“The scheduled troops are gathering at the front lines as we speak. We’ll use them as a distraction,” Jerrick said looking at Abriel, trying to discern whether Abe would go along with his plan or not. He knew Samson would. Sam was always ready for whatever Jerrick threw his way.
Samson nodded at Jerrick, grabbed Abriel’s arm, and turned to leave. Abriel stopped him and turned back to Jerrick. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“I need you by my side, ready to take out anyone who stands in my way.” Jerrick gave Abriel a look that said much more than his words.
Understanding dawned on his face and Abriel stepped back. “That’s why you sent us to spy on Thornhold. You’re going after Prince Desmond and King Estrod.”
Jerrick didn’t say anything, just turned around, grabbed his sword, and stuck it in his belt.
“No,” Abriel stated firmly. “You can’t do this. King Rinald forbade you. It’s wrong, Jerrick.”
“No.” Jerrick took a menacing step toward him, and Samson stepped away from Abriel. “This is right. King Rinald is wrong.”
“I won’t let you do this,” Abriel said, stepping back, eyes wide.
“Yes, you will,” Jerrick said. He picked Abriel up with his power and threw him into the table at the far corner of the tent, knocking him out cold.
Jerrick looked at Samson. “Go find me an eager fire mage.”
Samson left the tent without a word and returned shortly with a wide-eyed magik obviously excited to be involved. Both were geared and ready to go.
Jerrick slapped the mage on the shoulder when he entered. “Thank you for joining us. All you need to do is follow my lead and take out anyone, and I mean anyone, who stands in my way. Understood?”
“Yes, General,” the fire magik said eagerly.
All three stepped out of the tent, and Jerrick turned to one of his troop members to leave him in charge.
“Where’s Abriel, Jerrick?” Jerrick turned slowly and found Abigail standing behind him.
“Excuse me?” he took a step toward her.
Abigail ground her teeth together. “Did I stutter?”
She began to struggle as her air was taken, suffocating her. Surprised, her eyes widened at Jerrick.
Jerrick leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “You magiks who know how to use air, should study it a little bit more.” It always amazed Jerrick that everyone called the air element wind, for he found that if one wielded this particular element, that person should be able to manipulate all air.
Abigail gasped after he released her. Jerrick studied her without a word, turned around, gestured for Samson and the fire mage to follow, and left their camp.
. . .
After watching the three men leave, Abigail ran into Jerrick’s tent and found Abriel lying on the ground. Running to him, she took his head in her lap and patted his cheek. “Abriel. Abriel.” She felt his chest rise and fall and kept trying to wake him.
“Abigail,” Abriel groaned in pain. “We have to stop him.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“He’s going to take out their entire army to get to the King and the Prince.” He shook his head. “It’s the only way he can get to them. He has to be stopped.”
“Jerrick?” she asked. “Do you really think he’s powerful enough to do that?”
He nodded. “I know he is. We have to stop him.”
“We can’t, Abe.”
“I know. You go to the King. I’ll get Briahnna. She’s the only one who can stop him.”
“Can you even walk?” she asked, watching him stumble around the tent.
“I’m fine. Find the King,” he said as he left.
. . .
Jerrick and Samson snuck to the side of the Thornhold Octagon, reaching the farthest gap in the wall from the Mageian frontline and waited for the battle to begin. As soon as they heard the clashing of fighting, they stood and strode confidently forward, power radiating with every step.
. . .
Briahnna gasped when Abriel entered the tent and fell to his knees, head bleeding.
“Briahnna,” he managed, “Jerrick is...”
“Is he okay? Is he hurt?” She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. “Tell me Abriel. Where’s Jerrick?”
“He’s going after Thornhold’s prince,” he paused in pain, “and king,” he croaked.
She shook her head. “I– wha– I don’t understand.”
“He’s going to kill…them.”
Healer Kyar ran over to Abriel and began administering to his head-wound. “Briahnna…Briahnna, I need your help with this.”
