“I understand, Captain, and I respect you the more for such a request. Once I would have scolded you for such a thing, but I fear I am getting too old to be of any use to you in the coming battle. I will stay behind with my people and make sure they are well taken care of.” replied the King, clearly disappointed.
Captain Ryan nodded, relieved the King took his advice so well, and turned to leave before the King called to him once more, speaking quieter this time so that only the captain could hear.
“Remember your duty, Captain. Protect the girl, at all costs. She must stay safe, for the future of the kingdom. Go, and may the Creator God’s blessing be on you all.” finished the King, a stern look in his eyes.
Captain Ryan nodded solemnly. “I understand your majesty. I will protect her with my life, as always.” He clapped a fist to his heart and bowed to his king.
The King bade the companions farewell as they each took off on their separate ways through the forest. He watched Erin and Tyrius disappear into the darkness of the woods, silently wondering if he would ever see his daughter again.
Chapter XXVIII
David was finally able to see the foothills at the bottom of the mountain path only a few hundred yards down the steep walkway they had ascended nearly a week before.
The sun was setting over the Draconian Mountains to the West sending a single beam of light across the grassy plains like a spotlight on the Mystic Mountain. It was as if the heavens themselves were showing them a sign that their final plight was waiting ahead just across the plains, if only they could make it in time. Soon the light would fade beyond the mountains, leaving them in a shroud of increasing darkness.
The ominous swirling clouds had grown in size since they last saw them, now covering the majority of the grassy field surrounding the mountain and forest. It was as if it had a life of its own, growing with the sole purpose of covering the land in a blanket of gloom. David wondered if the storm clouds were more than they at first had seemed. They had been circling Eldergate for nearly a week now and it didn’t seem they would be dissipating anytime soon. He also noted the strange absence of any rain accompanying this storm, something that he thought would surely have come by now.
As the light waned, the precession of soldiers and supply carts began lighting their torches. David stood in awe at how far the lights snaked up the mountain pass behind him, revealing how large their force truly was. He silently considered how lucky they were to have run into Rex back in West Post, just to find out that he was the heir to the throne of such a powerful people. Fate really had a way of putting things into place for the good of the world, he thought.
It wasn’t long before they found themselves reaching the landing at the foot of the mountain pass. It was strange seeing the grassy plains again, David felt like it was a lifetime ago since he had first found himself thrown into this strange world. Only a little over a week ago he never would have imagined he would find himself on such an adventure, let alone fighting to save a world he never knew existed. That fate thing again, he thought silently to himself.
Strange as it seemed, David felt more at home in this world than he had in his own back at the orphanage. He felt he had finally found a place where he belonged, something he hadn’t truly felt growing up in the orphanage, and he was ready now to fight for its survival.
Once they reached the bottom of the mountain pass and made their way across the winding path down the foothills, they spread out into formation across the open plains to let the others catch up. It took longer than David would have expected for everyone to reach the bottom, but once they were down, he noticed Rex standing up on one of the supply carts near the center, the increasingly massive crowd gathering around to hear what their king had to say.
His voice bellowed out amongst the crowd of warriors.
“My brethren! We have come a long way from our home on a treacherous path down the mountain, but our real danger lies before us, not behind us. We will take this night to rest and plot out our path to the city, but come daybreak, we will march to war on Eldergate to free this land from the tyranny that now holds it captive.
“You all have my gratitude for the bravery you have shown just by choosing to stand by my side and fight for a land that isn’t yours. But believe me when I say this, if we don’t fight today, we would surely fight tomorrow when the greed of General Krauss sets his sight on our lands and the kingdoms beyond the mountains. By fighting today, we free tomorrow for times of peace and prosperity!
“Now drink and be merry, for tonight we celebrate our coming victory! Let tomorrow worry about itself!” he jumped down from the cart and the barbarian army roared and cheered for their king.
It didn’t take long for the camp to get set up and the fires to begin lighting up the night, dotting the countryside like fireflies. Laughter and song rang throughout the encampment as the warriors told stories of famous battles of their forefathers and their victories over the enemy. An air of energy and excitement rang throughout the camp and stirred the men to high spirits as they ate, drank, and danced their worries away into the night.
David, Rex, and Orin all had tents set up together along with the newly appointed General, Cornelius Owen, and his ranking officers. They all sat around and discussed their plans for the coming day and the battle that would ensue when they reached the capital city of Eldergate. Being the most familiar with the layout of the city, Orin decided to begin.
“Once we make our way across the plains, we will come to the Great Road that will lead us up to the main gate of the city. Due to the absence of any Wolf Guard so far, I think it safe to assume they have moved their forces from the grassy plains to the Great Road in order to block our entry into the city.
If this is the case, I would also assume that General Krauss’ soldiers have set up defensive positions along the outer and inner city walls with their infantry, as well as fortified their archers along the walls in order to help stave off any incoming attacks. The city’s defenses will probably be the biggest obstacle for us to overcome.”
