Lindon again was watching the faces of the men. He could see that his words were having the desired effect for most, but as in any group of Humans there were some that the only thing they would listen to was strength. So he wasn't surprised when a voice spoke up. “Why should we listen to this boy? We are here, we’re stronger than them, let's just take what we want.”
He could see that if left unchecked there would be more voices joining in. “I will make a deal with all of you here,” Lindon said, hoping that Donovan wouldn't object. “Get five of your best fighters, meet me at your training area in one hour, and if they can beat me, then I will get you all the weapons you will need. If I win then, we do it my way!”
He gave them a few minutes to talk among themselves before asking, “What say you? Do we have a deal?” He did not look at Donovan, not wanting to see his reaction, and he closed off his thoughts so he couldn't object privately.
Lindon knew he was taking a risk, but someone had to do something. The Human camp was in disarray and without some kind of leadership it wouldn't be long before there would be fighting between them, and the Human camp outnumbered both the Elves and Dwarfs almost two to one; it would not be pretty.
The men that had been the spokesmen for the group stepped forward. “Do you agree to this?” they asked Donovan.
Lindon held his breath, waiting for the Dwarf to answer. With a look up at Lindon, he had pledged himself and his people to this young man. Trusting in him was not hard—after all he had done for his people, if this is what he needed, he would do all he could to help. “Yes,” he said simply.
At Donovan's agreement, Lindon let out his breath. “Choose your men and meet me in one hour.” Lindon turned back and walked to his tent to wait for Donovan.
He didn't have to wait long. Donovan entered shortly after the boy. “Can you beat them?” he asked as soon as he let the tent flap close.
“I don't know, but if I hadn't made the deal with them there would have been bloodshed, and that is something we cannot allow or we will all fail,” Lindon said, partially pleading with the Dwarf, hoping he would understand.
“If you win, then what?” Donovan asked.
“That's having confidence,” Lindon said with a smile. “I don't know. They need leadership. Even with the healing I don't think Aodhan is going to be able to and if not him, I don't know who else could. I may be way off base here. I haven't even had a chance to talk with Arden or my grandmother but there isn't time now. I will have to go ahead and just hope that it is the right thing to do.”
“Fair enough; I am behind you, Lindon. I have pledged myself to you, not only when I agree with you but even when I don't. As long as every once in a while you will listen to some advice, I will stand with you.”
Lindon was touched by the Dwarf’s sincerity, and, feeling bad about doubting him, he clasped Donovan's shoulder. “My friend, I will stand with you the same as you stand with me; your opinion is one I will always value,” he said with a catch in his voice.
“Good, then, get ready. You have your work cut out for you, and I don't want to distract you from it.” Smiling, Donovan left Lindon to prepare for the coming fight.
Upon stepping onto the training area, Lindon was surprised to see many elves to the side. Lindon didn't think word would have reached them so fast. Looking to his opponents, he was not impressed with what he saw. If they were the best, it would take a lot more training than he had hoped for.
The weapons that they carried were not the best quality, and he could see now why they had been so eager to have the Dwarven weapons. “All in good time,” he said to himself. First they would have to be taught how to use them and how to work with each other and the other races.
Lindon did not like having to humiliate people, but he had to show them that they were woefully unprepared for what was to come. Having made up his mind to not hold back and quickly eliminate them, he stepped up to face them.
“Are these your champions?” he shouted to the crowd of men and woman watching.
Lindon watched the crowd to see if any disagreed; not seeing any, he continued. “And will you agree with the outcome? If they win, you will receive the weapons you need!” The response was immediate: A cheer went up from the onlookers.
He waited until the noise stopped, then said, “If I win, you will all agree to do it my way. You will be trained and taught how to be an army, not just a mob.” As he waited for his words to sink in, he scanned the crowd for dissent. “What say you?” he shouted.
The response was not as great as when he merely offered the weapons with no strings but from what he could tell there was agreement. “Then let us begin,”
He waited for the men to advance so he could spot their weaknesses. Seeing how they moved, Lindon was confident he would win, but not wanting to become overconfident and make a mistake, he waited for them to make the initial attack.
It was not so much that the men didn't know how to use their weapons—it was more that they didn't know how to work with each other to the best gain. They were more concerned with being the one to score a hit on Lindon. Instead of working together to set him up so another could strike a blow, they got in the way of one another more often than not.
Ducking one swing, Lindon struck to one of the men on the right, catching him in the rib section. He pulled his strike so it wouldn't go in to deep; he didn't want to kill these men, only beat them. The man he struck screamed out in pain and fell back out of the fight. Using the distraction, he swung twice more at the unprepared men. Hitting both times, two more of the men backed out of the fight, realizing that their minor wounds were a good excuse to escape this fight without losing face.
Now Lindon was left with just two opponents, the same two who had been the main instigators with the Dwarfs. Lindon wasted no time in disarming both men with a sword at both of their throats. “Do you yield?” he asked both men. Nodding their head in unison, Lindon lowered his weapons. Do you know why you lost here today?” he asked the men.