In shock, Briahnna stood, and turned to the tent opening. She turned back around and looked down at Abriel. “Did he do that to you?”
Abriel looked away from her without a word.
She nodded and she walked out of the tent, Healer Kyar calling after her.
Briahnna saw a horse grazing, mounted it, and rode out of camp. Riding as fast as she could, she saw the battle raging ahead and looked around for Jerrick. Briahnna spotted Abigail speaking frantically to the king. King Rinald’s eyes widened in panic and he turned and directed Darian and Daniel to follow him.
A bright light grew in the distance followed by a loud explosion, and the entire battle stopped as the combatants looked at the phenomenon in shock.
Briahnna dismounted and, using the wind, she charged toward the source. Running to the sidewalls of Thornhold, Briahnna saw debris and bodies everywhere. Where a wall should have been, there was a large, gaping hole. She heard shouts and chaos beyond it. Then she heard her father’s yell behind her.
“Jerrick, stop!” the king yelled, trying to get his attention. But whether Jerrick heard him or not, he did not stop.
As Jerrick’s hands rose, hundreds of Thornhold soldiers were lifted into the air.
Briahnna’s jaw dropped at the sight, and she began screaming his name.
Jerrick parted his hands with a jerk, and Briahnna watched all of the soldiers hurtling out of the way. They were so high that Briahnna knew they would not survive the fall. Raising her hands, and with all her might, she caught the soldiers seconds from impact, dropping them a few feet from the ground. It was so fast, and she had done it without thought. Realizing what she had just done, she stood dazed, staring at the soldiers as they confusedly stood up and dusted themselves off.
Jerrick strode forward, determination in every step as Samson and another soldier fought oncoming soldiers around them. Whether or not he saw her or knew what had happened, he didn’t show it, or slow down, and Briahnna began running once again toward him. He kept throwing soldiers clear of his path, and she kept catching them, her energy slowly sapping away.
A Thornhold soldier emerged from the others, commanding them to move aside. Briahnna watched a smile creep onto Jerrick’s face.
“Prince Desmond! So nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” Jerrick sneered.
Briahnna heard another voice in the distance and turned to see an older man running at them. “Desmond! No!” the man screamed, as Desmond faced down his opponent.
Jerrick turned his head slowly and looking at the man with an amused smile, threw his hand up, and the man was violently thrown back.
Desmond surged forward and Jerrick began throwing fire at him. Briahnna had never seen anyone as fast and agile as Desmond. He dodged, jumped, and rolled to avoid the elements, the earth shaking, wind blowing, and fire burning. She could tell that Jerrick was getting frustrated, and he charged Desmond with his sword.
Desmond swiftly grabbed an arrow from the quiver on his back and shot it at Jerrick. Briahnna gasped knowing that it would hit its target, but Jerrick blocked it easily with his sword. Then Desmond unsheathed his own sword and stood at the ready, waiting for Jerrick to reach him. Within seconds their swords were clashing and blocking as the two fought.
Amazed, Briahnna watched, unsure what to do. She turned when she heard her father yelling for J
errick to fall back. She looked around and realized that she stood in the middle of a raging battle. There were men fighting, swords clashing, and soldier after soldier trying to reach their prince to protect him, not being able to get anywhere near.
Briahnna felt around for Jerrick’s magic. He and Prince Desmond fought within a shield that Jerrick produced to keep everyone at bay. She was astounded at his power and everything he knew, but she could tell that his energy was seeping from him. He was getting frustrated as the prince gained ground, outmaneuvering him. Then Jerrick fell to the ground with the prince’s sword-point at his throat.
Briahnna ran forward but stopped as the ground began to shake, throwing everyone off balance.
The prince paused, looked around, and glared at Jerrick, about to plunge his sword deep into Jerrick’s throat.
