First Comes The One Who Wanders (38 page)

"Blood and guts woman, do you know who she is?" Duke Cheran barely restrained himself from yelling at his housekeeper when she told him what she’d done to accommodate the crafter he’d sent to her.

Elga smoothed her apron, the only sign she ever gave that she was flustered. "I do believe Captain Ferras said her name was Leilas, my lord."

"He didn’t bother to tell you anything else about her?" Adrian Cheran grew less angry at Elga and more perturbed at Ferras. For some reason, the man had taken an instant dislike to the girl. He’d not said one good thing about her all afternoon.

"No sir. So, I sized her up and proceeded accordingly, since I didn’t receive any other instructions."

Duke Cheran ground his teeth in frustration. He’d wanted to make a good impression on this beautiful woman who’d ridden into his town unexpectedly. He’d wanted her to see him as her champion. Instead, Elga had fed her in the kitchen, sent her up to the temporary servant’s quarters and made her fetch her own water.

"The princess will be joining me for dinner. In the meantime, move her to a guest room, find her some clean clothes, wash her clothes, give her some hot water if she wants and don’t make her fetch it herself. Is that clear enough?"

"Princess?" Elga straightened her apron some more. "Yes, my lord, it's quite clear." Elga scurried off in the direction of the kitchen, giving orders to servants along the way. Adrian swept his hair back with his hand as he watched Elga go. Then he climbed the stairs to his own room.

"You look beautiful, my lady," Duke Cheran rose from his chair as Leilas entered the dining room. She was decidedly uncomfortable in the dress that Elga had provided her, when she took her clothes away to be washed. Leilas hadn’t had the heart to tell her she hadn’t worn a dress in ten years. Elga had almost been beside herself when she came up to her room. She'd apologized all the way down the stairs, through the kitchen, down the hallway, across the foyer and up the stairs to her new accommodations. Leilas had done her best to mollify the stricken housekeeper, but she wasn’t sure she’d succeeded.

So, she'd donned the dress and fixed her hair. She’d been surprised at the stranger in the mirror. She was thinner, but more than that, her eyes had developed a sadness that added depth to her face.

"Thank you, Lord Adrian," she replied, allowing him to hold her chair for her. It appeased her ego to see Captain Ferras looking discomfited at her transformation as he stood until she was seated. She didn’t let the feeling cloud her judgment, though. Captain Ferras wasn’t her friend. He had a deep dislike of her, for no reason Leilas could easily discern. It bothered her that he seemed to be the Duke’s right hand. Were there more dissenters in the camp than just Gidron Frey? Leilas’ brow furrowed at where her thoughts had taken her. If so, how many Jovanulum that were dedicated to the cause were there that they could count on to fight?

Officers of Duke Cheran’s army occupied most of the seats at the table. Some of the officer’s wives had accompanied their husbands, so Leilas wasn’t the only woman there. Two crafters, one whose affiliation was the Sea and one whose was the Sky, also joined the party of officers. Leilas assumed that they were the masters in charge of the troops of crafters who had come to fight.

"You’ve met Captain Ferras," Adrian began the introductions. Leilas nodded in the captain’s direction. "This is Captain Dren," he began to move around the circle, pointing to a tall, thin man with a dark beard that ended in a point, He wore the red and black uniform of the royal soldiers of Preterlandis. The captain nodded his head toward her at the introduction. "Captain Twill, his wife Moina," he continued pointing to a middle-aged man with a salt and pepper beard closely cropped to his face. He wore the blue and crimson of the soldiers of Barat. His wife was much younger with a round porcelain face and blonde curls. She wore a demure gray dress. Leilas could see that she adored her husband and that she had no opinion that he didn’t approve.

"Pleasure to meet you, my lady," said the captain. "I've heard good reports about you from the men who have traveled here from Dirth."

"I did my best to help the people in my Father’s city," replied Leilas. "I only wish I could have done more."

