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

by Aaron Thomas

  He wondered how she stayed so cool in a dress that came all the way to the chin with lace and trimmings. She moved to step off the wagon and Leroy rushed to hold out his hand, as any proper man would do. She had taught him enough of proper behavior on their improper dates for him to start knowing how to treat a lady.

  “Are you sure you want to start it here? The materials are a little scarce.” Leroy was still trying to catch his breath, which seemed harder because of the heat. Looking back at the lake and the town of keepers the sun illuminated in the foreground he began to come up with a plan. “I guess I can build the base out of rock and haul that over from the lake. I might be able to get the others to lend us a hand in loading the wagon.” Leroy said untying the cattle from the back.

  “Yes, this place will do fine. I will get started planting if you want to unload the sheep,” she said more like a command than a question.

  Leroy really hated the sheep, but they served more than one purpose. Clothing and if needed, food. He was still unsure what he had gotten himself into; Izabel had bought two sheep and two cows on the way. The undiscussed purchase of the animals gave a more permanent feel to their relationship, but he could be just reading into things.

  The sheep rode in the wagon for most of the way. The cows pulled the wagon when the horses needed a break, but often in an unwanted direction when they were spooked. He had broken three wheels and knew he was lucky to not have broken more. The two cows now followed on lengthy ropes behind the wagon.

  “Let me get the livestock to the water and then shade before I start putting up the tent.” Leroy knew that if he could get the building up, then Izabel’s plans would be a success. She was very talented with herbs and remedies, and Leroy had a knack with food. They planned on putting up an inn for travelers to stay in along the road. If Leviathan Castle ever rose from its watery depths, the inn would be just a stone's throw from Keepers and in a great location for business.

  Izabel seemed eager to sink her fingers into the rich soil. He watched as she chose an open spot with sparse grass. The place for her garden just happened to be the same place he was going to choose to put the foundation for the inn. Leroy shook his head and continued to work on untying the cattle from the back of the wagon. The cows went straight for the water so Leeroy unloaded the sheep for them to get a drink as well. She had acquired a male and female of both cow and lamb. Izabel had the thought to breed livestock so they could feed their visitors without fear of running out of meat.

  Leroy finished watering the animals and made his way back to the wagon while they grazed in the open, waist-high grass. When he reached the wagon, he noticed a man approaching on a horse. He started to unload the tent, but as the rider appeared in the distance he recognized him as Sergeant Wells.

  Leroy stopped what he was doing and waited for him to finish approaching, “Did I forget something?”

  Wells stepped off his horse and tied it to the wagon. “Some of us in town don’t agree with your father’s dislike of the girl. We figured we would help.”

  “My father’s going to allow you to help?” Leroy stopped tugging at the knots of rope around the packed tent.

  “Does it matter? He’s not a mayor and we are not his subjects. We will do as we please. I have come to find out what you will be doing out here.”

  Izabel approached, brushing the loose dirt from her hands, “We will eventually be building an inn. For now, we are just trying to get some plants started and a place to keep the animals.”

  Wells nodded, “I will get some of the people to see what scraps we can lend to you. Leroy, don’t forget the horses you bought before you left. We are still using them but you may want to demand them back from your father.”

  Leroy smiled, “Thanks Sergeant. I’ll think about.”

  “Can I give you a hand with the tent?” He asked.

  Leroy nodded and they pulled it from the wagon.

  “Your father has been worried about you. He figured you would at least write, telling him you made it to Deuterium, or when you would be on your way back.” When Leroy didn’t respond to his banter he cleared his throat, “He thought you were dead, Leroy.”

  “Well, I’m not dead, and I am home. He didn’t even welcome me back. At least my mother hugged me before he kicked us out, and she is dying.”

  “It will take some time for him to see you as being alive, but he will come around. He is right though, you cannot build a inn, shop, or house in Keepers. King Atmos will come down on all of us for taxes,” Wells said.

  “I know. I shouldn’t have suggested it. I just wanted to come home and there are promises that I made,” He said, sticking his chin out in the direction of Izabel.

  Leroy did not really want to get rid of Izabel, but he did want to make good on his promise and he couldn’t unless his father let him come home. Leroy picked up a rock and started pounding the tent stake into place.

  Wells replied a bit more somber, “As long as you know.”

  The rest of the stakes were hammered into place and oil treated poles lifted the canvas off the ground to form the tent. Leroy began adjusting the guide lines to the tent and saw a few carts on their way to his site. “Who is that?”

  Wells laughed, “I’d say the rest of the people who disagreed with your father. Looks like they’re done loading the supplies. Mostly stone for the foundation right now, but we will collect some good lumber from around the lake as soon as this is built. You said an inn, right?”

  Even though he thought she wasn’t listening, Izabel yelled out from where she was digging in the dirt, “Yes. He did say an inn.”

  The men looked at each other and laughed.

  “A fence for the livestock, and eventually a stable for the guests horses,” Izabel said.

  Wells smiled as he helped tie the knot around the tent stake, “She is not demanding at all.”

  Leroy looked at the girl digging in the dirt, “She is my burden for getting mixed up with a weapon bearer.”