Briahnna let out a sob, closed her eyes, and dropped to her knees, knowing that his fate was sealed. When she heard her father shouting and cursing she opened her eyes and saw chaos raining in torrents. Everyone was trying to get to the prince. Briahnna looked up and saw him struggling high in the air. A root had sprung from the ground, taken hold of him by the throat, and lifted him fifty feet into the air.
Darian threw fire at Jerrick but couldn’t get passed the invisible shield. King Rinald tried forcing all of his elements at it trying to break it. Soldiers ran at it with their swords.
Briahnna knew what she had to do and began concentrating on her own energy. Breathing deep, she yelled, “Father, get down!” King Rinald looked at her and ran, tackling Darian to the ground, then yelled for everyone to get down.
Briahnna concentrated everything she had on Jerrick’s shield and then released all of her energy.
Like a kick in the gut, Jerrick was thrown back, looking around wildly. Briahnna sighed in relief when his wide eyes met hers. His energy was so wasted he fainted from pure exhaustion. She cringed from the loud crunch of Prince Desmond hitting the ground, her energy so sapped she could not stop his fall. As she collapsed, she closed her eyes and hoped he survived.
Chapter 21
King Rinald was furious. Sitting down in his tent, he put his head in his hands and then looked up at his son. “What do you think, Darian?”
“I don’t know if there is a way to punish him, Father,” Darian answered. “He is powerful, and I am afraid that he has friends in high places that might do anything for him. Even if they didn’t, what would we do, stick him in the dungeons? Place him under arrest? Keep him quarantined with a guard?” he shook his head. “He could defeat any guard, and he could escape arrest. I don’t know if he will, but can we risk it? Will he escape and take Briahnna with him? Will he use his power against us? Now that we know how powerful he is, can we risk his wrath?”
Rinald exhaled. “All questions that I have asked myself… but Darian, we can not let this go unanswered. If we do, he will see our fear, and he will know that he has us cornered. I have raised him as a father would a son. Will he turn his back on me so fast?”
He stood and began to pace. “Do I take Briahnna from him? Tell him the wedding is off? Banish him from our kingdom so he can find another kingdom eager to bend to his will? Do I make an enemy of him?” The King closed his eyes. “Briahnna loves him. Will she be angry if I call off the wedding and punish him? How, do I punish him? He blatantly disobeyed me, Darian!” he yelled in frustration.
The king hesitated, “Is he becoming my enemy?”
. . .
Briahnna awoke inside the brightly lit infirmary tent. It must have been late-morning. The sun was high in the sky. She gasped remembering why she was there. Looking around, her eyes stopped and widened when she saw Jerrick’s piercing blue eyes glaring at her. His bed was right next to hers.
“Jerrick…” she began, unsure of what to say.
Jerrick shook his head abruptly. “Stop,” he commanded her, and she closed her mouth, hurt that he was blaming her for his stupidity. Briahnna began to turn away from him, but stopped when he grabbed her arm. She tried to yank it from his grip, but his hold was firm and unyielding. Alarmed, she kept trying to free her arm because she felt her energy draining. She looked from her arm, to his hand, to his face, where a smirk lingered.
Before she fell asleep from exhaustion once more, Jerrick leaned in and whispered into her ear, “At least you’re good for something.”
Briahnna’s jaw dropped, and he turned and walked out of the tent as she drifted back to sleep.
. . .
“Jerrick.”
Jerrick turned and glared at Reed as he exited the infirmary.
“Are you going to treat me as your enemy as well, Jerrick?” Reed asked, shaking his head.
Grinding his teeth together, Jerrick answered, “Are you going to act like my enemy, Reed?”
Sighing, Reed gestured for him to walk in front. “I am to escort you immediately to the king.”
Jerrick shrugged and walked straight to the king’s tent with Reed in tow. He didn’t announce himself, just walked through the flap.
“Jerrick.” King Rinald stood as Jerrick entered, unsurprised at the look of defiance on Jerrick’s face.
“Your Majesty.” Jerrick bowed slightly, not breaking eye contact. “You wished to see me?”
Rinald snorted. “You think?” He shook his head. “What now, Jerrick? Do we pretend this never happened?”
