The Awakened Book Two (31 page)

“You didn’t think you would get to sit with the Emperor, did you?”

“No. I don’t think that highly of myself.” Kael shot back with a grin.

“I must take my seat. Do try to stay out of trouble.”

“Certainly,” Kael replied.

As Dacien walked to the front of the terrace, Kael glanced around the rooftop. In the fading light of dusk, the extravagance was impressive. Everywhere he looked, there were servants, both male and female, walking briskly with platters of food and goblets of wine. Kael grabbed a goblet from the nearest tray and moved to the side of the building. Contented to watch the interesting people, he took a seat near the wall.

Dacien took his seat next to the General from the east and immediately struck up a conversation. Kael smiled and looked up to the darkening sky. Dacien was made for this sort of thing. The first time Kael met him in
Bastul
, he could tell that the man was a good leader.

“Are you hungry, my lord?”

Kael looked up to find an attractive young woman extending a platter of cheeses and olives. “Oh, I’m not a lord; I’m just here to watch all of you beautiful people.”

The woman giggled.

Perhaps this won’t be such a dull evening after all!

The evening proceeded more quickly than Kael expected it to. He avoided conversation with the elderly gentlemen who seemed to be professional conversationalists. He wondered if these men ever worked a day in their lives. Instead, he made it a point to talk briefly with the young servant woman each time she passed by. Sadly, she informed Kael that she couldn’t stop working and had to keep moving so that her master wouldn’t notice. And so the evening went, with spurts of conversation and moments of eye contact from across the room.

Two hours after sunset, the crowded rooftop grew silent, as if coordinated by some signal. Kael, distracted by his new acquaintance, didn’t notice what was happening until the very last second. He quickly took his seat as the Emperor rose from his throne. The blonde woman that had been at his side all evening took a seat near Dacien.

“Honored guests,” the Emperor began, loud enough for all to hear, without showing any extra effort. “I am pleased that you have joined me in this small celebration. And I hope that the food and drink are to your liking.”

This brought a cheer from the crowd. Kael clapped his hands to keep from standing out.

“Until sundown tomorrow, our time of celebration will continue. But amidst our joy, I cannot forget the tragedy that has befallen our Empire. Therefore, we come to the real purpose of this meeting. I have brought you all here so that you may be the first to hear of my plans to restore this Empire to the status that it has fought so hard to attain. There was a time when the name of the Orudan Empire would strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. There was even a time when our enemies had been so defeated, to the point that they were hardly of any consequence to the citizens of this great country. Sadly, those days are over.”

Kael caught the eyes of the servant girl and nodded for her to come over. She winked an acknowledgement then began to make her way slowly through the crowd. This time she carried wine and was stopped more often by the other guests.

“…these changes will be difficult for some,” the Emperor continued. “…but we have much work to do and it will take our united efforts to regain our former power. And so, over the next few weeks, the laws will be changed thusly—first, the structure of our military forces will be reorganized to eliminate the non-combatants. Soldiers will carry their own provisions and be more self-sufficient, not relying on costly and slow supply trains for food and provision. Secondly, we will create smaller, more efficient groups, able to cover more distance at a time. This will give us flexibility in dealing with the disorganized and often unmanageable way in which our enemies attack. And we will no longer be vulnerable to losing provisions for an entire army by one focused attack.”

The servant girl finally made it over to Kael. “Here I am. Would you care for some wine?”

Kael accepted. “I never asked you your name,” he whispered in her ear.

“And you still haven’t,” she wittily replied.

“Alright, what is your name?”

“Julia.”

Suddenly, several members of the crowd came to their feet amidst mixed sounds of disapproval and cheering.

Kael wondered what the Emperor had said. Evidently, it was something that had caused the guests to divide into two distinct groups.

“…it is on the backs of these people that our nation has been built. But they are treated as though they have no value.” Now the Emperor was shouting. “We, in
Orud
, are insulated from what is happening in the rest of the Empire. This night, we have an honored guest who has seen first-hand the treachery of the enemy.”

A feeling of panic shot through Kael’s body like a bolt of lightning. He knew the Emperor spoke of him, and knew that he was going to be publicly used to make a point. It was the worst feeling for someone who didn’t like attention.

Kael looked to Dacien who was waving at him to come to the front. Kael took a deep breath and began to make his way through the congested rooftop, his heart beating madly within his chest.

“After destroying ten cities along the western shore, the two barbarian armies turned inland and attacked the capital of
Leoran
. This man to my left,” he said, pointing to Dacien, “led the brave Leorans to victory. But the final blow was dealt by this man coming forward now. As the Syvak warlord escaped into the forests, this brave man gave chase, returning with the barbarian’s head.”

The crowd gasped at the description of war and things that they would rather not know.

“Kneel, servant of Orud. And receive my blessing, for you have shown courage beyond measure and have done what few in this Empire are willing to do, what few have the stomach for.”

Kael knelt and bowed his head to the floor as the Emperor neared him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kael breathed heavily, trying to steady his heart as he did when exerting himself. Slowly, he felt himself calm, helped to a large degree by the sound of the Emperor’s voice. It was soothing, yet powerful, with a familiar tone. He was good at speaking and could see why Dacien said he commanded an audience.

Such a familiar sound….

Suddenly, fear gripped Kael’s heart and his body felt weak—a fear that went far beyond that of discomfort at being in front of a crowd. It was a primal fear that compelled him to either fight or run.

The High Priest!

The realization hit him like the impact of the ocean after falling from the cliffs of the monastery.

