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“I DID NOT WANT TO BE here again, Barin,” Anna said.
Barin looked up at the tears streaming down her cheeks. No longer did she have the air of a noblewoman, nor the look. Her hair hung in strands, mud soiled the hem of her dress, and her confidence was as broken as the rest of her. A wave of pity swept through him, but the hurt inside prevented him from responding.
“Please believe me,” she moaned and knelt next to him. It was his idea to wait quietly in the shadows before planning his next move. That the entire floor of the room at the inn had been a threshold to the Neverworld was not something he had expected. They had followed Sha into a trap because he hadn’t taken time to think or plan. He refused to let that happen again. He had Kandace to protect, and he wrapped his arm around the child. He stared into Anna’s eyes, lost in the watery pools of her soul.
“I didn’t know Sha was one of the wicked ones. I swear,” she continued.
“How, Anna? How could you or anyone go along with such a sinister plan and then lie about it?”
She sat down next to him.
“You promised me you would choose right from wrong and then swore with a kiss. Was that the kiss of death?”
“No, Barin!”
“Likely! You know what your father wants to do to me. He was part of a coup to kill me, Anna, and yet you...,” Barin’s chest tightened at the thought. He raised his head and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes, trying to let the pain pass. He loved her. He thought she loved him. How could one endure such treachery?
“And you had no thought of the young ones?”
“I thought of them many times. And I’ve tried to escape.”
Barin snickered.
“I thought coming to you would help, not draw you into my father’s trap. I wanted to get away from him but didn’t know how.” Tears welled in her eyes again and she turned her head. “I wanted to stop being his pawn. He treats me like a slave, even when he’s nowhere near. I can’t get him out of my head. I can’t stop hearing his voice. It’s like the seizures never stop but I’m just living in one.”
Barin sighed. If anyone could understand how it felt to be possessed, it would be him, having spent over a year under the Dark Wizard’s spell. But was Anna really being controlled by her father? Or was this an act?
She took his hand. “This is not a time to fight with each other. I need your help, as much as you need mine. I know where this army is going. I know what my father is planning to do and how close he’s come to achieving his goals. I know the one thing they want to secure before they begin.”
“What?”
Anna nodded to his sword. “My father asked me to take it from you.”
“Your father sent you to me? You didn’t come because you loved me? You came to rob me and used our prior relationship as a way to get at me?” He pulled his hand out of hers and nodded, for he had silenced her. “I could execute you, Anna.”
She sank back against the wall and bit her lip.
“No,” Kandace said. “Don’t kill her. She’s not a bad person. They wanted me to kill my mother and father. I might have done it if you hadn’t saved me. Lady Anna’s just like me. I heard Lord Sylvester talking to her. He’s mean to her.”
Barin needed quiet, not a continual pounding of why he shouldn’t think what he thought. He moved away from both of them. Not far. The Neverworld was a dangerous place and if anything happened to either one of them he’d blame himself. But he couldn’t decide what to do now, or ever, with two women hounding him. One thing for certain, though, he would keep an even closer eye on his sword.
He sat in silence, keeping Anna and Kandace in view. The stillness of the dark steadied his nerves. Anna had been part of her father’s plan, she could still be playing the part and preparing to ensnare him. Kandace had been in the Neverworld long enough to have the enemy control her thoughts and might also still be an enemy. This revolution would not be successful without him and his throne. Kayden had made that clear. Barin couldn’t, at this moment in time, trust anyone, especially those who had already proven unfaithful. Those who were closest to him were the most dangerous. Even the little girl.
He breathed deeply, making a conviction to weigh everything with reason and suspicion. After a long moment of collecting his senses, he strolled over to them and stood over Anna.
“What is the plan? Where are they going?” he asked.
“Their ultimate goal is to rendezvous in Benata, south of the empire’s capital. That’s where they’ll stage their foray.”
“All right. Then we’ll go to Moshere.”
“What?” She stood and faced him. Perplexed.
“We’ll see the emperor.”
“Why?”
“I cannot fight your father’s army alone, Anna. You know that. Not even with this magic sword. I need an army. I need Moshere’s army.”
“These are children, Barin!”
“Any child who learns to kill has lost their childhood.”
He unsheathed his sword, confident now. The magic cast a protective glow over the three of them. “Where is the next gateway?”
