Eye Of The Storm

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A week after leaving Tridad they caught up to the main army. It was large, larger than Byden said it was. At least ten thousand men marched to attack her home and murder her family, and Ashen was powerless to stop it. But she still had peace. Despite being separated from Zarreil yet again, she trusted, somehow, that everything would be okay. It was hard, probably one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but she was determined to not lose hope. As long as there was breath in her lungs she would have hope. She knew the sun would rise tomorrow not because it did every morning but because of the One who lifted it.

It was that same hope, that same trust, that led her to remain calm as Zarreil and her were ripped apart by soldiers. The last time she saw her brother, now over a 24 hours ago, he was smiling at her with those fiery eyes of his. He had the same hope within him, and she returned his smile. It might have been the last time either of them would see the other, but Ashen knew that, no matter how things got, her Saviour would carry her through it.

"Lookie at what we've got here. The princess of Calador. I wonder what a pretty girl like you is doing in a place like this." The speaker was a soldier, around 25 years if Ashen had to guess, and was a dirty man. His face was covered in grit and he hadn't shaved in at least a week. His clothes had mud on them and he smelled as if he hadn't seen water in at least a month. Ashen simply ignored him and turn around on the mat she was sitting on. Her hands had been tied behind her back so it was uncomfortable to lie down. So she sat.

"Don't ignore me, girl. You are my prisoner, and as such you will show me the respect I deserve."

"There are very few people I truly respect in this world and you, sir, are not one of them. Now please leave me alone, unless of course Byden wants me in which case he can come see me himself. He knows where to find me." The man sneered at her words, contempt clouding his features."

"I don't like your tone, girl. If you can't show me respect I will have to teach it to you."

"Go ahead, see if I care. But oh, wait, I do recall Byden giving clear orders that my brother and I were not to be harmed. So, you lay a finger on me or do anything I don't like, I tell Byden, and then you get punished for it. How's that for respect?" He gaped at her, debating whether or not she was lying. But they both knew she was right, and if he touched her he would likely lose his life.

"Don't think I'm letting you get away with this. There will come a time in the near future when Byden no longer has a use for you and then you shall be unprotected."

"I will never be unprotected, and you are a fool if you think otherwise. The One who watches me is far more powerful than Byden, and He is holding me in his hand. To get to me you have to go through him, and I pity any man who pits themselves against Him." The soldier stared at her for a long moment, then had the grace to turn and leave without another word. Ashen breathed a sigh of relief. She had trusted the White Rider to protect her and he did, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid. One could have fear and still have courage.

Two more days passed, during which Ashen never saw a sign of her brother or Byden. She guessed Zarreil was in a different company to prevent the two of them trying to escape together. She was also sure Byden was busy planning the siege of Eius, as she knew there would be no open combat.

Her father was smart, and as soon as he realized the large numbers marching on his city he would have pulled in all of his men and prepared for a siege. Eius hadn't been sieged in over two hundred years, but it was still a strong city with many fortifications. The walls had been rebuilt just fifty years ago by her grandfather, and they were built with strong stone cut from the lakebed.