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Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Dusty reached up with his good arm and grabbed Lucas’ shoulder, pulling him in. His eyes were wide, the whites gleaming in the pale light. He opened his mouth as though to say something, or to cry out in pain, but then he simply exhaled, and his grip went slack. Lucas sat back, shaking.
Around him he noticed that things were becoming quiet. The natives dropped back, slinking away into the shadows. Suddenly all that was left were the cries of the wounded and dying. Sorokin found him kneeling by Dusty, and yanked him to his feet.
“What are you doing, man? We need to—“
Then he saw Lucas’ wound. His legs failed to hold him and he toppled sideways, Sorokin kneeling to catch him. “Shoot, man.”
“It’s okay,” Lucas mumbled. “I’m okay. I need some bandages, or something…”
Sorokin nodded, digging in his pack. “Yeah, yeah, I got you.” He pulled up the hem of Lucas’ shirt and quickly wiped away the blood. It was too dark to see the extent of the wound, but he managed to wind bandages around his middle and bind them tightly to prevent further bleeding. Lucas lay back with his head on the rocks, breathing heavily.
“Can you get the…rest?” he asked slowly.
“The other injured? Yeah, I’ll take care of them.” Lucas felt himself slipping away again. “You’re gonna be fine, man, just sit tight. I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”
He nodded and moaned his assent, before allowing the black to fade over him once more.

***
Late that night, James and Justine arrived back in Varrock from their day trip. He rode with her up to the gates of her house, where they dismounted and tied the horses to the fence before walking up to the door. There, on the doorstep, he leaned in and kissed her goodnight.
“I had a wonderful time with you today,” he said, holding her tightly by the waist.
She smiled back up at him. “Me too.”
“So when can I see you again?”

28-Dec-2011 15:46:33

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
She laughed softly. “Don’t you have a country to run, my Prince? A war to win?”
“Oh, but this is so much more fun!” he exclaimed, before kissing her again. “I do have things I must attend to. But perhaps we could have dinner sometime, in a few days?”
“Certainly. I’ll stop by the castle tomorrow and we can talk.”
“That would be lovely,” he said. He kissed her one more time, then on the forehead, before she shoved on his chest and told him to get going. “Goodnight, Justine,” he called from his horse. She waved back, and disappeared in the house. James watched until he saw a light in a window upstairs, the flickering of a candle. He waited for a shadow, some last vision of her, but the curtains only twitched closed. Laughing, he rode off into the night. He wasn’t ready to retire for bed; too much had happened that day and his mind was busy processing it all. What a fantastic success that had been. He thought back to the feel of her as they kissed in the lake. Gods! He was blown away by her.
He rode through the streets of his city, which was surprisingly quiet. He’d never wandered so freely at night, and briefly wondered if he should have a guard with him. Crime was high, and he could be attacked easily. But he was so plainly dressed, who would recognize him? And he had his horse, after all, to make a quick getaway if need be. He passed a tavern, saw a drunk stumble out into the night. As the door opened, a roar of sound erupted from within, before being cut off abruptly as it swung shut behind the man – who then pitched over into the road. James sidestepped the body and continued on through the narrow rows of houses. How many were short a man, who was off serving in the war? How many believed he could win? The moonlight illuminated the cobblestone streets, streaked with dirt and littered with trash. The homeless crowded the alleyways, begging and fighting each other over coins gathered that day.

28-Dec-2011 15:47:05

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
They fought this war far away, with noble intentions – to protect Asgarnia from being overrun. But what was the point if it bankrupted their own city here? He could see that the poverty was worse than ever. The military had taken all able bodies, leaving women and children alone to fend for themselves. It had to end soon – a country at war could not sustain itself this way.
His mind drifted back to his conversation with Justine about Gray. Was her father really serving the best interests of their country? What other motives could he have? But he could see now how quickly the man had become his mentor, his right-hand advisor. As King Arland faded into the background, there was Gray to help pick up the pieces. Gray, who advised him at every term. Gray, who delivered all dispatches from the army. Gray, who came to him with a plan, always asking him to sign off on it, never asking James what he thought the right move would be. Did Gray have anything to do with his father’s absence? Why place all the power in the hands of the son? Because he was easier to manipulate. Justine was his bait. If he wanted the daughter, he’d have to trust the father.
He pulled hard on the reins, and stared at the sky while his horse stomped in place. How should he handle this? Must he give up Justine to break bonds with Gray? Did it even matter? If Gray helped him win the war, why should he push the man away? Still, it chafed to know he was being manipulated. But now he knew better, he could see through it, couldn’t he? He could check her father, make sure he did*’t push him in the wrong direction. He sighed deeply. Who could he trust now for advice, if not Gray?
He’d have to wait, to watch and see. And in the mean time, he could take back control of at least some parts of his life. He kicked his horse into action and hurried toward the army barracks. He galloped through the streets, the wind whipping at his hair and tearing at his clothes. It was a cool night, and his skin prickled.