“How should I know? You act like I made these tunnels.”
“Take a wild guess, Anna.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she moved in front of Barin. Her hesitant steps bothered him, not because he thought she didn’t know where to find the gateway to Rigelstaff, but because he worried she didn’t want to take him there—that she was taking her time while she connived another way to trap him. What she didn’t know was that he was preparing himself for a battle. He was not sure with whom he would have to fight, but he’d be ready.
She walked and he followed holding Kandace’s hand, but the girl tired, and Barin eventually carried her—first, on his shoulders, and when the tunnels became too narrow and low, he carried her in his arms. She fell asleep with her head on his chest. A good thing because the tunnels grew darker, mustier, and they heard strange noises echoing through the shafts. At first Barin thought it might be an underground river, but as they drew nearer, the sound was much too restricted to be a river. He soon recognized the sound as that of an army performing drills. He wasn’t surprised when Anna pulled back at a junction, wide-eyed and pale. Barin looked over her shoulder, and his heart stilled.
The cavern seemed to have no end. So tall and hollow was the chamber that, by the formation of the rock and the cave’s grandeur, Barin guessed they were well under the Casdamia mountain range. In this chamber were hundreds—no, thousands of soldiers. They were so well-armored that Barin could not tell their age, but by their height, he guessed they were adolescents. How else would such a force be assembled but from the children who’d been abducted? Thick leather dyed black made up their armor, bracers, pauldrons that flared out across their shoulders, and greaves. Each soldier had a yellow apron around their waist with an insignia not unlike the banners that flew over Kolada and Lord Sylvester’s manor—that of a horse’s head with a purple plumed headdress. Their shields were yellow striped with a black band.
Calling out the drills were adult men and Barin strained to see if he recognized any of them. He did not. Six sorcerers, the ones he had seen in the Indoctrination room, stood against the walls around them. What sort of spell they were casting, he couldn’t tell, but he had a hunch they were evil, perhaps spells of hate, anger, and blood thirst. He cringed at the sound of thousands of feet stomping the ground in unison, the guttural cries of the soldiers as they trained, metal slicing the air as swords were unsheathed and clashed against one another. He watched both in awe and in horror speculating the battle to come. He had an army that could take these boys and massacre them. With Moshere’s archers, Barin had little doubt they’d win. But would he want to fight against children? Children! His stomach churned at the thought.
The training stopped, and a man yelled orders.
“You will stay together in formation. We’ll march until we get to the lake. From there you’ll take your positions. The Benatan castle will be breached from the tunnels by our other troops. When you get the signal, we’ll move in. Archers will shoot with fire arrows and poison. Spare no one. When we conquer Benata, we’ll move on to our next conquest.
He then spoke in a language Barin didn’t understand. The soldiers marched in place, formed six abreast, and keeping time, they paraded through a large tunnel.
“They’re leaving the Neverworld. I think they may lead us to the gateway,” Anna whispered. Barin had the same thought, and so they waited until the last man disappeared into the dark. Barin lingered a little longer, and then followed.
The shadows kept them hidden, and Barin made certain no torchlight, nor daylight near the exit, cast rays on them. Not until the last soldier left and the hatchway closed, did he even think about crawling outside. Keeping Anna behind him, with Kandace in her arms, Barin used the magic of the sword to open the massive wooden door. He made certain all was clear, and then guided his two companions to the outside world.
All time seemed to have slipped away when traveling through the Neverworld. Their days had been measured by their endurance, it seemed, and Barin had exhausted his— at least until the cold, clean air of the countryside woke him. It was no wonder that he stepped out of the Neverworld to a sunrise about to happen. Miraculous was the light of the new day radiating on the castle of Rigelstaff, the home of the emperor, Barte son of Moshere. How such a gateway could open up so near to the emperor’s palace bewildered Barin. Barte son of Moshere couldn’t possibly know about the treachery, for if he had surely he’d take a defense against it. Yet here was a doorway to the Neverworld just beyond the castle walls—a mystery Barin would ask about once he paid the emperor a visit.
The dust of the yellow-shielded army settled on the road going south, but he would take the road to Rigelstaff. He turned to Anna to see her reaction, but she had none. Her eyes were half closed, and it seemed she’d be satisfied only if she could sleep. Kandace, also, had little to say. Barin picked her up.
