Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2)

by Aaron Thomas

  Kilen wasn’t sure what to say. He knew he held the consciousness of the men he had killed, but he was not able to control their former bodies. “What happened to their mind? How would a soul wizard be able to turn them against you?”

  Roedan seemed pleased to have Kilen ask questions, “We found out how they were able to do this years later. We captured one of the soul wizards.”

  Kilen interrupted the wizard, “There was more than one?”

  “Three, actually. We were able to find and execute two of them. The third we have been trying to track for years but the wizard is very slippery. The first one we captured described their powers as god-like. They would consume their victims spirit, leaving the soul in the body. The power of the spirit would fuel the soul wizard’s body, granting the ability to control their own age and health. Instead of aging, the soul wizard consumes a spirit forcing the husk like body to age twice or three times as much. Like their age, they can also siphon off the health of the body from their victims.”

  “How do you stop someone who commands an undead army and can heal from injuries by killing one of their soldiers?” Kilen was starting to shake, knowing there was still at least one soul wizard out in the world. He still wasn’t sure if he was one or not.

  “You must stop the heart or take the head of the soul wizard. I will tell you this Kilen, if you find one it is better to just flee and find others to help.”

  Kilen nodded his head, trying to get a handle on what he had just learned.

  Joahna spoke from the elemental form, now matching Kilen’s features. “How does the soul wizard take their victim's spirit?”

  Roedan turn his head to look at the elemental and then back to Kilen.

  “Their spirit is given willingly. I know this is hard to understand but human emotions are very complicated and the soul wizards have found a vulnerability most would overlook. The stories about the Dark Army came from how cruel the soul wizards were. They would bring a husband and wife before the wizard and threaten to kill one. Their spouse would volunteer anything to save their loved one’s life. They would even volunteer their own soul. Once they gave up their soul, the other would be persuaded. Then, both of the victims bodies would be used to collect more families and more victims. The entire Dark Army was built in this fashion.”

  The wizard was looking around at the different elements, not sure which one to talk directly to since Kilen was staring at the table.

  Kilen still didn’t know if he was a soul wizard or not. He never tried to consume a spirit, adjust his age, or heal using someone else’s body. He had not tried to rip the soul from someone either.

  “I hear you were trained by a Kapal.”

  The changed subject helped Kilen snap out of his thinking trance. “I was trained by Gortus. He is a Kapal. I did not finish my training, though.”

  “Gortus is a Kapal with a great destiny.”

  “He mentioned something about his destiny once as he was yelling at me.”

  Kilen could use a little help understanding Gortus as well.

  “Gortus is the son of the Kapal leader. Their chief. Their prophets say that the son of the chief is to bring a balance back to their race. He is to make them human again,” Roedan said.

  “The Kapal were human once?” Kilen was very interested in the Kapal’s history, so much that he forgot his worries of being a soul wizard.

  “Yes, well the father of the first Kapal was human. The mother was a human who was defiled by a soul wizard by giving her spirit to save the husband while she was pregnant with his child. The baby was a Kapal. We took in the Kapal and father but as you know, we could not use magic around the child. His father took him away from humans and eventually a new race, civilization, and customs were born.”

  “So the soul wizards created the Kapal.”

  “Yes, that is correct. They told me you were a quick student and wanted to be a scholar. I am telling you this not only because it is knowledge that not everyone knows, but because the third soul wizard is making another army. Recently we have had reports of the dead walking through the Water and Earth Realms headed for the Wind realm. We suspect that is where the soul wizard is sending its army. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a wizard in and out of its borders since the reports started. Even wind wizards are unable to get the information. The Elders here are creating a plan to find and kill the third soul wizard.”

  “You can’t help stop this, because of the soul wizard.” Kilen said slowly.

  Roedan put his finger on the tip of his old nose.

  “What happens if the Dark Army comes back?” Kilen asked.

  “Then we will call upon all weapon bearers, true or not, to come and fight with us. We will send Elders to the edges of the realms to gather all wizards to fight with us.”

  Kilen nodded his head, “Can the Dark Army be effected by magic, or are they like the Kapal.”

  “Magic can touch the dark army. You have to remember that magic is what sustains their link to the soul wizard. Without that link, their army would simply die. Actually, the reason we were able to capture the other two soul wizards was because of the Kapal. They were not affected by their minions strength in magic. Once the Kapal went near the soul wizards, they were just like other humans; unable to regenerate or manipulate their age. You see Kilen, the soul wizards have provided the tool that will be their undoing.”

  Kilen was confused about what tool Roedan spoke of.

  “If you kill the Dark Army one person at a time, does that mean the soul wizard will slowly die?”

  “Not necessarily. They can transfer wounds from one soldier to the other, and transfer age the same way. The only way that a soldier’s body can be stopped is to behead them or place something in the heart that prevents it from healing. The last time we faced the Dark Army, we would see the soldiers take a wound and it would heal before we could swing a second time. We know now that soldiers we couldn’t see were falling to the wounds we inflicted to the ones that we were fighting, but at the time the soldiers were seemingly unstoppable. This is the reason the Kapal people were so instrumental in the Dark Army’s downfall.”

