War (The True Reign Series) (9 page)

King Barjon
’s eyes narrowed. “Darmik won?”

“Only because he must have done something unethical,” Lennek w
hined.

“Leave us,” the king demanded.

Once alone with his father, Darmik said, “I didn’t cheat. It was a fair win.”

The king smiled. “Nothing is ever fair.” He pulled out a leather whip. “Remove your tunic.”

When Darmik wasn’t having a nightmare about his father and brother, he was haunted by his time at Emperion. He always dreamt about some traumatic experience he’d tried to forget—like the time he was forced to fight a fellow cadet to the death.

“Only my ten best men from this unit can go on,” Officer Gaverek announced. “That means one of you fails.”

Darmik stood straight and tall at attention. He’d done well on all of his tests and challenges. Several of his fellow cadets were slower and not as qualified as he was. He should be safe from being sent home in disgrace.

“I
’ve decided to take the two worst cadets and have you fight until someone dies. Winner stays. I won’t have to waste my time sending the loser home.” No one spoke. “I’ve chosen Jimek—who is consistently coming in last for our runs.” Officer Gaverek stopped before Darmik. “And I’ve chosen the soft prince, since no one likes him.”

Panic swelled inside of Darmik. This wasn
’t fair. He shouldn’t be forced to fight a fellow cadet to the death. His hands became sweaty as he stepped forward, everyone forming a circle around him and Jimek. Only, when Darmik went to throw the first punch, Jimek morphed into Rema right as his fist struck her nose.

Awak
ening in a cold sweat, Darmik shook his head, trying to banish the visions of Rema screaming in pain. With shaking hands, he got dressed and went to the top deck. The air was hot and muggy, even though the sun hadn’t yet come up. They had to be close to Emperion. Darmik estimated they’d been aboard the ship for two weeks. Any hope of intercepting Rema’s ship had diminished. He was going to have to become the person he didn’t want to be—the king’s son, Prince Darmik, in order to go before the emperor. It was the only thing that could save Rema.

“
Land ho!” a voice rang through the dim, gray sky of dawn.

Darmik scanned the horizon—he didn
’t see anything.

Several sailors ran to man the sails. One approached him.
“We’ll be in port soon. I suggest you tell the others to prepare.”

Darmik
’s heartbeat quickened—this was it. He ran to Neco’s quarters, pounding on the door.

“
Yes?” Neco asked, pulling open the door and squinting.

“
Land has been spotted. Wake everyone. It’s time.”

Without waiting for a response,
Darmik rushed to his berth. Emperions were all about rank, so Darmik needed to show he outranked everyone except the emperor. Opening the footlocker, he pulled out his black pants and commander’s tunic. After dressing, he strapped his sword belt around his waist and sheathed his blade. Bending down, he retrieved his crown from the footlocker. He stood, staring at it. He never thought he’d wear it again. The sapphires looked almost black. Placing the crown atop his head, he felt like he was somehow betraying Rema just by wearing it. He had to remind himself that he was doing this for her. Taking a deep breath, he knew the task before him wouldn’t be easy.

He
went to the top deck to make sure everyone was ready. Much to his satisfaction, everyone—including the girls—wore the King’s Army uniform.

“
Excellent,” Darmik said, coming to stand before them.

Savenek tugged at the collar.
“We could have worn our uniform,” he mumbled.

“
No,” Darmik replied. “Your uniform has Rema’s crest. The emperor would have recognized it. We must bear King Barjon’s colors.”

Ellie fidgeted with her tunic. “Yes?” Darmik asked, knowing she had a question.

“It’s just that…well…we’re girls.”

Audek laughed. “I most certainly am not a girl.”

“Not you!” Ellie said, exasperated. “Vesha and I. Won’t they know something’s wrong? Girls aren’t allowed to join the army.”

“True,” Darmik said. “But that
’s only on Greenwood Island, not Emperion. The emperor allows women in the army. He even allows them to fight. No one will think anything of the two of you.”

“You
’re positive the emperor doesn’t know you’ve defected?” Ellie asked.

“There is no way for him to know already—unless Captain has beaten us there.”

Before Ellie could ask another question, Darmik continued, “I want everyone to remember what we discussed. You are all members of the King’s Army. I handpicked each of you to accompany me here. You are all highly trained soldiers.”

Everyone nodded.

“And remember, my position of commander and prince are equally important as me being the emperor’s nephew.”

Glancing out
at the ocean, Darmik saw land budding on the horizon. The sky lightened, welcoming day.

“
Places everyone!” Neco shouted. Audek, Savenek, Ellie, Vesha, and Neco all stood at attention along the railing of the port side of the ship. Darmik remained near the center of the deck, feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped behind his back. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and put on his game face—no emotion, only his bland expression, giving nothing away, as he’d been taught to do by the very people he was about to face.

The ship neared the military port. Hundreds and hundreds
of small, fast-moving ships were docked there. Neco glanced at Darmik, his lips tight with concern. Neco knew they were entering a hostile kingdom with the largest army, but to see firsthand the power, and weapons, was another matter. Darmik gave a curt nod, trying to get his friend to focus. Neco faced outward again.

The crew brought the sails down, and the boat entered the port.
Darmik instructed the helmsman to steer the ship directly to an open slip. As the boat made its way through the harbor, Darmik noticed several soldiers staring at them. When they neared an open slip, shouts rang through the air. Emperion soldiers swarmed the deck—already knowing something was wrong.

As t
he anchor dropped, Darmik glanced over the side of the boat and said, “Welcome to Emperion.” More than a hundred soldiers stood below, swords drawn. While he suspected this would happen, his companions did not. He could tell they were nervous just by looking at them.