“We’re going to visit someone very important,” he told the child. She smiled briefly and then laid her head on his shoulder. It was then he assessed his presence and wondered how Barte would receive three worn pilgrims claiming to be royalty into his kingdom. Well, there was nothing he could do about his appearance. He would have to trust that the man would remember him, though it had been years.
Rigelstaff’s curtain wall towered higher than any castle wall Barin had ever laid eyes on. Barin’s kingdom and the Moshere empire had a long history of conflict, and they had been enemies for centuries. At one time King Tobias had attempted a peace treaty without success and Barin attributed that to the Dark Wizard’s hold over the empire. After the death of the evil wizard, and after the emperor’s healing—for he too had been possessed by black magic—Barin had tried to reach out to the man. But the emperor and Casdamia hid behind its wall—unvanquished and unapproachable, with a narrow gate and critical gatekeepers. Barin knew the man all too well and never cared for his personality. Barte son of Moshere liked his privacy. The man was paranoid and cared little about having friends. There were ample reasons for some of his fears, having been orphaned and raised by servants. Still, a time comes to stop blaming the past and look to the future. The two kingdoms could be responsible allies and expand their commerce if they worked together.
Barin joined the many travelers on their way into the city. Nothing about him singled him out from the merchants and peasants that streamed through the gateway. His clothes, though once royal, were dirt-laden, torn, and gave no indication of his royal status. He stood in line next to a man holding the halter of a donkey waiting to cross the drawbridge. The man didn’t stop staring at him, and so Barin nodded to the merchant and glanced back at Anna and Kandace, his cheeks heating up. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea. Yet how else would he be able to confer with Barte son of Moshere?
“Name and township?” the gatekeeper asked as Barin came to the front of the line.
“Barin son of Tobias from Prasa Potama,” he answered.
The man grunted and laughed. “Name and township.”
“Barin son of Tobias from Prasa Potama,” Barin repeated and wiped the smile off his face. “I’m serious, good sir. I’m here to speak with the emperor and my missive is urgent.”
The man grunted another laugh. “You’re telling me you’re the king of Potamia come here ragged and worn with a peasant woman and a little girl and I’m supposed to let you in to see the emperor of this great nation?”
“Yes.” Barin held his chin up and stood proudly, his hand on his sword.
“The only way you’ll be seeing the emperor is if he wants to visit you in the dungeon. Either give me your name and township, or go back from where you came,” the guard said.
“I’m being honest with you. If my words are true and the emperor finds out you turned a neighboring king away, what would he do to you?”
The man looked up from his paperwork, his blue eyes glaring through his helm.
“You’re testing me.”
“Perhaps,” Barin suggested. “I need to see Barte as soon as possible.”
The man sighed and talked privately to another soldier for some time. They laughed at first and then their conversation became serious. Barin could not hear what they said, but he studied their armor as he watched them, admiring the plates. They were thicker, stronger than the ones his country manufactured. He’d love to get a pattern to take home with him.
The soldier returned with an aide.
“If what you say is true, then we can escort you to the emperor and put in a request. If he refuses to see you, or we find you are impersonating a foreign dignitary”—the man shrugged— “who knows what will happen to you? There are plenty of chambers in the dungeon for your kind.”
Barin nodded and the man looked at him wide-eyed. “Very well, it’s your decision.”
“I’m fine with it, soldier. I know who I am.” Barin gave him a confident smile and the man shrugged and called for escorts. Barin nodded to Anna and Kandace.
“They’re with me.”
“You’re pushing your luck,” the soldier said.
“Wait! Anna!” Barin turned to protest, but he was quickly hauled away. What became of Anna and the girl when they took Barin’s arms and marched him into the city, he didn’t know. He wasn’t as worried for Anna—the woman could take care of herself—but he feared for Kandace. In a time when children were easily abducted, he shouldn’t have abandoned her with someone untrustworthy. Too late, they were lost in the crowd, and he was ushered down a long corridor to the emperor’s palace.
He had but one option, now—to convince Barte of the crisis undermining his empire, and to do it as quickly as possible.
Through many hallways they marched him, their armor rattling like metal asps, the sound resonating through the halls. They put him in an empty room with no fireplace, only a chair, a desk, and a lamp, and they shut and locked the door when they left.
