The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles

by E J Gilmour

  ‘He’s a loyal Ortarian,’ said King Ignis, stepping forward to stand beside Eben. ‘Now get off my throne, Doriak! You will never sit in my place again!’ Doriak stood up and cautiously stepped away from the throne. ‘Hugo, have the town secured. I want to make sure there are no other traps or traitors. Also have the entire fortress searched.’

  ‘Yes, Sire,’ said General Hugo as he went to the iron door and pushed it open. He took from his belt a horn and blew it three times.

  King Ignis then walked over toward the group of guardsmen. ‘You men are Ortarians. You have seen the evil growing in our lands. Your families have faced hardships. I am King Ignis, rightful ruler of Ortaria. I am a true descendent of the Ecorian Arbiters of the Ecorian Empire. I have been imprisoned for three years by people who plan to make you into slaves. Now I have returned, and I intend to free our lands of evil and bring back freedom and happiness to Ortaria. If you serve the Kingdom of Ortaria you should take up your weapons and fight for what is good and true. I give you this opportunity, an amnesty; pick up your swords and pledge your allegiance to Ortaria.’

  They looked bewildered and some of them hung their heads in shame. One of the guardsmen stepped forward.

  ‘We serve you, Your Highness. Baron Doriak told us you were a pretender. We see now that you are the real King of Ortaria.’ He then fell on one knee and pledged his allegiance, and the others followed his example.

  General Hugo walked over from the iron doors. ‘The army is coming up the hill through the town.’

  ‘Good,’ said King Ignis, turning back to look at Baron Doriak.

  ‘Doriak, I have always trusted you; now I see my mistake.’

  The Baron looked up at King Ignis with a smug grin. ‘King Ignis, you have no idea what you are facing. You think that you can retake Ortaria. Only days ago there were dozens of Skatheans here; they knew you were coming, and they have prepared for you. Soon Ortaria will be a land of muckrons.’

  The King stared at Baron Doriak. A few moments of harsh silence passed.

  ‘Put him in the dungeon,’ commanded King Ignis. ‘I remove your rank and nobility, Doriak. You shall answer for your crimes, your dishonour, and your treason.’

  ‘When the army of muckrons arrives here they will free me, and you will learn the hard truth, King Ignis. I look forward to seeing what they do to you when you are captured. The days of the Ecorian Arbiters are at an end. The Master in the north will utterly destroy you and the fools who choose to stand by your side.’

  ‘Take him away!’ commanded King Ignis.

  Several of the guardsmen took Doriak by his arms and led him away through one of the side doors. Moments later about twenty soldiers from the army burst in through the iron doors, all of them ready for a fight, having just run up the hill at Hugo’s call. King Ignis walked over and sat down on the bronze throne.

  ‘We must prepare.’

  **

  In the upper level of the fortress was a large chamber with a long oak table and a great fireplace. A fire burned brightly and kept the entire room warm. King Ignis sat at the table looking through piles of parchment that had been sent between the Imposter and Baron Doriak. Eben sat across the table whilst Stella and Red sat by the fireplace. General Hugo stood near the King.

  ‘Doriak was working with the Imposter for years,’ said King Ignis. ‘He knew I was imprisoned in Zyran. They were initially planning to use the army to invade Vastoria; they then planned to march across into Irvaria. After I was freed they made a desperate move as they knew the army would be a threat to them if I could regain control. It seems that several nobles have been in on the Zyranian plan. Earl Zalmar and Baron Ardok were working with Baron Doriak. This explains a lot; Baron Ardok had a meeting with me the afternoon I was taken away to the Dungeons of Zyran. I’m sure he infused my wine with a potion that put me to sleep. He must have been working with the Zyranians all along.’

  ‘I’m surprised that Earl Zalmar is a turncoat. I always thought he was a good man,’ said General Hugo.

  ‘We will question him on our return to Ancora,’ said King Ignis. ‘This last note sent to Doriak worries me the most. He was told to attempt to capture us and take control of the army. The note then goes on to say that they are making preparations in the east. They say they will come west and crush the Ortarian army if he fails to take control of it. This would refer to the muckron army Doriak was talking about. Perhaps they plan to meet us on the road.’

