by E J Gilmour
‘Well done, Acartor,’ said Chiara. ‘I’m sure you helped to avert a disaster. We are gathered here to discuss how we will defeat the Prince of Shadows. I believe he will not fight at the front of his army. We will have to battle our way to him. We cannot allow him a chance to escape. This may be our only opportunity to stop him.’
‘This is why we have come with you,’ said Sir Cian resolutely. Sir Cian was stockier and older than Sir Tierran, and his dark eyes revealed a certain fierceness that was rare among men. His hair was long and dark, and his face was very weathered and a deep and long scar marked his left cheek, adding to his severe appearance. To Eben he looked like the complete picture of a battle-hardened warrior. ‘We will be the spearhead of the attack and carve a way through the muckron ranks. We will lead Emperor Eben directly to the enemy.’ He bowed his head to Eben.
‘This is very brave of you and Sir Tierran,’ said Chiara appreciatively. ‘I’m sure we will face many formidable adversaries. You must be aware that the Prince of Shadows will have more than muckrons protecting him. We are likely to face wizards, wyverns, and other monsters, some that may not have names.’
‘We are ready for anything,’ said Sir Tierran with conviction. Sir Tierran looked like a younger version of Sir Cian; he was clean shaven with long tangled hair. The fierce look in his eye was much the same as his fellow Tabarian.
‘I’m sure you are,’ agreed Acartor. ‘Baftel has seen that the enemy fleet is planning to land to the east of Lucaria, yet the full details of the enemy’s strategy remain hidden.’
‘The Astarian is using powerful magic to prevent me or any other seer seeing his plans,’ said Baftel. ‘I am not sure what he is preparing; however, I know he is hiding his plans from us. There is a shroud over much of Veredor, like a dark blanket of smoke covering all the land. I cannot see north beyond the Endora Mountains, and the entire fleet of muckrons has been completely hidden this last week. Only occasionally, at the height of my strength, I can see where the fleet is in the Southern Sea, and only once I gained a glimpse of their plan to land east of Lucaria at Crescent Bay.’
‘Crescent Bay,’ repeated Chiara.
‘Yes, from there I don’t know what they plan to do,’ said Baftel.
‘King Lenard has fortified Lucaria with a garrison of five thousand men,’ said Acartor. ‘I doubt even forty thousand muckrons could breach the towering walls of that city. The muckrons would have to dig in for a long siege. I believe the Prince of Shadows may be planning to march north to cut the supply route to Lucaria and to invade northern Everdon. In any case we will fight his army somewhere. Because Baftel has seen his plan we may be able to hold the enemy at Crescent Bay.’
‘Surely the Prince of Shadows will know we are preparing for him,’ said Meara.
‘Yes, he would know our strength and our numbers,’ replied Acartor, pondering Meara’s words for a moment. ‘You must understand that he does not consider the armies of men a threat to his overall plan. He is only afraid of Eben Ecorian and the Sword of Light. This is why our plan to lead Eben to him is so important. The Prince of Shadows is so confident in his own strength that he expects us to flee like a group of cockroaches would run from us. He would never expect us to bring his one fear directly to him. This will work to our advantage.’
‘Who will lead the charge?’ asked Chiara.
‘I believe we should keep the number to around six or seven, any more than this and we are bound to be scattered on the battlefield,’ said Acartor. ‘Eben Ecorian, Gatekeeper Chiara, Sir Cian, Sir Tierran, and Meara should be in the attacking group.’
‘What about me and Stella,’ said Red suddenly. ‘We want to be there too. We have fought in many battles with Eben. It’s always good to have friends by your side in such situations. I don’t plan to leave Eben to fight the Prince of Shadows alone.’
Acartor’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Red for a few moments before answering. ‘Sir Red, you must understand this group will attempt to break through their last line of defence. We will require help reaching that point, and I’m sure that you, Stella, Cassiel, Arlen, and many others will be in the thick of the action right up until this time and perhaps even until the end. Our objective is not just to fight his army; our real objective is to provide an opportunity for the Ecorian to challenge the Prince of Shadows. If we can do this we may be able to save our world, if not, we will see an evil shadow pour out over all the lands and all men and mer will be completely subjugated.’
