The End of Surrender, page 8
part #4 of The Stalwart Link Series
“I have decided. One thousand, and that is final. I have seen what you can do, Darren. You will find a way to be victorious as you always have.”
There was a tense silence as Leo was certain everyone remembered the one instance when Darren was not successful. He and his sister had spent three years in the dungeons in Mavrim’s castle because of it.
“What about translators, Father?” Siki asked. “They will need more than ten to organize an assault on a complicated city like Jatn.”
His eyebrows lowered. “Ten is all we have.”
“We have eleven.”
“Absolutely not!”
“They need me.”
Siki’s older brother leaned forward and asked something in Analyse. Their father translated for him. He stood and seemed to demand something of Siki, but she ignored him as she looked at their father and argued in the same language.
Dasfis glanced at the eavesdropping audience and put up his hand to his daughter, silencing her. “This matter is concluded,” he told her.
“We do need more than ten translators, sire,” Darren said. “I can assure you she will stay out of harm’s way.”
“Siki is to stay here.”
“Father, they need my help.”
“Quiet!” he snapped. “It is concluded!”
Siki glared at him for a moment before she stormed off, the first to leave the throne room. Others were slowly exiting behind her, having made way for the angry princess. The mood was somber as Leo stood and helped his father up. He supposed Darren would travel on horseback, as would the other injured.
“When are we leaving?” Leo asked.
“As soon as I can organize everyone.”
“It’s already late,” Lane said from Darren’s other side. “I think it would be best to stay one more night.”
“I agree,” Erisena said.
Darren looked as though he might argue. But he glanced over and found Mavrim still sitting, staring at Dasfis, and a curious expression pinched Darren’s face.
“Mavrim? You have not said a word.”
The king blinked slowly. “It’s finally time to leave this place.” He sounded almost as if he was only speaking to himself, as he stared at nothing in particular. “When I first came here, my son was not my enemy.”
“He might not be,” Darren said. “He could fight the barbarians with us.”
“No,” Mavrim said slowly, as if reminding Darren of something he already knew. “You are aware of what kind of man he is.” He finally turned to look up at Darren. “Jatn is lost.”
Leo, Darren, and a few others who overheard this disagreed at once.
“There will be tens of thousands of barbarians,” Mavrim intoned over all of them as he stood. “They have been forcibly recruiting the able men there. They will not be a force we can beat.”
“Then we will find a way into the rift without facing them,” Darren said.
“And then what?” Mavrim replied coldly. “Where are we to go afterward? Are we to leave Jatn and travel to the capital? No matter who controls it, my son or the barbarians, they will attack us, and they will win.”
“Sire, you are wrong.”
“We need another plan, DVend.”
Leo expected his father to argue, but instead Darren let out his breath as if he agreed.
“We have to get Andar back!” Leo insisted.
“We will,” his father replied, his gaze on Mavrim. “But we might need to think of something else.”
Mavrim nodded.
Perhaps a thousand Analyte troops really weren’t enough to change anything.
CHAPTER NINE
Leo had noticed that Rygen hadn’t said a single thing during the negotiation. Now she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as they exited the palace together.
“What are you thinking?” Leo asked.
“That I should be better with the bow by now.” She had a hard look as she stared at him. “I want to do more. I thought by now I’d be able to hit the target every time from twenty-five yards, and I would’ve figured out how to coerce the strong Esitren to finally enter one of my rifts. But he still doesn’t trust me enough.”
“I’m sure he will soon.”
She smiled in gratitude. “I’m going to train in the time we have left. What will you do?”
“I should give Siki the letter.”
Rygen looked down as if she didn’t agree.
“What?” Leo asked.
“I know Andar wanted you to give his letter to her, but have you read it yet?”
“No, and I don’t want to. Whatever Andar decided to say to her, that’s up to him. And whatever Siki decides to do with his letter, that’s up to her.”
“It’s just…I imagine if it were me who was forced to marry someone I didn’t love, and you were in the other realm. We’d never see each other again. I’d want to know you were safe, but to read a letter that you wrote to me before you disappeared…it would be too painful.”
“But I made my brother a promise. It’s not up to us to interfere.”
Rygen thought for a moment. “You’re right. Not giving her the letter would be even worse.”
Leo held Rygen for an embrace. It was easy to think about how he’d feel if he lost her, for he worried about it every day. Rygen was so eager to help that he feared she might put herself in jeopardy as Andar had.
Leo searched the palace, asking around for Siki, but there were only Analytes left within the walls and none of them spoke common tongue. Siki was right. They really did need more translators. Rygen had been learning Analyse when she wasn’t training with the bow, but translators needed to be fluent. They couldn’t afford delays or misinterpretation once it was time to engage their enemies. At least Rygen could help ask for Siki’s whereabouts.
Eventually Leo found himself standing in front of Siki’s quarters. Her door was shut, a rarity during the day. Usually she was off with Andar, making mischief.
Leo knocked. “Siki? It’s Leo.”
