The Destroyer Book 2 (29 page)

“Let’s start with this.” I glanced away from Runir and pointed down the small slope toward the remnants of our once powerful army. “I’m not much of a soldier, but I understand enough about sword play and morale to determine that something is wrong.” It was an easy question. One I already guessed the answer to but asked so that my friend might feel like he was teaching me warfare.

“They have lost everything. We need to bring back their memories of Nia, give them hope for a future, or they will have no will to live, let alone fight. You can do that. There is power in the royal line, and you are the star that can guide them through this night.” His voice became thick with emotion. I didn’t want to look at him for fear that I would see his eyes shine with tears.

I thought back to Jessmei. Was she still alive? I hoped so, but then I imagined the tortures she might be enduring. She’d been a pain in my ass during the long journey into Vanlourn, but that was mostly because I worried about her the whole time. She hadn’t been unpleasant to travel with, and she was my favorite person to visit when I came to Castle Nia. My father taught me that family is more than blood, and Jessmei was my best friend and sister.

I should have told her how much I loved her when I had the chance. Perhaps my father was wrong, the worst part of the past was when it ended, you could never tell the people that you cared about exactly how much you loved them. Jessmei, my uncle, Greykin, Paug, and even Kaiyer never knew the place they held in my heart.

“You okay?” Runir said with concern, yanking me out of my reverie.

“Yeah.” I wiped the tears out of my eyes. Fuck. I thought I was done with that bullshit. I needed to be stronger to execute what I planned. “Let us walk down amongst them.” I didn’t wait for a response as I shuffled my feet and cane forward, sliding down the makeshift dirt hill a bit with Runir chasing after me.

There was an organization to the training that I understood. This knowledge allowed me to limp my way safely through the chaos of the sparring without risking injury. Within a few minutes I was encompassed by a flurry of movements, grunts, and the bitter scent of sweat mixed with leather.

“Where is your father?” I yelled over my shoulder, the words I spoke sent a chill down my back as I remembered the last two dreams with the Ancient woman.

“He’s in the camp, planning the route to Brilla.” Runir dodged through the ranks of men and women sparring. Even though I carried the cane, my reflexes were faster than his and the surrounding chaos did not worry me.

“I’m going to talk to them!” I yelled back as the gap between us grew larger. I replayed the speech I practiced in my head quickly and wondered how my father would have presented it. Most of the words were his, borrowed from talks I overheard him give soldiers during their training.

“Wait! We should talk to my father first!” I heard him over my shoulder as I ducked under a sword blow. The soldier that swung the weapon gasped in fright and stammered an apology after he recognized me. “Nadea!” Runir screamed a second too late. I ignored him.

“Nia!” I yelled as loud as I could. The pair of soldiers that I interrupted stared at me in disbelief.

“Nia!” I screamed again. My free hand beckoned them to join me as I inhaled and readied my next scream.

“Nia!” the three of us yelled again as Runir caught up to me. The warriors that trained within forty feet of us halted their training and looked at the spectacle.

“Nia!” the four of us screamed.

After two more rounds, the soldiers on the open field stopped exercising and began screaming the name of our home. I continued the chant and beckoned for those around me to follow me as I walked toward one of the large oak trees placed on the edge of the clearing. It took some time for the crowd to part and swarm behind me. By the time I made it to the gnarled tree, my leg had started to hurt and I knew that I was pushing myself too much. Gerald would be upset with me if I damaged the wound anymore, but I felt this was worth the risk.

“Give me a boost,” I asked Runir and the soldier that had almost sliced me with his sword. They didn't hear me over the roar of the crowd, so I leaned over, cradled my hand, and then pointed to my chest and at a large oak tree branch. They understood what I meant then and lowered their arms for me.

I dropped my cane, stepped into the hands of the two men, and then let them lift me. I grabbed onto the massive gnarled branch of the ancient tree, swung my lower body forward a bit and then pulled myself up on top of it. It would have been a difficult move for most fit men to execute, but I’d spent most of my life climbing on things. It also helped that I was much stronger than a pure-blooded human.