  ‘We should send scouts across the plains in the morning,’ said Hugo.

  ‘Yes, we should. The fact they think they can match us is what concerns me the most. They’re aware of our numbers, and they’re confident enough to come west to meet us.’

  ‘Perhaps we should remain in Galdir and wait for them,’ suggested Hugo. ‘We have walls and the fortress here.’

  The King gave it some thought before answering. ‘No, Hugo, I want to go east and recapture Ancora as soon as possible. They could starve us out by laying siege to Galdir, and our cavalry would give us no advantage here. We know the cavalry helped us a lot on the battlefield in Scaldonia. It’s an advantage I don’t want to give up.’

  ‘So we will ride out in the morning as planned?’ asked General Hugo.

  ‘Yes, we must. I also want you to choose a loyal knight from the army. I will place him in charge of Galdir.’

  ‘I believe Sir Victar would be the best knight to govern Galdir,’ replied General Hugo. It was agreed that Sir Victar would be given control of the fortress.

  **

  Eben slept that night in one of the upper chambers of the fortress. He woke as the sun rose in the east and cast long beams of light through his chamber window. The town below was already bustling as the army was preparing to march onward. He drew the sword and looked at the light reflecting off the blade. The steel seemed to collect the light. The Sword of Light didn’t glow, but it was as if the light of the sun curved toward the blade making it seem slightly brighter than it should be. The Ecorian Sword, an ancient and powerful weapon used to protect Veredor from the powers of darkness. The thought that his mother had left the sword with him still caused many questions to flow through his mind. He knew that only the Fiorians would have the answers he sought.

  He walked out of his room and down a stone stairwell to the command chamber. King Ignis was talking with some of his knights and General Hugo.

  ‘We sent eight scouts east at first light. They will check the highway and report back. The army will be ready to move within an hour,’ said Sir Rocco, a burly and dark haired knight.

  ‘Well done, Sir Rocco. We will head for Riverside.’

  A guardsman came walking into the chamber carrying a small piece of paper. ‘This arrived by carrier pigeon several minutes ago.’ General Hugo took the note and handed it to King Ignis. He unfolded the note and read it to himself.

  ‘A message from our enemy,’ said King Ignis with a disdainful grimace. ‘The Imposter has asked us to surrender. He says there is no need for a war and that we should know our place as slaves to the Lord of Veredor.’

  King Ignis cast the note in the fire. He then turned to face the company of knights. ‘We are men of honour and freed from bondage because of our service to the truth. Chains, prisons, and even death; all these things cannot possibly enslave those who have freedom in their hearts. We will fight these enslavers, and they will see freedom by our example.’

  **

  The army marched away from Galdir as the sun rose higher in the eastern sky. Eben rode with the King and Cassiel at the front of the army. Red and Stella were riding further back among the troops. They slowly came out of the foothills and into a land of lush green plains. There were very few trees, but occasionally a huge tree would rise up from the flat land.

  ‘These are the Golden Plains,’ said King Ignis. ‘These plains are home to several nomadic clans. I expect we will see some shepherds before we cross the plain and reach the western edge of Altus Forest; although with all the Skathe
ans and bandits around they will have probably moved far away from the main highway.’

  They rode on throughout the day. Clouds were rolling across the sky from the east; by the late afternoon a light rain was falling. As the evening arrived they set up camp beside the highway. Red was trying to get a fire started with some wood he had gathered along the roadside.

  ‘Do you need some help with that?’ asked Cassiel.

  Red looked up and nodded. ‘Sure, if you could use your magic it might help.’ Cassiel pointed his hand at the wood and a flame shot forth. The fire instantly started blazing.

  ‘You’ll have to teach me that trick one day,’ said Red with his usual cheeky grin. Cassiel smiled and nodded as he sat down beside Red.

  ‘It would take about five years to teach you. It’s not just about making a flame appear; it’s about understanding the nature of things around you and learning to bring about a change in that nature. You would have to learn to focus like a wizard.’

