outlaw, Syn-Jern Sorn, during the Holocaust." He smiled
tentatively, for his Overlord’s face was no longer hostile.
"You are married then?" Conar asked.
Disappointment came over Heil’s face. "Aye, Your Grace. Does it matter?"
"I will personally lead the troop to Norus," Conar began. "I will need good men at my back."
"Conar!" Legion warned, but Conar’s hand silenced him.
"It is not an easily taken stronghold and the siege will be long. I ask you if you are a family man because
every man who marches at my side is entitled to have provisions supplied to his family in his absence.
And, the gods forbid, if something should happen to him while in my service, to have his family taken care
of for the rest of their lives. I would see his family lacked for nothing."
Conar held out his hand to the villager. "If you want to come, I would consider it a blessing. We will
need every sword arm we can find to take Norus. Good men are hard to come by, Sentian." He
managed a weak smile at the stunned look on the villager’s face.
Sentian didn’t know how to respond. Did he drop to his knees to kiss the hand offered to him? Did he
grip the prince’s wrist in his hand as one did a valued friend? Did he bring those strong-looking fingers to
his forehead as one does an honored family member?
"Your Prince is offering you his sign of peace, Heil!" Teal smirked. "Will you let him stand there all day
like that?"
Sentian slowly lifted his hand. The prince was offering him the sign of peace as though he were an equal?
He hesitantly gripped his Overlord’s right wrist and felt a thrill of emotion run down his spine. "I am
honored, Highness," he whispered in awe. Such strength in that wrist! he thought. This was the sword
arm, the right hand of the Serenian throne!
"He’ll lose that worshipful look after training with the Elite for awhile, eh, brat?" Hern growled from the
chair by Conar’s bed.
Sentian’s mouth barely functioned. His voice was a squeak of sound. "The Elite?"
"What did you think?" Conar laughed, the first real laugh he had had in over a week.
"But the Elite…"
Legion laughed, too, and slapped the man so hard on the back he stumbled under the assault. "He does
as he pleases, Sentian. You’re one of his precious Elite whether you know one end of a sword from
another." Legion glanced at his brother. "And I pray to the gods you do."
"My life is yours!" Sentian swore to Conar. "I am fair enough with bow and arrow. Better than most at
horse-breaking and training."
"Pack your things, Sentian," Conar said as he walked to the window and drew the drape aside to look
into the garden. "We will leave within the next few hours."
"Aye, Your Grace!" The man turned to go.
"And Sentian?" Conar said over his shoulder.
"Aye, Your Grace?"
"Kiss your wife and let her know you love her before you go."
Teal watched the door close. "Do you trust him, Conar?" He had reservations about the man, who
looked like the kind who would cheat at cards.
"He can be trusted."
"I believe so, too," Legion echoed. "If he proves otherwise, I’ll kill him."
* * *
Seventy-five men rode from Boreas Keep that day. One hundred more would join them on the road that
separated the Northern and Southern Zones. Still another twenty-five would come from Downsgate, the
du Mer stronghold, and one hundred each from the Eastern and Western Zone capitals. Oceania would
send more than three hundred soldiers, archers and cavalrymen within the week; and the Principalities of
Chale, Ionary, and Virago would swell the regiment to over twenty-five hundred who would make the
trek to the arid lands that held Norus Keep. Even the Inner Kingdom emirate of Rysalia, a life-long
enemy of Serenia, but friend to Oceania, would send two dozen of their best archers to lay siege to
Norus Keep.
Forty-nine battle wagons, sixteen supply carts filled with weapons, twenty-two ration carts, and twelve
water wagons would roll behind the main troop. A cook
tentatively, for his Overlord’s face was no longer hostile.
"You are married then?" Conar asked.
Disappointment came over Heil’s face. "Aye, Your Grace. Does it matter?"
"I will personally lead the troop to Norus," Conar began. "I will need good men at my back."
"Conar!" Legion warned, but Conar’s hand silenced him.
"It is not an easily taken stronghold and the siege will be long. I ask you if you are a family man because
every man who marches at my side is entitled to have provisions supplied to his family in his absence.
And, the gods forbid, if something should happen to him while in my service, to have his family taken care
of for the rest of their lives. I would see his family lacked for nothing."
Conar held out his hand to the villager. "If you want to come, I would consider it a blessing. We will
need every sword arm we can find to take Norus. Good men are hard to come by, Sentian." He
managed a weak smile at the stunned look on the villager’s face.
Sentian didn’t know how to respond. Did he drop to his knees to kiss the hand offered to him? Did he
grip the prince’s wrist in his hand as one did a valued friend? Did he bring those strong-looking fingers to
his forehead as one does an honored family member?
"Your Prince is offering you his sign of peace, Heil!" Teal smirked. "Will you let him stand there all day
like that?"
Sentian slowly lifted his hand. The prince was offering him the sign of peace as though he were an equal?
He hesitantly gripped his Overlord’s right wrist and felt a thrill of emotion run down his spine. "I am
honored, Highness," he whispered in awe. Such strength in that wrist! he thought. This was the sword
arm, the right hand of the Serenian throne!
"He’ll lose that worshipful look after training with the Elite for awhile, eh, brat?" Hern growled from the
chair by Conar’s bed.
Sentian’s mouth barely functioned. His voice was a squeak of sound. "The Elite?"
"What did you think?" Conar laughed, the first real laugh he had had in over a week.
"But the Elite…"
Legion laughed, too, and slapped the man so hard on the back he stumbled under the assault. "He does
as he pleases, Sentian. You’re one of his precious Elite whether you know one end of a sword from
another." Legion glanced at his brother. "And I pray to the gods you do."
"My life is yours!" Sentian swore to Conar. "I am fair enough with bow and arrow. Better than most at
horse-breaking and training."
"Pack your things, Sentian," Conar said as he walked to the window and drew the drape aside to look
into the garden. "We will leave within the next few hours."
"Aye, Your Grace!" The man turned to go.
"And Sentian?" Conar said over his shoulder.
"Aye, Your Grace?"
"Kiss your wife and let her know you love her before you go."
Teal watched the door close. "Do you trust him, Conar?" He had reservations about the man, who
looked like the kind who would cheat at cards.
"He can be trusted."
"I believe so, too," Legion echoed. "If he proves otherwise, I’ll kill him."
* * *
Seventy-five men rode from Boreas Keep that day. One hundred more would join them on the road that
separated the Northern and Southern Zones. Still another twenty-five would come from Downsgate, the
du Mer stronghold, and one hundred each from the Eastern and Western Zone capitals. Oceania would
send more than three hundred soldiers, archers and cavalrymen within the week; and the Principalities of
Chale, Ionary, and Virago would swell the regiment to over twenty-five hundred who would make the
trek to the arid lands that held Norus Keep. Even the Inner Kingdom emirate of Rysalia, a life-long
enemy of Serenia, but friend to Oceania, would send two dozen of their best archers to lay siege to
Norus Keep.
Forty-nine battle wagons, sixteen supply carts filled with weapons, twenty-two ration carts, and twelve
water wagons would roll behind the main troop. A cook
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