by A L Wright
Chapter 4
Ared haze lined his vision. Rage roared in his head. Fear choked his heart. The Patriarch had only allowed their party to stop and rest to keep from killing their mounts. And because the approaching dawn had had them all moving at nearly a snail’s pace, anyhow, due to their nocturnal nature. But even after he laid down in the tent Victor had erected for him, it still took a couple of hours to relax enough to sleep.
Mortul had slept light enough that as soon as the sun neared the horizon, he awoke. The tent was broken down and his horse halfway saddled by the time Nikka awoke. It seemed his granddaughter shared his habit of rising early. They silently went about the tasks of breaking camp and saddling horses while waiting on the others to wake up. Once the others were up and moving, they were tossed a chunk of venison and the reins of their horses, forcing them to eat on the move.
The horses had rested and eaten during the day, but they were still tired not only from the breakneck pace, but from the prior nights trip into and out of the Lothnau Forest. It was all Mortul could do to force himself to stay at a steady pace with his mount, while the rage ran unchecked in his mind. Getting to the palace was consuming his heart and soul. Afraid he would be too late to keep those filthy creatures out of his home. The home he had built for his Samana.
The Palace of The Nobles had been his gift to her when he discovered she was bearing his child. They had been so innocently happy at that news.
Nikka broke into his thoughts. “Grandfather, are you alright?”
He glanced over at her, the red haze of anger clearing a bit from his vision. He had been reunited with her only a short time ago, and her grace and power still amazed him. Made him quite proud of his son for raising her so well.
“I know you are thinking about the battle ahead,” she continued, “but you look quite burdened by your thoughts.”
“Well, I was thinking about the palace. And why I had it built.”
“You built it for the safety of the humans, right? To protect the townsfolk there?”
Mortul allowed himself a small grin. “So it says in the humans’ history books, what of that history remains to them. And it was more of a result, I suppose, than a reason. No, I built that palace for your grandmother.”
A moment of silence stretched between them. Nikka looked curious, but held her questions. She knew his history was similar to her father’s, and just as troubling to speak about.
After a few more minutes, Mortul continued. “I met her long after the war. Her name was Samana, named after the dark holiday, Sam-henn. I had settled in the Keep where you live now after Yosan had removed the Duke from there after finding his wife abused at the Duke’s hands. A fair amount of trade had cropped up in the Keep’s yards and around it, a haven for humans to begin life again. For a few centuries, a small court of Noble’s and I ruled from there. We started by training the remaining folk different crafts and trades to create tools, and grow food, and people could support themselves once more. It was a difficult time, but a major turning point after the end of the war. Eventually, the human families started to grow and flourish and began to spread out to found villages of their own.
“It was a peaceful time, a time where haven and help were offered to any who needed it and all resources were shared until excess stores were finally able to pile up. It was at the apex of these peaceful times that I met her. Each Solstice I would hold a grand party at the Keep; food was plentiful and available to all who attended. Merriment would last long into the night. It was on Sam-henn I saw her dancing in the flickering light of one of the bonfires. She was enchanting, and I watched her from the shadows for quite some time. I thought I was sneaky, but she had noticed me watching her. After she finished with her dancing, she strode straight up to me, surprising me, and said ‘Isn’t this your holiday, Lord warlock? Should you not dance as well?’”
“She sounded quite bold.” Nikka chuckled.
It had been the human’s tradition of calling the darkest day of the year, Sam-henn, the Dark Lord’s holiday in reference to The Patriarch himself. It personalized that mysterious and scary holiday, and Mortul had not seen any reason to take the small comfort away from the humans who had so desperately needed it.
“Indeed, she was. I told her I had never danced, never had reason to. She held out her hand and told me that now I did.” Mortul paused, recollecting her hand reaching for his. Soft and warm as she pulled him toward the bonfire. “And so, I did. We danced the rest of the night. Samana took to visiting the Keep every weekend, and we talked late into the night over books and board games. Every holiday we danced. I hadn’t realized how much I had come to cherish her until her birthday came around twice, and it stunned me to think that she would age, and I would still be the same. I was young and foolish and wanted desperately to keep her by my side. So, I asked her to be my wife, and to be my Chosen. Cementing our love in both word and blood.”
Mortul had rushed their wedding and given the grand affair only a couple of months to be planned. The entire countryside was invited to the happy affair, and the festivities had lasted for a week. The newlyweds were already interred into the Chamber before the party bonfires had been lit.
“I had assumed that we could consummate our vows while in the Chamber. I was in such a hurry to complete her turning; I didn’t think about the safeguards we had built into those chambers when we first made them. It had been hundreds of years, and I had forgotten about them. But we were so very happy after we came out of the Chamber, and later, even happier to discover she carried a child. Completely in shock, and over the moon I was. Such a fool.”
“Oh Grandfather, you were no fool. You were happy, and in love,” Nikka said softly, and she stole a glance at Victor. Victor stared intently ahead, stoically pretending to have his attention elsewhere.
“It is sweet of you to say that. Since she was with child, the Keep seemed no longer grand enough for her. I commissioned the Palace to be built by the river, and we moved in just before she…gave birth.” Mortul’s voice hitched on the last two words and fell silent.
