Rise of Heroes

Chapter 4 - News from Tigossa

Jaden tried to relax on the hard ground, shifting into a more comfortable position. He kept his eyes forward, staring in the direction of the city of Roder. Naturally, he was too far away to see it, but his mind could easily draw a clear picture of the grand walls around it, the centuries-old citadel rising proudly with its back against the rocks. The familiar streets and buildings where he had run around with Tamara and Glen when they were little, following guards on patrol or sneaking around, disguised as peasants and trying to hear another story about a demon attack. The same streets were now flooded with refugees — tired, scared, and desperate.

The city had fallen only once, according to the Chronicles of Roder, during the First Shadow War, when one of Jaden’s ancestors, overcome by fear, tried to flee and ended up letting the demons in instead. Since then, it had been rebuilt and had never been taken.

Jaden had left the safety of the village some time ago, finding himself a quiet place atop the nearest hill. His mind kept going back to the story of the old man and even though Jaden had heard it many times when he was younger, he could not get it out of his head, especially now when so much of it was becoming true.

He found himself trying to imagine finally meeting one of those powerful wizards and witches. Would they look any different? Would they have different eyes or hair, marks on their bodies, or visible defects? Would they be as powerful as the ones from the old stories? But most of all — where were they now when they were needed the most?

Just one of them could make a huge difference in a skirmish if the stories about them were true. With such power, no one had to die fighting monsters. With such power, maybe…

A familiar tune pierced the silence of the night, announcing something approaching, then another voice replied in turn. Jaden watched as the soldiers on guard duty tensed, their hands reaching for their weapons. Those who had torches moved in formation in the direction where the movement was spotted. Jaden couldn’t feel any demonic presence — even this far away, he would have been able to sense the disgusting, vile existence of one of those things. But luckily, he didn’t feel anything.

The seconds dragged painfully slowly until, finally, he noticed the soldiers lowering their weapons. A moment later, a rider entered the circle of light created by their torches. They parted to let him pass, and he headed toward the center of the camp.

Jaden rose from the ground, brushing off the leaves and the dust. He made his way down the slope and kept out of the village, following the curvy line of houses, most of which shed a warm, cozy glow from their windows. A few dogs raised their voices as he passed by their territories, but quickly calmed down the moment he was out of sight.

By the time he found the newcomer, the group around him had grown considerably and he was tiredly dodging the endless flow of questions. Whispers of Jaden’s arrival spread and before he knew it, his men were stepping back, forming a path to let him through.

Jaden nodded as the man saluted him. His dusty clothes suggested he had been riding in a hurry while the dark circles under his eyes and the unsteady horse were probably a sign he hadn’t stopped much on the way. He was wearing a messenger’s uniform as well as the symbol of the city of Tigossa, and after seeing the symbol, Jaden gave him a sign to follow to the Commander’s tent. Before he went inside, Jaden looked around, his eyes stopping on Jamie — a young lad who had recently joined the King’s guard — who was sitting straight on the ground and diligently sharpening his sword.

“Find my sister and bring her here,” Jaden ordered. Jamie nodded as he jumped to his feet, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye. As Jaden finally entered the tent, he found the messenger standing next to the table, visibly fighting his exhaustion. General Mayern arrived shortly after, followed by Tamara, who thankfully seemed in much better spirits compared to earlier.

Tamara shot Jaden a quick glance before her eyes inspected the young man and she asked him for his name.

“Errol, Commander,” he replied with a husky voice, pausing and clearing his throat. General Mayern poured him some water, and he gulped it down all at once. “Chancellor Prium sent me with an urgent message for you. We knew you were on your way to Roaldan, after which you were planning to visit Tigossa, but it couldn’t wait.” The boy took off his bag and opened it, pulling out a letter bearing Tigossa’s seal.

“Any problems on your way, boy?” General Mayern asked, watching the messenger under his big, bushy brows. The old pale scar crossing his right cheek made him look even more intimidating under the dim light. The young man hesitated.

“No, sir,” he answered eventually. “I dared not stop for long. I went through a few villages and heard stories of people and livestock missing, but I saw no trouble, sir.”

“Thank you, soldier,” Tamara finally spoke, giving the messenger a reassuring smile. “Is there something else we need to know? Did the Chancellor give you any other message?”

“No, Commander,” he shook his head quickly. “Everything is in that letter. He ordered the letter to be delivered only to the hands of Prince Jaden or you. No one else.” He offered her the letter, and Tamara glanced at Jaden before taking it. She didn’t open it and Jaden was impressed by her restraint — usually, her curiosity got the better of her.

“Go get something to eat,” she told him, nodding toward the exit. “You’ll find a woman outside. Her name is Anitra. Tell her I’ve asked her to give you a good meal and a bed. Find me tomorrow morning before we leave.”

The messenger bowed before leaving, while the three remaining in the tent exchanged silent glances. Tamara sighed, handing the envelope to Jaden. General Mayern finally rose from his seat, stepping toward the exit.

“I’ll let you look into that,” he nodded toward the letter in Jaden’s hand. “I suspect there will be more changes to our plans. I’ll be outside when you’re ready.”

Once the General left, Jaden turned toward his sister. Before he could speak, she raised her hands to stop him.

“Let me say something first,” she started, biting the inside of her lip. “I was wrong earlier. I’m still angry at you for not telling me, but I figured whatever I must be feeling can’t compare to what you must be going through.”

