The Hidden Truths

Chapter 1: A Sheep Amongst Wolves

   Usually, the days in this land had been fairly warm and pleasant. The trees blossomed, then leaved, while various, coloured birds sang high in the branches as the sun rose above the distant peak. However...

   King Beshakai became too greedy and more powerful and had made this world a place of fear and misery for his people (all of whom didn’t see the reality in the kingdom). Those who worked in the fort capital of Jerash thought the world to be a better place outside the white stone walls of their prison-like home. The atmosphere here, to a stranger, was a sense of emotionless and loss of freedom.

*****

   In the next three days there was to be a very important meeting of all the aristocracy in the land, and for fear of the king’s fury, the tension had increased. As the days moved by at a seemingly increasing rate, the servants’ nerves were in the balance. There was, however, one young girl who seemed surprisingly relaxed at the increased hard work. Ina was not an ordinary girl. She had been found in the servants’ quarters as a baby, with nothing to say how she had ended up there, only a small note saying her name and birthday. By chance, she was taken in, and brought up as a servant and to work for the king. The woman who was to look after her was Martha. For the past seventeen years Martha had looked after Ina, but now Ina was to turn eighteen. Unfortunately, her birthday was on the same day as the king’s meeting.

   ‘You are one of my most loyal and hard-working servants, this meeting would go astray without your hands,’ said Beshakai, after Ina had begged him to let her to be released from service just for tomorrow. ‘You will work, and I don’t care if your mother had died, the answer’s NO!’

   ‘Yes, your majesty,’ replied Ina, in quite a calm voice, she knew there was no point in begging any more. Some people say that Ina is the only person in the world who could resist the king’s malice, yet she did secretly fear him.

*****

   The meeting day dawned and, as the cock crowed, Ina woke up out of an uneasy sleep. It’s my birthday, she thought happily to herself. She got dressed into her best clothes and someone tapped at the door.

   ‘Come in,’ answered Ina. The door creaked open and in stepped Martha, a tall woman with long, curly black hair and high cheek bones. She wore a smile of great respect and a tear fell from one of her rich brown eyes. A tear of overwhelming joy.

   ‘Happy birthday,’ she said in a half-sobbing voice. ‘Eighteen at last, now you can really make a say among us.’

   ‘Yes, but I wish I was let off my duties, if duties they are,’ said Ina.

   ‘Huh, the king would never let you off in a million years, come on we need to be in the Great Hall in five minutes.’

   As they strode down the corridor leading to the Great Hall, they were joined by a few of their fellow servants, all of whom were to help with the running order of the next two days.

*****

   The arrival day went according to plan, everything happened at the right time and the guests were shown to their wings. As Ina headed to her dormitory something didn’t feel right, a candle flickered but with no wind or breath upon it. At the last corner before her door she halted. In the light of a torch, shadows were moving against the walls and low, harsh voices were sounding, as if the speakers were looking for something (or someone).

   ‘I tell you this is the room, I’m positive,’ claimed one voice.

   ‘We’ll just have to wait,’ said a second voice with a tone of higher authority than the first.

   Ina, feeling braver than she was, decided to carry on walking. As she rounded the corner, she saw the owners of the voices. There were three and she also noticed that her door was open. The figures all wore black cloaks around their bodies and their hoods were pulled over their heads until level with the nose, possibly. Two were facing her and one had lifted his head to reveal two glowing eyes like misted jewels, Ina shivered at the sight but held her gaze for as long as she could bear. The third had his back to her and stood with a slight crouch.

   ‘What are you two looking at?’ sounded the third figure, who was the speaker of the second voice, as he noticed they were not watching the room. The figure in the middle pointed at Ina with a pale bony hand that had long fingers with black nails. The leader span around with unbelievable speed.

   ‘Ah, is this your room, my girl?’ he requested with a very strong hint that he was probing for truth.

   ‘Yes, it is. What do you want?’ she replied with the same tone she used with the king.

   ‘We’ll be the ones doing the asking. What is your name?’ he demanded while gradually stepping slowly towards her.

   ‘Martha,’ she lied, although her tone held confidence. She was gradually backing away from them and they seemed to notice as the air had suddenly changed to a hold a slight edginess. They also walked as if they could not let her escape. She noticed the only way of escape was to head back the way she had come. She was careful to turn the corner and once she had, she ran. She bolted through corridors and heard that the men were chasing her. She sensed that if she was caught there would be no escape from the figures’ grasp. She crashed into the Great Hall, now silent and with streaks of moonlight falling through the high windows. The men quickly followed and at the same time another two doors, leading off the Great hall, flung wide open. The one in front of Ina revealed Martha, her hair in a tangle of knots as if she had been in a great hurry. The other door, to Ina’s left, opened to another figure dressed in a cloak from head to feet, but this time the cloak was brown. This figure had polished black boots that rose to the knees, and the rest of his body was concealed from view by the flowing cloak. As this mysterious figure was noticed, the black figures stopped. After, what seemed like an hour, the leader started to approach Ina.

