The Stars of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 1)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  Before the warrior could come to the aid of the Telian or the bard, he caught a glimpse of even more men flying toward the conflict from the west. Rather than wait for this fearsome tide to overwhelm them, he turned – and with a tremendous battle cry – charged toward the party of his oncoming enemies. This gave Kilren the opportunity he was waiting for. He steadied his aim and slowly pulled the trigger of his crossbow. Tealor's blade fell like lighting on the first of his foes; shattering both the uplifted sword and the skull of his adversary. At almost the same instant, Kilren's shaft passed silently through his target's armor and heart. With two already dead, only three were left to face the powerful onslaught of the warrior and the deadly bolts of the rogue.

  Erana quickly fitted another arrow to the string. For the moment, they hadn't seen her, but they knew roughly from where her first dart had flown. It would only be a matter of seconds before the group was upon her and, if she couldn't use her bow, she had no hope of overcoming so many large and powerful enemies. Her only chance was to reduce their number before they could find exactly where she was hidden. As she took aim, one of the men yelled wildly. He had caught a glimpse of her. Once more, she let an arrow fly and the keen-eyed mercenary took the knowledge of her whereabouts with him to the halls of Kaldor.

  Darian let his guard down for a moment, giving his adversary the opportunity to strike. The mercenary leader took what was offered and thrust his sword at the young knight with all his might. Rather than block the blow, the Telian lashed out with an attack of his own. The mercenary's assault missed its mark and landed harmlessly on Darian's armor. However, the Telian's strike was better aimed. The gallant knight's blade passed through the thin metal links that protected his enemy's shoulder; ripping through steel and muscle alike. With a cry of pain, the leader leapt back, blood pouring from his arm.

  Ian's dagger shot out in a flash at the villain that held him, but the mercenary's hand was faster and the dwarf found himself held firmly by the wrist. In another instant, he found his other hand also held tightly in his enemy's powerful grip. The mercenary, who had been mediocre with sword and shield, proved to be an excellent wrestler. As the two toppled to the ground, Ian couldn't help but think that he should have spent more time studying that particular art.

  Sarena took a moment to look behind her carefully. It wouldn't do for her to suddenly appear in the middle of the street just as another band of reinforcements ran around yet another corner. Once she was certain that no more men were on their way, she turned to aid her allies. She became quite visible as she stood in the street chanting quietly to herself but, as she was behind her enemies, she remained unseen. Bolts of flame shot from her fingertips and one of the band passed from life before he had the chance to come to the aid of his commander. Her allies would still shortly be outnumbered, but she was doing her best to lessen that evil.

  The bold Telian saw the beautiful sorceress flash into view just before his enemy's allies reached him. He thanked the Eilian she was on his side as one of his foes burst into flames. Even with her aid, he found himself outnumbered five to one. The advantage of sheer numbers encouraged the wounded commander to again lash out at the knight with all his strength. Flashing blades surrounded Darian; it would only be a matter of moments before he found himself overwhelmed. There was no way to block each of the blows that flew at him. If not for the remarkable quality of his armor, he would have soon lain lifeless upon the ground. As it was, his steel shell could not protect him from every assault and, as his foes surrounded him, the leader's sword struck him in the face; slicing deeply into his cheek.

  “Darian!” Gwendolyn screamed as she appeared suddenly, standing not far from the house in which she had been hiding.

  The young maiden's heart leapt into her throat as she watched the young knight face his many foes. It would only be seconds before they overwhelmed and slew him. She instinctively reached out, longing to help him. To her own amazement, fire flew from her outstretched hands and engulfed the Telian's enemies.

  Although the maiden's assault was nothing compared to the consuming flames of the powerful sorceress, it was enough to distract the knight's enemies for a moment. It was all Darian needed to turn the tide. He thrust his sword through one of his enemy's armor and body before aiming another blow at the neck of the mercenary leader. All his strength and weight was thrown into the attack, which proved powerful enough to separate his foe's head from its body.

