The Destiny of Amalah (6 page)

‘Everyone, and I mean
everyone
has a role to play in the months ahead. As you know, the scouts say that Adriel has strongholds in Southern Parades, Southern and Central Lansten and Western Santeb. He has a complete hold over Aradene and Basimine. Mantor and Filine and Equer remain untouched but he has mad inroads into Filine.

The only way to defeat him is if we – the rest of the nations – unite. As you know only too well, he has wiped out the leaders and most of the rebels in Amalah. I believe it may take months, maybe even years to defeat him. I ask you to all to help but I ask the most of Elana and Michael.’

‘We do not put children in harms way,’ Garrick said raising his voice.

‘This is not a decision I came to lightly,’ Kai replied.

‘This is not a decision you should have made at all,’ countered Garrick. ‘Do you realise he is just a child? He has just turned nine. Knowing how murderous Adriel and his men are, and how outnumbered we are, can you seriously be suggesting to involve him in this?’ Kai stared impassively at Garrick, who defiantly held his gaze. ‘I will not let you do this,’ he said vehemently.

‘It is not up to you,’ Kai said calmly.

‘Indeed it is. I swore to protect his father and I have sworn to protect him. I will not let you put him in harms way.’

‘And if we fall Garrick?’ Elana began; ‘who will protect him then?’

‘I will protect him with my last breath,’ Garrick said.

‘What is it that you wish the boy to do?’ Raynor asked.

‘No!’ Garrick shouted. ‘You have lost your mind if you think a child should belong in a war and I will not let you use him in this way.’

‘Then tell us,’ Häkan said, as he turned to look at Garrick; ‘what is your plan?’

‘I do not have a plan as yet.’

‘But we need a plan now,’ said Kai. ‘Garrick, Michael’s brothers did not belong in this war but look what befell them. I know, we
all
know, that children do not belong in this war but Adriel has shown that he has no mercy and he has no boundaries.’

‘So you see fit to give him a sword and mace do you?’ Garrick retorted.

‘Garrick, I understand your anger and unease,’ said Thaddeus; ‘but I implore you to listen to Kai before a decision is made. And Kai, I assume you do not intend for your decision to be a unilateral one?’ Kai shook his head. ‘Then please, Garrick, at least listen.’

‘Very well,’ he conceded.

‘Adriel has already established Amalah as his power base. He plans from there and gives his orders from there. Most people in Amalah, it must be assumed, are friendly to Adriel and unless we know otherwise, that is the assumption we will work on. I also know that there are rebels in Amalah; rebels who perhaps, can assist us.

Michael, you said that you would work as a jug boy when travelling through Amalah. People talked loosely around you did they not?’ Michael nodded. ‘And they sent you on errands with messages?’ Michael nodded again. ‘I know I ask a lot of you and Elana but I thought if you could return to Amalah with Elana, you could take on that role once again.’

‘You want him to return to Amalah – the place where…you know full well what happened there,’ Garrick said angrily. ‘Not only do you want him to return but you want him to spy…’

‘I will do it,’ Michael said quietly.

‘As will I,’ said Elana.

‘Michael you do not have to do this,’ said Garrick.

‘But your information will be invaluable,’ Häkan added; ‘and we could use it to our advantage.’

‘I used to do it for my father and I know he would want me to do it now,’ Michael said simply.

Kai nodded: ‘Your father would be proud. Elana will travel with you at all times. You will travel as mother and son and give her the information and she will pass it on. Häkan, of the guards from Parades who travelled to Mantor, how many would you trust with your life?’

‘Three,’ Häkan said immediately.

‘Then they will be the ones making contact with Elana,’ Kai said and then he turned to Garrick. ‘Garrick, do you think you can enter Amalah unnoticed?’

‘I believe so.’

‘The rebels you speak of, who are they and how many are there?’

‘At least a hundred that I know of. There are some warriors and trackers but mostly they are ordinary farmers and townsfolk, who have outgrown Adriel’s tyranny.’

