Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1)

by Billings, Ryne

  Caleb did not care about what he wore though. What had him on edge was that the figure approaching him had the same face as he did and had a spectral body.

  “I thought I killed you back in the throne room of Draesa,” Caleb said uneasily.

  “I am already dead, in case you didn’t notice,” the specter said in an amused tone. “You did hurt me pretty badly, but it was nothing that I couldn’t handle. In fact, I’m grateful. By using that sword on me, you made it seem as though I was dead to the curse that bound my soul to that room.”

  Caleb looked disturbed by that news. “I freed your soul from the ruins of Draesa?”

  “Yes, you did,” he answered with a ghostly smile. “I owe you for that.”

  “What do you want, Sir Edmond?” Caleb asked as he calmed his breathing. He had seen how strong Sir Edmond was in combat, and he had no intention of being caught off guard if it came down to a fight. He had no doubts that he could win by drawing upon the magic of his sword as he had done during their last fight, though he also knew it would not be easy.

  “I am not here to fight you, if that is what you are asking,” Sir Edmond said, surprising Caleb even more than before. “Tell me, Caleb of Kirakath, do you know why you are the first person in four and a half centuries to wield that sword?”

  “No,” Caleb said. Though the ghost’s tone gave nothing away, he felt as though he was not going to like what Sir Edmond said.

  “After I placed the Sword of Kirakath upon the throne inside the ruins of Draesa, I vowed that I would only tell one person where I put it. That person went by the name of Markus White. I entrusted the location of the sword to him and his family. The ones that told you where the Sword of Kirakath rested were no doubt descendents of his.”

  “I was told where it was by someone named Lance White,” Caleb said quietly.

  “That’s good,” Sir Edmond remarked. “Did he track you by the sword that your father gave you?”

  Caleb felt his blood run cold at those words.

  “How did you know that my father gave me that sword?” Caleb asked with anger in his eyes.

  “I had the sword crafted by the finest blacksmith in the land and enchanted by the most powerful enchantress around. The sword’s purpose was simple, really. It was intended to replace the Sword of Kirakath so that I could protect my family even after I hid the sword. However, I came to a conclusion for another use of the sword.”

  “What do you mean?” Caleb asked.

  “I had learned how to keep the Sword of Kirakath’s location from falling into the wrong hands. I told Markus that the location of the Sword of Kirakath could only be divulged to the one who wielded my sword. I also passed on my sword to my son when I grew older, along with the knowledge that the location of the Sword of Kirakath could only be learned by going to Caldreth with the sword. However, I told him that the Sword of Kirakath could only be sought in an emergency. Finally, I told him that he had to pass on the sword and information to his son when the time came. This became the method that the sword was passed down in my family,” Sir Edmond said seriously. “You are my descendent. That is the whole reason that you have the sword. Surely your father told you of the tradition before he passed it on to you.”

  “My father was on his death bed when he told me of the sword’s location and when he told me how to find out where the Sword of Kirakath was,” Caleb said, his voice low. He found it was tough balancing everything that Sir Edmond had told him, especially the part about them being related. “Kirakath was massacred weeks before I met you. I’m all that’s left of it.”

  Sir Edmond looked shocked at that news. “Kirakath is no more?”

  “The only survivors were myself and two others, but the others left Kirakath beforehand. I still have not heard recent news about them, so they could be dead,” Caleb said, looking away and lowering his sword.

  “When you came to Draesa those months ago… why did you seek the sword?” Sir Edmond asked curiously.

  “I sought revenge on the ones who killed my parents and massacred Kirakath,” Caleb answered without a hint of hesitation. “It would have been nobler of me to hunt them down to bring them to justice, but I won’t lie and claim that that was my intention. No, I hunted them down so I could bring pain to them like they brought it to me. Vengeance drove me. I realize now that I revenge is hollow, but given the chance, I would do the exact same thing that I did.”

  “I was once a knight,” Sir Edmond remarked. “Knights are supposed to live to the highest ideal of men. However, I have succumbed to darker emotions like hatred and rage before. I do not judge you for what you have done, but I do commend you for accepting your past for what it is.”

  Caleb was not surprised to hear that Sir Edmond had been a knight, but he looked genuinely surprised by the last part of Sir Edmond’s words. He had not expected the specter to speak of him like that.

  “It saddens me to hear of Kirakath’s demise,” Sir Edmond said quietly. “Kirakath was like a child to me. I was the one who founded the village all those years ago, and a great deal of it was my kin.”

  “My father told me that none of the other families in the village were related to us,” Caleb said, feeling confused.

  That earned a frown from Sir Edmond. “I suppose it’s possible that they died out and were replaced by new families. This makes you an even rarer person though. You and your father must have been the last two in the village to possess the Blood of Kirakath.”

