by Toni Cox
Jaik paused while the assembled Commanders and Elders discussed the strategy. Maia heard murmurs of agreement coming from around her. After a few moments, Jaik continued.
“After the arrival of the warriors from Rathaés today, we now have our final numbers. Lord Swiftfisher of Braérn has provided us with two thousand five hundred men, as well as eight hundred horses. Lord Plainspar of Alea Yll contributed two thousand men and five hundred horses. Lord Hazelwatch of Thala Yll has agreed to two thousand men as well, one hundred of which will be on battle dragons. Lord Tallson of Tarron Heights has brought one thousand five hundred soldiers and Lord Fyr of Rathaés has sent fifty of his most decorated warriors. Shadow Hall will be providing one thousand nine hundred men and women, as well as one thousand horses. And, as most of you know, we also have a Soul Dragon fighting on our side, which will be ridden by my sister, Princess Maia. She will be with us throughout the battle and also see to any of our injured.”
Maia blushed as the entire hall turned towards her, shouting approval, clapping, and someone even patted her on the back. She disliked the attention, but she realised how important it was for the morale of everyone that she was there. She smiled for their benefit, but was relieved when Jaik carried on speaking.
“Stoneloft and Dragonfort have not yet responded to our pleas for help, although we are not sure why this is so. We are still awaiting messengers to arrive with news, but we hold little hope that, even if they were to send their troops, they would arrive in time. We are not counting on it, so that leaves us with a tally of six thousand five hundred foot soldiers, two thousand three hundred mounted warriors and one hundred Battle Dragons, plus our Soul Dragon.”
The crowd grew louder again as they realised what that meant. They were outnumbered at least two to one. It made it clear how important that first line of defence really was. The Vampyres had to be stopped at the Gate, before too many came through and overpowered them. Maia shivered, although it was hot and stuffy in the hall. She angrily pushed down the despair trying to surface within her and concentrated on Jaik’s next words.
“Undeór and the Builders have been working on making additional weapons. So far, we have an added two hundred spears, one hundred swords and fifty shields, as well as over a hundred bows. Our stock of arrows now numbers close to fifteen thousand, but we could use anyone who has a talent for helping us make more. We will distribute these to anyone who needs them. Both Braérn and Tarron Heights have also brought additional weapons and armour.”
Maia nodded. She had spent many days fletching arrows, and still had the blisters to prove it, but she knew how important it was not to run out of ammunition. She had already devised additional saddlebags for Midnight’s saddle to carry more arrows, as well as her medicine bag, plus bandages, splints, transfusion lines and anything else she could think of that she would need.
“Thank you,” Jaik said, indicating he was finished with his report. “If anyone has any questions, please raise them now.”
When Jaik took his seat next to Maia and as Jagaer stepped onto the platform. Her father brushed his hand through his dark hair, the worry now clear to see on his face. Nevertheless, he stood tall and straight and Maia knew he would never give up, no matter the odds.
Jagaer nodded to the Elder Dictennia Hollowberg, who had raised her hand to speak.
“We could destroy the Gate completely. Then they would not be able to come through in the first place.”
A few people voiced consent, others concern.
“Yes, we thought of that. But that would cut us off from Karakrr and Earth as well. And Naylera can still connect to the other Gates around the globe. We think it is better to confront the enemy now, than to delay and run the risk of their numbers increasing.”
“Has the signal to other countries gone out? Have they acknowledged the threat?” Commander Arkenbay asked.
“Yes, indeed, the signal has been relayed and we’ve had confirmation that it has been received. We believe they are monitoring their Gates, but have not had any incidents so far.” Jagaer motioned for Riker, Jaik’s second in command, to speak, as he had raised his hand.
“We know the area around Greystone well, which will give us an advantage. The Vampyres are not expecting us to be there when they arrive, so will not be prepared for it. We have planned to be there three to four days before they come through, so that we are rested and prepared. If everything goes well, we should be able to stop the war before it even starts, which will, hopefully, dissuade them from trying to attack the other Gates.”
“Yes, that is the plan,” Jagaer confirmed. “But there are many unknown factors. We know very little about the types of weapons the Vampyres possess, nor do we know their fighting styles or capabilities. Somas has reported that they have Werewolf fur and bone armour, but we are unsure of their quality or durability. They do, however, match us in speed and agility and we assume they are good fighters, especially given their nature. We attempt to plan for any eventuality, but it is hard to guess with so little information. The best we can do is to prepare for everything. We have a rotation of guards stationed at the Gate at all times, in case they send more Scouts through.”
Jaik stood up again. “We have little time left before we march for the Gate. The training camps have worked well and I believe many have learned something new, but I should warn you not to overdo the training. We do not want our warriors spent before they even go into battle. Take your time honing your skills, but refrain from exhausting activities during the last Quarter before we leave. Make sure the horses, and dragons, are well rested and fed. We will have another few meetings during the next two Quarters to iron out any problems we can think of. Please, if anyone has any ideas that might help us, you are welcome to talk to me or my father at any time.”
