Chapter 111 Battles End, Battles Begin
In the north.
Thousands of people were working to bury hundreds of corpses in communal mounds. Hundreds more bodies were being collected to be burned. Arkady had requested help from the western tribes to care for the wounded and the dead. After two major battles, there was no tribe that remained unaffected. At a meeting, almost all of the tribal chiefs were present at the central fort.
Arkady: Our people are divided. The leaders of the south have shown that they want to destroy us. If we fight among ourselves, we will be doing their dirty work for them. I ask for a month of peace between the tribes so that we can prepare for winter.
Tatiana: Uncle, can I say something to the chiefs?
Arkady: Men, listen to the Puma.
Tatiana: In the south, the king has died. His daughter, a kind-hearted young woman, has ascended to the throne with the support of my husband and other nobles who hated Aloisio. But a large army is marching south to seize the throne and the kingdom from her.
Many men struck their weapons against the ground to show their joy at the death of the hated king.
Tatiana: War Chief Aurelio is even worse than the king. He was the one who used Pavel to attack us. He was the one who killed women and children instead of warriors. He is our enemy. I ask Arkady the Bear to gather an army to travel south, attack his soldiers, and help the queen.
Some men made sounds like those of a puma. Most remained silent.
Arkady: My niece is right. But too many members of the tribes have died. The southern soldiers can kill each other while we unite. We can survive the winter and then fight whoever is left alive.
The fort was filled with the sounds of a bear. The warrior looked at them and knew she had no support. She knelt before her uncle.
Tatiana: Thank you for listening to me, uncle.
The royal castle.
Valero was sitting on the throne, observing some soldiers, an old man, and a woman.
Valero: Speak.
Soldier: We found them this morning in a room. He said his name was Priest Clemente, and she said she was the maid of Olivia, the bastard.
Monika shouted at the soldier: Olivia, the queen!
A soldier struck her in the stomach with the shaft of his spear. She screamed in pain and doubled over. Two soldiers grabbed her and lifted her up again.
Valero: I am the king. Clemente, the priest of stories. I thought you were dead.
Clemente: No, but soon. Just like your reign, my life will end soon.
Valero: The mad priest who can see the future. You are right. You will die soon.
Clemente: That is fine. I killed the king; I deserve to die.
Valero: How did you kill the king?
Monika replied: With poison. I put it in the bottle for the king with my own hands. The priest taught me how to make the mixture.
Valero looked at them angrily: Who else participated in this crime?
Clemente: Nobody. But it was no crime, it was justice.
Valero thought for a moment: By order of the king, this man and this woman will die for the crime of having murdered the king. Hang them from the supports of the nest.
The royal road near Puerto Blanco.
Two rows of horses advanced along the road with knights dressed in black and gold armor. Behind them, four rows of soldiers marched. They wore white tabards embroidered with three green ships. They had four hundred knights on horseback, eighteen hundred lancers, and two hundred archers with bows and arrows.
They were marching to block the new bridge that crossroads and the bridge to Costa Lunas. Their orders were to stop the royal army and try to kill Aurelio. They knew they did not have enough strength to resist for long, but if they managed to surprise the count and kill him, the army might disperse.
Riding in front of the columns were the captains of the noble houses. They were sons of men who had died at the hands of the royal army during the revolt. Each had been chosen by the duchess to lead her soldiers.
The captain of the banners was a thirty-two-year-old man. His name was Manfred. His father died in battle. One of his great-grandfathers died in the war against the Kingdom of Costa Lunas, and another was later executed for having been a captain in that war. The man hated the people of Costa Lunas and the royal family. His dream was to kill Aurelio.
Colinas Gemelas Castle.
Marisela sat down with her maid and friend Patricia. In front of them stood two tall knights in black armor and green tabards trimmed with white. Both were handsome, with fair skin, short black hair, and well-groomed beards and mustaches. One was almost forty years old and the other a little over thirty. The oldest man spoke first.
Felipe: There are several hundred knights on horseback along the main road. They are guarding the approaching siege engines. If we could attack the machines, it would be easy to destroy them. But they have more knights than we do.
Severo: On both flanks they are mobilizing hundreds of soldiers towards the ports. Our soldiers are occupying them, but they have more men than we do.
Marisela: In your opinion, what are their intentions?
Felipe: They want the ports and the ships. The machines will be used to keep us locked inside the castle while they attack the ports.
Severo: We need to make a decision. We can defend the castle for weeks or even months if we abandon the ports. Or we can defend the ports and risk the castle being attacked, with the possibility of it being taken.
The woman remained silent for a few minutes. Her eyes gazed intently at the portraits of her ancestors. Her hand unconsciously caressed her belly.
Marisela: Patricia, what do you know about the royal castle and the queen?
Patricia: The Sisters of Shadow have arrived with the bodies of people from families who live here. One of the bodies belonged to a Blue Knight. My friend told me that she had been told that a large group had escaped to the west. Also, many people saw Pegasi flying over our peninsula last night.
Marisela: Defend the ports for a week. If Aurelio shows up, they will not have time for us. If the fleet from Puerto Blanco arrives, the alliance could survive and claim the throne after all.
The two knights bowed and left.
Patricia: Do you want the young man from Puerto Blanco to ascend to the throne?
Marisela smiled: No. But if the opportunity arose, King Heinrich and Queen Marisela are interesting thoughts.