Leyna’s shouts and cries obviously fell on deaf ears, and she was left to watch her son join his brethren in battle. While deep down she knew this day would one day come, she had always hoped it never would. The Orcs gave out a loud battle cry as they crashed into the charging enemy, probably the only race that was physically strong enough to have a chance against the mighty balgraf.
Galdrac watched as Coltas showed himself every bit the Orc Leader as he cut down a beast with a swipe of his sword, before swinging the blade around and taking down another within the first few seconds. Even when a third balgraf leapt up at him, striking across the Orc’s arm with its claws, causing the what was probably a nasty injury, Coltas did not falter in his relentless, battle rage.
With more Orcs surging through the doors to the Waygate building, within a few minutes an entire army was congregating before their very eyes. Galdrac puffed out his cheeks as he watched them quickly dispatch the group of balgraf that had been amassing. Clutching tightly to his staff the old Mage turned to make sure all those he needed were still present. Seeing Leyna looking somewhat worried he realised Karesh was no longer stood with them.
How did one spot an Orc standing amongst hundreds of other Orcs? He backed up a few steps hoping it would give him a better vantage point, but he knew with Karesh being smaller than a fully grown Orc he would be even harder to spot. “Do you see him?” he heard Leyna ask as she stepped up beside up. Galdrac shook his head, continuing to look, “Not yet.”
As the last of the Orcs appeared and the balgraf dealt with, at least by the Waygate, Coltas, with blood dripping down a gash wound on his arm slowly made his way towards Galdrac. Following a few paces behind was the much smaller figure of Karesh, looking surprisingly pleased with himself. After acknowledging the old mage first, the Orc Leader turned to Leyna, “You have raised a fine Orc Warrior Lady Elf,” he said seemingly only just realising he had been injured in the fight. While Leyna knew that was indeed a compliment coming from such a person, it was not one she particularly wanted to hear. However, she forced a smile and thanked the Orc Leader for his kind words; she would have a few more to say to Karesh later.
Galdrac thanked Coltas for coming to their aid, but the Orc appeared somewhat disappointed. “Is this all there is?” he asked waving a nonchalant hand out to the dead balgraf. Galdrac laughed, “No my friend if you look over the wall you have more than your match I am sure!”
Coltas apparently took that as a challenge worthy of taking, as Galdrac had hoped he would. After explaining the enemy would likely already be amassing at the north and south gates, Coltas was soon ready to go again. Within a few moments, the Orc Leader was soon dividing his army up, “You to the south, the rest with me,” he shouted giving orders to whom Galdrac could only assume were other Clan leaders.
Each Clan Leader appeared to wear a different kind of marking, but none so much as questioned the order being given to them. Within a few moments, hundreds of Orcs went shouting and charging down the street, and Karesh was about to follow. At least that was until he felt someone grab his arm, “Not this time!” he heard the voice of his mother saying in a tone which he knew meant she was not best pleased.
“Mother!” he said as he watched the last of the Orcs head off.
“Our battle is not here Karesh,” Galdrac said walking down the stone steps and standing beside him.
Karesh somewhat reluctantly wiped his blade and placed it on his back for carrying. Although the immediate battle was over, at least as far as they were concerned, they still remained vigilant. Several of the flying balgraf still soared overhead as if keeping an eye on what was going on. With an Orc army reinforcing the humans defending the city, Galdrac hoped the two would be sufficient in number to resist the force Abalyon had amassed to attack it.
“Do we wait?” James asked as he stepped up beside Galdrac joining him and Leyna. The old Mage turned to face the young Prince beside him and shrugged his shoulders. “I am having doubts about the picture,” he said finally admitting he may have got carried away with thinking it was telling them everything they needed to know. However, James felt quite the opposite, “No Galdrac I am even more certain it is what you say. There are far too many things on that painting for them all to be just coincidence.
Surprisingly those few words seem to have the effect of giving Galdrac a new boost of confidence. Perhaps he was just beginning to doubt things unnecessarily, and that he had been right all along. Yet although he was sure he knew where to go, he was not so certain how to get the enemy to follow him there. Perhaps something was still yet to happen that would make it so, but when would that be? He could leave now and be at the site within a couple of hours, but that did not mean the enemy was going to be there. Unless of course, this was not the only significant force, and Abalyon had yet one more surprise in line for them.
“Come on!” Galdrac shouted, suddenly feeling the urgency of the situation growing. “We need to get to Felham,” he added waving them all into the Waygate building. While he thought James would have hesitation about leaving the capital, it was actually two of the young Prince’s men that questioned the request. Two former members of the Elite Guard, one of whom was a sorcerer no less, soon planted the seed of doubt in the prince’s mind.
