"That is correct, but you did, and now I have another shot at ruling Lythinall. Once I level the capitol, that land will be added to G'harr and I will be Queen of it all." She walked away, clicking across the floor and looking out one of the massive windows. "Isn't it better here? Haven't I made everyone equal? There is no poverty, no ruling class, just people. People working to better themselves and live their lives."
"Is that what you call it?" He should just let her ramble, but he had found his old core of rebellion. "They all have to worship you or they are killed in horrible ways! You rule by fear and pain, delighting in the suffering of the very people you helped create!" Ran'cian lost all restraint. He was angry that his people were treated this way. G'harr was his home and she was ruining it.
"You're just upset that I took your toy away from you. You were taxing the less fortunate and giving the so called nobles breaks. The homeless were dying in the streets and you sat on your golden throne laughing at them; Yet I'm the Evil Queen?" She honestly couldn't believe he was trying to take the moral high ground...he couldn't even spell morals.
He sighed and lowered his head. She was right. He had been a tyrant, even plotting war against the peaceful folk of Lythinall, but this had opened his eyes, and possibly a vein or two as well."Trust me Ill'lyth, I know, but heed this promise. If I ever get out of these Gods be damned chains, I will be taking back my country and fixing it." The blow came unexpectedly. His head snapped around as a hardened gust of wind slammed into him, then lifted him as high as the chains would allow. Then he went a little higher. His wrists and ankles strained against the metal, and started to sheer off some of the skin around them. The room went deathly quiet, except for the pitter patter of his falling blood.
"That will be quite enough. You will forever be my pet, and you will never have this lovely piece of land back, you wretched piece of filth." She was smiling the entire time, but the room grew colder as she spoke. Now you will be silent as I contemplate my next move, or I will rip that tongue right out of your head." She let him drop to the floor and scramble back behind her throne. Her throne. Ill'lyth once again walked to the window, her favorite place to think. Through it, she could see the distant Barrier Mountains and sometimes, on a clear day, the Forest of the Lost. Well, I guess they know that I'm alive, unless I can catch their messengers before they reach the King. She thought quietly.
"Ash'anti fra sistren eae oren alar!" She asked the air to deliver her words. She didn't say the name of her commander, but instead thought of him and pictured his face in her mind as she finished, then spoke to the wind. [Commander Ellis, I have another mission for you and your men. Split your forces and hunt down the messengers coming from Keragan Hold, and send the rest of your men around to attack the hold from the north. It's time to escalate things.] She cancelled the magic and sighed. She wasn't going to start this early, she would rather have had the Incarnation do her dirty work for her. "Wait!" She spun with amazing alacrity for someone her age.
"Oh what brilliant idea does she have now, I swear elves think they know everything." Ran'cian spoke from behind the throne. His voice sounded weak, and he ended in a coughing fit.
"That's because we do, you sniveling mongrel. Now be silent while I think." She wanted the Incarnation to do her dirty work, well why didn't she just bring him here? She would need to restrain him and find his weakness again. Obviously it wasn't earth, even though that did hold him rather well. Once he had made his appearance again, she would capture him and keep him here until she could make him her puppet. She would just let the King and his hapless Companions keep working on how to stop him and let her spy fill her in. Once she had his weakness, well then she would bind him to her and have a weapon that no one could stop. "Oh it is going to be a good day after all."
The High Grass, Southeast of Keragan Hold
Commander Ellis stared at the earthen packed road and clicked his tongue. He detested hunting down spies. He would much rather be leading from the front of a massive engagement than scouting for three people on horseback. He raised his fist forward and the men behind him started moving once more.
It was just an hour after sunrise and they had approached the road to Keragan Hold over the high grass instead of the road, hoping to catch the travelers off guard. He could see a small cloud of dust coming, but he had to be sure before he committed what forces he had left to the road. He didn't want a chase on his hands. He was in his fiftieth winter and his bones started to ache all the time now. Ellis had close cropped hair that was graying and his broad shoulders held his southern cape very well.
