Bound to Survive (The Magic Within Book 1)

by Sharon Gibbs

  Athena chanted the words over and over again while she stirred the liquid in the bowl. She removed her pendant and the liquid swirled faster of its own accord. It shimmered as it moved and within the bowl a vision appeared. Arnak could see a woman as she gave birth. The next minute the vision appeared as a small child and although Athena couldn’t see the child’s face, the image showed him to be at the Keep and she thanked the Lord of the Underlands.

  ‘Brother, as we stand here, the child is at the Keep.’ Through her vision Athena had linked herself to the child. She could sense his magic, raw and untrained though it maybe. There was no other who held the same magic as him. ‘I want to leave at first light. We still have to travel many miles to reach the mountains and travel the hidden passage. The boy is at the Keep now, but who knows how long for,’ she said.

  Arnak strode from the tent. Outside a guard stood on each side of the entrance. Both were dressed in their full battle armour, in case the need to protect the Lord arose. Arnak went over to his Captain in charge.

  ‘Captain Hark, gather your men. Bring enough to overrun the Keep and the village nearby. Secure the Keep for me and you’ll be rewarded.’

  ‘Consider it done, my Lord,’ Captain Hark said and then he left to organise a party of soldiers to accompany their leader to attack the Keep.

  Royston Hark had joined Arnak’s army that first cold winter in Reist. He’d been bored with his life as husband and father. He’d had to make sacrifices for his wife as he endlessly tried to eke out an existence on their farm. But with a wife who complained constantly and several children to feed, life was hard and so when the offer for gold had come from the Lord of Reist in return for service in his army, Royston had jumped at the idea. His wife was happy as she held the purse of gold in her hands and hadn’t thought ahead to what she’d do when the money ran out. She assumed her husband would send more money home, and she’d been happy with the idea of Royston away with the army.

  Royston Hark was now free and he thrived on life under Arnak’s rule. He worked and trained hard and he rose within the army’s ranks. As his strength and knowledge grew so did his wicked ways, and before the ships set sail for the lands of Solencia, he’d made Captain and found himself in charge of a large regiment of men.

  Captain Hark would take his best team of men to lead the attack on the Keep. He could see the reward that Arnak promised him and even if there were no reward, he still would’ve done everything he could to please the Lord. Royston loved his new life and now that he’d left his family back home, he wanted never to return to them. He had already closed them out of his mind and now focused on the task before him.

  That afternoon the camp prepared for war. They’d travel light. Arnak and Athena would lead the soldiers who would carry their weapons upon their steeds and their sustenance would be stored within their saddlebags. The rest of the camp would stay behind and prepare to follow once the Keep had been taken.

  That night Arnak and Athena finalized their plans. Their journey would take them inland across the plains and through the woodlands towards the mountains. From there they’d travel along the hidden passage that led to the plateau.

  Before they retired for the night, Athena knelt on the floor beside her bed and prayed for guidance and support. They needed to find the boy and if luck were on their side, all would fall into place when they arrived at the Keep. Her thoughts delved towards Zute. Not only were they to look for the boy but also she had to find The Book of Alden. Athena needed the book if she wanted to bring Zute back to this realm. She rose from the floor and crawled under the warmth of her covers; sleep was what she needed now as they’d a long ride ahead of them.

  That morning the camp rose early and set out upon the journey to the Keep. All in the battalion were dressed in their armour and the banner men rode to the front as the armed soldiers followed in formation and they made their way across the land. Arnak and Athena travelled side by side upon their great stallions and led the battalion on its course to the mountains.

  That morning as the suns ray’s bathed Mount Bulog, Hierarch Astern sat by his window and soaked in the freshness of the cool spring air. The day ahead promised fine weather and the land had begun to warm. The Hierarch enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the morning and he watched Henry and Christopher as they left the Keep’s grounds. Christopher was still rugged up to ward off any morning chill and sat nestled behind Henry as their small wagon made its way out of the common.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  The day wore on and it did turn out to be as beautiful as the Hierarch thought. Eric attended to the Keep’s bookwork as money would be needed soon to pay workers when the harvest began. Soon it would be time for the animals to birth and the sound of new life would once again drift upon the winds.

