Three Must Decide.

Part 9. A Pause.

Chapter note. the first 3 chapters have introduced you to the Three. Each faction is controlled, to a degree, by a real life person so decisions have to be made.

Ehmet received Terills letter. what will he do go to war or find another way. He also needs to decide if he will march out to the boarder and chase the Cader Guards out of Drathen.

Read on to see what they have decided.

Ehmet stood in the sun with his back to a small white house, which although empty was obviously kept in good repair. He looked from the rough sketch that lay in front of him and then out to the land scape which lay around. He was alone, of his own choosing having dismissed Olivia, his valets concerns. She always objected when he chose to ride alone, for good reason, but Everyone needed time alone event a Crown Prince. Ehmet knew the risks but he was also confident in his ability to look after himself. On this beautiful day he had awaken light of heart, his mind was full of the days to come. The chance had come in just a random coming together of coincidence to allow a rest and in that moment of realisation he had called for preparations for a race day.

Now he found himself looking in to the middle distance, focused on nothing, his mornings plans to set the routes had almost been brought to an immediate stop along with the races when Olivia had brought in the letter, shut tight with Terrills seal. When he had read it he found that he could think of only one answer and that answer brought on fear, a fear of the huge consequences of the reply. There had been no anger and the immediate instinct that the races had to be cancelled was almost immediately replaced with the realisation that he would not cancel them. The coming months would be full of trials and he would take every moment given and fill them with distraction when he could. From where he stood the land dropped down to the village which lay on the bank of a small river and rose back again to the plains which were between the river and the not-too-distant mountain range. He would return to his quarters in the largest house in Oaktop Falls down by the river. The tiny village was where Flux had finally caught up with Earl Alden. To Ehmet it was a stunning natural location which he had almost immediately envisioned building a palace to replace the whitewashed village but now recognised the stupidity of such a reckless act.

With the river to the front of the village, the land rising to each side and behind a few small fields between the village and a sheer cliff face creating a small quite place whose beauty was complimented by a water fall created were the river fell over another step in the plaine. It could hardly be a place of greater exquisiteness.

Looking down on the village and up on to the plains between it and the mountains he felt certain the decision to remain here had been right. He had admitted to himself that the presence of the Cadre Guard in such numbers had checked his plan to move to the boarder. A place of open fields and grassland, ideal for them. Here the ground was chocked between the river and mountains, here he could guard the route to Bronze Gate, here they would have to come to him and until he had to move he would remain. His Bronze shields were formidable but he would have to choose his ground carefully as they did not have the numbers to waste. Although the letter had begun the clock ticking already.

He folded away the rough sketch map and mounted his horse taking his time to plan the route for the foot race. The race would begin down by the river out in front of the largest house, a short run would take those chosen to the top of the waterfall were they would jump in to its pool below before climbing back up its sides. From there commit to a not too long swim back up the river against its flow with the water fall behind them. Pulling themselves out they would then run up and out on to the plain above and then along the route Ehmet now rode completing a full circle of Oaktop Falls. That would not be the end of the race, then they would ride, ride to a distant point and back to finally complete the ordeal back by the river.