The Destiny of Amalah (71 page)

‘They will not,’ said Garrick. ‘She has not gone there to challenge them she has gone there to talk with them.’

‘How can you be so sure Garrick? I know Rakan is your son but after everything that has happened, can you honestly say that you still know him?’

‘No.’

‘Then how can you be sure?’

‘I am sure of Ellora, I know her and I am sure of her and as I was telling Kalon, they must have agreed to meet for she says she will return four nights from now.’

‘So?’

‘She knows where they are, they must have told her.’

‘How? When?’

‘Your sister is an empath Empress and a good one at that; she must have been able to reach them somehow through her mind.’

‘Regardless, send some of the guard to bring her back.’

‘Empress sending the guard after Ellora will only endanger her; she has gone to meet them alone and if the guard appear when she is meeting them they will almost definitely think that she has betrayed them and almost certainly will kill her.’

‘You think we must do nothing, just wait?’

‘Yes.’

‘I cannot, she is my sister the only family I have left; I cannot leave her alone with them.’

‘You must,’ said Garrick. ‘You must leave her alone and you must trust her in what she is doing.’

‘Garrick I surely hope that you are right,’ Amara said in a warning tone.

Garrick nodded his head in response: ‘we were going to see Dale to see if she could see Ellora, or to feel if there was any outcome. Will you come with us Empress?’

‘Yes I will,’ Amara said standing up.

The three of them went in search of Dale, and they found her in her room at the palace and they filed in one at a time.

‘Good morning Empress,’ Dale said, nodding to her. ‘Good morning Garrick and Kalon; to what do I owe the honour of such a visit?’

‘We were wondering if you could help us,’ said Amara.

‘Princess Ellora has taken it upon herself to ride out and meet with Rakan, Rufus, Waldon and Kenaz.’

‘Alone?’ Dale said, interrupting the Empress.

‘Yes alone.’

‘Why was she allowed?’ Dale asked.

‘She was not; she left in the dead of night.’

‘I see.’

‘We wondered if you could tell us anything Dale,’ Amara said hopefully. ‘If she is alright, where she is and will she... will she return?’

‘Of course, I will try,’ Dale said gently. ‘Do you have anything of hers?’

Kalon reached into his pocket and took out the note that Ellora had left him and handed it to Dale. Dale took it and looked at Kalon as it was placed in her hand.

‘Thank you.’

Dale clasped the note in both hands and closed her eyes and after a few seconds she began to get flashes in her mind and she told the others what she was seeing as she was seeing it.

‘She is riding like the wind; she is out of Amalah and crossing into Filine. That is now. I see ahead – I see a meeting; just her and Rakan. Yes, yes, just the two of them. She leaves, she has safe passage back.’ Dale opened her eyes and looked at the three people in front of her. ‘Do not worry about Ellora, she will return to Amalah and safe she will be.’

‘Thank god,’ Amara said.

‘Thank the heavens,’ Kalon said.

‘Garrick you were right not to send Kalon after her, it would have ended in disaster.’

Garrick looked at Dale, slightly unnerved by her accuracy and then nodded.

‘Kalon do not face them alone,’ Dale warned.

‘I will not,’ Kalon replied.

‘Ensure that you don’t!’ Dale said, warning him again.

Amara thanked Dale for her help and so did Garrick and Kalon. The three of them left her room and then went about their day. So much was happening in Amalah and Garrick, Michael, Amara and Kalon spent every waking hour ensuring that things happened as they were supposed to.

The Zulus and the Xhosas joined forces with the guard and each day, more men – as well as some women – from the other nations, joined Garrick and the ever-increasing guard. Häkan had sent some men from Parades to Amalah but not many, for there were scores of people in Parades who were not willing to fight in any war.

Häkan recruited as many men he could find and then he himself headed south, back to Amalah City. Thaddeus did the same, and luckily he found that many sorcerers were willing to join the fight, although many more were paralysed by fear but those that did join, packed their belongings and headed west to Amalah City, which was now turning into a massive garrison.

