The Willbreaker (Book 1)

by Mike Simmons

  Brandon remembered Florian, the Bauth’Dok slave driver. His hair, even his eyebrows, were white as snow. All of the slave drivers looked that way, an obvious alteration of their minds, performed by the Bauth’Dok Blademaster himself. Brandon nodded, seeing why Florian repeated the words of the Bauth’Dok as if they were his own.

  “You are evil, conniving demons. You and yours alike seek the metal that my masters claim, for yourselves. You want the power. You want the energy it possesses. It is not your metal to take. My masters cannot survive without it. You pay for your evil ways down here, mining. Consider yourself lucky, mule. You have been chosen to earn your forgiveness. You have been chosen to mine for us, and in your death, you shall earn forgiveness."

  Those words were of the Blademaster and Florian believed they were his own, right down to his core. It all made sense now.

  The thoughts of the slave drivers made Brandon curious. He changed the will of the Kella’Dune. Did the Guardian change any?

  Brandon stood up straight, looking back into the woods. Edward perked up to attention at Brandon’s quick movement.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “Guardian!” With one word, the Guardian crashed through the trees, quickly entering the camp, ready to attack. It had its giant hands clenched in massive fists and its eyes darted around the camp looking for trouble.

  “It’s okay friend, I just want to look at you.” Brandon said, raising his hand the giant’s face. As he did, the tense muscles of the beast eased and it lowered its head, placing its cheek against Brandon’s hand. The head of the Guardian equaled the size of a wagon wheel, only round and solid. Brandon looked deeply at the impressive creature’s face. The eyes.

  Brandon did not see it before, perhaps because the beast stood so tall. Its eyes were not black like the others; they were a soft and comforting blue, the same blue as Brandon’s eyes. He smiled gently, tapping his hand on the beasts head.

  “Thank you, good friend. I feel much safer with you here.” The beast briefly closed it eyes with Brandon’s touch, stood and then crept back into the woods.

  Edward watched intently. As Brandon returned to the fire, Edward looked at him questioningly. Brandon spoke before Edward had a chance to ask questions.

  “When the Guardian was going after you, I managed to change its will. The residual effect of my magic turned its eyes blue. It is a side effect of the will bending process. I wanted to see it for myself.”

  Edward nodded and then scrunched his eyebrows deep, as if realizing something monumental. He covered his face in an open palm.

  “What, Edward?”

  Edward looked at Brandon. “Back in Darrow’s Hold, I knew it. I knew there was something that I was missing. This is not the first time you bent the will of another, Brandon.”

  Brandon looked interested.

  “The woman in the red robes, the flame wielder that attacked us in the Hold, do you remember anything in particular about her?”

  Brandon shook his head. “Nothing special, why?”

  “Right before she was going to light us aflame, do you remember me yelling to stop?”

  “Yes, you yelled at Jasmine to wait as she ran her through with her sword. Still not totally sure what you were up to.”

  “She started crying, like she realized what she was doing was wrong. She was not the same person as she was, she changed! Did you see the color of her eyes?” Edward did not stop talking but Brandon shook his head no. “Her eyes were blue, just like yours. I believe in the desperation of that moment, you bent her will. It has been bothering me since we left Darrow’s Hold. I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu over that.”

  Brandon did not remember; that seemed so long ago.

  “Perhaps it was, if I was able to do that back then. Or perhaps it was something else. I’m not sure.”

  “It all makes so much sense now. Ha!” He barked, hitting his hand upon his knee. Edward smiled happily. “You have been able to change people’s wills this whole time, who would have known?”

  Brandon shook his head, disregarding Edward’s words. Brandon remember when he felt normal and he like the feeling. He liked to remember the times when the weight of the world did not rest on his shoulders. Things were simpler back then. Everything seemed easier, but those times were gone.

  The two men sat around the fire in silence; it felt peaceful and relaxing. The heat comforted them both. Brandon stared into the coals. Edward reached behind him and grabbed a small handful of berries they picked a few hours earlier. He popped one into his mouth.