   ‘I’d leave her alone, if I were you,’ came a deep, yet warning voice from the man dressed in brown.

   ‘What if she is wanted by our ruler?’ barked the leader.

   ‘I will not allow you to touch her. Leave or suffer what you don’t truly need.’

   ‘Who are you to order me?’

   ‘I am one who keeps peace among those who take orders from a corrupt tyrant and those who suffer from them.’ Ina, who was watching the argument, was puzzled. Ruler, corrupt tyrant. Who do these men argue about?, she questioned in her mind.

   ‘Be gone, servant of the marked, you have no authority here,’ bellowed the black-cloaked leader. He lunged for Ina’s arm, and as he did so Martha ran forward and grabbed his arm.

   Ina’s insides screamed at what followed. The figure after her drew out a long, serrated blade and thrust it into Martha’s side. She collapsed to the stone floor in a pool of blood. Ina fell to her carer’s side and held Martha’s lifeless hand, it felt like iced stone. Suddenly, a flash of light blinded her vision and a high, ear-bursting wail filled the whole hall. Ina, paralysed with shock and grief, did not feel or realise that she was taken in the arms of a being and half-dragged out of the palace walls. While inside, the servants sprinted to the hall to a scene of devastation. Martha’s limp body lay forever unmoving on the granite floor and three shadows emblazoned onto the throne wall.

*****

   Ina, blinking with tears, woke up with a searing headache. She remembered what had happened that night and bolted upright, it was dark as the shadows around her crowded together. In front of her was a roaring fire. Bewilderment rose in her mind. How did I end up here and who was that man who tried to help me? she thought.

   She felt cold as if a part of her had been torn away, never to return; yet she was curious about why those three figures were after her. Had they sensed her lie about her identity? Though the answers were a secret, she knew she was in danger. She shuffled towards the fire to comfort her grief. Time passed by swiftly and a sense of watchfulness crept over the clearing. Ina didn’t know how long she sat there for but she didn’t want to run away. She wanted to stay here in the warmth, bound to loss of a mother.

   Sometime later, in the silence before dawn, a twig broke beyond the fire’s light, Ina looked up, listening hard and holding her breath. A form, the one who had saved her, appeared out of the gloom. The shadows around her were those of trees. The man sat down opposite her on the other side of the fire. Ina didn’t take her eyes off this stranger but breathed gently with slight relief. This man had rescued her, that she knew, and he probably meant no harm. After all he had not bound her in ropes and left her in the cold, but rather went to search around for dangers.

   ‘I’m sorry for your loss, your mother was very brave to stop them touching you,’ he said, with a now gentle but deep voice. Ina jumped.

   ‘She wasn’t my mother, I’m an orphan. She took me in when I was found in the palace,’ she replied. She didn’t know why she was telling him about her family situation but he had an overwhelming sense of trust about him.

   ‘Oh. But I still say she was very brave, even if she did not understand about those Dremas.’

   ‘Dremas?’ asked Ina.

   ‘Yes, they are the king’s secret spies and assassins. I was wondering what they wanted with you,’ he answered. Suddenly Ina thought an icy chill had run up her spine, but she couldn’t be sure if it wasn’t just a little breeze.

   ‘Who are you?’ she questioned. ‘Why did you save me and how did you come to be in the palace?’

   ‘Who indeed?’ This didn’t help matters. ‘To answer your last question I was in the fort as a spy against the king. I saved you because I was outside the Hall listening. I heard running enter the Hall, so naturally, I increased my hearing and heard the Dremas chasing someone. That didn’t mean well. So I burst in, it took them a while to recognise me. When your carer fell to the ground I thought you were to be next. I couldn’t let you die as well.’ He paused.

   ‘What do you mean?’

   ‘I didn’t think they would risk killing anyone, especially in the throne room. I was astonished when they did, so I killed them, and took you away.’

   ‘Why and why me? You still haven’t answered my first question. Show your face!’ shouted Ina.

