“Okay, enough fun and games,” said Pendivall. “Brinn, over here.”
Brinn put his sword away and hustled over to his master’s side. Hilde turned to the other two.
“Caroline, you and I are leaving in a few minutes to get to the fields and begin getting the captain and his men situated. Lianna, I want you to stay here and attend to things. When the rest of the army arrives in the morning, you can accompany them to the fields.”
While Pendivall and Brinn busied themselves with going through the Gallyneer troops, to see which ones they could trust, Hilde pulled Symon aside to talk to him.
“Seems that you didn’t tell me the whole story about why a rift formed between you and your brother.”
“I told you everything that was germane to the story.”
“Oh really? You didn’t think to tell me that the primary reason you and your brother came to blows was because of a woman? A woman you both loved.”
Symon looked at the fiery, redhead and then hung his head.
“Not many a day has gone past that I haven’t wished it had turned out otherwise,” he said as he looked back into her eyes. “I miss my brother.”
Hilde looked at him, not sure whether to give him a hug or smack his face. In the end she chose to do neither.
“Your brother will be here tomorrow morning and I will not be here. I am going forward with Captain Belgard and his men.”
Then she stepped forward and put a finger in the middle of Symon’s chest.
“I expect you to figure this out. When the army reaches the fields tomorrow, I expect to see that you and Jarell have fixed this crack between you.”
“A lot of words were spoken in anger, m’lady.”
“I don’t care! That was over five hundred years ago! It’s time to put it behind you. The both of you!”
Without waiting for any kind of reply, she turned and walked briskly to the dragons and climbed on the back of Venia. She and Caroline were gone within seconds.
As he watched them leave, he perceived a presence beside him.
“Are you going to let a woman talk to you like that?”
Symon turned and looked at the eavesdropper.
“Yes, Toll, I am. Because she’s right.”
Toll shook his head and laughed.
“That’s why you’ll always be soft.”
With the speed of lightning, Symon grabbed Toll by the throat and stepped in close to him. He could smell Toll’s fetid breath with every breath of his own.
“And that’s why your wife packed up your children and fled into the night. To get away from you and everything you stand for.”
“Symon,” said a gravelly, mature voice from behind him. “Do you vouch for this man as someone we can trust?”
Symon released his grip and pushed Toll to the ground.
“No, Master Pendivall, I do not. If you are asking my opinion, I’d say to clap him in irons, right beside Captain Kreiger, and let him finish this war locked up.”
Pendivall stepped forward, towering over the captain laying in the dirt. His figure blocked out the sun and Toll could finally see the old man’s features. Pendivall had not one ounce of happiness on his face. Then he motioned for a couple of soldiers and they came over and picked Toll off the ground and bound his hands behind his back and led him away.
Pendivall turned to Symon and said, “I could sense the darkness in his soul, that he would run right back to Kerrick if given the chance. But you, you’re a little hard to read. I sense no love for the dark wizard in you, but I do sense a huge blanket of fear and trepidation in your heart.”
“Master, if the dark wizard were standing here in front of me, I’d be seeking a way to cut his heart out with my dagger. I believe the fear you are seeing pertains to the coming confrontation with my brother.”
Pendivall smiled and patted Symon on the shoulder.
“Wars within the boundaries of the family can sometimes be the hardest to stop. But, I would take Lady Hilde at her word. Find a way to work it out.”
Chapter 8 ~ The Fallen Warrior Lives
As she opened her eyes, Gwen looked around and found herself in a dark room that appeared to be in a small home. Turning her head, she saw her battlewear was neatly folded and laying on a chair next to the bed she was laying in.
Wiggling around a little on the bed, she looked under the covers to find she was as naked as the day she was born. Naked except for the large bandage on the right side of her rib cage. She tried raising herself up and the pain was immense, causing her to cry out and fell back to the bed.
A woman came hustling through the curtain that provided her some small bit of privacy and rushed to the side of her bed. She reached out and helped Gwen lay back down and fluffed the pillows around her head.
“Best you stay still, miss. You have at least two broken ribs and a couple of nasty cuts on your back.”
“Where am I?” asked Gwen in her soft, Guildenian voice.
“You are in the home of my husband and our family. You might remember him. Stefan? He carried you here from where he found you. My name is Clarissa.”
It started coming back to her. The battle in the sky and her friend, Koranth, falling to the earth. Closing her eyes, she let out a small cry for her friend.
“Stefan says you were with a dragon. Is this true?”
“Yes,” said Gwen feebly. “We were flying with another dragon rider and were attacked by four red dragons of the dark wizard’s army.”
There was the sound of a door opening and closing in the front of the home and some footsteps across the floor.
“Is it true there is an army coming this way?”
“Yes, and I must get out of here before they get here.”
“I’m afraid it’s already too late for that, Gwen.”
They looked up to see Stefan standing in the doorway.
“That army that you spoke of is marching through the valley below as we speak. Martin and I were out on the ridge watching. There must be at least a thousand of them.”
