The Path of Decisions (19 page)

Looking out across the gathering, he glanced over the other
dignitaries, nobles, and city leaders in the front few rows. Higher up in the
stands he saw a few of his friends from school.
I hope Kelln is all right
with this.
He hadn’t shared the secret yet with his best friend. Thinking
of Kelln had him wondering if he and Alessandra had reached Belor in time to
bring back the rest of his Elite army with them. 

Darius’s mind swam and he found it hard to focus. He was juggling
so many secrets and plans at the moment. He breathed deeply and drew some power
into him. Not enough for others to see, just enough to calm himself.

The only one missing was King Edward. Soon, heads in the crowd
turned away from the stand and toward the entrance of the coliseum. He watched
the carriage with the King’s flag waving in the slight breeze. Four proud
Cremelino horses led the way.  He wondered if anyone else knew the secret of
the Cremelinos and their ability to speak to the minds of wizards.

This had been the first time the King had been out in public in
many weeks. Darius heard the whispers in the crowd. They all expected him to
name his new successor.
Won’t they all be surprised?

The King was brought to the stand on a chair held by four men
dressed in royal purple. He stepped from the chair and onto the podium, his
walk slow and deliberate as he moved to his throne. The crowd fell silent.
Darius heard a few sounds from outside of the coliseum, vendors selling their
wares and children playing. He gave a quick glance at his father. King Edward
looked so much older than his father did now, though only two years separated
them.

King Edward DarSan Montere stood up in front of his throne and
rested one hand on its polished gold inlaid armrest. The other hand he raised
to the crowd.

The crowd erupted as if on cue. The citizens of the Realm stood
and cheered. Anikari had always rallied around its kings. The people loved
Edward. Until the recent events, he had kept peace in the Realm for almost
fifteen years. Neither the Gildanians nor Arcs had even tried an attack in over
ten years.

The King seated himself. An expectant hush fell over the crowd as
the King began to speak from a sitting position, his voice raspy and weak. The
crowd had to strain to hear the words. Each person leaned forward so as not to
miss anything. The King began by telling about his father, Charles, the
previous king. The speech was well rehearsed to only say what was necessary.
Darius looked around and saw soldiers throughout the crowd. They were prepared
if trouble began. He thought he saw Jain moving through the crowd once, but he
quickly became lost. Still no sign of the Preacher.

At the back of the crowd Darius saw movement. Cray sending some
men around to the sides of the coliseum. Was he expecting trouble or… causing
it? Darius wondered what authority Cray had anymore and began to worry that
Cray was acting outside of the King’s direction.

The crowd’s tension mounted as Edward told of the old king
banishing his son Alric, the rightful heir. This would be news to those who
knew recent history. They all assumed King Charles’s son had died in battle.
Some of the nobles leaned forward even more, realizing all of a sudden that
there still might be a royal line. Darius wondered exactly how the King would
announce the succession.

“My older brother did not die in battle at sea as our history has
been told.  He lived in disguise the rest of his life raising his son.  This
boy, who was two years old when I was born, was included in his father’s
banishment of the throne, but the next generation was not.” The King slowly
gazed over the crowd. He wanted his words to sink in. He led them along
magnificently. The tension was at a crescendo.

Cray halted, signaling to his men something that Darius couldn’t
tell. They looked ready to attack, not defend.

Darius felt as if he was going to be sick. He began to panic.
I
can't be king! No! No!
King Edward stood, this time with no support. “I
announce today there is still one of the direct royal line. My Senior Councilor
Richard San Williams is actually my nephew, the son of my banished older
brother and...”

The sentence seemed to take forever. The beginnings of murmurings
and whisperings spread throughout the crowd. Darius’s heart nearly burst. The
sun beat down on his face, making him sweat.

“…his son, Darius San Williams, first Captain of the King’s Elite
Army, I proclaim as my rightful heir to the throne of power. He will be your
next rightful king of the Realm.”

King Edward stopped speaking. Darius’s heart missed a beat. The
crowd took a deep, simultaneous breath. But when the breath came out, so did
chaos. Through the crowd, Darius caught Cray’s eyes in a brief flicker. His old
trainer’s eyes were open in surprise. He gave Darius a slight nod of respect
and a large smile, then signaled to his men to retreat.

The people cheered... or was it yelling? Darius couldn't tell.
Maybe both. The King motioned for Darius to join him. The crowd quieted down
somewhat as Darius walked forward, hard black boots clicking on the stage.

He stood beside the King clothed in his royal garb, his dark
purple cloak swirling around him in a growing breeze. Power rose within him and
amplified his persona. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword. It wanted to
be drawn and to feed on his power, but Darius kept it in check.

The King motioned for Darius to kneel before him. Drawing his own
gold sword, Edward tapped Darius on the right shoulder. “Darius San Williams,
Commander of the King’s Elite Army, great grandson of my father, King Charles,
through the direct royal line. I, King Edward DarSan Montere, of the great
Realm of this people, anoint you to be the servant of all and the King of all
after I have departed this mortal life. You are now named Darius DarSan
Williams, heir to the Throne of Power and next king of the Realm, with all
rights, privileges, and power associated with that high and noble title.”

The power built inside Darius. He strained to keep it under
control.
This must be a dream!
He almost laughed with giddiness but kept
it under control.

The King continued. “Be it known that anyone who contests this
anointing is an enemy of the Realm and shall, with his family, be known as
traitors to our society.”

Darius wondered how long this would go on. The official part was
over. Now it was an old king trying to prevent civil war. Darius saw a movement
out of the corner of his eye and turned his head slightly.
Red and purple.
It
must be him. And...

