The Path Of Destiny Page 12

  “I promise,” he said whispering to himself.

  Chapter Eleven

  LIGHTNING

  Christine arrived home with her father early the next morning. Her mother told her what had happened. She tried to be strong and keep the pain inside. Her mother handed her the note, but before she could read it, she saw the beautiful white Cremelino horse that Darius had left for her.

  Walking up to the animal, she put out her hand and touched the horse. In that instance a new presence entered her mind. She jumped back, thinking she had imagined the voice.

  Christine!

  Christine looked around. Her mother had gone back inside to take care of her father, who was feeling sick again. Tentatively she reached over and ran her hand over the silky white mane of the horse. The Cremelino was large, with its back standing almost as tall as Christine. Its light-blue eyes looked out at her with intelligence.

  Stroking the side of the horse seemed to soothe her mind. Christine brought out the note and unfolded the paper. There were stains of tears on its edges. She opened it, read it, and leaned against her horse. She read it over and over again. She tried to hold herself together. She reasoned it would only be for a short time. Silent tears rolled down her tanned face. Caroline came over and put her arm around her eldest daughter.

  “What if he never comes back? What will I do?” Christine looked at her mother. She bit her lip to keep from bursting out into sobs.

  Her mother had no answer for her.

  Christine. Let’s ride. The Cremelino encouraged her silently, bringing itself down on its two front knees.

  Without thinking, and without a saddle, she jumped on the back of the horse. She hiked her dress up to be able to sit forward. She had ridden bareback before and was comfortable on a normal-sized horse.

  “Christine!” Her mother was embarrassed. “That’s not a way for a lady to sit on a horse.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.” She ran her hand over the horse’s pure-white mane. The horse moved around, prancing for a few moments, and then as if she now understood who Christine was, settled down and stood still.

  “I’ll be back later,” Christine informed her mother. “I just need to be alone.”

  With loneliness and sadness filling her heart, Christine turned towards a pasture and touched her heels to the horse’s side. The horse took off with a grace and speed that astonished her. The Cremelino jumped over a fence while Christine held onto her mane.

  Most everyone in the farmlands grew up riding horses, but a new feeling of exhilaration she had never recognized before came over her. She felt as if she was one with the horse. Christine only had to touch her new horse with a soft pat and it seemed the horse recognized how fast to go and which direction. Even without the saddle, the ride was as smooth as sitting on a cushion of air. She looked down and saw the ground as a blur of green and grass.

  In the back of her mind she sensed something. A connection that wasn’t present before. Almost as if someone else listened to her thoughts. As she neared a fence she thought to herself that she should stop and turn back. In the blink of an eye the horse obeyed her thoughts. Christine gasped in delight. In her mind, she asked the horse to turn to the right and then left, testing her over and over.

  The ride was exhilarating and amazing, taking her mind off her sorrow. She thought of what to name the horse as they ran faster and faster.

  They followed a trail into the forest, emerging in a flash only minutes later into the Field of Diamonds. She stopped and looked towards the mountains and heard a distant rumble of thunder.

  “Lightning,” Christine voiced out loud. “I will call you Lightning.”

  A feeling of joy overcame her and she laughed. Then she dismounted, allowing Lightning to wander the field and eat.

  Christine sat under the large tree and remembered when she and Darius had named the field. The sun had broken through the clouds then, reflecting droplets of rain on the ground. The memories brought tears to her eyes.

  “Oh, Darius,” she said out loud.

  She stood up and walked to the water’s edge. She looked at her reflection, shattered by ripples in the blue water. She herself felt shattered. Christine reached into her pocket, pulled out the note once again, and read it. Tears filled her eyes as she read the scribbled words repeatedly. She could hardly see the three simple words, “I love you.”

  Christine looked towards the mountains and said, “I love you, too, Darius. Please come back soon.”

  Lightning nuzzled up against her, and she accepted the comfort.

  Don’t worry. He’ll be back. The horse sent the thoughts to Christine’s mind.

  How do you know? said Christine back, still astonished at hearing an animal speak to her in her mind.

  I don’t know for sure, but I have great hope that he will. It is his path, his destiny . . . and yours.

  What is our destiny? Christine asked. She still found it strange to be talking with a horse, but the Cremelino seemed much more than that. Her wisdom, insight, and knowledge were vast, but Christine felt that much was still held in secret.

  The prophecies are alive now.

  What prophecies? She prompted her new horse.

  Forgotten lines of ancient magic and the power of the throne

  Will set one on a path of destiny if his heart sees the true power . . .

  Christine heard Lightning’s voice in her head, but had no time to decipher its meaning at the moment. It had been an exhausting day.

  I can’t tell you more now, my child. I have to be careful I don’t alter what is supposed to be.

  Christine climbed back on top of her Cremelino. A warmth comforted her, not unlike that which she felt in Darius’ arms. She closed her eyes and fixed a picture of him in her mind. She would never forget him!