“There was a time when we, as a people, had the stomach to live in a world of barbarians, and carve out a piece of it. A piece that we determined would be our home. A piece of land that we would defend with our very lives. An Empire that could never be destroyed. We have grown weak. We have grown fat. We have grown lazy. We have others do our work so that we may live in luxury. No longer. It will not be tolerated!”

Kael began to sweat and his throat tightened.

{I can feel your fear, Kael…you traitor!}

The words came into Kael’s mind, uninvited.

{You have every reason to fear for your life.}

{You are surrounded by those you betrayed!}

The words in Kael’s mind came from the High Priest, even as he continued to speak audibly to the crowd.

“Rise, brave warrior.”

Kael pushed with wobbly knees until he stood in front of the only man he feared. He looked into piercing blue eyes and felt the same horrible presence emanating from the man that he experienced at the Temple so many years ago. He wasn’t just a man. There was something else there; something evil and powerful.

{Look around and see what you have forsaken,}

{for you will not live to see the sunrise!}

Kael focused his eyes on those that sat at table behind the Emperor. To the far left, he recognized Horace, the Southern Naval Commander. To Horace’s left, sat Arden, the Northern Naval Commander. Over the Emperor’s other shoulder was Berit, newly appointed to the position of Northern General in the place of the Emperor. Then there was the General of the Eastern Territory. Soren looked intensely into Kael’s eyes and another voice entered Kael’s mind.

{You will wish that you had died in that ocean!}

Finally, there was Dacien, beaming proudly at the audible words that the Emperor spoke of his friend.

Kael felt nauseous. He had run from his past for so many years. And now his past sat in front of him, with murder on their minds.

The Emperor released his grip on Kael’s shoulder and took a few steps back, motioning to his left. Kael looked over to Dacien who was now on his feet, indicating that Kael should take his seat. The Emperor continued to speak to the crowd and Kael moved slowly in Dacien’s direction.

A white-haired man sat against the wall. A servant girl passed by, but not the one Kael knew. These people were oblivious to what was happening. They were entranced by the High Priest and his poisonous tongue.

Instinctively, Kael burst into a run. Using a chair as leverage, he vaulted into the air and over the wall, tucking into a flip as he moved away from the building. Two seconds passed before he felt the fabric of the awning give way beneath him. The sound of tearing and rending of metal supports preceded his awkward landing to the ground.

As soon as his feet were under him, he leapt into a full run, legs pumping as fast as he’d ever run before. The grass passed swiftly underfoot until he met the paved road that circled the Palace grounds. A few more seconds and he passed beneath the great trees that designated the Palace boundary.

Kael ran in a panic, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Palace as was possible. He wasn’t sure how long he had run, but when he finally lost his breath, he found himself in a rundown part of the city. Hearing water nearby, he turned to his right and followed a narrow road that hadn’t been maintained. The pave stones were lifted out of the ground in many places, making for dangerous footing.

No matter. I can’t possibly run anymore!

Kael sat down on a crumbling portion of a bridge that spanned a narrow waterway. It was dirty and probably close to the outskirts of the city. There wasn’t much light, but what was available only made the surrounding shacks more detestable.

“Psst.”

Kael looked up.

A tall man stood across the water, twenty yards away. It was the white-haired man from the feast.

Kael jumped to his feet.

The man quickly held out his hands, indicating that he didn’t mean any harm. “The guards will be scouring the city looking for you. Come with me!”

Kael looked back to the west. “Did you follow me? How did you get here so quickly?”

“Never mind that! Come with me if you want to escape,” the man said, his hushed words reflecting off the water.

Kael walked farther down the bank and crossed the waterway via an arched stone bridge. Before he got close to the stranger, the man ducked into an alley. Kael walked quickly to the alley and peered into the darkness, cautious of betrayal.

The man stood at the end of the alley where it opened into another street.

Alright old man. You’d better not get me caught; your life depends on it!

Kael followed the man in a zigzag pattern through the city. The journey took close to an hour and finally delivered them to the docks of the eastern bay. Kael tried to walk quickly enough to catch up to the man, but it was no use. Short of running, Kael wasn’t going to see the man’s face. Instead, he followed the stranger out to the end of the dock where he boarded a small sailing vessel.

“…you know how to sail?” the man called quietly.

“Yes.”

“Then take the rudder,” the man said, moving to the opposite side of the boat.

Kael stepped down on to the deck of the boat, which rocked slightly, keeping time with the surface of the water. He was already standing in the aft section and quickly took command of the vessel, as the stranger cast off the lines, allowing them to drift away from the dock. Releasing another knot, the sails unfurled and caught the breeze.

Kael felt the ship move beneath his feet, and leaned forward to catch his balance. Within minutes, they cleared the docks and headed into the open water.

Kael sat on the bench behind him, with one hand on the rudder, while the other man stayed at the prow of the ship. “Where are we headed?” he asked the owner of the ship.

I hope he’s the owner. Or else we just stole this ship!

“Turn a few degrees to the north. We’re headed to the shore there,” he said, pointing to the northeast.

Kael followed the man’s directions and sat in silence for the rest of the journey. An hour later, they approached the shore as the man gave Kael directions. They came to a jolting stop on a sandy shore in front of a small, but secluded dwelling.

“Throw out the aft anchor,” he called to Kael.

Kael did as he was told, watching the man do the same with the fore anchor. Then, with the agility of a child, he swung off the deck and landed with a splash in knee-deep water and began to walk toward the house.