"Kalen!" She caught him in a tight, sisterly hug. "I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."
"It isn't your fault," Kalen could feel her trembling with suppressed tears. "We'll see each other again--the king doesn't command my fate. And the battle isn't hopeless. You never know; perhaps we will save Syxel yet!"
"You're just quoting my father. I know despair when I see it, and I've seen it in many men's eyes today," She leaned back and looked him in the eye, "And I see it in yours too. If the king makes me his wife, I will poison him for this. And I am not joking. What kind of man would kill a woman's father and best friend to get her?"
"Don't worry--hasn't your father told you? My father is going to be your guardian."
"He's set me a guardian? Don't you know what that means? He knows he's going to die. And don't tell me it's just a precaution--I know my father better than that. He would never arrange a guardian unless he had given up hope. And he never gives up hope."
"But he said it's only a precaution. He said we may yet survive this."
"And yet he set a guardian. He didn't set one when they went out to face that force near Daishen--when the odds were against us ten to one."
"Six to one--and we took them by surprise."
"Yes--and they're talking twenty to one odds with this mission. Our army may be good, but what is two hundred and seventy warriors--I might add not our best warriors--against over seven thousand?"
"The odds aren't anywhere near that bad. The Syxelite army will be there too."
"At its strongest, Syxel had an army of three thousand. They've been fighting Fellyre for years and losing. I wouldn't look for more than a thousand from them--a thousand weary and battle-scarred men. The odds are still seven to one, and you won't be able to pull off a surprise attack. The forest around Syxel is sparse. They would see your approach a mile off and pick you off with archers. Have you read the king's orders? The man knows nothing of war. He expects you simply to charge into the enemy ranks--with your numbers and only half the army even on horseback."
"Half will be on foot?"
"Yes--the king seems to more concerned about wasting horses than men's lives. He cares more about his personal interests than about the survival of his city. I've always despised him, but he has only grown worse with age. I swear he's going mad."
"Syriel." Syriel turned at her father's voice. "It's time. The army has begun to move out. Come, Kalen. There's a horse for you." Kalen quickly left Taldyr with his daughter. He hated extended farewells; they made him cry, which was embarrassing enough for a boy but mortifying for a man and soldier. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw father and daughter embrace before Taldyr left to take his place at the head of the army.
Kalen mounted quickly and, painfully conscious of how inappropriate it was for one of his age and lack of experience, took his place immediately behind Taldyr, at the head of the long procession. They rode forward slowly, heads high, paying little heed to the weeping and waving people. They stopped at the gate, where the king sat in a high chair on the shoulders of four strong young men and surrounded by an impressive guard. Taldyr turned his horse to face the army and the crowd, beckoning Kalen to follow.
"My people! Friends and family, I present to you one who has distinguished himself in such a way that the king has called for his promotion. Let me present Captain Kalen, commander of the hundred who I now name "the Dar-eth-Kryston"." The condemned, the words of the ancient tongue so often used in reference to unjust trials. A murmur ran through the crowd, and, when it died, Taldyr continued. "He has distinguished himself by loyalty and love--shown in defiance to the king's order. It is for friendship he is condemned, even as I am condemned for being a father." The king was fuming, but Taldyr rode slowly forward, putting many men between him and the king. "This battle is folly--it was arranged solely that the king may rid himself of all that stood between him and my daughter. I challenge you all: Do not tolerate this injustice. King Dyestan has shown himself unfit to rule."
"How dare you! Traitor!" The king bellowed. "You would condemn the war--you would deny Syxel our aid by these mad ravings! This battle is for the sake of Syxel and all the free world. We will not turn back for this fool's ridiculous claims."
Taldyr turned his horse sharply. "I do not turn back from war, but if I am to die, I will bring you down with me rather than risk my daughter falling into your hands. Good day, King." He rode out the gate without another word. Kalen and the army streamed after him at a fast canter. The foot soldiers practically ran.
Outside, they regrouped and continued all on foot, leading the horses with their weapons and supplies tied to the saddles. If they took the ancient way, they could hope to make it to Syxel in three days, but Taldyr took a slower route, keeping to the outskirts of the forest.