I shimmied out on the limb as far as I dared to go. The branch hung lazily fifteen feet above the ground like a swimming snake. When I reached a safe spot, I stood up and surveyed the army. Their chanting was out of sync, their voices combined like a storm throwing waves against a cliff wall. I held up my hands, palm out, and then lowered them slowly. It took me a few times, but the gathered mass of five hundred fell silent. So silent that I heard my heart beating in my ears. Terror crept up from my stomach and into my chest. My fingertips tingled and the world began to spin slowly.

“Give me strength, Father. I know I can do this.” The words of affirmation relaxed the panic.

Things could not get any worse. I had nothing to lose.

“Today is a dark day!” I yelled. I looked down from the branch and saw the men and women in the back push farther into the crowd in an effort to hear. The crowd shrunk closer for half a minute until I began again.

“Today is a dark day,” I repeated “but you believe that today is dark because we have lost our homes, our families, and our king.” Their heads nodded and I could see Runir right below me pale at the negative start of my speech.

“But today is not dark because of those things. Those losses are only the most apparent travesties. No, the situation today is dire, it is dismal, and it is hopeless.”

They grumbled now and Runir’s face formed a beautiful mosaic of pure panic. I raised my hands again and the quiet came almost instantly.

“It is hopeless because I see that these tragedies have destroyed your spirit. This isn’t how Nia trains: half-assed and tired. This isn’t how Nia lives: in the shadow of our rightful home, dreaming of all that we lost. This isn’t how Nia thinks: that we are beaten.” I paused again before I screamed a question.

“Are you beaten, Nia?”

“NO!” was the unanimous roar from the angry soldiers. On the opposite side of the clearing, I saw troops that had been unpacking the campsite stop and make their way over the barrier toward my impromptu gathering. I waited for a minute for them to join the throng before I raised my hands to silence the crowd again.

“I don’t believe you Nia.” My comment caused more grumbles. “How can I believe that you aren’t beaten when I’ve seen grandmothers sweep out their homes more aggressively than you train? How can I believe that you aren’t beaten when we talk of going to Brilla?” I paused again, letting the last word seethe with anger. My butterflies were gone.

“Brilla?” I said loudly. “Brilla?” I said again louder. “Brilla?” I screamed in outrage.

“Why the fuck are we going to Brilla? Did you all forget that Nia is the ‘Crown of the Eight Kingdoms?’ Did you forget that we are the best soldiers in the world? Did you forget that we have twenty thousand troops in the Northlands waiting for the thaw to come so they can extract a terrible vengeance on Losher? Did you forget that we know this country better than any invading army? Did you forget that Losher has to eat, that they have to sleep, that they have to protect what they conquered? Did you forget that our families are dead? Did you forget that we can’t sleep because their screams invade our dreams? Did you forget that revenge can feed us until we feast on their bones? Did you assholes forget?”

The yells from the crowd almost made me lose my balance and fall out of the tree. My ears started to ring and my chest felt the force of their anger. Their shouts quickly turned into screams and I could see the rage gathering on the surface of the press of the bodies like smoke from a fire. It took me five minutes to calm them down enough to continue. But then I knew that I had them and I squeezed my injured leg to keep from smiling.

“I’m not going to Brilla with you fucking traitors.” The crowd gasped again, worry flooded their faces.

“I will stay here and fight, as our families would have wanted. I’ll pick off Losher soldiers, one at a time, until they whisper my name in fear every night. I’ll steal their food so that they will starve. I’ll poison their water so that they begin to distrust their officers. I’ll kill all of them. Then I will kill the Ancients that brought them here. I possess everything I need here to extract my vengeance. There is nothing Brilla can offer me but pity and months of negotiations.” I changed my tone and accent to mock how Brilla would speak to us.

“Sure, we will help you Nia, but how much money can we take from your coffers afterward? Maybe we can help you Nia, but we have our own problems, like land. Can you give us any of yours once we are done assisting you? Why would we help you take your kingdom back, Nia? Sure you’ve helped us in the past. But the past is the past and we have always envied your magnificent castle.”

The crowd was silent as they turned over these conversations in their heads, multiplying the circumstances of these negotiations until they were probably worse than ridiculous.