"Think that's them Commander?"
Ellis looked down at his second-in-command and tried not to smile. The man was hyper and excitable. Everything that he didn't look for in a second. However the man had something that most others didn't. A spine. "Franc, you never cease to amaze me. Yes I think that could be them, however let's wait another moment and try to make sure before we spook them."
"Will do Commander, I'll see if we have any good eyes back there and get you the info." He turned to the men seated on horses and cleared his throat. "Get ready to charge, but hold until the Commander signals." He rode back among the ranks calling for eyes and the men just stared straight ahead.
Ellis chuckled and watched the little man ride away. He had curly hair and a bubbly attitude, but was never afraid to say what was on his mind. Which was the main reason he never got his own command. The Commander turned his own eyes upon the distant cloud of dust once more and sighed. He had received the message from his new Queen, and had immediately dispatched half of his fifty men to circle around Keragan Hold.
She wanted these messengers killed so that whatever message they were carrying to their king would never reach its destination. He wasn't privy to what that message could be, but he could guess it had to do with her being back from the dead and in charge of G'harr. He turned as he heard someone coming up behind him. It was Franc and a young man he had seen before but couldn't recall his name.
"Commander, this is Inbari, he says he can almost make out three riders from here." Franc looked skeptical but was still smiling.
"Well soldier, how is it you can see them from here. That's not just good eyesight now is it?" He had his suspicions on the young man's background at hearing this, and by the shuffling feet, he wasn't wrong.
"Well sir, I studied for a year at the Mysterium, but I failed, so I had to join the military." He scratched his bald head and shuffled his feet once more. Failing at the Mysterium meant military or death....easy choice really.
Now he understood, another failed reject thrown at him. Not that the kid was a mistake, but more often than not, they weren't cut out for this life and got themselves killed in battle. "Well show us greatness kid, or just see if that's them."
Inbari looked and used his Sight, stretching out ahead of him and into the cloud. There were three riders, two guards and......Then his head exploded in agonizing pain! "AHHH Get her out!" He fell to the ground, bleeding from his ears and eyes, thrashing back and forth holding his head. Three seconds later he was gone.
"Well, that can't be good."
"Shut up Franc."
*********************************
Janna was riding hard, and between her and the two guards at her side, they were making quite a scene kicking up this much dust. It would help if it would rain again, the roads were so dry it was horrible. They had already covered about thirty miles, but it felt like they were crawling. The two guards insisted that they flank her horse as they traveled, since she had the important message in her head to tell the King, but it was totally unnecessary. She had been around for a long time, and could more than take care of herself, but she adored the attention. "We're about half way to the split, not bad guys!" She called over the thundering horses.
Stard smiled at her and held on tight. He had never really ridden this fast before, and it was more than a little frightening. In the guard you rode in formation, and since he wasn't cavalry, he ha
d never had to charge. He only used horses to get somewhere and he was never in this much of a hurry.
"He looks petrified!" Dren called out over her head, as he watched his friend white knuckle the reins. "Imagine if we weren't on the road?"
She was going to throw a pretty lewd comment at that one, but then something grabbed her attention. She turned her head as the tingling magic focused on her, and she could almost see a young man staring at her through a faint mist in her mind. Someone was using their Sight to spy on them! "Oh no you don't." She closed her eyes and threw up a mental shield, then pushed really hard at the magic, sending it back at him. Not only that, but she threw her own mind behind it, riding the magic back at him like a battering ram. As she opened up her eyes and used her own Sight, her magic slammed into his mind.
It was crackling through the many pathways and burning them faster than he could scream, and scream he did. He dropped to the ground, bleeding from his ears and eyes, then she pulled back as he died. She had caught a glimpse of what he was a part of and they were in trouble. "Enemy in the grass! Follow me!" She pulled the reins hard to let the men pass her then she yanked hard to the left and took the steed off road, kicking it faster and waiting for them to catch up before she used the air to speed them.