He heard footsteps, though there was a long delay before she finally opened the door. She didn’t bother to hide that she had been crying, a trembling frown on her face.
“I’m terribly sorry about my father,” she said.
“It’s fine,” Leo replied, hoping to improve her mood. It wasn’t really fine though. Without more support from troops and translators, every one of them could fall in Jatn. He forgot what he was doing as he thought through the horrific battle that was likely to take place.
“What’s that?” Siki asked as she pointed at the envelope.
He looked down at it, feeling like it was a weapon in his hands.
“Andar wanted me to give this to you in case something happened to him.”
She grabbed it quickly. But she froze as soon as it was in her hands. She grumbled something in Analyse, a scowl across her face.
“No, I shouldn’t read this,” she said, though she still had it in her hands. “My fate is to marry another man. Our people need the wealth of his family if we are going to rebuild properly. I think I know what’s in this letter. I don’t want to read it.” She finally handed it back to Leo.
Leo’s heart was crushed, not for himself but for his brother.
“Oh,” was all Leo could mutter. He didn’t blame the princess. It seemed like the right choice.
Neither of them moved as Leo stood in the hall, Siki with her hand on the door as if to close it.
Why did this feel so wrong?
“Are you sure?” Leo asked her.
“I am,” she replied sadly.
An awkward silence passed between them.
“Well, we’re leaving in the morning,” Leo said to break the tension. “Are Rygen and I going to see you before then?”
It sounded like she was trying to say yes, but her voice broke. She gave a small cough then tried again.
“Yes, I will be there to say goodbye.”
Leo nodded. She slowly shut the door as she stared at him, her gaze drifting down to the letter in his hands.
Later, Leo would return in the night and slip the envelope under her door. He trusted that his brother knew best. If Andar wanted Siki to read it, then she should read it.
*****
In the morning, everyone leaving gathered outside the palace in a long line. Leo would stay toward the middle with Rygen. They would each walk with their horses, Rygen holding the reins of Andar’s. Darren took his place at the front, on horseback. There were not nearly enough horses for everyone. Lane would walk beside him. They didn’t anticipate an attack of any kind, but Leo was certain they would be prepared just in case.
After the battle against Jarrel Marks outside and within the palace, Leo had spent much of the first few days helping Rygen go about her day. Her hip had been too injured for her to do much of anything by herself. But afterward, he had taught her how to ride his horse. He was confident she could sit on the back of Andar’s horse without fear of losing control of the animal. Perhaps some days she would. It was better to let the animals walk without a rider often during a long journey, like this one, but it was also important to keep them conditioned for a rider.
Leo did not look forward to the long trip ahead. There was some solace in the fact that these few weeks would only be a couple of days for Andar. But Andar could easily lose his life in one of those days. It was known that the creatures in the other realm were extremely dangerous and aggressive.
There were thousands of Analytes who had made their way out from the capital to wave and cheer at the departing army, but Leo didn’t see Siki among them. He was eager to hear whether she’d read the letter.
Leo’s stomach swallowed his heart as he came to the end of the line of citizens and saw Dasfis and the prince waving goodbye, without Siki beside them.
“Where is the princess, sire?” Leo stopped to ask, moving out of the ranks so as not to block his allies.
“She wasn’t feeling well,” Dasfis said. “She had to remain in her quarters.”
Leo cursed inwardly. “Well, tell her goodbye from Rygen and me.”
“I will.”
Leo caught up to Rygen and told her the unfortunate news.
“Then we’ll just have to wait until we find Andar to ask him about the letter,” Rygen said.
Leo appreciated her optimism, for it was difficult for him to find it in his own heart.
They walked many miles in the three days that followed. Rygen had the ear of one of the translators, learning from him at least a few hours each day. Leo worried that the older Analyte only helped Rygen because he was interested in her beauty. But Leo came to trust the Analyte, who proved to be very helpful in assisting Leo to learn a few phrases as well.
Rygen spent most of the days trying to communicate with the strong beast in the other realm. She had been in contact with him for months now.
“Doesn’t he get tired of you pleading with him to enter one of the rifts?” Leo eventually asked.
“Yes. I should probably leave him be for a day.”
Leo noticed her murmuring to herself later and could tell she had gone right back to pestering the beast. Leo did appreciate Rygen’s enthusiasm, though. He didn’t have the same spirit to improve his skills. Although he wasn’t physically ill, he still felt as though there was a sickness preventing him from feeling much of anything. Food had lost some taste. Sleep didn’t come as easily to him. He knew he should be using this time to do more than learn a few phrases in Analyse, such as trying to figure out how to use a transfer-link like KRenn had shown Leo. It was with a t-link that both KRenn and Teyro—the powerful Analyte mage—were able to hold a sphere of light within the cavern where they’d found Teyro hiding from his king.
Both men were dead now, killed by Esitry sickness. Andar could already be infected.
Leo felt guilty for his poor company toward Rygen. She was cheerful and optimistic, probably the only thing keeping Leo from falling into a severe depression. But he found it difficult to reciprocate.