  Eric closed the cover of the ledger he worked on. Sarah and Kate would arrive soon for lunch and Eric’s stomach had protested at its lack of food. Every day Eric’s family ate lunch together in his mother and father’s residence at the Keep; they always had. Henry and Christopher would be absent today but the rest of the family would still commune around the kitchen table. It would be the last meal they shared together. Unknown to this family, the horde was near and soon life for them as they knew it would end.

  Ready to return home after lunch, Sarah and Kate said their goodbyes when the smell of smoke drifted in to the Keep. A young lad burst through the front portal and yelled that the common was under attack. Eric bolted out of the Keep as smoke billowed from the common below. Others said they’d seen soldiers upon horses enter the grounds and then Eric saw them as they rode up the steep path towards the Keep. He called for all to go inside, but in the confusion few listened. He dashed back inside.

  ‘Mother, Sarah. Take the girls up to your rooms and arm yourselves. I’ll stay here as long as I can before I join you.’

  ‘What’s going on, Eric? You’re frightening me,’ Eleanor said. She’d never seen Eric behave this way.

  ‘There’s no time to explain, just go. We’re under attack!’

  Eleanor ushered the others up the stairs but Sarah lingered. She didn’t want to leave her husband.

  ‘Eric, what’s happening?’ she said, fear making her voice seem smaller than it usually was.

  ‘Go now!’ he yelled at his wife. He ran over to a fireplace and pulled a sword from the display. He was about to step through the portal when he saw several soldiers near the entrance. He turned and fled up the stairs to protect his family.

  The families in the common were easy to dispatch. As hard as they tried to protect themselves they were no match for this battle ready force, who, with no fear in their hearts, slaughtered the people and set fire to their homes. Arnak and Athena stood in the grounds at the front of the Keep. As they made their way up to the front portal the soldiers in the grounds rounded up the young boys for inspection and had them kneel on the ground to wait for Athena.

  Try as they might, the Wizards caught out in the open hadn’t developed their magic for battle and were dispatched easily as they feebly attempted to use their powers to rebuff the invading force.

  Arnak entered through the front portal. His soldiers stormed through the Keep as they searched the first level of the building.

  ‘Find me the boy! Now!’ he yelled at his men.

  Athena walked along the line of young boys gathered and she checked each one in turn, but the child they sought wasn’t amongst them. She could sense her brother’s anxiety as he emerged from the Keep and waited upon the stairs.

  ‘Brother, have the men find the Hierarch. He’ll know where the boy is.’ Athena could still sense the boy but she knew he wasn’t here. Not ready to tell Arnak this, she wanted to see if the Hierarch would divulge the child’s whereabouts.

  Not long passed before Hierarch Astern was dragged upon the stairs outside the Keep. Two soldiers held him down upon his knees as they waited for their Lord to approach. Arnak had been in the garden with Athena. He vented and raved about the path
they were supposed to follow.

  ‘This is the way of it!’ Athena said. ‘We’ll find the child. Go and find out what the Hierarch knows.’

  Arnak walked up to the Hierarch. He reached out and grabbed the man’s hair so that he could look at his face. It was already bloody and bruised as his soldiers had been rough with the man while they dragged him before their master. Arnak’s anger rose as they still hadn’t found the boy. Hierarch Astern wouldn’t look into Arnak’s eyes.

  ‘Where’s the boy?’

  Hierarch Astern remained quiet but he now looked at Arnak. Arnak leant closer and the Hierarch could smell his breath, as he spat his words forth.

  ‘Tell me where the boy is, old man, or I will slit your throat!’

  ‘The boy isn’t here. He’s gone and you’ll never find him.’