Stard sputtered at the realization that he would be riding that fast over uneven ground, but the soldier in him obeyed quickly. He pulled a little lighter, taking a much wider turn into the grass, and his horse was not pleased at the lack of control. "Come on girl, just do it and stop fighting me." He whispered to the horse as he bent over hugging her neck for stability, and didn't care that he got a snort for a response.
Dren laughed at the sight of his friend hugging the horse, but his laughter died as a shout came up behind them. There had to be at least twenty men on horseback, all dressed in the black armor of the G'harran guard. "Crap. That is definitely not good."
"You think!" Janna laughed at the understatement. It was beyond bad. They were outnumbered at least six to one, and these men probably had fresh horses. She was no Karsis, these odds were death if they were caught. So they couldn't get caught. "Hold on, I can make us go faster." She started, but was cut off.
"NO!" Stard had caught up , but was bouncing something awful, and his horse didn't feel too stable. Then his horse stumbled and went down, rolling over and over, finally coming to a stop and pinning him to the grass.
"Stard!" Dren pulled hard, stopping the horse and leaping off. He didn't have much time before they were on him. That's when he saw that the ground had been pocked, probably on purpose. Small holes were dug every ten to twenty feet or so, staggered here and there to make riding hard, and damn near impossible going that fast. He got to his friend and saw that he was still conscious. "Hang on buddy, I'm here." He looked at the massive animal and despair flooded him. There was no way he was going to lift this.
Stard coughed up blood and tried to get air into his lungs. He could feel that his ribs were crushed, and the pain in his legs was un-nerving. He wasn't getting out of this one. Before he could tell his friend to flee, the horse moved and lifted up, slowly, then shifted to the side and rolled over. He could feel the wind swirling around the beast, and he looked at the beautiful woman that had stopped and tried to save him. At least now he could die on his feet, or maybe his knees, since his legs were currently not working on the count that he couldn't feel them.
Janna let the air lift the horse, but the minute she saw what the horse had done to him, she let the magic go and sobbed. She had seen enough death in her very long life to know that this man was done. She couldn't heal that, maybe a little, but only enough so that he wouldn't bleed out. Why did I have to lose another one Ollian? She pulled her thoughts in and set her mind rigid. "We have to go Dren, they're coming." She slid off and touched Stard on the legs, whispering to the ether to heal some of the damage to his body. She threw everything she had into it, and felt his nerves mend in his back. They wouldn't stay for long, but he might be able to stand and die on his feet. That's the way she wanted to go. No. That was a lie, she wanted to die naked, and in bed.
Stard's eyes went wide and he felt his legs again, and tears came to his eyes. She had given him what he wanted, without knowing. "Help me up old friend." He asked Dren, who was silently crying.
"It would.....be my honor." Dren helped up his friend and steadied him. "I will always remember you." He couldn't finish. If he finished it would be real.
"Go, I will stay here and see if I can whittle down their numbers somewhat." He knew he wouldn't get more than two, maybe three if they stopped to interrogate him, but it would be something. He checked to see if his sword was still good and then he felt Janna wrap her arms around him.
"May your arm be strong and your aim true my friend." She said, handing him her twin daggers she kept under her dress. The song I write about you will be glorious." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran to the horse. She could see them coming now, and without the air to help them, she could only hope that the horse would make it to Everknight without falling over dead.
Dren hesitated, pulling his sword halfway out of its sheath. "I could stay.."
"I'll kill you myself if you don't get on that horse. This is my song damn you, now get you gone." He laughed at the look on his friends face, but he couldn't let Dren throw his life away.
Dren turned with a heavy heart and climbed onto his horse, kicking it into a canter and not looking back. I will avenge you Stard, on my life I will avenge you. His thoughts were whirling with memories, and soon he heard steel clash with steel and the tears came again.