There was a general murmur of agreement in the crowd and small conversations sprung up here and there. The main meeting was over and people started to leave.
Maia waited for the hall to clear. Her father, along with Jaik and some others of the Guard, were still on the bottom tier, discussing the arrangements for Night Watch tonight. The Guard soon left, leaving Maia alone with her father. He seemed surprised to see her as he climbed the stairs to exit the hall.
“I have been meaning to speak with you, Father,” Maia said as she stood and moved to meet him on the steps.
“That sounds serious. Is everything all right?” Jagaer asked with concern.
Maia fidgeted, knowing her father would not approve of what she wanted to do. She noticed a small knot in the wood on the floor in front of her; it reminded her of the amulet she wore around her neck and it gave her the courage to speak.
“I would like to fight alongside you and Jaik.”
Jagaer looked at her, confused. “But you will be. Jaik has allotted you your position amongst the Battle Dragons on the outer ring.”
“Yes, he has,” she acknowledged, “but you and Jaik, as well as the Commanders, will be at the forefront of the battle. I will not be able to sit in the rear, watching, unable to help when I need to. There are enough other dragons to chase down any Vampyres that might escape. I need to be with you and Jaik, where I can be of real help.”
“Maia, no, you …”
“No, Father, it is my duty to my people to protect them. I need to do more than just lend moral support from the back row. You know Jaik has been training with me and I am competent with my bow, with a sword and with the Twin Blades.”
“No one doubts your abilities, Maia. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. You know the people will be fighting as much for you as they are fighting for themselves. Your mere presence at the battle will give them strength.”
Maia’s eyes teared up. She was furious with herself for not being able to express what she wanted to say. She took a deep, steadying breath and started again.
“Father, I feel that I need to be with them. Right there. I can fight beside them, lend them strength and heal them at the same time. I can almost sen
se that something will go wrong and that I will be needed. I cannot define the feeling, and I am not sure it even has anything to do with the omen either, but I feel it with a certainty that I cannot shake and I owe it to the people. I cannot send them into battle, expect them to put their lives on the line, without any reassurance that they will be looked after if something should go wrong. That is why I am here, to heal my people, to give them life. It is my duty.”
Maia lifted her chin defiantly, but when Jagaer simply took her in his arms, she sagged against him thankfully.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered into her hair.
“Yes, Father, I have to.”
“Very well, I will be glad to have you by my side.” He kissed her on top of her head and, as he stepped away from her, he had a mischievous smile on his face. “But you have to be the one to tell your mother. She is not going to like it.”
The next morning Maia had a chance to tell her brother. He was equally as unhappy with her decision as her father had been, but somewhat more forceful in expressing his displeasure.
“I was teaching you only so you would know how to defend yourself in an emergency, not so you could storm into the middle of the fighting and get yourself killed!”
He paced to and fro in front of her, listing one hundred and one reasons why she should not be fighting. The more he talked, the more agitated he became. Maia understood her brother’s need to protect her, but his fussing began to irritate her. She felt her blood pressure rising with every reason he gave her, her fingers tingled and nervous energy filled her that she struggled to control. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, but to no avail.
“Aarghh!” Jaik screamed as the ground around him exploded, showering him in dirt. He ducked as branches from the tree above rained down upon him, trailing tendrils of smoke. He beat furiously at his jerkin, which had started to smoulder.
“My decision has been made,” Maia hissed between her teeth, the feeling of her spent magic still tingling through her veins.
Jaik had only a moment to stare into eyes that seemed to glow a luminous green, before she fled back down the path toward the city.
Telling her mother went marginally better.
She had spent the rest of the day riding through the fields on Fire, Midnight keeping watch overhead and only returned to Shadow Hall as the sun touched the snow-covered tips of the mountains. She was calm by then and trusted herself with her mother’s safety. She had startled herself. She had never lost control quite like that before. It made her wonder if the Mother had chosen wisely when she had deemed her worthy to bestow the gift of Life on her. She had all this power to inflict damage and death within her, it frightened her.
“The Mother always knows what is right and you need to trust in that,” Malyn said. “And if you need to fight in order to preserve life, then that, too, is the Mother’s plan.”
Her mother then closed the subject and passed no further comment on her wanting to join the main fight. It was a little unsettling that the one person she had expected to veto her decision the most accepted it so easily.
She climbed into bed later that night feeling that things were not right with the world. That night she did not dream about Death, but of unsettling images of shadows lurking around corners and strange beasts standing in bright sunlight, challenging her right to exist.
“Maia, you are not concentrating,” Jaik chided her again.
They had been sparring all morning. Jaik wanted to teach her more about close-contact combat, now that he knew she wanted to fight on the front line.
“I’m sorry.” Maia sat on the ground. “I don’t think I can do this today, something is just not right.”
“What is it? Did you have another premonition?” Concerned, Jaik sat next to her. He had learned to heed Maia’s feeling.