28-Dec-2011 15:47:46

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He dismounted quickly and tied his horse before barging in.
“Who handles incoming mail?” he inquired of the man at the door. The soldier pointed him down a long hallway. He walked the long corridor, seeing rooms of army equipment and meeting rooms on either side. The place was nearly empty; this late, most soldiers were asleep. He could hear the sound of his own boot heels clicking loudly on the stone floor, announcing his presence as he reached the mailroom. There, a portly old commander stood nearly waist deep in piles of envelopes, sorting the latest dispatches that had just come in only a few hours ago. James watched for a moment as the man tossed letters at each corner of the room, sorting according to some system visible only to him. Then he knocked on the door and got the man’s attention.
The man jerked upright and saluted. “Commander Thomas, at your service. How may I help you, sir?”
“I’m the Prince – Prince James,” James said.
The commander sunk to one knee, awkwardly shifting a stack so that it toppled sideways. “To what do I owe the pleasure, my lord?”
James waded into the mailroom and picked up a letter, addressed to one Mrs. Jamie White. “Who delivers the dispatches to the palace?”
“One of my boys – Palak. He’s a good lad.”
“Pick a new boy to deliver it.” James tossed the letter back into the pile and met the commander’s eyes. “From now on it all comes straight to me. No one else may touch it.”
“Has someone been intercepting your mail, my lord?”
“I have reason to believe so,” James said tightly. “From now on, I want you to be more careful.”
“Of course. Consider it done.” The chubby man rose and waddled over to a pile on the lone desk in the room. “As it so happens, we just received new dispatches from the troops in Port Sarim and Karamja.” He held out a large stack of reports to the Prince.
“Karamja? How’d they get mail back?”

28-Dec-2011 15:48:45

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Took pigeons with them on the ship, my lord – they wanted to let us know they’d arrived safely. And so they have.”
“Very well.” James took the stack and sifted through it. “This is all of it?”
“Palak wasn’t coming by until morning.”
“Glad to hear it. Thank you, Commander. And of course, I appreciate your discretion in this matter.”
“Of course, my Lord.”
James raised the letters to his head in a salute. “Have a good night.” He exited the mail room and retraced his steps down the long hallway. He was curious to read the latest dispatches, but decided to wait until he reached the privacy of his own chambers. That the mission to Karamja had arrived safely was good news. Now, he would wait to hear that they had been successful. This mission could turn the tide of the war. That reminded him of King Richard, still waiting for an answer from James. As he mounted his horse and set off for the castle, he debated the issue in his mind. He hated leaving the south unguarded – but they were being destroyed to the north. It was unclear how much longer they could hold out.
James slumped in the saddle, running his hands through his hair. He wasn’t equipped to make these decisions. He needed someone, anyone, to help him. He longed to ask Gray, but…could he trust the man? Why couldn’t his father just help him?
Frustrated, he jabbed his horse in the stomach and galloped through the city, reaching the castle in a matter of minutes. He rode inside and left his horse with a servant; then he bounded the stairs up to his apartment. Once inside, he poured himself a drink, then yanked the stack of papers from his pocket and sat down to read. Reports from the northern frontier, from the southern – all bad.

28-Dec-2011 15:49:17

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The war they thought they were winning seemed to be turning against them now. Heavy losses north of Falador, and they’d lost significant ground. If they lost any more, the Kandarins could attack the city again – and this time it wouldn’t hold. There were more skirmishes to the south – they were sending groups scouting that way again – how could he send those troops north?
He tossed this aside and resolved to deal with it in the morning. Next was the report from Karamja, many pages long. He scanned it quickly. They’d arrived safely on the island, one loss at sea due to a storm….it rambled on. He flipped through the pages and found a final list of the men on this particular mission. This was no use to him – more for the barracks, but he glanced at it anyway.
He choked, spraying wine across the pages. This couldn’t be. He read the line again and again, to be sure he hadn’t imagined it. With shaking hands he set down his glass, then the paper. He sat perfectly still for a moment, then burst to his feet and ran for the basin in the washroom, where he threw up noisily. Gasping for breath and wiping his mouth, he returned to his seat to look at the paper again. How was this possible? Had a mistake been made? It was possible, he supposed, when trying to keep track of so many people.
Then he remembered how he’d sat here, with Justine, when they received the news. His body went stiff, his face cold. Gray. It had to be. That conniving, disgusting son of a *****. This was what he did*’t want James to see. This was why he delivered all the reports – so he could tamper with them! What else had he lied about? It was just what James was afraid of…but this, this was a whole new low.

28-Dec-2011 15:49:58 - Last edited on 28-Dec-2011 15:52:16 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Late into the night he sat there, calculating, thinking, going over every detail he could remember in his mind. He stayed there until the night sky began to pale and the sun slowly rose over the eastern walls of the city. He stayed there, staring at that crumpled piece of paper, at that one line that changed everything.
For there, among that list of soldiers, was the name of a man who was supposed to be dead. There, glaring back at him, was a simple truth: Lucas Val’Eyra was alive. And as the sun came up over Varrock, James knew that he had to move, that he had to act. But he couldn’t answer the question that raced around and around his head all night long.
What was he going to do about it?

End of Chapter

28-Dec-2011 15:50:24

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