"He wanted to do this Dren, I'm sorry." Janna was moved at the loss that she was seeing, it was almost like they were more than just........Oh my Goddess.....I didn't even notice. That is why they never tried anything with me. She rode in silence, knowing that it was a private matter. Most men never opened up about relationships with other men, especially in the guard. It was going to be a long hard ride, she just hoped that the ground would slow down their enemies as well.
Stard watched them ride away and his own tears fell slowly. He really didn't want to die, but he knew that it was going to happen. How come all the bards write about selfless sacrifice being so easy, when he was shaking in his boots. He just hoped that the end came quick, and that he didn't cry in front of the enemy. He saw the lead horses now and he crouched down behind his horse. The poor thing had snapped its neck rolling, but it made pretty good cover.
As the first horse came into range, about thirty paces away, Stard stood painfully and threw a dagger at the rider, then drew and spun, losing another at the man behind him. Both hit, but only the first man was hurt enough so that he was out of the fight. All of the horses were pulling up now, expecting more fighters to appear, and Stard used that momentary distraction to draw his sword and limp towards the second man.
The dagger had hit the man in the chest, but he was still breathing. He knocked the man's sword away and after a quick thrust with his sword, the man was gone. Stard was surrounded now, men drawing swords and pointing them at him. He didn't want to be taken alive.
He took his sword and stabbed the horse that he was next to, and the poor animal bolted away, scattering the men on horseback that had surrounded them. As the beast took flight, Stard grabbed the saddle and let it drag him off though the ranks, slashing his sword at the horses as he went by. One two, then a third was hit before his grip failed and he tumbled to the ground
Commander Ellis rode up to the organized chaos, shaking his head. What could be tearing through his men and scattering them like this? He saw a solitary man, on the ground, but fighting to stand and had to admire him. The man was badly wounded, and by the look of the horse a few feet away, it seemed that he fell victim to these damned pock holes that had his men going slower than frozen syrup. "Let him stand." The men froze at his voice and that made him proud. He loved command. He got down off of his horse and approached the man, his hand on the hilt of his great sword, but
not drawing it. Yet. "They left you to die." It wasn't a question.
Stard grinned then, and rolled his shoulder, trying to work out his stiff arm. His legs were wobbly and he could feel his body growing slower. His wounds were worse than he thought. He could at least breathe deep without a sharp pain in his chest. "No, they didn't. I stayed so they could get away and warn the King." He spat at the commander, but it never reached him. He lunged then, all his training behind the thrust that should've caught the man flatfooted. It didn't. The man sidestepped quickly and spun, pulling a massive sword as he did. When Stard tried to turn and get his sword up, it was too late. Then there was nothing.
Commander Ellis saw the man start to move and was again impressed, but he had training too. He spun drawing his great sword and swinging it around in a deadly arc. The blade sheered clean through the man's neck and took his head in a single swipe, then Ellis wiped the blade and sheathed it once more. "After them."
The Serpent River Bridge, Southwest of Everknight
They had ridden hard for the whole day, and the enemy was still behind them. Once the pocked ground had stopped, Janna could use the wind to speed them up, but the horses couldn't take much more. From the bridge she guessed it was just a little over ten miles, but she was hoping a patrol would be near the bridge when they got there. That would mean something would go right...and I don't see that happening. She thought as they followed the river south towards that bridge. Just then Dren's horse staggered and made a horrible sound. "Dren, It's gone." She stopped her horse and grabbed his arm to help him onto her horse. He leapt on and left his horse, watching as it slowed then stopped, gently lowering itself down to the ground, bleating out its misery.
"Think we can make it on one horse?" Dren asked, looking back for a sign of pursuit. He hadn't seen anyone behind them for a couple a hours, but they knew they were back there. The dust was still kicking up from their horses.
The Darkness Within (A Lythinall Novel) (Book 2) Page 14