The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

A Meeting at Arina Pass

Ten Years Earlier...

Jale looked over his shoulder and shielded his eyes with his hand to ward off the sun's rays. The snow-covered peaks of the Arina Mountain Range towered high into the sky behind him. Formidable in size, the entrance of the Arina Pass was about a two-hour ride from where they sat on their horses.

Above those peaks, grey heavy clouds were closing in, threatening the sun's presence with rain and possible snow; a snow that would send this wet, green forest into a white desolate landscape. A cold swirl of air left Jale's mouth as he breathed. Yes, it was certainly cold enough for snow.

His horse shifted its weight underneath him, and Jale reached down to its neck, soothing and urging patience. They had been waiting for half an hour, but not much longer now. After three weeks at their post, Emperor Leath's son, Prince Rathner from the Talbecan Empire, would also arrive.

Jale sighed. In desperate times, his father had argued, desperate actions were needed.

The Keglar Kingdom and the Talbecan Empire were barely friends, and the thought of the Prince of Talbec joining forces with Jale and his men was not something Jale was looking forward to. Especially when Jale's second in command, a horrible man called Ulreon, had already expressed his disgust at having to work with the Talbecans since arriving at Arina Pass. Fortunately, Jale had found the man another task to complete this afternoon, and he had brought his best friend, Trent, instead.

To make matters more interesting, it wasn't just the Talbecan Empire that would be at Arina Pass. Beside Jale, not only did he have Brelen, his commander in chief, but on the other, he also had the son of the Dratlin Mountain Clan leader.

Menelt looked just as rough and wild as the horse he was sitting on. He was taller and wider than Jale, with a large bladed axe sticking out from over the back of his shoulders. He was dressed in a mirage of greens and browns, colors that if he was standing off the path and in amongst the trees, he would be hard to see, if at all. High up on his right arm, a black band could be seen. Only the leader, his father, would have two bands.

The sole purpose of this collaboration, their orders, was to protect their borders to stop the infected citizens of the Brandeen Kingdom from making their way into their territories. Usually in summer, the Arina Pass was notorious for shady deals, illegal trading, random prisoner escapes and even the odd kidnapping here and there. Since the outbreak of the plague in the Brandeen Kingdom, the pass had been closed. There were to be no arguments. Anyone who attempted to travel through the pass was to be turned away, and if anyone dared to argue, they would be killed.

The three parties would be protecting Arina Pass during winter which was somewhat of a lark for when the snows came, the pass would close anyway. It was the reason why, Jale believed, the Prince had been sent their way instead of the easier border passes. The Prince of Talbec, the heir to the throne, of course Emperor Leath would send him to a remote station where there would be little chance of him coming into direct contact with the plague.

Better than Jale's family, the royal family of Keglar. The King and Queen and their immediate family were all hiding away in a castle, safe and sound, no care for the rest of their people. Jale, on the other hand, as cousin, was not high ranking enough in the scheme of things to warrant such protection. He had his father to thank for this post. Despite their continual habit to clash and disagree, his father had shown that he still wanted to protect Jale at all costs. Or maybe it was down to his mother.

An icy blast of air swirled around the small group of men, sending the trees bending and swaying where they stood. Jale shuddered and drew his thick fur coat higher up his shoulders and towards his neck.