by Xander Jade
Staring at Tina for a moment, I clucked my tongue against my teeth deciding what info I should reveal.
“Yes, that is the Val I know. What do you mean found?”
“Valencia was taken from us and couldn’t be found. We looked everywhere, but no one could locate her.”
“She was taken by Lord Damian.” There were gasps of shock from the individuals around me. “She escaped her captors, but they eventually caught up to her. We came up to their camp and had a nice chat. They didn’t like what I had to say, so I let Reap and Herc into the camp, and for some reason most of them fainted. We took them as prisoners into the next town and got a reward for them. She’s been with us ever since.”
The group had smiles on their faces imagining the brigands’ reactions when the two killers came into the camp.
But Tina had tears in her eyes and silently sobbed. I didn’t know what to say, so I put my hand on her shoulder, and waited for her to stop. She took that gesture as something totally different than I did. She buried her head into my chest and kept sobbing. I was lost for a few moments, but put my arms around the woman, and patted her back softly. Observing the people around me, they were smiling and nodding at me.
What the hell? I’m not a shoulder to cry on.
Finally, she stopped and got herself together enough to make complete sentences.
“Thank you, Alpha. May I be excused to give the good news to my pack mates?” Tina asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes.
I nodded and she ran to her fellow shifters. Some of Val’s pride was rescued, I supposed she would be happy. I walked towards the orcs.
“Cassie is a shifter mage?” Gordon asked.
“Oh, uh yeah. Damn, I guess that I have spilled the beans. So, I will tell you what she is. Cass is a lightning mage and very powerful.”
“Wow, never seen one of them. That’s amazing,” he said, and I nodded thinking about the time she shot lightning from the sky. It was definitely spectacular.
I walked up to Gurak and scanned his horde to see if they were ready to go.
“Gurak, how is your morning?”
“Ah, Max, the morning is good so far. We were getting ready to move out.”
“Great, I want your men up front with me and mine, to head off any brigands.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll be there, and I must say that was quite the spectacle last night.”
I narrowed my eyes to see what he would say about it. “Why’s that?”
He laughed a deep baritone sound and said, “You are definitely the Alpha Chief. We have never seen a demonstration of power and skill like you displayed. We are honored to be in your clan.” He bowed and the rest followed suit.
I bowed my head in reply and said, “We aren’t a clan, nor a pack, we are more. We are something different, a tribe?”
He thought about it and bowed, grunted, and then the others did the same. I guessed that meant they agreed.
“Gordon, Soph, Tia, Sean, get everyone behind us, and let’s move out.”
They agreed and set off. I had the orcs follow me to the front and they got into formation. It took a little while, but they got it together, and we marched out towards my lands.
Chapter 2
Will was anxious to arrive at Whitehurst and deposit the warlock and sorceress in the dungeon of the keep. He wanted that extra stress gone. The traveling group gazed upon the city as they walked down the dirt road.
“There it is, thank the goddess!” Mira, a water mage shouted.
Mark chuckled at her, knowing she wanted to just kill the bastards. “Yep, soon we can get some ale and mutton.”
“Pfft… you do know that we’ll be debriefed, right?” Lance, a wind mage scoffed. “Who knows when we’ll get done with that. Though, ale sounds great about now.”
Mark grunted, not responding to him. Their group was tired and wanted to be refreshed before they had to deal with the nobility, especially the king and high mage. They hustled and arrived at the gates, then strolled towards the castle keep. The people around gave them a wide berth. When they came upon the gates of the keep, two guards stopped them when they saw the prisoners.
“Halt! State your business?”
Will walked to the front, hoping to be recognized but wasn’t.
“My name is Will Summers and we are here to see the king. It is of the utmost importance.”
The two stared at him and were about to respond when another voice behind them spoke, “Will?”
Everyone turned to see the Captain of the Royal Guard walking towards them.
Will sighed. “Sir Nathan.”
Nathan stopped when he reached the group, “What’s going on? And where have you been? We’ve sent out search parties.”
“We need to see King William and High Mage Edward, now. The information we have needs to only be spoken to them.”
Nathan stared at him, knowing Will would only be there if something wasn’t right. He gestured toward the keep, “Follow me, they’re in court as we speak.”
Sir Nathan sauntered towards the keep, the group in tow. No one spoke. Nathan wanted to ask questions, especially after seeing the two with gags in their mouths, but held back. They went through the doors and up the stairs to the hallway leading to court. Guards were standing at attention and tensed when they saw the big group heading their way but relaxed when they recognized Sir Nathan and Will.
The captain stopped the procession. “Wait here. I will interrupt them.”
The group nodded and Nathan went inside the double doors. There was the sound of someone speaking as he made his way in. Four more guards were inside, watching and keeping the peace.