"Captain Adams and his wife, Sylvia," Adrian curtailed the conversation, continuing his introductions. Captain Adams was a man in his prime, well-muscled and handsome. He also wore the blue and crimson of Barat. From her encounter with the guard at Barat, Leilas had to believe they were fierce warriors and loyal. Adrian could do worse than to have these men for his captains. His wife, a plain, mousey, brown-haired woman, scowled in Leilas’ direction clearly threatened by her presence.

"Captain Adams," Leilas inclined her head in their direction.

"I have to add my admiration, my lady. You look most enchanting tonight."

His wife’s scowl intensified and Leilas was certain this wasn’t the only time Captain Adams had paid too much attention to the other ladies in the room and not enough attention to his wife.

"Thank you. I have to admit I'm more at home in fighting attire."

"I’m sure even in leather and mail, you make a charming picture."

Leilas wasn’t sure how to answer the obvious flirtation. Adrian came to her rescue.

"This is Master Reyan of the Sea and Master Scillan of the Sky. They are in charge of the fighting crafters who are in the camp." Adrian finished his introductions, just as the first course of the dinner arrived.

"I'd like to speak with you about my journey before I continue, if you would allow me," said Leilas to the two masters.

"We'd be honored to discuss your plans with you," replied Master Scillan. "Please seek us out before you go."

"I will," replied Leilas.

The servants served those at the table with a thin soup, then disappeared into the kitchen. Leilas would have attacked it in her usual fashion, but caught herself in time, when she saw the others sipping it politely. Trying her best to do her mother proud, she followed the other’s lead.

"I'm pleased to see that there are so many who've answered the call to fight against the Dredracians," she began the conversation, when the others threw uncomfortable glances at each other across the table.

"There aren't so many of us," replied Ferras. "We can use all the help that comes our way." Leilas knew he was once again chastising her for choosing not to stay and join the fight.

"As I said before," replied Leilas. "Were I free, I’d have already joined your ranks."

Adrian frowned at Ferras and the captain let the subject drop. "We have almost two divisions hoteled in the temporary camp," Adrian told Leilas. "They’re actually starting to look like an army."

"Just two?" asked Leilas, trying not to let her dismay show. How could two divisions fight against the multitude of dark soldiers she’d seen in Dirth and outside of Crysalis?

"There are more men on the way," replied Adrian confidently. "They'll arrive before spring."

"We have a great deal of work to do in planning our attack against the Dredracians," said Captain Twill.

"Why just today, we had to completely revamp the attack by the mounted soldiers," agreed Captain Adams. Most of the men have never fought on horses. The attack we were practicing was too advanced for them. We'll just have to work on what they can do and leave the advanced techniques until we get more mounted soldiers."

Leilas’ disquiet at how few men there were and how unprepared they were grew. These men needed someone to rally them and those who hadn't yet joined the cause. But she didn’t know who that man was, nor did she have any idea when she would know. All she could do was hope that she would discover the identity of the champion before it was too late.

Sitting quietly, eating the food that was being placed before her, one course at a time, she listened as the men talked. The talk revolved around how few men there were and how poorly prepared they were for battle. There was little hope here in Kyris.

As she listened, she began to let her thoughts penetrate the minds of those around the table. She was fairly certain no one here was the man she was seeking. Still, she needed to be sure that the champion wasn’t sitting at this table.

After letting her thoughts join with each of the men at the table, she pulled her thoughts back into herself and sighed. If the champion was here, then she wouldn’t recognize him just because she’d met him as she’d hoped. As far as she could tell, these men were just soldiers. Some of them were good men, some not quite as good. It did ease her mind a little that all of them were men who’d chosen to follow the light. There didn’t appear to be any of them who were tempted to turn to the darkness, yet. Leilas let her gaze rest on Captain Ferras. Even he followed the light. Still, he made her uncomfortable.

"With men arriving every day, I’m not sure how we are going to mold them into fighting units," said Captain Twill, worry settling on his brow. "We have our hands full now. We could use some seasoned warriors joining our ranks and helping with the teaching. But it seems they would rather ignore the call to arms and take their chances with the Dredracians."

"We’ll have to do our best," answered the Duke, doing his best to rally his captains. "The Dredracians will be upon us as soon as the weather breaks."

"If I find Gidron Frey, I'll run him through with my pike," stated Captain Adams. "A greater traitor the world has never known."

