked about her life before now, her dreams, likes and dislikes, her hope for the future? Have you shared those things about you with her? If you want true intimacy, talk to her, share with her.”
I nodded as I mulled over his words. I could only hope I would have that chance in the future.
The next morning, I sent scouts out to find water. Towns where a well could be found were further apart and the nearby creek bed looked as if it had been without water for a while now. The heat was unbearable, especially for those clad in armor like myself. We ended up having to climb the closest mountain to find a small stream. I instructed everyone to fill their water-skins as quickly as possible.
If the drought was this bad here, I hated to think of how it was on the other side of the mountain range in Gilvary. My native kingdom was almost desert-like even before this drought began. I said another prayer for Reagan and his warriors who were defending their border. Even now, they could be engaged in battle with the enemy.
The wind shifted, bringing the unmistakable foul odor of death with it. My horse stepped sideways as if she was trying to avoid the stench. The crowd around me instinctively moved in closer. They parted as I followed the path of the stream around a grouping of boulders.
Garrett followed. “Should you not send someone besides yourself to scout things out?”
The fear in his voice rang clear, but I did not acknowledge it. I was tired of feeling as if I were hiding behind my troops. Besides, I had no intentions of going too far.
When we got to the last boulder, I stepped down from my horse, and Garrett did the same. Then it hit me. Garrett’s fear was not for himself but for his little brother. Should I be touched by his care or insulted by his lack of faith in me? I shook off those thoughts. Now was not the time to ponder such things.
We inched around the edge of the boulder in a crouched position. As I took in the sight before me, my stomach rolled. The stream made its way down to a valley where a lake sat that was now almost half the size it had been at one time. The path we had been on before would have eventually led us to the spot below as it snaked its way around what used to be the shore.
It was obvious that a great battle had ensued here. Horse and mule carcasses were among the bodies of fallen warriors—most of them from our side. There was no point in checking for survivors. Scavengers had arrived before us. I scanned the ridges of the mountain on the other side but did not see anything.
Garrett sat down with his back against the boulder. The sick look on his face mirrored how I felt. I sat down beside him and looked back at the warriors traveling with us. The ones not staring at the ground were looking back at us, fear etched in their features.
I picked up a twig and snapped it in two. “It looks as if the Cordelians laid in wait for our people to pass through and then ambushed them.”
Garrett nodded. “What now? The dead should be taken care of. With so many, I would say burn them, but with the drought . . .”
“For all we know, they could be waiting for us to do that very thing. I am sorry, but we can’t do anything until later, after this is over.”
He leaned over and spit on the dry ground. At least neither of us had lost the contents of our stomachs. “So, what do we do now?”
“It will be treacherous, but we will go back down the way we came, and then we will go over the mountain next to us. Just pray we will find another source of water along the way.”
It took two days for us to go over the mountain. Part of the time was wasted by following natural paths that led to dead ends, forcing us to backtrack. It appeared that the mountain was uninhabited. It was not close enough to civilization unless one planned to go into Cordelia to do their shopping, and the ground did not welcome vegetation. At least we did not come across any more battle scenes.
Once we were in sight of the valley below us, we could see a crowd of people but could not tell which side they were on. I found it odd that there was not a battle going on. I sent two scouts while we hid among the rocks. We had been unable to find a water source on this day, but Lake Erin should be just ahead where the valley met the last mountain within Dermot’s border.
Only one of the scouts returned. “It is safe to enter the valley. Those are our people below us. Kaine, the other scout, he decided to stay. Said there was no good reason for the both of us to trek back up the mountain. Sorry, Your Highness.” At least he was making an effort to look me in the eye.
It was insubordination for Kaine to make this decision, but that was the least of my concerns. “Do we know where the Cordelians are? Have they been defeated?”
“They have Lake Erin surrounded. They have blocked off the Erin River so that they have plenty of water while we go without.”
