CHAPTER 1
It was a time when the air was filled with the scent of spring and the rolling hills were covered with an abundance of wildflowers. The waters of the Ojong River flowed cool from the Tandrill Rim, where lived the people of the village of Marna. They were a strong, peaceful people with roots long ago set down in this land, but they were known to be formidable warriors should the need arise. For generations, the Marnans, as they were known throughout the land, had served the king of Meridian as the king's guard, mainly because they were larger than most people, with uncanny reflexes and a fierce loyalty to the kingdom.
One such guard was Trent, only eighteen years old and already a well-disciplined swordsman. The day after Trent arrived at the king's keep, he began training with Lieutenant Baxter of the king's guard. He trained hard nine to ten hours a day to further hone his swordsmanship. Soon, Trent would become the best student that Baxter had ever seen. Of course, Baxter did not let Trent know this because he didn't want the young man to become complacent or let his guard down in the midst of a conflict. His talent was not wasted on the king either, who on many occasions watched the boy training, with a look of admiration for the boy's spirit and willingness to give all of himself up to the task at hand.
King Derek Osprey of Meridian was a good and kind man and was very proud of his guardsmen. Recently, the king had received several reports of bandits attacking the supply trains coming from the eastern border and so ordered Captain Hilliard to take his best men to quell any further attacks in the area.
Trent had been with the guard for only six weeks when his cadre was chosen to serve with Captain Hilliard on this mission. Trent being young and relatively new to the guard took up the rear position of sixty riders and started a cheerful conversation with his row mate, Blain, who was from a small village to the far northeast of the Tandrill Rim. Blain's family was very proud that he had been accepted into the king's guard for it had been a very long time since any man, young or old, had been accepted from the village of Cartha. It was indeed an event for his village to celebrate, and celebrate they did for three full sunsets, feasting, cheering, and wishing him well on his journey to the king's keep in Meridian.
The ride to the eastern borders of Meridian took the guardsmen just three days. On day two of the three-day trek, the guardsmen met a wagon train, which was heavily guarded by what appeared to be mercenaries. After breaking their fast with the people of the wagon train, the guardsmen again took to the road, but not before warning the people to keep a sharp eye out for bandits.
Shortly before evening, the guards came upon a section of trail where the carnage was difficult to describe. Men, women, and children had been decapitated and their heads set on pikes. It was the most craven thing the captain had ever seen. Captain Hilliard ordered the men to bury the dead and then set up camp and get fires burning both for light and cooking. After setting up camp, men set to the more menial activities that were essential to their success, such as sharpening their weapons. Checking armor and tending their mounts were taken care of by squires, who also began preparing the evening meal.
After things in the camp began to quiet down, Trent asked Blain, who was only three years older than him, "So, friend, if you don't mind my asking, how did you become a guard? I mean ... not that you aren't a good guard, but for all these years, the king's guard has only come from Marna, so why did the captain choose someone from your village?"
"That answer is not easy in the telling," Blain replied. "In the past, a long time ago, people from my village were in the last king's guard. And on a dark and stormy night, someone was able to get through the keep's defenses to kill Prince Osprey's firstborn."
Trent said with shock, "You mean the current king's son?"
"Yes," replied Blain. "It was a very sorrowful time for all of Meridian. You and I would not remember, but my people have kept the memory of that terrible night alive, for the lesson to be learned from it, and so that it would never be repeated. No one was ever brought to account for the crime, but the king couldn't bring himself to trust anyone but his loyal Marnan guards. The king only just lifted the ban on outside guards a few weeks ago because he realized that you big Marnans aren't so good in tight quarters. I mean no offense, friend, but you must admit that I can get into places that someone of your size could not."
Trent laughed and said, "True enough, friend. No offense taken."
Blain, although older, looked more like a boy than a man standing next to Trent, who stood seven feet even with wide muscular shoulders and chest. His biceps measured twenty-six inches around. He kept his nearly white blond hair cut short to keep it out of his eyes in battle. He wore dark red leather pants that had six sheaths for throwing knives down the sides. Blain was just five foot four, with short cropped brown hair and eyes. He was of average height and build but had fast reflexes and was very good with his weapons.
The following morning, the men struck camp and began searching the area for any sign of the bandits. After four hours of searching, Marcus, a lieutenant and the best tracker among them, found tracks of as many as forty horses, which seemed to be riding hard to the west. The thing that surprised him was that there were seven wagon tracks among the fleeing horses.