Barin breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed the silence. On the wall were portraits of hawks and birds of prey, some well-executed, others looked as though a child had painted them. Barin chose not to sit but rather paced. He refused to think his actions were foolish, and he only hoped this waiting would be over soon. As angry as he had been at Anna, he didn’t want harm to come to her. There was a mystery about her he needed to solve. If she were indeed manipulated from childhood by her father, there might be a cure for her. If the evil of the Neverworld had a hold on her, then destroying the source would free her, just as he had been freed when the Dark Wizard died. Why he was so soft-hearted toward the woman confused him. The king in him wanted only to abide by the law. Anna had committed treason. She should be punished.
But he didn’t want to hurt her.
Barin jumped when the door swung open, and three soldiers entered. One of them walked up to him. He took off his helm and tucked it under his arm, pulled a leather-bound journal out of his trouser pocket, and looked him in the eye.
“The emperor asked me to ask you some questions. He said he’s heard of Barin the king of Potamia, but he doubts the king would be walking into his city without a horse, without an army and without prior notice. So, you’re to give me some answers and if they meet with his approval we’ll take you to him. If not, you’ll be arrested.
Barin nodded and glanced at the other men. Barte certainly knew how to dress up his staff. Green plumes bounced on their helms, and gold falcons embellished their armor. That was one thing about Barte he remembered well. The man was obsessed with fashion.
“First question.” The man opened the journal and read. “Who is my best friend?”
Barin chuckled, imagining Barte with a friend. When the soldier frowned at him, Barin tried to hide his smile.
“Allat,” he answered. The emperor had no other friend but his falcon.
The man cleared his throat. “This is the emperor we’re talking about. I expect respect.”
“Yes, of course,” Barin said.
“Next question.” He read from his journal. “Three years ago, I had a handicap I didn’t tell many people about. What was it?”
“Blindness.”
The soldier nodded and studied Barin for the longest time.
“Last question.” He didn’t bother looking at his book. “How will I recognize you?”
Barin thought for a moment, and finally he answered quietly, so as the other soldiers didn’t hear.
“I have with me the sword that drew magic from the dead sorcerer’s body in the cave of Mount Ream. Barte was there, unconscious.”
The soldier glanced at the hilt Barin now held onto and then met Barin’s gaze. “You really are the king of Potamia, aren’t you?”
“Tell Barte I look forward to dining with him.”
The soldier bowed. “I will be back shortly.”
His heels sparked when he clicked them and pivoted. He left the room and the other soldiers followed.
Though Barin had never been in the Moshere castle before, it still looked familiar. It was Barte’s sense of bazaar fashion that he remembered. The dark armor of his guards, the green and gold pennants, and the ridiculous plumes on their helmets. The spotted falcon paintings. There was even a mural in the hall depicting Allat flying low over a lake in pursuit of a hare. A portrait of his spotted horse also adorned the wall—a huge fresco with the animal’s dark eyes gazing at whoever entered the hallway to the throne room.
The sentries recognized his significance and bowed after opening the double doors. Barin nodded a thank you and strolled to the dais, a platform much higher than the one he had. Barte sat on his chair, his dark robe nearly hiding the gilded throne. Relaxed, eating an apple with his falcon on his shoulder, the man didn’t rise to greet him, but rather stared and chewed as if Barin were some form of entertainment for his evening snack.
Barte had gained a bit of weight since Barin saw him last. A glutton for all the good things an emperor is entitled to, it was no wonder his cheeks were puffy making his large front teeth protrude even more. Barte had a golden bowl on a table next to him where he spat the peelings to his apple.
Taking a last swallow and tossing his core into the bowl, he wiped his mouth and spoke. “What in all the holy idols’ names are you doing here?”
Barin laughed, not quite sure where to begin. “There’s trouble in both of our kingdoms,” he began.
“I should say so if the Potamian king walked all the way to Rigelstaff alone with nothing but a fleece cloak, and a magic sword. Good gods, Barin, where are your horses? Your armies? Why didn’t you send a messenger telling me you were coming. You could have been cast in the dungeon and forgotten. Then your kingdom would really be in trouble.” He laughed. “Because I would take it over, you know!”
“No, you wouldn’t. My sister and her husband are watching over the place.”
