The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) (3 page)

Roland picked the sword up from
the ground and bowed low to the new King. “I am chastened, my Lord. Forgive my
questioning.” The captain’s face reddened.

Darius softened, realizing an
embarrassed and possibly disgruntled captain could be detrimental and
dangerous. “No forgiveness is required. You are encouraged to question me in my
safety. However, please don’t keep asking once my decision is made.” He smiled
to try and lighten the moment, his gray eyes holding only friendship toward the
man.

The King turned to the rest of
the crowd. “As of today, I promote Captain Roland Leeds from captain of the
castle guard to captain commander of my own personal guard. He will ride with
me today and will be in charge of the safety of our entire entourage as we
travel through the Realm and to our neighboring kingdoms.”

Roland blushed again, the
embarrassment looking out of place on the large, fit soldier. “Thank you, my
Lord. You are most kind.”

“I trust you can be ready to
leave in a few moments?” he asked his new captain commander. “I am anxious to
begin.”

“Of course. A soldier is always
ready.” Roland began barking commands at the other guards who would be
accompanying the group.

Christine leaned over and put her
hand on her husband’s arm. “You diffused that in a nice way. Now you will have
him close by to keep a watch on him.”

“Christine, I trust him. He
earned the promotion. He’s a good soldier. I may not need protection, but you
or others might.”

“Darius, you can’t trust
everyone. Be careful,” she admonished.

Christine had previously voiced
her worry to Darius that his new power and his ability to love and understand
people had made him too trusting and vulnerable. In the first few months of his
reign, when someone was brought to him that was in trouble, Darius would
blindly trust their assurances they would change their behavior. Three times
already a former troublemaker had been brought back in for continuing his
law-breaking. It was hard for Darius to understand someone not keeping their
promises. His power was growing and his love of the people grew with it; he
just had to remember there were still evil hearts and intentions in the world.

Two horses were led to where the
King and Queen stood. Lightning, Christine’s personal Cremelino horse, was pure
white with a long mane. The other horse, although not a Cremelino was just as
large but stood black and shiny, waiting for the King to mount. Cremelino
horses were a special breed, but neither Christine nor Darius had realized the
extent of the horses’ magical powers. It was common knowledge that a Cremelino
bonded with only one person at a time. No one else was allowed to ride them
unless allowed by the Cremelino. If tried, immense pain would jar the insides
of the culprit. But the ability to communicate mentally with them took them
both by surprise.

Darius looked at Christine and
her Cremelino and smiled. He thought back to the time three months earlier when
after being gone for almost a year, he had returned to Anikari. He had seen
Christine and Lightning on the road outside of the city trying to stop a
skirmish between the farmers and city guards. He had used his growing powers to
heal Lightning that day.

Remember the prophecy,
Lightning
spoke to their minds.
It is not yet complete:

Forgotten lines of ancient magic

and the power of the throne.

One will make them both his own

if his heart sees the true
power.

He will bring light to fight
darkness

and love to fight hate

if he reaches into the power of
his heart.

He will find new allies, turn
enemy to friend, and

Find the binding of all power on
the path of peace.

Christine responded back, “
He
has fought his own darkness and brought light again to the kingdom, and he
rules with love. Isn’t the prophecy fulfilled then?”

Not yet, my dear. He has much
more to do on his path of peace.

Darius let out a breath of air.
He appreciated the fact that they could communicate with Lightning, but their
prophecies, hidden meanings, and secrecies were enough to drive him mad.

No one else in the group had
noticed the quickly exchanged thoughts between the three of them. The
mind-speaking ability of the Cremelinos was only known by a few of them.
Lightning had explained to Darius and Christine that she had been prepared to
help them fulfill the prophecy. In ancient times, the Cremelinos spoke with
wizards, but the practice had been lost since the Realm had kept the Cremelinos
for themselves while shunning magic. Lightning’s ability to speak with
Christine came from ancient bloodlines of lesser wizards that ran in her veins
and her special relationship with Darius.

Let’s go, wizard!
Lightning said.

