The Heir (16 page)

Damn these elves and their cryptic
nature. Why can’t they ever give a straight answer?
Baylin knew
he would get more by playing along with the King rather than
demanding information immediately. He nodded to Ferric and they
followed the King and sat down on the blanket. Baylin could not
deny his stomach screamed for the food that had been provided. He
was also certain he would be more useful in battle plans if he had
a full stomach.

King Rydel handed them both a piece of bread
and hunk of cheese. “Please eat.”

Ferric nodded and tore into the food as
though he had not eaten in weeks.

Baylin accepted the gift with a gracious bow
of the head. “Many thanks. I do not wish to seem ungrateful, but
Mirstone is suiting up to ride on Grasmere as we speak. Every
minute we spend here is a minute closer their army will get to
us.”

King Rydel gave a mischievous smile and
looked over at the elf maid who had helped Baylin so many weeks
ago. “Do not worry, my sister Faylen has taken precautions to…
delay their army.”

“Your sister?” Baylin questioned in
disbelief.

“Yes, Faylen has been watching over you for
quite some time, young Prince,” the elf King said matter-of-factly.
“As I have said, your rise to power is of great importance to the
realm. All of the realm.”

Baylin gave a deep sigh and rubbed the back
of his neck. “Then why won’t you tell me so I can get on with it? I
do not mean any disrespect, and I know it is in the nature of the
elves not to interfere unless necessary, but doesn’t your very
presence prove that it is just that?”

King Rydel searched Baylin’s eyes. He
appeared as though he struggled between two sides of an argument
within his thoughts.

“Please, my Lord, I cannot face this evil on
my own,” Baylin pleaded.

His words caught the elf King’s attention.
“You won’t, son of Ashmur. We will help you bear this burden, as it
will eventually be the burden of all who call Wintervale their
home.”

Relief spread over Baylin as he let out a
breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thank you, my Lord.”

“My Lord?” Ferric piped up nervously,
addressing the elf King. “You stated Mirstone would be delayed.
Might I ask how?”

King Rydel smirked, looking back to his
sister. “All elves have their own special gift from the gods.
Faylen was gifted with the ability to control the moisture in the
air.”

Faylen beamed. “I think you will find that
Mirstone is covered in a dense onslaught of fog and rain. An army
cannot travel if they lack the ability to see their hands in front
of their noses!” She giggled, covering her mouth with her delicate
hand.

Ferric and Baylin attempted to control their
amused laughter at the elf maid’s excitement. Even King Rydel
smiled at his sister’s exuberance.

“Many thanks, Milady,” Baylin said with a
slight bow of the head. He turned his attentions back to the elf
King. “It is obvious you do not plan to leave the Kingdom of
Mirstone in an eternal state of dismal conditions; it would not be
right for the villagers of the Kingdom to suffer such a fate.”

“Undeniably,” King Rydel agreed as he placed
a small grape in his mouth and savored it.

Ferric looked at Baylin. “We must leave
soon. At this rate, even with a delay they will be upon us before
we can reach Grasmere. How are we to get our men through the forest
and ready the Kingdom in time?”

“How indeed?” the elf King murmured as he
examined a piece of clover from the ground.

Wonderful, he’s gone cryptic again.
Baylin gave a deep sigh and stood up, surveying the trail that ran
through Fagin Forest. “It will take a day, at least, for all the
men to travel through the forest. There’s hardly room for two
wagons to travel past one another.” He turned and faced Faylen.
“How much time will your bad weather buy us?”

The elf maid gave a worried look. “I’m
afraid I cannot hold the magic for much longer. It was meant to be
a delay, not a solution. To cover such a vast area with fog and
rain takes its toll.”

“Damn,” Baylin spoke gruffly.

Ferric stepped up and bowed to Faylen.
“Milady, thank you for your assistance. Any delay you can afford us
is most welcome. But please, do not exert yourself. Especially if
it should cause you harm. Your safety is as important as our
own.”

Baylin watched as the elf maid’s eyes
twinkled and she appeared to have the softest shimmer of a rose
blush on her pale cheeks. He could help but smile at his friend.
Not many people could say they had the power to charm an elf
maid.

