The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) by Mike Shelton Page B

serenading
them with tribal songs.
    After resting, they headed west
again. Darius was grateful for the cooler autumn nights that kept the desert
from getting too hot during the day this time of year. The nomads provided
covering for their heads out of a strange white material that seemed to reflect
the sun and keep them even cooler. They even retrofitted them to fit on the
heads of the Cremelinos.
    Two days later, they found the
river and a small village next to it. Traveling north for the next few days
found them connecting to the main road. Darius, anxious to meet back up with
Christine again, wanted to continue riding toward Sur now that they were on the
road. However, Jakob recommended they stay for a few days to allow their normal
horses to hydrate and regain their strength. The Cremelinos seemed fine.
    Knowing the young caretaker was
right, he agreed. It gave him time to find a rider and write a message to
deliver to his father. He also sent another rider on ahead to Sur to let
Christine and the rest of his guards know they were on their way.
    It had now been a few weeks since
they’d split up, far longer than Darius had been prepared for. He missed sitting
beside his wife. His thoughts turned to her, and he smiled. After being
reunited again a few months earlier, it had been hard to be away from her. He
felt empty without her around.
    After taking care of business,
Darius went to the stables to make sure the Cremelinos were being taken care
of. He grabbed a brush and reached his hand toward one of the white horses,
asking permission to touch him as he helped Jakob groom them. Jakob, as one of
the caretakers, was given permission to touch the horses without having to be a
wizard or bonded.
    As Darius brushed the horse, he
thought of Christine and Lightning and about the many times that Lightning
communicated with him and even let him ride her, but he knew the bond with
Christine and the Cremelino was different. He wondered when he would be chosen
to have one and how it would feel. Would it be similar to the wizard power he
held inside of him?
    When the time is right, young
wizard, one of the horses spoke to him, then we will choose.
    “You are all so beautiful and
strong,” Darius said.
    The horse seemed pleased with the
comment, and he whinnied his pleasure.
    Are there differences between
the males and females?
    The horse snorted, almost as if
laughing at the King. Are there differences between human men and women?
    Darius smiled, laughed, and spoke
out loud. “Yes, there are. I get it.”
    Loud yelling noises grabbed
Darius’s attention. He ran out of the stable to see what was happening. A young
boy was being dragged behind a horse by a rope. He was screaming for the rider
to stop.
    Darius jumped out and held up his
hand to the rider. The man didn’t appear to recognize Darius, but he did stop.
The boy picked himself up off the ground and stood in a defiant stance. The
urchin was not more than ten years old. The little clothes he wore were dirty
and threadbare. His skin was pale, and his light blue eyes sat squinted beneath
a mop of brown hair.
    Darius confronted the man. “What
is the meaning of this?”
    “This brat was caught stealing
from our garden.”
    “I was just getting food for my
family,” the boy explained, holding himself up as tall as he could.
    The man spit on the ground in
front of the boy. “You’re a miner from the Gold Mountains by the look of you.
You’re a long way from home to be getting food for your family.”
    Roland stepped between the man
and the King. “Sir. Please let the King ask the questions, and refrain from
spitting in his presence.”
    Darius tried not to smile at
Roland’s way of defending him. His men were indeed protective of him.
    “My Lord” The man bowed to the
King. “I didn’t mean any offense. We don’t get royal visitors out this way very
often. These urchins from the mines seem to be multiplying lately. They take
our food and run off with