  Of the three that stood facing Tealor, one was kicked to the ground while the other two aimed wild and hopeless attacks at their enemy. The warrior lifted his shield to block another blow before thrusting his sword quickly through the throat of his foe. Another bolt shot from the woods and another of the trio passed from life with a cry of pain.

  The group that faced Erana boldly charged the brush, hoping to find the archer who was raining down death upon them. As they reached the tree line, a large and ferocious wolf sprang from the undergrowth. One of the men found himself embraced in the beast's powerful jaws. As one of the two standing mercenaries turned to help his struggling ally, an arrow passed through the heart of the other. The band of five was reduced to only two.

  Ian's opponent would have done better to stay on his feet where both his height and his weight could have aided him. As it was, he found himself struggling to hold a very dexterous dwarf and keep the daggers in his enemy's hands from reaching his body. He focused his strength on one hand and forced the bard to drop the dagger it held. However, this took his attention momentarily from the bard's other hand. This mistake cost him his life. Ian thrust his blade into his enemy and, a moment later, he stood; ready to rush to the aid of the knight.

  Again, Sarena's chanting came to an end and, again, fire sprang from the beautiful sorceress. Another of the Telian's bold opponents fell before the flames and Darian found himself facing only two enemies. However, this number was quickly reduced even further. One of the band turned to face the sorceress only to be struck down by the falling blade of an ax. The young boy had left his mother's side and rushed to the aid of the party with the only weapon he could find. He had felled the villainous mercenary, as if he had been so much wood, with a single blow.

  In rapid succession, Tealor's blade dispatched the enemy at his feet while Kilren sent a bolt through the heart of Darian's last standing enemy. The wolf's fearsome bite brought an end to his adversary's struggles, while an arrow from Erana's bow dispatched the last of their standing foes just before he could pass his sword through the beast's body.

  Silence fell on the scene where the sounds of death and violence had filled the air only moments before. Twenty fallen soldiers lay before them. Of that number, only three still breathed. It was with very mixed feelings that the warrior watched the young knight attend to his enemies. He knew it was useless to ask the Telian to forgo healing them, but he wondered what the eventual consequences might be. The rogue came silently to the aid of his friend; binding their enemies as their wounds were treated while the rest of the party gathered around the pair.

  “Darian,” Gwendolyn said, approaching the valiant knight, “your face it still cut.”

  “Oh,” he said, reaching up and healing his own wound. “I had almost forgotten about it. Thank you for what you did, by the way. You saved my life.”

  “You're very welcome,” the maiden replied with a blush.

  “Where did you learn to do that?” Darian asked.

  “I was going to ask her the same thing,” Kilren said as he stood up having finished binding the last of their breathing enemies.

  “I didn't... I mean; I don't know how I did it,” Gwendolyn replied. “I'm glad I did, but I don't know how it happened and I'm sure I couldn't do it again.”

  “Yes, you could,” Sarena replied, staring pensively at the young girl.

  “How did the lass do it in the first place?” Ian asked as he stood, cleaning his daggers with a handkerchief.

  “Well, that's very easy to explain,” Sarena replied. “She's a
sorceress. I would also guess she's a very powerful one.”

  “I am not!” the young maiden exclaimed.

  “Then, how did you do what you did?” Sarena smiled. “Trust me, dear child, you are a sorceress.”

  “Wouldn't I know if I was?” Gwendolyn asked.

  “Perhaps not at first, no,” Sarena answered. “Not until someone told you. I am telling you now, Gwendolyn. Like it or not, that's what you are. What you just did proves that you have great potential.”

  “Well then, my love, it seems we now know why Galrin wants her,” Tealor nodded.

  “Perhaps, dear heart,” the sorceress mused. “But, I wonder.”

  “How could he have known that I was a sorceress if I didn't even know?” Gwendolyn asked; her eyes turned to Sarena.