Along with those reaching Amalah City was Callan Knight; she had just ridden through Filine and just missed Rakan and the others as they crossed over from Mantor. Callan Knight rode all the way to the palace and when she got there, she demanded to see the Empress. Amara, Michael, Garrick and Kalon met with Callan and she was the first to speak.

‘Do you know what has happened in Mantor?’ she said, in an accusing tone.

‘Yes we do and we are sorry.’

‘Sorry, Sorry,’ Callan said indignantly. ‘No one in Mantor wanted to hear sorry, what they wanted was help; what they needed was an army and the protection of the Empress and her guard – not sorry,’ she said raising her voice.

‘We were snowed in for seven months,’ Amara said, slightly irked by the young girl’s tone. ‘Santeb, Aradene and Mantor fell in that time. Had we not been confined to Amalah, we would have sent the guard.’

‘You are not snowed in now – what about Filine?’

‘Filine will fall also,’ Amara said sadly. ‘Rakan’s army is now over four thousand strong; the guard is less than two thousand.’

‘We will face him in Basimine, when our army is strong and ready – which will be soon.’

‘So you are going to let all of those people die?’ Callan Knight asked, with even more indignation.

‘We don’t have a choice,’ Michael said.

‘You always have a choice, whether it’s good or bad – you always have a choice and you have chosen to let the people of Filine die.’

‘If we face them in Filine with the numbers we have, we will be defeated.

Of this I am sure,’ said Garrick. ‘If we are defeated then Equer, Parades, Lansten and Amalah will suffer the same fate as Santeb, Aradene and Mantor and now Filine – is that what you want?’

‘No,’ Callan said sullenly.

‘You too have a choice Callan Knight,’ Garrick said gravely. ‘You can insist we go to Filine, which we will and there we will fight, until we are defeated and then watch, as the other nations fall – or – you can let Filine fall now and we will fight in Basimine: what is it to be?’

Everyone stayed silent and Callan stared defiantly at Garrick and he held her defiant gaze with his own immovable stare and the two remained deadlocked; neither one of them backing down or looking away.

‘What is it to be Callan Knight – are you going to damn five more nations to the same fate? Are you willing to get all of that blood on your hands?’ he asked still staring at her.

‘No,’ she said quietly.

‘No,’ he said. ‘That was our choice and we made it.’

‘We are doing something. We are preparing to fight them in Basimine,’ said Michael.

‘I understand that you are feeling…’ began Amara.

‘You understand nothing,’ said Callan Knight fiercely, cutting Amara off. ‘You live in a palace and have your every need met; you do not know what the people of Mantor have been through or are going through.’

‘I have seen,’ said Amara. ‘I have seen Aradene and Santeb.’

‘After the fact,’ Callan replied angrily.

‘Mind your tone Callan Knight,’ Michael said annoyed. ‘Remember who you are talking to, she is the Empress of the nations and…’

‘I don’t care who she is!’ bellowed Callan. ‘I don’t care who any of you are, what I care about is Mantor and the people in it; what I care about is Filine and the people there – all you do here is talk and I care not for your endless conversations – especially as people are dying at this very moment.

‘I know you are upset and I know…’ Michael began.

‘You don’t know...’ Callan said aggressively.

‘Let me finish,’ Michael snapped, as he began to lose his temper with the young girl. ‘I know you are upset and I know you are angry and have lost a lot and I am sorry but I do not care for your tone and I care less for your attitude. We at Amalah have not stood idly by; we have raised an army, which grows by the day. We have gained seers and sorcerers and empaths and we have stocked up in food supplies. Now, we are very busy and as you cannot address us in a civil manner or be of any use to us, leave us now,’ Michael said.

‘What? No.’

‘Kalon, escort Callan out of the palace please,’ Michael said.

‘Yes Michael,’ Kalon responded.