Darius jumped up with a shout. With a speed that many would talk
about later, he pushed the King out of the way as a red arrow flew past him.
The crowd jumped as one and yelled. Soldiers ran through the crowd as another
arrow shot through the air. Darius ducked, trying to get a look at the shooter
at the same time, but the King had moved to the side, and the arrow struck him
in the arm.

Richard lunged to the King’s side as Darius leaped off the stand.
Red arrows. The color of Belor.

As he ran through the crowd, the crowd’s eyes followed him.
Is
this the way a king acts? “
Well this is the way I act,” he mumbled under
his breath. Among all of Anikari, only he, along with maybe Kelln and Alessandra,
realized how dangerous the Preacher really was.

Darius saw a group of soldiers running toward a small door in the
back of the coliseum. The room should be locked. It led into a giant kitchen
rarely used. As Darius caught up to them, the Preacher was nowhere to be seen.
Darius stood on top of a bench and scanned the area. Only a short distance away
he saw the back of someone.
Red hat. This is what the messenger had alluded
to.
The Preacher had a purple cloak and red hat. Darius jumped down and muscled
through the crowd, stooping low so the man wouldn't notice him.

Right before he got there, a dark blur ran in front of him and
tackled the Preacher to the ground, holding him by force.

“Is this who you were looking for, Sire?” Cray seemed to emphasize
the last word.

“Yes. Thanks, Cray.”

Cray turned the man around, facing the Preacher toward Darius.

The Preacher’s face was red with anger “Traitor!” He spat. “No one
will follow you.”

The crowd had gathered to watch what their newly anointed
king-to-be would do. A boiling rage surfaced inside of him. His eyes sharpened
as the power built. He lifted up his hand to strike the Preacher, but as he did
he remembered Sean's words about Darius learning to control his temper if he
was ever going to be great. Darius cringed again at the thought that Sean, of
all people, would say something that would be of benefit to him. With his hand
still in the air, he waved for some of the guards to take his prisoner away to
the dungeons.

Darius wiped the spit from his face and glared at the Preacher.
“You will never see Belor again.”

Darius turned to go but out of the corner of his eye saw power
gather around the Preacher. The Preacher pulled his hands away from the guards
and held them forward. Sparks began to jump forth from his hands. Darius moved
to intercept but was afraid to show his powers yet. Suddenly, Cray came up from
behind the Preacher and with muscled arms held a cloth over his mouth. The
Preacher struggled for a brief moment and then sank to his knees. Darius gaped
at Cray. It was the same reaction Darius himself had in Forest View when he was
captured. The mixture in the cloth seemed to dull the power in an instant.

Darius looked sternly at Cray, wondering why he had the concoction
ready to go.

Cray whispered, “I didn’t know about your ancestry – that you were
of the direct royal line, but I knew about your other power and your previous
anger. I had to be prepared to protect the kingdom if need be.”

Darius nodded his understanding and realized that Cray had been
prepared to take him down if he would have shown aggression to the Realm. Cray
was loyal to the Realm. 

Darius motioned for the guards to put the Preacher in a dungeon
cell until he could talk with his father and the King.

The King!

Darius raced back through the crowd toward the stand. His soldier
training had taken over when the King had been shot with the arrow. Now his
lungs filled with flames as he raced with all of his might. He prayed mightily
for King Edward to still be alive. He was not ready to be king yet.

Richard and some other men had put the wounded Edward in his
carriage during the commotion. A palace healer sat in the carriage with him,
extracting the arrow. As Darius reached the carriage, he saw Jain standing next
to it. Darius smiled his thanks to him. Jain bowed and turned to leave.

Darius leaned over to him. “Tell Christine to meet me in the
field.”

As soon as Darius made sure the King was being taken care of, he
left the coliseum with some of the King’s guards following behind. Cray noiselessly
approached him from around a corner. Darius stopped and saw a small crowd of
men a ways off, watching their interchange. His guards hung back.

“Darius,” his voice had softened from earlier in the castle, “I
didn’t know about your lineage. If I did, I wouldn’t have... You must
understand I would have never hurt you. I was only prepared to avert a civil
war if that was your intent”

“You don’t need to say anything, Cray.” Darius put together what
Cray must have been planning. Not knowing that Darius would be named as the
next king, Cray was afraid of Darius’s power and his reaction to the King’s
announcement. “You remembe
r my motivation from before? How
angry I was with everyone and the revenge I wanted?”

Cray just nodded.

“Then you can appreciate why no apology is needed. What you
planned was done without all the information, and in support of your King.”

“When did you find out about your heritage?” Cray asked.

“Just yesterday.”

“Now I see what I recognized in you… a grandson of my best
friend.”

“A grandfather I never knew who should have been king.”

“And what kind of king will you be, Darius?”

He looked hard at Cray. “I assure you, Cray, that I will rule when
my time comes in fairness and with honor.” Darius softened his retort. “I have
found peace within myself, and I understand my duty to my people.”

“I just don’t know if everyone will accept all of your abilities.”
Cray looked back at some of his men.

“Cray, do you remember when you planned that mock attack against
me and you told me to be careful of who my friends and enemies were?” Darius’s
hand moved toward his sword. The handle began to glow.

Cray only nodded again.

“Tell me now, who are you really? Friend or foe?” He smiled to
show Cray he wasn’t angry, but he needed to know right now if Cray would remain
loyal to the crown or not.

Cray didn’t hesitate to kneel in front of Darius. “I pledge my
service to you, Darius DarSan Williams, the rightful heir to the throne of
power, grandson of Alric, my friend.” He stopped for a few seconds to compose
himself. “I swear my loyalty to you and to your family to the end of my days.”