"You'd do well to leave Gidron Frey to the crafters," said Master Reyan. "Your pike would have little effect in stopping him."

"It would make me feel better," muttered the captain, acknowledging the truth of Master Reyan’s statement.

"What of this champion we’ve heard so much about?" asked one of the women. "When are we going to meet him?"

Adrian looked to Leilas. She shook her head and shrugged. "When the time is right," she replied. Adrian scowled at the answer. Leilas knew he'd been hoping that she would proclaim herself as the Chosen One to this group and name him the Champion. She also knew now, that her vision had been warning her against that course of action. She needed to look elsewhere for the champion.

She wasn’t inured to the fact that her answer didn’t do anything to inspire these men. They were more than cognizant that they were in what looked to be a lopsided fight that they couldn’t possibly win. For them, the time was right, now, for the champion to arrive and bring hope with him.

"Too much longer and it won’t matter. We’ll have lost before we’ve begun," remarked Captain Ferras.

"There is always hope, while we're alive," answered Leilas. The crafters at the table murmured their agreement.

"That’s easy to say when one is not going to stay and fight, Princess," taunted Captain Ferras.

"Geran, that’s enough." Adrian rebuked the Captain. "You don’t know whom you are addressing."

"I am addressing the daughter of King Leyhan, one of the most evil kings Preterlandis has ever seen."

"Also the daughter of Queen Daina, one of the purest Menas," countered one of the crafters.

"That doesn’t change the fact that her father is responsible for thousands of men dying and for punishing those who follow Jovan. In my book, like father, like daughter."

"You're free to choose what you believe, Captain Ferras," replied Leilas, the red rushing to her cheeks the only telling mark that his words had their intended effect.

"What I choose to believe is that all of you put too much faith in this prophecy of Greyan’s," said Ferras, rising from the table. "I prefer to look at reality. Reality is, we have no champion, the balance has been broken and many good men will die, if not all of the good men left in Preterlandis. They will all die while we wait for the Chosen One, who will never arrive, and some non-existent warrior."

Throwing his napkin down on the table he turned to leave. "I have work to do. I don’t have time to waste socializing with the dishonored Princess of Dirth."

Leilas felt the heat rise to her face. A hush fell over the room. Captain Ferras strode from the room without looking back. "You must forgive him," said Adrian when Ferras was gone. "He lost many good men fighting your father in the Northern Provinces. I know you spent many years in opposition to your father. I also know that the Sky masters would never have accepted you if they saw that you took after your father."

"Are their many who feel as he does?" asked Leilas. "That the prophecies are foolishness and that–," she stopped before she added, "and the Chidra is evil." Adrian had gone to some lengths to keep the fact that she was the Chidra a secret. It wasn’t her place to blurt it out because Geran Ferras had wounded her pride. "That there is no hope," she finished.

"Enough to be worrisome," answered Master Scillan. "Ferras incites them with his beliefs." Adrian shot him a quelling look.

"Ferras is my best captain. If he has doubts, he will keep them to himself," said Adrian. "If there are doubts, it's not because of Geran, but because the Chidra and the masters have done nothing to avert this war."

Once again, Leilas felt her face burn. Adrian’s face flushed as well when he realized what he’d said and to whom he’d said it. But he didn’t apologize. The crafters looked at each other and then at Leilas. "We realize even if you don’t Adrian, how difficult the path has been for the Chidra and how little time she's had to prepare." They stood to go. "If the masters couldn’t avert war, it wasn’t because they did nothing. But because it was destined to be." Bowing to Leilas, then to Adrian, they turned to leave. "Under the circumstances, I think perhaps our talk will have to wait until some other day. We wish you well on your journey. We don’t know which way you are planning on traveling, but we have heard it said the Crystal Caves are beyond the Glen of Destruction. The valley protects the caves from all but the most dedicated." Turning to Adrian, the Sea master spoke softly. "Discouragement comes in many forms, from discouraging words to tearing down those to whom the people look to for hope. It would be wise to understand the damage Ferras does to your men, as well as to yourself. We have warned you of this before."