“Did he get to the village in time and warn them?”
“Yes, he did, thanks to you. They were able to clear out of the village, scattering into the cliffs above the town. From what I’ve been able to gather, the army marched right through the village and razed every building.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You saved all their lives. We can rebuild the village when this is all over. If Martin hadn't warned them, the men would have been pressed into service in the dark wizard’s army and the rest would have been killed.”
“Are we safe here?”
“We’re far enough into the hills we should be okay. Martin is still watching the troops go by, counting them. We should have a better idea how many there are when he gets back here.”
Gwen shifted herself a little and winced at the pain. Clarissa tried getting her to lie still.
“What I wouldn’t give to have Jarell or Pendivall here right now.”
“Masters Jarell and Pendivall?” asked Clarissa.
“Yes, they are with an army that is heading this way from the west. If either one of them was here they could heal my broken bones and get me back in the fight.”
She looked up at Clarissa.
“You know those two wizards?”
“Gwen, not a person in this area doesn’t know of Jarell and Pendivall. When Magrum the Dark was running loose, his troops marched through this valley and enslaved everyone. It was Jarell and Pendivall and their troops that drove Magrum’s army out of here and back into the Eastern Desert.”
“Well,” said Gwen, “they are on their way here again.”
“We are in good hands then,” said Stefan.
“Well, young lady,” said Clarissa, “it appears your fighting days are behind you for the time being. I’m going to see if I can get you something to eat.”
“It’s a shame she wouldn’t let me carve a slab of meat off that dragon. It would have made a good roast.”
<
br /> Gwen looked at him and squinted her eyes, “Like I said, he was my friend. Now, if you want to go back to that area, you will also find at least two red dragons that I brought down. And I’m sure Lianna took down the other two. You can carve those beasts to pieces for all I care.”
Stefan grinned and said, “I’ll have to go take a quick look, once the sun comes up.”
“You be careful, dear,” said Clarissa as she patted him on the shoulder and made her way out of the room.
After she left, Gwen looked at Stefan and asked, “Is Martin safe where he is?”
“He should be. Why do you ask?”
“The dark wizard’s army won’t care about his age,” said Gwen. “All they will care about is if he can wield a sword.”
Stefan looked at her and she could tell he was rethinking leaving his son on the ridge.
“He’ll be fine. We’ve lived in these woods for years; for his whole life as a matter of fact, and no one knows them better than him.”
Stefan stopped talking for a moment and then said, “But, you’re right. I think I’ll head back to the ridge to keep him company.”
“Please be careful.”
Stefan nodded as he turned and headed out of the room. She could hear him say goodbye to Clarissa and then close the door behind him.
A few minutes later, Clarissa brought in a bowl of warm, vegetable soup and Gwen could tell this family was struggling to survive. The soup was thin and had almost no vegetables in it at all. It was hardly more than just hot water.
“How did your family survive when the dark wizard’s troops were here up until a few days ago?”
“We’re pretty well hidden up here,” said Clarissa.
“So, no one comes up this way?”
“No, Gwen. Only if they can scale the face of a mountain.”
Gwen cocked her head at that statement and Clarissa laughed a little.
“We are on a small ledge about three hundred feet above the valley floor. We can’t be seen from the ground below and no one is going to be on the top of the mountain looking down at us.”
Gwen thought about this for a second and then said, “No one, but a dragon.”
“Even still, a dragon would have to land on the ledge and look around the brush and trees outside this cabin, to see us. Just flying by they would never even notice us.”
“Wait a minute. If we’re three hundred feet up, how did I get here?”
Clarissa laughed and said, “Not to embarrass you, but Stefan threw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and made the climb. That man is as strong as an ox and can climb like a wild cat. He and Martin are always having races to see who can get to the ledge first.”
Gwen finished her bowl of soup and could feel its warmth starting to spread throughout her body. She could feel the cold as she was sitting up and the blanket was not covering her bare back.
“I should like to try to get up when the sun rises and take a walk outside. I may need some help putting my clothes back on, though.”
Clarissa shook her head and said, “I don’t think you’ll be ready to try to put on those clothes for quite a few days. But, I have a couple of robes that you’ll find easier to get into, though it may cause a few giggles from the men.”
“Why?”
“Well, Gwen, you’re not exactly on the large side. Not like me anyway. So, the robes will pretty much swallow you up.”
“I can get her some of my clothes, mother.”
They turned to see Martin standing in the doorway.
“She and I are about the same size.”
“Even still, son, a robe will be fine for her for a few days. If she tries getting into regular clothes, she will aggravate her injuries.”
“Okay,” said Martin and he disappeared from the door.
In a few seconds he returned and handed one of his robes to his mother. Clarissa took the robe and folded it and laid it on the chair, on top of Gwen’s battlewear.
“Right now, she needs to lay back down and get some rest,” said Clarissa, as she helped Gwen to lay down and get covered up.
“Can I talk to her, mother?”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. She needs to rest.”