  “What is the Blood of Kirakath?” Caleb asked. He immediately remembered his father using the term in the past, but he had never figured out what it meant.

  “The Blood of Kirakath is what allows you to use the magic of the Sword of Kirakath. It is a special type of magic that flows through the veins of myself and all of my descendents. Without it, the Sword of Kirakath is just a sword that can never dull,” Sir Edmond said.

  I never imagined the sword could only be wielded by someone in my family. I guess it explains a lot. Hang on a second….

  “You said that you and your descendents all have the Blood of Kirakath. What about your father? Did he have it to?” Caleb asked. By the look on the specter’s face, he had the feeling that it was not a subject that was spoken of.

  “I was the first person to ever possess the Blood of Kirakath. Not even the sword’s original wielder possessed it. The only reason that he could use it was because he was a powerful mage and was the one responsible for giving it the magic that resides within it,” Sir Edmond said stiffly.

  He’s not telling me everything, but I guess it doesn’t matter. I should be used to people keeping secrets from me by now. It’s not exactly unusual.

  He was broken from his thoughts as Sir Edmond began to speak.

  “As the last wielder of the Sword of Kirakath, I offer you an opportunity that no other can offer you. I offer you the chance to learn swordsmanship and how to use the sword’s magic.”

  That offer shocked Caleb more than anything he had heard previously from the specter. He could understand why Sir Edmond might have liked him as a person, but he did not understand why the specter would make such an offer to someone that had tried to kill him before.

  “What do you gain from this?” Caleb asked carefully.

  “That’s a discussion for another time,” Sir Edmond said. “Rest assured that I have no intention to cause you or any of your friends harm.”

  “I see,” Caleb said as he began to grow deep in thought. After a few minutes, he said, “I am sorry, but I can’t accept your offer. As much as I’d like to be able to control the sword’s magic and be able to fight by my own merits, I have something that I need to do. A group of assassins known as the Night Blades are after me. I’m going to go and deal with them.”

  “The Night Blades are not a group of men that can be defeated easily,” Sir Edmond said sharply. “I fought members of the Night Blades from time to time in my lifetime, and it is with experience that I tell you that you’re foolish if you think you can tak
e them on.”

  “They only have around eighty assassins left in their group,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “I’ll make it through this one; they won’t.”

  “It is your decision, but you will have to face the consequences for your decision as a result,” Sir Edmond said with a sigh. “Very well, I will allow you to do as you wish without trying to stop you. In time, I may offer you another chance to learn to use a sword and to use the Sword of Kirakath’s magic, but you won’t be able to take advantage of such an offer if you die before I can make it.”

  “I won’t die,” Caleb said with a strong look of determination in his eyes.

  “I hope that you are right. You have a destiny far greater than you realize, and you can’t fulfill it if you’re dead.” With those words spoken, he turned around and walked out of the clearing, disappearing as he entered the forest.

  Sir Edmond’s final words stayed with Caleb as he sheathed his sword and went back to sleep.

  * * * * *

  The next morning, Caleb woke from his dreamless sleep and saw light on the horizon. The sun was not yet visible, but he could tell that sunrise was not far away.

  I’ll worry about what Sir Edmond told me later. For now, I need to keep my mind on the task at hand. I need to take care of the Night Blades before I can even think about doing anything else.

  Picking up his saddle, he walked over to his mare and put it on her back. He then fastened it to her securely and removed the reins from the tree branch that he had set them on.

  “Come on girl,” he said with a clicking noise as he walked her out of the clearing and to the road.

  As he reached the road, he pulled himself in the saddle and kicked her into a canter.

  Even though he knew that he was rushing towards another bloody encounter, he could not help but face it eagerly. Fighting was beginning to become a bigger part of him than he had ever thought it would be, and he was not displeased by the thought as much as he knew he should have been.

  He had chosen not to live for fighting when he chose to be Hector’s apprentice, and the hunter had always told him that there was much more to life than fighting.

  Even with the knowledge that his mentor would not be pleased, Caleb could not deny that it was becoming part of his nature, and it was extremely difficult to fight his it.

  Chapter 8

  Caleb took a deep breath, inhaling the strange smell that had been assaulting his senses all morning.

  Once he had gotten closer to Umbridge, he had begun to smell a mixture of water and salt. It was a strong smell, and it was clearly indicative of the fact that he was near the ocean. In fact, he was near enough to it that he could see it, but it was at least a mile away to his right.

  Seeing as where he stood on the road had a somewhat high elevation, he could see his surroundings clearly.

  The city of Umbridge was only about a quarter of a mile away from him, and he had to admit that he was impressed.

  Umbridge was circular in shape and had a tall wall of dark gray stone surrounding it. Large iron gates stood at the front of the city, and it looked to be the only way into it without sailing around to the docks that stood at the other side of it.

