by Brad Clark
“It is better to die with a sword in hand than to drown in the mud of the village!”
A chorus of cheers rose up with Sir Hollin’s words.
Sir Gossmire suddenly turned to Hargon. “What say you, Emperor Hargon? You have led countless thousands of centurions in battle, have you not?”
Hargon felt a bit of guilt as he had really never led an army into battle. When he was younger, he had stood at the back of the battlefield, safely away from enemy fire. But it had always been his generals that had commanded his troops, even if he said the words to lead them.
Hargon stepped forward and stood right in front of Sir Gossmire. For a moment, he thought about telling the Karmon Knight that he was not capable of leading men, or offering battle advice. But the look on Sir Gossmire’s face caused him to pause. There was a slight smile on the bloodied face as if he knew that Hargon had the answer.
Hargon gave Sir Gossmire a slight nod and turned to face the knights and soldiers who were now patiently waiting for him to speak. A sense of anxiety came over him. It had not been that long since he had last stood up in front of a group of men and talked, but that was when he had the title of emperor. Those he talked to listened not because they wanted to, but because they had to. They respected him not because of who he was, but because of the title he bore. Now, these men were looking to him for advice and leadership. Even though he was no longer emperor and no longer carried the title of ruler of the greatest nation on Earth, they were all patiently waiting for him to speak.
He looked back over his shoulder at the castle walls. In the distance, sitting directly in his line of sight was the castle gate. “The gate is the key,” he said, as much to himself as to the soldiers. “We must take the gate.”
“But you have the power to knock it down, right?” one of the knights asked. “I saw you throw balls of fire at them.”
Hargon shook his head, unsure what else to say.
“The gate is a foot thick,” Sir Gossmire said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “And there are two of them. Inside that gate is a killing tunnel. Even if we made it inside, they would have a free shot at anyone who made it in. Not only do we have to knock down the first gate, but also the second.”
“But I heard you say you could knock it down?” another knight asked.
Hargon looked up at the man and shook his head again. “I do not have the power to knock it down. I can toss these little balls of fire, but it would take thousands of them to even make a dent.”
“The gate is only wood, you can set it on fire, and it will just burn away!”
Sir Gossmire shook his head and grimly replied, “The timbers of the gate are soaked in some concoction that protects them from only the hottest of fires. It would take the heat of a furnace to burn the gates down. We need a battering ram to knock it down and shields to protect us from crossbow fire. The only way is to get inside and open it from within.”
“We have no way to get inside,” Hargon said. “Without climbing the walls.”
Sir Gossmire was silent for a moment and then he let out a chuckle as his tired mind finally realized the plan.
“What is so funny?”
“You are the only one that knows that you cannot knock down the gate with your fireballs.”
“Well, I guess.” As he spoke, Sir Gossmire’s words suddenly sank in, and he smiled himself.
“They don’t know I can’t knock it down.”
“A diversion.” Sir Gossmire called out to the knights and soldiers that were standing before him. “Come close and listen up! We have a plan.”
***
As he walked away from the wall through the castle’s courtyard, Gregarious heard the battle screams from behind him, but he didn’t turn back. Soldiers ran past, armed with crossbows and laden down with reams of bolts. They had been preparing their defenses for many days and most of that time had been spent fletching crossbow bolts. In their haste, they couldn’t make them as accurate as they wanted, but it was more important for them to make as many as they could. Gregarious had seen their stocks and knew they would be able to repel any advance of the soldiers that were camped in the village. They had no siege engines or any way to knock down the gate. If they tried to climb the walls, they would be massacred. However, it didn’t matter to him anymore as he had business elsewhere.
“Your Majesty?” An older soldier stepped right in front of him. “What are we to do?”
Gregarious looked at him, irritated that his thoughts were interrupted. “Kill them all, of course. Defend this castle to the last man. Those soldiers out there want to come in here where you are and kill you. It will either be you, or it will be them. Who is it going to be?”
“Them, of course!” the soldier said. He ran past the king, screaming orders for more crossbowmen to man the walls.
Although he would have liked to participate in the battle, and the sounds of men screaming from pain sent a shiver of excitement through him, he knew he could not stay. The sooner that the Deceiver was able to obtain the necklace piece, the sooner his rule over Earth would begin. It was clear to him that the Witch of the Mountain was being influenced by the necklace piece of the Ark of Life. There was no other real possibility. There were spells that could change appearances at will like he had the ability to do. But Humanity had lost the power of magic thousands of years ago, and it was very doubtful that any Human would be able to pick up and learn that powerful of a spell in so short of time. Being able to stay young was not something that any spell could do. Immortality or extremely long life was inherent to some races, such as Elves and other beings that were not native to Earth. The Web of Magic was simply not capable of delivering such power to a spellcaster. But the necklace and amulet that made up the Ark of Life were imbued with powers beyond the Web of Magic and offered so much more, such as immortality. It was a side effect of touching the Ark of Life that Humans alone were able to take advantage of.