  Brandon watched Edward chew on the berry and got an idea.

  “Hey, Edward, would you mind if I tried something, if I tried something on you?”

  “You mean with your magic? I suppose, as long as it is safe.”

  “I will not hurt you, I promise, I just want to experiment with something.”

  Edward threw another berry into his mouth.

  “Are those berries tasty? Do you want to eat them?”

  Edward nodded, looking at Brandon oddly. “Yes, they are fine, and yes, I want to eat them.”

  “Ok. Do you plan on finishing the berries in your hand?”

  “Yes, that’s an odd question.”

  “Bear with me.”

  Brandon opened up the barriers of his mind, letting the coolness sweep over him. It flooded his mind, rushing through his veins like ice water. He opened his mind to Edward, entering his thoughts. A hundred of them ran through Edward’s consciousness. Each though expanded from his central core like strands of energy. Brandon sifted through them, seeking one in particular. He looked past thoughts of Jasmine, the Empress, and the Guardian, all sorted in columns. Brandon saw Greylin, Edward’s sister, and even an image of himself. He sifted deeper, looking for the little things. The campfire, the hardness of the log beneath his rear and then he found it: the desire to eat the berries, to satiate his hunger. It appeared as a smoky image, connected to Edward’s mind with a thin glowing string, blue as the ocean. Brandon grabbed ahold of the string, and plucked it. The string vibrated to Brandon’s strum, but it did not break. Brandon heard the tone of his magic.

  “Edward, do you want to eat those berries?”

  “Yes, Brandon, I already told you that.”

  Edward raised his hand, as if attempting to pop another berry, but his arm stopped halfway to his mouth. Edward’s mouth hung open. He lowered his hand as his arm began to shake.

  “What the…” He tried another time, lowering his arm and then raising it fast, but the arm stopped halfway again while his fingers held the berry tight.

  “I… I can’t.” He said, looking slightly frightened and confused.

  Brandon hid his small smile. “Why can’t you?”

  Edward looked at Brandon. He knew that Brandon somehow prevented him from eating the berry. He did not know what he did, or how he did it, he had a terrible fear of eating the berry, although he knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

  “Please, Edward, tell me what you are feeling. Why can’t you eat the berry?”

  Edward looked around, searching for the words. “I really want to, but I just can’t. I have that feeling of uncertainty and terror. It’s like trying to jump a gorge to get to another piece of land, but the distance is too great, and the fall is too far. I do not think I can do it. My body will not cooperate with me. This is the strangest feeling.” He tried again, but he hesitated, until failure. Brandon reached again and withdrew his touch.

  Edward tried hard to eat that berry and now without the hesitation, the berry flew out of his hand and hit him in the eye.

  Brandon burst out laughing. Edward gave Brandon a dirty look before he too started laughing.

  “Alright, one more test if you don’t mind, Edward. You are a psionicist, but I have never seen you use the ability. Any reason?”

  “Yeah, after I use the psionic side of my powers, I get terrible headaches. I am not sure why it happens, but the inconvenience of it tends to make me withhold t
hose abilities.”

  “Well, if it is alright with you, would you access your psionic ability for me, just for a moment?”

  Edward looked at the ground and focused on a rock the size of an acorn. With a small twitch of his eye, the pebble shook, and slowly rose from the ground. The small feat impressed Brandon. He had never watched anyone levitate something with their mind.

  The rock stopped floating upward at eye level and Edward smiled.

  “Ok, Edward. Can you keep it there?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  Brandon reached into the pool of cool energy. It pulsed and sucked him in, filling him with vibrant and refreshing power. The power blew over him like a frosty wind. He opened his mind again, seeking out Edward’s consciousness. Brandon flew through the chaotic columns of Edward’s thoughts until he found what he sought. Edward pulled his magic and it lit up his mind like the sun. The brilliant and shimmering yellow power centered on a single thought: the focus of using his power to raise the rock.

