Unfortunately, the archers were beginning to run low on arrows, and the number of his foot soldiers was being reduced every night. Sooner or later the galdaks would break through and overrun the city. Candus was no fortress, and his troops were so outnumbered that it was only a matter of time.
For that reason, he had advised that the city be evacuated. He hoped to defend the empty city for a couple more nights but couldn’t guarantee that his fatigued soldiers could continue to keep the innumerable and unnaturally fierce galdaks at bay much longer. It seemed that the galdaks sent fresh and healthy warriors to fight every night, while his own troops were forced to fight on despite their injuries and fatigue.
When Traven had left, Blaize had hoped they would be able to hold onto the city until he returned. Now, he doubted it was possible. Traven would be at least another three days. Blaize supposed they could hold out at best for two more nights. It seemed that Traven would most likely have to catch up to them. Blaize turned as three of his scouts arrived with their reports. All three saluted and waited patiently.
“Proceed,” Blaize said to the first of the three.
“The galdaks have all returned to their camp,” the first said. “It does not appear that any of them have headed south. The evacuation of the city should be safe and uneventful.”
Blaize was glad to hear the report. There were ten thousand soldiers marching with the unarmed citizens to protect them in case the galdak army tried to circumvent the city and attack.
“That at least is good news,” he stated. “How many casualties?” he asked the second.
“We lost close to five thousand soldiers last night,” the second scout reported. “There are another thousand who are badly wounded.”
Blaize shook his head. The number of soldiers falling by the sword had increased each night. The casualties would continue to rise. He didn’t know if it was worth it to keep defending an abandoned city if it cost the lives of so many men. It would be better to retreat to Kavar, a city built for defense, and make a stand there.
After assigning ten thousand troops to accompany the citizens as they fled the city, he had less than fifty thousand soldiers left. It was a sizable number but not nearly enough to overcome the several hundred thousand galdaks remaining. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of abandoning the city on his terms and not waiting to be forced into a retreat. He turned to the last scout.
“And how many galdaks were killed during the battle?”
“Around ten thousand,” the scout reported.
At least the army was continuing to whittle away at the galdak horde. Normally, a two to one death ratio would be great news. However, when you were outnumbered more than five to one, it was nothing to celebrate. Blaize thanked the three scouts for their reports and sent them on their way. He then climbed the stairs and gazed thoughtful over the nearby streets and buildings.
As he continued thinking about it, he knew it would be best if they abandoned the city soon. The odds were still in favor of the galdaks. If they retreated to Kavar, they would have better defenses, some reinforcements, and hopefully a wielder on their side.
As soon as the galdaks had been detected, a dispatch had been sent to Calyn informing the High King of the situation. When it had become apparent the galdak horde was so large and that their intentions were definitely hostile towards the land of Kalia, another dispatch had been sent. It had specifically asked for the High King to boost the army and send reinforcements. The message would have also been shared at Kavar along the way. Blaize hoped that the Baron of Kavar would be recruiting troops and readying his defenses.
It would take the troops from Calyn quite a while to reach Kavar, but Blaize hoped that his soldiers combined with the reinforcements in Kavar would be enough to hold Kavar until they arrived. Traven should also have plenty of time to complete his mission and join them. With the help of Traven and his magic object, hopefully the tide would turn and the galdaks could be forced back into the Parched Mountains. Indeed, retreating to Kavar sounded like the best course of action.
Nonetheless, Blaize had no intention of abandoning such a beautiful city without making the monsters pay. The galdaks would learn the steep cost of taking a Kalian city. He continued his review of the streets and buildings nearby. One of the huge advantages of the galdaks was their superior numbers. With the absence of the city’s inhabitants, the battle could be moved into the streets of the city without risk of collateral damage. The numerous streets would divide the galdak army and create bottlenecks. By funneling the attackers down specific streets, the Kalian Army could inflict more damage with fewer soldiers.
Another advantage of the galdaks was their heightened sight in the darkness. That advantage could also be taken away. Blaize wondered how many torches there were in the city. He signaled for a messenger.
“Gather one hundred soldiers,” he commanded. “Take them and gather all of the torches in the city. Also, gather all of the resin and other flammable liquids you can find and bring them here.”
The messenger saluted and left. Knowing the city would soon be overrun by a brutal horde of monsters, Blaize was less worried about accidently setting some of the buildings on fire. If the light hampered the galdaks and gave his soldiers an advantage, it was worth the loss of a few structures.
The last advantage of the galdaks was their size. They towered over most of the soldiers, but they were not so large as to tower over horses. So far the cavalry had been used sparingly. They weren’t necessary when defending the walls of the city. Tonight, they could be stationed in various locations around the city and sweep in to slaughter the attackers when necessary.
Blaize smiled to himself as he continued gazing over the streets of the city. He would spend the morning hours planning and at midday check on the progress of the evacuation. If all was proceeding smoothly, he would send forth a new set of orders for the night’s battle. There would be plenty of time to prepare and move all the troops into their proper positions. When the galdaks next attacked, they would discover the human cities couldn’t be taken without a significant loss of life on their part.
