The Last Vanguard (The Sevordine Chronicles Book 1)

The Idea

Hemot races down the hall, and I keep close on his heels. Ellcia runs right behind me. She's not an overly fast runner, and I don't want to leave her behind. My heart is pounding, but not from the running. I'm actually in pretty great shape. The Captain is right about one thing, I do get a lot of exercise because of Rulf.

Everyone gets excited when the topic of the Prince comes up. No one knows where he might be, but everyone is sure he's still alive. It's been about eleven years since Lord Parthun, now Regent Parthun, swept in and put an end to the Revolt. He had just arrived a few hours too late. In that time, not only were the King and Queen killed, but my parents along with Ellcia's, Hemot's, Marleet's, and many others all met their end. They say the Prince fled into the Talic Region and lives in one of the cities, or in the countryside, or in the mountains, or by the sea, or any number of places, depending on the rumor and who tells it.

On the way, Hemot explains as best as he can while we run. "General Corter and Captain Tilbur are meeting with the Regent." He speaks quietly while we race down the halls. "The people keep demanding that he send out more search parties for the Prince. They say since he should be nearly seventeen by now, he must be found and placed on the throne."

"Do they have any new rumors on where the Prince might be?" I ask. I notice the other two are nearly gasping for air by this point, but I'm breathing fairly well. I guess there have been a lot of errands for salt.

"Not really," Hemot says. "Just more about him in the Talic Region."

We turn a corner and nearly run into Marleet. Her face fills with shock until she sees Hemot. "Hi," she begins, but then Hemot grabs her arm and drags her along. I can see she's flustered at first, but then her face fills with excitement. Unaware of what's going on, she does her best to run alongside Hemot.

We reach the area near the throne room, and Hemot slows right down. The four of us walk calmly in single file with our hands behind our backs, as is fitting in such an area of the castle. We make our way past the same two guards I saw in the corridor with the Regent. They stand at the two large ornately carved doors leading into the throne room where the Regent rules in place of the King.

Hemot leads us along the corridor and then takes us to the left, out of sight of the guards. I look up and down the corridor to confirm that no one is in sight, and Hemot slips his fingers into a small hole in the wall and pulls. The wall gives way and opens to a small room. We slip inside and pull the wall closed behind us. I smile at Hemot and nod my head. He's just recently oiled the hinges, and it was a good idea.

There's only one small hole leading into the throne room, so none of us can peer through without blocking the sound from the others. When we first found the small secret room, Ellcia had insisted we report it. It was, after all, a serious security issue, but Hemot and I refused. There are no real threats to the kingdom at the moment. Everyone's at peace. There are no wars. The people love the Regent and trust him to rule well as he has for eleven years. Poverty is all but abolished, and trade is booming.

No one would want to spy. Even if they did, they wouldn't know about the room. Hemot had only found the place because he had been bored and chanced upon it while pretending to work.

Each of us lean in as close as we can to the hole. Marleet seems to have figured out the need for quiet and has placed herself right next to Hemot in the small area.

"There are always rumors!" an irritated voice says. I easily recognize it as the Regent's. He sounds frustrated. "What's different about these ones?"

"Nothing," the General's voice booms out. He's one of those people whose voice carries across rooms or large areas. I've often thought that it was probably part of what makes him a good General.