  “Don’t you forget it, Mr. Bradley,” She said without looking up.

  **********

  Twilix was starting to take control of her emotions again. Today by far, had been the easiest to get out of bed and start the day. For some reason she actually wanted to train Kara instead of taking a bath. Except now Kara seemed to be acting strange. The last two days she had not complained once about Twilix being slow.

  “Kara, are you feeling well?” Twilix said while busy combing Kara’s hair, as it had become tradition before leaving their room.

  “I am fine, thank you.”

  “You haven’t been talking much lately. Especially about getting out of this room. I mean, you haven’t even asked to go into town in the last couple days.”

  The brush went through her dark hair a couple more times before she responded, “I talked to Brandon and he has me thinking.”

  “Well if it’s Brandon, I’m sure it wasn’t too deep of thought,” She smiled at the joke. In the mirror she saw that Kara wasn’t smiling.

  “But it was. He said he is taking a risk letting me out of the dungeons. He also said if I were to go into town, it would be an even bigger risk. If King Atmos found out, Brandon would most likely be punished instead of not me.”

  “So you don’t want others to be punished for you being out of the dungeon, but you can't go back into the dungeon?” Twilix asked while waving the hair bush like a septer.

  “Yes,” she said as she turned in her chair. “Brandon has let me stay out of the dungeon, but what happens when the king returns and I have to go back in? I’ll become angry and lose control. Then he will surely be punished,” Kara said looking at the floor.

  “Yes, I guess he will be, won't he?” Twilix set the brush down on the silver tray it rested on throughout the day. She sat down on the chair and thought for a moment. Kara watched her thoughtfully, clearly turning the situation over in her mind. Twilix’s mind had been clouded by the magic of late. It frustrated her to know that she missed such a situati
on.

  “Kara, I know you feel as though this is your fault, but we all played a part in this. I am the one who convinced the guards to let you out, and I convinced Brandon to let you stay out. Although we all had a hand in this, we all knew the risk we would be taking. Even Brandon knew.”

  “So what do we do? I can’t go back in the dungeon, and I can’t let you all be punished for me,” Kara said.

  The smile on Twilix’s face widened, “We need to train you. C’mon.”

  Twilix was on her feet and out the door in a flash and Kara tried to stay on her heels. The guard that was standing in the hallway jumped when they bolted out the door.

  Twilix yelled over her shoulder as she pulled Kara along by her arm, “Come on boys, there’s a fire wizard loose on the grounds!”

  The guards came running out of the room, holding their armor in their arms as they chased the girls down the hallways. Kara rounded the corner and tripped over her new legs. Twilix and her both crashed into the wall and laughed at their failure to get away. The first guard rounded the corner and they squealed as they started running again. Being around Kara made her feel like the tiny carefree wizard everyone had thought she had been.

  The two girls threw open the door to the training grounds and ran across the cracked dirt while the wielders all tried to keep up and put on their clothes at the same time. One was still holding his breeches and running in his small clothes. The girls laughed and turned their backs to them so he could finish getting dressed.

  Twilix blurted out a half apology, “Sorry, we’re just having a bit of fun.”

  The large, bald leader spoke to them for the first time that Kara had heard, “You are lucky we don’t strap you both and put you both in the dungeon.”

  Twilix gathered her full height and stomped up to the bald wielder. “You think I like having you follow us all over this castle like I need a caretaker? You are merely a feeble precaution that would not stand a moment if this girl opened her strength on you. Threaten me like that again and I will freeze your tongue right out of your mouth. If we want to run through the castle, we can. If I want to go into town without you confining her to a room, then I will. You do not own me or any other wizard. Truthfully, the only reason you have imbuements is because of wizards, so you should be thanking us for giving you the power you wield. Go on, thank her for the power.” Twilix held out an open hand towards Kara.

  “We are done, the advisor can put you back in the dungeon himself.” The leader of the wielders took a couple steps back, then turned and walked away. The rest of the men followed and none looked back.

  “Great, now Brandon is going to make me go back. Why did you do that?” Kara said.

  “You’ll see, but for now let us get to practicing. I want you to try something. It’s a very powerful skill that takes a lot of strength. It is called Inferno Fire. It takes a few different skills in magic to use it properly and it should speed your training along.”

  Kara seemed to perk up at the name “Inferno Fire.”

  “Wait, I read about this in one of the books you brought down. It turns heat in on itself until you create a ball of pure intensity.”

  “Yes, that is how Mary described it. Would you like to try it?”

  “What should I try and use it against?”

  Twilix turned Kara around and pointed at a very large boulder that Brandon had left behind during his battle with Kilen. The boulder was the remnant arm of his giant stone elemental, the point of the giants elbow reminded her of the large wielders bald head.

  “How much do you remember from the book?”

  Kara closed her eyes and tried to remember, “Not much. It said to force the heat to push itself into a tight ball, wrapping layer after layer of heat until it becomes almost too strong to hold.”

  “Each element has an ability to do this and each element is done in the same way. I start with a small amount of my magic to get it rolling. I let it pull itself into a tangle and I keep pushing it to roll. The center of the rolling magic will start to pull itself inward and all you have to do is keep the magic from escaping as you push more in,” Twilix said making motions with her hand as she demonstrated the magic.