“I don’t know. I feel something is out of place. Midnight is feeling the same. He has been on edge the last two days. Something bad is going to happen, I know it, but I don’t know how to stop it.”
She put her head in her hands and cried quietly. Jaik took her in his arms and rocked her until her sobs subsided.
“We are all on edge, Maia,” he said. “We will be marching into war in a fortnight and everyone is feeling the pressure. I can only imagine how much more intense this must be for you. Come, I believe Ma has made pecan nut pie, maybe it will cheer you up.”
Maia let Jaik lead her away from the Sparring Grounds. She appreciated his efforts to make her feel better, but she knew it was not just the anticipation of the coming war that made her feel out of sorts. Something sinister was afoot; she could feel it in the very air around them.
Her favourite pie tasted like dry sand. She could not concentrate on her grandmother’s words or Jaik’s conversation with her grandfather. She was all too happy to leave when the light started to fade and the Night Watch un-shuttered the lanterns.
As they walked along The Median, the city was quiet. Everyone had turned in early. Maia felt the hairs on her arms stand on edge as they made their way home. A mist had come in from the plains and slowly crept up the Gathering Grounds. Maia lengthened her stride, her brother hard-pressed to follow.
“Maia, wait, what is it.”
Wordlessly she pointed at the mist. Jaik looked at her, confused.
“I am scared, Jaik. It is the wrong time of the year for this ground mist; it can only be another omen. I have to tell Father.”
They sped down the last few steps to their home and had just arrived at the front door, when the signal horn started blaring.
For the next half an hour, there was pandemonium. Everyone came out of their houses, or their temporary quarters, some still in their nightclothes, and rushed to the Gathering Grounds. Maia and Jaik almost collided with Jagaer as he rushed out of the house. Together they made their way down The Slope and Jagaer took up position on the speaker’s platform, with Malyn, Maia and Jaik behind him.
The crowd before them was vast, spilling over into the trees and city around the grounds. Because of the mist, the sound coming from the crowd sounded like an angry beehive, and Maia shivered.
Tallson Robynreed, one of Jaik’s Guard, ran up the steps and gave a brief account to Jagaer. Her father’s features changed, his cheeks coloured a deep red, his brow puckered into an angry scowl and his lips stretched into a tight line. Maia almost fainted with the strength of the premonition that crept over her. Malyn reached out a hand to steady her and Jaik stepped forward to stand next to his father.
Maia held her breath.
“Silence, everyone, hear me!” Jagaer yelled so loudly that Maia’s eardrums rang and she let out her breath in a harsh whoosh.
A hush fell, tension as present as the mist around them.
“The Vampyres are through.”
The noise from the crowd picked up again, making it impossible for Jagaer to continue. Jaik, Tallson and Jagaer conferred some more, then Jagaer banged his staff on the heavy, oaken planks of the stage and the crowd fell silent.
“The Vampyres started arriving the day before yesterday. Aari Fyrlane and two Scouts from Braérn were patrolling the Gate when they arrived. Aari managed to escape, but the others are dead. They also killed the horses, which is why Aari only got here now.”
Another murmur spread through the assembled warriors, discussing the implications. Jagaer gave them a short moment before he voiced what everyone was thinking.
“We must assume that they have had almost two days to bring their army through. We can only guess at their numbers. We need to leave immediately. If we march through the night, all day tomorrow and through the night again, we should reach them on the morning of the day after tomorrow. Pack your things. We are leaving within the hour.”
For a few moments, there was chaos. Then, as if some other force had taken over, everyone moved off purposefully. Maia exchanged a brief glance with her brother, before she moved off to gather her gear.
She took Annoll’s Path, then Lower Walk
, before climbing Rosy Steps, up Sleepy Stairs, and finally along Stony Lane, racing towards The Crags.
The commotion coming from the odd-shaped rock formation was almost deafening. The dragons were clacking and shrieking, beating their wings furiously, wafting their strange smells over her as she approached. She was not the first one there. The place was already crawling with warriors dragging their saddles up the hill. Maia made her way to the contraption that lifted the saddle on to Midnight’s shoulders. He was already there, impatiently swishing his tail from left to right, knocking down trees in the process. Maia reached out to him to calm him, but it was a fruitless gesture, the turmoil within her too great even for her to overcome.
“It is time,” she said to him instead.
He looked down at her, his red eyes sparkling in the lantern light.
As fast as she could, she lowered the saddle onto his shoulders. Then she ran up his leg and fastened all the straps. Her hands were shaking and it took her longer than she would have liked.
“I will meet you on the plains. I have to get Fire and my gear.”
Midnight acknowledged and, with one great whoosh of his wings, disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Maia ran back down Stony Path. People were hurrying to and fro alongside her. She hastened along Sky Pass to the Armoury, picked up two spare quivers with arrows, then raced through the Silver Forest back to her home to collect her other gear. Once she had everything, she crossed The Ascent to get to the Stables. Her brother was already there, saddling his bay charger, Stormborn. They exchanged a brief look, each drawing strength from the other, and then carried on with their tasks.