“Hey you over there.” Xander heard an older man say. “I can see by your shoddy looking armor you probably had some notion of fightin’ for this traitorous filth but yer too late. We found him and his little hidey hole here and he is on his way to see the king in chains as we speak to beg for his pitiful life. The damn Rangelians have invaded and they mean to enslave all of us Those damn witches are on the way to the capital as I speak. Any man of fightin’ age is to immediately head to the capital to defend our way of life.”
“Look boy, whether you owed allegiance to old Javik or not isn’t the issue. Them damn witches enslaving everyone is, you can join us, your poorly made armor will at least protect you a bit, or you could die right here” Xander heard another man say, one way more well dressed as he walked out of the building with at least 50 men with him.
“Well what its goin’ ta be boy?” The first man asked Xander
Xander didn’t like his immediate odds. Although he could have most likely run away, a stray arrow could have killed him. If he chose and fought the same thing could have happened, either way he was a sittin duck. Xander nodded his head.
“Can you speak son?” The older man asked.
Xander shook his head no; any speech he gave would have immediately drew alarms from within the Soldiers that something was not quite right.
“Damn boy can’t talk yet his folks dressed him in whatever the hell that black piece of shit he is wearing and sent him to die with the rest of the peasants guarding Javik” the older man said to the well-dressed one.
“Well I think that is everything, our lord will surely reward us for our efforts and we have swollen our ranks from 30 to well over 70 now Franklin. I think we should hurry to get into the Capital, while we walk we can whip this group into shape.” The well-dressed man said he pointed off into a distance and began walking.
The next couple of days couldn’t go by quickly enough for Xander, they were frustrating. No man was allowed anywhere on their own and a two man minimum was instituted to ensure no one was ambushed. What was worse, since they figured Xander couldn’t talk; he had two men around him at all times since he couldn’t raise any alarms. Xander figured he would have time to teleport but that wasn’t an option. Xander thought he probably could have left if he really wanted, but his anonymity would be shattered. If they could march him straight into the capital without anyone the wiser he could get closer to Janus than he thought possible. The main problem though Xander had was during the rest breaks, it was during then, the man in the fancy clothes as Xander began to refer to him as since he had not heard his name used, wanted the men trained somewhat on how to handle a sword.
“Man that country boy don’t know how to use them weapons Angus” Xander heard a man say behind him. “He likely ta die at first contact anyway, we should get them off of him.”
“I don’t know Alan,” Xander heard another man behind him say. “That boy’s Da didn’t send him off to fight with a mornin’ star, a sword and a dagger without being able ta use em. All I know he could be some type of prodigy with them pokers, iffn ya wanna try to take em off him, ya gonna ride that horse alone.”
“He’s slow in the head Angus, you see that silly look on his face, he aint nothin but an arrow shield. Looky here.”
Xander could feel the steps behind him speed up as someone grabbed him from behind and spun him around. Before him stood a man Xander saw was a recruit like himself, although whether he fought for Javik or not Xander was unsure. What Xander was sure about though was he had his assailant by at least three inches and two stone. Xander knew size wasn’t everything, but no real fighter would attempt to pick on an armored foe.
“Hey your Da made this himself didn’t he?” The man said as he touched Xander’s armor. “What in the hell did he make it out of? This thing aint even polished, or shaped right, you know you are gonna die depending on this thing?”
Xander smiled as he looked at the man he guessed was Alan. Giving Alan a more thorough look, Xander could see he was definitely not a warrior, more likely someone conscripted like him.
“You know how to use them pokers and such ya on ya laddie?” Alan said as he pointed to Xander’s weapons. “I might as well take em off ya right now, you gonna get yerself killed any way.”
“I think that’s my job to determine if he can fight or not” said the well-dressed man entering the conversation. “This poor bastard is likely to die, but I feel like I know him, like I seen him somewhere before. I wish you could talk and tell me who your Da is. From which way is your home?”
Xander pointed south towards Frahse, hoping the well-dressed man had never been or did not know many people there.
“Well draw your weapon of choice, I want to see if you know what exactly what you are doing” The man said as he drew his weapon, a sword obviously of Thornian make, the Rangelians being a naturally bigger people favored a longer more sturdier weapon. The weapon the man had though was even thinner the usual make, a weapon Xander figured was capable of unmatched speed. The man got into an unfamiliar stance as he waved Xander to come towards him. Xander thought about drawing his father’s blade but no doubt that would destroy the other man’s weapon and bring attention towards him. Xander instead drew the Morning Star, holding it out in front of him like a sword and drew his dagger in his off hand.
“Interesting choice of weapons, you have a sword but opted to go with a shorter cruder weapon. No doubt because of your size, I am willing to bet one such as yourself is used to hard work and could probably move around pretty well in that armor of yours.
The man went on a little attack; one Xander could see was designed to make the enemy attack, so you could judge their strengths and weaknesses. Xander decided to use his armor to his advantage, since it was unlikely the man’s sword could actually penetrate his armor. Xander used his dagger to distract, a simple technique that is easily blocked but left the defender opened to an overhead from the other hand. The man used his sword to block the dagger then turned his body in a way the Morning Star missed him completely before whirling his sword around and almost scoring a hit on Xander’s backside, a move Xander barely blocked.
