Chaos Raging (The Five Kingdoms Book 11)

by Toby Neighbors

“No,” Danella sobbed.

  Mansel pulled her close with one arm. She grabbed onto him, shaking as she sobbed. She clawed and punched him in her fury, angry at her loss, and raging against him in her grief simply because he was there. Mansel understood her pain. Tears ran down his face as he thought of Nycol, her body ripped open by the evil creatures in the Great Valley. They cried, Danella sometimes wailing as loud as she could, but Mansel kept the wagon moving. They didn’t slow until Tragoon Bay with its low buildings and bustling harbor were out of sight. Then Mansel let the horses slow to a walk.

  Danella was leaning against him. Mansel could feel the wet fabric of his shirt on his chest from her tears, but he didn’t mind. They drove the wagon and wept until the sun fell. Mansel had left the road shortly after getting out of Tragoon. He let the horses pull the wagon across fields and around clumps of trees. They even crossed a shallow stream at one point, and as the sun went down they finally stopped near a grove of tall oak trees.

  “We’ll rest here,” he told Danella, who was still clinging to him.

  He wasn’t sure she was even awake, but she let go of him and crawled into the back of the wagon. Mansel unhitched the horses and rubbed them down with clumps of dried grass. It was the best he could do for the animals under the circumstances. The hearty beasts had carried them to safety. He was thankful for that, and gave them each a large helping of the oats the fat livery owner had put in the back of their wagon.

  After tying the horses to the wagon’s wheels with enough slack in their leads that the animals could graze, he climbed into the back of the wagon. Danella was asleep on the pile of blankets Mansel had purchased at the market in Tragoon.

  “Wake up,” Mansel said gently.

  Danella’s puffy eyes fluttered open in the darkness. Mansel couldn’t see very well, but he heard the young girl crying beside him.

  “Here,” he said, lifting a bottle up in front of her until she could find it with her hands. “It doesn’t taste good,” he warned, “but it will help you tonight.”

  She sipped the strong spirit, and coughed as it burned its way down her throat.

  “Now eat,” he ordered her.

  She was docile, and did whatever he said. He had bread in a sack, along with other food, but they didn’t try to make a meal. They ate some bread, drank the strong liquor, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  When the sun came up Mansel’s head ached, but it was the pain in his leg that worried him. In the pale light of dawn, cold, stiff, and a little nauseous, he pulled his wool pants down and inspected the wound. It was red and inflamed. He poured some of the liquor onto the wound, stifling the curses he wanted to scream from the pain.

  “What’s wrong?” Danella asked, poking her head out of the wagon.

  “Nothing to worry about,” Mansel said, pulling his pants back up.

  “You’re hurt,” she said, the surprise evident in her voice.

  “It’s just a scratch.”

  “We need to see to it,” she said.

  “I just did. Don’t worry. We need to keep moving.”

  “Where will we go?” she asked.

  “Back to Orrock I suppose. You have family there, and with Branock gone we don’t have to worry about him.”

  “What if he comes back?”

  “If he does, we’ll leave. But hopefully Zollin and your sister will be there by that point. Not that I can understand why he left the capital in the first place.”

  “He came to get the books that Roleena collected for him,” Danella said. “They’re books on magic. He needs them to defeat Zollin.”

  “How do you know that?” Mansel asked.

  “Roleena told me. She enjoyed taunting me when we were alone in her cabin. She hates Zollin and would do anything to see him brought low.”

  “Then we have to get back. We have to warn Zollin. We can’t let Branock win, but lucky for us the old wizard is sailing south with Roleena. His servant told us as much when we came ashore.”

  “He might come back for me,” Danella said, her voice hardly more than a whisper. “If he does, I'll kill him.”

  “I know it is hard,” Mansel said gently. “I lost my wife. Did you know that?”

  Danella shook her head.

  “I wanted to die. She was killed by a pack of animals that attacked our village. While I was defending the town. She was run out of our home, chased down, and killed. They didn’t even eat her. They ripped her to pieces and left her to rot.”

  Tears were once again rolling down Mansel’s cheeks. His head was pounding and his leg was throbbing.

  “I killed the beasts, even the pups. But it brought me no satisfaction. I swore that I would do anything to help my friends. It was the only purpose I had left in my life. But I couldn’t help Quinn.”

  “He’s Branock’s man now,” Danella said. “There's something about him that frightens me.”

  “I’ve failed everyone I know, but if I can warn Zollin and Brianna, perhaps my life won’t be a total waste.”

  “You didn’t fail me,” Danella said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

  “I failed Vyctor. He’s dead because of me. I should have acted sooner. I should have fought the pirates and taken you away on the Sea Arrow.”

  “You couldn’t have sailed the ship on your own, Mansel,” Danella said in a sad voice. “Vyctor died to protect me. It had nothing to do with you.”

  “It doesn’t feel that way.”

  “But I know it, and that’s all that matters.”

  She clung to him and they both wept until they had no more tears. The horses looked up, watching them curiously, and then returned to their grazing. When they were on the verge of exhaustion Mansel hitched the horses and climbed wearily into the driver’s seat of the wagon. His sword was still standing beside him, the point driven into the wood. Danella moved up beside him and lay her head on his shoulder. Mansel flipped the reins and clicked his tongue to get the horses moving, and they set off toward Orrock.

