Children of the Sun and Moon (27 page)

He stood in the
doorway and saw she was rearranging the furniture.

“I think the
room was fine before,” he said, trying to be calm. Nothing annoyed
him more than someone moving his things about.

She stopped
what she was doing and looked at Lakin. “It was fine before. Now it
needs to be changed,” was her response, and she went back to what
she was doing.

“And why is
that?”

“I do not know.
I just had the urge to move everything around. It is as if someone
is guiding me.”

Lakin’s anger
left him quickly. If some higher power was urging her to do this,
there had to be a reason for it.

Suddenly she
stopped what she was doing and flopped down onto the floor.

“Is something
wrong?” he asked.

“You have not
heard from my father. I had hoped he would have written you by now
wondering about me.”

Her comment
came as a bit of a shock. He had thought Brin was rid of these
silly thoughts of her family. Lakin had been certain she was now
against her family and this remark made him upset.

“I told you
your parents don't care about you. They are only concerned with
Koral and Eric, you have to see that.”

“I know mother
only cares for the twins, but father was different around me.”

In that one
statement, Lakin realized his error. He had made her give up all
the family at once, when he should have targeted them individually.
Now he would have to come up with a plan to put Brin against her
father.

“We should go
to the lower levels. You still have a bit of training to do, and it
may take your mind off of your family.”

Reluctantly
Brin agreed and took Lakin’s arm as he escorted her to the lower
levels.

As they passed
fellow Magima, Lakin was pleased to see they had finally taken to
Brin. Some had been suspicious of her, wondering if she was just
here to infiltrate them. They didn’t ever speak of it, but they
would never bow, as her title demands. Most would whisper after
they had passed. Now, when he walked down the hallway with her,
they acknowledged Brin in the same manner as he. Although he wasn’t
royalty, Lakin was their leader and they treated him as a king.
They arrived at the training room and Lakin noticed something was
not right.

Vernia stepped
out of the shadows at moved towards the two. “We have news, my
lord,” she stated, bowing low.

The act
unnerved Lakin. “What news?”

She looked up
and her eyes quickly shifted from Lakin to Brin and back. He
understood what she was meaning and quickly excused himself and
Vernia from the room. Brin nodded and moved off.

“What has
happened?” he asked, knowing what the news would be.

“It appears
someone has killed one of the king’s servants. In addition, the
king has formally announced he is preparing his defences and going
to begin training men. He’s aware an attack is imminent.”

Lakin was
stunned. This was a bold move for the king, and would work out
perfectly. He now needed to twist things to his liking and then
inform Brin of what is going on. This was just what he needed to
turn her against her father.

“He must have
good cause to be announcing he is preparing for war,” said Lakin,
feigning surprise.

“Yes, but do
you think this will affect our plans?”

“No, in fact
this will help us greatly. With the king going to war, all eyes
will be on the coming battle, not with the children. Everyone’s
attention will be away from our doings. We will be able to steal
the kingdom from under him.”

Vernia nodded,
understanding how this would help Lakin, but

Inside, she was
realizing just how far he was willing to go.

“Do you think
that was wise?” asked Korben. They had started moving the townsfolk
into the castle and he was worried the king's speech may reach the
ears of Baron Lychen.

“What else
could I have done? He and the duke started this; I was just letting
the people know.”

“The men who
killed Robyn were not found. You don't know they were sent with the
baron’s knowledge.”

“It is most
likely they were not, but it does not matter. He has joined with
forces he does not understand, and it is going to be his
downfall.”

Korben stared
intently at the king. He had never heard him speak so vehemently,
and it disturbed him. “I hope you have taken this course for your
people, not because of Brin.”

“What if I am
doing this because of her? What if she is the reason all this is
happening, did you ever think of that!” yelled Jeremy.

Korben took a
step back. “No, I didn't think of that. I do think this is going to
become more than a simple battle to put a baron and a duke back in
their place.”

The king
flopped down into a chair and surveyed the library. “So many
stories of epic battles, wars which saved worlds, but what will be
written of mine.”

“I don't know,
Jeremy,” said Korben softly, sitting next to him. “I never thought
we would be involved in a political battle. I know we are all
trained for the day we may be called to war, but we have been
segregated from the rest of Melarandra for so long; I didn't think
my services would ever be needed.”

“There are many
things you did not expect to happen,” came Meechie’s voice from
behind.

Both men turned
to see the old priest shuffling towards them.

“What do you
mean?” asked Korben, motioning for him to sit next to him.

“Well,” he
said, sitting down. “It seems we have a problem.”

Jeremy and
Korben exchanged glances, and then looked back at the priest. “It
appears you aren't going to be able to maintain this facade
anymore, Korben.”

Meechie looked
into his eyes and saw he understood. “If the twins succeed, the
spell which was cast on you will no longer be effective. I have
researched it and everything I find points to this conclusion.
Magic returning will be an over powering event. All illusions will
cease to exist, and only truth will be seen. And it may be quite
some time before it can be changed.”

Korben sat back
in his chair and Jeremy gasped. “What will this do?” he asked.

Meechie looked
hard at both men. “Duke Dubar would be able to claim you succeeded
to the throne under false pretences, your highness. He could have
you dethroned.”

After a few
moments of silence, Korben spoke. “I wonder how close the twins are
to their goal.”

“We cannot stop
them. Their quest is for all of Melarandra. The failing of magic in
our kingdom will eventually spread. We are just going to have to
deal with this when it happens,” stated Jeremy.

“There is
another option,” said Meechie. “I could remove the spell
early.”

“How will that
help?” asked Korben exasperated.

“The townsfolk
love you both, they would understand. Maybe it will make it an
easier transition and the baron’s claims may fall on deaf
ears.”

“No,” snapped
Jeremy. “I will not put Korben through that until we need to.”

