Over the Dunes a Rider Comes Read online

  The site was chosen and the kingdom was born. It would be twenty years before the city with its great walls was finished. And the city had grown greatly since that time. The city was given the name: "Zlarora" which translated from the old tongue meant: "Star of the plains.” It was said that on a bright night, the city's marbled walls and buildings could be seen from over twenty miles away.

  The slight uncertainly hung in his mind. He had wished for peace. It seemed so wrong to be riding off to war.

  "Would you just sit in your castle and let your people be slaughtered by Libbor and his men?"

  The words seemed to come from nowhere, so quiet that he was not even sure that he had heard them. "Your people look to you to lead and protect them. Peace sometimes comes with a heavy price. Only a foolish man wants war. A wise man knows that sometimes it must be."

  The army made good time. After two days, Ashes began to think that maybe, they would get to Thunder Gorge before Libbor's army. When messengers arrived from the riders that Ashes had sent ahead to burn the bridge. Three men rode up to the column on sweaty horses. Ashes could tell, even before they spoke, that they did not carry good news. The cuts and dents, on both the men's and on the horse’s armor, showed that they had been in a hard fought battle.

  The lead rider Thunk, a worn vet of many battles, reined in his horse.

  "My king, Libbor's armies have crossed the gorge and have already crossed our borders and attacked the north village. There are a great many more than we thought sire. I would guess at least twelve thousand. We tried to save as many of the people as we could, but we were badly out-numbered. We got only a small group safely away and hid them in the hills. We left ten men to escort them to the city when it is safe enough to try."

  Diego let out a soft curse under his breath.

  "They must have ridden their mounts almost to exhaustion to do such a thing. A worn horse is no good in battle -- what are they thinking?"

  "They are planning on catching us off guard,” Notie said thoughtfully, "They are counting on us not being ready..”

  "They know different now,” Thunk said bitterly, "We left at least thirty dead and even though they had us beat in numbers their fighting skills and training is very poor. I saw more than one of their men fall to a companion's sword stroke.”

  "And the rest of your men?” Ashes asked, already knowing the answer.

  "Dead, my king, as I said, ten went with the survivors of the village to guard them. The rest of us lead the attackers away. It was a running battle. We did not have time to recover the bodies. I'm sorry.”

  "You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ashes said. "Tell Notie how to find the villagers, then I want the three of you to go to the healer's wagon and get your wounds and your horse’s wounds treated. Eat if you can. Then, I need you to take a message back to the queen."

  When Notie got the directions he left with five hundred men, "May God travel with you and keep you safe." Diego rode next to his son.

  "As soon as we get the people to safety we will return,” Notie assured his father.

  "Depending on how long it takes you to get back to the city with the villagers and farmers."

  Riding on Notie's other side Fredrex was tightening the buckle on his chain mail as he spoke "Ashes wants you to make sure that no one is left behind and see to it that the crops are torched. The flames and the smoke will keep any of Libbor's scouts from spotting you."

  "I understand the king's reasons but it still seems a shame to waste so much food." Turning his horse's head, Notie trotted off to join the men he was leading to search for the survivors.

  As the two columns went their separate ways Ashes was giving Thunk a message for Summer, and giving him orders. "You're sure that you will be alright on your own?" Ashes asked, despite what the healer said Thunk insisted that the wounds that he had gotten in the battle with Libbor's men were minor.

  Thunk sat on a fresh horse, a long-legged bay mare with a wild look to her eyes. Leaving his horse in the healer's care.

  "I will be able to travel faster Alone my king." He patted the mare's shoulder, as he spoke, the mare was prancing in place; every muscle in her body trembling with eagerness "Babe is the fastest horse in your service and one rider will be less likely to be seen by any of Libbor's scouts. We will get your message to the queen."

  "Here, then, is the message I want you to give the queen,” Ashes handed Thunk a small cylinder with a silver chain attached to it. Thunk put it around his neck and safely under the chain mail covering his chest. "Everything that she needs to know is there. she will know what needs to be done."

  "It will be as you say, my King." Thrum relaxed the reins in his hand and Babe shot forward. Ashes watched them gallop off then he turned China and trotted back to the head of the column.

  They traveled the rest of the day keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of Libbor's spies or scouts. That night they camped on top of a large hill top and posted guards. Diego just finished giving the guards their orders when Ashes approached him. "I told the men that cooking fires would be alright as long as the fires were small."

  Ashes shrugged, "I am sure that Libbor's scouts know where we are anyway, so having fires won't hurt anything, but I think that it would be a good idea to rotate the men's sleep. I want half the men to be alert and ready, at all times. We don't need any surprises."

  As Ashes spoke, he thought of the many times before, in his other past, that a war had been lost because a leader had got careless about such things. "His other past,” the thought seemed so strange to him. Which one was real? Was this reality? And what he had thought was real a dream? Or was this a dream and he was still asleep in a desert? Or was this what the jewel had promised? his wish coming true? if this was his wish it was coming true in a strange way.

  A slap on Ashes' shoulder interrupted his thoughts. "I asked you if you were hungry,” Fredrex said, "I don't know about you but riding all day makes me hungry."