“Do not worry, we’ll make sure her Palace doesn’t fall into the hands of those beasts.” Nikka snapped her reins, causing her horse to lurch back into a gallop. The rest of the party followed suit.
~
Nikka had seen the smoke rising from miles away, and knew her Grandfather had, too. Nothing could be done except push to get there as quickly as possible and hope it wasn’t too late. As they neared the city, they passed groups of humans running away from it. Men, women, families, all running for their lives and calling for help from The Patriarch as their group charged past. Guilt ate at her as she galloped on without acknowledging them.
Her grandfather would feel that guilt just as keenly. He had sacrificed everything to protect the humans and built the palace, the city, and the entire Noble race in the name of keeping them safe. But their party was small and couldn’t afford to stall. Besides that, Friesa was at the Palace. And if the attack were happening while she and Tynen were still in Slumber…
The troubling thought rode along with her unbidden. As they neared the city gates, Nikka spurred her horse faster, drawing on the last of the animal’s reserve of energy.
Goblin stragglers acting as guards stood an untidy watch at the city gates. The rangers, who rode behind her and the Patriarch, silently took them out with an arrow to their throats. The ones still breathing were trampled under their horses’ hooves. Shock at the suddenness of it seized Nikka for an instant. The whizzing sound the arrows made as they had shot past her ears stuck in her mind as they galloped through the gates. A few of the fighters with them skidded their horses to a halt to turn back and guard the gates.
A nod from her Grandfather had her squaring her shoulders and leaning into her horse’s mane, leaving the fighters behind to do their duty. Evidently, she and he weren’t stopping to fight here, and any hesitation from her could lose them ground.
They rode onward, breakneck through the city
, arrows sprouting from goblins. Screeches followed, as the goblins ran after them, smaller arrows and throwing axes bounced off the blue protective shield that had enveloped them until another small group of fighters broke off to take them down and guard the intersection. The rest of them surged onward, Nikka and her grandfather intent on reaching their destination. Thundering hooves took them down the packed dirt streets until at last they reached the walls surrounding the Palace.
Nikka watched her grandfather, The Patriarch returned home, as his body began to glow, separate from the bubble around the party. A similar blue light formed a shield tight around him and his horse as he laid low against his horse’s neck. Right towards the closed gates of the Palace. Nikka brought white light to her fingertips and forced it to wrap around her hands, up her arms, until her whole body was covered in a shield, mimicking what her Grandfather had done. She watched from behind as the gates opened just enough to admit her grandfather inside. As he rode through, the blue of his shield touched the edges of the walls, and suddenly the entire stone structure became awash in the same color.
Once Nikka, Victor, and her escort made it through, her grandfather dismounted and ran to the wall. Slapping his hands against it caused the blue shield to pulse outward, taking down all the goblins within a hundred feet. The Patriarch turned back to them, looking unfazed, as if he’d done nothing more than take a stroll around the Palace grounds.
Silence settled over the yard, except for the sounds of heavy breathing of those who had been fighting and the snorting of their exhausted mounts. The white light she had formed as a protective barrier around her body evaporated as her concentration waned, and Nikka stared at her grandfather in shock.
“Every stone of this Palace was built with my power, and amplifies it,” he explained before turning to the guards within the yard to bark commands.
“Nikka!” came a voice from behind her.
Nikka whirled just in time for her friend to slam into her, wrapping her in a tight hug.
“Oh, Friesa! I was so scared you would still be in Slumber. I’m so glad you are okay,” Nikka exclaimed as she squeezed her.
“We had just awoken in time for the alarm, it seems,” Tynen explained, mischievous eyes sparkling.
“I’m glad you had Tynen here to protect you.”
“Oh, I would say Friesa did more of the protecting.” He winked at them both.
“Your lessons have helped your fighting then? Good.” Victor strode up behind them, placing a hand on Nikka’s shoulder.
“Uh, no. It seems I inherited somethin’ while we slept.” Friesa held up her hand, sparks crawling down her fingers. “Been quite useful so far.”
“The palace is secure,” the Patriarch informed them as he strode over to their group. “I must stay here to ensure the power continues to flow, but the villagers need help.”
Nikka watched as Friesa clenched her fists at her sides, streaks of current shooting up her arms. “Don’t worry, ma Lord. We’ll purge the town of those vermin.” The smile on her friend’s face could’ve frozen water.
Chapter 5
It was lonely but peaceful in the small southern village. Great maple trees grew all around the town, shrouding houses and shops both, keeping them cool in the shade. The rustling of the large leaves on the trees made for a calming shushing noise as the breeze moved through them. Out here on the edges of the tiny town, there were not many people, but now and then the laughter of children playing floated in on the breeze to reach Hudreia’s ears.
The large house she had been staying in was almost too quiet, however, with the owners having turned it over to her entirely. The only sounds were the creaking of the floorboards as she paced. Thusly, Hudreia had taken to spending most of her time in the stables with the colts. They had been born early, no surprise, as the magic of her blood had greatly sped up the gestation process.