Kalon moved towards Callan and when he was close enough he outstretched his arm to take hold of Callan Knight and to everyone’s amazement, Callan took it and skilfully threw Kalon to the ground before he had time to do anything. Kalon coughed and laughed at the same time: partly in shock and partly because he was slightly winded. He wasted no more time in recovery and he rocked backwards, pressed his palms to the ground and flung himself upwards to his feet. He turned and faced Callan Knight, who simply stared back at him with a glint in her eye.

Kalon swung a back hander at Callan, which she effortlessly blocked and then punched Kalon in the stomach and then in the face. Kalon was stunned – for in his mind, she was just a girl and yet – here she was, fighting like a man. He looked at her again and then he saw it that glint that fire in her eyes; it spelled trouble and it spelled a fight.

The two of them stood face to face, staring at each other and sizing the other up, ready to fight. Amara, Michael, Garrick and Häkan looked on as once again, Kalon went on the offensive and Callan Knight reacted. His kicks and punches were for the most part blocked and Callan retaliated with blows of her own, but Kalon was a cunning fighter; he was observing Callan Knight carefully as she fought and taking a note of her strengths and weaknesses and when he had worked them out, the tables began to turn on Callan Knight and Kalon got the upper hand; but Callan Knight was no fool either, as soon as Kalon began to get the upper hand, she changed her fighting style much to Kalon and everyone else’s surprise.

‘Should we stop them?’ Michael asked with concern.

‘No not yet,’ said Garrick, who was rather entertained by his young son and the woman, who was turning out to be quite a character.

‘But Kalon,’ said Amara.

‘Kalon’s a big boy,’ said Garrick, smiling. ‘Besides, I want to see more of Callan Knight fight.’

‘I think she would make an excellent officer,’ Häkan said, who was as entertained as Garrick.

‘As do I,’ said Garrick.

The three men and the Empress watched as Kalon and Callan fought and were impressed by both of them, but more so by Callan Knight. For she was so small and so young, yet she was strong, fast, agile and fought like a warrior – even though she had never been trained by the guard. They watched for a few minutes more and then Garrick called on them to stop; Kalon immediately stopped fighting and so did Callan but the two of them kept a close eye on each other and then Garrick approached and stood in between the two of them.

‘You fight well Callan Knight,’ Garrick said to her; ‘very well.’

‘When I have to,’ she said.

‘We need people like you Callan; you could be an officer in the guard. Will you join the guard and fight with us?’ he asked.

Callan looked at Garrick and thought for a few moments. She liked Garrick, there was something about him that she trusted and that was very rare for Callan.

‘No, I will not join the guard,’ she said plainly. ‘I am a free woman and I intend to stay that way.’

‘I see,’ Garrick said, rather disappointed.

‘But I will join you and fight with you,’ she said.

Garrick broke into a smile and nodded his head in approval. ‘Good, I am glad,’ he said. He extended his arm to her and she took his hand and shook it. ‘I am Garrick, commander of the guard. Welcome to Amalah and to our fight.’

‘Thank you, I am Callan Knight of Mantor.’

‘Welcome Callan,’ Garrick said. ‘This is my son Kalon; he is a Captain in the guard,’ Garrick said pulling Kalon gently forward.

Kalon extended his hand out and Callan took it. ‘You fight well Callan Knight,’ Kalon said smiling at her.

‘So do you, I thought I was winning for a while.’

‘You were,’ he said laughing softly.

‘Why did it change?’

‘I studied your fighting, I was looking for your weak spots, and then when I found them, I used them against you. Why did it change again?’

‘You were winning so I changed my style.’

‘How many styles do you know?’

‘A few.’

‘How many is a few?’

‘Now that would be telling,’ said Callan impishly.

Garrick laughed out loud, he liked Callan Knight, she had heart, he thought. ‘Come now Callan, let me introduce you to everyone.’ Garrick led her to where Amara, Michael and Häkan were. ‘This is Empress Amara, and this is Michael, her adviser and fellow council member and this is Häkan, joint Guard Commander with me.’