Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Dilemma

Erlander turned his horse's head. "Borric," he called out to the still-roaring storm. James and the soldiers stood still and looked at Eland.cried the new earl, "Get off your horse before the wind takes you away." The already frightened mount snorted and hissed amidst the noise and sting of the wind and sand, its training and Erlander's riding no longer working.Erland ignored James' orders and continued to circle the others, calling his brother's name, "Borric." Gamina walked up to her husband and said, "It's hard to concentrate when the wind is howling in my ears, but I feel like some mind is going in that direction." She covered her head with her forearm, turned, and pointed west.

"Borric?" asked Locklear, who was standing against the wind beside James. Jamina raised her arms, letting the sleeves hide her face, "No. I'm sorry. I didn't know those people, and there was no sign of Borric's mind in them. When I tried to focus on the The memories of Borric's mind during the battle..." "Nothing," James finished for her. "Is he unconscious?" Locklear showed a hopeful expression. "If he's unconscious or taken far away, I can't feel him. The limit of my ability is physical strength and how well another person can train his mind. I can be 100 meters away from my father," Jamina said. miles away and he could speak to me from unimaginable distances. But these attackers were only within a few hundred paces of us. I could see sights and occasional remarks about the battle just now Phrase," she said sadly, "I don't feel Borric."

James took Carmina to comfort her in his arms.His horse neighed from the added weight, and James yanked impatiently on the rein to calm it.Quietly, for Jamina only to hear, he said, "May the gods keep him alive." During the hour the storm lasted, Elland searched around his men as best he could, calling his brother's name incessantly.When the wind died down and all was quiet again, his hoarse cry echoed across the desolate desert, "Borric!" Locklear directed the captain of the team to report.The officer said, "Three people are dead or missing, and two are so badly injured that they need to be taken to a place where they can provide shelter. We're rested and ready to go."

James considered for a while and decided, "You stay and accompany Prince Eland to search the neighboring area, but be careful not to go too far. I will take two people to the Twelve Chairs Brigade and see if Cash's patrol team can help Find Borric." Looking at the desolate surroundings, he said, "I really don't know where to start looking." Locklear spent the next few hours trying to persuade Erlander not to ride into the dangerous distance.Eland had gone mad, believing that his brother was lying unconscious in some valley or ditch not far away.Locklear ordered the soldiers to search, keeping a line of men behind him, keeping everyone in sight of the makeshift camp.Jamina tended to the wounded so they could ride and walk when James returned.

Finally, James returns, with Cash's patrol for company.Sergeant Les-O-Fawi was clearly displeased at the interruption to his rest, especially the negative impact the patrol's lapse would have on him personally - the attack took place in his patrol area .He wished to be as far away from these accursed islanders as possible, but the largest nation adjoining the empire made good enough reasons to compel him to help find the missing prince. Experienced trackers quickly spotted the small ditch that provided cover for the attackers.Then the call sounded from the side of the ditch, and two scouts found a huge boulder being pushed into the ditch.While one person was still turning over the gravel, another scout handed a leather boot to the watching islander.It is a dark red boot with a yellow pattern.Pointing to the pile of rubble, the soldier said, "We need to keep going down so that we can see the man in the boots."

As James silently shook his head, Elland asked, "Can we dig him out?" The scout below looked at the pile of rocks and shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it will take a team of workers a day or two." He pointed out that some places began to slide, "From the signs, this was caused not long ago. The owner of the boots, and maybe others." He pointed to the distance of the small ravine, "If there is too much vibration here, the other side will collapse too. I think this is a risk." Eland said, "I want to dig him out." James said, "I see—"

Erland interrupted him. "No, you don't understand. Borric isn't down here." Locklear tried to look understanding, "I know you feel—" "No," said Erlander, "you don't know." To James he said, "We don't know where Borric is buried down here. He may have lost his boot in a panic, and he was taken prisoner. We don't know." Is Borric under this pile of stones?" James said, "Jamina, do you have a Borric vibe?" Jamina shook her head and said, "The mind I detected just now is in this small ditch. But I don't feel anyone I know."

