Redemption (32 page)

"Hurry, wisper," he called, "you have more work to do."

"She is alive?" gasped Monte.

"Barely," answered the Arin prince.

"How can this be?" frowned the Caroomite archer. "None of you had a pulse when I checked."

"It is because of the Talent," explained Prince Antion. "The Talent exists within each person. Normally the quantity is so low that it is of no practical use. Upon rare occasion the quantity of the Talent is greater than normal, and that is what produces a wisper. Although the Talent can rejuvenate after use, a wisper can burn herself out by expending too much power too quickly, but the real danger lies in going even beyond that point. A wisper has the ability to keep using the Talent until even that small quantity that exists in all people is used up. That is what has happened here."

"So the small trickle of Talent I sent into you helped bring you back to life?" asked the wisper as her patient's eyes opened.

"Exactly," answered Prince Antion, "and you must do the same for Winona before she dies."

As the wisper hurried to Winona's side, the twin sat up and looked around. When his eyes landed on his brother, he pulled the body to him and cradled its head on his lap. Tears flowed from the twin's eyes and rolled down his cheeks. For several long moments, the only sound on the balcony was the sobbing of the twin for his dead brother. The group moved away from the twins to let the man grieve in peace. They gathered around Winona where the wisper was using the Talent to revive the woman.

"Why was Winona stricken the same as you and Jared?" asked Prince Umal.

"She used her Talent to protect me from harm," Price Antion replied softly.

"But she was supposed to protect Jared," frowned Prince Derri. "Isn't that what Orro expected from her?"

"That is what I understood her purpose to be," the Arin prince nodded, "but she defied him."

The son of Zalman eventually released his brother's body and looked around. He met the questioning stares of the others, but he did not speak. As Winona gasped for breath, attention was diverted from the twin. The woman warrior from Harangar looked around and her eyes landed on Prince Antion. A broad smile creased her face and a vivid blush tainted her cheeks.

"Help me up," demanded the son of Zalman. "There is work to do."

Monte stared at the gilt-clad man and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the King of Borunda," answered the son of Zalman. "Help me up so I can do what must be done."

Monte hesitated, but Prince Antion made the decision for him.

"Help him up," instructed the Arin prince.

"Do you know who he is?" Monte asked stubbornly.

"Monte," frowned the king, "help me up. There is not much time left."

Monte blinked when the king used his name. The familiarity was a sure sign that the man was Jared. Monte extended his hand and brought the king to his feet. The king moved unsteadily to the railing and gazed down into the courtyard. He saw that the castle defenders had been overrun. Turning to face the bandit leader, the king spoke.

"Babul," said the king, "go down and find Captain Rezo. Tell him that I need his presence up here. No one else is to be allowed up here until I direct otherwise."

Babul nodded and dashed for the exit. Prince Derri frowned and stared at the king.

"How is it that you knew both the names of Babul and Captain Rezo?" the Salacian prince asked. "Jared would know of Babul, but only Zinan would know of Captain Rezo. Who are you really?"

The king ignored Prince Derri as he turned to Monte. "Cover the body of my brother," the king instructed. "Too many people already know of the existence of the two of us. No more must learn of it. If there is confusion about who I am, I will not be able to control the armies of Borunda."

Monte followed the king's instructions while Prince Antion helped Winona to her feet. The woman stared at the Arin prince and tears began to run down her cheeks. Without a word, she turned and walked away from the prince and leaned on the railing. By the time Babul returned with Captain Rezo, the wisper had returned to healing Prince Umal's wound.

Captain Rezo bowed to the king and began to apologize for the fall of the castle. The king halted the man's speech with a wave of his hand.

"I need riders to head westward," the king declared. "Make sure the column is large enough to avoid being killed by the angry citizens of Capri."

Captain Rezo blanched at the taunt, but he said nothing.

"Your men are to deliver a message to General Wikner," the king continued. "The Borundans are to disengage from battle and retreat to Borunda by my order. They are to continue marching until they reach Tarent, and they are not to wage war on anyone. The time for violence is over. Have these words written down and bring the note to me for sealing. I want General Wikner to have no doubt as the authenticity of the message."

As the captain retreated from the balcony, Prince Antion frowned at the king. He drew his two-handed sword and held it towards the twin.

"You gave yourself away, King Zinan," scowled the Arin prince. "While it was clever using Monte's and Babul's names to make us think you were Jared, you should have quit while you were ahead. I demand to review your note to General Wikner before it is sent."

"Careful, Antion," Prince Derri warned. "If he is indeed King Zinan, he has power that we cannot match."

"Not any longer," smiled Prince Antion. "He was stricken the same as Winona and I, and for the same reason. He pushed his use of the Talent too far in killing Jared. He no longer has any Talent to wield."

"You are right, Prince Antion," King Zinan smiled thinly, "and wrong at the same time. What gave me away?"