Knowing he was not going to get anywhere unless he explained his theory, Galdrac thought it best to waste five minutes now and do so. He quickly gathered everybody around, all except Finley who was asked to keep watch in case any more balgraf landed nearby. Happy everybody was listening because he was not willing to explain it again he first gave them the location depicted in the painting. “It is a place called Godsill, a small community built on a hill,” he said.
“Godsill?” he repeated looking for someone to make a connection. He looked around at all the blank faces and felt somewhat disappointed no one had done so.
Akeev repeated the word, “Gods Hill,” but said it by separating the two syllables, causing Galdrac to point his direction. “Exactly Akeev, Gods Hill. The name has probably just been shortened to Godsill over the years.” It was evidently clear that Akeev had no idea what was being said, but gratefully took the pat on the back given to him by Karesh.
“Where is it?” James asked, “Is it in our lands?” he added.
Galdrac nodded, “About an hour or so from Felham.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” The prince replied, suggesting they all get going.
Galdrac held up a hand to let the youngster know he was not finished. “Please Majesty, I have more,” he said trying to remain calm and polite. In the past few moments, he had also realised something else, “Abalyon does not want to destroy the Waygates, he is going to use them.”
Leyna dismissed the idea, stating that balgraf could not muster the arcane energy to power them. To which Galdrac agreed, “However, hear me out please,” he added, before explaining a little more.
If Abalyon was amassing another army of balgraf at Godsill with the intention to take Felham, what was to stop him capturing the Waygates, and hold those who powered it prisoner. “We already know Abalyon can talk to us if he wishes. Leyna, you said how surprised you were of that.”
“Yes he has spoken to me as well,” James added, catching them all by surprise.
“Really?” Galdrac asked, shocked the Prince had kept such a thing to himself.
“Alim said it was best not mentioned, but these have seen and heard him also,” he added waving a hand to his small group of men.
“Well there you go then,” Galdrac said having heard plenty of evidence to support his point, before realising he had not explained what it was he was supposed to be telling them. “If he plans to take the Waygates and use them…” he said waiting for somebody to try and get what he was saying.
“Then the balgraf could march right into all the capital cities. The walls and gates would count for nothing, and the flying balgraf would not be needed!” Alvin said from the back.
“Exactly!” Galdrac said glad somebod
y had finally understood what he was trying to tell them.
“Well done Alvin,” James said with a smile, turning to look over his shoulder. “No problem Sire,” the man said as if it had been such a simple thing to deduce.
“So all these attacks, on Neylarin and here now in Carison are…?” Leyna asked.
“Diversions. With all the Dwarfs guarding the front of the city, the balgraf could merely use the Waygate at Felham, and as our Orc friends have just shown us, have an entire army move in behind them within a few minutes,” Galdrac added.
“There’s a thought I’d rather not have,” Mazen added suddenly realising the seriousness of what the old Mage was trying to tell them.
“So we confront Abalyon and this other army at Godsill?” Karesh asked, speaking for the first time.
“Just the fourteen of us?” Seamus asked squeezing into the front of the group.
“Sixteen if you count the dragon and the wolf,” Galdrac replied with a smile. “Come on then, we have somewhere else to be,” he added thinking the group all understood what had been said.
As they quickly gathered their belongings and the few supplies they still had with them, they headed back up the stone steps towards the Waygate. Galdrac reminded Finley to have Arach fly to Felham and then on to Godsill by following overhead. The two arcanists whose job it was to remain beside the gateway had evidently been somewhat surprised by the army of Orcs that had passed them by a little earlier, as both were sat down with a drink in hand. Although Galdrac did have a little sympathy for them, he did not want to waste any more time than was necessary, and asked them, rather rudely it must be said, to get off their backsides and open the Waygate. Although somewhat disgruntled by the Mage, neither of the arcanists argued and after placing their drinks down, both men set about creating the energy required to power the gateway. Once the inside of the stone structure filled with the shimmering light, the group all made their way through and soon reappeared the other side in Felham.
Chapter 25.
Having left the city of Carison and its defenders to fight the forces of Darkness swarming around it, Galdrac and his group made the trip to Felham. He was surprised to see many more guards than usual, although the reason for that was quickly pointed out to him. Having several hundred Orcs, all ready and primed for battle, would have been quite a sight in the Waygate building, even though they knew they would be passing through. Despite Galdrac’s warning that an Orc army would soon be appearing and requesting a gate to Carison, the sheer number had evidently caught the Felham guards by surprise.
Godsill was about an hour walk away from Felham, and although they would have liked to have taken horses, obtaining enough for everybody in such a short space of time was just not feasible. As a result, and after much grumbling and complaining, mainly from Finley, the new, larger group made their way through the busy streets towards the main gate.
Knowing that an attack on Felham was likely, Galdrac thought it better that they stop off at the Garrison and alert the Commander as to what might be heading his way. Now they had the Prince with them, getting someone to take notice of what they had to say, should be somewhat easier than usual, although Finley for one somehow doubted as much.