  “How did Andor know that Darian would be a Telian before he was even born?” the sorceress replied, pointing at the young knight. “The stars told him. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Galrin also had the power to read them.”

  “How did Gwendolyn do what she did without any training, though?” Erana asked, almost to herself.

  “Another valid question!” Kilren said, moving closer to the elvish ranger before the growling wolf forced him to take a step back.

  “Without training?” Sarena laughed. “Fair child of the forests, she's had training!”

  “No, I haven't!” the maiden asserted.

  “Who trained her?” the knight asked in the same instant.

  “You have had training, Gwendolyn,” Sarena said, smiling at the young girl. “I've been training you myself. As a sorceress, you can feel the flowing channels of arcane energy. You can also feel it every time that flow is redirected. Every time I use it, you feel it. Had I known, I would have spent this time teaching you to control it. Already, you've started to learn merely by being near me. Just like a child learning to talk, the first thing you did was copy what you had seen done. I've focused on the art of fire and your first use of the arcane was to do something I have often done myself. It's not a coincidence child; I taught you to do it. It's as simple as that.”

  “Well, then,” Kilren began, looking over at the fair young maiden. “Next time we have to fight our way out of a situation, we'll have even more power on our side.”

  “No, sweet fool,” the sorceress shook her head. “We certainly can't count on that. She's still relatively untrained. She may, on occasion, successfully copy what she's felt me do, but it will take time before she becomes the mistress of the power she wields. What she's learned from me she's learned quite accidentally. It will take years before she can truly bend it to her will. It was only because she felt so...”

  The sorceress paused for a moment – glancing from the maiden to the knight with a smile – before continuing.

  “So helpless in the battle that her mind found a way to aid us by lashing out wildly. She needs real training and she won't get that until we get her safely to Andor.”

  At this point, Darian realized that the young boy was still standing in their midst; his ax hanging from his hand.

  “Oh, and thank you...” Darian said, addressing him.

  “Temmas, sir,” the boy replied with a nod.

  “Well, thank you, Temmas,” the Telian said, firmly shaking the boy's hand. “You helped us a great deal.”

  “I was happy to, sir,” Temmas replied. “I didn't want you to have to fight these monsters by yourselves.”

  As the entire party stood congratulating the boy, a much older man came out of one of the houses and began slowly making his way toward the group. His clothing identified him as the village elder and, as much as there was any law in Olinnor, he was its administrator.

  “Thank you for your help,” the old man began as soon as he was within comfortable speaking range. “My name is Gill and I am the leader of this village.”

  “It's an honor to meet you, sir,” the Telian replied with a bow.

  “I feel certain you know these men were looking for you,” the old man said.

  “We do,” Tealor answered.

  “Well, then,” the old man replied. “If you'll place your prisoners in that house and then follow me to mine, we can discuss your situation.”

  Tealor, Ian, and Darian quickly lifted the three still living mercenaries and placed them in the house Elder Gill had directed them to. They then followed the old man to his home. The elder's house was small but, although its walls were nothing more than rough squared timbers and its floor merely packed earth, it was well-furnished. The smell of tobacco permeated the building to such an extent that Ian didn't bother to ask if the owner would mind before he filled and lit his pipe. Elder Gill quickly followed the bard's example and the entire party seated itself before a large, rough table.

  “Now,” the elder began, taking a long draw from his pipe, “first, I want to thank you again. All our menfolk are out working the mines right now or these rascals wouldn't have dared to be so bold. Still, I suppose most of them have paid a higher price for it than they would have liked. In truth, that brings me to the first point. I can kill these men or spare them – and I haven't yet decided which I plan to do. One of them grew up here, and although he's a bully, he'd not really hurt any of us intentionally. So, normally, I'd be inclined to let them go. Besides, Valrak is going to have to be dealt with at some point and I think our having saved some of his men might mitigate a portion of his wrath. However, if you'd prefer, we can make sure they never tell what they've seen here.”

