The Wicked King

26

As we were closing in on the border to Faria we could see the remnants of war. Huge walls and barricades separating one country from another. Signs of battles—spears left sticking out of the ground, trashed armor, wagons and boulders once used to crash into the enemy ranks.

A shiver went down my spine. This was my first visit to a battleground. The land seemed to be filled with restless spirits of the fallen, a gloomy atmosphere spread like a thick mist over the tramped out grass and remains of our horrifying history.

Behind the huge walls I spotted a thick growing forest with tall trees reaching higher than the buildings. That was our goal. The problem was—Roland had sent a battalion of guards to keep the border safe from any attacks, and perhaps as an effort to keep the news of their Alpha's capture hidden from the rest of the pack.

"There has to be another way in," Angie muttered by my side. We were both hiding from the guardsmen, eyening the border for any weaknesses.

"If we move further south the wall ends eventually," I answered.

But she shook her head. "It will take us several days to get there, and we're in a hurry, remember? Besides, there's only around eight of them."

I nodded, but the task seemed near impossible. "I don't think their village will be close to this place anyways. Don't you think we will have to move south anyway?"

She pondered my question but shook her head, "no, from what I've heard the camp, or village, is further inland."

I bit my lip and thought about our options. My stomach was aching and my head felt blurry from lack of water and sleep. I wouldn't have a chance against any of them in battle. Suddenly Angela pulled my sleeve and I quickly followed her. I had no idea what she was planning but I trusted her. We sneaked forward, hidden by bushes and the dark shadows of the wall and the trees.

The guards were stationed at the entrance, knowing full well that no one was capable of climbing the high wooden fences they had put up years ago. But it seemed like that was Angela's plan.

"Give me your knife," she said, "I'll use it as a handle," she whispered before she jumped up on the wall which was made of thick logs standing side by side and ending in a sharp pointed edge. I watched her for a brief moment as she held onto one dagger in each hand, the edges buried in the wood, while her feet were desperately dangling in the air, trying to find something to step on. That looked terribly hard and exhausting I thought, peering up at the wall which was the length of at least three men. "Stay hidden. I'll climb up and find some rope," she added before losing one of the daggers and using them as icepicks as she climbed the wall.

I quickly found a spot where I could hide. A part of me felt annoyed that I was left behind and waiting for my rescue once more. But I quickly pushed that thought out of my head, trying to focus on the dark slender body that was slowly moving further up the wall.

My eyes darted to the guards that were posted on the wall, they seemed bored and tired and I guessed there wasn't much to do over here. They had a camp on our side of the wall and the wonderful scent of food kept messing with my brain.

Angelas body moved closer and closer to the edge, but I could tell she was tired. Not being able to use her legs to support her body weight was taking a toll on her arms. She was impressive though, as she was pecking her way up with the daggers.

I noticed that I was holding my breath as she was almost at the top. Soldiers were walking towards her, torch in hand. But after a few meters they lazily turned around and walked right back. After a while I watched the dark figure of the female body throw herself over the edge. The question was, could she just jump down to the other side? I figured there weren't any ladders. Had she thought this through? Anxiety hit me but I forced myself to sit idle and wait for a sign.

A moment later a body of a guard fell from the wall. Then another, and a third. I quickly stood up, forgetting I needed to hide and looked around with panic in my eyes. There was a commotion by the fire and three guards started running towards their companions. That's when Angela appeared at the gate, slowly opening it and I started running.

I ran as fast as I could knowing full well that if the soldiers had a bow or two I was probably going to die. But they didn't. They were all wearing swords and armor which made me faster than them.

I could hear them shouting at each other, the noise from metal hitting metal as they ran, but all of my focus was on Angela and the gate. I was almost there, but so were the guards.

Suddenly I fell. I hit the ground with a loud thud and I felt a terrible pain in my knee. Footsteps closed in and I reached for my weapon but wasn't quick enough. I felt a boot in my back and I noticed several feet gathering around me.

"Get the other one!" A voice called out from the group and a few of them took off towards the gate.

I had been stupid, I knew that. Perhaps it was the lack of food that made me reckless and distracted. Maybe it was because we were so close to our final destination. Angelas effort was in vain and I was going to be dragged back to Roland. At least I would be closer to Mathew, I thought as I was turned to be faced with four angry faces.

"My lord?" one gasped as he kneeled down to examine me. "King Adrian?"

I peered at the man wondering if I should lie or tell the truth, but I quickly realized they all recognized me so I didn't bother. "Yes," I sighed as I reached for my trousers to pull them up and examined my knee.

"What are you doing here?" the same man asked but got hit in the head by the man beside him.

"He's escaped the castle, idiot," he huffed and reached out a hand to help me stand up. "Are you hurt, Lord?"

I looked perplexed at them all. They didn't seem hostile at all. "No, I'm not," I answered.

"We thought you were dead," another one whispered, looking at me as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Me and Angela managed to get out," I said, still pondering how much I should tell them. "Are you going to drag me back? I'm sure you'll be greatly rewarded," I muttered bitterly.

They all exchanged glances with each other but eventually they shook their heads dejectedly. "No, Lord, we're on your side," the first one said, offering a kind smile. "You might not remember me, my name is Kirigan. We used to spar together when you were younger."

I tilted my head to the side and examined him, I remembered his name but the years had not been kind to him. He had aged fast it seemed. "I remember," I said and offered him a smile.

He seemed delighted by my answer, and turned to look at the gate where three shadows emerged from. "Are you going to hide in Faria?"

"Don't trust them!" Angela hissed as she was dragged towards us by two clearly beat up and very angry men.

"Young, Kalim, let her go," Kirigan ordered and was met with hesitation. "She is the King's guard."

They instantly released her and took a step back, finally looking over at me. "I'm sorry Lord," one mumbled and bowed his head while the other kept his eyes locked on Angela.

"I'm sorry about your friends," I told him honestly. "I didn't know if you were supporters of Roland or me."

"We understand," Kirigan said, then ordered two of the other men to go check on the wounded, as if they could have survived Angelas attack. They had not, they were all dead.

After burying the dead and talking for a bit we were invited to the fire and we shared a hot meal. Angela was not convinced of their loyalty but as the conversations had moved from platonic subjects to more serious ones they all asked to join us.

"You need protection, and we would be hanged for treason anyway, if they found out we let you pass the wall," a young blond man called David muttered as he met my eyes.

I nodded quietly, "it's your choice I said. We're going to find my husband's village and ask for help."

"And then what?" Young asked.

"And then we take back what's ours," Angela hissed and threw a log on the fire.