  Chapter Twelve

  The Training Camp

  When they first arrived in the camp, the group of men found nothing but an empty field. It was a breathtaking sight. A small valley of grass nestled up next to a pristine mountain lake. The cool water sat between two jagged peaks in the western Superstition Mountains. The late summer season and high altitude brought a chilly temperature, compared to Anikari.

  The fresh and quiet scene had a calming effect on the entire party. Darius’s anger had subsided somewhat and he tried not to think about Christine too much. Whenever he did he felt hollow, and he had a hard time concentrating. He was stuck in the mountains with two hundred other young men. Biding his time, he would go along and do what they told him, then get back home as soon as possible.

  Their first task was to build their own cabins. In fact, for the first month they did nothing but build in preparation for the winter.

  “Get up, soldier.” One of the men a few years older than Darius motioned for him to continue working.

  “Yes sir.” Darius stood slowly, without much enthusiasm. They were only allowed a few minutes of rest. Muscles ached that he did not even know existed, but his strength and endurance increased each day. He had thought the older men would give him a hard time for being so young, but instead they practically ignored him and looked at him as if he was insignificant.

  It was a hard and lonely beginning. Thoughts of home and Christine occupied his mind and he had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. He felt bitter and betrayed, and didn’t care to do well. Sometimes he cried in his dark bed at night for the comforts of home and the smile of Christine.

  Most of the young men thought of it as an honor and an adventure. Darius looked at it as a punishment and just didn’t have the capacity to get excited. He tried to experiment with his power when he could, but he found little time for himself.

  He eventually discovered the reason for making them do all the hard work; not for a punishment as Darius had initially thought, but as a builder of confidence and strength.

  The cool weather came early up in the mountains, but that did not hinder their progress. Even though it was soon approaching early autumn and would still be warm i
n Anikari, it had already snowed up on the peaks of the tall mountains. Today, however, seemed warmer, and Darius enjoyed the touch of the sun across his face.

  After six weeks they finally began some training. They were required to practice swordsmanship, archery, knives, and body fighting, as well as wilderness survival techniques.

  A new group of teachers and trainers arrived and among them was Sean San Ghant. Seeing him again brought back bitter memories of the archery competition and thoughts of the argument with his father. Sean was a year older than Darius and closer to the age of the other soldiers, and had grown taller since Darius had seen him last. He now sported a light goatee and mustache that appeared to be the fashion of the day, and within days of his arrival, many of the other men copied his fashions.

  Darius tried to ignore and stay away from Sean, but one day, coming around the side of a cabin, he ran right into him.

  A quick look of anger covered over in moments by his usual smirk, Sean spoke to Darius. “Let's walk a little.”

  Darius, suspicious of his motives, went with him anyway. He decided he shouldn't be so angry for something that had happened in the past. Maybe they had both grown up a little since then.

  “I know we have had our differences in the past.” Sean began as if thinking carefully what he would say. “I have watched you and the other men here practicing the last few days and I can see that you aren't trying very hard, Darius.”

  Darius tried to protest but Seam put his hand up. “Let me finish, Darius. I know you don't like me. Just listen. I know you are younger than these other men, but even I have to admit you have a lot of potential. Remember, I saw the way you handle a bow.” He smiled a little, and Darius relaxed somewhat. “You are the best archer here. You also have great potential with your sword, especially the one you have. Where did you get it anyways?”

  Darius shrugged, signaling that he didn’t want to tell Sean anything.

  Sean continued. “You are quick and strong. But even with all of these characteristics perfected, many would not be the leader that you could be. You have been given everything that comes with privilege as a noble.”

  “I just don't like it here,” said Darius.

  “That's fair to say. I don't really like it here either, and I have only been here a few days. I would rather be back home in my warm house or in the Fair Weather Inn drinking ale and watching the girls, but we don't always have a choice in these matters. Sometimes there is something that guides our life that is bigger than we are. Sometimes we are being led to a destiny. We must make the best of it. This is where we have been sent, although for different reasons.”

  “What is your reason?” Darius was suspicious of anything that Sean said.

  “I came to help teach various duties for a few months. I have not been called into the Elite.” Sean paused, a quick glimpse of frustration and envy crossing his face. It was as if he wanted to be in the elite group also. “I am in another type of training unit. Part of our duties is to rotate into here and then to report back to . . .” He stopped as if he had gone too far.

  “Report to who?” prodded Darius.

  “To . . . your father,” he said, looking Darius in the eye.

  “My father? He’s checking up on me!” Darius raised his voice.

  “He is . . . concerned . . . about you, Darius.” Sean said his words in a slow, rehearsed cadence.

  “Are those your words or his?”

  “That is what he implied. He wants to know how you are doing.”

  “Tell him I am doing fine!” snapped Darius.

  “Are you?”

  Darius grabbed Sean’s arm and he felt Sean tense. Power flared up inside him and he glared at Sean in the eye. “I am doing fine, I said.” He turned and started to walk away.

  “Darius, what do you want?”

  Darius turned around.

