Shadow of the Dark One

Chapter Eleven - Missions within Missions

Prince Sano slipped into the military stables and removed his friend's chains with a cupful of magic. The stables were empty at night, only a lowly, old man guarding the horses, and he slept soundly on a cot in the front room, an old stove poping beside his feet. There were only two horses, so they saddled the two mares, grabbed a leather pouch and feed bags and crept slowly past the front room.

"We need food," whispered Jed, one eye motioned to the door where the old man lay sleeping. "Somebody small." He winked for the Prince to go inside.

Sano quietly creaked through the opening, traipsed past the sleeping man and took a few biscuits from the box beside the stove. A knock came on the window, causing Sano to stare at the old man and shake. Looking at the window, Jed signaled for him to take the money pouch on the sleeping man's side. It sat tightly between a hand and his leather britches. Sano shook no, but Jed knocked again, even louder than the first. The Prince dimmed the oil lamp all the way and quietly shut the door on his escape.

"I didn't see you get it," said Jed. "And that codger is half deaf anyway."

"It's right here," said Sano, holding the leather pouch. He poured half the small coins into Jed's hands and turned. Riko nodded no from atop his horse. "You know I didn't do it," said Sano.

"A man who'll steal, will do anything." laughed Jed. He patted the coins in his shirt pocket and cursed. "You did it to me again, didn't you?"

"Take only what we need," said Riko. Prince Sano placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly pinched. He didn't mind having to ride double because he was small and used to it. The leather pouch fell to the ground and faded into the nether. Riko smiled and sallied his horse out into the night, down the road in the direction where the three had already begun their journey. Jed smirked, always feeling short-changed, though he knew the boy to be a man of his word.

'He didn't kill the King, I know this,' thought Jed.

A full moon at their faces lit the way. It would soon be morning and there was nowhere to bunk from the dark. "Better to ride and face death, than stay and face death," said Jed, his eyes searching everywhere in the darkness.

Sano took notice of Jed's wandering eyes in the brisk, morning daylight. They twinkled unevenly, and he'd failed to notice in the past, purely a lapse of seeing the smallest details around him. "Jed," Sano asked. "where you born that way, I mean to say, your eyes?" Riko pulled reins and bent low in his seat, allowing the older man to catch up and slap a boy.

Jed spat a wad on the ground and smiled. "I got hit so hard in the side of my head," said Jed, "it broke my eye socket."

"Who did it?"

"My wife," said Jed, looking to the east, behind them and turned to face the others. "A great, big frying pan. Darn near broke my face."

"Aren't you still married?"

"Yep, but she said I had a wandering eye."

Everyone yelled and hooted, even Sano. Riko cut the laughter short though. "Prince, how many men do you think you killed back there?" Sano slid from the rear of the horse and dropped from Riko's sight. "I didn't mean," said Riko.

Sano slapped Riko's horse, forcing them to run a few feet before the young soldier could stop her. The Prince took the glass cup from his coat pocket, filled it with magic and poured a scene on the ground. The men saw a room full of battered and bruised soldiers in a line receiving bandages and tended by nurses. From one corner came an loud, indescribable yell. The men stood at attention while Patrius himself walked through the tattered escarpment of men.

"How did he escape?" scowled Patrius.

A squad leader spoke up. "Using magic, my lord." reported the young soldier. "Our wizards weren't able to reach us in time."

Patrius walked toward the man and laughed. "You know, he made a mockery of us all, tonight." He leaned forward, taking the young soldiers own blade, placing it against the man's throat and slicing, blood showering down his chest. The man fell, gurgled and stopped moving. "No more mockeries. I want archers, wizards, and sieges in the next battle with our Prince." Patrius turned to leave.

"My lord," said a wizard. "We're being watched." He pointed to the singular speck of blue hovering in the corner of the room.

"End this now," said Patrius, pulling a glass wand of his own and halting the scene on the ground. The magical pouring ceased. Prince Sano returned the cup to his pocket.

"This is why I did not kill anyone," said Sano. "There's enough death to go around."

Jed and Riko dismounted, both closing on the young Prince. "How do we fight this?" asked Jed.

"We don't," said Sano. "We let the other kingdoms duke it out until they're finished with one another."

Riko grabbed Sano by the shoulder, turning his downward gaze toward his own. "Are you saying we should let karma handle this?"

"No," laughed Sano. "I'm saying when they figure out more than I know about magic, they'll have the upper hand, no matter what we do." Jed gave a quick grunt. "What is it?" asked Sano.

"Didn't you say you were on a mission?"

"To rescue my sister, the Princess Monica. She was kidnapped by the Dukery of Walsh."

"Can she," asked Riko, "I mean, her right to the throne of Chiato, help us win our kingdom back?"

"It's possible," said Sano. "Help me find her and I'll see to it she finds her place on the throne."

Riko placed both hands upon his shoulders. "What's possible with magic?"

"Anything is possible, but some things are dangerous. When you draw from desires, you can perform badly, cause unexpected events."

"What about desires like love or revenge?" asked Riko. "Do you love your sister?"

"I see what you're saying. I'll come up with something, a way to find her, in the least."

Both soldiers laid hands upon the Prince's shoulder. In a moment, a white horse rode over the hill and whinnied. Prince Sano recognized it as his own and whistled. 'This is a sign.' he thought. He mounted his stallion and rode west, continuing the mission. The men arrived in Tanos by early evening. Stopping by the same Inn as before, Riko began to knock and decided to reach down and open the door instead.

Inside were an entire squad of Chiatoan soldiers, who paused to look, then continued drinking, laughing and eating. An arm pushed Riko inside the doorway where he quickly gazed toward the bar, trying not to make eye contact with the soldiers. In the bar mirror, he saw three women in dresses staring back. He waved to the mirror and a tall, lanky blond waved in return.

"Well, I'll be," said Riko.

"We'll all be if we don't get outta here," said Jed. "Some of them soldiers are coming over."