  “What will you do when we reach Orrock?” Danella asked.

  “Gather what news I can. It’s possible someone has heard word of Zollin.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then I’m going to find him, to warn him about Branock.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “I can’t go back to the castle and I won’t go back home. I won’t live with my mother ever again.”

  “You sound like your sister.”

  “It’s the one thing we agree on,” Danella said. “My mother practically forced me into King Hausey’s bed. If he hadn’t been such a gentleman, I…”

  She let the thought trail off and Mansel didn’t push her. Her breathing was ragged as she remembered her time in the castle, which the young warrior could only guess meant memories of Vyctor.

  “So I’m going with you,” she finally said.

  “I don’t even know where I’ll be going.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It will probably be dangerous.”

  “Then I’ll learn to fight. I have nothing to lose, Mansel.”

  “Alright,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and Zollin will find us.”

  The truth was, he was glad to have Danella with him. He hated that she had lost the man she loved, but despite the selfishness of his feelings, he was glad to have someone who could relate to his own suffering. She was a balm on the open wound of his own ragged heart, and he was pleased that she wanted to stay with him. But he worried a little too.

  “You should know that most people who get close to me die,” he said.

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “I would be dead if not for Zollin. He’s healed me from grievous wounds more than once.”

  “I’m not afraid of dying, Mansel. I’m afraid of living.”

  They rode in silence for a long time after that. Both of them reflecting on the truth of Danella’s statement. Both comforted by the clos
eness of a kindred spirit.

  Chapter 28

  Brianna found Zollin after the battle. He came awake long enough to stagger into a room with a blanket on the floor. Brianna had a fire blazing in the hearth in less time than it took Zollin to get comfortable on the pallet. He fell asleep as the warmth washed over him.

  The sun was up when Zollin woke next. Brianna stood by the window, looking out at the wintry landscape. Zollin got to his feet and stretched before joining her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck before looking outside. The hills were covered with snow and nothing moved. For a moment the world seemed peaceful and safe, but just as quickly, Zollin saw the face of the gargoyle that had attacked him. He saw the pointed teeth dripping with slime, saw the rage in the tiny eyes and the malice on the creature’s hideous face. He couldn’t’t help but shiver as he remembered those same teeth snapping down on his arm.

  “You’re cold,” Brianna said when she felt him shudder.

  “Not as long as you’re around,” he said.

  “What happened to you,” she said as she turned.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I found you slumped against the wall, unconscious,” Brianna said. “You’re covered with bruises, your clothes are in tatters and soaked in blood.”

  “I was wounded in the fight,” Zollin said. “But I healed it. I’m fine now.”

  Brianna looked deep into his eyes.

  “If this is going to work we have to be honest with each other. I know that now. I wasn’t honest with you and it caused me to do things I’ll always regret.”

  “I’m being honest,” Zollin said.

  He told her the story of how he was attacked as they made their way down to the lower levels of the Keep. There were soldiers moving everywhere, some carrying supplies, others with weapons moving to posts throughout the fortress. They could smell fresh baked bread and when they reached the ground floor they were given warm loaves, along with ale and apples.

  The countess was in charge of the Keep. She had the soldiers on rotating watches and was making sure everyone was fed. When she saw Zollin and Brianna, she immediately approached them.

  “Have you heard anything about my husband?” she asked. For just an instant a look of worry and uncertainty filled her eyes.

  “No," Brianna said.

  The look passed and the countess’ face hardened. “There are wounded that need your attention.”

  “Of course,” Zollin said. “In the Grand Hall?”

  “Yes,” the countess said. “I have the foot soldiers housed in the Keep and on duty. The cavalry are camped in the fields beyond the town. Our people are seeing to them as best we can.”

  “Good,” Zollin said. “I want them here until the duke returns.”

  “And you?” she asked.

  “Brianna and I are going to Orrock,” Zollin said. “We will return once the people responsible for plunging us into war are held accountable.”

  “Is it true that you killed King Hausey?” the countess asked.

  “No,” Zollin said. “You can’t possibly believe that I would do that.”

  “I don’t know what to believe. I never would have believed that my husband would be absent when Ebbson Keep was attacked, yet he was.”

  “Your work here saved the fortress,” Brianna said kindly.

  “I know that isn’t true,” the countess said. “But if you’re leaving these troops, I will see to it that they are put to good use. Good luck on your journey.”

  “Thank you,” Zollin said.

  They watched the countess hurry away and then turned toward the Grand Hall. They could smell the wounded and dead before they reached the hall. Brianna looked pale, but Zollin went quickly to work. There were dozens of wounded, but few had been able to survive the night after the battle with the gargoyles. The wretched creatures inflicted horrible wounds that few could survive. Zollin did all he could, healing those that he was able to help, but by the time he finished there were more dead lined along the walls than he had healed.

  He was distraught at the sight of their casualties, but the dead were not what bothered him the most. He had gone through the entire hall, and afterward had doubled back through, but there had been no sign of his father.