King Rydel seemed to have caught the
exchange as well, though he did not appear as impressed as his
sister. “Prince Baylin, as you know, we have already meddled more
than the gods care for us to. We are at risk of angering them. I’m
afraid once my sister’s magic has run its course, you will be on
your own.” He gave Baylin an apologetic look. “Remember, young
Prince, you are the hope of Wintervale.”

“Hope of Wintervale,” Ferric said, putting
an arm over Baylin’s shoulder, “try not to muddle it up.” He
laughed, attempting to lighten the mood as he clapped Baylin on the
back.

The elf King smiled at them both. “Know the
elves have not abandoned you. We simply must wait until the gods
deem fit for us to… what did you call it? Interfere?”

Baylin chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I did.”

King Rydel called out a phrase in elvish in
a commanding tone. All the elves who had brought food and drink
began gathering up their wares and returning to the darkness of the
forest.

Faylen walked up to Baylin. “Good luck,
young Prince.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She
turned to Ferric. “And you, guard of Grasmere. May blessings be
with you as well.” She touched his arm gently. She then turned and
disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

The King walked gracefully to the edge of
the forest, turned and bowed to Baylin. “May the gods smile upon
you, son of Ashmur. I believe we shall meet again, very soon.” He
spun and disappeared into the darkness of the forest without a
sound.

Baylin and his men stared quietly at the
forest edge for a few minutes, absorbing all that had occurred.
Except for the sound of birds singing and the occasional snort of a
horse, the company sat in complete silence waiting for their Prince
to act.

Ferric approached Baylin first. “Your Grace,
what should we do? Mirstone will eventually move on Grasmere.”

Baylin pondered the scenario carefully.
Grasmere is larger than Mirstone. If they ever hope to take the
Kingdom, they will have to bring every man, weapon and horse. There
would be no way of getting such a large army through Fagin
Forest.
“They will go by water.”

“Your Grace?” Ferric questioned. “What do
you speak of?”

“Mirstone has no chance of getting their
entire army through the forest and they know this. They will take
the Crystal Waters and the current will be against them,” Baylin
explained. “With the delay the elves have provided us, and the fact
that they will have to go by boat, it will take them several weeks
to mount an attack on Grasmere. That gives us time to plan.”

One of the old generals walked up and bowed.
“My Prince, with all due respect, what is there to plan? They are
no real threat to the Kingdom.”

The Prince spun and faced the man. “No
threat? They control all the fruit production for all five of the
Kingdoms. They also have the largest mounted fleet in the
Kingdoms.”

“Yes, but that will not cause much damage to
the Kingdom,” the general argued. “We will be safe in the castle
for months on our stores. We can wait them out.”

“And what of the people?” Baylin questioned
through gritted teeth. “The castle is not large enough to shelter
all who live within Grasmere. What of the families we have sworn to
protect?”

“Sacrifices must be made,” the man
replied.

The Prince grabbed the older man by the cuff
of his tunic and pulled him in close. “I will not sacrifice even
one of my subjects if it can be avoided. Is that understood?”

The general’s eyes grew wide and sweat
formed on his forehead. “Yes, Your Grace. My sincere
apologies.”

Baylin threw the man back. “Get on your
horse and prepare to ride.”

“So…” Ferric tried to hold in a smile. “I
guess it’s time to go home.”

Baylin raised an eyebrow at Ferric and shook
his head while letting out a sigh. He jumped onto his horse and
shouted out, “Mount up! It’s time to go home.”

Chapter
Sixteen

“Baylin!” Luana screamed out as she woke,
sitting straight up in her bed.

Her handmaid was at her side in an instant
at the sound of her cries. After the encounter with Princess Isla,
the Queen ordered her to be attended at all times to ensure she was
not left vulnerable.

“Milady, it’s all right,” her handmaid
soothed. “It was merely a dream.”