20
Traven tried to quell his anger as he listened intently to Darian’s suggestion. The elf had to raise his voice to be heard above the shouts of the crowd, but he kept it low enough that no one but Traven would hear his words.
“When we first met, I had less than friendly feelings towards you,” Darian began. “As I saw you wield the ambience, I began to feel admiration and respect for you. Last night, I believe my sister began to have similar feelings for you as she witnessed your command of the elements. If you were to display your vast powers now, perhaps all watching would begin to experience some of the same feelings.”
Darian’s suggestion made sense, but Traven was hesitant to so openly display his powers in such a hostile environment and in such close proximity to the king.
“Do you think the elf king will see it as a threat?” he asked quietly.
“Maybe,” Darian replied. “Even so, you would not be any worse off than you are now.”
He imagined Darian was correct. Something needed to happen to change the elf king’s mind, and he couldn’t think of anything else that might work. The monarch was staring at him defiantly and didn’t appear about to change his mind. Traven took several steps backwards away from him, hoping to show that he meant the king no harm. He motioned Darielle and Giselle to join Darian in standing closer to him. He then shrunk his shield to only encompass the four of them.
Traven cleared his mind and focused as projectiles continued to bounce off of the shield. He shut out the angry shouts of the crowd and let his emotions of frustration and anger fade away. Calm and collected, he slowly drew the power of the ambience to him. He took several deep breaths and began his display of power.
The crowd suddenly went silent as a blast of air emanating outwards from Traven knocked them backwards into their seats. The elf king and his advisors stumbled slightly an
d leaned against the onrushing air in order to stay on their feet. Traven kept blowing the wind outward from himself for several moments. He then raised his hands skyward and lightning began to crack in the air high above.
The wind and lightning effectively drew all of the elves’ attention to him. Traven took another deep breath and carefully began wrapping fire around him and those standing with him. The flames grew increasingly larger and swirled around him faster and faster. Traven sensed the elf king and his advisors take several steps backward as the flames became hotter.
He began to extend the flames upward in a swirling column. He pushed them higher and higher until they extended to a level above the top row of the amphitheater. He stopped pushing them higher and began to swirl the flames even faster. The raging flames roared as they whipped around the invisible column. He had a good idea of how far he could go without draining himself too much based off the previous night’s experience.
As the heat of the flames continued to grow in intensity, it became very uncomfortable for those within his shield. He had opened the top of the shield to let air in, but the air was stifling in the vortex of the raging column of fire. He glanced at his companions to judge how they were holding up. Darian stared back at him with a large grin, while Darielle and Giselle had looks of surprise and even fear on their faces. Darielle was sweating profusely, and Giselle was breathing rapidly. Traven gave them both reassuring smiles and decided it would be best to extinguish the flames.
Just as he had the night before, he formed a large amount of water above the inferno and let it fall all at once. The blazing flames immediately disappeared in a violent burst of steam that blasted outward and engulfed the amphitheater. A profound silence followed the roaring flames and sharp hiss of steam.
As the air cleared, Traven was sure his point had been made. He stood calmly in the center of the clearing with his two devoted firmly behind him and the king’s own brother at his side. In front of him, three of the king’s advisors were climbing back to their feet while two remained awestruck on the ground. All, including the elf king, looked slightly disoriented. Traven glanced up at the elves in the audience and found them just as awestruck and disbelieving.
He waited in silence as the elf king straightened his garments and his advisors composed themselves. Traven hoped the elves felt what Darian had suggested they would at seeing him wield such a large amount of the ambience. It had definitely surprised them, but he didn’t know yet if they were feeling any admiration or respect. The elf king finished arranging his clothes and crown before fixing Traven with an intense stare. Traven returned the stare with a look of calm patience.
“Was that a threat?” the elf king asked sternly.
Traven wasn’t sure how to respond. His stunt didn’t appear to have inspired the elf king with feelings of admiration. The regal king appeared angrier than ever. Traven hadn’t meant it to be a threat, but he had known it might be taken as such. He definitely couldn’t say he had done it to inspire certain beneficial feelings in the onlookers. He decided that the best course of action would be to ignore the question.
“The galdaks could turn on the elves at any time. I am a master wielder trying to protect my people just as you protect yours. It would benefit both our races if I stop the galdak wielder.”
Traven paused before continuing, hoping his comments would help to persuade the king. However, the monarch appeared upset and unmoved by his words.
“Are you still determined to oppose my request for the armband?” Traven asked.
The elf king’s eyes narrowed. He seemed perturbed that Traven hadn’t answered his question. While the elf king’s gaze was decidedly hostile, a noticeable change had been wrought in his advisors. Some were still staring with awe at Traven while several were glancing back and forth nervously between their king and the wielder.
“The power you manifested does not change what I said earlier,” the king stated firmly. “You may be a wielder, but I cannot allow the armband of endurance to be worn by anyone other than an elven king. I would feel like a traitor to my people, and that will not happen.”