The journey was miserable. The men were restless and irritable, and Taldyr pressed on in a silent fury. He had always been a serious man--especially since his wife's death, according to Kalen's father--but Kalen had never seen him like this. And it frightened him. Taldyr, the calm, strong commander, who again and again had lead the troops to victory with his strong mind and unwavering trust in Ithien, was fighting to keep himself under control. For the first day Kalen took no notice. After all, he had just been parted from his daughter, likely forever, and just publicly challenged the king, but the second and third day, it began to worry Kalen. He never spoke a word except to give orders and barely slept or ate.
Kalen tried to accustom himself to his new position in the army, only to quickly discover that the men still only saw him as an inexperienced child. He decided not to assert his authority and slipped back into his old position, letting Taldyr maintain command through his two lower-ranking officers, Aethen and Dallanis. Kalen had met Aethan before on several occasions and respected him for his even-tempered patience and skill at maintaining the peace between the men, but Dallanis was a different matter. She was a tall, lean woman of close to forty with more muscle than an average man and a voice and temper to match. Over all, she was possibly the mot intimidating woman Kalen had ever met, and she resented having a mere boy set as her superior, regardless of the circumstances. More understandably, she resented having been chosen for this doomed mission.
On the third evening, Kalen was pacing around the camp, keeping his watch, when he overheard voices. He thought nothing of it at first--the soldiers were always talking and playing various games late into the night. Then he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.
"This is all the Commander's fault." Kalen leaned closer, staying in the shadows. He could see eight or nine figures seated around a fire.
"No--this is the king's fault--and Fellyre's. Taldyr is only following orders. Or are you suggesting that he should have simply given his daughter over to that beast of a king?" One younger man demanded.
"Is that such a ridiculous suggestion?" The first man--Kalen strained with no success to see his face--began, but his words were met by snorts of disbelief from the others. "You all took the loyalty oath when you joined the amy. Would someone care to list the four Great Loyalties in order of importance?"
"Sure," Dallanis replied. What was she doing there? "From greatest to least: Loyalty to Ithien, Loyalty to King and Commander, Loyalty to your fellow soldiers, and Loyalty to family."
"And am I the only one present who thinks our good Taldyr has those loyalties a little out of order?
The young man who had spoken earlier stood. "The Commander may or may not be in the right, but he is our commander, and this whole meeting goes against the second Loyalty."
"And did Taldyr not dishonor that Loyalty when he publicly disgraced the king before the gates of Elni?"
The young man shook his head. "I will not be party to seditious talk." He said coldly and turned and left. Kalen made a mental note to find that man tomorrow and do what he could to reward him for his loyalty.
"I could also point out that he has disregarded the third Loyalty."
"How so?" Aethan demanded. Aethan? Him too?
"Don't pretend to be ignorant. You know as well as I do that he chose each of us individually. He is under a death sentence from the king--and a shame it is--but he chose to drag us all down with him. Now, tell me, is it really disloyal to disobey such a commander?"
"But he had orders--he needed to bring men. He had the choose someone." Another man replied, but Kalen could hear the edge of doubt in his voice.
"Really? Who has seen these orders? You, Dallanis? Aethan? We all heard what he said to the king. "I'll bring you down with me." Are those the words of a fully sane man?"
"You suggest he's mad? I've never heard such a foolish idea!" Dallaris said with a scornful laugh. "One need but look at him to see he is as sane as they come. I have served under that man ten years. He would never do something without a good reason."
"Yes--and if this is what you called us out to speak of, your wasting your breath and our time." Aethan put in.
"No--Taldyr's sanity has nothing to do with this. The madness of this mission, however, has everything to do with it. I suggest," He lowered his tone and Kalen could not hear him, but he heard Dallanis react.
"Desertion! You're mad! We'd be flogged within an inch of our lives if we were lucky."
"We will only be flogged if we make it known that we deserted," Aethan put in thoughtfully.
"An easy enough thing to hide if we are the only survivors."
Kalen quickly retreated into the shadows. He had heard enough and the watch would change any minute. He would report the situation to Taldy first thing in the morning.
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