rest of Sehar.
Of course, whether the new crops
had time to mature depended on when their enemies arrived. Even with some of
the L’avan using their vyala to help the crops along, it would take time
for the plants to be ready for harvest. L’iam had estimated that it would take
around three months to move a sizeable army from the far south of Sehar to the
Thieves’ Forest. There had been no word from the L’avan spy network of the
Shimat army moving, so L’iam hoped that they had time to build up supplies
before the siege began.
“Have we completed the camp for the
refugees?”
K’eb again gave an affirmative. “All
of the refugees have shelter and supplies, but we are still preparing for any
new arrivals we may have in the coming weeks.”
L’iam made a soft sound of
approval. He anticipated the number of refugees to grow by a large amount by
the time the enemy army arrived. Seharans had spent generations avoiding
conflict, so their first response was to flee at any sign of trouble.
The young king looked up at the
painted portrait of his wife that was always in his tent. His heart ached as he
traced the lines of her face with his eyes.
What do you think, Adesina? He asked her silently. Am I forgetting anything?
The sound of a distant commotion
reached L’iam’s ears. He frowned and walked out of his tent with K’eb following
close behind.
His tent was pitched atop a small
hill where he could overlook the entire L’avan camp and the Thieves’ Forest to
the south beyond. If he faced the north he could also see the refugee camp on
the Rashad grasslands.
The noise was coming from the south
and he turned his spyglass to the edge of the forest.
Hundreds of wagons were approaching,
accompanied by people on horseback and on foot. The wagons were brightly
colored, and L’iam recognized them instantly.
“The Northern Tribes,” he said in
surprise.
“They must be more refugees from
the violence of the Scepter of Cha-sak,” offered K’eb.
“Yes, you are probably right,”
agreed L’iam. “I just did not think they would come here. They tend to keep to
themselves.”
Rajan, the leader of the Rashad,
came loping up the hill. His glossy black fur was touched with grey, but his
golden eyes were still sharp and lively. A feline smile spread across his face
and his voice was filled with suppressed excitement. “I wonder what convinced
them to join us,” Rajan said in exaggerated calm.
L’iam took the hint and looked
through his spyglass again.
A smaller group of travelers seemed
to be leading. He pointed his spyglass in that direction and immediately
spotted Hestia. L’iam chuckled at the sight of her familiar face. Of course she
was the one…
The smile slipped from his face and
his heart skipped several beats.
Without speaking a word, L’iam
dropped his spyglass on the ground and sprinted down the hill toward the
arriving wagons.
***
Adesina was overwhelmed by the
reception she received as she rode into the grasslands of Pevothem. From the
moment she was spotted by the L’avan patrol guards, a mighty cheer sprang up. She
saw tears flowing freely down the faces of her devoted subjects, and the crowd
pressed in to try and touch her as she rode toward the center of the camp.
The young queen’s heart felt as
though it might burst.
She had grown to love her people
very dearly, and it was touching to see how much they loved her in return.
Hundreds of voices called her name,
but Adesina’s keen ears picked out one voice in particular. Her purple and gold
eyes darted to the source of the sound, and she saw that the mass of bodies was
parting to make way for a single individual.
Her throat constricted as she
stifled a sob. She leapt from her horse’s saddle and hit the ground running.
L’iam was also moving as quickly as
he could. He held out his arms to her and Adesina ran into his embrace.
His strong arms held her close, but
Adesina felt that it was not nearly close enough. L’iam
Of course, whether the new crops
had time to mature depended on when their enemies arrived. Even with some of
the L’avan using their vyala to help the crops along, it would take time
for the plants to be ready for harvest. L’iam had estimated that it would take
around three months to move a sizeable army from the far south of Sehar to the
Thieves’ Forest. There had been no word from the L’avan spy network of the
Shimat army moving, so L’iam hoped that they had time to build up supplies
before the siege began.
“Have we completed the camp for the
refugees?”
K’eb again gave an affirmative. “All
of the refugees have shelter and supplies, but we are still preparing for any
new arrivals we may have in the coming weeks.”
L’iam made a soft sound of
approval. He anticipated the number of refugees to grow by a large amount by
the time the enemy army arrived. Seharans had spent generations avoiding
conflict, so their first response was to flee at any sign of trouble.
The young king looked up at the
painted portrait of his wife that was always in his tent. His heart ached as he
traced the lines of her face with his eyes.
What do you think, Adesina? He asked her silently. Am I forgetting anything?
The sound of a distant commotion
reached L’iam’s ears. He frowned and walked out of his tent with K’eb following
close behind.
His tent was pitched atop a small
hill where he could overlook the entire L’avan camp and the Thieves’ Forest to
the south beyond. If he faced the north he could also see the refugee camp on
the Rashad grasslands.
The noise was coming from the south
and he turned his spyglass to the edge of the forest.
Hundreds of wagons were approaching,
accompanied by people on horseback and on foot. The wagons were brightly
colored, and L’iam recognized them instantly.
“The Northern Tribes,” he said in
surprise.
“They must be more refugees from
the violence of the Scepter of Cha-sak,” offered K’eb.
“Yes, you are probably right,”
agreed L’iam. “I just did not think they would come here. They tend to keep to
themselves.”
Rajan, the leader of the Rashad,
came loping up the hill. His glossy black fur was touched with grey, but his
golden eyes were still sharp and lively. A feline smile spread across his face
and his voice was filled with suppressed excitement. “I wonder what convinced
them to join us,” Rajan said in exaggerated calm.
L’iam took the hint and looked
through his spyglass again.
A smaller group of travelers seemed
to be leading. He pointed his spyglass in that direction and immediately
spotted Hestia. L’iam chuckled at the sight of her familiar face. Of course she
was the one…
The smile slipped from his face and
his heart skipped several beats.
Without speaking a word, L’iam
dropped his spyglass on the ground and sprinted down the hill toward the
arriving wagons.
***
Adesina was overwhelmed by the
reception she received as she rode into the grasslands of Pevothem. From the
moment she was spotted by the L’avan patrol guards, a mighty cheer sprang up. She
saw tears flowing freely down the faces of her devoted subjects, and the crowd
pressed in to try and touch her as she rode toward the center of the camp.
The young queen’s heart felt as
though it might burst.
She had grown to love her people
very dearly, and it was touching to see how much they loved her in return.
Hundreds of voices called her name,
but Adesina’s keen ears picked out one voice in particular. Her purple and gold
eyes darted to the source of the sound, and she saw that the mass of bodies was
parting to make way for a single individual.
Her throat constricted as she
stifled a sob. She leapt from her horse’s saddle and hit the ground running.
L’iam was also moving as quickly as
he could. He held out his arms to her and Adesina ran into his embrace.
His strong arms held her close, but
Adesina felt that it was not nearly close enough. L’iam
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