This time, Darius heeded her
words. He smiled and put up his hand in signal to proceed.

“Farewell, my friends,” he called
out as his own anxious steed galloped across the courtyard and through the
castle gates, Christine riding Lightning by his side. “My father and the other
councilors are in charge until I return. I will bid your good wishes to the
other cities and kingdoms we visit. They will know the Realm is still in
control, that her people are proud, and their King will bring them honor.”

Among the cheers of its citizens,
the group began its descent through the streets of Anikari, the great and
ancient capital city of the Realm. Darius spread his hands wide, and flowers
bloomed in the windowsills of the businesses and houses lining the streets. The
crowds shouted in joy and saluted their new King and his powers. The young
people looked up at Christine and Darius in dreamlike stares of hope and
longing. They loved their new King and his wife. Bards and storytellers were
already singing songs and telling stories of their courtship and wedding.

Darius did notice some of the
older residents standing in the back. They did not cheer as loud or join in the
celebration as much. They held to the old ways of nobility and separation from
others more firmly. Darius tipped his head at those specifically and tried to
reach out his magic of love to them. Some responded with amazed looks on their
faces; others were too hardened to feel. He had left directions with councilor
Martin Halverssn
from the farmlands to take things
slow and not make any sudden changes. He hoped old prejudices would fade over
time.

The autumn day turned warm, but
the high heat of summer had left them. They left the western city gates and
skirted the outside of the farmlands, turning north and then back east around
Anikari. Humble farmers and ranchers stood on the side of the road and let
their praises be known. Darius knew many of them and Christine most of them.
These were good hardworking people who toiled so those in the city had food and
meat. The apple orchards hung heavy with a good upcoming harvest. Berries,
watermelon, tomatoes, and other late summer fruit and vegetable gardens could
be seen dwindling with their last fruits of the year.

“I’ve missed riding like this,”
Christine said to Darius. “We have been in the city too long.”

“I agree. By late fall however,
the Diamond Palace will be finished enough to spend some time there this
winter,” Darius said, referring to the large home he was having built out in
the farmlands along the edge of the Lake of Reflection. The natural meadow that
they had found years before had been named the Field of Diamonds. The palace
would give them a chance periodically to be out of the city, while still able
to conduct the business of the Realm.

Christine smiled, and Darius felt
giddy with excitement of the upcoming trip. They would travel slow, as large
royal groups tended to do, stopping at many small towns and villages on their
way down to Belor, then up the coast to Mar. He had sent Kelln ahead to make sure
Mar was safe for them. He didn’t want to put Christine in harm’s way. After
Mar, they would travel west to Sur. He had sent dignitaries to the Kingdom of
Arc to arrange a meeting with King Anwar. Afterwards they would travel down to
Denir in the southwest and then onto Gildan.

The trip would last a few weeks
at least, maybe a month, but Darius felt it an important part of him being King
to be out and meet the people. People seemed to treat others better and
gossiped less once they met someone. He knew his quick rise to power, his age,
and his wizard magic was already grand fodder for rumors.

As they left the farmlands, he
spurred his
Andalusian
to a quicker pace. They
weren’t going far that day—only to Forest View—but he needed some fresh air.
Lightning and Christine took up the pace beside him.

You didn’t want to race, did
you, Wizard?

Darius laughed.
“Oh no! It
would not be seemly to have the King lose to his lady.”

Christine joined in the laughter,
and faint amusement came to their minds.

Someday we will get you your
own Cremelino, Wizard King! One that can keep you in your place. You did direct
your ambassador to come to White Island, didn’t you?

“Yes, I did,”
Darius
answered.
“But you never told me why.”

You will find out soon enough.
Just stay alert. There may be trouble on this trip of ours.

Darius considered her warning
seriously and looked around. The captain commander seemed to have everything in
control. He would tell Roland to keep a special watch for trouble.

