The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus (68 page)

It would remain to be seen, but for now the brotherhood in Malaiy would have to wait.

Annalicia watched as the enemy army retreated. She had witnessed the men on the other side of the front line turn against the wizards and the remaining army of the Brothers of the Blood. Apparently her spell had done more than just break the magic hold on her people.

Letting go of the spear, it hit the ground and shattered into powder. Only the metal tip remained of the weapon after the wizard's use of the world's strength.

Once again the girl felt small, and not from her physical dimensions. Without the extra magic flowing through the staff into her, Annalicia felt hollow. The feeling would pass and she would feel full once more after her magic had time to equalize.

Sitting on the ground crossing her legs, Anna didn't care if she didn't look ladylike as she sat and dug into her pack to find food and drink. She was exhausted, but not yet tired. The enemy appeared to have given up, but they would have to wait and see if the brothers would try again.

"Lady Annalicia, are you alright?" Ivanor asked as the wizard ran towards her. He was the closest of her team of wizards. They had done what they could to stop the flight of the soldiers and had spread out trying to cast their magic onto their people to save the battle. No one had been close enough or in their right mind to see what she had done, but the clash of power beyond normal wizards had been felt by them all.

Just as she had sensed the enemy wizard's strength, they had all in turn felt hers as Anna held onto the power of Alus for a short time.

"I am fine, Ivanor, just hungry. It got a little harry there for a minute, but it looks like our luck has changed," the girl replied keeping her attention of the front line. With their soldiers set, but with no one attacking; the biggest area of confusion was what was happening with the soldiers who had thrown off the control of the enemy wizards.

"Something... someone must have managed to break the enemy's control spell; but who has the power to do that? I felt the enemy wizard's power, but someone else countered him. If I didn't know you better, my lady, I would swear that power came from you."

"How long have you known me now, Ivanor?"

"Several years, my lady."

"So you know my strength and magic. You know that it couldn't possibly be me," she stated without looking at the man. If he could see her face, Annalicia wasn't certain that she could lie to him well enough. As she had said, they had known each other a long time.

Ivanor didn't reply immediately. The girl was certain that he still wondered. "I know that a battle mage shouldn't be able to use spells with the power of a strong wizard, but Sebastian not only did that but created a sword to amplify his spells even more."

"No sword on me," Anna said spreading her hands before her, though half of a sandwich remained in her right hand before she ate another bite.

"Sebastian rubbed off on all of us during our time with him, but I am beginning to think that he may have rubbed off on you the most... my lady."

Releasing a small grunt of laughter, Annalicia didn't comment. She had used his mage spells as much as her own over the last few days. Without having met Sebastian, they never would have known the light and darkness spells or how to cast like a mage. Without meeting him and his sister, Darius would never have taught her the spell which had turned the battle against their enemies.

Saying that the mage had rubbed off on her was well deserved, but Annalicia knew that it was also Gerid's input that had led her to discover more about herself. She would have been too afraid to use the staff to tap the earth's power, if she didn't believe that she would survive using the massive energy of their world.

"He definitely rubbed off on all of us, Ivanor, and it is a good thing that he did," the girl finally acknowledged.

Reynolvan and the other wizards hurried to join her. Even Ryan and Welden, who had been pushed away thanks to the power of the wizards focused on Annalicia, returned to assume their protective stance around their mistress. No one truly thought that the two guards could do more than she had alone, but it made them feel better and Anna didn't mind having someone protecting her back when they could.

Everyone tried to discover what had really happened; but in the end, Annalicia kept some of the secrets from them. She was immortal and could do something more dangerous with magic than anyone except her grandfather, and somehow a single battle mage as well. It was for their safety as much as it was to keep them from seeing her as something different. At least as a royal lady and wizard, they could look at her as human and one of them. Once it was known that she was also an immortal, Annalicia wondered how people would treat her.

Darius related to people well, but she had felt that separation from the man and the centuries he had lived beyond normal mortals. She was only twenty-two. The centuries might come, but for now she was just a girl from the king's family. That was enough burden for now.

Chapter 38- Epilogue

Karlaan had received Caldrefan's message in disappointment. The master had failed to deliver on his promise, though he cautioned patience once more. He wanted Karlaan to send the small army sitting at Edrin's crossing to him at Fort Camden. For many, the long walk would end their commitment to the cause. He knew it as much as Caldrefan must.

These people said that they followed Sordrian and wanted a change. They would follow the god hoping for a holy country that would take care of the poor. Karlaan had a feeling that some hoped that their god would bring more than care to those who remained loyal to Sordrian. Perhaps the poor could become the powerful ones someday, they thought.

Among the army, Karlaan had men and women who could see another way. It wasn't just Sordrian that they followed. Some of these people knew his secret. He was royal by blood, even if Orlaan had yet to recognize him. The king didn't know of his existence either, he could point out. Caldrefan had believed it wiser to hide his existence until they controlled Malaiy. The people would follow a royal son; if he wasn't part of the problems that the brothers told everyone was the fault of Orlaan's family.

As the main peasant army headed east, Karlaan chose to disobey Caldrefan and moved out on his own to try another plan. He had heard that Earl Bartrand had left his castle to go to his mother's funeral. The man and his wife had remained to help his father after her loss for a time. Rumor was that the earl might leave his city to take up permanent residence in his mother's castle as the only remaining blood relative of Orlaan.