  Brandon released his power into the glowing mass of Edward’s thought. The blue energy swept over Edward’s mind, soaking up his energy like a sponge. It only took a brief moment for the yellow power within his mind to dissipate. Brandon pushed against Edward’s will. The rock floating in front of their faces dropped to the ground.

  Edward stared at it. “I cannot… I cannot use my power,” he stuttered. Brandon corrected him. “You can use your power; you just do not have the will too. I have not broken or changed your will, I have just bent it. Just like this, and it returns back to normal.”

  Brandon withdrew his power, a surprisingly easy task. The ease at which he navigated Edward’s mind made Brandon understand the true power behind his abilities.

  The rock shook again and rose upward. Edward’s power flowed as if it never faltered. He spoke a single, simple word. “Wow.”

  Brandon recognized the fatigue that overtook him. The morning sun would be rising soon and neither Edward nor Brandon had gotten any sleep. He patted Edward on the shoulder and smiled. “Bed time, friend? I’m exhausted.”

  Edward looked up into the night sky. “Yes, yes, it’s time. I need some sleep.”

  As expected, the morning came early for Brandon and Edward. Jasmine cleaned the camp as Brandon readied the horses. They snacked from the leftover jerky and cheese in Edward’s sack as they worked. Brandon cinched down Firecracker’s saddle and then looked over at Edward.

  “Edward, we need a name for the Guardian.”

  Edward glanced up from jamming a blanket into one of the packs. He looked into the woods where the Guardian stood, still looking around on alert.

  “Blue!” he shouted out, laughing to himself. Brandon looked at him, wondering if he should take Edward seriously.

  “Come on, Blue is a great name!” Besides his eyes, Brandon’s eyes, ‘Blue’ seemed an odd name for such a ferocious creature.

  “Blue? Guardian!” The Kella’Dune Guardian burst from the woods and dropped his head before Brandon. Brandon outstretched his hand and placed it on the beast’s head.

  “Do you want to be called ‘Blue’?”

  The Guardian raised its head and looked at Brandon. It had a look of wonder in its eyes. Although it did not speak, Brandon nodded his head as if it did.

  “Alright, Blue it is!” He chuckled as he patted the beast on the jaw.

  Edward laughed and said something to himself. Brandon turned back towards Firecracker and tossed two saddlebags on his back.

  Within the hour, the three riders headed down the Paraline River towards Orlimay. Blue walked behind them making deep imprints in the ground with each step. As they rode, Edward on Brare and Jasmine on Baby, Edward conveyed his thoughts to Brandon.

  “So, I am not totally sure how this is going to work. In about two weeks we will reach the border into Cloudkeep Kingdom. As if it is not dangerous enough, things are going to get much worse then. Are we planning on riding into Orlimay and fighting her army by ourselves?”

  “No, Lord Reinhold will be there. I have seen it.”

  “In a vision? Oh, yes. Okay. Well, what is our plan? Do we have one?”

  “To be honest, I am not totally sure. I just know that I have to be there and that I am the one who must confront Aurora.”

  “I do not mean to interrupt, but what if we are wrong? I know you have the power to make a difference, but what if something happens? What if things go bad and you are captured, or worse? You already told me that you would not change her will.”

  As he spoke, Brandon shook his head in agreement. He would not use his power that way against Aurora. He would not use his power that way against anyone. Although it might stop the war between the two kingdoms, the means to which he could stop the war went against everything Brandon believed in. That is what I believe, and how much would I pay for my beliefs? Everything.

  “I will not change her will, or anyone’s will for that matter. Who am I to do such a thing? I am not a God. I am not the Creator, and I think they hold a special place in the Underworld for me if I went around imposing my will upon others. However, Edward, I can do more than just that. I think I can stop her from using her power. That is why I practiced on you last night.”

  “But Brandon, she is a class five!”

  “So am I. Right? You said so yourself.”

  Edward opened his mouth to speak and then nodded his head, understanding that Brandon had a point.

  “But what about her armies? She has legions of the Gifted and who knows what else.”