Nathan stepped over to the closest. “Daniel, I’m about to interrupt the proceedings. There are people outside the doors that need to speak to the king. When the time comes, let them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nathan scanned the area and noticed it was busy today. King William, Queen Rebecca, Princess Estelle, Crown Prince Alexander, and Princess Corisande were up on the dais, listening in on the current topic. High Mage Edward and Lady Shea were over to the right. He looked over to see who was speaking. Lord Walter was ranting to the crowd about someone destroying his crops and killing their cattle. The captain wanted to wait and let him finish but didn’t know how long the conversation would last. Deciding, he strolled towards the front, hearing whispers as he went. Nathan stopped twenty feet from the king. The conversation halted as they noticed the captain. When King William noticed him, Nathan saluted and bowed.
“Sir Nathan, what is the matter?”
“Sire, I’m sorry for the interruption. Some people need to speak to you and High Mage Edward, they said it is of the utmost importance.”
High Mage Edward looked over at him, curious. King William asked, “Who is it?”
“Ranger Will, Sire.”
That brought gasps from the crowd. Will has been missing for quite some time. The king and high mage were surprised as well.
King William immediately said, “Let them in.”
Nathan gestured to Daniel and he let the group in. They walked towards the front; the crowd started to murmur when they saw the shackled individuals. When they got to the front, they bowed.
“Will, it’s great to see you alive, my friend,” King William said with a smile. “We sent out search parties, but they came up empty.
“Thank you, sire.” Will looked around and shook his head. This didn’t need to be said in front of this crowd. “King William, I humbly request you dismiss court for the day. We need to speak in private.”
That brought more whispers and murmuring. King William looked over the group and nodded.
“Ladies and Lords, we will reconvene tomorrow. I’m sorry but it seems something has come up, please make your way to the exits.”
Everyone started making their way out and it wasn’t long before the room was emptied except for those who were needed.
Will sighed and said, “I’m sorry again, Your Majesty.
The guards except Sir Nathan need to leave as well. The information we have shouldn’t be repeated until the time is right.”
King William’s brow rose but he nodded to Sir Nathan who had the guards dismissed as well. When they were gone, King William commented with a grin, “Anyone else, Ranger Will?”
Will looked upon his king. The man was middle-aged with dark hair and blue eyes. He had a tan complexion and was somewhat muscular. Will didn’t know how this would affect him and the royal family, but it needed to be told.
“No, Your Majesty. I’m sorry for this, but what we have to say will forever change Whitehurst and eventually, Giseria.”
King William cleared his throat, “Okay. Tell us this life changing news. We’re ready.”
Will sighed and took a few breaths before beginning, “We know who is causing trouble and enslaving the people of Giseria.” He gestured to the warlocks. “These two are warlocks. We caught them after defeating their army in battle.”
“What!?” High Mage Edward asked while rest looked on in concern.
King William asked, “What do you mean? We have heard nothing of enemy troops on Augustian soil.”
Will replied, “For the whole story I’ll have to go back to when we were captured but the most important piece is that demons are causing our issues.”
That statement silenced everyone.
High Mage Edward stood up. “How do you know this?”
“The warlock and sorceress. We interrogated them after our battle, and we decided we needed to bring them here for further questioning instead of just killing them. We found out they are blood linked to a minor demon and have a death spell on them.”
High Mage Edward nodded. “That was smart thinking bringing them here. We need to further investigate this. Mark, Lance, Mira, escort these two to the dungeon and stay there until I arrive. Make sure to send a guard to fetch you some sustenance.”
They nodded and took the prisoners out. King William spoke, “Now, start from the beginning and tell us what is going on.”
Will nodded and spoke of when his company was captured and taken to the mine. Then went on to tell of the many races that were held captive and advised who freed them. He was interrupted many times, especially for information about how they managed to escape the collapsed mine.
The royal family was in shock, listening to the ranger tell his story. They were especially intrigued when he talked about Max and his duo of killers.
“This is disturbing news,” High Mage Edward commented. “There are wendigos in our kingdom, and no one noticed.”
Cori blurted out, “What are wendigos?”
Every one of the royal family but the king nodded, wanting to know the answer.
“They are abominations,” Edward replied. “Legends say they are people who were possessed by an evil spirit which transformed them into a monster that commits murder and eats human flesh. They’re many times bigger than a regular person and hard to kill. You have to cut the heart out and destroy it.”
“Yes. And from what Will said, Max and his duo killed several of them,” Shea added, looking at the high mage. “Max is getting stronger. He was already a foe not to be underestimated, but now that he’s a shifter-mage…” She didn’t finish her statement, not really knowing how.
“The prophecy has begun. No one knew what the darkness meant, but now we can safely assume it involves demons. This changes things, sire,” Edward proclaimed and then sighed. “The boy has already started down his path. He’s already bringing people to his side. We need to start preparing as well.”
King William groaned inwardly before responding, “What are you suggesting?”
Edward shrugged. “Bringing Max here isn’t the priority anymore, not that we could anyway. If he has that many joining him, it wouldn’t be pertinent to go and retrieve him. We need to start training any and all mages and soldiers that we can find to join us. They will be needed to defend Whitehurst. All other towns and cities in Augustia need to start recruiting as well. We will build garrisons to help with patrolling and reinforcements of the outer lands.”
