The Heir (11 page)

“I’m sorry, young Prince,” she said with an
apologetic look. “It is not up to you or me to dictate what the
herbs will show you. Just know that they will show you what will be
most important to your plans.”

“My Lord Baylin,” called a voice from
outside. The Prince spun to see his steward step through the flap
of the tent. He turned back to see the elf maid had vanished.

“Your Grace?” the steward questioned, his
brow furrowed in worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Quite.” Baylin took a deep breath,
attempting to take in everything he had encountered. “Please finish
saddling my horse, if you would. And fetch General Ferric to me at
once.”

After the steward left, Baylin hid the small
leaf-wrapped parcel the elf had given him in a false bottom drawer
in his desk, ensuring no one would discover it.

As he once again studied his maps, Ferric
made his way into the tent.

“Baylin,” he greeted. “What is it? Our men
are ready.”

“I know, my friend,” the Prince said. “There
is something I need you to do for me.” He pulled out the black
velvet bag and handed it to Ferric. “Make sure every arrow is
sprinkled with this before they dip them in the fire.”

“Your Grace?” A question spread across
Ferric’s face.

“Do you trust me?” Baylin asked, placing a
hand on the young general’s shoulder.

“With my life,” he replied. No more words
were required. Ferric left with the bag in tow.

The Prince paused, considering the elf’s
words.
It starts here, but it will not end here. So where does
it end? When does it end?
Frustration took hold as he thought
of how the elf maid avoided giving him the straight answers he so
desperately wanted.
The gods save me from the magic of the
elves.

Elves were known to be cryptic and withdrawn
because they lived by a code. They vowed to never interfere with
the will of the gods. Of course, this code had loopholes. It seemed
that they always showed up when they felt the gods were making the
wrong choices.

The Prince only hoped the elves knew
something he didn’t, and that they would help him dispense of the
evil filling the lands.

Baylin left the tent to find his horse had
been saddled and prepared for battle. The large black stallion
snorted at the sight of the Prince in his armor. He mounted the
horse and galloped to the front of the camp. The sunrise was in
their favor, shining its golden rays at the mountainside.

The soldiers, both mounted and on foot, were
in formation along the forest edge, outside of the firebreak
ditches they had constructed.

This will work,
Baylin thought.
This has to work.

Ferric rode up next to Baylin. “My Prince,
we are ready.”

Baylin sat in silence for a moment. Tension
caused his skin to tingle. Horses pawed at the earth while the soft
clink of armor resonated through the lines.

The Prince nodded. “It is time. Archers, at
your mark!”

A line of five hundred men with bows stepped
to the front of the line. It was said that Keld men were born with
a bow in their hand, never missing their marks. They dipped the
tips of their arrows into small fires that had been built along the
edge of the fire line.

“Archers, aim,” Baylin commanded.
“Loose!”

The arrows cut through the air, fanning the
flames as they flew. They imbedded in the large trees on the edge
of the forest, the wood hissing as the fire began to take root and
burn.

The wind was in their favor; it blew from
the east directly toward the mountainside. The burning vegetation
sent smoke and flames crawling up the mountain toward the troll
hordes.

The blaze grew strong and high as the flames
spread, as the elf had promised. Tree limbs snapped as the inferno
gathered strength, yet the rest of the mountain seemed strangely
still. Baylin tried to survey the land through the thick smoke.
I was certain by now there would be some sound, some
movement.
The entire mountain seemed to be aflame, all but the
mountain pass, which lacked the grass or trees to burn. The men
braced as they waited for the trolls to travel straight into their
lines.

Even with the wind blowing away from the
camp, smoke began to cloud their vision as they waited in
silence.

“Prince Baylin,” Ferric whispered in an
anxious tone, “why do they not…”

“It will work,” Baylin interrupted. “Wait
for it.”

The air was silent but for the sound of
cracking branches that collapsed as the flames tore through the
trees. The birds, who had sang out at morning’s arrival, had all
fled, leaving no songs to be heard. The only other sound was the
occasional hoof stamp or snort from the thousands of horses lined
up in formation. Just when Baylin thought the plan had failed, the
air erupted with a sound like thunder rolling through the sky. The
ground began to vibrate as the sound grew louder.
The hordes are
headed straight for us.

