by MJ Schutte
The wait was agonising. For every one of these soldiers, this was going to be their first real battle. Donic walked up and down the ranks, talking to the soldiers, offering words of encouragement and simple handshakes to inspire them.
He joined Brighton on the wall.
‘You are a great leader,’ Brighton complimented him.
Donic straightened up, but did not say anything.
‘Did you tell her?’ Brighton asked.
‘Concentrate, Brighton. We need to know where the enemy is,’ Donic retorted.
‘They will get here soon enough. The wall has been fortified with an energy barrier. So, did you tell her?’ Brighton asked.
Donic decided to ignore Brighton. He stood staring down the path.
In the gloomy light, he spotted movement.
‘Archers ready!’ he shouted.
‘Erostagnos, great wizard,’ a female voice called out.
Brighton sighed and shouted, ‘I am here.’
‘Great Erostagnos. Peace,’ the elf said as she walked forward with her hands held high.
She made a few hand signals and said, ‘Robyn.’
‘Get Adri,’ Brighton said to Donic.
The general gave a quick order and one of the archers rushed off.
‘What did she say?’ Donic asked.
Although he had met a few elves, he was still unable to understand their way of communicating.
Brighton ignored Donic and shouted, ‘Why?’
More hand movements, followed by ‘Hudetis!’ came from the elf.
She went down on one knee, touched her forehead and said, ’Life.’
Turning to Brac, Brighton said, ‘She says that a large group of hudetis had overrun the elf forest. These elves came here because Robyn suggested it. All the elves that are here with her will stand with us. She also offered her life in exchange for mine,’ Brighton explained.
‘Why did she do that?’ Donic asked.
‘It is the biggest form of respect an elf can show another person. It simply means that she will die before harm comes to me,’ Brighton replied.
Brighton started climbing down a ladder.
‘Where are you going?’ Donic asked.
‘I don’t like all this shouting. I’m going down there to talk to her,’ Brighton replied.
‘But Adri isn’t here yet, we don’t know what their intentions are!’ Donic argued.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Brighton said as he reached the ground.
‘Close the gate behind me,’ he said to the soldiers as he walked out towards the elf.
When he was close enough, he touched his cheek and said, ‘Brighton.’
The elf introduced herself as Carlia. Brighton thought she looked familiar and asked who her parents are.
‘Theodor, Eleda,’ Carlia replied.
She gestured that they were killed trying to get Robyn out of Fenton.
‘Robyn?’ Brighton asked.
Carlia shook her head. Brighton dropped his head in sadness and as a sign of respect for the departed.
‘Join?’ Carlia asked.
Brighton explained that they had to pass a little test before they would be allowed to join the Mendin army. Carlia seemed completely happy with this.
Adri did not take long to arrive since their cottage was close to the wall. Casually she walked up to Brighton and Carlia, having already guessed why Brighton called her there.
She introduced herself and asked, ‘Why are you here?’
Carlia said, ‘Join Erostagnos. Fight hudetis.’
‘Will you accept General Donic as the commander of the army and submit to his word?’ she enquired.
‘Erostagnos command,’ Carlia replied.
‘Carlia, if you are going to join this army, you will have to accept General Donic as your commander. I am not the general, he is,’ Brighton explained to her.
Carlia got a pained look on her face. The thought of submitting to a human general did not sit well with her, but she knew they had no other choice.
She made a few hand signals and said, ‘Erostagnos, honour.’
Adri looked at Brighton for an explanation.
‘She said that the elves are honour bound to do as I command. They accept Donic as the general,’ he told Adri.
Adri looked at Carlia closely and then nodded to Brighton. Carlia’s intentions were honourable.
‘Welcome to Mendin’s army, Carlia. Bring your troops forward so we can see them,’ Brighton said to her.
Carlia let out a low whistle and elves started appearing out of the darkness.
Brighton turned and shouted, ‘These elves have come to join our ranks. Open the gate.’