During the fourth day, he let Rygen focus on more complicated phrases with the Analyse translator as Leo shifted around the line. He felt that he needed a change of scenery, but no matter where he went, it didn’t seem to help.
He was in such a poor mood later that when he noticed something strange and possibly even dangerous, it took him a few breaths before he even realized what he was looking at. Someone had emerged out of a covered wagon. Hooded and cloaked, this person walked off casually into the nearby trees.
“What the sarding hell?” Leo muttered when the shock finally hit him.
He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. People must’ve seen, but no one seemed to think it was strange enough to do something.
Leo was toward the back of the line. There were more of FLip’s followers here than soldiers. He wasn’t about to ask any of them to join him in chasing after this possible spy, for they were more likely to get in the way than help if there was a fight.
Leo didn’t want to lose the stranger, so he hurried after the man, slowing once he reached the line of trees. Leo walked carefully in hopes of hiding his footsteps. With his ears open, he heard the sound of water falling.
He crept toward it, but a half-buried leaf cracked and betrayed his movements. He froze as the sound of the water stopped.
“Is someone there?” asked a familiar voice from behind a tree ahead.
“Who are you?” Leo asked.
“Leo?”
“Yes.”
“Are you alone?”
The way her accent held the “o” in “alone” revealed her to Leo.
“Siki? What are you doing here?”
“Are you alone?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
She came out from behind the tree. She did not take off her hood, but her violet hair spilled out over her shoulders.
“That damn letter!” she said with anger. “You had to make sure I read it!”
He put up his hands as she marched toward him aggressively. “Andar made me promise.”
She balled her fists and then spun around. But suddenly she seemed to remember something as she peered out toward their traveling army.
“Did anyone follow you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so.”
She glared at him. “Do you know how hard it was to refuse Andar’s letter the first time? It nearly killed me.”
“I’m sorr—”
“I barely made it through the night. But in the morning it was there! I didn’t have the strength to keep from reading it the second time. Did you know that? Did you know I had to read it, and that’s why you went back?”
“I gave it to you because I promised my brother I would. That’s all.”
She grumbled in Analyse. “And now I’m here, hiding in a wagon, dirty and hungry. Thank you for that, Leo,” she said sarcastically.
A little tired of taking all the blame, Leo retorted, “You’re too dramatic, just like Andar. I’m not the one who made you sneak into a wagon.”
Siki held a small smile. “I suppose Andar would react similarly, wouldn’t he?”
Leo nodded. “You two deserve each other.”
She chuckled. Leo found himself grinning.
“So what are you doing here?” Leo tried again. “Is this for Andar?” What did he write in that letter?
But Siki didn’t answer as she looked down. “I have several reasons.”
She didn’t go on to state them. Leo tried to wait patiently, though they didn’t have that much time before they’d have to run to catch up to the tail end of their army.
“Are you abandoning your marriage?” Leo prodded.
“No. No, I need to marry to help my people. The family of my fise is selfish. They will not offer a single coin in aid unless our families are united through marriage. They did not help in all the years we battled Jaktius Perl, but they will help now. I just wanted some time to do what I could before I became useless. All of you are going to stand against the barbarians in Jatn. You need translators, so I’ve come to help.”
“Then why must you hide?”
“Because no one can know that I’m here. You were not supposed to find out either. I wasn’t going to travel the whole way in a covered wagon, just long enough to determine which route all of you would take. I also needed an opportunity to take some supplies and possibly a horse. I would travel with all of you, but to the south where I wouldn’t be seen. A group of my father’s men must be headed after us by now. They’ll stop the caravan to search for me and question everyone they can.”
She stepped forward. “But you can help me now, Leo. Can you give me a horse and a bag with food and water? Please, I’ve barely eaten anything in three days. I was only able to grab some bread and a skin as I snuck out of the palace.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please. I will beg, if necessary.”
Leo needed time to think. Although he really didn’t want the Analyte princess begging in front of him, one worry stopped him from agreeing.
“Answer this honestly,” he said. “What would your father do if he found out I helped you escape?”
“It’s not ‘escape.’ I’m just traveling on my own, near the caravan, until we are close to Jatn. I will make myself known when I am far west. I will join everyone and offer my assistance as a translator. When it’s done, and Andar is safe, I will let them take me back to be married. My father will do nothing to you because I will be home and married.”
In reality, Leo wasn’t sure just how necessary it was to have another translator. The Analytes were learning common battle orders so they could understand enough to fight beside humans. Complex ideas were not often shared in the midst of battle, unless something went wrong…which Leo supposed could always happen. He certainly wouldn’t try to drive Siki away, so long as this was her decision.
Leo needed to ask another question, though it was hard for him to say the words aloud. “But what if something happens to you, and it’s because I helped?”
“What could happen?”
“I don’t know, many things!”
“Now you are the one who is dramatic. We are just traveling.”
“No, you are running and hiding. You will mostly be on your own.”