"Your demand to seal the note to General Wikner," answered Prince Antion. "It had not occurred to me that you would be wearing your royal ring until you mentioned the sealing of the note. What gave you away sits on your finger. Jared had no royal ring. Indeed he had no use for one."

"What did you mean by right and wrong?" asked Winona as she stepped alongside Prince Antion.

"I have all of Jared's memories as well as my own," explained King Zinan. "It is a result of the spell I used to kill him."

"So that is how you knew my name," Monte nodded. "I was sure that I had never met King Zinan before. What are we to do with him now, Prince Antion?"

"We should kill him," snarled Babul. "If he no longer wields the Talent, what is to stop us?"

"That would be a grave mistake," declared King Zinan. "Jared gave up his life so that I would live. Would you now kill me and make his death worth nothing?"

"Jared did not give up his life," scowled Talot. "You killed him. You just admitted as much."

"I did kill him," nodded King Zinan, "and I meant to, but Jared died voluntarily."

"Explain," Prince Antion demanded.

"Jared was as pure as any life form could be," explained the Borundan king. "He was incapable of killing me, and he knew it."

"But he swore to kill you," frowned Prince Umal. "I heard him myself, and he would never lie."

"You heard what you wanted to hear, Prince Umal," replied King Zinan. "Jared vowed to end my reign of terror, and he has succeeded. While I used the Talent to destroy Jared, he used his power to drain the evil out of me."

"But that would make him evil," frowned Winona.

"Indeed," nodded King Zinan. "It was a fact that he was well aware of. He also knew that once my Talent was locked in my duel with his, that it could not stop until one of us was dead. As he had never made a move to attack me, he knew full well that he was going to die. His task was to draw all of the evil Talent into himself before he died."

"Leaving you with no Talent at all," Prince Antion nodded.

"And no evil intent," nodded King Zinan. "Jared and I were twins. Had it not been for Naveena's meddling, I believe that I would have behaved as Jared did. Jared understood this and realized that once I was cleansed of the evil Talent, I would rule Borunda in the same manner that he would if he were in my place. Besides, had Jared killed me with the Talent, he would have ended up becoming exactly what it was he came here to destroy. Jared could never do such a thing."

"He sacrificed himself for the good of the world," Prince Umal said with reverence. "How could we have ever expected anything different from him?"

Prince Antion nodded and sheathed his sword. "Your words clear up the mystery," he said with sadness in his voice, "but I still miss Jared and nothing will bring him back."

"Bring him back?" smiled King Zinan. "I am Jared and Zinan all together. You mourn the shell of a man while his heart still stands before you. You will always be my brother, Antion. That will never change."

Prince Antion sat on the steps in the entry foyer of the Castle of Capri. For three days the castle guards had been burying the dead and restoring the castle to its previous condition so that the Borundans would not suspect that the castle had been defeated. The Arin prince was weary of observing the task of disposing of hundreds of bodies and cleaning blood off the floors and walls. The entry foyer seemed to be the only place where work was not occurring, and he sought the solitude to straighten out his thoughts.

"There he is," came the distant voice of Prince Derri.

Prince Antion sighed and looked up at his two friends approaching. He tried to greet them with a smile, but his lips refused to cooperate. Prince Derri and Prince Umal approached and sat on the steps next to him.

"Why so glum?" Prince Derri asked cheerfully. "We are alive! That is far more than we expected when we started on this journey."

"You should be glad," nodded Prince Umal. "The invasion of your homeland has been halted, and we shall all go home soon."

"Perhaps that is what is bothering him?" quipped the Salacian prince. "He has grown used to traveling the world and sleeping under the stars. He is not ready to be confined to the palace in Anatar."

"That is why we Odessians have yurts," grinned Prince Umal. "We understand the need to get away now and then."

Prince Antion did not respond to the friendly taunts of his friends. He sat staring at the floor of the foyer. Seeing that their jovial manner was having no effect, Prince Derri tried another tack.

"Tell us what troubles you, Antion," the Salacian prince asked softly. "We are your blood brothers. We share everything."

"I don't know," Prince Antion sighed. "I know that I should be happy, but I cannot be, no matter how hard I try. So many people have died for no reason, and now we are to act as if it never happened at all. I can't bring myself to feel joy over this."

"The events of the world were not your doing," commented Prince Derri. "The destruction would have taken place without you, but you have made a tremendous difference in stopping it. While there is no joy in the deaths of thousands, you should realize how many thousands more you have saved from death by your heroic actions. Rejoice in those you have saved."

"That is not what is bothering our brother," Prince Umal interjected. "While his words say one thing, his heart says another. He is like an Odessian beauty that has felt the wind on his face as he raced along the beach, and now he is to be returned to the corral. He sees a life ahead of him that he does not care for. Isn't that the truth, Antion?"