As the elf troops started streaming through the gate, Brighton asked Carlia a few more questions. He learnt that more than thirty thousand elves fled the elf forest, but only just more than eleven thousand survived the journey across the desert. She did not know what had become of the elves that stayed behind in the forest, but believed that Jaclyn’s army probably captured or killed them. When Brighton asked about Tolan, he got a sad shake of the head from Carlia.
The Mendin soldiers welcomed the elves with open arms, most offering to share their already cramped barracks with their new comrades.
The next morning, Brighton was saddling up a horse when Donic approached him.
‘Are you still determined to go out there and try to reason with Jaclyn?’ he asked.
Brighton nodded.
‘What if she doesn’t listen to you?’ Donic asked.
‘I’ll just have to kill her,’ Brighton said casually.
He did not want Donic to know that he was actually a bit nervous about this. Facing Jaclyn was one thing, but facing her and thousands of elves alone was starting to sound slightly silly to him. Still, if he could get through to her, they might avoid the upcoming battle.
‘Good luck, my friend,’ Donic said as Brighton mounted the horse.
He nodded at the general and rode through the gate towards Fenton. Using his sense, he knew that the elf army was camped between Fenton and the pass, roughly where the old fort used to be.
As he got closer, he spotted a few archers in the trees. There bows were drawn, arrows pointing straight at him. Jaclyn waited alone in the wide road for him. Brighton rode close enough so that they did not have to shout before he dismounted.
‘Brighton, you are looking well,’ Jaclyn said sweetly.
‘Skip the pleasantries. Why are you here?’ Brighton growled at her.
‘I have come to make peace with you. Let’s put our differences behind us once and for all,’ Jaclyn replied.
Brighton was taken aback a little.
‘You want me to forget that you killed my son?’ he snarled.
‘You took away everything I held dear and forced me to flee the only home I ever knew,’ Jaclyn retorted.
‘To flee was your own choice and the elf forest was never your home. I took nothing from you,’ Brighton argued.
‘I was loved by everybody, but you changed all of that. Now the people look at me like I’m some kind of imposter!’ Jaclyn snapped.
‘You started it. If only you had left my family alone, none of this would ever have happened,’ Brighton replied.
‘True, and that is why I humbly ask for your forgiveness. I honestly want to live in peace,’ Jaclyn said softly.
‘I can not forgive you for killing my son, but I would prefer if this war ended here and now,’ Brighton replied.
‘Agreed. Surrender to us and not one drop of blood will be spilt,’ Jaclyn offered.
Brighton shook his head.
‘Surrender? Why would we do that?’ Brighton snapped at her.
‘Because you can not win. You have obviously already used your sense and know that there are thousands of troops behind me. Your pitiful little army must be outnumbered five to one,’ Jaclyn said calmly.
Brighton estimated it to be closer to ten-to-one. He was thankful for the elves that had joined them otherwise these od
ds would have been far greater.
He smiled at Jaclyn and said, ‘We have a great defensive position and all the supplies we need to hold your army off for years to come. You, on the other hand, will have to do all the attacking, losing troops every day and making sure that you have a steady supply of food, water and weapons. Your supply lines will dry up, your troops will get tired of seeing their comrades killed for nothing and eventually, you will be left with no followers. Go back the way you came and leave Mendin and the three Kingdoms in peace.’
‘Brighton, you will have the blood of many innocent people on your hands. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? Perhaps you need to talk it over with Queen Ashley and General Donic,’ Jaclyn replied.
‘They will support my decision,’ Brighton said confidently.
‘Last chance; surrender, or die,’ Jaclyn sneered at him.
‘No, we will never surrender to you,’ Brighton said with finality.
He thought he saw her make a very subtle movement with her hand. Instantly he brought up a protective barrier around himself. Twelve arrows hit the energy wall and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Brighton looked straight at Jaclyn as he spread his arms out. Six energy links shot from each hand, draining the twelve archers in the trees instantly of all their energy. Before their corpses had even hit the ground, Brighton shot two lighting bolts at Jaclyn.