“As the Ruler of Nia, I could go to Brilla and engage in these discussions for months while Losher enjoys the beauty of our city and pillages our kingdom. Do you want me to go to Brilla while our beautiful country is raped?”

I didn’t think that their screams could get any louder. But they did.

“Would you rather stay here with me and destroy our enemies?”

I let the cheers of exuberance last for a few minutes. Now I smiled as my heart swelled. This would work. We could do this. I would lead these people, take back the castle, kill the Loshers, kill the Ancients, and save my father.

“It will be hard. We will go hungry. We will be cold. We will lose even more friends between now and victory. But I can guarantee you that we will win. Nothing can beat us because,” I paused before I made my closing statement: “We are Nia and we do not fall!” I yelled as I raised my fists in the air high above my head. The movement and words repeated two thousand more times, like a snap of thunder.

I kept my hands in the air for almost ten minutes until I felt that the crowd became too chaotic. I put my hands up for silence again.

“Train today because Loshers will die tomorrow!” It was a dismissal, but only half of them understood and made a movement to disperse. I looked down at Runir. I had ignored him for the second part of the speech, but it was easy to see the awe mixed with fear on his face.

“Help me down!” I shouted toward him, trying to get over the roar of the crowd. He read my lips and body movements enough to catch me when I scrambled down the limb and lowered myself to the ground.

“What the fuck was that?” he yelled. “Maerc is going to skin you alive!” I tried not to smile. Runir was smart, but only in the ways of battle and military tactics.

“Let’s go talk to your father!” I shouted in his ear. The surrounding crowd grew oppressive. If I was a man, and not a female member of the royal family, I might have been hoisted up on someone’s shoulders like a hero.

“Can you quiet them?” I thought he said as I read his lips. I nodded and raised my hands in the air. We had a small clearing around Runir and me, within a few minutes, the field miraculously fell silent again. I could get used to this influence.

“I need to plan with the general. You all need to continue your training. Let me pass so that we can extract vengeance tomorrow.” I didn’t have to speak loud. The surrounding soldiers separated, creating a path for Runir and me. I picked up my discarded cane and leaned on it heavily. My leg screamed almost as loud as the army had moments ago.

As I passed, the soldiers saluted me in silence. The change in attitude was apparent. Today would not end like it did yesterday.

Maerc and four of Nia's generals met us on the path to the camp. The general’s face pulsed as red as fresh blood and his fist clenched around the hilt of the sword at his hip. For a second I almost thought he would draw it there and attack me. But then I remembered the army at my back watching the exchange and gave him my best smile.

“We need to talk . . . Duchess,” he seethed.

“Of course, General, I believe we should plan our next steps in your command tent.” I turned to one of the vice-generals. My father always made it a point to memorize the names of his warriors and I was grateful I had adopted the practice. “My dear Julliar, can you please find my medic and bring him to General Maerc's pavilion? I have opened the stitching in my leg.” I spoke loudly as I pointed to my injured limb.

“Of course, Duchess!” the bald muscular man shouted before he saluted and dashed off through the tents.

“After you?” I raised an eyebrow to Maerc, who only clenched his jaw muscles before he turned and marched toward his tent. His feet slammed into the loose dirt at every step and was a good thirty yards ahead of me before he realized that I couldn't limp fast enough.

“Sorry Maerc, I can’t seem to keep up with you. The injured leg is catching up to me today.”

“You should have been resting in your fucking tent.” He glared at Runir.

“I was, but I wanted to talk to my army,” I said with a sigh. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been trying to annoy him but the pain was starting to become a serious distraction. I had definitely ripped all the stitching out and I felt a warm wet stream of blood making its way down the front of my pants.

We made it to his tent and he opened the flap. “Get inside, now,” he commanded.

His pavilion looked much the same as it had a few days ago. I limped over to Maerc’s chair behind his desk and fell into it with a moan that I tried not to overdo.

There were two more stools, but none of the other five men sat. Maerc paced around the desk for half a minute while he composed his thoughts. I had to admit that I didn’t think that he would have been able to control his anger this well. But I probably underestimated him. He was one of the king’s and my father’s oldest friends and best generals.