  Kilen was starting to get brave with his questioning as the wizard seemed very open with his answers, “Are there other dangers out there like the Kapal, Dark soldiers, and soul wizards?”

  Roedan’s features darkened and he got up from the table.

  With his back to Kilen as he tossed another log on the fire, he spoke in somber tones, “We will give you the knowledge you need when you need it and not before. When the time comes to teach you of the other evils of this world, we will send you that knowledge. Right now, what you need is to be on your way. Alexander has reported to me that your friend Bowie now leads the king’s army advancement. He has already traveled to within the Fire Realm’s reach. If you are to prevent this war, you must travel swiftly to arrive in time. Ray will have your things packed and a map for you. You should travel along the eastern shore line beyond the mountains. It will be the fastest way to travel to the battle. Go there and seek out Elric Rekkan, King of the Fire Realm. He possesses the only authority to stop this war.”

  All of the tiny elementals started for the door. Kilen took one look back at the old wizard who still seemed shaken by the things he had seen in the past.

  Chapter 12 - Control of the Wind

  Max was hard at work not only carrying Kilen but moving obstacles from their way as he carved the way forward.The path was free of stone and bush as Kilen rode up the new mountain pass. It looked as though the mountain itself had made the path. Alexander flew high in the sky, followed by Joahna in his normal ice eagle form. Jace was not present in Kilen’s head but he could feel Jace nearby in the breeze that touched his skin. He felt as though eyes were watching him from the forest. The mountain seemed easy to climb for Max, as trees blurred in Kilen’s vision from the speed at which they traveled. They neared the peak as Alexander dropped from the sky and Joahna followed.

  Max continu
ed to climb until Kilen saw the wind wizard standing in a clearing near the top. Max trotted to a stop in front of him and Kilen dismounted. The wind wizard came near and placed a map in Kilen’s hand.

  “Do not get lost. I marked the path on the map. It will take you dangerously close to a pirate outpost named Kesterton. Pirates have wizards of their own and keep knowledge to themselves. They do not like anyone who lives on dry land. Kesterton is a place where ships amass and trades are made. Do not go near the city unless you have to,” Alexander cautioned.

  “I will do my best to avoid them. Is there anything else I need to know?”

  Alexander nodded and said, “Bowie has neared the area where battle lines will be drawn. He has no idea he has come into the enemies reach. The longer it takes you to get to the battle, the more danger he is in.”

  “I will get there as fast as possible.”

  “I know you will, Kilen. I will go ahead and fly to him now. He will be informed of your coming as quickly as the winds allow me.” Alexander began to let go of the flaps on his robe but Kilen put out a hand.

  “Alexander, do not forget to teach him to use his imbuement.”

  Alexander’s shoulders slumped and he finally nodded his head.

  “It takes a very long time to learn to use wind magic the way I do. I will do my best.”

  Alexander took flight, speeding towards the south. All three of Kilen’s elemental friends took the form of man and gathered themselves around him.

  The Ice man spoke first, “I will take the air and scout in front of you. We are very proud to be standing at your side, Kilen. When we get to the battle, we can help you prevent this war by talking with the Fire Realm’s king.” Joahna was speaking seriously as he normally did. “Max and I will be able to convince him to turn his army back. Now that you are a weapon bearer, perhaps you can arrange for the Fire Realm’s water canal.”

  Max stepped in, “It’s time for him to know, Joahna. You need to tell him who we are.”

  Kilen became confused. He knew who they were, or so he thought. The two Fire Realm men had kept a secret from Kilen. They had been hiding things from him since the start.

  Joahna sighed, “You are right, Max. Kilen, in our realm, the king is chosen for his skills in battle. He is chosen for his ability to lead and his ability to control himself while using imbued magical items. I taught Elric Rekkan to control himself since he was a small child. Elric and his brother were students of mine for a long time.”

  Kilen calmed a little now that he knew it was only the secret of Joahna being his teacher.

  Max continued, “We are his brothers, Kilen. Joahna is the oldest, Elric is the youngest. I taught him the sword while Joahna taught him control. You cannot have any two people better to convince him to stop this war.”

  Joahna made a sound of clearing this throat, but Kilen knew they had no need to clear their elemental throats. “We have to convince him it is us first. He will not understand without great difficulty why we come in elemental form. If he comes to know it is truely us, then we will stand a chance.”

  “He will also figure out that I killed you,” Kilen retorted.

  Max nodded his head, “We know him better than you, Kilen. We lost and died in a perfectly fair fight and that is something he will understand. You were the better warrior. He will understand, and if not, we will make him.”

  Kilen took a moment before replying to the elemental men he was seemingly stuck with. He understood why they would keep this from him at first, but revealing it only when they were forced to made him lose trust in them.

  “You know all of my secrets whether I want you to or not. You must not keep secrets from me if we are going to trust each other. If I cannot trust the voices in my head, then I can no longer trust myself.”

  The elementals all nodded and the whirlwind that was Jace moved forward.

  “I cannot begin to tell you the secrets that I know. You will have to trust us enough to know we will let you know that the secrets we reveal are secrets that are relevant to the now.” Jace was curt and to the point. “There isn’t time to be arguing about this right now. We have a war to prevent.”