Lake Erin was spring-fed and flowed into the Erin River which made its way through Gilvary and into Aisling. It was the only natural water source in Gilvary. Their only other option was hand-dug wells.
“I was told there is one small stream down in the valley but it can hardly keep up with the need of our people.” The scout glanced over my shoulder at the warriors behind me. It was easy to know what he was thinking. The ones traveling with me would only increase the need. Not to mention the fact that somewhere behind us, troops from Aisling were coming to join our efforts. We expected them to catch up any day now, which would worsen the situation. We needed rain worse than ever.
I motioned for everyone to follow. The first to greet me at the bottom of the mountain was Abel—the very one who had opposed me at the beginning of this journey. “Tis good to see you, Prince Rian. I was beginning to doubt your word.”
The muscles in my jaws tightened as I dismounted. “I told you I would be here. Tell me what is going on. My scout tells me that the Cordelian army is nearby, but there has been no attack as of yet.”
“Come with me.” He gestured with his hand for me to follow as he made his way through the crowd.
Garrett and I trailed after him and some of the others as well. Abel led us through the shallow muddied stream. Just on the other side of the stream, he knelt to peek around a large boulder at the mouth of the valley. Stepping back, he motioned for me to take his place.
The land dipped before me and met with the huge lake below. Unlike the ponds and smaller lakes we had passed along the way, this one was filled to the brim. The Cordelian army spread out around the shore. Their numbers had to be twice that of ours. I could understand what had kept our people at bay, but why had they not attacked us? They had to be aware of our presence.
“It has been reported back to us that they are awaiting your arrival. Their sole purpose seems to be to eliminate you, Prince Rian.”
I looked back at Abel, but another vision overtook my mind. One of the defiant look on the face of Galik Anhalt.
Garrett placed his hand on my shoulder, the look of concern on his face. “It seems single-minded for them to focus on you.”
“Adrika’s uncle wanted to place a Cordelian on the throne of Dermot. By getting rid of me, he still could. With me gone, who would lead the people? Who would replace me? Adrika inherits the throne, but she and her father would be helpless against him. I am surprised he did not use brute force when I first came into the picture.”
Galik had been alone while at the castle then, and he was not the leader of these people. Cordelian men carried much power, but they were still at complete mercy of the ones in command. Plus, I had been constantly trailed by one of King Farris’ warriors during that time.
I turned to look back over the enemy camp. One lone tent sat on the north side of the lake. My contender resided there. That is where I would find the leader of this army.
My gaze swept around the perimeter of the camp. The circle was closed off by a mountain on the west side and a rocky outcropping at the east side of the lake. Their dam of large rocks closing the lake off from the river sat between. The eastern outcropping ended at the only path leading into Cordelia. The rocky ledge picked back up on the other side of the narrow trail and joined with the boulders now protecting us from view. A plan was forming in my mind, but water would be an issue.
Our water source trickled across the path and eventually fed into Lake Erin. I looked back to the two men at my side. “We need to dam up this stream. It does not make sense for us to feed their already unlimited resources when our own need is so great.”
Abel removed his beat-up old hat and slapped it across his knee. Dust arose from his clothing and swirled around him. “We already tried that. With the way people keep it stirred up by tromping through, the water was unfit to drink. It made more sense to let it flow clear.”
I could only stare at him.
He glanced up and then back down at the ground before letting out a hard breath. “I hate to say it, but some of these people are as stubborn as mules and about as smart.”
I stood from my crouched position. “I want every leader over here right now.”
Abel looked nervously past the boulder and then nodded his head before walking away.
Garrett took his place, peering out at the Cordelians as he spoke to me. “What is your plan?”
“First, we are going to dam this stream and anyone who steps a foot into it will find themselves at the front of the line when we go against the Cordelians.”
He looked up at me with shock registering in his face, but then he only nodded and looked away. Garrett joined me when I sat down with my back to the rock, and we talked strategy while we waited for the others to join us.