   ‘Shhh, alright. I did save you and I suppose you deserve to know who I am if we’re to trust one another.’ He raised a hand and pulled down his hood. He shook his head to loosen his dark, shoulder length, wavy hair. His eyes were a rich brown and, in the firelight, glowed with a sense of pride and responsibility. ‘I am Bordan and I am a member of the secret organisation to dethrone your king,’ he said with a harsh emphasis on the second to last word.

   ‘I’ve never heard of this …… organisation,’ she exclaimed. Her head filled with many questions and she wanted to say them all right now and have him answer them.

   ‘No, because you worked in the fort.’

   ‘But still. Why did you save me, and then bring me here? Where are we anyway?’

   ‘To be honest... I feared that if I left you there, with all that I had left behind, you would be punished or accused of murder.’ At that point he looked up at her face and held a gaze that seemed to last for an eternity. At last, when he looked away and Ina glanced at the side of his face, she thought she saw a man who appeared young yet held great wisdom and knowledge that only an elderly man, who had lived long enough, could know. As the sun rose in the far distance and beams of light trailed into the clearing, Ina noticed, for the first time since awakening, where she was. Around her, in a rough circular sort of shape, were trees of various types; beech, ash, sycamore, and here and there, a huge oak. She looked above and saw leaved branches flatly covering the outside rim as if leaning into the warmth of the fire. As the morning drew on, the branches seemed to bend away as the flames reduced, and became nothing more than glowing coals.

   ‘We should leave,’ suggested Bordan, about an hour later. ‘Very soon this nearby area will be searched by soldiers hunting for you.’

   ‘Do you know these lands? How far away are we from the palace?’ asked Ina.

   ‘I’ve been through this kingdom twice before and both into different areas,’ he replied. ‘We are merely two to three miles north of Jerash, in the woods of the Mosh Range.’

   ‘What do you mean by this kingdom?’ Ina asked, up until now she had listened closely to every word Bordan had spoken and intended upon doing so for quite some time.

   ‘You ask so many questions for one so young.’ He paused with a subtle smile. ‘I am not of the Forenai Kingdom. I come from its neighbouring country, Mishlar. That is where the rebellion against your king has established itself.’

   ‘I’ve heard of such a place in songs and stories told to children. They say it is a country of peace and fairness.’

   ‘It was. Until very recently, in the past fifty years King Beshakai’s power has spread slowly into our lands. Some villages have fallen to despair and our people seek refuge in our cities.’ Bordan spoke with fear of loss and that he was using all his will to keep calm. He stood up and so did Ina. As she brushed off the dirt from her dark green dress, which she had worn from the night with the Dremas, she heard Bordan give a short whistle as if to call a hidden presence. He then went to the fire and kicked the remains so there was no trace left of a camp.

   ‘Do you have any precious belongings that you wish to bring and are still in the city?’ asked Bordan.

   ‘No.’ As was a rule in Jerash, the servants had no personal possessions, just clothes, for they were not paid.

   ‘Good, then we can be on our way. However, you look a bit too fine to be a traveller.’ He was referring to her dress and hair. She looked of better quality in contrast to Bordan’s travel worn clothes.

   ‘But I have no other clothes with me, just my work clothes in the palace.’

   ‘Do not worry, I have spares. They should fit you and although they are made for a man.’ As he spoke he was rummaging through a pack and pulled out a whole set of clothes. They consisted of a beige, cotton shirt to leather boots. ‘Here you are. You can get changed deeper into the wood.’ Ina gave him a stern look of caution. ‘Don’t think I’ll take advantage. I’ll turn around and stay right here.’ He did so. Ina gradually made her way further amongst the trees, trying to remember her route. The trees seemed to grow closer together. She changed into the clothes Bordan had given her, picked up her dress and shoes and made her way back to the glen. As she came into the sunlight she was met with a slight change. Bordan wasn’t the only moving thing in her sight, although she did notice he still had his back to her. In front of him was a magnificent, jet black horse with a pure white, star-shaped patch seen under the forelock very clearly, like a tiny sun set into stone to shine for all eternity and never fades. The horse’s tail and mane were straight as if he had been freshly groomed. His eyes glistened brown, almost like Bordan’s did.

   ‘This is Kelar, a lord amongst the greatest of beasts,’ Bordan said proudly. At this he, Kelar, held his head up to meet Ina’s glance. ‘He seems to like you.’ Ina felt her cheeks flush pink slightly.

   ‘There’s two of us and one of him, can he carry two?’

   ‘He’s much stronger and braver than he looks,’ Bordan replied while saddling Kelar up. ‘By the way, I still don’t know who you are?’

   ‘Ina.’

   ‘We must go now,’ he said shortly but friendly. ‘And we have a long journey ahead of us. I warn you, it is full of perils and dangers.’