ADVENTURES IN MAR

K
elln sat outside the assistant governor’s
office in Mar, the third time in as many weeks. It was infuriating, this
sitting around and waiting. He had never liked sitting still and doing nothing.
He’d asked to review the trade accounts, which should have been readily
available. One excuse after another had him shuffling off to a multitude of
people. Now he found himself waiting in the same office as three weeks before.
As offices go, this one wasn’t a bad place to wait. The chairs were cushioned,
stewards came by at regular times to hand out refreshments and sweets, and the
ladies in Mar were quite striking with their customary multi-colored skirts
hiked up higher than would be proper in Anikari.

Still he was getting tired of not
being taken seriously. He had made no headway in finding out anything about the
Preacher or Alessandra either.  Thinking of the Preacher always made him cringe
inside.  The man’s evil powers had invaded his mind and tortured him while in
Belor.

He noticed a man come in through
a side door and enter the office. He jumped out of his seat and trotted over to
the secretary’s desk. The secretary glanced up at Kelln and spoke in a bored
monotone.

“May I help you, good sir?”

“Was that Assistant Governor
Tamidor coming in?”

“Yes, it was, sir.”

“As you know, I have been waiting
to talk to him about the trade accounts,” Kelln said.

“As you have told me, sir.”

Kelln, normally patient and one
for some fun, had lost all the patience he had and was not having fun anymore.
He smoothed down his official coat and stood taller. “Look here. I am the
King’s ambassador. I have been ordered to review the books by the King, and I
am tired of being ignored.”

“I am sure you are, sir. No one
likes being ignored,” the secretary said.

“That’s it, little man.” Kelln
reached down and grabbed the front of the man’s shirt and pulled him up in
front of him. Kelln paused for an instant when he grasped that the man stood
taller and thicker than him, which wasn’t very hard since Kelln was on the
short side and had a hard time putting on weight.

The secretary’s face grew grim,
and his disposition changed. He reached for a dagger at his side. “You don’t
want to cause trouble here, Ambassador, do you? I don’t think you want to cause
a scene right now.”

Kelln knew when to back down. He
put his hands up in front of him and breathed in a deep breath, letting the air
out in a slow and patient manner. He tried to relax. The man was right; Kelln
didn’t want to cause any problems. He was Darius’s first ambassador to come to
Mar, which had always been a little more independent than the other cities due
to its underground Guild of Thieves. Looking up at the big man in front of him,
he was sure this man belonged to that guild and had infiltrated the government.
Maybe they all had! They were hiding something.

“Fine,” Kelln muttered. “I will
return in two days. Tell the assistant governor I will review the books at that
time.” If not, then he would find the governor and deal directly with him.

The large secretary sat back
down, resuming his old behavior and form. “I am sure you will, sir.” He then
continued writing down something in his books.

Kelln groaned under his breath
and walked out the door. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going and
almost knocked down a lady coming into the building. She glared at him, and he
snarled back.

A good walk was what he needed to
stretch his legs and clear his head. He wasn’t so sure any more about this
ambassador position. It took all the fun out of life. He had heard about
gardens on the other side of the offices, and so he turned the corner in search
of them.

Just as he did so, a man came out
of the side door. He glanced around with nervous tics. Kelln slid behind a
nearby tree to watch. He was surprised to see Assistant Governor Aron Tamidor
sneaking out. The man had on a dark hooded cloak and pulled the hood up over
his face. Looking around once again, the man set off at a quick pace.

Kelln smiled. Now maybe there
would be something fun to do. He decided to follow the man. Tamidor walked with
his head down through the city office building complex and then into the market
area. The sun had risen almost to its peak.

The market sounds and smells
racked Kelln’s senses pleasantly. Fresh sweetbreads tempted him toward the
bakery sector, but he needed to stay close to the man he was following so as
not to lose him in the crowds. Being a warm day at the edge of the desert, the
assistant governor stood out with his hooded head. The man didn’t think to turn
around and look behind him, which worked to Kelln’s favor.

At one point, the man stopped, as
if deciding which way to turn. Kelln turned to the nearest market booth and
tried to be busy examining their wares. Unfortunately, it was a booth of
women’s skirts and dresses. Outside of admiring many a girl who wore skirts and
dresses, Kelln didn’t know much about them. His sisters owned one or two, he
supposed.