  ‘Five years! Ha, I think I’ll keep using my flint rocks,’ said Red, warming his hands by the fire. ‘I know a few simple coin and card tricks; that’s as far as I want to take it. After the war is over I want to focus on my swordsmanship.’

  ‘You’re already a great swordsman,’ said Stella.

  Red shook his head at Stella’s comment. ‘You saw that wyvern knock the sword out of my hand so easily. I don’t want that to happen again. I want to learn to fight like you, Eben.’

  Eben knew it was the Sword of Light and not so much his skill that was making him a good swordsman. ‘This sword gives me a great advantage.’

  ‘No, it’s more than the sword; you’re brave. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I saw you jump from your horse and grab the wyvern by the horns; that was truly amazing. Then I saw you fight those guardsmen in Galdir. What you have is a lot more than an old sword.’

  Eben nodded and wasn’t sure if he agreed. Erako had taught him to use a sword, and he knew he was a proficient swordsman, but his skills with the Sword of Light were far beyond any skill level he had previously possessed.

  **

  The next day was spent marching eastward. The open grass plains appeared to go on endlessly. There were no other travellers on the highway. Occasionally they caught sight of a stranded cow or goat. That night they set up camp again and slept well.

  The following day the army set out early. By the midmorning Eben could see a horseman in the distance galloping along the road in their direction. As the rider came closer it was clear he was injured and struggling to stay on his horse. He was one of the scouts they had sent out on the first day. Several of the front riders rode out to meet him and helped him down from his horse. King Ignis dismounted and walked over to meet the scout as two soldiers helped him to stand. Eben, General Hugo, and Cassiel walked with the King.

  ‘Sire… I bring… bad news,’ he said in a stammering voice.

  ‘What news?’ asked King Ignis.

  ‘We rode out across the Golden Plains… to the edge of Altus Forest. There is an army of muckrons waiting for us camped just outside the forest… I was the only one to escape. We were firstly set upon by a group of Skatheans, but their warhorses couldn’t keep pace with our scouting horses… Then the enemy wizards rained fire down on us from above… Four of my companions were killed. The four of us who survived the attack rode on as quickly as our horses would gallop. That’s when we were set upon by three wyverns… Only I escaped. My injuries aren’t bad; I think I can still fight.’

  ‘Three wyverns,’ repeated King Ignis gravely, nervously scratching his beard.

  ‘Yes, Sire.’

  ‘And how many muckrons did you see?’

  ‘Many more than we fought in Scaldonia. It’s difficult to say how many; I think about twenty thousand.’ King Ignis looked disturbed at hearing the number.

  ‘You have done well and shown much courage. I will reward you when we return to Ancora for your bravery. What is your name?’

  ‘Tullis,’ answered the scout.

  ‘Well done, Tullis,’ said King Ignis. He then turned to Eben and Hugo.

  ‘Three wyverns, Skatheans, and Zyranians; we are in for a fight this time.’

  ‘We are still two days march to the forest’s edge,’ said General Hugo.

  ‘You killed a wyvern, Eben; how about three?’

  ‘I can try.’

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ‘Three wyverns!’ exclaimed Red, shaking his head in disbelief.

  ‘That’s what the scout said,’ said Eben.

  ‘You’re going to have quite a task,’ said Red, laughing nervously. They were sitting around the fire with Cassiel and Stella in the early evening.

  ‘I’ll do my best,’ said Eben.

  ‘I think King Ignis is very troubled by this news,’ said Cassiel. ‘We beat the small army of muckrons in Scaldonia without too much trouble. This one is much larger, and they have Skatheans and the Zyranian Enforcers with them.’

  ‘Most of the men are very confident. They think we will win and return home soon,’ said Stella.

  ‘They are fighting for their homeland, so they will fight bravely,’ said Cassiel.

  They slept in their tents and woke early. The feeling of anticipation was growing among the troops. Rumours about the enemy army were circulating throughout the camp; however, the men kept up their confidence as they knew they were fighting for their families and homeland and that there was simply no option to fail.

  The army set out about an hour after sunrise and moved quickly. The men seemed restless to get to the battle; they all knew it was the last task before a triumphant return home to Ancora. Eben rode in full armour at the front of the army with King Ignis. He felt ready for battle. He could feel his fingers tingling from the anticipation.