  Kara nodded at the description.

  “Listen, it is very dangerous so I will do it first and you can watch. You will see that I must release the magic before it overcomes my ability to maintain it. At first it is easy to contain, but it will very quickly overpower you if you go too far. Watch and pay attention,” Twilix commanded.

  Twilix began rolling the magic into a ball and Kara watched as layer after layer of liquid ice rolled in between Twilix’s hands. Slowly, it grew in size from grape, to egg, to the size of a fist.

  “I’m almost there, watch.” Twilix let out a grunt and the ball of liquid ice streaked across the training grounds leaving a frozen path all the way to where it landed. Shards of ice spiked out in every direction as the ball impacted on the rock’s surface.

  Kara was staring at Twilix and didn’t seem to notice the damage done by the impact of her magic.

  “Are you ready to try?” Twilx asked.

  “Your eyes changed color.” Kara said, pointing at Twilix’s face.

  “Kara, have you never looked into your own eyes in the mirror while channeling magic? All of our eyes change color. Your eyes change to red when you channel. That alone is enough to unnerve some people.”

  Kara put a hand to her own face, “I suppose it would, wouldn’t it.”

  “Well, we can look into the mirror later. Would you like to try Inferno Fire?”

  “Yes, I can try.” She said turning to face the stone.

  “Okay. Start small. I want you to release it long before you reach your full potential. There’s plenty heat about with this sun baking us, so it should build fast enough. Oh, and you will want to hold onto the magic and push it away from you before you release it or it will splash flames all over us.”

  “You are making me nervous,” She said, starting to take a step back.

  “Well, you should be, but I would rather you learn with me here than on your own. Go ahead and try, I’ll be here to help if something goes wrong.” She gave a smiled to encourage Kara to try.

  Kara shook her hands at her side as if it would help and began to build the swirling fire. Soon, she had liquid flame rolling around between her fingers. Twilix took a step back because of the heat emitting from Kara. She watched as Kara closed her eyes and continued to push the flames into a tiny, rotating ball.

  “Thats enough, go ahead and throw it,” Twilix encouraged from a safe distance.

  Kara pushed her hands forward and used magic to launch her egg-sized ball of liquid flame. Halfway to the stone target, the embers erupted from their tiny prison and threw flames around the training grounds. The loud boom that followed scared Kara so much that she jumped back and let out a squeak. The ice path that Twilix had made with her ball all but disappeared from the heat. Some of the ice on the stone melted even from a distance where the flames landed.

  Kara turned to Twilix, “That was fun.” She had a smile on her face and turned to watch the flames dissipate from the ground, as nothing was there to fuel them.

  Twilix took a couple more steps back, “Go ahead and try again, this time a bit stronger and hold onto it until it hits the stone if you can.” Twilix gathered water to herself just incase she needed to extinguish any flames Kara couldn’t control.

  Twilix laughed to herself as Kara waved her hands in a circle like it would help form the ball of flame. Some wizards used gestures or motion to help them hone their talents; it wasn’t needed, but could make the effort easier. Sometimes a wizard would give away an attack by the way they moved their arms. Twilix made a mental note to tell Kara about it later so she could become aware of what she was doing.

  Sweat formed on the Kara’s brow, Twilix was sure it had little to do with the heat being pulled in the spiraling flame between her fingers. It grew to the size of an egg and Twilix watched as Kara c
ompacted the flames and added to it until she could not maintain its size any longer.

  She knew if this went badly she would have to heal Kara. Even liquid flames were too much for her to protect herself from. She gathered a tiny rotating ball of water and pushed layer after layer in on itself so she had a sphere about the size of a wagon wheel sitting on the ground in front of her.

  The second fire sphere was launched and went erratically through the air until it collided with the stone next to the one Twilix hit. The collision of the flame on stone seemed to shake the air. Kara smiled and began forming another, not waiting on Twilix to give the order. The third was same size and power as the second, but spun and struck the corner of the stone Twilix had aimed at. The inferno spewed out in a cone behind the stone causing a display of various colors of flame.

  Kara was laughing while she sent more spheres hurtling towards the rocks left on the battlefield. She laughed at the constant boom resonating from her practice. An occasional arch of liquid heat leapt out of the balls followed by a squeal from Kara. Twilix easily batted them away with a burst of water from her reserve.

  It didn’t take long for Brandon to come walking out onto the field. He had kept a close watch on them since they aged. He looked confused as he tightened the sash on his robe. Kara had obviously woken him from his slumber.

  “Where are the wielders?” Brandon asked as he looked around the field.

  “Well… they were here a moment ago,” She smiled as she looked around. Twilix had been waiting for this moment since she thought of the idea. She even turned in a big circle as if looking for them.

  “Well, at least you’re here. I will find them and have them stripped of their imbuements,” Brandon said running his hand across his forehead.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary since I upset them so.” She smiled and did her best to bat her eyes, “We took a little jog this morning to get use to our new legs. They said they were going to beat us for running off. I told him we didn’t need a babysitter. It was all very unpleasant but in the end they were happy to oblige.”