  The wind that was Jace vanished and the leaves and dirt stirred up by his presence slowly fell to the ground. Max melted his stone form from a man into horse and moss sprouted from his back. Joahna took to the sky as a small white bird who no one would take a second look at. Kilen mounted and took his place as his legs sunk halfway into Max’s body. With the two melded together, Max began his sprint down the eastern side of the mountain.

  Kilen truly enjoyed the time with the wind in his face. The sound of the stone hooves on the mountain side gave him time to think of the things he hadn’t had time for. He was happy for the few moments without others inside of his head.

  He wished he’d done things differently. Kilen wished, most of all, that he could have said goodbye to his sister and mother the way he had wanted to. He hoped to leave his home town in search of wisdom, but only in his wildest dreams had he thought he would be able to see Deuterium. He never thought of picking up a blade and shield, or fighting in a war. He wondered what his father would think of him being a true weapon bearer. He wondered if he had what it took to become what everyone wanted him to be.

  He knew when this war was over he would have to master the way of the sword and magic; the skills worthy of being called a weapon bearer. He mostly depended on the voices in his head to make up what he lacked on the battlefield. He hoped it would be enough to survive one interaction with the Fire Realm’s king.

  Max was soon turning south at the bottom of the mountain. He lept over streams and fallen tree limbs and through underbrush blocking his path. Kilen knew that was the advantage to riding an elemental horse. Max didn’t need to sleep, eat, drink, or even catch his breath. As long as Kilen could stay upright in the saddle, Max would race south towards the battle ground.

  Kilen checked the map often, giving out the next landmark for Max to look out for. Together they would run through unfamiliar territory, awaiting the word of danger from Jace or Joahna. Looking at the map, Kilen calculated the time it would take to reach Kesterton. As time passed, Kilen was more sure that when he reached Kesterton, nightfall would have taken him. He knew that if he didn’t have to carry the armor and weapons, he would reach the battle sooner.

  He wondered how far Alexander had traveled by now.

  **********

  Bowie remembered the last time he truly hunted. This was different. For one thing his prey could now shoot arrows back, or worse, magic. He watched the trees and brush for any movement. There was no escape from the hunters at Bowie’s disposal, they tracked each sound no matter how big or small. Each time he closed in he had his bow pulled as tight as the string would allow. His heart raced and pounded in his chest. The strategy of catching men had changed his idea of hunting.

  He remembered the first time he fired an arrow at another human. He wasn’t given a choice. It was either kill the wizard or his friend would die. He hoped the choice would be just as clear when faced with shooting the enemy in the days to come.

  He was now a half day’s ride from camp with one hundred of his men. Those men were spread out in a line spaced so they could just see the eyes of the man to their left and to their right. Each man walked towards the camp with arrows ready. If an enemy tried to run, they would run towards Bowie’s camp and towards a set of archers waiting at its perimeter.

  A second set of men was placed where they now started their march to set up a new camp. More and more men would be sent out into the forest at a half day’s ride from the last. Each day the camp would move forward, getting fresh hunts and fresh minerals for Ria. And getting closer to the enemy. The danger would grow and more men would be placed in danger every time the sun rose. Bowie’s men were setting up camp as wagons full of supplies made their way up the road. Ria and Auburn had taken to traveling together for lessons on grace and etiquette and he was glad for the reprieve from the wom
en.

  Bowie had caught very little sleep in the last couple days. His mind was awake and alert but his body was tired and sore. He wanted to rest. He wanted to eat a turkey leg and some beans while sitting beside his father’s hearth in Humbridge. He knew it would not happen and if he didn’t stay upright, it may never happen again. Still, what pushed Bowie was not that he would have a cot to sleep on and full stomach when he returned to camp, but the ethics of his father. Work hard everyday for what it will earn you in the years to come.

  Bowie heard a snap in the trees in front of him. He was unsure how far ahead the snap happened but every man crouched and waited for more sounds. He looked to the men on each side and both were intently watching the area in front of them. The large trees covered with an earthen curtain of hanging moss made it hard to see anything on the other side. With soft and slow movements Bowie moved forward on practiced feet, silently walking through the moss covered forest. With his toe he brushed any leaves aside to reveal what lay underneath. Once the path was clear he placed his heel in the open spot and rolled his foot to his toe and repeated each step as he walked. The men kept low, waiting on his word to advance.

  His bow was half drawn to allow for a faster shot. Bowie had to watch his step when reaching his legs over roots sticking out of the ground. Finally, Bowie could see through the blanket of moss hanging down. The movement was slow, quiet and low to the ground. Bowie would have ridden right past had he been hunting on his own. He was glad to have his men spread out and take the time to walk the distance between camps. If not, the threat would have gone unnoticed.

  Bowie pulled the bow back to its full strength, taking notice of the creaking coming from the bow’s string. He held his position waiting for noises that said he had given himself away. He wasn’t sure if he could hear anything over the sounds his body was making. Bowie’s heart pounded in his ears and his breath sounded like a cyclone. He wondered if the movement on the other side of the moss could hear him also.