Luana was covered in sweat, her hair matted
to her face and neck. She took deep breaths, trying to calm
herself. She was dreaming of Baylin returning to Grasmere, but then
the dream turned and she could see he was fighting in a battle.
There was fire and blood all around him. Dragons diving from the
sky, lighting the land ablaze.
It was so real.

Her worry for him, as well as her increasing
uncomfortableness from her swollen belly, made it nearly impossible
to sleep. She was not due for a few weeks, yet the child had grown
so massive in her womb, she felt certain she would burst.

Luana’s heart raced in her chest.
“Baylin.”

“He’s still not arrived, milady,” the maid
said, taking a cool, wet cloth and running it along Luana’s warm
forehead.

Tears welled up in Luana’s eyes.
I miss
him so much.
With the help of her handmaid, she pulled herself
up to stand beside the bed.

Peering at the fading light outside she
asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s late, milady,” the handmaid replied,
leading her to the meal table. “You slept the day away, and the
moon has already begun to rise.”

Luana looked at her maid, shocked. “How? Why
did you not wake me?”

“Milady, you must get what rest you can when
you are able,” the maid replied. “Too soon the baby will be here,
and you will need all your strength to bring him into this
world.”

This world,
Luana thought to herself
as she sat at the table.
A world that is so uncertain, so full
of hate and anger.

She stroked her large belly and felt the
baby inside move.
At least it is a world where your mother and
father love each other, and they love you.

The baby kicked hard and Luana winced at the
pain.

“Milady?” the maid asked, putting her hand
on Luana’s stomach in concern.

“He’s strong,” Luana said with a smile.
“Like his father. Baylin will be so proud.”

The maid grinned at Luana. “How about I
bring you something to eat?”

Luana nodded. “Thank you.”

The maid left the room and Luana stood and
walked to the opening of the balcony. The villages of Grasmere
seemed so quiet under the moon.
You would not know a battle was
looming not so very far away. It seems so peaceful, like no evil
could ever touch such a place.

Luana heard a distant roar of thunder and
saw a flash of light to the west. A storm was rolling toward the
Kingdom. She loved listening to the rain with Baylin. She longed to
feel his arms around her. She touched her stomach tenderly.
Your
father will be so pleased with you.

Luana thought of Baylin, how the moon shown
off his body that first night on the balcony. The moon had been so
incredibly full as it bathed their bodies in its cool light.
Tonight a half-moon smiled down on her. She felt a pull, as if the
moon called to her. It almost seemed to throb with light, as though
beckoning her.

Luana’s memories of the moon and the Kingdom
were cut short as a sharp pain shot through her. It radiated from
her back and surrounded her stomach, tightening as it went. She
screamed out as it stretched, taking several seconds to pass. The
pain forced her to kneel on the cold stone of the balcony.

The pain began to subside. She panted,
taking quick breaths as sweat trickled down her face and back. An
evening breeze blew over her, cooling her skin and taking away some
of the lingering pain.

The door to the chamber opened as her maid
returned with the evening meal. “Milady?”

“Out here,” Luana called. “Please help
me.”

The handmaid ran to Luana’s side. “Milady,
what is the matter?”

“It’s the baby,” she said through clenched
teeth as another wave of pain pulsed over her. “I think he’s
coming. It’s too soon.”

The maid struggled to help walk Luana over
to the bed. As the full wave of agony hit, Luana screamed, her
knees going out from under her.

“Please,” Luana begged as the maid pulled
her to the edge of the bed and laid her down. “You must get
help.”

The young woman ran from the room calling
out for help as more pain seized Luana. She screamed as hot tears
ran down her face.
Baylin, where are you? I’m so scared.

Many agonizing minutes passed as Luana cried
out, alone and terrified. When the maid finally returned, she
brought with her several other maids, a midwife and Queen Valasca
herself.

“Luana, dearest,” the Queen cried, reaching
out and holding Luana’s hand in her own. “It will be all
right.”

Luana could not hold back the tears falling
from her eyes. Her sobs were not only from the torment of her
flesh, but the sorrow in her heart.

An assault of tightening spasms radiated
through Luana and she screamed out as the maids and midwife
prepared for the arrival of her son.