“Ready, men!” Baylin yelled out. “Hold your
ground, do not let the lines fall. This day we obliterate the
vermin for good!”

The men followed with a bellowing chant of
agreement.

“Here they come!” Baylin squinted to peer
through the heavy smoke and saw movement. “Archers, fire!”

A rain of steel-tipped arrows fell from the
sky, taking down large groups of trolls as they attempted to flee
the mountain.

Baylin drew his sword and spurred his horse
to battle. “Attack!” The men and their mounts followed suit.

The trolls ran like a landslide down the
mountain pass, breaking against the swords and shields of the men
like waves against rocks on the shore.

The air grew rank with the stench of smoke,
blood and death.

Chapter
Twelve

It had been over a month since Luana had
asked the Queen to smuggle her letter to Baylin. He had sent a
reply to her by messenger. His words were simple, but they hit her
at her core.
I love you always—in this life and in the next.
She knew it meant he did not know if he was coming home.

The Queen brought her word whenever she had
news. Luana had been told the Prince was alive and unharmed, and
the battle had in fact, taken a turn toward ending. However, Baylin
remained a world away, so far from her arms.

Baylin’s mother had been very kind and was
constantly checking in on Luana. She would also stay and have meals
with her from time to time. The biggest service she had provided
was to command that Luana was not allowed to be disturbed. This
meant that Queen Fia and Princess Isla were strictly forbidden to
see her and, for this, Luana could not thank Queen Valasca
enough.

Luana had been with child for over six
months, according to Master Keon and a midwife who had been brought
in by Queen Valasca. The night she first felt the quickening of a
strong kick brought tears to her eyes. She thought of how pleased
Baylin would be and how sad it made her knowing he had missed
it.

It was evening and the villages of Grasmere
were hard to see from the balcony of Luana’s chamber. She could
make out the tiny flickers of light coming from the windows of the
homes, but could not see the homes themselves. The moon was a tiny
sliver in the sky, the new moon had passed and it had once again
begun to wax in the sky.

The days were getting warmer as summer took
hold, and Luana enjoyed spending her evenings under the night sky
in the cool evening air while basking in the light of the moon and
stars.

Luana’s handmaid, Meg, walked out onto the
balcony. “Milady, would you like your hair brushed now?”

Luana smiled and nodded. “Yes, that would be
nice.” She followed Meg in and sat down in front of her mirror as
the maid began brushing her hair.

Luana looked at the girl’s reflection in the
mirror. “Do you have any news to entertain me with this evening?”
She enjoyed Meg, who was constantly chattering about goings on in
the castle. It was one of the only forms of entertainment Luana
hadn’t gotten tired of yet.

The young maid smiled. “Oh yes, something
that will please you, I believe. Princess Isla and Queen Fia are
returning to Mirstone!”

“What? Why?” Luana asked, stunned.

“Well, according to their maid Gretchen, and
mind you she is not privy to all the details, but it would seem
that His Grace, Prince Baylin won a great victory! He and his men
have killed nearly all the troll horde. She said something about
setting the mountain on fire, though I don’t know anything about
that. But they heard he has made the castle and villages safe
again, so the Princess insisted she return at once to look after
her people.”

Look after Baylin more likely.
Luana
felt the burn of bile at the back of her throat.
She wants to
get to Baylin before he is on his way back home.

The maid looked at her worried. “Did I say
something wrong, milady?”

Luana relaxed the tense features on her
face, attempting to soften her expression. “No, my dear, you’ve
done nothing wrong. I worry for the Prince.”

“We all do, milady,” Meg said, continuing to
brush Luana’s hair. “You should be so proud. Everyone in the
Kingdom loves him. He will be a great King one day.”

That, Luana could agree with wholeheartedly.
“Yes. Yes, he most certainly will.”

“And once he’s back, you and he can…” Meg
continued to prattle on.