“I see you have been trained somewhat, that technique you tried was amateurish, but probably able to take a novice off guard, decent defense though, let’s see what you have if a speed things up a bit?” The man- said as he began to slash at Xander following each attack up with an almost dancing motion, never being in the same place as he began each attack. Xander began using the Morning Star and the dagger more for defense, as the man’s attacks were too quick and openings were none existent. This man knew the finer points of swordplay and Xander could see at least in a one on one duel this man would be almost impossible to beat if they were both armed with a blade, but they weren’t. Xander used his off hand and flung the dagger at the man’s feet, a motion which caused him to jump back. Xander then tossed the heavy morning star at the man, causing him to spin out of the way but allowing Xander to close the distance and try to grab the man’s wrist. The man twisted and slid under Xander’s grip bring his sword to slash at Xander’s under side. Xander grabbed the sword by the blade and lifted the man with it, his grip still firmly on his weapon. The man let go of his weapon and smiled.
“You are a lot stronger than you look, my poor blade however looks like it will need another edge put on it” The man said as he took his weapon from Xander. “Whoever taught you is a bit crude, but effective given your talents. You obviously saw you couldn’t match me in swordplay but instead went to fighting a different style. Let that be a lesson to all you men, there is no such thing as a fair fight when the witches come to attack, make no doubt about it, they are coming to enslave all the men.”
“Well exactly how far out are they my lord, what do we know about how the war is faring?” said the man Xander knew as Angus.
“Well better now, we were fighting a war on three fronts, but rumor has it we have only the Rangelians to beat back. I don’t know the details, b
ut Frahse has been beaten back and it’s not likely they’ll attack again. The Duke of Best is on his way here with some men and Javik has been captured and every able bodied man is on their way to defend the capital. The only enemy we have left is our most dangerous, the damn Rangelians.”
“Don’t’ tell me you believe in them fairy tales about magic and such me lord” Alan began before finishing. “I hear the damn Rangelians all have men 18 ft. tall and the women all shoot fire from their fingertips. It’s all fairy tales me lord.”
“Not everything you men hear from Rangel is fairytales. The men are even bigger than our silent friend here” the well-dressed man said as he patted Xander on the shoulder. Not quite 18 ft. but I wouldn’t recommend in fighting hand to hand with any of them. The women are not all witches, but the ones you’ll meet likely are. There has been a new rumor though that I am going to believe until it is proven otherwise.”
“You mean about them somehow finding the armory of Erik the Red?” The older man Xander first met said.
“That is the rumor William” the well-dressed man said. “That is something that would explain many things I have heard about their army. Men capable of cutting another man in twain, it’s hard to know where the truth ends and the tales begin. No matter though, the Rangelians will meet the true might of our army at the capital.”
“Well we better cross that gorge when tha time comes, let’s make our way to the capital.” William said as he turned back to the road.
The march to the capital was uneventful for Xander, as many men were volunteered to join the King’s army. A lot of the men were very reluctant to be a part of it; they were loyal to Javik and had been mistreated under the current king. They saw a new regime as something that couldn’t be worse than being poor and starving to death. Instant death under the well-dressed man, who Xander now knew as the king’s advisor Lord Brennan though, was a powerful reason to support the monarchy. Xander reached the capital on the fifth day after his first encounter with Lord Brennan with rumors running rampant.
CHAPTER 26
JANUS
“You all had better take your heads outta yer arses. Is no part of this war going according to plan? The only one of you worth anything is Brendan, and he’s not even here yet. Give me an update, and Best you better have a good reason why you are here instead of fighting Frahse.” King Janus fumed as he paced in his war room.
“Your Majesty, Frahse has been utterly defeated. That you already knew, but what I am about to tell you now I thought it best to be told face to face” Kevon Duke of Best replied.
“Enough with the show Best, the damn witches will be here before you finish” King Janus said becoming annoyed.
“I defeated Frahse alright, even took a high ranking officer prisoner where he is waiting for interrogation.” Best began unsure of how to tell the next part. “I had help; I met the son of Erik the Red a man named Xander and an enchanter in his own right.”
“Erik the Red has a son?” General McWilliams said as he stood up. “Preposterous, we would have known it before now if he sired anyone.”
“I thought it false too, but he slaughtered some men of mine who were raping and killing the peasants. The man shot fire at me and took off at a pace not even my horses could manage” The Duke of Best said knowing he would invoke his king’s anger.
“This is nonsense, Brendan told me about this fairytale, if this Xander person is an Enchanter, then why hasn’t he made it rich or tried for the throne?” The King asked Duke Best.
“Xander the Red is a Rangelian, married to the Princess of Rangel. He along with his army of elves and a Rangelian giant broke Frahses will for war. I was there as one of his men tore the legs off a horse.” Duke Best said still not believing what he saw.
“What type of jest is this?” Duke Bodders said as he walked around the table to get into the face of Duke Best.
