Dark One Rising(151)
“Make any moves for your weapon and my friend there will have the bolt through your head faster then you can blink,” Kevaan stated.
The man stopped his horse from rearing again a moment before the other horse and rider popped out of the trees. The new arrival looked down at the two men, weapons drawn, and stopped dead, pulling his horse next to his companion.
Alek raised his bow to the first man and said, “Get off your horse, nice and slow, hands were I can see them.”
The man swung down and slid to the ground, the bow leveled at his head. Kevaan lifted his sword up to the second man’s throat. “Now you.”
He slipped down out of his saddle as well.
“Now, let’s see what information you can give us that will make us happy. Lie to me and you’ll find your head rolling on the ground by your feet. Who are you, and why were you following us?” Kevaan demanded.
The first man looked at him, eyes flicking from him to Alek, then back to him.
“We weren’t. My name is Zayn. My companion is Aldis. We are knights in Lord Ulric’s army of Danyl. We were enlisted to carry a message to King Dainard.”
“What are you doing this far north. It’s a fairly straight journey from Danyl through the Zairn Pass into the capital.”
“The Zairn Pass is too dangerous to travel through these days, so we went the long way. Fallon has taken Bardolf and Ashlan. We barely escaped. We had to barter passage across the Elanorrah Lake. When we got into Amaris we saw that it had been destroyed. As we were leaving another horde came through, and we were ambushed. I lost twenty of my men. The city is no more.”
So Alek was right about them returning. He had evacuated the city just in time. Kevaan lowered his sword and Alek his bow. “We know about Amaris. I evacuated the city myself. So Danyl does not stand with Fallon?” Alek said to the men.
The other man answered him. “No, Lord Ulric has refused to join Fallon’s duchy. He stands alone. We were on our way to Zhen. We had a garrison holding the fortress there, but it has fallen. The giants are on the march. They have already been through Ianna and are making their way toward the border. Fallon intends to take the Isamarian cities next. Lord Ulric stands against Fallon and, because of that, has lost a lot of men. Fallon seems to have no qualms about stepping where he has no place to, and the giants have only solidified his ability to bully the nobles into his cause. Lord Ulric knows that he won’t be able to withstand Fallon’s army forever. He needs more troops.”
Alek shook Zayn’s hand then Aldis’. “We are friends here, you have nothing to fear from us. This is Kevaan Breslin of Aaralyn. I’m Alek Morgan, King Dainard’s Royal Advisor. I have to ask. The Earl of Hallmar, Ruan de Gracy, was he with the garrison at Zhen?”
“No. He is helping to hold down the keep in Danyl with Lord Ulric. Why?”
“The king will be most pleased to know that his cousin is still walking upright.”
“At least from when we left him. It’s hard to say what’s happened since then. It was three weeks ago after all.”
“I will remain optimistic for His Majesty’s sake.”
Zayn nodded. “Where were you headed, Your Highness?”
“We were on our way to the Triple Cities to make sure the wall was secure, then on to Isamar to speak with the chancellor.”
“You won’t like what you find there. The wall at Ulam withstood the most, but it still has been breached. Like I said, Zhen has fallen, and it and Bohden are in ruins, the people fleeing into Lakendra as we speak, but there’s not much room for them. King Dainard may just have thousands come into Eston to escape hunger and death, and I don’t think the city can hold that many. It is a dire situation indeed.”
“The border has been breached? This is worse than I suspected. I’m sure the king was not expecting this either. That means getting into Kingswell will be nearly impossible from here. We’ll have to take the woods all the way into Barden, then cross into Kingswell from the Northeast.”
“It will take more time,” Kevaan said.
“It hardly matters,” Aldis said. “We heard that Fallon’s army is already marching toward Kingswell. He tried to take the castle once, but your men were ready and held them back. But you can bet he won’t fail a second time.”
“Damn him!” Kevaan growled. “You’re telling me I’m already too late, or will be by the time we get there?”
“I’m sorry for the bad news, Your Highness, but I fear Fallon may already sit on the throne.”
Alek looked at Kevaan with concern. “What’s your move now?”