‘Good. I want you to return to Amalah; the warriors and the trackers, send to Mantor, we will be building an army from here. If you can, establish passages of information and runners but only with the people that you know and trust but under no circumstances mention Michael or Elana. Thaddeus and Raynor, I want you to venture onwards and find fellow sorcerers and sorceresses and send them here.

Häkan, your tasks are number and arduous. When you have instructed your guards, take a troop of my men to Filine and meet with Queen Nadah. Tell her you speak on behalf of Prince – no King Kai and his slain father, Tobiah. Offer yours and my condolences for the loss of her daughter and then seek her help. Tell her we in Mantor are raising an army.

You are a warrior of Parades and you also know the ways of the Mantor warrior; we have shared our knowledge, now share it with Filine and help to build the army. I will do the same here, with the help of the men and women from Parades and Mantor. I will co-ordinate from here. Stay in contact through trusted riders. It is hoped that our armies will then unite and we can then begin to fight back.

In a few months, I hope that Elana and Michael’s help will assist us and that Garrick arrives back in Mantor safely and with his rebels. Then, we will take back Filine first and then we will begin the long fight to vanquish Adriel. Are we agreed?’

Everyone nodded and stared solemnly at each other. When they adjourned that evening the seven spent their last evening together; talking of their lives and the unknown future that lay before them. Kai and Elana retired early, wanting to spend their last night together alone; while Garrick and Michael talked of Amalah and their parents both now gone.

In the morning, Garrick was the first to leave. His head was now shorn and he dressed in village clothes that made him indistinguishable from the other villagers.

‘The transformation is impressive,’ said Kai. ‘I have spent days in your company and I would not recognise you.’

‘Then it is hoped, neither will anyone else,’ said Garrick, as he shook hands with Kai and then Häkan, Thaddeus and Raynor. ‘Look after Michael,’ he said to Elana.

‘I will protect him with my life,’ Elana promised and then hugged him.

‘I know you will,’ Garrick said and then nodded. ‘Michael, you will be in my thoughts always. Stay safe and hopefully, Adriel will fall one day soon and your father and family will be avenged, I will see to that.’

Michael hugged Garrick and Garrick looked at Kai and Elana, his expression one of ambivalence. Kai nodded indicating that he understood Garrick’s concerns.

‘We will take care of him,’ said Kai.

Garrick hugged Michael once more and climbed onto his horse, he raised his hand and waived and then turned and rode off towards Amalah. Next to leave were Thaddeus and Raynor, who said their farewells without much ado and then headed to Filine.

Häkan followed shortly thereafter, heading further into southern Mantor and all too soon, it was time for Elana and Michael to leave and Kai walked them to their horses.

‘If anyone asks, it was your husband’s horse,’ said Kai.

‘I can’t bear to say that word in the past tense,’ she said as she shuddered. ‘I am scared that it will tempt fate.’

‘Fear not my beloved Elana, we will be reunited soon – I promise.’

‘I hope so dear husband,’ Elana said, as she leaned in to kiss him.

Kai held onto Elana and for the first time, he was afraid to let her go. He remembered the first time they had met. He had been invited to Parades on official business and it was the first royal duty he had undertaken alone. When he had first seen Elana, the attraction was mutual and instant. He was immediately enchanted by the tall and beautiful ivory woman with long ebony hair and he was taken aback by her beauty, grace and gentle nature and he was not surprised to learn that she was also a princess.

The affinity between them was immense and the two were virtually inseparable from that day onwards. They had married shortly afterwards and had decided to settle in Mantor. Elana’s father had sent Häkan, his most trusted warrior and guard to stay by the couple’s side as their protector and Häkan had selected ten guards to travel with him and remain in Mantor, where the couple had decided to live.

Kai and Häkan had soon become firm friends and they were both fiercely protective of Elana. Kai came back to the present and he knew at that moment, that neither he, nor Häkan would be able to protect Elana in the coming days, and so he hugged her once more, savouring the feeling of her being safe and warm in his arms.