**
That night the company rested in the castle. They were given simple chambers and were happy to be sleeping under a roof. The following morning Eben woke early and decided to walk down to the lake. The day was overcast, and a gentle cool breeze blew from the east. A rocky track led down from the castle gate to the water’s edge. The surface of the lake was very still. A group of swallows flew in circles over the clear water. Eben was surprised when he caught sight of Acartor sitting on the rocky shore a little further along. Acartor was staring at him and seemed to be pondering something deeply. Eben walked over to the Fiorian.
‘Good morning, Acartor.’
‘Yes it is,’ replied Acartor as he stood up. ‘I see you also had the good idea of a morning walk. Eaglemere Lake is very beautiful.’ Eben turned and looked out at the lake. They both stood there for several moments in the peaceful silence. ‘Chiara told me that she beat you when you were training in Elcalee.’ Eben glanced at Acartor and nodded, not knowing what to say. ‘She still has faith in your ability. She said that you are the greatest warrior she has ever faced.’
‘Chiara’s skills are far superior,’ said Eben. Acartor frowned and lowered his eyes.
‘Eben, you are the only one who can challenge the Prince of Shadows. If you fail, we will all die.’ Acartor paused for a moment; his eyes glanced at the Sword of Light. ‘It has long been said that the Prince of Shadows feared the Knights of Shidon. The Astarian Fiora tutored the Knights of Shidon so they could fight the Prince of Shadows and his servants. The Fiorians are the descendants of the Knights of Shidon, and Chiara is the greatest knight in our order. If you can match her I believe you can also match the Prince of Shadows. Our success all depends on our mission to lead you to him. You have the Sword of Light; I think you can do this.’
Eben looked back out toward the lake again. For a few moments neither of them said anything.
‘When I was in the Dungeons of Zarkanor I learned about the deep agony of loneliness and despair. I learned what it feels like to lose hope. I was imprisoned in a dark place, Eben; a terrible place for any man. In the end I found a way out of my torment. Sometimes men must make difficult decisions.’
‘What decision are you talking about?’ asked Eben, sensing a certain degree of anxiety in Acartor’s words. The Fiorian’s cast his blue eyes downward and revealed some of his despair for a moment; it was rare for Acartor to show any expression at all. He took a deep breath before answering.
‘This is difficult for me to talk about now. A time will come when I will reveal to you what I had to face in the Dungeons of Zarkanor,’ replied Acartor, his voice almost a whisper. He then glanced away from Eben and lifted his eyes to look up at the castle. ‘We will set out at noon to meet with the Irvarian army,’ he said, his tone of voice lifting. ‘There is one last thing I should say, Ecorian. A time will come when you will face two possible ways forward. I believe you will make the right decision.’ Acartor then turned to leave. Eben’s eyes followed the Fiorian as he walked away.
**
For about an hour Eben sat by the lake and rested. He reflected on all that had happened since they left Ortaria. So much had happened and at such a quick pace that he had scarce enough time to reflect. He thought about the reality of having to fight the Prince of Shadows in the looming battle.
Cassiel came into view and walked down the track from the castle. He was wearing all new clothing and a new brown cloak.
‘Acartor told me you were down here,’ he said, taking a seat on t
he rocks beside Eben.
‘This lake has such a peace about it. See the swallows flying just above the surface?’ said Eben.
‘These lands are beautiful,’ said Cassiel, his eyes scanning the lake.
Eben glanced across at Cassiel and wondered what advice his good friend could offer. He knew that Cassiel had always been steadfast and coolheaded in the face of danger.
‘What do you think of the plan to fight the Prince of Shadows?’
‘The Fiorians seem to think the plan is the only way.’
‘But what do you think, Cassiel?’
Cassiel looked from Eben toward the lake and pondered the question deeply before answering.