  “Well, hopefully that is where Reinhold will come in. I am hoping that he can distract their attention long enough for us to sneak inside the city.”

  “You truly have gone mad.” Edward said.

  “What choice do we have? I do not believe that Aurora will put herself at such risk by exiting the confines of her city, especially with an army of people outside all waiting to overthrow her. She is smarter than that. Look, you are a Sensor, we can use your abilities to help us locate her, and Jasmine can look like anyone she desires. There is a reason we are all together. We are all pieces of a puzzle that we cannot see yet. We will make it. I have faith.” He paused momentarily and then jokingly said, “I am The Willbreaker, remember?”

  Edward looked over at him, believing, until Brandon laughed. Even Jasmine giggled to herself.

  “That is not funny. This is serious,” he said.

  “I know. I am sorry. There is nothing more we can do from here. Once we reach Orlimay, we can make some better decisions. It is going to be dangerous and there is a chance that we will not make it out alive, but if there was ever a reason to fight then this is it. This is a journey worth the risk of death. Someone has to stand up to tyrants and we are as suited as anyone else is. I love you guys, you guys are my family. I am honored to be here with you and if need be, I will be honored to die by your side for such a valiant cause. I never believed before now. I never thought that a single person could change anything but I was wrong. Let us give this war our best. Let us stand in the face of adversity and overcome the challenge. Have faith. We will succeed.”

  Jasmine spoke, “Well said, Brandon. I am with you until the end. I never felt like I had a purpose until now. You have given me a reason to stand up and fight. You have inspired me to be stronger. We can make a difference, together.”

  Brandon looked over at her and she smiled softly at him, making him blush. He reached his hand out to her as a sign of trust and she gripped it tightly.

  “Well, okay! I am too old to do anything else! Let us make a dent of some kind in this war. Maybe we can help enough to tip the scales. You know I am with you, Brandon. We ride until the end.”

  Lord Cedric Reinhold peered across the open area in front of Castle Belkin. He wore his battle armor and the Heart of the King hung sheathed in the scabbard around his belt. The crisp and clear air gave open canvas to the sun’s rays that beamed out from behind the mountain range to the east.

  An incredible army wait
ed in front of him: one hundred ten thousand Templars of the Highren’Dol in their majestic suits of armor, twenty five thousand wild men of the mountains and their savage dogs, and fifty thousand nomads of the sand. They were here, all united under the Banner of the Red Lion. They were here with a purpose: to help Lord Reinhold fight Empress Aurora. Many will die and blood will soak the battlefield, but that would be the price for freedom; a price each person knew they might have to pay. Cedric smiled, proud of the army that lay before him.

  As he watched, the men packed up their tents, loaded up wagons and carts, and readied the trebuchets and ballistas. The trip down to Orlimay would be long and rough. Janga stood in the courtyard, commanding the soldiers to move the food wagons out into the entryway. The castle storerooms were empty and nothing remained in the silos. This trip cost Reinhold everything. The vaults were emptied and the weapon and armor sheds were picked clean. If they had to retreat from Orlimay, they would have nothing to come back to besides stone walls and empty rooms.

  Janga walked up beside the King. “Cedric, we are ready. The gold from the vaults has been put in chests and loaded into the wagons. The food carts are stuffed and horsed. Our men will be ready to travel within the hour.”

  “Janga. This is a huge gamble. We have to take her down. We do not have much of a choice anymore. This is costing us everything.”

  “I know. The moral is high and attitudes are positive. If we do not make it, then let us make our final stand as champions. Let us hurt her armies and her city so bad that they cannot recover. We will make this our final stand. We have the help of all these people and I do not think they came with the intent of losing this battle. Stand strong, we will overthrow the witch Aurora. She is powerful, but so are we. We will shake the foundations of her world with our relentless might. We will rock her confidence by defeating everything she throws at us, and we will not stop. We will fight day and night, never giving up. We stand united under your banner, and the banner will fly high. Men, elf, and lizards alike, we will stand together and set this world right.”