As he reached the entrance to the inner halls of the castle inside the mountain, a streak of light flashed over his head. He glanced up in time to see the remnants of the fireball after it struck the mountain and exploded. Tendrils of fire drifted down around him.
The thought of a Human using spells of destruction reminded him of the importance of haste in his quest for the necklace. Eventually, the one mage would learn more powerful spells, and if he found others who could also tap into the Web of Magic, then the one could grow into an army of spellcasters. One single Human tossing fireballs was not something to be concerned with, but an army of Human mages wielding more powerful magic would be a cause for concern.
Nighttime was still a few hours away, but he could hide in the rocks on the mountainside. Once darkness came, he would make his way east towards this village that the boy had called Mountainscope. He licked his lips at the thought of devouring the Human female that dared called herself the Witch of the Mountains. Soon enough, the necklace would be in his hands, and the Deceiver would have all the power that he needed.
Chapter Twenty
Marik sat up, unaware of where he was. His mind was fuzzy and disoriented from the deep sleep that he suddenly woke up from. He was lying on a thick blanket and even though he only wore a thin tunic and trousers, he was sweating profusely. Sunlight came in through the wide crack in the rocks, giving enough light to see across the small cavern. As he looked at the pool in the center of the small cavern, his memories of the previous day started to come back. Memories that were not pleasant. The pain he had felt after being struck by the dragon breath was fresh, and he found it difficult to believe that he was still alive. Then he remembered what the pool did for him. His arms where the flame had struck were pinkish with new skin. Somehow, the skin that had been burned away had grown back.
His stomach rumbled. He had no idea how long it had been since he had eaten, as he had no idea how long he was asleep. It could have been days.
Warily, he stood, wondering how his muscles and body would react to standing. Strangel
y, he felt refreshed and full of energy. Near where he was sleeping was a pile of clothes that included his light leather armor and sword. Quickly he put them on and stepped over to the crack in the rock wall that appeared to be the only exit out of the chamber. After one last, longing glance at the pool of water, he stepped through.
The scent of smoke drifted to him as he stepped out into the cool autumn evening. A young woman was sitting next to a fire. A rabbit was spat over the fire, the smell of which caused his stomach to rumble again.
She looked up at him and smiled. “You look hungry,” she said with a bright smile.
“Very much so,” he replied.
It took only a moment to remember her name. Ilasha. And then more came back. She was Brace Hawkden’s Ilasha who should be more than twice the age she looked. Then the final memory came back. The pool had healed him and cured her of age. If he had not recently seen magic with his own eyes, he would have never believed her words. But he had seen the power that Hargon and Glaerion could wield. Why couldn’t a pool of water heal and offer youth? Nothing seemed strange to him anymore.
“Well don’t just stand there, come and eat.”
He walked over to the small fire, which was set on a wide rock shelf. Below them was a sharp slope of loose rocks that led down towards the thick mountain forest. Above them rose one of the many mountain peaks of the White Mountains. He was facing east where he saw the full range of the White Mountains as it extended all the way to the coast. It was peaceful and quiet, with only the sound of the wind to fill his ears. It was hard to imagine that war was raging around them.
Ilasha ripped off a chunk of steaming rabbit with a knife and held it out for him. Without caring that it would burn his mouth, he stuffed it in. After only a couple bites, his eyes went wide as the taste of the rabbit suddenly hit him.
“I found some spices in the inn. I couldn’t salvage too much, but most of the kitchen was still standing. You like?”
“Yes!”
She handed him the knife, and he started ripping off strips of meat and ate them as quickly as he could.
“Oh,” he said, suddenly realizing that she hadn’t eaten any of it. “You didn’t have any?”
Ilasha laughed. “I caught two this afternoon. I already ate my fill. This is all yours!”
“Thank you.”
She blinked at him and smiled. “My pleasure.”
He glanced away, unable to look her in the eyes. He knew that she was older than he was, although she looked so much younger. There was a beauty about her that was intoxicating and his eyes could not stay off of her. His commitment to knighthood meant that he did not have time for love. Although he had become loosely attached to a handful of women over the years, none had ever caused his heart to stir like when he looked upon Ilasha. Certainly, there was a beauty to her, but it seemed to be deeper and stronger than that. None of it made sense. He knew love, and although he had never fallen completely in love, he could imagine what it felt like, and it felt like how he was feeling right now. Yet, he didn’t know her.
“You feel it, don’t you?” she asked. “You feel something between us that you can’t explain. I can see it in your eyes and how you look at me. Well, mostly how you don’t look at me because you keep looking away from me every time I look at you.”
Again, he turned away, unable to control the blush that came to his cheeks. “I am a Karmon Knight. My duty is always first to my kingdom.”
“From what I can tell, there is little left of our kingdom. Even from here, I saw the smoke from South Karmon and then from the south, which presume was Tyre burning. Is there anything left for you to claim?”
“Karmon has been invaded, but it has not fallen,” Marik retorted. “We are strong and courageous, and we will fight back. We will take back our kingdom.”
Ilasha glanced up into the sky. “Not with that beast flying around.”