“That’s where we come in” said David. “Erin and I had escaped from the city through a secret passageway in its outer walls in the Western District. Rex, Orin, and I can lead the way with a small group of soldiers. While their main forces are distracted with the battle at the front, we will come in from behind and take out the guards at the gate, giving us the chance to open the gates and surprise them from the back. Hopefully, this will give us the chance we need to divide their forces between two fronts and take them out while also giving our main forces a way into the city.”
“Right. And once their main forces are separated, the boy and I will head towards the Royal Palace in an effort to find Erin, Tyrius, and the King before making our way to take out General Krauss.” said Orin.
“How do you know that the ones you seek will be in the palace?” asked General Owen, skeptical. “From my experience, things seldom go as planned in battle. What are you going to do if your friends aren’t there?” he asked.
“If they aren’t being held captive in the palace, we can only hope that Erin was successful in finding Tyrius and the King and helping them escape. At that point, we will just have to make our way to General Krauss so we can stop him before he opens the Dark Abyss and frees the Defiant One from his prison.” answered David.
“Well it looks like you won’t have to worry about that first part!” shouted Rex, pointing to the outskirts of their encampment.
Everyone turned to look at where he was pointing, and David almost fell off his stool in surprise.
Standing off in the distance was a young woman and elderly man talking to one of the barbarian soldiers near another campfire. Her hands were moving frantically as she spoke to the soldier who then laughed and patted her shoulder roughly, nearly sending her falling forward into the roaring fire. He then pointed over in their direction. When the woman looked their way, she immediately caught sight of David and the others and after motioning to the elderly m
an with her to follow, started running toward them.
It was Erin and Tyrius!
David started to stand and almost as soon as he got to his feet was nearly knocked to the ground as Erin threw her arms around him and squeezed. He felt as if he could barely breathe. He wasn’t sure if it was from excitement at seeing his friend again or from the ridiculously strong grip she held him in, but either way he wasn’t complaining. When she finally let go, she had tears streaming down her face and a broad smile from ear to ear.
“I’m so glad to see you! You did it! You were able to convince Rex’s people to come help! I have so much to tell you. All of you!” she said, looking to her friends.
She recounted the events from the time she left their camp that night several days prior until the moment her and Tyrius had arrived in their encampment just a few minutes ago.
They all stared in wonder when she told them her story of the rebel forces and how they had saved her from imprisonment before taking her back to their camp in the forest, along with the two assaults they had overcome by the undead soldiers, and finally the mages and their timely rescue by the Elven warrior prince and his men.
“Then it is as I had feared. It is a good thing that I decided to train the soldiers in magical warfare!” commented Orin, nudging General Owen.
General Owen and his officers were relieved to hear that there would be more forces teaming up with them during the next day’s encounter, however they were genuinely concerned about the prospects of having to fight the undead along with these mysterious hooded mages.
“I sure hope your training sessions pay off, old man.” he said, with a weak smile. “If all hell breaks loose and those mages are putting a whipping on my men, I expect you will be there to lead us through it, no?” he asked.
“Right you are. I won’t leave until any magical threats have been eliminated. Tyrius and I will be able to take care of them, don’t you worry!” he promised.
“I’ll hold you to that, old man!” he said, more optimistically.
Erin continued her story.
“Tyrius could sense the orb’s presence as you drew nearer, so we headed in the direction that the orb’s aura was strongest. Once we reached the edges of the forest, we could see the lines of torches coming down the mountainside, and immediately we knew it had to be you with the Ravenfell army at your side.” she finished.
David couldn’t take his eyes off Erin; he was so happy to see her safe again and it felt good to have her back in their company. He silently promised himself that he wouldn’t let her go off on her own again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something happened to her and he wasn’t there to help.
“There’s something else…” said Tyrius. “I’m afraid the Elders will not be able to help us, as they have finally reached the end of their long lives. Just before they sent the King and I back to West Post from the crystal cavern in the Birthplace of the World, they told us they had discerned that General Krauss possessed powerful dark magic the likes of which they had never seen before.
“They believe his power is derived from the Defiant One in exchange for a promise to free him from his bondage. At first, we had no idea how he was planning on doing such a thing, as the Mystics used their magic to imprison him in the Dark Abyss ages ago and it would take similar powerful magic to free him from such a place. But then we considered a frightening possibility. If he had found the fragments of the last remaining Mystic Crystal, he could find a way to piece it back together, and then he could use it to siphon magic from the Orb if he were ever to capture David, but if not, he could siphon the magic from the very lifeforms created by the Mystics long ago.
When we met Gilric Ellisar, he told us how his people have been going missing and the reports were that Royal soldiers and the Wolf Guard had been taking his people hostage.
