Lions of Men

Chapter 7

After Theocales left, Shamarah let out a gasp and crumbled in Tesahloneys' arms. "By the gods!" she groaned with tears streaming down her face. "The gods fail me. It can't be! Lest I'm dreaming; tis only a nightmare, Tesahloneys!" She wrenched free of him and paced.

"Your Grace," Tesahloneys said, reaching out a hand to her, but she shooed him away.

"No, it's fine. It's just. Tis only a horrible dream."

She stopped pacing and looked to Tesahloneys as if expecting him to agree with her, but he shook his head.

"Calm yourself, your Grace; if only for the sake of thy children. Please-"

"No!" she wailed. "This isn't real. I miss you is all." Shamarah's voice changed to a chipper tone. "When I awaken, all will be as it was... I'll arrange to see you and Uyrah. I'll bring flowers from the garden to Umarc and sit up all night with Uyrah like when we were children." Her face contorted when her former mentor didn't respond. She shook her head fiercely as if rejecting what he wouldn't say. "The gods wouldn't do this to us, Tesahloneys. We have their favor. We serve them! We pray to them! They love us because we are faithful."

Tesahloneys stood by helplessly. "The gods be damned, your Grace!" he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek.

Shamarah stared off into space with a far-off gaze in her eyes. Tesahloneys gently guided her to the platform of the thrones, and they sat on the steps.

"My world is gone..." she whimpered. "It's all gone." She smiled in disbelief. "Everything; my home; my seat; Kyros; all burned away like chaff... All of it..."

Tesahloneys looked upon his former pupil hopelessly. Shamarah could tell he wished he could do something to ease her pain. "My lady; why the gods would allow such calamity to befall such a precious jewel escapes my reasoning, but-"

"The gods?" Shamarah chuckled in disbelief. She glared at Tesahloneys and wrenched away from him and sat straight up. She put her hands on her knees and stared straight ahead. "I blame not the gods for my affliction. I hold thee in contempt. I blame the royal council. I blame the United Fellowship.

"Lo, my city burns as we speak. My husband by now is dead if not captured. And my son hunts down the men who abducted his wife, and is only Zeus knows where by now-"

"If he yet lives, we shall find him and reunite thee."

"I sit in a house of oath breakers. You swore an oath to protect our city."

"My pledge still stands on thy behalf-"

"My people are dying, and the United Fellowship lifts not a hand to avenge. Nor do I observe any priests in thy temples to cry out to the gods on our behalf. Why? Wherefore doth ye stand and make no preparation to go-"

"Shamarah!" Tesahloneys voice filled the room. The queen looked at him steadfastly awaiting an explanation, but she knew there would be nothing he could say to give her comfort.

"My queen," he began soothingly. "I have raised you as my own. You are as a daughter to me. Have ye lost faith in me to believe that I did nothing to inquire of thy safety? Nor made supplication to the gods of thy people?"

"Rashnee sent forth forty of our best scouts to Galpricos."

"And not one hath returned. The Nords brought their heads to our gates and cast them over our walls.

"The Nords?"

"Aye."

"How many?"

"About ten-thousand or so. By the time we had gathered our troops, our city was surrounded. We made several bold attempts to create diversions to break through their ranks and even organized assaults to meet them with sheer brutality. But all would prove to be fool-hearted. Nearly half our men were lost. The Regime has fought those savages for many years. I don't ever recall them being this organized. Twas almost as if they knew our thoughts before even we knew."

"I believe that to be your cryptic way of saying we have a traitor in our midst," Shamarah said tiredly.

"Bind thy tongue, my queen," the old councilman said gravely. "The new head of the royal council isn't quite as gracious as the former."

"Theocales never liked to be challenged. I take it you rose to the occasion."

"Aye."

"To what end?"

Tesahloneys didn't answer. He grimly stared ahead, avoiding eye contact. Shamarah gazed at him in earnest.

"To what end Tesahloneys?

"To the end of our people; to the end of Kyros."

Shamarah froze, bewildered by Tesahloneys' comment. "What sayest thou? What about Kyros?"

"Your Majesty, perhaps it serves thee only more grief to know such. Galpricos is a dangerous place to be these days. I implore you to think only of the welfare of thy children."

"Why must everyone council me regarding my children, as if my affliction blinds me to forsake their needs? Rakurih and Ashure beheld the bodies; the half-eaten corpses; the charred remains of children their age and younger. They deserve to know; as do I. Now enlighten me on the manner of my people."

Tesahloneys sighed in surrender. "I trust you to keep silent what I am about to reveal. Councilman Wynlow will surely have me put to death should he discover what I tell thee."

Shamarah nodded and set her eyes steadfast upon him.

Tesahloneys cleared his throat and glanced around the room and leaned in close to Shamarah. "Theocales was afraid of the Nords, as we all were. After our attempts to break through our enemies failed, he disbanded our armies, and gave orders that no one was to leave the city."

"And you resisted."

"Of course, I opposed him. I assembled all those loyal to me and pressed the issue until Theocales threatened to have me removed from the council. When I retorted and called him a royal coward and a traitor to the Regime, Theocales proceeded to have all of those who followed me thrown into prison; including the army's general."

"That must be why Banetalyes took his place," Shamarah said.

"Aye," the old sovereign councilman nodded. "But it doesn't end there. The next morning, when I had awakened, I learned that Theocales had ordered my friends to be executed."

Shamarah gasped in horror and placed her hands over her mouth.

"Your Grace," Tesahloneys continued. "Five hundred eighty men and women were beheaded because of my folly."

"Oh," Shamarah groaned, agony consuming her.

"They died believing in me. Their blood is on my hands."

"Nay, Tesahloneys," Shamarah said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are not to blame for this. You were only thinking of us; of me. Theocales alone is responsible for their deaths. I knew him to be full of treachery, but never capable of being a cold-blooded killer."

"Most of them that were executed journeyed with me from Kyros. They were my pupils as ye once were. They were loyal to me." A single tear streamed down his cheek. "And they're rewarded with a brutal death."

"Oh Tesahloneys," Shamarah whimpered. She placed a hand on his back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Uyrah begged to travel with me. She and others believed Kyros was in grave danger. I had every intention to make certain that the Nords would never attack our people. I knew that relief would come and we'd all be safe again. I was wrong. I told her to remain thither and make provisions for those who would escape from Levanorah. I convinced her that she would be a hero. She believed me."

Shamarah felt as if she had been stabbed through the heart. Images of her dear old friend, contorted in the shallow grave swept through her mind, and she could fill more sobs welling up in her, but she stifled them for Tesahloneys' sake. She was amazed that with everything she was going through she was still able to comfort anyone else.

"She and the rest of our families are at peace now Tesahloneys. They find rest in the Elysian Fields. And one day, we shall behold their faces once more.

"Hitherto, my lady, stay out of Theocales' way. He has much to prove. I don't want him to make an example of you."