“That is why I must find it and kill it.”
“You have but a measly sword. Can you kill it with that?”
“I had a bow. Do you know where it is?”
She shook her head. “I did not see it when I found you. Even if you had one, could one arrow bring it down:?”
“A shot in the right place would. I already blinded its left eye. If I can take out its right eye, then it would be blind and unable to fight.”
“It would still have that fire it could spit.”
A bit of anger had built up inside him. “Do you not believe that I can kill it?”
She looked at him in silence for a long moment. Finally, she let out a sigh and said, “No. I do not think you can. Not alone.”
Marik pulled the remnants of the rabbit away from the fire and used his knife to get the last of the edible meat. It gave him more time to ponder her words. Now that he had time to rest and have his mind refreshed, he knew that she spoke only the truth. If he were to go after the dragon alone, it would be death for him. Maybe he could get lucky again, but he had already been very lucky so far. He really should be dead right now.
With soft tone, he asked, “So, how far is it to Neffenmark Castle?”
“It is a long day’s journey. Too far for us to get there before nightfall tonight, but there is a tower about halfway there. It is an old tower that must have been a garrison of some sort. It hasn’t been used in years, but it can give us a place to sleep tonight. The day is already almost half over. It will likely be dark before we get there already, so we should be moving soon.”
Marik glanced to the west to see that the sun was on its way down towards the horizon. “If it’s a long day’s journey, should we not wait until the morning?”
“You have been sleeping for more than a day. You really want to sit around until tomorrow?”
“No. I feel anxious to get out of here.”
“It will be dark when we get to the tower, but I know the way. This will get us to the castle tomorrow midday instead of at night. I think the quicker we can get to the safety of the castle, the better.”
“That, my dear Ilasha, is a very wise idea.”
“So you won’t go chasing after your dragon? You will accompany me to the castle?”
“I never should have chased after the dragon alone. It went against all my training and experience and by all rights I should be dead right now. But thanks to you, I am not. I can’t let your gift to me go to waste by continuing after it. At least right now. I have a good friend that should be able to help me. When I find him, he and me, and maybe a couple other good friends, will go after it and kill it.”
“I’m all packed and ready to go,” she said. “Some fruit and dried meats for tomorrow’s breakfast. There are plenty of creeks to get our fill of water on the way. How do you feel?”
Marik stood and said, “As strong as ever. That water did more than heal me. It really invigorated me. I could probably walk the whole way through the night.”
“Well, if the moon comes out to guide our path, then maybe we can make it. The trail to the tower is pretty easy, but beyond that, there are some paths that go along dangerous cliffs and through some thick woods. I don’t want us to get lost and start wandering around for days.”
“Okay, then, let’s get started.”
She stood and walked to a pile of supplies that she had put together. “I brought something for you.”
Marik walked up to her. She reached down to the ground and picked up a crossbow and handed it to him.
“It’s a bit old,” she said. “But it is still functional. I have a dozen or so bolts for it.”
Marik took it and carefully looked it over.
“Do you know how to use it?”
He nodded his head. “I have seen it used enough times. I prefer my bow. I can shoot more arrows more quickly.”
“I have no bows or arrows.”
He smiled at her. “This will do. Thank you.”
“Now we can go,” she replied.
They gathered up their supplies, put out the fire, and left their rocky ledge
.
***
Myllia stirred at the sight of the two Humans as they put out their fire and walked down into the forest. She stretched her legs and glanced at her wing. It hadn’t completely healed, but it was much better after a day of good rest. It would be still susceptible to further damage if she weren't careful, but as long as she flew carefully, she wouldn’t do any more damage to it.
She thought about flying up into the sky to see where they went, but soon enough they reappeared from the trees and walked through the ruins of the village. Patiently, she watched them make their way along a path that would take them westward into more mountains and more forests. They didn’t seem too much of a hurry, but they did move at a consistent pace.
She knew that she should be off hunting down more Humans, but she could not put aside her vengeance. This Human would pay, and he would pay dearly. Not only with his life but in a way that would ensure that dragons forever would be feared by all Humans. She would wait until the Human reached a larger settlement and then she would make her appearance. In the meantime, she would simply trail them high in the sky and out of sight.
When they were far enough away that she could fly from her perch without being seen, she stretched her wings and launched herself into the air. As quickly as she could, she climbed up into the clouds where she could circle above them, hidden from their view.
***
Ilasha led the way. Her youthful looking body not only looked young, but it had the strength and energy of a young woman who lived a hard life in the mountains. She stopped to sip water as they came upon streams and flowing creeks, but didn’t linger long before forcing Marik to his feet to continue onward.
Marik did not complain, nor would he even think about it. He trudged onward, his legs aching and his chest pounding. They weren’t running through the woods, but sometimes their pace was close enough. Several times he had thought about asking Ilasha to slow down, but his pride and ego stepped in the way. For the first hour or so, they chatted, but soon it became too much of a struggle to keep their pace and hold a conversation. He eventually let her go in front of him to not only lead the way but to avoid having to talk.