  "Everything makes you hungry." Ashes pushed past his friend. "I swear that I always thought that if you were stuck somewhere with no food you would eat yourself."

  Diego joined in laughing at the big man. "That's true enough." Jerking a thumb at Fredrex, he went on. "When we were in the high mountains last year, I saw this dolt try to eat a whole rack of bear ribs by himself."

  "It's wrong to waste food." Fredrex said indignantly. "We killed the bear. It is only right that we honor its life by not letting its death be for nothing. If it was the other way around I would hope that the bear showed me the same respect.”

  Shaking his head, Ashes walked away from the two men. "Fredrex you are the only person I know that would think that being eaten by a hungry bear was a respectful end."

  Arguing, good naturedly, the two men followed Ashes toward the main tent. The main tent was a large grey tent that was big enough for a makeshift table with a map, and another table full of fruit and meat. There was plenty of room for the three and for the men already gathered around the map deep in discussion.

  The talk quieted down, as Ashes walked in. "Sire, we were just discussing what Libbor's next move might be." Like the other men in the tent, The one who spoke was dressed in chainmail and had twin swords across his back. Vale, Fredrex's older brother. He was the oldest man in the room. His hair was more grey than the once black that it used to be.

  Ashes crossed over to the table pausing to cut a slice of meat off of a still smoking roast. He had a choice of burnt or raw. The irony almost made him laugh out loud, the best soldiers in any kingdom and not one of them could cook.

  Chewing on the meat, Ashes joined the other men, around the map, Vale went on as Ashes studied the map." Scouts have reported that Libbor's men are encamped at Spiral Valley. it makes little sense, that is a very poor place for a base camp and they could travel further into our territories with no resistance but they are not. The scouts think that they might be waiting for something"

  "I agree." Ashes said softly, "Reinforcements, maybe? They kno
w now, that we know they are here. They could be waiting for more men."

  A much younger man standing just behind Vale spoke up " we could still burn the bridge, Or with luck two or three men could sneak past their scouts and guards in the dark, if they worked quickly they could cut the main supports on the bridge, without them the bridge would collapse."

  Sighing, Vale ran his hand through his hair. "There are two things wrong with your idea Clip. First, the main supports on that bridge are woven from ironwood vines, and are over two feet thick, a man could hack away all day and not get halfway through them and second, destroying the bridge now would not only cut off their reinforcements and supplies, but it would also cut off their only way home."

  Using his finger Vale traced along the map. "Thunder Gorge runs from Black Tooth Cliffs which there is no way over, to the Northern Sea and at this time of year no ship in existence could navigate the cross-tides over the Red Shoals. That leaves only the bridge, and if we destroy that, they are trapped! Their only choice would be to surrender or die, and the last time that one of Libbor's generals surrendered to a foe. Libbor had the entire company of men and their families burned alive as a warning."

  "That is unfortunate." Clip said with an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "But they are trying to kill us, and our families. We need to do what we have to do, to keep that from happening." Seeing the flash of anger in Vale's eyes, Ashes spoke quickly to stop the argument.

  "That is one way of looking at it Clip, but consider this. Even if they are our enemy, I am not sure that all of them want to be here. Libbor will drag anyone that he can into his armies. Farmers, miners -- whoever he can get his hands on, and they have families, their hearts are not in this war. If it starts to go bad for them, then they will most likely retreat. If we cut off that retreat and they know what Libbor will do to them and their families, if they surrender, then they will feel that they have no choice. Men who feel that they have nothing to lose are the most dangerous kind, Clip. if we leave them a way home they will take it"

  On the second day after Ashes left with the troops the first people from the countryside started arriving in small groups. Since then, more and more people had shown up, bringing with them their most prized possessions. Summer had been very busy trying to make sure that things went smoothly getting them settled in their temporary homes. Most things went well with very few problems.

  Summer was very proud of the citizens who opened their homes to those who had lost theirs, but still, more people came. Summer started to house some people in the empty barracks but that was a temporary solution, at best, till the soldiers returned. There was no way of knowing how long it would be before the people could return to their homes, and to the lives that they had left behind.

  Summer walked down the main road of the city; with her was Abby and Noel the city overseer. Also with her was her nephew Blueberry, a name that most who did not know his story would wonder about, having been born early he had always been small, the healers had been surprised that he had even lived his first week but even though his body was small his will to live even then, was huge. He survived his first week and the many bouts of illness that plagued him in his young life, proving to be far stronger than anyone thought.

  Just after his second birthday he fell very ill, and nothing the healers did seemed to be working. His parents refused to give up on him. In desperation, his mother wrapped him in his favorite blanket, a heavy old blue one his grandfather had given him. The blanket was both worn and old but the boy loved it. His mother stayed by his side all that night praying for her son's life. In the morning when his father entered the room, the child's father found his wife, sleeping with her arms tightly hugging their son. The illness had passed, never to bother the boy again. When telling the story, his father had always joked that it looked like she was squeezing the juice out of a "blueberry.” The name stuck.