The one on the right answered. “Because you were the better swordsmen.”
“That’s part of it, I will not deny it—but that is not the main reason. You did not work together. Instead of attacking me as one, each of you attacked me alone. If you had then, it would have turned out very differently.
“Will you stand by your word to work with me to become an army, to fight together with the Elves and the Dwarfs? To stand up for what is right and fight against the tyranny of the enemy?” he asked, looking both men in the eye.
They did not look at each other but instead went to their knees, bowing their heads and looking up. Lindon was shocked to see the humans—all of them going down to their knees in acceptance of his command.
Lindon was truly touched. He had not expected this reaction to simply beating the men at a sword fight, but he could see that they had been searching for a leader; they just hadn't known it. They had chosen Lindon—not because he had won but more that he did so not for his personal glory but instead to help them, in spite of themselves.
This young man standing before them was not gloating over victory, but instead was receiving their allegiance with a duty to serve them, the same as they would serve him.
Cora had stood with Arden and watched as Lindon had taken command of the Human camp. No one had given it to him; he had simply seen the need, walked in, and fulfilled it. Their need for leadership had been great. With Aodhan being sick, Arden had tried to organize them, but they would not accept him as their leader. Yet, they had respected him and even listened to him somewhat but he could not lead them.
Even Aodhan would not have been able to achieve the level of acceptance that Lindon now commanded; with no more than a word, he was organizing the camp. The Dwarfs were supplying the wagons to clean the waste, but it was Lindon, his sleeves pulled up alongside the men and women, cleaning and straightening the camp.
Cora watched the pride and the self-confidence of the Human camp climb tenfold by Lindon's presenc
e working alongside them. He wasn’t just ordering them to do the work but was actually getting dirty with them. It showed the people that he was one of them. He would lead them, but he would do so beside them, and not from above them.
Aodhan chose that moment to come outside, brought out in his chair with wheels. He watched the work in progress by Lindon and the men that had been under his command with an unreadable expression on his face. Cora was going to ask him for his thoughts on it, but before she could, he said, “He is his father's son, but I don't think even Prince Cameron would have been able to command their loyalty so easily or as completely as young Lindon has.”
“Have you heard about what has been happening?” she asked the crippled man. She was amazed that just yesterday he was near death, but after Lindon's healing was now able to be outside sitting up in his chair.
“Yes, Annan has been keeping me current. He is a remarkable young man. One minute he his healing a poor old man, and the next he is flinching an army,” he said ruefully. Holding up his hand to forestall the objection she had been about to give, said, “Don't get me wrong, I am truly glad that he did. I could not have done what he has, even had I been whole. The people need a true leader, not merely an old general. It's just amazes me at the speed and ease he was able to take command of them. If I didn't already believe what you have said about the prophecy, his actions here would have convinced me.”
The work getting the Human camp in to shape was hard but satisfying. Lindon was quite surprised when it was Nara that somehow had taken over. As with the Dwarfs, at first the Humans didn't trust her, but the more she was around, the more they approached her with questions instead of Lindon. It’s not that she was taking over for Lindon, but she seemed to know what it was that needed done. Lindon, on the other hand, really didn't have a clue on how things should get done, only that they should be a certain way. Thankfully, that was Nara’s job.
Lindon simply rolled up his sleeves and followed her directions, and the people seeing that their leader was not too proud to do as she asked were more than happy to do the same. Before long the camp was clean and the rows of tents were no longer scattered but were in neat rows. One thing that Lindon did insist on being built were latrines spaced evenly throughout the camp. Deep holes were dug to take care of the waste, and if they started to get full they could be filled in and moved to a new spot.
After seeing that the basics were being taken care of, Lindon decided it was time to go and speak with Donovan and Aina about having them craft some practice weapons. He wanted decent quality ones and not just pieces of wood. Hopefully they would know how best to proceed, because as much as Lindon knew what needed to be done, he was smart enough to know he didn't have a clue on the how—the same as Nara taking over the task of organizing the camp. He would ask his friends on what to do next.
Finding Donovan was easy. The Dwarf was busy delivering supplies to the training area. Lindon was amazed at the work that the Dwarfs had already done. It was no longer a rough-looking area. It now had a dozen training dummies built at regular intervals and there were racks where weapons could be stored. His friend never ceased to amaze him with his generosity, not only had the Dwarven people supplied the materials but had come together to work with the Humans who had only this morning tried to take what belonged to the Dwarfs.
Seeing that Donovan had anticipated his needs, he went instead to find Aina to ask her for her help. Lindon didn't like to bother the Elf but he didn't want the momentum of the Humans to be lost. When he entered the Elven camp, he was struck by how much activity there was. He saw Aina talking with a group of Elves and made his way over to her.
When Lindon approached, Aina turned to him. “We should have enough practice weapons made for tomorrow morning,” she said before he could even say hello.
Lindon was momentarily stunned. How had she known that was what he had come to ask? “I don't know what to say. I came to ask for that very thing and yet both you and Donovan knew before I even asked,” he said, grateful for his friends’ help.