She had also erected an energy barrier around herself. Brighton’s lightning hit the barrier in an explosion of sparks, but he could not get through her defence.
Jaclyn smiled and said, ‘You will have the blood of many innocent people on your hands very soon.’
She turned and walked away. Brighton did not attack her again; he knew she would be expecting that. He mounted his horse and set off, back towards the wall.
Jaclyn was still smiling when she entered the command tent. Nelath turned his hands up in a questioning gesture.
Before Jaclyn could answer, a tall man called Lance shouted, ‘Stop that nonsense. Why can’t you speak properly like the rest of us?’
‘Hudeti,’ Nelath hissed at him and made a cross over his heart.
‘Stop it!’ Jaclyn screamed.
Nelath and Lance both dropped their heads in respect.
‘Nelath, I understand that you think Lance and his men are not true bloods, but they are still elves, even thought they have mixed with other races. Lance, this is the way elves speak, it is your heritage. Stop criticising it and rather learn to communicate with your elf brother,’ Jaclyn scolded the two men.
‘Yes, mistress,’ Lance answered.
Nelath bowed his head again, first at Jaclyn and then at Lance.
‘How did it go with the wizard?’ Lance asked.
‘He reacted exactly like I wanted. He killed the twelve elves and attacked me. My barrier was easily strong enough to withstand his attack,’ Jaclyn smiled.
‘Why did you want him to kill the elves?’ Lance asked.
‘Because now he thinks that he can kill more people in our army like this. He will realise too late that your energy is inaccessible to him,’ Jaclyn answered.
‘But why is that? You said that he was able to steal any form of energy, just like you,’ Lance pressed.
‘Almost any form of energy. Because your people have interbred with numerous different races over the years, your energy has changed. Brighton will not be able to harm you,’ Jaclyn explained.
Lance nodded in understanding.
‘I will spread the word that we are attacking tomorrow,’ he said.
‘No, we wait. There is something else that needs to be done first,’ Jaclyn replied.
As Brighton rode through the gate, Donic was waiting for him.
‘How did it go?’ he asked as Brighton dismounted.
‘We had a slight argument,’ Brighton replied.
‘Stop being cryptic and tell me what she said,’ Donic said irritably.
‘She wants us to surrender,’ Brighton replied flatly.
‘And? What did you say?’ Donic asked.
‘Do you really have to ask?’ Brighton frowned.
‘No, I suppose not,’ Donic smiled.
Brighton was about to hand the horse’s reins to a soldier, but Donic said, ‘Your daughter has demanded your presence at the palace. Apparently she has a little surprise for you.’
Brighton dropped his head and said, ‘I’m in trouble.’
‘Yes, you are! You were supposed to go there days ago,’ Donic laughed.
A messenger approached them and handed Donic a note. He opened it and got a pained expression on his face.
‘Apparently, I am also in trouble. Ashley is requesting my presence at the palace,’ Donic said.
It was Brighton’s turn to laugh.
‘Come my friend, let’s go face the trouble together,’ he said as he slapped the general on the back.
Brighton and Donic arrived at the palace just before dark. Clarissa flew into her father’s arms.
‘Pappa, I miss you so much,’ she exclaimed as she hugged him tight.
‘I miss you too, my angel,’ Brighton smiled as he put his strong arms around his daughter.
Lilian stepped closer and said, ‘Clarissa, go see to the surprise.’
Clarissa let go of Brighton and said, ‘Yes, Mamma.’
As she walked away, she took a glance back at her parents. They were locked in a long, passionate kiss.
‘Please, if you’re going to do that, go to your room,’ she called to them.
Brighton and Lilian did not hear her; they were focused only on each other.
Ashley came through the door.
‘My Queen,’ Donic said as he took a deep bow.
‘Good day, Donic. So good to see you again,’ Ashley greeted him back with a smile. She desperately rubbed her palm against her dress to dry the sweat before offering her hand to Donic. He took the offered hand and kissed it lightly.