With a troll in their number, they very soon started attracting unwanted attention with a score or more people deciding to follow them as they walked down the street. The more that followed, the bigger the crowd, and by the time they arrived at the Garrison those with nothing better to do than follow and annoy Galdrac had numbered over fifty. Thankfully, after James had explained who he was, the guards at the gate let them in, leaving the followers to stand and gossip about what they had seen outside.
The Commander appeared only too happy to receive them, although Galdrac realised that was probably down to the fact they had the Prince and Heir to the throne in their number. However, the Commander seemed far less cheerful when James explained what could well be heading his way. “An army of balgraf you say?”
“Yes, an army of balgraf!” Galdrac repeated what the Prince had just explained to the Commander.
“No, I think you are mistaken. The balgraf don’t trouble us this far from the borders,” the man added shaking his head.
“They don’t usually attack Carison either, but they are doing that as we speak,” Galdrac snapped back, clearly not in one of his better moods, although Finley doubted the Mage even had one.
Thankfully, the Prince remained much calmer. “Commander. The capital is indeed under attack as we speak. Raise the alarm and ready your defences. That is an order, not a request.”
The man looked at the Prince and slowly nodded his head, “As you wish Sire,” the man eventually replied waving his hand to one of the guards at the doorway to his office.
They were just about to turn and continue their trip when James suddenly had a thought. “Commander. I assume you have stables and horses?”
“Of course Sire.”
“Excellent then we shall need horses for all my group, and we need them now!” The prince requested again showing his authority. This had been the first time Finley had seen the Prince actually use his position to get something, and although he did it without sounding too condescending, Finley thought it showed the Lad in a different light. This was the heir to the throne and not just one of the men, as he had been thinking earlier.
Although they could well have walked half of the trip in the time it took to get the horses ready, it appeared even Galdrac thought it worth the wait. Being on horseback also made it much easier for them to manoeuvre through the streets and eventually out of the gates that accessed the town, leaving it behind in a slightly more panicked state than when they had arrived.
No sooner had they ventured through the exit, when the church bells started ringing, and dozens of guards started taking up positions along the battlements at the top of the wall. With the road leading to Felham, a well travelled one, it was wide enough to ride at least four abreast if they wished to do so. Finley thought back to the time, not that long ago, when he and Galdrac had walked here after their first meeting. Little did he know then how much his life would have changed in so many ways. “Remember bringing me here?” he asked turning his head slightly to the Mage riding alongside him.
“Of course I do. Who could forget having to put up with such an annoying, troublesome boy.”
Finley was a little shocked and hurt by the remark, “I was not annoying,” he said, “Troublesome…maybe, but not annoying.”
After staying on the main track for only five minutes, Galdrac led them on to a much lesser used and narrower one, meaning they had to ride single file. Akeev, who was still getting used to riding horses, clearly had trouble with his as he struggled to get it to turn the way he wanted. Fortunately, Karesh was on hand to nudge his horse over, so it followed in line with the rest.
After another ten minutes of riding along the same winding trail, Galdrac raised a hand for the column to stop. Turning slightly in his saddle he put his hand up to his mouth to gesture them to be quiet, and another signal which Finley assumed was to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. Suddenly feeling nervous and a little sweaty, Finley very quickly realised they could well be approaching the pinnacle moment in the battle, perhaps even in history. If they were about to fulfil some long foreseen prophecy, put down in a painting hundreds of years earlier, then what they were about to achieve was something quite momentous.
Finley glanced behind to look at his mother, and behind her, Karesh. While he longed for the Sword of Light to fill him with power again, he felt the time would come soon enough. Even the memory of how he felt last time gave him goosebumps, and somehow his nervousness seemed to disappear at the thought. A dark thought appeared in his mind as he looked forward again and noticed the Prince two horses ahead of him. Would he really need to bow to this boy or his father? Surely with such God-like powers, they should be the ones subservient to him, not the other way around. With a smug grin, Finley kept that in mind, and after
just touching the Sword of Light he was now allowed to carry he focused on what lay ahead.
The track opened out slightly to a small collection of buildings, thankfully bereft of any balgraf; at least for the moment. As Galdrac had explained, this was Godsill and pointed to the incline just ahead overlooking the village itself. “We head up then I assume?” The prince asked trotting his horse forward to be alongside Galdrac at the forefront of the group. Galdrac quickly reminded the young royal to keep silent, and suitably reprimanded, the youngster mouthed an apology.
The hill was not particularly large, but it did give a stunning view of the entire area all around it. When they reached the top, Finley could turn full circle and see for miles in every direction. If there was another balgraf army about it was certainly not here, at least not yet. The thought that he was not going to be using the extraordinary powers the Sword of Light gave him, disappointed him greatly.
“Finley! Finley!” Galdrac snapped again, causing him to come to his senses.
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