  “Spare them,” the Telian replied without hesitation, “A corpse can't learn from its mistakes.”

  “You're right about that,” Kilren agreed with a smile.

  “Very well, I hoped that would be your attitude,” the elder continued. “However, that leaves us with another problem. These men know where you came from, and any fool could figure out that you're heading for Relan's Pass. It's the only road to anywhere through this village.”

  “That's true enough,” Tealor said with a slight scowl.

  “Now, this mean that, if we let them go, they'll run straight to Valrak and tell him what road you were on,” Elder Gill observed. “Of course, if I hold these men for a few days, he'll doubtless kill us all and burn Olinnor to the ground for extra measure. I've never heard of Valrak being overly understanding with people that have crossed him. So, we're back to killing them.”

  “That's unfortunate,” the warrior replied.

  “Still, there may be another way,” the old man said. “That is, if you'll trust an old man enough to tell him just where you're heading.”

  At this, Tealor and Ian exchanged glances, but said nothing. Darian stared silently at the old man, asking the Eilian to open his eyes and show him if the man before him could be trusted. After a few moments, he spoke.

  “We're heading to Andor's Fortress, if you know where that is,” the knight said.

  “I do,” the elder replied with a nod, “but, it seems you're taking a very roundabout way to get there.”

  “It seemed a good way to throw off our enemies,” Tealor said, glancing over at the young knight.

  “Well, the Eilian have blessed you. There is another – lesser known – pass that leads from this village down into the wilds of Innalas. I feel certain this fair creature could lead you on once you reach those lands,” he replied, smiling at Erana. “I've heard their king has no great love for Valrak.”

  “That's certainly true!” the elvish ranger nodded.

  “Temmas can lead you there immediately,” Elder Gill said. “Then, I can let these fellows go, and they'll rush off to Valrak with information that is less than accurate. Even if your enemies figure out where you've gone, they'll never be foolish enough to follow you.”

  In an instant, the decision was made. Within minutes, the party was resupplied and on its way. For several hours, the band trudged along behind their young guide. The winding trail he led them by would have been almost impossible to navigate without his aid. He seemed to set his course by certain stone
s and trees that ran along the nearly indiscernible path. Only those who already knew this road could hope to follow it.

  “So, Tealor,” Darian said suddenly, turning his eyes to the companion marching along at his side.

  “Yes,” the warrior answered.

  “What do you think of our destiny now?” the knight asked.

  “What do you mean?” was Tealor's counter-question.

  “I mean; we were obviously destined to save Olinnor,” Darian replied with a knowing nod. “That's why we were there.”

  “No,” the warrior shook his head. “We were there because we needed to pick up some supplies and our road led right through the village.”

  “Well, then,” the knight continued. “Why did we arrive just in time to save those people? Luck, would you say?”

  “Let me answer that with another question,” the warrior replied. “Why didn't destiny have us run into Valrak's men before they reached the village?”

  “What do you mean?” Darian asked.

  “I mean; it would have been a lot easier on the villagers had those mercenaries never reached them,” the warrior pointed out. “Don't you agree?”

  “I suppose so, yes,” the Telian said slowly.

  “Then, why didn't we defeat them earlier?” Tealor asked. “Did the Eilian merely want to make us look like heroes? Seems unfortunate that the villagers should have suffer for that.”

  “The Eilian would never do that!” the young knight exclaimed.

  “Exactly, Darian!” the warrior nodded. “Not everything in Areon is controlled by destiny. Some things just happen.”

  “Well, my fate is directed by destiny,” the Telian replied. “You can believe it or not, but I was meant to save those people.”

  “Maybe you were,” Tealor chuckled. “It seems I have a hard time telling where free will ends and destiny begins. It must be nice to have your fate dictated by the stars. No matter what you do, you were meant to do it and things always go just the way they're supposed to. I just hope destiny doesn't have some tragic fate in store for you.”