When Marcus returned to report his findings to the captain, the captain spoke the obvious: "The train we broke our fast with were in fact the very bandits we are looking for." Captain Hilliard ordered the men to return the way they had come and to watch for any sign that the bandits had left the trail. The captain was beside himself with anger at having allowed the bandits to slip so easily from his grasp. He was certain that the king would be most displeased at the news.
The guard patrols continued looking for any sign of the bandits, and they were completely baffled when on the second day of the pursuit, they had completely lost their tracks. Captain Hilliard ordered a rider to return to Meridian to request that a decoy wagon train be sent to aid in drawing the bandits out of hiding. Then he ordered half of his number to return near the east end of the trail and to sit in ambush should the bandits return to that area. He took the rest of the men to the halfway point of the trail, which led through a dense forested area with large rock outcroppings, and dispersed them at intervals. Fires were forbidden, and the men were ordered to keep noise to a minimum so as not to alert the bandits of their presence. Trent and Blain were stationed together behind a large rock.
Blain said to Trent, "I'll take first watch. I'll wake you if I hear anything."
"Stay vigilant and wake me in two hours," said Trent.
The night passed without any sign of the bandits. Captain Hilliard sent word to the men to stay hidden because the decoy wagon train would be sent from Meridian soon.
Around midday, Trent heard the wagon train approaching, and just as he turned to wake Blain, there was suddenly the thundering sound of battle in the air. Trent, Blain, and the other guardsmen leapt from their hiding places and scrambled toward the noise. There were ten guardsmen disguised as merchants with squires under attack by at least twenty of the mercenary types they had seen two days prior. Trent joined the battle and began taking out bandits with his large two-handed broadsword. Blain being smaller attacked with a short sword and a shield. He was formidable with his short sword, as became all too apparent to several of the bandits. The guardsmen were able to take full command of the battlefield in very short order, taking four prisoners and slaying the rest to set examples for any who may wish to hold their tongue. These four were questioned very thoroughly by Captain Hilliard, but they gave up no useful information and were therefore put to death, as the guardsmen were ordered to take only prisoners who could help them achieve their mission.
Marcus backtracked the attackers' trail and found a camp where there were still twenty or more of the bandits sitting around cook fires. Keeping out of sight, he assessed the camp and quietly returned to report to the captain.
When Marcus got back to the road, he told the captain, "There are at least twenty more of these dogs at their camp, sir. They appear unaware of our presence, and they are a half hour's ride to our northwest. Sir, would you like me to ride east and have our other guardsmen rejoin us for the attack?"
The captain replied, "Yes, take Trent and Blain with you in case of trouble on the way east. Have our men rally here, and we will take their camp with overwhelming numbers. Good work, Marcus!"
"Thank you, sir!" With a brisk salute, he turned and called out, "Trent, Blain, let's get to the others before these dogs have time to move their camp!"
The guards chimed in, "Yes, sir!" as they mounted up and headed east at a gallop.
When Marcus, Trent, and Blain met up with the others, they found them well hidden along the trail near the eastern border as they had been directed. Marcus gave them the captain's order to rejoin the rest of their cadre. On the way back to their captain, Trent and Blain told of the battle that had been won the previous afternoon. Marcus told them of the camp he had found and the captain's plan to overtake it with numbers that would surely give the guardsmen another victory.
When they returned, the captain told his men that they would spread out in an arc and ride as quietly as possible, approaching the bandit's camp from both sides and the rear, leaving them only one way out, toward the main trail and open territory. Captain Hilliard made it clear that he did not want any of the bandits to make it to safety. There were to be no prisoners taken.
Six hours later, the guardsmen sprang their trap and caught the bandits completely unprepared to defend themselves. Not a single bandit lived through the attack, and after the guardsmen were through with them, it would be plain to any others who may come this way that Meridian was not to be trifled with. They staked up the bodies of the bandits and stripped the camp of weapons, then began the ride back to Meridian to report to the king.
Captain Hilliard's men returned to a warm welcome, having passed several merchants on the eastern trail on their way. The captain reported to the king all the events of the last few days, including letting the bandits slip through their grasp at first. Much to the captain's surprise, the king was not angry that they had been fooled at their first meeting. He was simply proud that the captain had recovered from his error and completed his mission as ordered. The king assured him that there was no harm because no other travelers had been attacked going through the eastern valley. Captain Hilliard told the king of the four captives and what had been done with the bodies of the bandits still in the camp when he and his men attacked. Although a grim picture, what had been done with the bodies of those bandits was much more humane than the treatment their victims had received. King Osprey scheduled a feast in honor of the guardsmen who took part in the mission, and all of Meridian rejoiced because the bandits were no more.