This only confirmed our fears. It is my assumption that General Krauss somehow plans to use the magic from these elves in order to open up a rift into the Dark Abyss and free the Defiant One. That means he must possess one of the Mystic Crystals, and it must have been restored.” he finished.
Everyone stood in disbelief that such a thing could be done. Everyone except for David, as he had seen the vision of what would come to pass if General Krauss succeeded. He alone truly knew what was at stake if they were to fail. That single fact alone was enough to fuel his conviction that failure simply wasn’t an option.
“That is why we must stop him” said David, fists clenched. “We cannot allow him to wreak such havoc on this world. So many lives are at stake. Let us get some rest now, so that tomorrow we will have the strength to endure until the end – whatever that may look like.”
He bade his friends goodnight and started toward his tent. He felt Erin tug at his hand to turn him around. “David…I’m sorry for leaving you back at the camp. I know you must have been worried sick…” she said, looking down after he met her eyes.
“I was horrified” he admitted. “I tried to go after you, but Rex knocked me out and carried me with them. By the time I came to, it was already too late. I never would have caught up with you, so I was forced to move on. We had quite the adventure of our own” he said, recalling the events of the past few days.
“Tell me, what happened after I left? How did you convince the people of Ravenfell to join you in this fight?” she asked, eager to hear the rest of the story.
Together they sat outside of David’s tent in the dew-covered grass as David recounted the events from the past few days. He told her of how Rex had finally revealed why he had left Ravenfell, which she said she could understand, and that he was the rightful heir to the throne, and how he had then confronted his uncle when he realized the massive support he had from the townsfolk.
He recounted the events that led up to the battle between Rex and his uncle and how defeating his uncle had been difficult for him, but had been what was best for Ravenfell, and ultimately, its future.
He spoke of the training he was doing with Orin and the progress he had made with the orb, as well as the time spent trying to convince the council members to allow the army to go off to war. When he got to the part about his most recent episode with the orb and the vision he had, Erin was holding her breath, squeezing his arm tightly.
“Do you really think that he will succeed in freeing the Defiant One like your vision suggests?” she asked, horrified.
“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s hard to tell if my visions are predictions, or warnings of what may come to pass, but can still be prevented. I still don’t really know what part I can play in all of this, but I do know that I intend to do everything in my power to stop this from happening and free your people from the rule of General Krauss.” he said, looking in her eyes.
She marveled at how brave David looked in this moment. Only a week before when she met him, David seemed like such a scared, lost boy, but now he seemed different somehow. He was confident, strong-willed, determined…something inside her stirred and before she knew it, she had pressed her lips up against his. As soon as she realized what she had done, she quickly pulled away, embarrassed at her lack of self-control.
David’s eyes were wide in surprise as he processed what had just happened. Quickly regaining his composure… and his courage – he leaned forward and pulled her in for another kiss. This time, they both leaned in, filled with passion and their budding love for one another.
When they parted their eyes locked. In that moment, David’s whole world had changed. Now he knew he had to win. He had far too much to lose...failure just wasn’t an option.
Chapter XXIX
When he awoke the next morning, David found Erin sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder still fast asleep. They had apparently fallen asleep while leaning against his tent post the night before. For a moment, he forgot the rest of the world and just marveled at the thought of having her again by his side.
“Hey, David! Get up, you bum. We got to get movin!” he heard Rex shout from
across the way.
Erin began to stir with the loud barbarian screaming a few feet away. As she opened her eyes and realized they had fallen asleep together, she quickly lifted her head and smiled self-consciously at David.
“Sorry, I guess I fell asleep while we were talking last night. I was just so tired…” she said, fixing her hair up into a messy bun.
“Don’t apologize. I fell asleep too, besides…I enjoyed having you with me. It was nice knowing I wasn’t alone for a change.” David said, smiling back.
“Let’s go lovebirds!” chided Orin, now exiting his tent fully prepared for the coming march to the capital. He had an awful grin on his face that made David burn on the inside with embarrassment. He could feel the tips of his ears turning red.
Together they got up and began preparing for the coming march. The air was cool and crisp, and the dew was heavy on the thick grass. A gentle breeze was blowing here and there, causing endless waves to ripple across the tops of the grassy plains.
He looked East in the direction they were going to be heading. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought it looked peaceful and quiet, but he knew somewhere in the distance there was a fierce army of undead soldiers, elite Wolf Guard, and dark mages that would be waiting for their arrival.
He shuddered at the thought of what they must face, but quickly gathered himself and replaced the sudden doubts with a strong resolve of what must be done. He knew what he had to do, and he was confident that when the time came, the orb would help him do it.
Ever since the day before he had been able to consciously feel the orb’s energy flowing within him. It felt more easily accessible and familiar, as if it had always been with him for as long as he could remember, a silly thought, considering he had only been in this world for a little over a week now.
David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb Page 26