‘We have fought many evil creatures together since we met in Ancora. I think to overcome the Prince of Shadows we will need more than the ability to fight. In the Forgotten Age the Astarian Fiora could not slay the Prince of Shadows; she had to banish him to the darkness beyond the Cosmic Gate. The Fiorians believe that the Sword of Light in your hands can end this war, but I do not know if fighting him is the entire answer. Whatever happens we are all in this together.’
‘Friends until the end,’ said Eben. Cassiel nodded and smiled.
They sat by the lake for a little while and enjoyed the scenery in silence.
‘Red and Stella are taking new armour from the Eaglemere armoury,’ said Cassiel ‘Sir Evander has told us we can take whatever we want, and he gave me these new clothes. There is a lot of good armour if you want to replace anything.’
**
Eben arrived at the entrance to the armoury and saw Red and Stella were busy trying on their new armour. Red had replaced his rusting and dented Ortarian armour with polished new plate armour. He looked like a new knight. Eben stepped into the room.
‘Eben, have a look at all this armour. Sir Evander said we can take anything we want,’ said Red.
The room was small and completely crammed full of all manner of weapons and armour. There were racks of swords, axes, bows, crossbows, and wooden barrels full of arrows.
Eben didn’t so much like wearing heavy armour. He preferred to feel free and mobile on the battlefield and felt wearing heavy plate armour would slow him down too much and reduce his ability to use his sword. Red, on the other hand, felt that heavier armour provided him with more protection and made him feel safer whilst charging into enemy ranks. Eben selected a leather shirt with a triple layer around his torso, metal elbow guards, knee guards, leather boots that reached almost to his knees, new leather gloves, and wrist guards.
‘Maybe I should take one of these,’ said Red, picking up a large crossbow.
‘Don’t bother,’ said Stella, shaking her head. ‘They take too long to reload.’
Stella picked up a new shield. The shield was round with the heraldic yellow hawk of Everdon painted across it. She also took a middle length arming sword and attached a second shorter sword to her belt; giving her the ability to release the shield and fight with two swords as she had done on the battlefield in Scaldonia.
‘We are ready for battle once again,’ said Eben.
**
Sir Evander had organised new warhorses for the company. Eben was given a large brown warhorse named Arrow. He thanked Sir Evander for providing them with the armour and horses.
The company rode away from Eaglemere and headed back toward the main highway. Sir Cian and Sir Tierran led the group. They both rode massive black warhorses, and they seemed to be ever on guard. Eben rode at the back of the group with Meara and Baftel. After an hour they arrived at the crossroads. The Irvarian army was nowhere in sight.
Acartor rode out into the middle of the crossroads and looked down. ‘The army must be on their way,’ he said.
‘They are not far away,’ said Baftel. ‘They are passing through the Forest of Sorrows as we speak.’
The company rested and waited for the Irvarians. After about an hour they could hear the sound of hundreds of soldiers singing from the direction of the forest. A few minutes later the first troops came into view across the plain and were followed by thousands more. King Edric was leading his army, riding a great black warhorse; his red cape flew in the wind. He was adorned in shining armour and his helm was crowned in gold. They watched as he led the line of troops toward the crossroads.
‘We expected we would be meeting you in Marraw,’ said King Edric as he approached. He was followed by six of his fully armoured and mounted knights.
‘We have been guests at Eaglemere,’ replied Acartor.
‘Eaglemere! How is Sir Evander these days?’ asked King Edric, his eyes revealing his happiness at the memory of his old friend.
‘As knightly as he ever was,’ replied Chiara.
‘He must be getting on in years. I will pay him a visit after the war.’ He looked from them to Eben, and his expression became stony. ‘I see you found each other,’ he said gruffly. ‘Is the Fire Order coming down from the mountains?’
‘They will come,’ replied Eben.
‘Good, everything is proceeding as we planned,’ said King Edric gladly. ‘King Lenard has ridden ahead and will meet us north of Lucaria where the Everdonian army awaits. We will wait for the enemy to land and then we will bring the battle directly to him.’
‘We have learned that the Prince of Shadows plans to land his fleet at Crescent Bay,’ said Acartor.