Several of the elf king’s advisors shook their heads slightly as if they didn’t agree with his words. It was obvious that the previous unanimous opposition to his request had changed. Traven felt a spark of hope, but wasn’t sure what else he could do to take advantage of the changing sentiments. Behind him, he heard Darian whisper something to his father. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Darielle nod with a thoughtful look on his face. Darielle took a step forward and bowed slightly.
“Your Highness,” he began. “You mentioned that only an elf king was worthy to wear the armband. Would you be willing to extend the honor to someone who had survived the King’s Trial?”
The elf king opened his mouth to answer but stopped. The anger in his eyes faded and was replaced by a thoughtful expression. He turned and looked at his various advisors. Some shrugged while others nodded their consent. There was only one who shook his head no. The elf king then returned his gaze to Traven. He studied him for several moments before continuing.
“Given the current circumstances, I could agree to that,” the elf king stated. Whispers began sweeping through the crowd of onlookers. “I would never allow the armband to grace the arm of an unfit individual. If the Wielder Traven completes the King’s Trial and survives, he will have proven his worthiness. I will agree to lend him the armband of endurance for a period of one hundred days if he completes the trial. I have spoken.”
The elf king then turned and strode back into the tunnel from which he had entered. His advisors quickly fell into place behind him and disappeared down the tunnel as well. Excited discussion began all over the amphitheater. Traven let out a sigh of relief. The king had actually agreed to lend him the armband of endurance.
Nonetheless, the relief was tempered by knowing he had to survive something called the King’s Trial. The fact the elf king had changed his mind implied that the trial would not be easy. He turned to Darian with a worried smile.
“Do not begin celebrating yet,” Darielle stated. “I was as overwhelmed with your recent display of power as everyone else was, but your strength in the ambience will be of no help during the King’s Trial.”
In the stands above, some of the elves began streaming out of the amphitheater. However, many of them remained where they were and continued staring down at Traven. The intensity of their silent attention made him more uncomfortable than when he had been the object of their derision. He was anxious to find out about the King’s Trial, but he wanted to go somewhere more private where they could talk about it freely.
“Can we go somewhere else and discuss it?” he asked as he looked around uncomfortably.
“Certainly,” Darielle stated as he followed Traven’s eyes to the elven crowd still staring down at him. “Let us take the tunnel.”
Traven was surprised at Darielle’s suggestion. He had thought the tunnel was for the king alone. He didn’t think the elf king would be happy with them heading into the palace uninvited. He hesitated as Darielle confidently strode away into the tunnel.
“Go ahead,” Darian said from behind him. “The tunnel leads to one of the palace courtyards. You have to remember that my father is the king’s brother. The palace is a second home to him. No one will question his authority in taking us there.”
He accepted Darian’s explanation and quickened his pace to catch up to Darielle. The din of the crowd almost completely disappeared as he stepped into the tunnel. He appreciated the silence and the closeness of the dirt walls after the noise and openness of the arena. The tunnel was much shorter than it had appeared. It took a quick turn to the left and opened up almost immediately into a small garden.
Traven followed Darielle past two elven warriors standing as guards on either side of the entrance. Darian had been right. The guards smiled in greeting to Darielle and remained at ease as Traven and his devotees walked past. The garden was full of blossoming flowers of
various shades of red and yellow. The sweet smell of the flowers permeated the small garden that was surrounded by tall wooden walls covered in vines. Darielle led them through the garden to several benches. Traven sat down thankfully. His recent display of power had left him weakened.
He looked around the small garden and located the somewhat hidden door that must have connected to one of the palace buildings. Darielle sat down on the bench next to him while Darian and Giselle sat opposite them. Traven noticed that Giselle’s face appeared flushed and that she was still breathing more rapidly than normal.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine, Master,” she answered as more color came to her cheeks. “I am still recovering from your display of strength in the ambience. I had no idea how powerful you were.”
She looked from him to Darian sheepishly and then down at the ground. He was still curious to know why the beautiful elf had decided to swear devotion to him, but he knew that there would be plenty of time to discover that in the future. She was a friend of Darian, and that was enough for him for now.
“Thank you for your help and suggestions,” Traven said to Darian and his father. “I was afraid the elf king wouldn’t change his mind. Now that he has set his terms, I’m eager to complete the trial and take possession of the armband. How long will it take and how soon can I begin?”
A look passed between father and son. Giselle looked up with an expression of worry on her face. Traven’s stomach dropped as he realized how difficult the others viewed the trial to be. Nevertheless, he hoped it wouldn’t take too long to begin the trial. The Kalian Army could only hold on without his aid for so long.
“You can begin the trial whenever you are ready to,” Darian said, taking the lead, “but the King’s Trial is not something to be taken lightly. I believe the king so readily agreed to lend you the armband if you succeed because he does not think you will survive the trial. Few elves undertake the trial, and even fewer survive it.”
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