“It's very simple, Lindon; we have both pledged ourselves to you and as such will do all we can to aid you. My people were impressed with what you have accomplished today, and it usually takes a lot to impress an Elf, especially if you're not one. They had been worried that they would have to somehow face the mistake alone and had lost all hope of finding allies among the Humans; because of the bad relations they didn't hope for the Dwarven people helping either. Now that you have come, not only have you brought the Dwarfs but the Humans are being organized and will form the core of an army that will be the only hope of defeating the Merrow.”
Lindon walked away after thanking Aina and the Elves that had been with her. Lost in thought, he almost bumped in to Arden, who had been waiting for Lindon. “Oh, sorry; I didn't see you there,” he apologized.
“No worries, Lindon, you have a lot on your mind,” replied Arden.
“How is Aodhan?”
“He's almost back to his old self. He even went outside today,” Arden said with a sideways look at Lindon.
Lindon stopped in his tracks. That was something he hadn't considered. What if Aodhan didn't approve of what he had done? He didn't want to go against him. It was just that he saw the need in the men and had done what he thought was best. “I see. Did he say anything about what was happening?” Lindon asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.
“As a matter of fact, he did.” Arden paused to give Lindon time to think about it and maybe worry a little. It was not that he wanted Lindon to squirm. It was just to judge his character a little. The time he had spent away from Cora and himself had changed Lindon, and he wanted to measure by how much.
“I hope he will approve of what I have had to do. They were truly in need of direction. I am not blaming anyone; it couldn't have been easy when he was sick, but I will not apologize for what I have done. It needed doing, so I did it. I just hope he isn't too upset about it.”
Chuckling, Arden slapped Lindon on the back. That was the answer he had hoped from the boy. Boy...Looking at him now, he could not really call him a boy—he was a man now. “No worries, Lindon; on the contrary he was beside himself with joy at what you had done. He knew that with being sick and not able to take charge, that someone had to. He was impressed with all that you have accomplished in such a short time.”
“I am glad to hear that, but there is something I have to talk with you and my grandmother about. I had hoped to do it this morning but with all that has happened I haven't had a chance to.”
“What is it?” Arden asked, seeing the serious look in Lindon's eyes.
“It's about Aodhan's sickness. He was poisoned.”
Now it was Arden's turn to stop in his tracks. “Poisoned? Are you sure?” Arden whispered to Lindon.
“Yes, I am positive. When I was healing him I could feel the poison working in him. It damaged him internally. I did what I could for him. I neutralized the poison and repaired what I could. He is no longer in danger of dying anytime soon but it did shorten his life, and with him being as old as he is, that's a bad thing. I don't know by how much, all I can say is that it has. I am still kind of new at this healing thing,” he said the last a little sheepishly.
“Could you tell how long the poison had been there?”
“Not really, but if I had to guess I would say it has been slowly eating away at him possibly for months,” Lindon answered.
Arden didn't say anything right away, thinking about what Lindon had told him. If he was poisoned months ago, it was possible that it was Lairgnen that had been responsible—but Lindon wasn't sure. If it were done after the man had been killed…they have an assassin in their midst.
“For now, do not say anything to anyone. I will tell Cora about it and see what she thinks. I do, however, suggest that you go and get some sleep; you've had a long day and I don't expect tomorrow to be any better.”
“I couldn't agree with you more. I almost feel like we were back in the cave
and you were chasing me around beating me with a stick,” Lindon said, smiling at his former teacher.
Arden let out a loud laugh. “I don't think I would want to try that now I have seen how good you have gotten with your blades,” he said, still laughing. “Go get some sleep and we will talk again in the morning.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Lindon said, “No argument here. Sleep well, Arden; it is truly good to see you again.” He turned to go into his tent.
Watching Lindon as he left, Arden whispered to himself, “Sleep well, my prince.” Turning away, he made his way to Cora's tent to tell her of Lindon's revelation.
Chapter 23
Lindon woke to the sounds of battle. Thinking that the men from yesterday morning were attacking the Dwarfs, he jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, and buckled on his sword belt. Upon opening the tent flap, he was stunned by what he saw. The humans weren’t attacking—they were working with the Dwarfs to be outfitted with wooden practice swords. The Elves were there too with long lines of Humans waiting to shoot an arrow at a target. If they hit, it they were sent with an Elf for further instruction.
Everything was going smoothly. Once they were given the practice swords they were being organized into groups of about fifty and were being instructed by the men that had been with Aodhan under Kornas.
The Dwarfs were also running around the Humans in the lines measuring them, then writing it down. Lindon was amazed that in just one day not only were they getting along but were working together.
When Lindon approached, one of the men that had been the biggest threat yesterday morning was now coordinating the throngs of people. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits among the apparent turmoil. The man waved Lindon over. “I want to apologize for my actions yesterday; I was wrong for wanting to take what wasn't mine,” he said as he went to one knee. “I hope you can forgive me.”
Shaping Magic (Mistakes Return) Page 21