King Edric nodded sternly. ‘Crescent Bay is well protected. He will be able to safely harbour his ships there and prepare for an invasion of Everdon.’
‘He won’t expect us to hedge him in between the land and sea,’ said Acartor. ‘We could prevent him from advancing into Everdon and destroy his chance of escaping by sea. He doesn’t know that we are aware of his plan to land at Crescent Bay. We could surprise him and catch him off guard.’
King Edric nodded in agreement. ‘The Prince of Shadows will see the terrible mistake he has made coming south to our lands.’
**
The army of thirty thousand men moved south for the remainder of the day and passed by three small Everdonian villages in the hills. The villagers all watched in amazement as the army passed by. The hills they were marching through were lovely with rounded grassy hilltops and gullies full of alder, linden, and oak trees. Occasionally they would see shepherds tending to their flocks of sheep on the hills. Eben spent most of the time riding beside Red, Stella, and Cassiel near the front of the army.
King Edric had remained gruff with Eben all afternoon. He was still annoyed about the whole situation with Princess Apherah. Eben felt that it was best to steer clear of the King and stayed a little back from the very front of the army. Often he could hear the troops talking about him, but more often than not they were pointing at Red. They thought that Red was the Ecorian because of his shining new armour. Red held his chin high and enjoyed the attention.
‘Even with all that new armour you don’t look like an emperor. I’m surprised they think you are,’ said Stella.
‘What! Why not?’ asked Red defensively. ‘I could have easily been a king if I was born into a royal family. In a certain sense I am a king: nobody ever tells me what to do, and for years I have been completely free to go wherever I choose.’
‘I was just thinking that you lack that certain regal quality. Maybe you worked as a clown for too long,’ teased Stella with a slight chuckle. Red shook his head and grinned, knowing Stella was playing games with him.
‘What about you, Stella. You practically lived in the circus,’ said Red, raising an eyebrow. Stella smiled self-assuredly.
‘Yes, I did, Red, but remember that I was always walking the tightropes and swinging on the trapeze high above.’ She winked at Red with a victorious beam. Red shook his head; he knew Stella was much better at this game.
They rode onward for the remainder of the day and the army camped at the southern side of the hills where the road entered into gentle and somewhat beautiful land. The hilly landscape was partially treed with silver birches.
CHAPTER SIXTE
EN
For three days the Irvarian army marched south toward the port city of Lucaria. The further they moved south the more beautiful the land became. Everdon was a kingdom of rolling hills, lush green forests, and wide flowering meadows. On the second day they passed by the town of Marraw. Marraw was set on the banks of the Everdon River.
The Everdon River flowed down from the Great Mountains to the west and carved a winding way through the kingdom all the way to the port city of Lucarai where it flowed into the Southern Sea. The town of Marraw was surrounded by a tall grey stone wall which was lined with fifteen watchtowers. A large keep rose up about eighty yards above the town. Atop the keep flew the flag of Everdon; a blue banner depicting a yellow hawk with outstretched wings.
The Irvarian army continued to march without stopping. King Edric was determined to move as quickly south as possible now that they knew where the Prince of Shadows planned to land his fleet. The King seemed almost impatient to see an end to the war.
There was a feeling of concern among the troops. The Irvarians were a proud people and for the most part they held brave faces, but Eben could sense the discomfort they felt about marching away from their homeland to fight in a foreign land against a monstrous and mostly unknown enemy.
On the night of the third day of marching the army stopped beside the Everdon River in a place of wide flowering meadows. Meara had their tents set up beside the river. As the evening approached they rested by a large fire beside the slow flowing water. Meara, Arlen, Baftel, Eben, Cassiel, Sir Tierran, Sir Cian, Red, and Stella all sat around the fire. To everyone’s surprise Sir Cian played a wooden flute for them.
‘Two more days and we will meet with our Everdonian friends,’ said Sir Tierran gruffly. ‘Then we are off to meet our enemy the following day. We should make light work of forty thousand muckrons.’