The human army was merely a day and a half ahead of them. The weaklings had been marching at a faster pace than he had thought possible. After quickly reducing the human city to ashes, Azulk had hoped to be able to catch up to his enemies within a few days. Surprisingly, the human army had maintained enough speed to stay safely out of reach.
The Shaman wasn’t happy about having to wait longer, but he knew his horde would eventually catch the fleeing humans. Once the human army met up with the people who had fled their homes, their pace would slow. It was possible that the galdaks would be able to overtake them before they reached the large human city to the south.
It didn’t really matter when they caught up to the humans. Whenever it happened, the galdaks would destroy their enemies. Azulk was more impatient now than ever to visit destruction on them. He supposed the war had always been personal to his people as a whole, but now it was personal to him. The humans had slaughtered almost twenty thousand of his warriors the night they had sneaked out of the large city.
He had become complacent once the human wielder abandoned the city and had contented himself with maintaining the cloud cover and healing his warriors after the battles. He would not make the same mistake again. When his warriors caught up to their enemies, he would actively participate both in the attack on the humans and in the defense of his own warriors. There would be no more surprises like there had been the night the first great human city had fallen.
Azulk’s warriors numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and the loss of twenty thousand did nothing to thwart his plans. However, twenty thousand more galdak souls now screamed from the ground for vengeance. When he closed his eyes, he sometimes fancied he could hear their cries. He couldn’t ignore the wrongs that had occurred in the past and were occurring once again. The humans must be destroyed so as to never be able to injure his people again.
Part Three: Fate
29
The smell of smoke still hung heavily in the air even though the flames had disappeared. In the darkening light of evening, it was hard to reconcile the ruins that lay before him with the beautiful city he had left from nine days earlier. Traven had seen the last of the smoke clouding the sky the moment he had come out of the forest. The sight had not been a surprise, but it was still disheartening.
After receiving the armband of endurance and unexpectedly gaining the support of an elven army, he had returned to Darian’s family’s home and screed an image of Candus. He had been anxious to know how the Royal Army was faring. To his surprise, he had found the entire city engulfed in flames. The image had both startled him and filled him with dread.
He had been comforted when he located Blaize and the Kalian Army safely south of the city. A little more screeing had revealed the Princess Kalista and the citizens of Candus even farther south and the immense galdak horde a day or two behind the Royal Army. It was apparent that the citizens had evacuated the city first. The Royal Army had retreated about a day later. It appeared the galdaks had waited a day before setting fire to the city and following the army.
Traven had been disappointed to find that the army was no longer in Candus but grateful that those dearest to him had escaped the city safely. Unfortunately, he didn’t think there would be any way for him to catch up with the army before it reached Kavar. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to take his elven army further south than Candus, but it had quickly become obvious that they were in for a long march.
The morning following the events in the amphitheater, fifty thousand elven warriors had assembled themselves to follow him. He had been amazed at such a positive and swift response to his plea. All of the warriors had tattooed a silver lining to their honor tattoos and were armed and ready to follow him into battle.
When he had asked Darian why the elven warriors didn’t possess the same intricate silver designs he and Giselle did, Darian had explained the difference between an elf choosing to devote himself to a wielder and merely choosing to follow a wielder into battle. Darian and Giselle were devoted to him. That meant they would do whatever he wanted them to until he died or they died.
The other elves had only chosen to follow Traven into battle. They would fight for him and him alone, but once the battle was over, they would return to their normal lives until he called upon them again. Thus, their honor tattoos only had the silver lining and not the intricate designs. The warriors were referred to as his children, while Darian and Giselle were referred to as his devoted.
Traven had given Darian the responsibility of appointing generals and other commanders and overseeing the needs of the army. The elf had gladly accepted the responsibility and taken care of everything. Traven had been surprised at how efficient and orderly the elven warriors were. Although none of them had previously marched to war or really ever expected to in their lives, they had all grown up training for battle. He had no doubts that his army of elven warriors would be a mighty force in the coming battle.
He continued staring over the blackened ruins of the city of Candus. It seemed as if the galdaks had set fire to each individual building in the city, leaving every single one destroyed. Where there had recently stood majestic buildings and beautiful gardens, there were now only stones and ash. He knew from his screeing that the devastation encompassed the entire city.
Traven turned from the sight with a sad sigh. He hoped no other cities would fall to the galdak horde. It was tragic to see something that had taken hundreds of years to build be reduced to nothing in a day. He wondered what would happen to the citizens of the now extinct city, but that was a problem to worry about after the galdaks were defeated.
His thoughts turned from the ruined city to the thousands of elven tents dotting the plain to the south. It was still strange for him to think that he had an entire army at his command. It was even stranger to think that the army consisted of a race that humans didn’t even know existed and that he himself still didn’t fully understand. He had made it a point to learn more about the elves each day of the march, and tonight would be no different.
