Lions of Men

Chapter 38

When Rowen reached the gorge, he was dumbstruck by the magnitude of damage the earthquake had caused. A massive breach tore through the earth, and it appeared that the ground had somehow divided with the cliffs still intact. When he had finally made it to the entrance, he could do nothing but gaze in wonder at the scene.

Sure enough, there was a colossal fracture that had split right down the middle of the valley floor. The earth had shifted the cliffs further apart, creating a massive gulf in between. The once narrow gorge, which was only about seventy paces across had now split to about two hundred paces apart. As if things couldn't have been more bizarre, Rowen noticed that the ground on the other side had sunk about twenty feet beneath the surface.

Rowen had located about two-hundred-fifty men or so standing at the bottom of the ridge. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized their armor. Remnants of the Shadow Infantry and Betharuins had somehow survived the earthquake in the hills. Rowen had not seen them since they had left for Lagorah to attack the Nords from the outside.

He had been sure that they were dead by now; if not by the tremor, then at the hands of the Nords. He became overjoyed when he saw Balumereh among them. He shouted and waved his arms, but their attention seemed to be diverted to the ground beneath him. The men appeared to be arguing with one another.

Rowen moved to the edge of the cliff to get a better vantage point of what they were quarreling over. Beneath him lay a pile of dead bodies. His heart dropped when he recognized them. These men weren't just Levanite soldiers. They were members of the Rashnee's royal guard entrusted to protect the king. A dozen more men were among the dead which had survived the aftermath. Rowen got to his feet and scaled the rocks to the ledge beneath him.

"What happened here?" He asked as he approached.

The Levanite soldiers greeted him enthusiastically yet somberly. The royal guard captain explained to Rowen that they were forced into the valley by the dividing ground and that large boulders from the cliffs impaled them. He told Rowen that they were looking for survivors, mainly his father.

The frantic prince began helping them sift through large shards of rock slabs, clumps of dirt and gravel and found King Demorayh curled in a fetal position. Blood poured from his head and nose. The prince shook him several times, but there was no response.

He recognized the faces of other men, but he stopped cold in his tracks when he pulled a lifeless Commander Balagharus and a dead soldier off his father. King Rashnee lay still, covered in blood. His entire body was punctured by falling debris. There was a deep gash in his head, and his legs were pinned under a large boulder.

Rowen guessed that Commander Balagharus, his faithful friend, and protector, along with another soldier had attempted to free Rashnee from the stone that had fallen on top of him. Unsuccessful, they shielded their king from the fallen debris, as much as they could. Rowen couldn't help but admire the courage it took for Balagharus to give his life, protecting his friend.

"Father," he whispered to Rashnee, afraid to touch him; afraid of what he already knew. "Father, can you hear me? It's me." Rowen reached to lay his hand on Rashnee's chest to see if he were still breathing. Suddenly, Rashnee's eyes shot open, and he grabbed Rowen's arm furiously. He hyperventilated and struggled to speak. Rowen cradled Rashnee's head in his arms.

"Father it's alright. Save your strength. We're going to get ye out of here."

Rowen heard Rakurih calling out to him. "Over here!" he yelled. "Come quickly."

"Rowen, you brain-addled twit!" Rakurih shouted back to him. "You lied to me! What are you doing down there? I need you to..." She stopped mid-sentence and gazed out across the valley, taking in the devastation around her. "By the gods," Rowen heard her whisper.