“That would be ideal.”
King Rinald watched him for a second. “For you maybe.”
“Well then, I suggest you get to the point,” Jerrick said.
“I am not your enemy, Jerrick!” the king roared. “I have treated you as I would a second son! Yet I see disdain in your eyes!”
Jerrick’s eyes softened at Rinald’s words. “Yes. However, you are not my father.”
“It doesn’t matter. You are a part of my family! You may not be blood, but we are your family!”
Watching a variety of emotions pass over Jerrick’s face, Rinald exhaled and sat down. “I’m tempted to call off your betrothal to Briahnna.”
Jerrick’s head jerked up, and he strode forward, placing both hands on the desk in front of King Rinald. “That has nothing to do with this!”
Eyebrows raised, Rinald looked from Jerrick’s hands to his face. “Sit!”
Jerrick closed his eyes, took a step back, and sat down.
“I’m not going to call it off, Jerrick,” Rinald said, and Jerrick exhaled in relief. “That is completely up to Briahnna.”
Jerrick’s eyes widened as he remembered what he had just done and said to her. What had he been thinking? He always acted before thinking when it came to her. He had a difficult time hiding his emotions around her. If he had a weakness, it would be her. He wanted her to feel the hurt that he felt…the betrayal.
“I’m sending you home.” Rinald looked at Jerrick’s surprised face. “Don’t look so surprised, Jerrick,” Rinald said, scrutinizing him. “I’m not stupid. You could escape the dungeons; any sort of imprisonment really. Call this an act of faith. You will return home. But be warned, I will have you watched. You will not come back until I bring home the other Elders for a council regarding what is to be done. I’m guessing that many will want you to return as general. But for now, you will not be involved, you will not have a say, and you’re position as general is being revoked. The same punishment will be given to Samson. He has already been informed and is packing his things to leave. Go pack. You will be leaving as soon as possible.”
Jerrick nodded and stood.
King Rinald stopped him before he left the tent. “Jerrick, make sure you see Briahnna before you leave. She deserves that at least. We will not be returning to Estreed for a couple of months. King Estrod is angry and is threatening major retaliation. I believe we have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said, looking burdened.
. . .
Standing outside the infirmary tent, Jerrick wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to wake her up. She would be beyond angry, and he
was desperately afraid of her calling everything off. He didn’t want to leave without seeing her, however, so he took a deep breath and pushed through the tent flap.
Jerrick slowly walked to her bedside and sat down on the edge next to her. He watched her for a few minutes… so peaceful… so serene. What would he say? How could he convince her to forgive him?
Reaching out his hand, he placed it on her cheek and pushed his magic into her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him. He watched her emotions dance in her eyes, confusion, love, anger…and there it was…betrayal. If he wanted her to feel what he felt, he had succeeded. He closed his eyes and removed his hand in resignation.
“How long was I unconscious?” she asked unemotionally.
He looked into her eyes. “You and I were out for two days, and I’ve only been awake for an hour.”
Briahnna raised her eyebrows, staring at him defiantly. “You woke me up?”
“Yes.”
She glared at him. “I guess it’s the least you could do.”
“I was angry,” he said, still deflated.
Briahnna snorted in disgust. “You were angry. Jerrick, I am angry! Should I do something cruel to you now?”
He glared at her. “You could have killed me! Did that cross your mind?”
She looked away, a tear escaping her eye as she tried to hold back a sob.
“You weren’t sure were you? You knew it could kill me, yet you still went through with it.” Jerrick shook his head and stood up, hurt etched on his face.
Briahnna laid her head back and closed her eyes. “I didn’t want to! How do you think it felt, to know that I might be killing the man I love? You gave me no choice!”
“Briahnna, you always have a choice,” he said.
She looked at him. “So do you.”
He looked away, eyes searching the infirmary, turned, and walked out of the tent.
Chapter 22
Spirit (Legend of the Dragons Book 1) Page 13