“Darian,” he said as he left the ruins at his back and walked towards his tent.
His devoted servant stood up from where he had been sitting next to the fire.
“Yes, Master.”
“Where’s Giselle?”
“She went to find water to refill our skins and wash your clothes,” Darian replied.
Traven smiled guiltily. He loved having Giselle as his servant. She had taken care of all of his needs on the march like a mother takes care of a child. She cooked, cleaned, and made him as comfortable as possible. He felt guilty that such a beautiful and graceful elf would devote her life to serving him.
Darian had continued his service with as much devotion as he always had. He took care of the horses, set up the tent, and made the fire. There was nothing left for Traven to do but practice the ambience and worry about the future.
“You two are so devoted.”
“I should think so,” Darian replied. “We did swear our devotion to you.”
“I know,” Traven answered with a smile. “I just feel guilty having you two take such good care of me. What will I do if a third or fourth elf swears devotion to me?”
“That is unlikely to happen,” Darian stated.
“Why do you say that?”
“It is rare for a wielder to have more than one or two devoted servants. Our oath is such an oath that we remain around you always. You would feel bothered by the presence of too many devoted servants, would you not?”
“I already do at times with only two,” Traven said lightheartedly.
“That is the very reason why it is unlikely another elf will swear the oath to you,” Darian continued. “They would be afraid you would reject having another devoted servant, and the rejection would leave them in disgrace. Of course, that won’t necessarily prevent elves from serving you and trying to gain your favor, but I doubt any more will swear devotion unless something were to happen to Giselle or me.”
; Traven thought about what Darian had said. He wondered once again why Giselle had sworn devotion to him, knowing he already had one devoted servant. She hadn’t even known Traven or his disposition. It seemed that she had taken a great risk of being rejected and ostracized.
“Why did Giselle swear devotion to me?” he asked directly. “Wouldn’t she have been worried I would reject her oath?”
Darian paused before answering. A troubled look passed over his features before he regained control of himself.
“Giselle took a big risk,” the elf stated simply.
“But why was she willing to take the risk? She hadn’t even seen me wield the ambience.”
“I am not sure,” Darian replied. “I was shocked when she did it. It is incredibly rare for an elven maiden to swear devotion to a wielder.”
“Why’s that?”
Another troubled look passed over the elf’s face. Obviously, the subject was not easy for Darian to talk about. Traven remembered how Darian and Giselle had looked at one another the first time he had seen them together in the gallery. There was certainly a history between them, but in the last three days, they had hardly spoken to one another.
“You understand what it means to be a devoted?” Darian began slowly, as if he didn’t want to answer.
Traven nodded for him to continue.
“It means you will do whatever the wielder asks of you, no matter what he desires. It is hard for a female to put herself in such a situation, if you understand my meaning.”
Traven’s cheeks colored as he realized what Darian was getting at. He hadn’t even considered such a thing. He definitely admired Giselle’s beauty but had never thought of compelling her to do anything improper. He quickly looked around to see if she was anywhere near enough to have overheard the conversation. After convincing himself that she hadn’t returned yet, he noticed Darian gazing intently at him. The look the elf had fixed on him made him feel even more embarrassed. An idea occurred to him. There was a reason Darian hadn’t wanted to say anything. Traven couldn’t help but smile slightly as he met Darian’s stare. A few questions would let him know what he wanted to.
“How long have you known Giselle?” he asked.
“Since we were elflings,” Darian replied.
“How close were you two before you left to be a guardian?”
Now it was Darian’s turn to blush. It appeared that Traven had guessed correctly.
“We were rather close,” the elf said slowly as he averted his eyes.
“Go on,” Traven said, prodding for more.
“If you must know, we were promised to one another. It was expected that we would marry when I returned to the haven.”
Traven’s eyes widened slightly with surprise. He had guessed that the two elves had feelings for each other, but he hadn’t realized how strong the feelings had been. Giselle was the wife that Darian had given up in order to swear his devotion to Traven. He could hardly believe it. Another idea surfaced that would explain why Giselle had sworn her devotion to him. It was obvious to him that Darian still had strong feelings for her. Now, he believed that Giselle must still have the same strong feelings for Darian. Was it possible she had devoted herself to him so that she could remain near her true love?
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it sooner. Traven turned as Giselle walked towards them, laden with full water skins and a neatly folded pile of his clothes. Darian quickly sat down and resumed tending the fire, obviously uncomfortable with the confession he had just shared. Traven watched as Giselle smiled in greeting and placed his things just inside his tent. She then glanced between him and Darian, as if she sensed by their moods they had been discussing something in private. Darian refused to make eye contact with her.
Traven frowned as he thought about the recent revelation and made his way over to his tent. He glanced back and found Giselle still staring at Darian as she sat down on the opposite side of the fire. He was once again struck by her beauty and the diligence with which she had taken care of him over the last three days. She was quite amazing and would have made Darian a very happy elf indeed. He felt a deep pang of guilt for what the loyal elf had lost.