“That is… very mature of you,” Jaden laughed, and his sister rolled her eyes. “Did Anitra tell you to say that?”

“Don’t make me regret it! Let me finish!” Her brother nodded, stepping toward the table and leaning on it. “I understand you can’t refuse father but think about it… it’s madness. First, we’re so much different from all those royals! For them, an arranged marriage is something like… like… well, absolutely normal! Imagine our mother but… young, stupid, and completely ignorant of what is going on. Can you say that a girl like this can survive here? And I am not only speaking about surviving the demons…”

“Get to your point, Tamara,” Jaden sighed.

“This girl will most likely be a spoiled, fragile creature who would be scared out of her mind. They’ll break off the engagement the moment they face our reality. Why bother? And what do we get? An alliance? Like that could save us from what is coming.”

“Roder is dying and its people are dying with it,” Jaden said carefully. “We need a safe haven for when things become unbearable. We cannot win this war by ourselves. And we cannot rely on some witches to save us, even if they are indeed real, hiding among us. I don’t see them lining up to fight the demons.” He took a deep breath, recalling his father’s words. “We need Anamir. They are the first step toward an alliance against the demons. They will get the soldiers they need and we’ll get a place to stay until it’s time.”

Those words sounded so close to what his father had said when he broached the subject, Jaden almost felt like laughing. Despite disagreeing with the king, he was now using his reasoning to convince his sister of accepting this marriage alliance.

“A place to stay?” she exclaimed indignantly. “You sound like you’ve already given up! For spirits’ sake, Jaden, forget the stupid prophecies! We choose our own paths, nothing is set in stone! We don’t really need Anamir! They are probably not even aware of what is going on here! And even if we do have to flee, then do you think the demons would simply give up and stay here? Build their own kingdom and what, work the land? Don’t be ridiculous! If Roder falls, the rest of the world will surely follow. Those idiots are not equipped to handle a horde of demons, let alone an army. Especially those ignorant fools in Keldar who are most definitely going to be next if we are not here to stop the demons.”

“Tamara, enough,” Jaden sighed, his tiredness coming back. All those talks of musts and mustn’ts, of fate and whatever, they were making his head throb. “You don’t see it yet, but we do need them and they need us. So, like it or not, I’m marrying Elaine Niabard. Please, let’s not discuss this any further. There are more pressing matters at hand.”

His sister seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging in defeat. She nodded toward the letter and Jaden quickly got to work, breaking the seal and unfolding the parchment. He was surprised at its length — it was just a few short lines, ‌but apparently, they were important enough for a messenger to ride all the way to their location.

Tamara cleared her throat, taking Jaden out of his thoughts. He moved the parchment closer to the lantern on the table and read it out loud.

“Your Highnesses,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know we’re not to expect your arrival for another week, but I beg you to reconsider. We need to meet as soon as possible, for we have discovered something that may change the course of the war with the demons. I can’t trust this information in a letter. All I can tell you is that we might have found a way to counter the demon plague. I’ve acquired something which may be exactly what we have been looking for. Due to its nature, I will need to see you in person. Please make it a point to come as soon as possible.

Respectfully yours,

Chancellor Prium.”

Jaden raised an eyebrow, glancing at his sister, who had been pacing around impatiently. By the end of the letter, she had frozen mid-step, equally confused. Nobody said anything at first, the words of the Chancellor resonating in their minds like a prayer of hope. If what he was suggesting was real, if it was possible, then their prayers had finally been answered. They had been looking for a way to stop the demons or at least better their chances against them since the first monster appeared in Roder.

“This may be the chance we’ve been waiting for,” he whispered, noticing Tamara’s excited expression. She snatched the letter from his hands, eagerly rereading the content as if she was expecting to find something more than the vague words of the Chancellor.

“We have to get to Tigossa,” Tamara declared. A wide smile had formed on her lips, lighting her face up in a way he had rarely seen lately. Jaden couldn’t recall the last time his sister seemed so happy and excited, so he feared the consequences, should this opportunity turn out to be a major disappointment. “We have to leave straight away. Jaden, this may change everything! You may not need to marry.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. And I thought we finished the marriage conversation already,” he said, and Tamara turned to frown at him. “If it turns out to be true and we can stop the demons on our own, then yes, it does sound amazing indeed! But it may also be nothing.” She opened her mouth as if to argue, but he placed his hands on her shoulders. “You must go to Tigossa directly and then through Roaldan on your way back. I was ordered to head back to Roder.”

“But if Chancellor Prium has found a way to stop them…”

“If indeed. If and only if he has found a way, then yes, things will change. If not, I must go back to Roder and prepare for my betrothed’s arrival.” Her frown deepened, the light in her eyes quickly disappearing. “I can’t be at two places at once, and I was specifically ordered to return home. There is no one I trust more than you to get to the bottom of this.”

Jaden almost laughed while he watched her face go through all sorts of expressions as he waited for her inner struggle to be over.

“Fine!” She finally gave in, her shoulders slouching down. “I’ll go. But I’ll be damned if I let you marry a spoiled brat who is bound to make your life a living hell!”

“Worse than the current hell you mean?” Jaden chuckled. “I’ll get General Mayern. We need a change of strategy for the rest of your trip,” he said, heading toward the exit of the tent. Just before he found himself outside, he heard Tamara mumbling to herself.

“And what kind of stupid name is Elaine, anyway?”