Caldrefan's shadows had remained working for the brothers and Karlaan as well. He found out when the earl left his parents' castle. Whether he would take the eastern fortress or continue to govern his city, no one knew yet; but Bartrand still had work to do in Tolmat southwest of Yalan.

The sound of swords clashing could be heard across the open ground between one section of the city and the hill causing a natural break. Karlaan had set up his men in ambush catching the carriage and horsemen as they circled the hill. A force of his soldiers cut off the earl's escape back to the east, if the driver had dared to try turning away from the men who suddenly held up the horses. More of his soldiers jumped from cover onto the carriage pulling the driver and his men from their seats.

Horsemen fell to arrows from cover. Soon only a score of his people remained surrounding the carriage.

Horses neighed and pawed the ground, but they didn't run as the bandits held their reins.

"Come out, Earl Bartrand. Your time has come," Karlaan stated as he rode closer to the black coach. Tareina heard his authoritative command where she sat another horse. The woman had insisted on joining him. Some of the men had wives nearby as well. This group was more than just soldiers to him. They had become family of a sort.

He wasn't expecting the earl to give in immediately, but the tall, blonde haired man stepped out looking every bit a royal lord. Though Karlaan could sense his fear, the man was remarkably calm looking.

"You may do with me what you will, but please spare my wife," he pleaded coolly.

"I don't think that you get to make any demands, cousin," Karlaan stated just as calmly as the man who now stood on the ground several paces from him.

His familial term met with a frown of confusion. Seeming to forget about all the armed men surrounding him and his guardsmen dead or wounded on the ground, Bartrand replied, "I know my cousins well enough, but I don't recognize you, sir."

Laughing at the earl, Karlaan stated, "You don't know me, but I am guessing that I at least look somewhat like my father. Whether you believe me or not, I will cleanse this country of the rest of Orlaan's kin and take away his kingdom one day. You are just another step towards that day."

A pretty dark haired lady daintily stepped down the stairs at the base of the carriage door. The sound made Bartrand turn in surprise. His wife took his hand in hers as the earl shook his head, "Iaphran, please stay inside. Maybe they will take me and let you go."

Her blue eyes looked at the young man atop his horse before stating, "I can see that he has the king's eyes and lips. If he is a son of the king, then we should ask why he would want to kill you, Bart."

"Iaphran, please," her husband began again.

Karlaan let the two argue. He found it amusing, but the lady's eyes seemed quite intent on him. Wondering why, he was surprised when she ignored her husband and asked, "Why do you want my husband and me dead? If you wish to make your place of succession known, you only need to remove your brothers and father from your path. Bartrand can't even take the throne before them or his grandfather. You get nothing out of his death, except maybe for some morbid enjoyment of killing people."

She paused for dramatic effect that made his men start to murmur among themselves at the woman's audacity, but Karlaan remained silent sensing that the woman wanted to try something else.

"I don't think that you enjoy killing people, do you? Maybe you think killing your family gains you something, but if you leave us alive you could gain more," Iaphran made the grand offer that he had a feeling was in her mind.

"Really, and what would that be? If your husband is dead, he is one less supporter of the king. What do you offer? Gold, riches...?"

"A supporter of your own," she stated causing her husband to turn on her aghast.

Eyes closing slightly in disbelief, Karlaan asked, "You are saying that the earl will support my claim?"

"For our lives, you would get our loyalty, after all you are family as much as Orlaan is, correct? You plan to take the throne, but without any support the other families will just try to take it back from you. This is the time to negotiate your way rather than cut a path through your family."

Looking at Bartrand, the man on his horse evaluated the earl and realized that though he looked powerful and royal, Iaphran was the intelligent one in this pair. She had likely been paired with him just for that reason. It had often been rumored that his younger brother had been the one most loved by his mother. Perhaps she had gravitated towards the son with greater gifts. Carland was dead and still the marquess hadn't taken solace in her firstborn son.

"Well, cousin, does your wife speak your mind?"

Bartrand looked from his petite wife standing beside him and back to his newly discovered cousin. "If it will spare our lives, I will support you when you become king; but I have little that I can do to make you king."

"I will take care of that," Karlaan stated seeing this new opportunity that he hadn't even begun to think of before meeting his cousin. Perhaps Iaphran was correct. Killing off the royal family would leave a void. Some were already dead, but there were other royal lines that might seek to claim a weakened throne. "You will swear on your lives to me and we will accompany you to Tolmat where you will house my people while we work out our plans."

The two royals nodded and Karlaan dismounted before walking towards the earl and his wife. He drew his sword before commanding, "Kneel, both of you. This will be a blood oath sworn before the gods and my people. You will serve me loyally or suffer not only a horrible death but more pain than you can imagine in the afterlife."

Kneeling before him, Karlaan extended the blade to Bartrand and cut the man's hand. In turn, Iaphran went through the same before Karlaan cut his own hand. Grasping hands with the earl first and then Iaphran, his cousins swore their allegiance to him as their new lord and future king.

He smiled. They patched up the wounded and set a new driver from his men. The heir and future king took charge of his cousins' course avoiding any areas that Orlaan might be watching. Karlaan would have to send word to Caldrefan once he took over his new city.

It was just another step towards removing his father to become king of Malaiy. His day would come, Karlaan thought. There were many hurdles to overcome first, but it would come.

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