Eland insisted on his statement, "This proves nothing." To James he said, "You know how close I am to him. If he died... I would feel something." Looking at the desert highlands The dilapidated scene he said, "He's not here. I'm sure I'll find him." "What do you want to do next, my lord?" asked Cash's inspector, "Riding alone on the plateau with no provisions? It's a sandy land that resembles a desert. Real Dust, if you don't know the Broken Palm Oasis, you won't walk to the Hungry Goat Oasis alive. There are over thirty of these places over there where you can find water, and some of them provide food. But you Miss them because you don't know where they are, and you'll die there, young ruler."

Turning the horse's head in the direction they had come, Sergeant Les-O-Fawi said, "My lord, I share my sorrow for your lost loved ones, but my mission is to patrol those who try to endanger the peace of the empire. When I I will file a report on the matter when the patrol is complete. If you wish to continue the search, I will leave a scout behind to assist you. When you feel that there is nothing left to do, please get back on the road." Pointing south, he said, "This road will pass the foot of the Star Pillar to Nar Ayab. There are many of our post stations and patrols on the road. The messenger cavalry will bring the news from station to station. To the interior of the empire. The news will go before you, and the consul of Nar Ayyab will send a procession to meet you. Then you will have cavalry to protect you and reach the city of Kesh." He left unable to speak, if from the beginning Just do it, and the bandits won't surprise them. "The empress, daughter of the gods, will send someone to find and restore your prince's body. Then the body will be transported back to your country for a proper funeral. So far, all I can do is hope the gods will be with you on your journey bless you."

Tapping the side of his horse, Cash's sergeant and his patrol left the creek.James stood at the collapse of the ditch and looked down, and asked the scout left behind, "What did you see?" The scout continued to think about the clues in front of him, "There are many people around here. Over there, there was a murder." He pointed to a bloodstain that had dried. "Murder!" said Locklear. "How sure are you?" "Blood, my lord," replied the scout. "This pool of blood was not caused by a struggle. There is no sign of a wounded person approaching here. I guess it was a cut throat." "This is a drag mark caused by a person's feet." He pointed to the top of the ditch again, "There was a person standing here." He looked around again and walked towards his horse, "They Head south to Broken Palm Oasis."