   ‘Where are we going, to Mishlar?’ asked Ina excitedly.

   ‘Sadly no, I was not just sent to listen at the meeting. That was my first stop.’ He spoke now in a more casual tone as though he had done this many times before. ‘I must visit most of the other cities in Forenai. Mainly to see the full state this land has gotten into.’ He climbed onto Kelar’s back and gestured for Ina to ride behind him. After she had managed to clamber up, he gestured Kelar to make their way through the wood, according to Ina, heading north.

   They rode silently for a few minutes and Ina, while placing her clothes in a pack, felt how easily Kelar walked with her as an additional weight.

   ‘So, tell me about your life under Beshakai’s roof,’ spoke Bordan, breaking the peaceful silence about them.

   ‘My carer, Martha…’ she paused, losing her voice in her throat. After a few second’s she took in a deep breath and continued. ‘Martha was the one who was told to raise me. As I was only a baby at the time, she was given more freedom of her duties. I grew older and I learned the rules of a servant.’ She seemed to be saying all this just to pass the time, rather than to answer Bordan’s question. She carried on, telling him about how she was the only one who’d never cower away at the king’s slightest order. Bordan was surprised at this.

   By the time she had finished talking it was about noon. Bordan reigned in Kelar and climbed off, landing on the hard dirt. He helped Ina down as she wasn’t sure what to do. They ate a lunch of bread and cold meat, and then resaddled to carry on their travel.

   ‘Bordan?’

   ‘Yes,’ he replied.

   ‘Can I ask you some more questions? I’m still unsure about a lot of things,’ she requested, eager to learn more about this stranger and what lies beyond these woods.

   ‘If you must, but let me answer one at a time.’

   ‘Thank you. Is the corrupt tyrant you spoke of earlier the king and why do you say he has powers?’ Although this was a double question Bordan answered anyway.

   ‘Yes, and his powers are the source of his existence as the king. The rulers in my land have heard he grows stronger each year he lives.’

   ‘But surely he must eventually die like everyone else?’ she argued.

   ‘Yes. He should but some have started to believe otherwise, he is a human after all and every living thing must come to an end one way or another.’

   ‘What lies beyond in this kingdom?’ She wanted to know this more than anything because as a servant she was not allowed to travel anywhere.

   ‘I’ll have to remember you know so little about this land and its cities,’ he noted. ‘There are two mountain ranges: the White Peaks and the Mosh Range. This line of mountains is the one we’ll be passing through, hopefully within the next day or so. There are three rivers: the Maur, Volten and Palir. There are several cities, all different and unique. Although, there are the Twin Cities: Lor Hairen and Lor Holen, they are very similar. The most beautiful place in your kingdom is the Timala Forest, it is old, yet holds a people still oblivious to Beshakai; they have an allegiance with the rebellion, though it is only very slight.’ The air around him changed as if he looked back into a long forgotten memory. ‘There is also the Great Forgotten Wastes which lie west of the Palir River. They say ‘forgotten’ because the routes through have long been unused, as the maps since about a century ago to now do not contain them. That’s mainly what the land offers in such a kingdom.’

   ‘Where will our journey take us through in early days? I have seen this forest and the distant Mosh range from windows but beyond that I have no knowledge,’ confessed Ina, keen to hear more of what to look forward to.

   ‘We will pass through the Mosh Range, hopefully undetected. When we reach the western side, make our way to Benora, one of three of the closest cities to Jerash. After that we’ll have to wait and see.’

   They spent the rest of the day in silence and when the sun began to set into the west they made camp under a large oak. Ina was hoping for a fire, but Bordan insisted on not giving away their location, so she put up with another cold meal. She fell asleep immediately and left Bordan to keep watch.

   They carried on in this fashion for another day, each finding out fragments about the other. They had started travelling west now and at noon on the third day appeared out of the trees onto a completely new type of landscape. Bordan did not seem to notice that a mountain had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, yet Ina stared with amazement and wonder. Never from the window in her room did she ever guess that the summits ascended so high. Kelar turned north again and Bordan told her to hold on tight as the horse leaped into a gallop. An hour later they came across a valley that they could travel through. They stopped to have lunch and continued. They rode on for another three or four days, Ina lost count. They were not disturbed by any other beings, animals or humans. On the fourth night they slept, no watch was taken and they let dreams cover their consciousness. The moon gleamed brightly, in the twilight depths above, with no care for their troubles and emotions. The stars shone as diamonds watching over the slumbering travellers and the shadows lay unmoving in the night.