“You expect us to believe Erik the Red has a son who travels with elves and giants all throughout Thorn and no one other than you has seen or reported on them?”
“He also had Javik’s daughter with them, I tried to take her prisoner but he had more men than I” Duke Best said.
“Your Majesty you should remove this man” the Duke of Bodders began. “We all know Javik’s daughter went into Rangel, how would she make it all the way to the other side of the kingdom with no one knowing along with an army made up of elves and giants?”
“The enchanter can teleport some way, he can move people with his powers over great distances in less time than it takes to blink your eyes.” Duke Best said realizing it sounded too unreal to be true.
“You spent a long time fighting the Frahsch my lord” General McWilliams said as he put his arm around the Duke. “Things could be getting to you, playing tricks with your mind. Why don’t you let one of the maids find you something warm to fill your belly and a nice soft bed to lie on?”
“I think that would be best general” the Duke said as he looked at King Janus.
“Just get out of here Best, you beat Frahse but now you are useless.” King Janus said as he slammed his fist down on the table. “How are our defenses going and has Earl Glou or Brendan sent any word on the fight with Javik?”
“Your Majesty, the Earl of Glou sent his messenger just moments ago” General McWilliams said hoping to alleviate the King’s mood. “Javik the merchant has been captured by Glou personally and is being brought to the capital along with all of his goods as we speak. The Earl sent Brendan on a mission to gather up anyone who can hold a sword to the capital to prepare to fight off Rangel. We have finished two of the wars we were in and would be in a good position against Rangel.”
“That’s what I want to hear, how goes our defenses, are we ready for those bitches yet?” King Janus asked, finally smiling and alleviating the mood of all present.
“Your Majesty, we have sent out anyone who cannot help with the war effort. Arrows have been made by the thousands and our regulars are well armed and ready. The conscripts we have brought in have been drilling nonstop in an effort that they can be useful. Any building not made of stone has been torn down to avoid a fire hazard. Archers have been hidden all over the city just in case the rumors about witches flying are true. Right now we have a good mix and work the men in two shifts. If we could get enough men for a third shift and perhaps a quick reaction force, we could hold out indefinitely.” General McWilliams replied hoping he answered all of the King’s unasked questions.
“What else do you need to ensure your victory McWilliams?” asked Duke Bodders.
“I need the people to see each of you nobles walking around them, a face to the name” McWilliams said wishing Brendan the King’s advisor was here to say the last part. “Right now all of you in this room could be more popular, people seeing you are willing to get your hands dirty may give them the boost they need.”
“Have you been drinking with Best?” the King asked the General. “Me out there with the common riff raff? That is no place for a king!”
CHAPTER 27
XANDER
Xander smiled when he was given the job by the king’s advisor to be an archer based on his skill. Brendan probably figured him to be slow witted despite his skill and wanted to give him a relatively easy task. Xander was very close to the castle and he could tell the fighting had started. The air was electric as he could hear the witches wreaking havoc upon the gates of Thorn but the defenders were giving as good as they got.
Xander could see witches try to float over the wall to begin raining down fire but the archers made quick work of them. Rangel’s regular army was having a better go at it with their siege machines and many heavy boulders were seen raining down from the sky but doing no real damage as Xander could see. Xander wanted to focus on the fight going on but knew his battle was less than 50 feet away behind the walls of a castle. Xander left his designated place inside the church’s tower and walked over to the gates of the castle.
“Do they make weapons for men where you
bought that armor?” A palace guardsmen said who Xander figured was the captain since unlike the Palace Guard in Rangel, this one had it engraved in gold on his breastplate. Xander smiled and started squirming, a universal indicator that he needed the loo.
“What are you slow in the head or something?” The man said as he looked at Xander. “Why don’t you ask to relieve yourself?”
Xander pointed to his throat and moved his lips, hoping the man was smart enough to get what Xander was trying to tell him.
“I don’t this one can talk sir” another guardsmen stated. “It is probably the reason they stationed him slow close to the castle, hoping we will protect him if the fighting gets this far.”
Oh we’ll protect him alright, we’ll protect him from the safety of the castle!” the Captain cried out eliciting laughter from his guards. Go over in the bushes idiot, slow headed ones like you are not allowed to go in doors!”
Xander walked around the castle until he found some bushes he was sure would hide him. Xander made a circle and teleported back to the camp he had set up with Patrick, Samantha, Priscilla and their new army.
Xander looked around as he was first noticed by Priscilla.
“We had been a wondering what happened to you Xander, thought you might have gotten yourself killed.”
“Not yet Priscilla, where is Patrick?” Xander asked.
“He went off with your cousin, Javik’s daughter to parts unknown” Joveon spoke. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I need a fighting force right now to help end this war, I am but feet from the castle and King Janus himself.” Xander said as he looked at the men gathered.
“Hell it is at least fifty of us here and we all got our weapons on us, we were just practicing.” Joveon said as he gestured to the men around him.
“They will have to do, we must strike fast and hard.” Xander said as he teleported the first ten people with him.
The Terror of Thorn: Child of War: Book 2 Page 12