Gwen spoke up, “That’s okay. I don’t think I can sleep and it would be nice to talk.”
Clarissa looked at her and then at her son.
“Okay, as long as you promise to stay still and you promise not to get her too excited.”
They both said, “Yes, mother” at the same time. Then they both started laughing. Clarissa shook her head and exited the room. Martin pulled a stool closer to the edge of the bed and sat down.
“So, you said the dragon was your friend. Did he fly above you, watching over you?”
“No, I rode on his back. I am a dragon rider.”
“Really?”
“Yes. There are four of us.”
Then she dropped her gaze.
“I guess with Koranth gone that means there’s only three dragon riders now.”
“Are the other dragon riders women, too?”
“Yes, we are because we’re lighter and before we started riding the dragons, we were bowmaidens.”
“Are they all as beautiful as you?”
“Martin!” yelled Clarissa from the other room.
Gwen laughed a little and said, “I’m not sure about how beautiful we are. We’re soldiers that fight the dark wizard.”
“Well, I think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Martin! I’m going to toss you off the cliff if you don’t stop talking to her like that.”
“Oh, mother. How am I supposed to meet a girl up here on the mountain?”
Gwen looked toward the doorway and could see Stefan sitting at a table and struggling not to laugh.
“Martin, how old are you?” asked Gwen.
“I’m sixteen, almost seventeen,” he said as he puffed out his chest.
“Well, I’m almost three hundred years old.”
Martin’s mouth dropped open and his eyes opened wide. Gwen looked at Stefan again and he was looking at her.
“You’re a Guildenian,” said Stefan.
She nodded at him as he stood up and walked to the doorway.
“What’s a Guildenian?” asked Martin.
“A Guildenian, son, is a person from the village of Guilden in Wyndweir. They are a magical people that live long lives.”
Gwen took a breath and said, “I don’t know about magical, but yes, we do live quite a bit longer than normal men and women.”
Stefan smiled and said, “Oh, you are magical. Believe you me, you are magical. I’m guessing you’re not part of the Healer’s Guild though, or you would have healed yourself.”
“No, I was an apprentice in the Seamstress Guild before this war broke out. Now, Caroline and Lianna, two of the other dragon riders, they are healers.”
“If they were here, could they heal your injuries?” asked Martin.
“Yes, they could. I’d be ready to get back into the fight within a few minutes.”
“Seems kind of unfair, doesn’t it?”
“Why do you say that?”
Martin looked at her and said, “Well, if you can’t be killed, it wouldn’t be fair to those you fight against.”
“Oh, I can be killed, Martin. And if I am, there’s no healing from that. I’m surprised I didn’t die yesterday when I fell from the back of Koranth.”
Martin nodded as he realized what he had said was pretty silly. Of course, she could die, like anyone else.
He was happy she didn’t die. He never would have met her if she had. Even with an almost three hundred year difference in age, she was still the best-looking girl he had ever seen.
Chapter 9 ~ Hey Brother, How’s It Going?
Morning came bright and shiny, clouded only by the smoke from the campfires being used to cook the morning meal. What food the troops from Gallyneer had brought with wasn’t much, but Pendivall gave Symon
and his men permission to raid the last of the food stores in the pub. Though the villagers had taken quite a lot with them for their journey south, there was still some left and the troops were grateful for it.
Pendivall walked past the hastily constructed stockade and saw the men that had been locked up. There were only ten of them and he felt fortunate for that small number. The biggest problem he could see was that Toll and Kreiger were becoming fast friends and that worried him. He didn’t need the two leaders joining forces, even with such a small number of men at their disposal.
As he stood and looked at the men locked up in the stockade, Symon walked up with a sandwich of roast meats and a mug of water. As he handed them to Pendivall, he motioned to the jailed men.
“What are we going to do with these men?’
Pendivall shook his head and said, “I’m not really sure Symon. Given half a chance, these men would slit our throats without any remorse whatsoever. We’ve already seen that when we were at Rosemoor.”
Pendivall shook his head as he remembered Jarell telling him about how Kolgan had killed Hector and fled to the Eastern Desert.
“I am at a loss,” he said as he took a bite from his sandwich.
Toll and Kreiger stood near the back of the stockade, just looking at the two traitors to the dark wizard. Their dark eyes burned with a hot desire to kill them and every man that stood outside their prison. Pendivall could see it in their eyes and it scared him. A sensation he wasn’t accustomed to nor relished.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the approaching army and Symon felt his heart beat increase by double. Pendivall reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
“It won’t be nearly as bad as you’ve made it out to be in your mind.”
They walked to the center of the village, where the road from the south terminated and then split off, heading east and west. They could see the army about a half a mile away, marching quickly toward the village. Symon marveled at how much sooner the royal soldiers had arrived at the village, when he knew that they had all left Keirdon at the same time.
As they reached the village, Pendivall started pointing the troops to the open space just north of the village, telling them to relax for a few minutes and get something to eat.
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