He paused before entering his tent. Perhaps all wasn’t lost. They had both sworn their devotion to him and would thus both be with him for the rest of his life. Why couldn’t they be married? He didn’t know all of the rules of being a devoted, but it didn’t seem like them being married to one another would conflict with their oaths to serve him. The thought brought with it a certain amount of relief to the guilt he had felt for all that Darian and Giselle had given up to serve him.
Traven knew Darian well enough to recognize that the elf still loved Giselle. He only needed to confirm that Giselle still truly loved Darian and that she had sworn devotion to him for that reason. If so, Traven would give them both his blessing in resuming their courtship. In fact, he would encourage it. He couldn’t help but feel excited at the thought.
First he needed to talk to Giselle in private. He didn’t want either of them to know what the other had said to him or what he was up to. He supposed the easiest way to speak with Giselle was to ask her to walk with him.
“Giselle, I’d like to talk with you for a moment.”
“Yes, Master,” she replied obediently.
“Follow me,” he said with as little emotion as he could. “Let’s go for a walk, just the two of us.”
Darian visibly started at his words, while a shade of concern passed over Giselle’s features. The two shared a quick look as Giselle rose and followed her master’s wishes. Traven led her away from the camp and out into the open field beyond. He glanced back and found Darian staring intently at him with a frown. He wondered if the elf guessed at what he was going to speak with Giselle about.
Traven turned away from the fire and walked further out into the field under the night sky. It was dark away from the camp but light enough that he could see the worried expression on Giselle’s face. He wondered what was bothering her. He continued in silence until he was far enough away that he was sure Darian’s sharp ears wouldn’t be able to overhear the conversation. Traven glanced around and found a large rock.
“Come sit down,” he said as he sat down on it. “I haven’t yet had the chance to talk with you much. I think that if you are one of my devoted servants, we should get to know each other better.”
Giselle sat down next to him with a forced smile. She seemed nervous and her complexion was paler than usual.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.
“Nothing, Master,” she said quietly.
Despite her words, it was obvious something was wrong. He looked into her violet eyes and saw anxiety. As he looked into her eyes closely, his recent conversation with Darian came rushing back to him. Giselle was no doubt uncomfortable being alone in his presence. He stood up, feeling bad for the distress he must be causing her at the moment. He had been so caught up in the idea of wedding the two of them that he had forgotten Darian’s statement as to why elven maidens so rarely swear the oath of devotion.
“Giselle,” he began, “I only invited you out here to ask you some questions in private. I only want to talk with you.” He stressed the word ‘talk’ as his cheeks grew redder by the moment. “I can honestly say that you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, but trust me when I say I will never ask anything of you but to be my friend.”
Giselle stared back at him with confusion painted plainly across her features.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” he continued hastily. “I understand the sacrifice you made when you swore your devotion and would never ask you to do anything that would dishonor that sacrifice.”
Giselle’s confused features began to melt away as she studied him. He stared back at her with an open and honest look. A small smile slowly crept onto her face.
“I am sorry, Master,” she said. “Darian told me that you were an honest and good man. I am sorry I was worried to be alone wi
th you.”
“It’s fine,” Traven said with a shrug. “I realize now how it must be uncomfortable for you. I should have thought of that before bringing you out here. Would you like to return to the fire to talk?”
“No,” Giselle replied. “I am fine now. Ask me what you wish, and I will answer you.”
“May I sit down next to you?”
“You may do as you wish. You are the master,” she said with a chuckle.
“You will soon learn I am nothing more than a simple young man blessed with the ability to wield the ambience,” he replied as he sat down.
“No, I already know you are more than that. You completed the King’s Trial and now lead an army of fifty thousand elves. No simple young man could do that.”
Traven was thankful for the praise and that Giselle seemed more than willing to talk now. He supposed he might as well get straight to the point.
“Giselle, I want to know why you decided to swear the oath of devotion to me. When Darian made the decision, he knew who I was and who I was not. He had seen me work the ambience.” He paused and then continued. “What caused you to swear such a sacred oath without knowing hardly anything about me?”
Giselle’s eyes went to the ground as a slight color rose to her cheeks. Traven knew she would answer a direct question from him truthfully and waited patiently for the answer.
“Well,” she began nervously as she continued staring at the ground. The rest came out in a rush. “I did it so as not to be separated from Darian again. It was the only way I thought I could remain near him. I trusted that if he had sworn his devotion to you, you were someone worthy of serving and hoped you would accept me.”
“I know you two were promised to each other,” Traven stated. Giselle looked up with a hint of surprise. “Do you still love him?”
His newly devoted servant looked taken aback by the question. More color rose to her cheeks as she smiled shyly. Her demure expression only enhanced her beauty. Darian was indeed a lucky elf. The answer to Traven’s question was obvious, but he wanted to hear it from her own lips.
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