“Ah, good sir.” The female
shopkeeper had noticed him. “Looking for a gift for your special lady?”

Kelln tried to follow where
Tamidor headed with his eyes. He ignored the lady’s question and didn’t notice
the nicely dressed man who now stood beside him.

“Ambassador, you didn’t answer
the lady’s question.”

Kelln turned around, surprised at
being addressed in his official capacity. Something didn’t seem right. He
didn’t know the man who had addressed him, and a bad feeling set off alarms in
his head. A middle-aged man in white pants and a colorful cloak stood next to
him. A small dirk hung ceremoniously at his side. The man smoothed down his long
mustache, a style that had become popular lately in Mar, and glared intently at
Kelln.

“I’m sorry,” Kelln asked. “Do I
know you?”

“Probably not,” the man said,
“but we know who you are.”

Kelln tried to turn his head
without being obvious. He didn’t want to lose Tamidor, but it seemed like he
now had.

“Looking for someone?” The man
smiled.

Now Kelln realized what had
happened. The assistant governor hadn’t looked behind him because someone else
already followed from behind. He berated himself for such a dumb mistake. He
would have to do better than that to be a good ambassador for Darius.

“Just out for a stroll and
perusing through your fine market.” Kelln put on a happy face. “This is a
marvelous place with so much to see.”

“You are quite right, good sir. I
should get you an escort to show you around. You wouldn’t want to accidently
find yourself in a bad part of town.”

Kelln realized the man had
threatened him but tried to remain calm. “I can’t believe in this beautiful
law-abiding city you have such bad parts of town. I think I am fine by myself.
But I do thank you for your offer. Maybe another time.”

The man lowered his voice, waved
his hands away in a disguised signal, and stepped closer to Kelln. “It’s time
to leave the market, sir.”

Out of the corner of his eyes,
Kelln saw other men approaching. He was about to respond when a fair-skinned,
dark-haired young woman his age with a younger boy in tow giggled and stepped
up next to Kelln.

“There you are, you handsome man.
You snuck off without me.” She put her hand on Kelln’s arm in a seductive
manner as her colorful bodice pushed in next to him.

Kelln was confused, and the other
man stopped and waved his hand again to hold back the other men.

The young lady drew her eyes
around the booth they stood in front of and squealed in delight. “Oh, you were
buying me a dress!” She reached over and picked up one of the many items on
sale. “You are so sneaky.”

Kelln studied the younger boy
standing next to her. The scrawny, straw-haired, freckled youth gave him a
wink, and Kelln understood what they were doing. He moved in closer to the
attractive lady.

“You found me out.” He played
along. “It was going to be a surprise for your birthday.” Kelln put his arm
around her and leaned in for a kiss. He might as well enjoy the game.

The teasing girl put her fingers
up against Kelln’s lips. “Not here in public, sweetie.”

Kelln backed up with a pout.

The young boy moved up next to
the girl, “Taliana, Mother is expecting us back soon.”

“Quite right, brother,” Taliana
said. She proceeded to loop one arm through his and another arm through
Kelln’s. “Then we better hurry and find some more dresses.” With that, she
danced the two boys down the street and away from the man who was giving Kelln
trouble. Turning a corner, the boy motioned with one hand for both Taliana and
Kelln to follow him down the street. Soon they found themselves in the back of
an older plaster-coated building.

Kelln surveyed both of them but
didn’t say a word. Finally, the two strangers burst out laughing.

“That was fun!” Taliana’s blue
eyes sparkled.

“You were great, Tali,” the young
boy added.

 “What’s going on here?” Kelln
felt confused at best. “And who are you two?”

The younger boy stuck out his
small hand to Kelln. “My name is Rapp. Nice to meet you, Ambassador.”

“Rapp?” Kelln muttered.

“Well it’s actually Rappatorian,
but you know.” The boy seemed embarrassed. “It seems a little too formal for
what I do.”

“And what is it you do, Rapp?”

“I run errands for people. Help
people get out of trouble. You know, that sort of thing,” he said vaguely.

