When the soldiers left his company and Ren was at last alone with Tye and Kollen, he spotted the Rachins, marching carefully over the dunes, raising a cloud of ash and sand in their wake.
Upon arrival, a soldier tore off his helmet, revealing long black hair. His beard reached down to his belly. “I’m the lord marshal of the guard. You the boy?” His eyes were on Kollen.
“I’m the son,” said Kollen.
The man paled ever so slightly. “The king’s dead,” he said. “Been that way for a week. Poison. Mered’s doing, or so we guessed. Seems he had his eye on our kingdom.”
“Dead … the king … I thought…” Kollen stammered, apparently unsure of what to say.
“You’re the king, sire, or you soon will be if you ride out with us. We’ll be a week on the road, maybe longer if the high passes are blocked.”
“Don’t care,” said Kollen. “I just want to go home.” He looked to Ren. “You’ll pardon me if I leave, but I think I’ve spent enough of my life in this city. It’s time for the ransoms to go home, time for all of us to go home.” He gave Ren a manful hug, surprising him with a quick embrace. “I’ll see you again, friend.”
“Go,” said Ren. “I’ve been trying to get our asses out of this city since we left the priory. Get out of here. There will be nothing here within a day, a mound of sand and nothing more.”
“We’ll be the first to leave,” said Kollen. “I don’t want to sleep another night in this place.” It seemed as though he were going to say something else, but the Rachins all gathered around him, wanting to get a good look at their new king. Ren thought he saw the smallest hint of a smile on the boy’s face. He let Kollen have his moment.
“Must be nice,” said Tye. “Being king and all that and having a royal escort. No one’s going to ride out for me. They say Barden killed the lords of the Wyrre, murdered every last one of them.”
“Come to Harwen. You’ll always be welcome—”
“No, don’t you get it Ren? They’re all dead, which means I’m the last living bit of Wyrren royalty. When my father dressed me as a boy and sent me off to the priory, he did it to save his son, but the king must be dead and my brother as well. Isn’t that the strangest thing? The priory saved me. I’m the last one, the queen of all the Wyrre—assuming anyone is left alive in it.”
“There’re people. You’ll see. Still, I wish you’d stay.”
“I can’t. Didn’t you hear Kollen? It’s time for all of us to go home: you to Harwen, Kollen to Zagre, your sister to Rifka. We’re all going home.”
“I’ll send two hundred Harkans. I’m sure the army can spare the men, and you can’t just march into the throne room and declare yourself queen. They’ll think you’re some peasant girl with a delusional mind.”
“You do have a point,” she said, but then she scrunched up her face as if in thought. “Ren, I see what you’re doing. You’re still trying to protect me. You won’t stop.”
“I don’t care.”
“Ren.”
“What?”
“I’ll come to Harwen. One day, when I’m queen.”
“I’d like that.”
“I know, and I’ll take the soldiers. For old time’s sake, I suppose, I’ll let the king of the Harkans lend me a hand.”