Locklear asked, "How do you know?" The soldier laughed and said, "That's the only place they can go, my lord. Because they're heading for the desert, and they can't carry enough water to get them out of the desert to Deben City without baggage horses." "Deben!" Eland almost cursed, "That rat hole. Why did they venture across the desert to get to that place?" "Because," replied James, "it's a safe haven for murderers and robbers from all the countries that border on the Sea of ​​Misery." "And the best slave market in the empire," said the scout. "In the hinterland of Cash, there are many slaves, but it's hard to find them here. Only Cash and Queg have open slave markets. The free city and the test market in the kingdom are both banned." "I don't agree with that," Eland said. James turned his horse to the direction pointed out by the scouts, "If it's two soldiers—" he quickly added, "Perhaps Borric and a soldier are still alive, and they have constituted a slave auction profit. If they If they are brought into the empire, their value will not exceed one-third of what they are here, and with a leader who is mad with anger, they will be in danger." He deduced. "Then why didn't Borric reveal his identity? His ransom would be far more than a slave is worth," Elland said. James glanced thoughtfully over the wasteland in the last rays of the afternoon sun, and said, "If he's alive, I think the bandits will bring us a message that Borric can live very well if we don't follow them." Alright, then a ransom note will be in our hands in a short time. I've done this before... just to make sure I don't have a bunch of soldiers after me." The scout boldly warned, "Those bandits are not as clever as you, my lord. Your prince, if he is alive, will know that it is dangerous to tell them the truth. They will cut his throat and escape to avoid such trouble. He may be unconscious, but not so wounded that they would abandon him. There are many answers, my lord." "Then we have to race against the clock," Eland said. The scout said, "We must proceed carefully to prevent an ambush." ​​He pointed to the sight of yellow sand. "If slave traders attack this road, they will gather in an oasis or a dry riverbed. Many cavalry and guards will Bring back their booty and go to Deben City together - we'll face a lot of fighters, even if my sergeants stay, they'll be twice as many as us, maybe a hundred more guards." Elland felt despair descending, "He's not dead, we'll find him." But his voice sounded weak. The scout trotted to his horse. "If we are quick, my lord, we shall reach the Broken Palm Oasis by sunset." James directed the two soldiers to take the wounded back to the brigade, where they would recover and return to the kingdom.He calculated that now he had only 12 intact soldiers.Feeling weak and a little foolish, he orders the small party to the desert. When the sun had dipped below the horizon, the scouts galloped toward the islanders.James signaled to those behind to stop.Reining in his horse, the scout said, "At Wadi al Safra, a caravan is assembled there, with 100 guards, maybe more." James cursed.Elland asked, "Is there any sign of my brother?" "I can't get too close to recognize it. Your Royal Highness." "Is there somewhere we can get closer to the observation camp?" Locklear asked. "A hidden ravine leads to one side of that river bed, and at the far end of it is a ditch near the camp, my lord. Four, maybe five could sneak up there unnoticed. But it's dangerous. In At the far end a person standing can see the camp, but people in the same camp have an equal chance of noticing the standing person." Erlander started to dismount, but James said, "No, you're moving like a chariot. Wait here." Jamina said, "I'll go, James. I can spot Borric if I get close enough." "How close does that have to be?" her husband asked. "A throw away," Jamina replied. James asked the scout, "Can we get that close?" The scout said, "We're close enough to see the look on those piggies' faces, my lord." "Okay," Jamina said, rolling up the hem of her cycling jersey and tucking it into her belt, as every trendy fishing girl in Starport does when she's wading. James had nothing to say about such an indecent display, and the sight of her white, slender legs made him want to find a good reason for her to go alone; but he couldn't.A logical thought, let people see that this woman can be trusted as much as a man.He thought about dismounting, you can't invent any reason to keep them safe. Locklear directed two soldiers to follow James, Carmina, and the scout, and the five began to advance on foot.They walked slowly, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, they approached the end of the ravine.Under the dark gray sky, the sand sea in the distance pulsates under the crimson light of the evening sunset, as if alive. The noise came from the camp, creating a continuous echo in the desert.James looked around to see if several people were close enough together. Jamina tapped his arm and told him teleportationally, "I can feel a lot of people in the riverbed, love." "Borric?" he asked calmly. "No," she admitted, "but I'll have to get closer to make sure." Shaking the scout's arm, James whispered, "Can we get any closer?" Replied in a low voice, "There's a crooked foot ahead, and if we go there, we can get close enough to shit on their heads. But be careful, my lord. That's where they throw their trash, and there may be guards around there." James nodded, and the scout led them into the shadows. James could recall a number of short, seemingly out-of-reach trips he had taken, but none as close to the end of the ditch he was heading toward now.When they got there, they could hear the footsteps of guards patrolling around the camp.Not only is the danger on the nerves irritating, but the ditch is also the place where the garbage dump and the crew of the convoy go about their metabolism; they walk through the garbage carefully. James stepped on something soft and wet. Judging from the stench and the traces hanging on the edge of the ditch, James really didn't want to know what he was stepping on.He could guess what it was.He and the scouts exchanged signals that this was as close as they could get. James peeked cautiously out of the ditch.Not ten paces away from him, two vague figures stood facing the campfire. Not far from them was a group of sad-looking prisoners, at least thirty of them, but among them James did not spot Borric. figure.He couldn't see every face clearly, but James was sure that Borric's red hair would be easy to spot among the