  From the elevated spot where he stood, Caleb could see that the city was roughly two miles across and did not have too many open spots inside. At the center of the city, he could see a large castle that appeared to be made of the same stone as the walls around the city.

  Though he could not see the castle too clearly because of the distance, he was willing to bet that there were at least a hundred guards patrolling around it.

  Umbridge had a bad reputation for being the home of thieves, murderers, and assassins.

  Caleb’s hand idly went to his quiver, and his eyes went over his shoulder. I have thirty-five arrows. It’s not as many as I’d like, but making more is a pain, especially since I don’t have any of the equipment to do so.

  Shaking his head, he attached the quiver to the back of his belt and set his longbow in his lap. He quickly began to string it, pulling the bowstring taut once he was done to make sure he had not erred. Then, he slipped his left arm and head through the bow so that it rested on his right shoulder and against his left side. It would make it easier to get to the bow in a hurry, but it would not draw the suspicion that walking in with it in hand would.

  Kicking his horse into a trot, he made his way down the hill and to the gates of the city.

  Upon reaching the gates, he saw that there were two guards, and they were wearing chainmail, banditine cuirasses, and steel helmets that only covered the tops and the backs of their heads.

  “What business do you have in Umbridge?” one of them asked.

  “I’m just here to visit. I am known as Caleb of Kirakath.”

  The guards both looked shocked by his words.

  “Are you insane? What are you doing here? You’re a hunted man!” the other guard said.

  I guess that I can’t be too surprised that they know of me. The Night Blades are part of their culture if they’ve been around for as long as Nicolas and Sir Edmond said.

  “If I leave because of you, would the Night Blades be happy?” Caleb asked rhetorically. “They kill people who get in their way. I’ve seen it, so I’m going to bring an end to this hunt. Their hunt will come to an end after today.”

  “You march to your death,” the guard said, shaking his head. “There’s a stable right on the other side of the gates. Tell them Burt said you could keep your horse there. If you don’t die today, you can take it back.” It was easy to see that he did not think Caleb would return alive.

  “Thank you,” Caleb said with a grateful smile. That solved one problem.

  He immediately rode through the gates at that.

  * * * * *

  Caleb stepped walked down the street and stopped as he came to the marketplace. After he left his horse at the stables, he had headed straight down the middle street, intentionally seeking out the marketplace. He wanted to be in the most open space in the city when the assassins came for him.

  Looking around the marketplace, he saw that it was roughly twenty yards across and had various stalls surrounding it, making its circular design more prevalent. It had gray cobblestone covering the ground.

  I’m surprised not too many people are around. Umbridge isn’t a really big city, but there are supposed to be over five thousand people living here.

  Shaking his head, he ignored the ten or so common folk that were standing in front of the various stalls.

  Caleb walked up to one of the stalls to his left that did not have anyone browsing it already. The man standing behind it appeared to be in his mid twenties, had a rough appearance, and wore earthy colors. What attracted him to the stall was the fact that there were bows, arrows, bracers, and quivers on it.

  “That’s a nice longbow,” Caleb remarked as he looked at one of the two bows that were set out to be displayed. He picked it up by the black leather that acted as a grip. “It’s perfectly balanced, and it’s definitely yew. It’s probably the best made long bow I’ve ever seen.” He then sat it down and looked at the bow that had been placed next to it. The arms of that bow were shorter than that of a long bow and they curved at the ends. He had never seen a bow like that before. “What is that?”

  “That’s a yew recurve bow,” the man answered pleasantly. “It’s shorter and has a lower draw weight, but it’s lighter and is almost identical to the long bow in the force it can launch an arrow at.”

  “That’s interesting,” Caleb said thoughtfully. He had heard of such a bow before, but they were not as popular in Arcadia. They were of Calian design, and Arcadians had a tendency to reject anything Calia liked unless there was no other suitable alternative. It looked to be a useful weapon though. If he had more coin in his pocket, he would have bought it right then and there. “I’ve had two yew longbows, and they’ve served me well.”

  “I can understand that,” the man said with a nod. “People like to rely on
what they’re used to. I actually learned to craft this type of bow when I was in Tir. A group of assassins from that city use recurve bows only, and they are infamous for their marksman skills.”

  That was not something Caleb knew. It seemed there was one place in Arcadia that liked the Calian bows after all.

  “I’ll come back and try one of these out whenever I get the chance,” Caleb said with a smile. “Longbows may have served me well in the past, but I like to keep my bow wrapped in canvas and tied to the back of my saddle when I ride. Naturally, that makes the bow stick out on both sides. It prevents me from riding between trees unless they’re spaced apart quite a bit.”

  “I see,” the man said, suddenly nervous.

  “Act normal,” Caleb muttered under his breath. “Do they fire arrows of the same length as long bows do? It looks like the string is shorter.”