“Relax,” Darmik said, “all of you. That
’s an order.”

“But you still want us at attention, right?” Audek asked.

Darmik rolled his eyes. “Yes, at attention, but don’t look so bloody scared!”

A ramp was
shoved up against the boat. Holding his head high, Darmik kept his face blank and went to the top of the ramp, prepared to face the Emperion Army.

Before the soldiers
could question him, Darmik shouted, “I am Prince Darmik, son of King Barjon of Greenwood Island. I am here on a peaceful, diplomatic mission. I want to speak to my uncle, Emperor Hamen.”

The soldiers stood frozen, swords pointed
upward in his direction. One man, dressed in the uniform of a lieutenant, walked forward to the bottom of the ramp.

“
Prince Darmik,” the lieutenant said in his funny, Emperion accent. “Welcome. I was not informed of your intended visit.”

“
My visit was not planned in advance,” he answered. “I have a message of the utmost importance from King Barjon for Emperor Hamen. Please escort me to my uncle. Immediately.”

The lieutenant smiled.
“Prince Darmik, or should I call you Commander?” His eyes narrowed, giving him a shrewd look. “Please forgive our inhospitality, but surely you, of all people, know I will not escort you to the emperor, unless the emperor so orders.”

Darmik knew this was a possibility
, the absolute worst-case scenario.

“
Arrest all of them,” the lieutenant ordered. “I want to know how they managed to get one of our ships.”

The soldiers rushed on board. Several
came at Darmik. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, knowing any sudden movement would get him a sword in the side. When he offered no resistance, a soldier pulled Darmik’s arms forward and fastened metal rings around his wrists, cinching them together. His crown, sword, and daggers were removed. Glancing at his friends, he saw them all being similarly bound and disarmed.

“
Take them to the main dungeon via the military route,” the lieutenant ordered. Thankfully, Darmik and his friends were being kept together, for now. If they were sent to separate places, Darmik knew he’d never see them again. This was the one, and only, thing working in their favor right now.

Darmik was roughly shoved down the ramp. At
the bottom, a dozen soldiers surrounded him. No one spoke as he was escorted along the dock. Stepping onto solid ground, his legs wobbled. It would take him a bit to acclimate. Focusing on his surroundings, the enormous wall enclosing the city loomed ahead, just as he remembered. It was tan stone, matching the sand-covered ground. The wind kicked up, tossing small pieces of sand at his exposed flesh. Even though it was in the early hours of the day, the sun was already hot and bright.

“Move it.” A soldier slammed the hilt of a sword into his back. It almost sent him to his knees;
but Darmik knew the games these men played. In order to survive, he needed to be strong and not reveal weakness or fear. Forcing himself to remain on his feet, he started walking.

Since this was the military
’s port, there was an entrance in the wall used strictly by soldiers entering into or out of Emperor’s City. Darmik moved in that direction. When he reached the guards stationed there, they opened the locked gate without a word.

He followed the soldiers through the wall and into the city. Streets crowded with merchants and people stretched in every direction. Two
-story structures, all the color of sand, lined the streets. In the distance, low, rolling hills were covered with tan stones. Not much had changed since the last time he’d been there. It was still ugly and inhospitable.

The soldiers led Darmik to one of the larger buildings across the street. Above the door was the emperor
’s crest. The lieutenant pushed past his men and went inside while everyone else remained outside, waiting in the hot sun.

After
several minutes, the door opened and a soldier stepped out. “Will the foreigners please step forward?”

Darmik did as asked, hoping his companions all followed suit.

“First-rank officers only, escort the prisoners inside. Everyone else, return to your stations at once.”

Two soldiers came toward Darmik, each grabbing one of his arms and bringing him inside.

“Use the second door,” the soldier instructed as they entered the building.

At first, Darmik couldn
’t see anything from being in the bright sunlight. He was pulled forward and he heard feet shuffling over a hard surface, but that was it. Gradually, his eyes adjusted and he saw that they traveled down a narrow hallway.

They came to a stop before a door with the number two engraved on it. One of the soldiers unlocked and opened
it. Darmik glanced back and saw his companions close behind, each with a guard at their side. The soldier escorting Darmik shoved him through the doorway. A guard stepped next to him, holding a torch that revealed a long, narrow set of stairs, leading down. Not wanting to show any fear, Darmik quickly descended, his guards right behind him. At the bottom, a long, dark tunnel stretched out before him, no end in sight.

“
Keep moving,” a soldier said. Darmik recalled his studies about Emperion. There was an entire network of tunnels under the city. It allowed for not only prisoner transportation, but also evacuation of the city if need be.

No one spoke during the several mile journey. Darmik took
mental notes of each turn they made. When he came to a set of stairs leading up, he quickly calculated the route in reverse, memorizing it, in case it was needed to escape. Darmik went up the stairs; though, it was only half of what he’d descended. He guessed he was still underground. A black, iron door opened, and he was shoved inside a small room. The door slammed shut, causing a loud boom to echo through the cold, still space.

He was alone.

Another door opened and two soldiers stood there, dressed in solid black. He was in the dungeon.

“
Where are the members of my guard being taken?” Darmik demanded. He needed to stay with his companions. Neither soldier spoke or indicated they had even heard his question.

A
third soldier, dressed in the uniform of a prison warden, stepped into the room. “The members of your guard are going to be interrogated,” the man said.

Darmik
’s stomach twisted in pain. He couldn’t let his friends be tortured. “They are my escorts and companions. If it’s information you want, interrogate me, for they know nothing of value.”

The warden smiled.
“We are going to interrogate you, too.” He spun on his heels. “Bring the prisoner with me,” he ordered.