Later that evening, the king's aide approached Captain Hilliard and whispered to him, "There is a rider here, sir, from our southern border outpost. He has news that I believe you should hear!"
The captain replied, "Can't you see that we are in the middle of a celebration that these men have earned? How would it look if I were to walk out before the festivities are concluded?"
The aide, not wanting to anger the captain, persisted. "Captain, this is a matter of utmost urgency. If the king were not already retired for the evening, I should think it necessary to implore him to listen to this sergeant as well!"
"Very well, Kendal, take me to this sergeant so I may soon rejoin my men in their celebration!"
"He is waiting in your outer office, Captain," he said as he followed the captain to his office.
"Wait here, Kendal," said the captain. As he entered the outer office, Captain Hilliard saw a young man from the regular army snap to attention. The captain is more than just a captain to the regular army. Because Captain Hilliard is captain of the king's guard, he is the supreme commander of all the armed forces for the king of Meridian. Entering his office, the captain gave a curt "With me!" The young soldier was scared to his boots because he had never before been in the presence of anyone of such high ranking.
After settling into his favorite chair, the captain told the young man to be at ease and have a seat. The young sergeant hesitated before sitting, only to receive a loud "sit!" from the captain.
After taking a seat, Sergeant Cox stammered, "Thank you, sir."
"On with it, man! What news have you that is important enough to take me away from the celebration this evening?"
The sergeant replied, "I have been sent by Lieutenant Bradford to inform you of most perilous news, sir. The Palanteens have been crossing the southern border and making raids on the farmsteads and villages along its length. Many men have lost their lives trying to keep them at bay, but I fear they are simply emboldened by our efforts. Lieutenant Bradford begs for orders and reinforcements, sir. I was ordered to inform the king of this."
The captain sat quiet for several minutes, which further discomfited the sergeant. At last the captain called out for Kendal, the king's aide. "Kendal, go to the king's quarters and awaken him and tell him that I have urgent news he must hear as soon as it is convenient. On the way there, take the good sergeant to the mess hall. See to it that he is fed and shown where to bed down. Sergeant, I will have need of you in the morning, and you may just get to meet your king, so I suggest you not report back to me, when sent for, looking like you just spent a week on the trail. Understood?"
The sergeant leapt to his feet, snapped to attention, and said, "Yes, sir!" He then followed Kendal to the mess hall. On the way there, Sergeant Cox asked Kendal, "Aren't you ever nervous dealing with our supreme commander?"
Kendal laughed and replied, "No, not at all. He is a very fair man and would never ask anyone under his command to do anything he wouldn't be willing to do himself. I know that his rank may seem intimidating, but once you get to know the man, in that office, it's much easier to see that he is just a man like you and I."
"I don't think I could ever bring myself to see him as just a man, Kendal," said Cox.
After leaving Sergeant Cox with the cooks, Kendal made his way to the king's private quarters. When he arrived, the guard blocked his path and said, "State your business!" Kendal told the guard that he had been sent by the captain to see the king. The guard stepped aside and opened the outer door to the king's chambers.
Kendal stepped inside and through a curtain said, "Your Majesty, I've come with an urgent summons from Captain Hilliard."
"You may enter," said the king, who was just getting ready to retire for the night. "What does our good captain need of me this late in the evening, Kendal?"
"There is a sergeant from the southern border post here, sire. He says there have been many attacks across your southern border by Palanteens. Many of your subjects have died. I'm afraid it is most urgent, sire."
"There is nothing to be done tonight, Kendal. Return and tell the captain that I wish to see him and this sergeant in my study after the morning meal, and we shall discuss the matter then. Thank you, Kendal. That will be all."
With that, Kendal made his way through the halls to return to Captain Hilliard's quarters. When he arrived, Captain Hilliard was waiting in his office. Kendal told him what the king intended. The captain thanked Kendal for his effort and bade him good night and then retired himself, for he knew not what the next day may hold.
In the morning, Captain Hilliard rose early and made it to the morning meal. When he arrived, he found the sergeant already there, looking as if he were ready for an inspection. Having broken their fast, the captain took the sergeant to the king's study. After a brief period, the king entered through a private entrance.