‘Stay safe,’ he said to her, as he kissed her once more. Kai turned to Michael who was waiting patiently by Elana’s side. ‘I fear I am asking too much of you Michael,’ he said quietly. ‘Perhaps Garrick is right and you should not be involved. You need not go to Amalah if you do not wish.’

‘I wish to go,’ Michael said softly. ‘I wish Adriel to be destroyed. I am a child but I fear my childhood died when my brothers and parents did.’

‘You will be a child again,’ Kai promised.

‘It doesn’t matter if I am not,’ Michael whispered.

Kai felt his heart ache once again for the small child who stood before him. He hugged him once more and then he let the boy go.

‘Good luck,’ Kai said.

Elana and Michael mounted their horses and Elana blew a kiss to Kai and all too soon they too, turned their horses around and headed towards Amalah. Kai watched them until he was out of sight and then he returned to the cottage that had been given to him by the people of the village.

When the seven went their separate ways that day, none of them envisaged a war that would last as long as it did. Alliances throughout the nations took months to form and soldiers had to be recruited, trained and made fit. Adriel, who was no one’s fool, had continued to increase the size of the Order.

Much to Adriel’s chagrin though, the most of the witches had refused to join his Order. Adriel’s rewards to his Generals and senior soldiers grew more generous. He promised and gave; lands, houses, and jewels and sometimes, he gave away whole villages to those who brought regions under control.

As Kai, Garrick, Häkan and their army sought to make advances and break Adriel’s hold in one region or city; Adriel and his Order infiltrated somewhere new.

An alliance of nations was eventually formed, and as Kai had planned; Filine was rescued in the first six months; but Basimine – a tactical strong ground for both sides – took over two years to be won over by Kai and the newly forged Alliance of Nations. From there, Parades, Equer, Basimine, Filine and Mantor, found themselves fighting a war against Amalah, Aradene, Lansten and Santeb, with a drive of forces surging from east to west and back again.

As the war raged on through the years; Kai found himself; along with Garrick and Häkan, training forces and fighting in skirmishes around the nations. Kai was the clear leader of the nations but the three men quickly became loyal and firm friends.

Kai respected Garrick for his frankness, his loyalty and his integrity and he admired the young mans tracking ability. Garrick on the other hand admired Kai’s determination and resilience. Kai never faltered as a leader and he pulled more than his own weight as a soldier and commander. Both men truly admired and respected Häkan for his ferocity as a warrior, as well his infinite patience with those soldiers he trained and led. His irreverent humour had often kept them going in dark times and when Garrick and Kai would disagree, it was Häkan who found the middle ground.

What a formidable trio they made! Kai, the leader and tactical advisor; Garrick the tracker, who could find anyone or hide anywhere, and Häkan: the ferocious warrior who fought without fear, even when he was outnumbered. Together they seemed unstoppable but the fate of the war meant they also had to fight in separate nations, travel, and spy and lead troops in heavy fighting.

Elana and Michael found themselves travelling through the regions and towns of Amalah for the first year, posing as mother and son. They never stayed in one place for more than two months and as time went by and the war became more complex, they found themselves travelling throughout the nations, spying and having clandestine meetings with Kai or Häkan’s men; often passing on information that swayed the outcome of skirmishes.

As they grew older, they sometimes travelled alone. Michael went from being a jug collector to stable hand, or took jobs that a boy of his age could carry out without drawing too much attention to himself. Michael and Elana had grown to resemble mother and son and to the outside observer, that is how they appeared. He often confided in her and sought her counsel and she grew to love him as a son and was always protective of him.

Sometimes Elana and Michael missed the company of the five men, but they cherished the rare times that the seven of them were able to spend a day or two together in Mantor, or in one of the other nations. As time passed and Michael grew, he began to spend time with Garrick, who taught him how to hunt and track, and Kai and Häkan, who taught him how to soldier and fight.