  Sean continued. “You stated that you don’t like it here, you don’t want your father checking up on you, you obviously don’t want to follow in his footsteps as a councilor, but you are a man now, Darius. You can’t define everything by what you don’t want.”

  “And what would you know about what IIIIIIIII want?” Darius still stood a few feet away. His face reddened and his right hand gripped the handle of his sword. He controlled the power as to not let it glow. It was difficult to hold back. “What do you want Sean?”

  Sean walked closer to Darius. “That’s easy. I know exactly what I want. I always have. It’s kind of funny, really. I want everything that you don’t want. I want to be a noble. I want to be in charge. I want attention. I want to have power to rule over others.”

  Darius scowled, trying to fathom why anyone could be obsessed with such power.

  “I really don’t care what you want, Darius. But don’t get in the way of what I want. But for your own good you might want to figure it out. You can’t go through life whining about what you don’t like. Grow up and be your own man!”

  Anger welled up inside Darius. Power coursed through his veins. With a well-placed shove he pushed Sean a dozen feet away, then with one jump he stood over him. Sean looked up and wiped dirt off his face. “Good. Good. Now I see you want something.”

  “Yes. I want to have nothing to do with you, Sean San Ghant. Ever again. Stay away from me.”

  Sean slowly stood up, still smiling. “Well, that’s a start.” Sarcasm dripped from his smug smile.

  Once again Darius turned to walk away.

  “Darius,” Sean added as he walked away. “You must get your anger under control. I must say I don’t like this side of you.”

  Darius walked away, fuming with hateful feelings. His power filled him with anger towards Sean, his father, and the King. They had no right to choose his destiny and what he would do. Sean talked of a greater destiny, of something guiding their lives. The only thing he noticed guiding and trying to influence his life was his father, King Edward, and some hidden agenda that they didn’t want to talk to him about.

  Sean was right in one thing though Darius hated to admit it to himself. Darius needed to decide what he wanted. He needed a purpose back in his life. He thought back to conversations with Christine and Kelln. What had he told them he wanted? He wanted to make things better, to protect the Realm, to unite the people together—all people—in peace. He had always just thought that meant fighting and protecting from outside influences and from other kingdoms. Now he knew what his purpose was. It was protecting the people from inside influences, from those with too much power.

  He would not let others control his destiny any longer. He would step up and be his own man, and he was not going to get that by hanging around in the background and going through the motions. He would have to be the best. No one would push him around any longer. He would have control over his life.

  That next morning Darius woke up earlier than anyone else and started exercising on his own. Cray, the training camp commander, came by and watched Darius go through his morning drills. The man was darker-skinned than anyone else in camp. His gray hair was cut short across his head. He stood shorter than Darius but much more solid. Without saying a word, he smiled and walked away.

  From that day on he trained and fought with one thing in mind. To protect the Realm. He alarmed many of the other men with his newfound intensity. He did not hang out with the others, laughing, drinking, and talking in the evenings about the server girls. He closed himself off to anyone and anything but his duties and practices. He woke up before dawn and practiced until after sunset. His strength, abilities, and physical powers grew, and with that, a greater understanding and control over his magical abilities.

  Chapter Thirteen

  THE PETITION

  Christine kissed her mother on her cheek and ran out of the house with a few items to bring to a friend’s house. Christine spent a lot more time with her friends in the farmlands since Darius had left almost two months before. Anya, Stephanie, Karel, Thomas, and she had become a common sight together around the farmlands. Ka
rel was her cousin, and the other three lived on nearby farms.

  She jumped on Lightning and rode down the road. The sun began to set. She shivered in the early autumn air and noticed how eerie the shadows seemed as the sun slid behind the thinning trees. The weather was colder than usual. She thought about Darius again and hoped that he was doing well in the cooler weather up in the mountains.

  She picked up the pace on her horse, still amazed at what her Cremelino could do. At first her friends had been nervous around the expensive horse, but its genuine beauty and gentle demeanor had helped them to accept her.

  The Cremelino was her connection to Darius. Her heart still ached each time she thought about him. She knew that Darius wouldn’t forget her and that he would be back when he was able. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too long. The work on the farm for fall harvest and filling in for her dad helped to distract her somewhat.

  Soon she arrived at Stephanie’s farm, and she and Anya were there waiting for Christine.

  “What are we going to do tonight?” Stephanie wore a bored expression. “Last time we just sat here and did nothing.”

  The last time they had stayed over at Anya’s house had been only a week after Darius left and Christine still had not gotten over him leaving. Every mention of boys, or the city, or her horse, had brought tears to her eyes. Heartbroken, she hadn’t wanted to feel better, because if she did she thought it meant her feelings for Darius had gone away. She had cried herself to sleep for weeks thinking about him. Even still, she kept his note in a secret jar in her room and would sometimes look at it. The days between reading, however, started to draw out longer. It had been a while since she had pulled the note out. She still longed to hear his voice again and feel his touch on her face, but the pain begun to dull as other things took its place.