"How can I go back?" the Arin prince asked with a sigh of frustration. "Am I to take joy in settling down in Anatar? Will the big event of my life be marrying your sister, Derri? I mean no disrespect to your sister, but I cannot imagine a life of holding court with endless parades for the benefit of the people. Balls, fairs, and charities seem so meaningless now. It seems so bereft of life to me."

"You were born the son of a king," shrugged Prince Derri. "It is your lot in life, and you would do well to remember that many people envy your position. Besides, you love the people of Arin, and they need you to look after them."

"Glynis could do quite well by the people of Arin," countered Prince Antion. "She loves them, and they love her. I am not needed for such a task."

"Are you thinking of abdicating?" gasped the Salacian prince. "Say it is not so."

"What harm would it do?" replied Prince Antion. "The people of Arin would not suffer for it, and I would not miss it."

"I cannot believe that I am hearing this," frowned Prince Derri. "I think the events of the week have robbed you of your reason. Perhaps you should rest a bit. You will feel better when you awaken."

"I do not think that is the case," interjected Prince Umal. "Our brother is still not being honest with us. Perhaps he is not even being honest with himself?"

Prince Derri glanced at the Odessian prince and the Arin prince. He saw confirmation of Umal's words in the eyes of Prince Antion.

"Winona?" questioned the Salacian prince. "Is that what this is all about?"

Prince Antion nodded and stared at the floor. "She is leaving today," he said softly.

"Where will she go?" asked Prince Umal.

"She will not say," answered the Arin prince. "She cannot return to Harangar, especially after defying Orro."

"Why not invite her to Anatar?" asked Prince Umal. "I am sure that your father would love to meet her. He would probably pester her for every little detail about Harangar."

"I offered that already," Prince Antion replied. "She is steadfast in her refusal."

"Do you love her?" Prince Derri asked.

"I do," Prince Antion conceded. "It was hard for me to keep her out of my mind while on the trail, but now that our task is complete, I can think of nothing else. I cannot imagine ever marrying a princess and being happy in such a life. My mind would forever be on the scout from Harangar."

"Does she love you?" probed the Salacian prince.

"I thought that she did," shrugged Prince Antion, "but I guess she does not. Every attempt I have made to get her to divulge her itinerary has been coldly rebuffed. It is as if she wants nothing to do with me."

"She does not want to destroy your life," Prince Umal said softly. "She probably knows you well enough to understand that you would pursue her regardless of your obligations to Arin. Shall I speak to her for you?"

Prince Antion nodded wordlessly.

"I will go with you," offered Prince Derri. "She may be a scout, but I can still track her down if she tries to leave."

"You would support me in this?" Prince Antion asked with surprise.

"We are your blood brothers," smiled Prince Derri. "We will support you in whatever you choose to do, but do nothing rash. Let Umal and me talk to her. We will come up with some solution."

The two princes rose and moved up the stairs in search of Winona. Prince Antion smiled thinly, not at the prospect of marrying Winona, which he knew was beyond hope, but rather for the friendship shown by his two friends. While he sat alone again, a castle defender entered the foyer and rang a bell near the door. The Arin prince looked up in wonder, and Captain Rezo came running from within the castle and waved the defender forward. Prince Antion rose with curiosity and moved alongside Captain Rezo to hear the news.

"The message was delivered to General Wikner," reported the messenger. "He was not happy to receive it."

"Are his troops pulling back from the Arin River?" asked Captain Rezo.

"They are," nodded the messenger, "but you should expect General Wikner here within the hour. He is keen to talk to King Zinan about his orders. He left right after I did, but he could not keep up."

"Thank you," Captain Rezo nodded. "You have done well."

The messenger nodded and retreated to the courtyard. Captain Rezo turned to carry the news to King Zinan, but Prince Antion stopped him.

"I will carry the news for you," offered the Arin prince. "I would like to talk to King Zinan before he meets the general."

Captain Rezo hesitated only a moment before nodding his approval. "You will find him in the crypts."

"In the crypts?" frowned Prince Antion.

"Aye," sighed the captain as he looked around to see who might be listening. "He spends most of the day down there with his brother's body. He does not wish anyone to know, but you already know what happened upstairs."

Prince Antion nodded and moved off towards the stairs leading down to the crypts. Jared's body had been entombed alongside the kings and queens of Capri, but his tomb was unmarked by name or date. When the Arin prince entered the area where Jared's body was interred, he found King Zinan on his knees. Prince Antion stood for a few minutes staring at the Borundan king. He wondered what inner torment Zinan was putting himself through because of his past actions. As hard as he tried, the Arin prince could not imagine the anguish of having killed a brother that he never knew. His eyes moistened as he watched, and he realized that his own torment about Winona paled in comparison.