“Oh.” He frowned and looked away. “How is the old sport? The Arell fellow?”
“Fine and healthy, and they have a son. This leads me to the reason why I’m here.”
“You want me to raise your nephew?”
“No, Barte. I want to tell you about a conspiracy that is plaguing both of our kingdoms.”
Barte lifted his hand, palm up, as an invitation to continue.
“Children are being abducted. Evidently, magic is involved. My own nephew has shown signs of possession. You remember how horrible an experience that was?”
The emperor shuddered and held up his hand for silence. “Don’t remind me.”
Barin waited a moment for Barte to contain himself while he stroked the falcon on his shoulder. When the emperor finally sighed and leaned back on his chair, Barin continued.
“While investigating, I was lured to a place called the Neverworld—an underground vacuum made of caves and chambers and populated with ghastly half-dead creatures known as Influencers. Have you heard of such a place?”
Barte shook his head while biting his fingernails.
“Well, you should because there’s a portal just outside your castle walls.”
“No! Don’t tell me lies, Barin.”
“That’s how I arrived here.”
“You were in this...this Neverworld?”
“Attempting to find the children of a friend, yes. I, a woman, and a child we rescued. Your soldiers sent them away. I would thank you for helping me find them when I’m finished telling you the story.”
“Go on, then.”
“It seems children everywhere—your cities and villages...my kingdom—are being trained in this Neverworld to rise up against their parents and the current monarchies.”
“That’s ridiculous. Children forming an army?” He laughed and stood, signaling for a sentry perhaps to escort Barin out the door.
“I’ve seen the army myself training beneath the Casdamian mountain range. There are thousands, Barte. Right now, they are marching for Benata.”
“Well, that’s a fitting place for them. If ever a city was cursed, it’s Benata.”
“I need an army to tackle this problem, Barte.”
“Where’s yours?”
“On their way.” Hopefully, Barin thought. He would not give up on Neal, though he’d heard nothing from him. Still, Neal was only riding with a small force. “But I need more.”
“You want my army, the great Black Armored Army of Casdamia, to fight against children?” he laughed.
“If necessary.”
“Odd you should ask for an army because someone else from your kingdom was just here with the same request.”
Barin tilted his head and frowned. “Who? Why?”
Barte stepped down the dais stairs and washed his hands in a bowl sitting on a pedestal. “Oh, some lesser nobleman. He owns a herd of impressive horses. He tried to be calm, but I could tell he was running scared. He wanted to trade his mares for a hiding place in my empire.” Barte chuckled and stroked his falcon.
“Did you trade?”
“Oh, silly man, of course I traded. The mares were pregnant. How could I not?”
“Lord Sylvester. He’s part of the conspiracy,” Barin warned.
“Do tell! Well, if that’s the case, I know where he’s at, don’t I?” He laughed, his large front teeth glimmering in the sunlight.
“Tell me,” Barin asked.
Barte shook his head, the twinkle in his eye aimed at Barin. “That I’ll have to consider. I did make a trade, you know.”
“He’s planning to attack your empire first. You could stop them in Benata.”
Barte sat at a table nearby and waved for Barin to join him. Barin walked to the table, but didn’t sit. The emperor fingered the breast feathers of his falcon and puckered his lips at the raptor. In return, Allat pecked at them. Barin sighed.
“Your people may lose their lives, Barte.”
“I’m thinking.”
“If nothing else, give me horses for myself and the woman I’m with—after your men help me find her.”
“That I can do. How set are you on fighting these people?”
“For both our sakes they need to be stopped immediately, the curse broken, and the children sent home to their families.”
“I see. Why didn’t you come with your army?”
“Several reasons, but wouldn’t you have felt threatened if I did?”
“Of course, I would have.”
“So, to wage a battle against an enemy on your soil, it would have to be done with you at the helm.”
Barte choked out a laugh. “Dear man, I don’t command anymore. You know how I react at the sight of blood. It took me two years to recover from that last battle on the island, and I was blind back then.”
Barin couldn’t hold back the grin.
“How would you like to orchestrate this little battle of yours using my troops? I trust you. You can instruct my officers to do whatever you wish. I’m exhausted. This invasion business is too much for me. I’ve had enough for now, King Barin. It’s good to see you again!” He moved to leave but motioned for his sentry. “Do everything this man asks.”