A Game of Chi Book II: A Throne of Tears

Chapter 16: Lennox III

LENNOX

After their decisive victory against the rhinoceros tribe, Lennox didn't want to waste any time getting to the Blacklands. Despite his confidence, even he didn't want to tempt fate a second time. However, some of the wounded had more than just cuts or bruises; some of them were in no shape to fight or travel. "Longtooth," he commanded. "I want you to take the seriously injured back to the Lion Temple."

"Your Grace?" the old lion asked, not in a challenging way, but sounding genuinely surprised. "We need to get there quickly. The banquet is scheduled for tomorrow night, but we can't make good time with the stragglers. Plus, we can't give medical attention on the road here, and I'm not sure that Lord Rawzom could do much better. I think it's best if you and the injured return home." Longtooth cracked a weary smile. "Are you sure this isn't a ploy to get rid of me, Your Grace?" he chuckled. "You know it isn't, Longtooth," Lennox replied, placing his hand on the older lion's shoulder. "Very well," Longtooth replied. "I'll send you a message once we're home to let you know we've arrived safely."

"If you can, come to the Black City afterwards," Lennox said. "You'll probably miss the banquet, but we'll wait for you. I need you by my side." Longtooth nodded and walked over to the seriously injured and began telling them the change of plans. Lennox saw his mother walking up to him and prepared for a stern lecture. "I know what you're going to say, Mother," he sighed. "It was bad for morale to send the wounded back home, and we've just diminished our forces. But I don't want to hear it."

"On the contrary," Leona began, "I actually agree with you." Lennox paused. "You do?"

"Yes," she replied. "Keeping the injured around the others would not only have slowed us down, but they would have been a constant reminder of the losses we suffered against the rhinos. And while our forces are less than they were, the ravens will bolster our ranks. So I'm actually agreeing with you, Son." Lennox smiled. "Thanks, Mother," he said. "Do you want to help Longtooth gather the wounded?" Understanding his meaning, Leona bowed her head and left as Lyra and Lothar approached. "Lothar, how far are we from the Black City today?" Lothar frowned, looking at his map. "It looks like we're only a day away, if we don't stop. The Black City is pretty close to the border of the Blacklands."

"Good. Then let's leave right away." After seeing Longtooth and the wounded off, Lennox led his forces away from their camp, passing through the former battlefield and driving past the corpses of various rhinoceroses. We never took the time to bury them, a voice in Lennox' head nagged. Well, they chose to join the crocs and oppose us. They got what they deserved. Lennox drove past a pile of rhinoceros bodies and pushed the thoughts from his mind. They got what they deserved, he repeated to himself. In no time, Lennox, Lyra, Leona, Lothar and the other lions were far away from where they had won against the rhinoceroses and well on their way towards the Blacklands.

With no obstacles in their way, and travelling much too fast to talk to anyone, Lennox' thoughts drifted to the past; to the last time he had seen his father. Ten years ago, he thought. I was only ten years old. By Cavora, it feels like a lifetime ago. He sighed and glanced at grassy lands they were passing. I suppose it was a lifetime ago. "Father, I don't understand why you have to leave," Lennox had told him. "Just tell Lord Crominus that you don't want to leave your home!" Lennox could remember that his father had been about to leave the Lion Temple when Lennox had caught up to him.

"Come now, Lennox," Lagravis had chided gently. "Of course I don't want to leave the Gilded Plains. But I have to do what's best for Chima." Lennox had frowned and tugged at his father's cloak as he had turned to leave. "So what's best for Chima is for you to leave me and Mom and Laval behind?" Sighing, Lagravis had knelt and given Lennox a hug. "Crominus is a good man, but without me by his side, he might make mistakes. And as a king, it's important that he doesn't make mistakes. Besides, I'm bringing your brother with me." Lennox had thrown a tantrum, something he didn't normally do, and especially not with his father. "That's not fair! Why can Laval go with you but not me?" he had demanded. "That's because your roles are very different, son. You're destined to be the Lord of the Lion Tribe, while Laval is going to be your advisor. I'm going to train him to follow in my footsteps to advise you to be a better lord." That in and of itself spoke volumes about Lagravis' philosophy. You believed that kings and lords were useless, didn't you, Father, he mused. You thought that true wisdom, true power and true responsibility came from those around them. You had Laval pegged for the brains long before we were old enough to understand. To his father's credit, Lennox found it hard to disagree with his father's assessment. Even when they were younger, Lennox would act before thinking, such as when he and Laval played hide-and-seek in the Lion Temple. Lennox would often search every room to find his brother, while Laval, four years younger, would stop to think and search for Lennox in the better hiding spots first. The reverse was true as well; Lennox would just hide wherever he could while Laval would take the time to hide in a location where it would be harder to find him. Still, Lennox thought ruefully. To think the last time I saw you, I was throwing a tantrum. I was a bratty kid back then, wasn't I. Have I really matured? Lennox shot a glance at his mother, who was behind him. I have, he told himself. I'm not just doing what I want anymore. I listen to her and the others. But sometimes, they're just wrong. Shaking his head, he focused his attention on the road ahead. In the distance, he could see a tall spire, jutting out from a collection of smaller buildings. The Black City, he thought. Which means we're close.