Eventually the Arin prince moved into the room and made sufficient noise to attract King Zinan's attention. The king started at the sound of someone approaching, but he recovered quickly. He stood and smiled thinly at the Arin prince.

"I am sorry to disturb you," Prince Antion said softly, "but a messenger just arrived from the front. General Wikner will arrive here within the hour to question your orders. I thought you would want the time to prepare. Perhaps we can discuss it before he arrives."

"Thank you," nodded the king, "but I do not need to prepare for General Wikner. I still remember how to act like a pompous and arrogant ruler, no matter how much I would prefer to forget."

Prince Antion nodded and turned to leave, but he halted after only a few feet. He turned back to see King Zinan watching him with interest.

"You must miss him a great deal," Prince Antion said with sadness, "probably even more than I do, and I miss him very much."

"I will always live with regret," King Zinan replied as his lips trembled with emotion. "I am thankful that I have his memories so that I truly do know him, but those memories bring tears to my eyes. I understand that Naveena used me for her own ends, but I am disgusted with the depravity of my past life. I would have looked upon such a beast with hatred, but Jared did not. He understood the truth and the danger of the Talent. He was a remarkable man."

"He was indeed," Prince Antion nodded.

As the prince turned once again to leave, King Zinan walked after him.

"Wait, Prince Antion," King Zinan called. "There is something that you need to know."

The Arin prince turned once again and found King Zinan standing before him.

"Jared was incapable of lying," King Zinan began, "but he was quite capable of withholding information. He withheld from you his plan to deal with me, but he hid even more from you."

"Jared was a wise man," replied the prince. "If he thought it best for the truth to be hidden from me, perhaps it is best that I do not know his secrets."

"The truth that he hid from you no longer exists," smiled King Zinan. "When he was with Orro, my brother learned the truth about Vineland."

"What would Orro know about Vineland?" frowned the prince.

"He knows that the search for an heir will not bear fruit," replied King Zinan, "yet there are heirs to the royal line. Those heirs reside in Harangar."

"All right," the prince replied with confusion. "I know that most of Harangar was populated by royalty kidnapped from the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, so finding an heir up there makes sense, but why would Jared hide such a thought from me. It is not as if it matters to me who rules Vineland."

"He hid that knowledge because one of the new royal family was endowed with the Talent," explained the king. "Jared had come to believe that the Talent had no place mixing with the ruling class. He thought that my rule would never have been so destructive if I had not held the Talent within me. I have to admit that I agree with him now that I can look back objectively."

"You said was endowed," Prince Antion said with renewed interest. "That would mean that this person no longer is endowed with the Talent. Is that what you are saying?"

"Indeed," smiled King Zinan. "Winona is the person that Jared feared gaining power. Now that she no longer is possessed by the Talent, someone should send for her father."

"Winona is a princess?" gasped the Arin prince. "Are you sure of this?"

"Orro was quite certain," nodded the king. "Winona can orally recite her entire bloodline since the founding of Harangar, as all citizens there can. Orro has insisted that they retain that knowledge. She is descended from Ericson, son of King Eric of Vineland. When her bloodline is matched against the historical records in Laborg, there will be no doubt about her claim."

"I must tell her," Prince Antion said excitedly.

The prince was so excited that he embraced the king before racing out of the room. King Zinan grinned and shook his head as he watched the prince race away.

"Live well, my brother," King Zinan mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"I really don't want to discuss it," Winona said with determination.

"Why would you keep your destination from your friends?" asked Prince Derri. "That is most unusual. Maybe we are heading in the same direction?"

"I do not think so," Winona shook her head. "I am quite sure that we are traveling in different directions."

"Let us stop playing games," sighed Prince Umal. "Do you love him or not?"

Winona whirled around and stared at the Odessian prince, her eyes wide and round with surprise. "Love whom?" she asked.

"Prince Antion is in despair," declared Prince Derri. "He thinks that you are running off because you do not care for him. Umal and I think differently."

"And what do you think?" Winona asked coyly.

"We think you are running away so that Antion cannot pursue you," answered Prince Umal. "You know that he would throw away his crown to be with you, and you love him too much to let him do that. Are we wrong?"

Winona's lips pressed tightly together and she turned away from the princes. She walked to her window and stared out at the rippling waves washing ashore. After a few moments of silence, she turned around to face the princes.

"No," she sighed, "you are not wrong. I am running away to save him, and the two of you should be glad to help me. He means too much to the people of Arin for him to act so selfishly. I will not allow him to behave so foolishly, and neither should either of you. Now that we have established the truth, help him put me out of his mind."

"That is impossible," frowned Prince Umal. "He is determined to pursue you regardless of the consequences. If you truly understand Antion, you must know that he will doggedly follow you until you agree to marry him."

"I won't," Winona retorted stubbornly. "Ever. Did you not hear what I just said?"