  This was Blueberry's twenty-first year of life. Having beaten the illness he had grown into a handsome young man that despite his smaller size turned many a woman's head. Blueberry's dreams, of fighting alongside his father, would never be. Ashes had decided that it would not be right to put him in battle against much larger men where he would have little chance. So when Blueberry became old enough he was given the job of advisor to the court, a job that was usually given to a much older person. Some had questioned the decision, but even though being disappointed at not becoming a warrior, he had taken to the job of advisor very well, impressing even his strongest critics.

  Blueberry walked beside Summer, having to take longer steps to keep up with her pace. "All of the barracks are full. and more people are still coming in. my queen. There are a few empty warehouses next to the South wall but they are cold and drafty, I think we should only use them as a last resort."

  "I agree,” Noel put in, "but we are running out of room Notie just arrived with over three hundred more villagers we are going to be hard pressed to find suitable places for them to live" Noel had to do a quick side-step to avoid being struck by a wooden sword being swung by one of two young boys play-fighting in the street.

  The boy looked up sheepishly from the imagined battle. "Sorry queen Summer, sorry sir, I did not see you there."

  "No harm done. "Noel told the boy. "But maybe you should go over to the grove to play, so that you don't accidentally get run over by a wagon. The streets are very busy today." Nodding, the boy gave Summer a shy smile before heading off at a run in the direction of the grove, as Summer watched the two boys running toward the trees. She looked thoughtfully at the castle sitting on the other side of the large grove.

  "Why not put the people in the west hall?" She asked. All three of her companions turned to follow her gaze,

  "It could work." Blueberry agreed. "It is empty, and there is plenty of room. It even has a dining hall and furnishings.

  "Good then. "Summer said, satisfied. "I will leave it to you to take care of it"

  Summer spent the rest of the day, checking to make sure that there were no new problems, before heading back to her and Ashes chambers In the castle. She was tired both mentally and physically. She was looking forward to the bath that the chambermaid had drawn. She had just pulled off her boots when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Forgive me my queen" an apologetic voice said,” but a rider has arrived with a message from the King" Summer got up quickly, sighing, her bath would have to wait.

  "Is he in the hall?" Summer asked, starting to pull her boots back on.

  "No my lady, he said it was most important that he speak to you as soon as possible. He is with me.

  "Glancing longingly at the bath,” Summer said, "Let him in"

  As the newcomer entered the room, Summer finished pulling on her boots. "I am sorry to interrupt your evening my Lady but I promised the King that I would give you his message as soon as I reached the city."

  Summer rose, smiling at the man " "you interrupted nothing important, what is the message my husband sent?"

  Thunk lifted the small silver chain and its container over his head and handed it to Summer then he waited in silence as Summer opened the small tube and smoothed out the tightly wrapped paper tilting it into the candle light to read it better.

  A look of surprise showed briefly in her eyes passing quickly. Setting the note on the table next to her, she turned back to think." You have not eaten or rested, since you got back?"

  Thunk shook his head, "No my Lady. As I said, I promised the king..."

  That you would bring the message to me as soon as you arrived." Summer interrupted "and you have, thank you." Summer paused, hesitating before asking, "Did the king tell you what the message said?"

  Again Thunk shook his head, "No my lady he only asked me to bring it to you."

  Summer glanced back down at the paper, "and no one else knows about this?"

  Thunk thought for a moment "I only talked to the guards at the palace doors and the chambermaid my Lady, is there a problem?"

  Summer chuckled softly "
beside a war you mean? "

  Thunk's face reddened, embarrassed.

  Summer smiled, putting a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, "Forgive me, I was not trying to make you feel foolish. I must ask you to do one more thing, you know Abby and Noel?"

  "Of course, my Lady " came the answer.

  Nodding Summer went on, "Good, find them both and tell them I need to see them immediately. Then eat and get some sleep you have more than earned it.”

  Summer waited till Thunk left the room before picking up the paper and reading it again, mumbling softly to herself, "My husband, do you really think this is necessary? I don't even know if we can find them."

  The look on both Abby's and Noel's face showed the same doubt that Summer had felt, "Are you sure that is what he said?" Noel asked shocked, as Abby paced the room in frustration."

  "he wants us to ask the Cocoans for help?"

  Summer arched an eyebrow. "Are you doubting my ability to read?"

  "No one has seen any sign of them in ten years, they are nomads! They disappeared into those mountains like ticks on a dog!" Abby shot before Noel could answer.

  "We don't even know for sure where they are, or if they will help, they don't like people bothering them. They made that clear the last time we went looking for them!"

  "True." Summer agreed. "But they would not even have survived, if we had not helped them cure the illness that was killing them off by the hundreds, and had Ashes not given them a quarter of our Kingdom to start a new life on, after we found that the sickness came from the waters in their own lands."

  "Yes," Noel said. "but Ashes only gave them that land after they flat out refused his offer to join with us as one people. They do not like people other than themselves. The reason that they have not attacked us is because Ravage, their leader, knows what they owe us. That does not mean that he likes us."

  "I am sure that Ashes has already thought about that." Summer said walking over to the tub, by the wall. She stuck her hand into the, now, cold bath water. " but I also know he would not ask us to risk this, if he did not think it was necessary."