  Those were the last words he spoke as Arnak became furious with him and took his dagger from his belt. His anger soared. ‘I’m Lord Arnak Antrobus, ruler of Reist and son of Gerard Antrobus, the one you so defiled. You raped him of his essence and then thrust him out of your lands. You debauched our name and it’s now time for retribution. Know this, I’ll plague your lands. They’ll become mine, and I will enslave all to my will.’ Then, before Athena could stop him, he sliced the Hierarch’s throat. Blood spurted from the wound and covered the front of Arnak’s armour in a bright red sheen. Arnak let go of the Hierarch’s hair and he fell. His body slid and tumbled down the stairs to land at the bottom in a heap. His lifeless eyes stared out across the garden as Arnak walked back up the stairs and into the Keep.

  ‘Find me the boy!’ Arnak yelled at his men.

  Athena concentrated as she walked through the portal and into the foyer lounge. ‘This way,’ she said to Arnak and headed towards the passage near the dining room. When they’d reached the stairs Arnak took out his broadaxe and led the way up and as they reached the top, Arnak knocked over a vase of flowers with the handle of his axe and they fell. The glass vessel shattered as it hit the floor and sent shards across the landing. Soldiers passed Arnak and Athena as they reached the top and they moved down the hallway.

  Eric and Eleanor had shoved the heaviest pieces of furniture up against the door in an effort to delay the entry of anyone who should try their portal. Eric was frantic as he searched the small apartment.

  ‘Mother, does father have any weapons that could be of use to us?’

  ‘Eric, I only have my wedding dagger,’ she said.

  ‘Go and find it and stay with the children. Don’t come out, no matter what you hear.’

  Eleanor pulled out boxes from her kitchen dresser until she found the one that contained her dagger. She helped Eric reinforce the barricade in front of the door and then she grabbed her son and held him close.

  ‘Until we are together again, my son.’

  Eleanor knew in her heart that she wouldn’t see him again, and she walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

  As Athena and Arnak made their way down the hall they passed several doors. Some were closed and some were ajar but none did they enter as the soldiers would take care of those who remained in the Keep. Then Athena stopped. ‘This one,’ she said and nodded to the door. Behind the door Eric stood. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he heard the Sorceress’ voice.

  Arnak tried the door but found it locked. He stepped back and gave it a mighty kick. The door moved only slightly as the furniture held fast and kept the door closed. The lock, however, was now broken and Arnak pushed on the door to gain entry to the room beyond. But the heavy furniture held the intruders at bay.

  Two soldiers returned down the hall. Arnak called out to them, ‘You two open this door.’ The soldiers both pushed and the door moved a little. They used all their strength as they pushed against the wood to open it. The door shifted inwards a little and one of the soldiers tried to squeeze through the opening. He pushed his arm through the doorway as he tried to gain leverage, but instead was met by the blade of Eric’s sword.

  Eric wasn’t a fighter but he knew that to maim was just as good as to kill and would help to increase his chances. When the arm of the soldier pushed through the doorway he’d used all his strength and brought the sword down in one swift movement upon it. He imagined it would injure the man’s arm and cause him to retreat from the doorway. But this sword was true and as sharp as the day it had been made and it sliced right through the soldier’s arm, bone and all.

  In that split second there was no pain for the soldier, but it was surreal as he’d watched his arm fall to the floor. Shocked and in a panic, the soldier screamed as he held onto his stump.

  Arnak pulled the soldier out of the doorway and thrust him behind them. The soldier fell to the floor and blood spurted from his severed arm. The soldier tried to stem the flow of blood but his adrenaline had kicked in causing his heart to beat at a ferocious pace. His life’s blood spurted out of the wound and it wasn’t long before he lay on the floor, ashen and still.

  As Athena looked at the dead man she saw a cloud of vapour rise from his body. Then, as if it had been sucked into a vacuum, the vapour was drawn back down and was gone. Athena smiled. The Lord Zute now had another soul for his army in the Underlands.

  Arnak pushed all his weight against the door and with the other soldiers’ help they tried to open it.

  ‘Move out of the way!’ Athena would wait no longer. She held her hands in front of her and red bolts of lightning shot into the door which exploded inwards and cleared the way for them to enter. Athena hated to use her magic for these simple things as she could feel the drain on her own life force, but she’d lost patience.