Cori and her siblings were listening, and she saw the opportunity to speak to her father about something that she had wanted to mention way before now.
“I want to further develop my power.”
That stopped the king and high mage. Queen Rebecca gasped, “What? Absolutely not! You will not be anywhere near the fighting!”
Shea stepped in, knowing why she wanted this. “That is not a bad idea, Your Highness.”
“I agree,” Edward nodded. “Everyone will be needed. We just don’t know how bad it will be here in Whitehurst, but since it is the capital of Augustia, we can assume they will come prepared. It is in our best interests for everyone to train and get better with their skills.”
“Does that mean Rebecca and I as well?” King William asked curiously.
“Yes, all of the royal family.”
No one said anything for some time, though Cori was smiling within.
“Will, start recruitment for the rangers as well,” King William commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty. My troops and I will need to rest for a few days, then we’ll begin that task.”
“Very well. Is there anything else to note or say while we are together?” King William asked while scanning the group. They shook their heads and he went on, “Okay. Sir Nathan, we will make an announcement that we’re recruiting because of the raids and state that it is getting worse around Augustia. Place the posters near the Mage Guild and the barracks first, then on certain businesses. Make sure they know that Whitehurst is taking precautions, we don’t need our citizens panicking.”
“Yes, sire.”
“Let’s dismiss for now, we have lots to do and think about.”
Everyone nodded and left except the king and high mage. When they were gone King William said, “If the boy is increasing his powers, then we need to somehow convince him to fight for Augustia.”
“And how will we go about doing that?” Edward asked with apprehension.
“Marriage. Or swear fealty. We need him to work with us.”
“You want to control him,” Edward sighed, knowing that was a terrible idea. “If Will’s testimony is true and Max already has fire, then it is only a matter of time before he acquires other elements and spheres. With that and the people who join him, the boy could wipe us off the map if you tried that.”
King William threw his hands up in exasperation. “What am I supposed to do then? Wait and see what happens? No, he is our contingency plan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Edward replied, believing that this was not the right path to take.
“My family probably has some concerns so I will go find them.”
Edward bowed and left towards the Mage Guild to start preparing.
One thing of note: throughout the conference, no one mentioned Lord Gordon Ackley was found alive.
***
That night High Mage Edward walked to the dungeons, with Marcus and Trina in tow. Marcus and Trina were mind mages. They were accompanying the high mage to help with interrogating the warlocks that Ranger Will brought in.
The mages came up to the guards in the front hall. Edward was in the lead and they were not stopped. He just nodded as they passed by. They walked downstairs to the bottom floor and into the hallway and gestured to the guards to follow. The group stopped by two cells that contained the prisoners. High Mage Edward nodded to the guards and they opened the doors, letting Marcus and Trina in. Edward stayed on the outside, watching the two cells.
Marcus and Trina activated their power, immediately the two evil mages screamed out in pain. A minute went by before the screaming stopped.
High Mage Edward spoke out, “Let’s not waste each other’s time. You will answer my questions.”
Both spat in his direction. Marcus and Trina smacked them in the face, making them groan.
“Now, where are you working out of?” the high mage asked.
&n
bsp; No answer.
“Marcus.”
The mind mage dug around in the male warlock’s mind, making him whimper.
“It just shows the mine that Will told you about,” Marcus advised.
“Where is the next attack going to be?”
“We don’t know. They don’t tell us that,” the female sorceress replied.
Edward nodded, knowing she was telling the truth.
“How many places in Augustia are you taking people?”
“No clue,” the male warlock croaked, still in pain from the mind mage’s attack.
Edward sighed. “We’re not going to get anywhere with those answers.”
Trina commented, “They probably don’t know anything other than what we already know.”
The high mage didn’t respond, thinking about the next step to take. It took him almost two minutes.
“Dig through their minds. See what you can find.”
“What if they die before we get anything useful?” Marcus asked with trepidation.
High Mage Edward shrugged. “Then we still go on with our plans.”
The mind mages nodded and started their intrusive attacks, the evil mages screamed and cried out. Anyone around the area could hear the pitiful moans and screams that came out of the dungeon that night. An hour later, the hearts of the two warlocks stopped.
Marcus and Trina let them drop to the floor, not caring what happened to them. Edward waited for their report.
“We checked their memories and the only thing of value was they knew that the demon they attached themselves to was low level. It took orders from someone else and they took orders from someone,” Trina said.
Marcus nodded and said, “The only other bits of information were that they are all over Giseria. We’re not the only ones having problems. Every kingdom is being attacked. Finally, we asked them for the name of the demon, and you see the outcome.”
He gestured to the blood coming out of the ears and eyes of the dead warlock and sorceress.
Edward grunted, knowing this didn’t bode well. “Very well. I will let the king know, and we’ll start recruitment and training soon.”