brunettes even in the light of the fire. A figure in a purple robe approached the two of them and stopped there. James stared at the man breathlessly, but it wasn't Borric.James had never seen a man with a turban and a black beard with sideburns.With a sword hanging from his hip, he ordered the two guards to stop chatting and continue patrolling. Another person came over, this is a strong man wearing a leather back armor, with a mark of the Deben City Slaves Guild on his arm, although James has never seen this mark, but as one of the deceivers of the Krondor City Thieves Guild A member of the notorious Slave Guild, one has to know something about it.The slave traders in Deben City were never cheap. James took another look at the campsite, then knelt down beside his wife.Her eyes were closed, the muscles on her face tensed, searching for Borric telepathically.Finally she opened her eyes and used her powers to tell James, "I didn't see Borric." "Are you sure?" James asked. Feeling the sadness in her thoughts, "If he was in camp, this close, I could feel him even when he was asleep." She sighed softly, and James felt the grief in her heart. "That explains the boot we found under the rubble," she continued after a moment's pause. "He's dead." Stunned by the sudden news, James then directed the scouts to lead them back and the search was over. "No!" Eland refused to accept Jamina's conclusion with an ugly face, "You can't be that sure." After James came back, he described the scene for the third time, "We saw another person wearing that robe, so we guessed that they might have taken the boots from him too, I admit that, but There is no sign of him in the camp." Then he said to the scouts, "Is it possible that some of the bandits who attacked us were not from this group?" The scout shrugged his shoulders and said that any situation is possible, "It may not be what you think, my lord. Although there is doubt that they did not imprison you, all signs agree that they are the team that attacked you. Yours The survivors must have been taken to that camp." James nodded, "If he's alive, Elland, Jamina can talk to him." "How can you be so sure?" To prove to Elland that she can speak to everyone in the camp, Jamina uses her power: "I know how to control my powers, Elland. I can speak to the Many people can also speak to only a few people through the mind. I will recognize the thoughts I have been exposed to, Borric's mind did not appear in the camp." "Maybe he's unconscious." Jamina shook her head sadly, "Even if he is unconscious, I can still feel his presence. There is no... the feeling of his existence here. I can't explain it more clearly, he is not among those people." Said the scout, "My lord, if I stay tonight, I must seek out my sergeant, who wants to know about the deben themselves. The governor of the deben himself is not much better than a robber or a traitor Sooner or later this atrocity will reach the Palace of Light, Her Majesty, Daughter of God, she will act, the punishment will be imposed, but it will be terrible. I know it will not ease your pain , but attacking a member of the royal family who is going to participate in the celebration is like a sacrilege, and Her Majesty, the daughter of the gods, will regard this as a challenge to her and avenge your royal family members." Ailander couldn't contain his anger, "What? Punishment against Deben City? Then all I can think of is an apology." "To be more precise, it is a massacre. She will order the city to be surrounded and the residents burned to death. If she wants to appear merciful, then maybe she will only escort the city's managers, officials and their families to the kingdom to accept sanctions. Forgive The inhabitants of the city. It depends on her mood when she receives the news and orders." Elland broke down.He finally acknowledged the reality of Borric's death, nodding silently as the absent-minded soldier boasted mindlessly about the Queen's rights. James saw the need to distract from the serious diplomatic problem caused by Borric's death, "We ask you to bring this news to the Prince of Crondor, which will help ease the trouble between our two countries." The scout nodded. "As a soldier defending the border, it is an honor to accept this task, my lord." Then he left to tend to his horse.James nodded to Locklear, and the two young nobles took a few steps away from the crowd to have a private conversation. "It was a mess," Locklear said. "We've been in trouble a lot in the past. That's what grinds us, to make choices." Locklear said, "I think we should consider returning to Clondor City." James said, "If we did this, and Arusha ordered Eland to join the celebration after returning, we would be late for the queen's celebration, which is an adventure that challenges the queen's mood." "This celebration lasted two months," Locklear pointed out. "We will arrive before the celebration is over." "But it's more reassuring to get there before the celebration." James looked at the endless night, "I have a feeling that something is going on there." He poked Locklear's chest, "It's too much for us to be attacked one after another." Coincidence." "It's possible." Loki was dubious, "But if we are the target of the attack, the black hand behind the scenes is also the one who tried to assassinate Borric in Krondor." "Whoever he is." James paused for a moment, then said, "There's no motive here. Why would they want to kill that kid?" "Create a war between kingdoms and empires." "Yeah, that's obvious. I mean why would anyone want to make a war?" Locklear shrugged, "Why would anyone want to start a war? We have to find out who in the empire gets most of its profits from the northern border. That seems very suspicious." James nodded, "There are some things we can't do in Krondor." Turning around, he found Aland who was facing the desert alone in the night. James went around and stood beside him, and said in a calm tone, "You have to admit this, Aland. You have to forget your sadness as soon as possible and accept this change." fate." Elland was a little confused, "What did you say?" James walked to the front of Elland, and firmly put his hand on the young man's shoulder, "You are now the heir to the throne. You will be our next king. From now on, you will shoulder the destiny of your homeland. " Eland didn't seem to hear this.Without saying a word, the prince turned and stared west in the direction of the slave trader's camp.Finally, he turned his horse and returned to the line that was waiting for him.The procession continued south, towards Kesh's capital.