Chapter 4

His Royal Highness the prince Kael Gyre of Cenaria was in a sorry state. A very sorry state indeed. The fancy new clothes his mother the queen had ordered for him were covered in mud, dust and dried blood so that their original colour was unidentifiable. His comfortably worn boots were crusted in mud and decaying forest matter. He kept finding leaves and twigs in his hair every time he ran his fingers through it. He kept stumbling over unseen rocks and roots in the dark. Kael was tired, dirty and hungry but he barely acknowledged his discomforts as he walks through the dark forest.

After the traumatic attack upon Kael's home by unidentified soldiers, Kael had blindly stumbled through the forest after his father. The king's guard surrounded the king and his sons, some scouting ahead and some watching the trail behind them for signs of pursuit.

Kael plodded mechanically behind his father. He barely noticed his surroundings through the haze in his mind. He could only ask himself a slew of questions again and again while he walked- Who had attacked the royal family of Cenaria? Whose colours were those soldiers wearing? What had happened to his family? Had they escaped, or had they been captured? There was another alternative that Kael's weary mind shied away from. He looked at his father's broad back and wondered if he was also worried about his family, but was able to hide it better. He had tried to ask Logan about it, but had been told firmly that the time for questions would come later. Kael was also worried about his brother, but the king did not seem concerned about Regnus, so Kael tried to control his anxiety, on that issue at least.

The one thing that Kael chad no idea about was where the king was headed. Kael hoped that his father had managed to send the queen and the children away somewhere safe, and that they were going towards them.

Kael took heart in the fact that the king wasn't searching for any escapees, or looking around for corpses. He did not seem concerned with anyone else being in the woods apart from enemy soldiers. He marched onwards tirelessly, as if with a clear purpose, but Kael couldn't see what they were headed for. There was nothing in the west as far as he knew, but he hoped Logan stopped them for a rest soon, since Kael's feet were already blistering and aching.

As Kael tripped over yet another root, he noticed Regnus stirring and grimacing slightly in the arms of the soldier carrying him. The young woman, Garielle, also seemed to notice this and called for a halt.

Kael was so grateful for his brother finally waking up that he no longer felt his various aches and pains. Logan made his way to Regnus and they both knelt next to him.

Regnus squinted and then opened his eyes, "Father? Kael? What happened?"

Kael grinned at his twin. "You got a bump the size of a goose egg on your thick skull, dimwit. You were unconscious."

Regnus groggily blinked back, then turned to Logan, "Was the attack on the castle a dream?"

Regnus' words shocked Kael back to reality. He remembered the secret council meeting he had been an unintended part of, like it had happened in another life, though it had only been a few hours since then. The discovery that Regnus was a prophet came back to Kael suddenly, like a bucket of ice had been poured down the back of his shirt.

Kael tried to keep his face blank despite the fresh turmoil in his mind. He had almost blurted something out of shock but had managed to clamp down his words.

Logan shot Regnus a quelling glare and tipped his head slightly in Kael's direction, almost a casual gesture, but Kael had noticed it.

The king helps Regnus to sit upright. "I am sorry, Regnus, but the attack on the castle was real. And most of all," Logan looked at both of his sons, "I am sorry I could not keep you both safe and away from the fighting."

Kael could not control himself any longer. "Father, what happened to Mother and the kids?"

Logan answered slowly, "Your mother and the children were sent away through a secret passage in our chambers. I got them out, but before Regnus could follow we were cut off. I was able to close the passage before it was noticed, but after the room was set on fire we couldn't use that passegeway anymore. So we came to find you and escape another way."

Kael went almost weak-kneed with relief. He asked shakily, "Are we going to where they are, then? Where is that, anyway?"

Logan looked at him sadly and shook his head. "I'll tell you the rest once we go a bit further. It is still not safe for such talk now."

He wouldn't hear another word after that, and their small company made their way through the dark forest again, with Regnus leaning slightly on the soldier Garielle.

Kael's mind was slightly clearer after his main concerns were relieved, so he was able to observe the soldiers accompanying them. There were five garters including Kaldrosa as well as two of Agon's Dogs.

Garielle was an attractive woman with dark skin and curly dark hair. Kael had sparred with her quite regularly, and he knew that she was a canny fighter with the speed of a pouncing cat. She had a gash on her forehead that bled freely but it didn't seem to concern her overdue.

The other three women were also veteran members of the kings guards and were strong fighters. Nira was a steel gray woman who lived her life as disciplined as a priestess. She had only a small cut on her arm and didn't seem injured otherwise.

Dark haired Jessa was an archer with serious gray eyes. She held a strong yew bow with an arrow already notched on it, ready to fire at the slightest sign.

The youngest woman was Saloni, a blonde beauty with a sharp blade and sharper tongue. She carried curved double sabres and no shield. Her unique fighting style had earned her Kael's respect and interest.