“Rapp is being quite modest,
sir.” Tali spoke to Kelln for the first time since the dress booth. “He is one
of the guild’s best runners. He works for one of the guildmasters.”

“Which one?” Kelln asked with
suspicion.

     “The Merchants’ Guild,” Tali
answered. The city of Mar had been run by guilds further back than the founding
of the Realm. In order to do any kind of business in the city, you had to
belong to a guild. Even the thieves had a guild.

“And Tali, if that is your real
name, what is it you do?”

Tali laughed and tossed her head
in a way that would melt many men. “My name is Taliana Penrose, daughter of
Governor Penrose, guildmaster of the Merchants’ Guild. I don’t work for the
guild, but Rapp here asked me for a favor, and I decided to help. Did you like
my performance?”

“Yes. Yes, I did.” Kelln laughed.
“That was quite fantastic. I must admit being a little confused at first.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun to be an
actress and perform with the bards and playwrights all around the Realm?” Tali
added.

“Well, you have my vote.”

Tali leaned over and kissed him
on the cheek. “Thank you, Ambassador.”

“And what’s the kiss for?” Kelln
smiled mischievously.

“Well, you wanted one earlier,
didn’t you?” Tali teased with a swish of her wide multi-colored skirt, her long
brown hair moving around her shoulders.

“Oh, gross.” Rapp sighed. “Stop
flirting with him, Tali. He’s a representative of the King.”

Kelln almost said something when
they overheard voices outside of the door they hid behind. The man from the
market spoke to someone else. They were still on the lookout for him. They
stayed quiet for a few minutes, and the voices drifted away.

“Now.” Kelln got down to
business. “Who was that man?”

“He works for the assistant
governor, well, at least unofficially,” Rapp said. “We have suspected the
assistant governor and his secretary both work for the Thieves’ Guild.”

Kelln frowned, but had to agree
with their suspicions. “I met his secretary. All nice and polite until you do
something he doesn’t agree with and then . . . he changed very quickly into
someone with dangerous undertones.”

“My father has been trying to get
proof for years on the assistant governor, but they have covered things well,”
Tali said.

Kelln considered both of them.
“So, Rapp, you work for Governor Penrose?”

Rapp beamed. “I sure do. The
Merchants’ Guild is the biggest guild in the city.”

“That is how Daddy got noticed by
King Edward. He tried to build up an honest guild. That earned him the
governorship four years ago.” Tali continued, “But as of late, the Thieves
Guild have been trying to cause trouble, skimming money off the top of trade
and undermining my father. Now, there are a few new people trying to take over
the smaller guilds and form them into one. They have approached my father about
siding with him against the Thieves’ Guild.

Kelln was amazed at the amount of
information he was gathering from these two. It was much more than he had
gained by sitting around the city offices for the past month. “How do you two
know all of this? You’re just kids!”

Tali’s eyes flashed. “I’m not a
kid, Ambassador. I am not much younger than you, I would guess.”

Kelln realized he had said the
wrong thing and just nodded his head in apology and said, “please just call me
Kelln.”

“All right.  Kelln, I’ve been
following my father’s work for years. When I was little, I brought food into
his meetings. Now that I am older, no one pays much attention to me being there
since they are used to me, but I hear everything. My father knows there are things
Rapp and I can do that he can’t.”

“Such as what you did today to
help me?” Kelln understood. “I do appreciate that.”

They stood in silence for a
moment.

“I think it’s safe to leave
here,” Rapp said.

The others nodded, and they
stepped out of the door and continued walking away from the marketplace into a
part of town Kelln didn’t recognize. The neighborhood was not the large rich
houses up on the hills overlooking the city and the bay, but also it wasn’t one
of the poorer thief-ridden neighborhoods. He felt quite comfortable walking the
streets here. The bright-colored plaster houses stood neatly arranged, far
different from the style in Anikari. Many had small c
ourtyards
out front with potted flowers, benches, and even some fountains. He imagined
families and neighbors visiting outside during the hotter months. The materials
used for the houses here came from rocks crushed along the shore that had
fallen down from the White Cliffs.