Joash"Swear on your life that you will keep her safe," I said to the two guards standing in front of me.I wasn't sure of my decision. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to trust Silas and his men, but as it was, I had no choice in the matter. I couldn't leave Vera to wander in the woods all by herself and given the circumstances and her physical condition, she mustn't attempt the battle with me.Both guards landed on their knees in front of me. One knee was on the ground each while their second feet were stumped on the ground.They brought up their swords and bit the blades three consecutive times. It was a sign of allegiance. Allegiance? It looked too easy. Getting the allegiance of another man's men wasn't something to come by easily. I wasn't well pleased with the development, but I still committed Vera into their hands."It's time to leave." I commanded. The men rose to their feet but Vera, who was standing aloof, couldn't look at me."You are not using the horse," I announced and
SilasI was on my knees and grounded in my father's yard!It was past dawn and my knees had begun to ache. Father had already retired to his room. I knew that there was no salvation for me when he said I would remain on my knees until Joash was conquered. It wasn't an empty threat.I was under the watch of one of his bodyguards, Kepler, the guard who guard father's bedchamber. He could qualify as one of the ruthless and coldest amongst his guards, but father left him and made him watch over me. Isn't that out of line? I was right, father knew something.At this point, I was far gone and his suspicion wasn't my concern. I only prayed that my men got to Joash in time. I shifted on my knees as pain descended brutally on me. This won't cut it. I couldn't stay forever on my knees. I changed my position and instead of kneeling, I sat sprawled on the ground.Kepler's gaze turned grimly cold but I didn't give a damn. Father will meet me here when morning comes."Your Highness," the voice of
JoashThe night was fast fading and the sun was almost rising. The wood was still quiet except for the loud sound of nature taking its course with the sound of my horse, intruding the silence. My father's men were still in the shadows and Silas' men hadn't shown up.Is Silas playing games with me? Could his tips be lies? Or did I discomfit the enemies by travelling backwards? Vera! Was leaving her with Silas' men a mistake? My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to mind link her, I wanted to warn her, but I decided to trust Silas. Vera is unpredictable, raising a force alarm might do more harm than good. And the last thing I wanted was having her all over the place, adding to my burden.I ignored the feeling and continued on my journey. But I couldn't shake off the odd feeling and all that filled my head was Vera. Her safety and well being were matters of great concern to me. She wasn't cut for the harsh life of the woods. Memories of the times I was on the run with Pete clouded my visi
JoashI was still far away from the hideout when the smell of burning filled my nose. Black clouds rose up into the skies obstructing the morning glory.Whoever invaded the hideout did a thorough work in razing it down with fire. My heart bled as I travelled closer, I couldn't believe that one of the fortresses that I built was burned down to ashes almost hurting my people.Thanks to the timely hints, I would have lost my people and been driven to madness, that is if I didn't lose my life too. Thinking about this saddened my heart. Rising from ashes is usually a mixture of bitter-sweet experiences, but falling from grace is not only sour but also bitter. I lost my prominence since the day I was shot when I went out to save Vera. I will rise again!I remembered Jenny and Pete who sacrificed their lives for me. "You both should help me out this time," I cowered.I was almost at the hidden entrance to the hideout and I took a glean at the whole terrain from my horse. My heart sank at th
JoashComing back was almost a disaster for me! It broke my new found resolve and crushed my heart. The destruction I saw on my horse was only the tip of an iceberg. Getting in, I realised the irreversible havoc that was done. It seemed the invaders lost their minds when they realised that the whole place was deserted. They ransacked, pulled down and burnt everything. All structures were gone. What stood before me was a barren expanse of land filled with ashes. Nothing was left standing! The only solace was that no life was lost.My heart was shattered and I felt choked up. As I battled with my inner turmoil one of the men with me spoke up."My Lord, we are at your disposal. Give the orders and we will do nothing but your biddings!"His voice called me out of my self pity. Looking at a number of them waiting on me to lead them into battle charged me up. Slowly, I retrieved my sinking soul and fire burned inside of me. I will destroy those that did this to me!VeraWe had been walkin
JoashComing back was almost a disaster! It broke my new found resolve and crushed my heart. The destruction I saw on my horse was only the tip of an iceberg. Getting in, I realised the irreversible havoc that was done. It seemed the invaders lost their minds when they realised that the whole place was deserted. They ransacked, pulled down and burnt everything. All structures were gone. What stood before me was a barren expanse of land filled with ashes. Nothing was left standing! The only solace was that no life was lost.My heart was shattered and I felt choked up. As I battled with my inner turmoil one of the men with me spoke up."My Lord, we are at your disposal. Give the orders and we will do nothing but your biddings!"His voice called me out of my self pity. Looking at a number of them waiting on me to lead them into battle charged me up. Slowly, I retrieved my sinking soul and fire burned inside of me. I will destroy those that did this to me!VeraWe had been walking non s
JoashSpeaking with Vera came right in time. Although I was busy devising and trying out different strategies with the men that were with me, I still found time to hear her out.Now that I have some level of trust in Silas, it wasn't hard for me to tell Vera to trust his men. Offering an abode to keep her safe was better than running around in the woods.After I had formed some bond with Silas' men, I took some of them with me and we checked through the ruins. Luckily, I found one of my underground storage that wasn't gutted by fire. The storage contained crude and highly improved munitions which I had gathered when I was still on the run. I commanded the men to lift the gates of brass that shielded the store and about three men climbed down the stairs.They emptied the storage and lifted out all that they found. Those that were outside pulled the munitions out and soon the storage was empty.The weapons were mostly swords and spears of varying types. Darts with deadly edges, bow an
VeraIt was late in the afternoon. Fatigue fell on me like a cloak. My feet were beginning to feel sore and I felt weak. I still needed a good medical treatment, sleep and supplies before I could bounce back to my feet.We had different stops on the way, but none of it seemed helpful anymore. I thought wherever they were providing for me would be somewhere close, I didn't know it was going to be another intense journey. We should have travelled by horse. I almost cursed my mate for the decision he made that we should travel on foot."How far away are we?" I asked when I couldn't take it anymore."We are almost there, Your Highness," the guard with me responded as usual."Let's take another break," I said and my guard helped me find a nice spot to cool off. He offered me more wild fruits and water which I munched on. We had been eating the same fruit since the previous night and it was becoming tasteless."Where are you getting the fruits?" I asked curiously."The second guard gets th