A knock came at the door causing both women
to startle. Queen Valasca had visited Luana earlier that day, so it
most certainly couldn’t be her.
Unless there is news of Baylin.
What if he’s been hurt? What if…
She couldn’t bring herself to
think of the horrible things that could happen to her love while on
the battlefield.

Meg crossed the room as Luana struggled to
stand. She placed a hand on her round belly as she felt a hard
kick.
You are a strong one, my son.

The maid opened the door to reveal Princess
Isla standing in the doorway.

Meg looked back at Luana nervously then back
again at the Princess. “I’m sorry, Your Grace, Queen Valasca has
commanded that the young miss not be disturbed.”

Isla glowered at the young girl and raised
her hand as if to backhand her. The maid cowered, shrinking away
from her.

Luana, as quickly as her body would allow,
made her way to Meg’s side. She took her in her arms. “It is fine,
dearest. Would you be so kind as to draw me a bath?”

Meg nodded and ran into the private
bath.

Isla laughed. “Associating with the rabble?
Well, I suppose it makes you feel more at home. After all, they are
your people.”

Luana turned to face the Princess. “Have you
no compassion for anyone, Isla? The girl was only doing as she was
bid.”

“Look who’s gained her courage!” Isla smiled
slyly. “You’ve forgotten your courtesies, my dear, you should
address your betters by their proper titles.” She shoved her way
past Luana as she entered the room without invitation.

Luana was not amused, nor was she in a mood
to play games. “What is it that you need?”

“I have come to say my goodbyes, of course.”
Isla turned around to face Luana. “My family and I are to travel
back to Mirstone in the morning.”

Luana had to admit she had looked forward to
this day.
Yet now that it is here, and I know the Princess’s
intensions, I dread it. If only I could keep her here long enough
to allow Baylin’s return.

Isla seemed to be reading Luana’s thoughts.
“Sorry to see me go, are we? Don’t worry, I will make sure to take
good care of Baylin when I arrive.”

“I’m sure that is your plan,” Luana hissed
through clamped teeth. “Whether he will have you or not is another
story entirely.”

Her anger seemed to please Isla. The
Princess looked down at Luana’s swollen belly. “Looks like I won’t
have to wait too much longer to cast you out of the castle.”

Luana glared at the Princess. “You forget
something very important.”

“Really?” Isla raised an eyebrow in
amusement. “And what would that be?”

“Baylin has never agreed to marry you,”
Luana said with a smile on her face.

The Princess sneered at Luana. “A formality.
It is all but decided by our fathers. It’s what’s best for the
Kingdoms.”

A loud burst of laughter escaped Luana’s
lips at Isla’s words.

“What?” Isla barked. “What about this do you
find at all funny?”

“I realized how delusional you are. Nothing
that involves you could possibly be good for anyone, and certainly
not the Kingdom.” Luana smirked, knowing she was getting under the
Princess’s skin.

It was obvious that the Princess was
infuriated. Luana imagined if you provoked a dragon enough, it
would share the same expression.

Luana knew she was pushing Isla, but she no
longer cared.

In her anger, the Princess pulled her hand
back and swung at the young bed wife in an attempt to slap her, but
Luana was ready for it as she reached out clamping down on the
Princess’s arm, stopping her mid-swing.

When Luana’s hand wrapped around the
Princess’s wrist, something strange occurred. Luana saw something—a
brief glimpse, something she didn’t understand.

She saw Isla with flames behind her as a
forest burned, then an image of a hooded figure chanting over a
tattered old book. There was a quick flash of Queen Valasca in
mourning clothes, and finally a glimpse of Lord Cadman holding a
crying baby.

Upon seeing Cadman’s face, Luana released
Isla’s arm.
What was that?

Luana looked up at the Princess and, judging
by her expression and behavior, Isla was not aware of what Luana
had experienced.

Isla clenched her teeth together and glared
at Luana. “Well, little bed wife, you have gained some courage,
haven’t you? That’s all right. You keep thinking Prince Baylin will
be yours. This arrangement was made by Lord Cadman long before you
were ever in Baylin’s thoughts.”