The two Dogs with them were brothers, Jonas and Dillan. They were twins, but opposite like the sun and the moon. Slim Jonas was an archer and burly Dillan fought with a huge battle axe. All the soldiers were loyal to the king and as they loped beside him and behind him, Kael felt more secure in their midst.

They kept walking until Kael noticed a slight brightening of the forest around him. They had walked all night and now dawn was approaching. Logan soon stopped them for a short rest and to treat only the most severe wounds.

Kael immediately collapsed on the leafy forest floor. He pulled off his boots and gingerly checked the blisters on his heels. A hand stopped him from poking at them, and Saloni smiled at him. "If you do that, you'll rupture them, my prince."

She ripped strips of cloth off the edge of her long tunic and wrapped them tightly around Kael's feet. As she worked Kael could smell her hair- a rich earthy scent that he thought suited her.

Soon Logan called for them to resume their journey. Kael levered himself off the ground with a quiet groan but fell into step with the others.

They had not walked for even half an hour when they heard the loud jangle of armour. Logan immediately halted them and they scrambled for cover in the dense undergrowth.

Saloni kept a strong hand wrapped around Kael's arm as they crouched behind a stand of blackberry bushes. Kael tried to see through the small gaps in the brambles. He could also see fat black berries hanging within reach and his stomach rumbled. Saloni's hand clamped tighter on his arm, almost cutting off blood supply.

They stayed there, quiet as mice, for what seemed like ages as the armoured soldiers came closer. Soon Kael could hear what they spoke to each other. It sounded like the soldiers had been part of the attack on Kael's home and were celebrating their victory with bottles of fine liquor from the king's personal collection.

"Oy! Ladsh remember how tha' sherving wench ran from ush! She had th' prettiest legsh, ya! Too bad she couldn't shpread 'em eashily when I shaid! Or she might've been alive now an' we could'a kept her for the journey, like a sh-sh-shnack!" This was greeted by raucous laughter from the others and a loud cheer for someone who's name Kael couldn't catch. A few more comments were too slurred to understand.

"Too bad, eh, we never found tha' queen o' theirs! I heard it said tha' she was one fine wench! We could'a kept her as our cook! A queen for our cook! Tha' would'a been just fine."

Kael's blood began to boil. They had impugned his mother's honour! He longed to jump at them and make them eat their words. Saloni, crouched beside him, clapped a strong hand on his mouth and shook her head firmly.

Kael's tried to break out of her hold. She pinched his arm tightly until it hurt and then let him go before he could make a sound.

Kael sullenly subsided. His rage was no longer out of control but it had not reduced one iota. He swore silently that the people who had attacked his home would pay for their crimes.

The soldiers came onto the forest path that, only minutes ago, the king of Cenaria and his company had been on. They were all young men- arrogant in their youth and success. Many of them looked only a few years older than Kael, yet they had a cruel twist to their mouths. They carelessly waved their swords about, apparently enacting extraordinary victories over the Cenarians. They wore the device of the soldiers who had chased Kael- a white dove struck by black lightning on a field of blood red.

"You shaw all tha' gold we found in th' king'sh chambersh? Tha'sh gonna make me a very rich man." Kael recognized him as the one who had first spoken. The prince couldn't see much past the brambles but he tried to count feet or voices to find out how many soldiers were there.

One of the soldiers spoke loudly to his companions, "I drunk too much o' tha' swill those Cenarians had. I need'a take a leak." The others laughed at him and crudely suggested what else he could do in the bushes.

Kael was frozen. It sounded like the soldiers were headed towards the bushes where he and his companions were hiding. To his left, Regnus looked like a frightened rabbit. They looked at each other in silent accord as Kael slowly pried a sharp rock out of the ground in front of him.

They were not going down without a fight. It seemed inevitable that the soldiers would discover their hiding place, but the soldiers were drunk. It gave them an advantage, a chance to kill every drunk soldier. Kael knew if even one was allowed to escape, the king would be hunted down by the soldiers like an animal. If their hiding spot was discovered, they had to leave no one alive.

The soldier's heavy footsteps approached them. Kael held his breath as the man fumbled drunkenly at his trousers. He must have tripped on a rock because the man cursed and fell on his face. His companions laughed like hyenas at his state.

The drunk soldier lifted his head and rolled on his side. He was now so close that Kael could smell the stench of liquor wafting off him as he tried to stand.

The soldier lost his balance and again fell flat. He lifted his head, and his bloodshot eyes looked directly at Kael's wide ones.

"What the…"

He didn't have a chance to finish before a curved sabre swept through the bushed and stabbed him in the neck. A gurgling sound escaped his throat as the blood spurred out.

The drunk soldiers were shocked into inanimation until three king's garters leaped out of the cover of the bushes and attacked them.

"Ambush!" screamed the first soldier as he was cut clean in two by Saloni's wicked blade.