‘Shall we go inside? There are refreshments on the balcony,’ Ashley suggested.
‘With your permission, my queen, I would like to go to the barracks and check on the troops,’ Donic said.
‘Permission denied. I want you to join us tonight. I…uh…I need to hear how things are proceeding at the wall,’ Ashley replied.
‘Of course, my queen,’ Donic answered.
Brighton and Lilian looked at each other and smiled. It was clear that Donic did not really want to go to the barracks and Ashley did not need another update on the construction of the wall. Messengers were sent everyday to inform her of the progress.
The group made their way to the balcony. Brac and Adri were waiting there already. Everybody sat down, except Donic.
‘Sit, Donic. You must be tired after such a long ride,’ Ashley invited.
‘Thank you,’ he said a bit awkwardly.
Ashley asked a few questions about the wall and the defence efforts which Donic and Brighton answered quickly. Conversation turned to other topics until Clarissa stormed onto the balcony.
‘It’s ready,’ she announced proudly.
She led the group to the dining hall. The large table was beautifully decorated with all kinds of flowers and there were six places set. Clarissa showed everybody to their seats.
‘Tonight, Gary and I will be serving you dinner,’ she said proudly.
The little boy nodded and said, ‘We made it all on our own.’
The two disappeared into the kitchen and started carrying plates of food out. Cook Efra helped the children with some of the heavier things. As the children ran to the kitchen to fetch more food, Lilian motioned for Efra to come closer.
‘Did you do all of this?’ she asked.
‘No, ma’am. Miss Clarissa and Prince Gary prepared everything. I sat on my chair all day watching them,’ the man replied with a straight face.
‘Just like you don’t feed Mischief when he comes to visit,’ Brighton quipped grinning widely.
‘Correct, sir,’ Efra responded.
He
turned and walked into the kitchen.
‘I never know whether or not he is joking,’ Ashley giggled.
The children came back and started dishing up for everyone. They insisted on doing everything for the adults.
The food was exquisite. When everybody had finished, the children started clearing the table. Efra came to help again.
‘Efra, are you sure you did not prepare this dinner?’ Ashley asked.
‘I had nothing to do with it, ma’am. I was out all day visiting a lady friend,’ Efra responded.
‘Earlier you claimed that you were sitting on a chair all day,’ Ashley gasped.
‘I don’t remember that, ma’am,’ Efra said with a straight face.
‘Efra, you are the biggest liar I’ve ever met,’ Ashley scolded light-heartedly.
‘I never lie, ma’am,’ he said as he picked up her plate.
‘Well, thank you anyway, for sitting on a chair or visiting your lady friend today,’ Ashley laughed.
The corners of Efra’s mouth turned up in a slight smile as he bowed his head to Ashley.
‘I’m exhausted. Do you want to go to bed, my love,’ Lilian said.
‘Yes, that sounds good. Brac, Adri, I’m sure you two will spend the night here,’ Brighton replied.
Nods of confirmation came from both as they got up. Everybody except Donic headed for their rooms. He insisted on checking the guards around the palace first before going to the barracks.
Chapter 13
BRIGHTON’S EYES SNAPPED open.
How did Jaclyn know about Ashley and Donic? flashed through his mind.
He called his sense forth, then shot out of bed, pulled his pants on and grabbed his walking stick.
‘Is something wrong, my love?’ Lilian asked sleepily.
‘Shh, stay here,’ Brighton whispered.
Quickly he went out into the dark hallway and made his way over to Ashley’s room. Being careful not to make a sound, he opened the door and slipped inside. Donic and Ashley were on the bed, naked as the day they were born. Some muffled giggling came from Ashley.
Brighton tapped his walking stick on the ground to get their attention. He quickly put his finger to his lips, motioning for them to stay silent. Ashley pulled a sheet over her naked body. Donic reached for his sword, but Brighton quickly waved his hand indicating that he should leave it.