  “What’s wrong?” Brianna asked.

  She had gathered supplies for their trip back to Orrock while Zollin healed the wounded. When she returned she found him near the doorway, looking around as if he’d lost something.

  “Quinn’s gone,” Zollin said. “No one has seen him since the battle.”

  “Gone? You mean someone moved him?”

  “Not that I can find. The healers working here yesterday said they worked through the night. None of them moved him, and none remember seeing him moved.”

  “He can’t just have disappeared.”

  “I don’t know what has happened,” Zollin said sadly. “I can’t imagine he could have moved on his own, not the way his mind was damaged. I thought I had broken Branock’s control over him when we removed the black disk, but I can’t say for sure.”

  “Where is the disk?” Brianna asked.

  “I ordered it thrown in the fire,” Zollin said. “I’m not sure what it was and I don’t think it was safe to keep around.”

  Brianna went to the fireplace and leaned in over the flames. No normal person could have survived poking their head into a fireplace that was filled with burning wood, but Brianna was unfazed. Her shirt was singed slightly and smoking when she stood up.

  “It’s not there,” she said. “But it could have been burned anywhere or consumed by the fire.”

  “Then where would my father be?” Zollin asked.

  “I don’t know, should we look for him?”

  “There’s no time. This weather won’t hold those gargoyles back for long. We need to get moving.”

  “You can’t just leave him,” Brianna said.

  “He’s not Quinn anymore,” Zollin said. Tears stung his eyes and a lump formed in his throat but he knew he couldn’t give in to the grief that was threatening to overcome his composure. “The man we knew is dead. We’ll have to find a way to live with that. For now, we have to press on.”

  Brianna took Zollin’s hand and they walked out of the Keep together. The town that was built on the western side of the fortress had seemed deserted when Zollin and Brianna first arrived at Ebbson Keep. But that had changed with the return of the army. The townsfolk who had been huddled in their homes were busy seeing to the needs of the soldiers. Zollin led the way to the far side of the community, to the open fields where the cavalry had their horses picketed and where the snow-covered ground was dotted with tents and cook fires.

  They found the ranking officer, a commander named Devlyn. The man was uncertain what to do and was planning to return to Orrock for new orders, since Quinn was no longer around to lead the army. Zollin’s father had been the sole recipient of King Branock’s orders, with nothing written to give the commanders instructions on what to do next. Zollin convinced the man to stay. Ferno was circling overhead and it didn’t take much to convince the commander that Zollin could get to Orrock faster than the swiftest horses.

  Zollin and Brianna had to walk out past the camp so that Ferno didn’t terrify the horses. Then they climbed up on the dragon’s wide back and set off for Orrock. They flew all day, and Ferno seemed unfazed with the weight of Zollin and Brianna on its back. That night Sorva returned. The black dragon had found Duke Ebbson and his troops near Peddingar Forest, far to the north. The massive forest ran east and west all along the southern range of the Northern Highlands. They were camped just outside of Felson and early the next morning Zollin sent a messenger to find the duke with news of the attack. Then the young wizard, his wife, and the two dragons set off for Orrock.

  It was just after sunset when they saw the capital of Orrock in the distance. The dragon circled the city, roaring loudly as if to announce their arrival. Below them they could see the people of Orrock pointi
ng at the dragons. Many were rushing to the castle. Zollin knew he would have to fight Branock and that the wizard would hide behind the innocent if he thought it would give him an advantage, but the young wizard wanted as many people as possible to see Branock brought low. Not because Zollin wanted to humiliate the elder wizard, but because he wanted the people of Orrock to see Branock for what he really was. A coward, a usurper, and most of all, a very wicked man.

  They moved on to the castle and Ferno swooped down toward the rooftop where Zollin and Branock had battled and Zollin had almost been killed by his own father. He felt a strange sense of destiny as he slid from the dragon’s back, and he waved the huge green beast on, letting the dragon take to the air. Zollin fully expected to have to fight Branock as Ferno left him on the castle roof, but he was met almost immediately by servants, not soldiers. Brianna jumped from Sorva’s back and flipped through the air before landing gracefully beside Zollin, who was questioning the chief steward.

  “Branock is gone,” the steward said. “He fled yesterday.”

  “Fled?” Zollin said.

  “That’s right,” the steward said. “He took everything he and his sniveling servant Loman could steal.”

  Zollin remembered the chief steward. He looked older, but he was the same man who had served King Felix. He also remembered Loman, an eager young steward who had been assigned to help Zollin when he’d visited the castle, before being sent to Baskla. It made sense that Branock had recruited people to help him in his coup. He would have needed servants and soldiers to make sure that no one suspected the conniving wizard of orchestrating the death of King Hausey.

  “Where did they go?” Brianna asked.

  “They took a ship downriver,” the steward said.

  “Why?” Zollin asked. “That makes no sense.”

  “I’ll tell you why,” came a voice from behind the growing crowd of people from the castle. The servants parted and Mansel made his way through the crowd.

  “Mansel!” Brianna shouted, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the warrior’s neck. He held her for a brief moment, his face pinched with grief. Zollin could tell that seeing Brianna was bringing back bittersweet memories for his friend.