“It is
ultimately Korben’s decision.”

Both men looked
to Korben. “I will have to think on this.”

“I understand,
but remember we don’t know how much time we have.”

Meechie stood
and left the room, leaving the pair with much to think about.

Korben excused
himself from Jeremy's presence, and headed to his room. Remove the
spell early, or wait until magic returns? This was something he
never thought he would have to contemplate. He had become
accustomed to being the head of the Royal Guard. He learned more
from studying in the Temple of Allorethna than he would have in any
royal position. Nevertheless, the old priest was right. The duke
would most likely use this against Jeremy. Elizanne was a proven
witch now, and although she was older, her claim on the throne was
no longer valid.

It was then his
course of action became apparent. “There is only one thing I can
do,” he whispered to himself, sadly.

Luthien
approached the barracks in Sprague slowly. Spotting an old tree
stump, he sat down and waited. Moments later, a soldier
approached.

“Good evening
Luthien,” he said.

“And to you as
well, Marlon.”

“I was not
expecting a summons from you,” said Marlon. “Has something
occurred?”

Luthien smiled,
and wondered in the good baron even realized he had Magima mixed
within his ranks, never mind having a captain as one. “A stable boy
was killed, and the baron's men have been blamed. Lakin ordered it,
so be prepared for when the news comes. The baron, most likely will
receive the news by the morning. We predict you will receive your
orders within a week.”

Marlon nodded,
“I understand,” he stated, then turned and left. Luthien waited
until he was out of sight, and then uttered the spell to take him
back to Klayhern.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Dilmek was
frustrated. He had been waiting for many days and still had seen no
sign of his friends. Passing the time had been easy so far. Having
to hunt for food in a forest, which appeared to be devoid of animal
life, was keeping him occupied. Searching for a campsite had been
just as difficult. He had wanted something he could easily defend
if needed. It took a day, but he found a small alcove in the base
of a cliff. It was large enough for him to be able to set a fire to
cook food and no one would really notice the smoke. The opening was
cleverly hidden from view by a large outcropping of bushes. They
appeared to be dense, but in fact, it was overgrown. It was also
away from the main road, but close enough he could check it
regularly for his friends. At first, he had wondered if the cave
had been a campsite for someone, but the webs inside told him no
one had been here in a great while.

The waiting was
starting to wear on him. Dilmek had hoped to see at least some sign
of travel, which would hint as to where his friends might be. He
was quite surprised that during the few days he had been in this
area, he hadn’t seen a single person. Dilmek began to wonder if
Vernia had sent him to the wrong area and was going to move on, but
had changed his mind.

He woke this
morning and noticed there were many boot prints in the mud near the
road. It didn’t take Dilmek long to figure out who was making the
prints. Within moments of his returning to his campsite, he spotted
three soldiers slinking through the bush. He didn’t worry about his
hiding place being found, but he did worry about his friends. It
was obvious he was indeed in the right area, and these men were
most likely here to find his friends. He spent the day watching the
soldiers and quickly realized they were quite inexperienced. Their
patrolling was so unorganized it made Dilmek snicker. Keeping
hidden from their eyes wouldn’t be a problem. He just hoped his
friends kept their guard up.

Another day
passed, and still no sign of his friends. The soldier’s tracks had
come close to his camp, but never entered it. Their job appeared to
be to circle around the road to see if anyone had passed. It was
too bad that every time the soldiers passed by, they trampled all
signs of anyone else. On his way back to camp, after catching
lunch, Dilmek noticed a different set of tracks. Whomever left this
different set of boot prints was very light on their feet. He
wouldn’t have even noticed them had he not dropped his knife. They
went close to his camp, circled it, and moved off. Dilmek knew they
weren’t from his friends, and they didn’t appear to be from any of
the soldiers. Nevertheless, he decided to check out the soldiers’
camp. If they had someone he hadn’t seen working for them, it would
explain the different boot prints. Any information would be found
there.

He ate his
dinner and waited for nightfall to come. Once the sun went down,
Dilmek headed towards the camp. There were guards posted, but he
had no trouble getting by them. Slowly he moved around the camp,
getting a better idea of how many soldiers there were. He was glad
to see there were only eight men in the camp. In total there were
twelve soldiers, and with them being so inexperienced Dilmek knew
he would have no trouble moving in closer. He crept around until he
found an area where he could hide and still hear the soldiers’
conversation.

The soldiers
were discussing the horrible conditions they were forced to work
in, and the terrible food. Dilmek almost laughed. The men were
eating fresh deer, with all the trimmings, and they found it vile.
Quietly, he started to move more into the camp, but a shout made
him turn and bolt back to the bushes where he had just been hiding.
Within moments, the camp was in an uproar, and Dilmek wasn’t sure
what was going on. His first thought was that his friends were
sighted, but the thought was quickly pushed aside when one of the
guards came into the camp, dragging a young woman. Dilmek quickly,
and quietly, made his way closer to the men. The guard dragged the
woman into the camp, and threw her down in front of the
soldiers.

“I found this
little tramp sneaking around the camp. I bet she’s the reason some
of our food and supplies have been disappearing,” said the
guard.

The girl stood
up and held her head up in defiance. “If your duke didn’t starve
his people than I wouldn’t have to steal from you.”

Her voice was
deep and unusual for a girl so young. Every word pierced Dilmek’s
skin. Her speech was common, but the way her words came out was
anything but. Dilmek moved in closer to see her better and was
stunned at her beauty. Her hair was such a deep black it appeared
to have blue hues and her eyes were an unusual light green. She was
breathtaking, for a human, and this was not lost on the
soldiers.

“Well, she is a
pretty thing, isn’t she boys,” commented one of the soldiers. “I
bet we could have a bit of fun with her before we take her back to
the city.”