  ‘It’s going to be quite a fight, Eben. They have assembled an army of Skatheans, wyverns, and wizards. We only have soldiers, archers, and cavalry’ said King Ignis.

  ‘We will fight bravely. The men are ready,’ said Eben.

  They continued marching across the plain. By mid-afternoon they could see a distant line of trees of the Altus Forest. Smoke rose in a thick column forming a dark cloud directly ahead. As they marched closer they could see the smoke was rising from an area between two small hills.

  ‘We are not far from them now,’ said King Ignis.

  Another hour passed as they marched onward. They could see the encampment of the enemy in the distance just outside the forest at the beginning of the plain. General Hugo rode up beside King Ignis and Eben.

  ‘We will use our cavalry again,’ said King Ignis as his eyes scanned the distance.

  Eben could see the muckron army was marshalling itself into long lines parallel to the forest. It was instantly clear that the enemy army was massive.

  ‘How many muckrons are there, Hugo?’ asked the King.

  ‘Twenty thousand at least,’ said General Hugo stoically. They could see the dark shapes of three wyverns rising up from the ground into the sky above the muckron horde; two of them were red and one was green. Their scales glimmered in the sunlight.

  ‘What do you think, Hugo?’

  ‘We face a difficult fight,’ said General Hugo. The King turned to Eben. ‘And you, Eben?’

  ‘We can either fight or retreat, but if we retreat we’ll have to fight them again at Galdir anyway.’

  ‘You’re right, Eben. We must fight them either way. Hugo, assemble the cavalry. Tell the men to be ready’

  General Hugo rode off and began shouting commands to the army. The army began to move into an attack formation. The cavalry moved to the front with the heavy cavalry making up the first line with five lines of light cavalry behind. The infantry formed about ten lines behind the cavalry, and the archers stood not far behind the infantry.

  Red and Stella rode up toward Eben. Stella had acquired a knight’s shield, which was flat on the top edge and curved downward to a point at the bottom edge. The shield was dark red with a g
olden lion painted across it. She also carried a new sword at her side instead of the two short swords she had carried into the previous battle. Eben noticed that she had a rope coiled with a grappling hook. Red wore shining new armour and an open-faced helm.

  ‘What’s the rope and grappling hook for?’ asked Eben.

  ‘For catching wyverns and pulling them out of the sky,’ replied Stella with a confident smile.

  ‘Stay near me. This is going to be much bigger than the last battle,’ said Eben.

  ‘We won’t let you get away from us,’ said Stella.

  They looked toward the enemy lines and could see two riders crossing the field, one of them carrying a blue banner.

  ‘It’s the banner of terms. They want to negotiate,’ said General Hugo.

  ‘Eben, follow me. Let’s ride to meet them,’ said King Ignis. The King rode out across the field. Eben turned Swiftwing about and charged after the King. A minute later they were nearing the two riders. One was a Skathean, revealed by his deathly pale skin and cold piercing eyes. He carried a long sword and no other weapon, and he wore the dark attire and a black cloak. The other rider was also wearing a long dark cloak. As the King and Eben approached they both recognised the familiar face of Falsig.

  King Ignis halted about thirty feet from the two enemy riders, and Eben came up to be beside him. Sweat was dripping from Falsig’s swollen and ugly face. His eyes were red and bloodshot.

  ‘What terms do you bring?’ asked King Ignis firmly.

  ‘We ask you to surrender!’ answered the Skathean, his voice cold and harsh. ‘If you surrender you will be disarmed and allowed to return to your homes after taking an oath of allegiance to the Lord of Veredor.’

  ‘We will never surrender. Your evil army will die today unless you leave our lands and return to where you came from! We will never serve your master,’ shouted King Ignis, his voice deep and strong.

  The Skathean slowly moved his horse forward. ‘Is this the son of Elons? Did you know your father, boy?’ asked the Skathean with a sly grin. Eben felt his heart drop and was astonished that this Skathean knew his father’s name. He was speechless. The Skathean looked back to the King. ‘His father couldn’t save himself. Do you think the son of Elons will save you, King Ignis?’