All this extra time lounging in the straw with her favorite animals had helped her to think through their strategy of speeding the young one’s growth into maturity as well. Since they shared blood with her and Nikka, the growth rate would already be quick, but just not quick enough. Only a few months old, they had grown to the size of the average three-year-old. She needed them to mature by another year in short order to be completely ready for their task.
Hudreia had thought about injecting them with more blood but couldn’t risk causing them to shy away from her for any reason. She couldn’t lose their trust, as that was integral to their mental growth as well as their physical maturation. No, these mounts were smart, and would only grow smarter as time went on. Their minds needed nurturing as much as their bodies.
But what about the blade she carried? It infused her with life essence whenever she killed. What if she were to use her blood to transfer to another?
Worth a try, she figured. And she would quickly heal even if it didn’t work. So, she drew the blade across her palm until blood welled, then held the flat of the blade in the pool of red liquid. Sure enough, the dagger leeched up the blood, converting it to a swirling red force. But the red didn’t travel up the blade to be reabsorbed, it stayed put. Hudreia assumed that was because it was her life force and wouldn’t feed her anything extra. Feeling positive at this point, she touched the metal to the hide of Nikka’s colt, and the red essence flowed from the metal to spread across the young animal’s body. Slowly, it was absorbed until it disappeared.
Hudreia looked up to see the colt eyeing her from over its shoulder. The intelligence shining in those eyes only confirmed her little experiment was working. She patted the young mare on the haunch and made sure the oats bucket was full before she slipped out of the stall. The horse was asleep, head drooping, by the time she latched the gate. Doubtless resting to let the essence continue its work.
Hudreia repeated this strategy with the young stallion marked out for Mortul, with the same results as before. She left the stables to let the young ones rest and continued to feel quite positive about the growth potential of the horses. Given another couple of months using this method, it was possible they could be ready.
Hurried footsteps on the gravel warned her of someone approaching before they neared.
“Mistress, a message for you,” one of the house servants called out, rushing over and handing her the letter.
“No seal? Who gave this to you?” she demanded as she scanned the words.
“A messenger came to the inn to find Master Kroftman, who bade me deliver this to you.” The young man’s hands shook as he wrung his fingers together. All the local humans were nervous around her.
The note left a chill around her heart. A battle, an attack on Mortul’s home. The final war could be escalating much quicker than they all had anticipated. Hudreia crumpled the paper in her fist.
“Inform Master Kroftman that I will be leaving at once and may be gone a few days. He is to take good care of my colts.”
“Yes, Mistress.” The young man hesitated before running off, bouncing between the balls of each foot, deciding whether to speak or take flight. His concern won out, and he asked nervously, “Will you help them, Mistress? I have family in Noble’s Rest.”
Hudreia held up her hand, the crumpled note combusted into flame, and the ash exploded outward.
The young man gasped and ran, not waiting for an answer.
~
Master Kroftman had sent someone ahead of Hudreia, to ready her mount, complete with her travel bag of clothes and other necessities, to give her a quick start. She had spent all night riding at breakneck speeds, the landscape disappearing behind her as the miles melted away. Barely an hour before dawn, she arrived at Noble’s Rest to find the human guards coming out to the walls and gates to replace the Nobles who had been stationed overnight.
They had all bristled at her approach but let her past when one of the lingering Noble guards recognized her. The human guards stepped aside, nearly tripping over one another, upon hearing her name. She hid a smile as she urged her horse through the village
gates, her dark red hair snapping in the wind, looking very much like a shadowed version of the magic flames she wielded.
Her skin prickled with the hum of the magic in the air long before she could see the blue glow along the wall. As she approached the gate that surrounded it, she saw the blue light that guarded it. The thought crossed her mind whether to risk riding through the gates, but Nikka came running towards her, answering her unspoken question as the girl passed through the blue light unaffected.
“Hudreia! I’m so glad you are here. Grandfather was ready to ride north tonight but was afraid to leave the Palace without his magic to hold up the shields.” Nikka stopped in front of her, catching her breath after blurting out her greeting.
“Why, child? Why would he need to leave?” Hudreia asked, concern causing her heart to flutter in her chest.
“He believes this attack was a distraction. To lure us away from being able to help Yosan and my father.”
Her heart stopped momentarily. “Where are Yosan and your father now?”
“I’m sorry, I forgot you wouldn’t know. They rode north to retrieve Yosan’s chamber. We left them in the Lothnau almost three days ago. They should be reaching the abandoned village anytime now.” Fear etched Nikka’s young face.
She tried not to let her concern show and scare the girl even more. “Well then, Mortul should stay here, and I will ride north to find them.”
Relief flickered in Nikka’s eyes. “I can ride with you.”
“No, you would not be able to keep up with me. But I do need you to care for your young mount, and your grandfathers’, in my absence.” Hudreia pulled her black dagger from her belt.
Nikka’s eyes widened as the blade was handed over to her. “What is this for?”
“Place the blade in your blood, let the dagger absorb it. Then lie the flat against the colt’s hide. You can feed them your essence in this way without harming them. This will help them to mature quickly. Hopefully, we can have them ready within a month.” Hudreia led her own magically enhanced mount toward the gate, and only felt a tingle as they walked through the light shield.