  As they entered the room Eric struck forth with his sword. He was already battered from Athena’s blast, but he fought for his family as best he could. Arnak blocked Eric’s feeble attempts with his broadaxe. Then with one blow he knocked the sword from Eric’s grasp and it flew across the room to lie far out of his reach. Arnak grabbed Eric around the throat.

  ‘Tell me where the boy is!’

  Eric was unsure who this man was or who he asked about.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Eric said.

  ‘I seek the child born in this Keep. The one who is told of in the prophecies.’

  Arnak let go of Eric’s throat. ‘Where is he?’

  Athena could see Eric didn’t understand what her brother asked and then Eleanor came out of the bedroom. When she walked out she left the door open.

  ‘We don’t know who you speak of. Let us be, we’ve done nothing to you.’

  Just then Athena noticed Sarah on the bed. She pointed at Sarah. ‘She’s the one! The mother of the child we seek.’ The Du Laurent’s knew nothing of the Prophecy. Athena moved towards Sarah and as she entered the bedroom, Eric grabbed at Arnak’s broadaxe with an intention to kill these two who threatened his wife and child.

  Arnak swung around to face Eric and struck him. The blow caused him to stagger back and he landed amongst the debris. Arnak lifted his broadaxe and with one blow he inflicted a mortal wound in Eric’s side. As Arnak pulled his weapon from Eric’s body, blood and intestines gushed forth and pooled around him. Eleanor screamed as she watched the scene before her and ran back into the bedroom. She pulled her wedding dagger from her pocket in the folds of her gown. Then she raised the dagger and lunged at Athena. Eleanor meant to strike her in the heart, but Athena raised her hand to stop the blow. She used her magic and turned the dagger to face Eleanor. Eleanor struggled as the dagger pressed towards her own heart and it took all her strength to hold it at bay as Athena continued on towards Sarah.

  ‘Where’s your son?’

  Sarah knelt on the bed in front of the children. ‘I don’t know,’ she said.

  Athena smiled at Sarah. ‘You expect me to believe that you don’t know where your own child is? What kind of a mother are you? Of course you know. Maybe a little persuasion is all you need.’ With a flick of her hand Athena pushed the dagger closer towards Eleanor. Eleanor’s hands struggled to hold the dagger at b
ay.

  ‘Stop! Why are you doing this to us? We’ve done nothing to you,’ Sarah pleaded with Athena.

  ‘Tell me where your son is then.’

  ‘He isn’t here. He left this morning with his grandfather.’

  ‘And where did they go?’ Athena tired of this game. She wanted to know where the child was.

  ‘I don’t know!’

  ‘Hmm, well you better think,’ she said as she reached out her other hand and used her magic to lift Gabriella and Cynthia from the bed. The two girls began to scream as they were hoisted into the air and held there. Then Athena let them drop, just a little and with her magic she held them by the throat. The girls gagged as they struggled to breathe.

  ‘Stop! Stop it!’ Sarah screamed and lunged for Athena. Athena used her magic and froze Sarah. She slapped her hard and Sarah tumbled back onto the bed.

  ‘Tell me where the child is!’ Athena roared and increased her grip on the two girls. Eleanor screamed as she struggled with the dagger.

  Arnak walked over. ‘Enough of this. We’ll find the child! We’ll search every house in the village. Every village and town in this land, and we’ll find him!’

  Athena stared at her brother and with a final twitch of her magic she strangled the girls and let them fall onto the bed. Then she turned her magic on Sarah and Kate. Sarah screamed as she held Kate in her arms and Athena sent forth her magic and stripped them of their lives.

  ‘No!’ Eleanor screamed as she let go of the dagger and it plunged into her breast. As the dagger pierced her heart she dropped to the floor. Arnak and Athena walked out of the room.

  ‘Brother, I need to look through the Keep before we continue on. I shan’t be long. Have the men round up all the boys in the village. I’ll join you soon.’

  Athena wanted to look for The Book of Alden that she believed would be somewhere in the Keep.

  Arnak rode down to the village. His men had already rampaged through the streets and Arnak sent a scout of men to secure the woodlands and fields around the village in case the boy should return with his grandfather. But for now, he’d help his men take control of Canistar.