Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

CHAPTER 21

Falcon’s stomach turned to a pile of knots.

“Are you sure?” asked Lao, his voice suspicious.

“Of course I’m sure, young man. There is no mistaking the power of chaos. Besides, it is not the first time he has attacked our village. This village and Volcseck have a long turbulent history.”

The revelation baffled Falcon.
Why would Volcseck bother attacking such an insignificant village as Asturia?

“You must have a lot of questions,” affirmed the elder statesman. “I will answer all of them, but not here. Please, follow me.” He led the Rohads to a half-burnt cabin at the end of a dirt road. Atop the door hung an old sign with the words,
Asturia Meeting Hall
, etched in it. It looked sloppy, as if someone hurriedly carved it with a kitchen knife. The mayor ushered them in.

The Rohads entered the medium-sized room that reeked of ale and strong wine. A small fire, one that, judging by the coal, had been reduced to a pile of smoldering flames, burnt on the fireplace. It gave the room a warm ambience. A series of wooden chairs were arranged in perfect rows that ran from the front to the end of the hall. At the back of the room stood a scarred wooden table, where a light-skinned man sat, silently staring a hole into the wall. He wore a charcoal-colored shirt that barely managed to contain his muscular physique. A wild bush of golden hair exploded from atop his head.

“I’m Seth Hemstath. I’ve served as mayor of Asturia for the past sixty-seven years,” said the old man, taking a seat at the circular table. “And the man next to me is Mr. Benoit.”

“Commander Benoit!” corrected the muscular man, as he took a giant gulp from a wine mug. “Leader of the armies of Asturia.” His voice sounded as charming as two rocks being ground together.

Sheridan laughed. “I wouldn’t be proud to admit that if I were you.”

The commander’s muscles tensed as he focused on Sheridan. “And what do you mean by that,
boy
?” Even from afar, Falcon caught the strong smell of alcohol on the commander’s breath.

Sheridan smirked. “I meant your
army
wouldn’t be able to win a jesting contest if it cost them their lives, much less an actual fight.”

Benoit rose from his seat and kicked it to the side, fury scorching his eyes. He made a move toward the young Rohad. Sheridan stepped up. The two were inches from each other when the mayor stood between them.

“Calm down, commander,” ordered Seth.

“I will not let this ignorant fool—”

“I said, calm down.”

“You too, Sheridan,” said Falcon. Once again Sheridan’s big mouth was getting them into trouble.

Commander Benoit took hold of the table and threw it to the ground, shattering it to pieces. “These Rohads are worthless. They don’t understand our cause so they make sport of our misfortune. You’ll see how right I am, Seth. Then you will beg for my help.” Commander Benoit stormed out of the cabin and slammed the door behind him. Long after he had left, his shouts still echoed in the distance.

“You have to forgive Commander Benoit,” said Seth. “He’s suffered much these last couple of months.”

“It’s nice to formally meet you, Mayor Seth,” said Aya, extending her hand. Taking a cue from Aya, Falcon took the mayor’s hand.

“I’m Falcon Hyatt.”

The mayor froze as his face turned pale. “What did you say your name was, young man?”

“Falcon Hyatt.” Falcon looked at Lao and Aya. Maybe one of them knew what was going on. “Is there something amiss?”

Seth’s color returned as he gave a faint smile. “Oh no, it’s nothing. You have a unique name, that’s all.”

“What a weird guy,” muttered Sheridan in Falcon’s ear.

The mayor’s even, soothing tone filled the cabin. “Over the past twenty years Volcseck has attacked our village twice thus far. The last time he attacked was a little over a year ago.” The mayor took a seat on one of the chairs. He rubbed his head and sighed. “As unbelievable as it sounds, though, at the moment, Volcseck is the least of our problems.”

“What do you mean, Volcseck is the least of your problems?” asked Lao. “Isn’t he the one responsible for the attacks?”

“Yes and no.”

Puzzled, the Rohads looked at one another.

“Allow me to clarify,” said the Mayor. “You see, after Volcseck’s ransacking, the village was left in a state of disarray. Our few good warriors were killed in battle, and many more were permanently maimed. Seeing an opportunity, the Suteckh Empire launched a series of raids against us. They pillage and take our food as soon as we harvest it, leaving just enough for us to scrape by. They don’t kill us because they want us to continue providing them with their sustenance.”

“Why don’t you refuse to do as they say, or at least fight them off?” said Lao.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. We are mostly farmers, few of us have ever held a sword, and the Suteckh have fearsome warriors in their ranks. I’m afraid we would stand no chance against them in a confrontation.”

“If fighting is out of the question, simply follow my suggestion and refuse to do as they say. Maybe then they‘ll leave you alone.”

“No, that’s not their way. They’ll kill us if we don’t do as they say. If we fight, we die. If we refuse to give them our produce, we die. If we run away, we die of hunger. We are trapped, destined to be slaves for the Suteckh.”

“If what you say is true, mayor,” reasoned Sheridan, “why haven’t you asked for help before? Why wait until now?”

Seth rubbed the little hair he had atop his head. “Young man, we tried. The closest capital cities capable of lending help are Sandoria and Ladria. And do you know what they told us?”

None of the Rohads answered.

“They said we were crazy. That our village had nothing worth taking. Even after we told them the Suteckh Empire was planning to launch an attack on all the capital cities in Va’siel, they refused to listen. Our last hope was to hire Rohads, and even that proved a formidable task. We were fortunate your grandmaster heard our plea.”

Seth’s story seemed plausible to Falcon. The grandmaster himself believed the attackers were simple wandering raiders. If someone like Zoen found it difficult to believe the validity of the Asturia claims, Falcon had no problem believing the pompous aristocrats from Ladria would have done the same.

“That still doesn’t explain why the Suteckh would attack you to take your harvest. They have more than enough to feed themselves,” said Lao.

“It also doesn’t explain where you are getting these wild ideas that they are planning to launch a worldwide invasion,” added Sheridan. “You’re taking this a bit too far.”

“We didn’t understand it either at first,” answered Seth. “Until we captured one of their soldiers. I mind-wielded him. This is how I came to know their plans.”

Falcon gulped.
Oh no, a mind wielder.

“Once our minds merged I learned of the Suteckh’s plan to take over Va’siel. They have stored what they’ve taken from us in their warehouses, provisions that will be used to feed their armies as they launch their attack on Va’siel.” Tension filled the room. “Based on the information I’ve gathered, I have concluded they will launch their first attack soon on the earth city of Sandoria or the mind city of Ladria.”

CHAPTER 22

Falcon’s head was spinning. He had taken in so much information, and most of it sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale.

“I told you he was crazy,” whispered Sheridan. Once again Falcon ignored him as he quietly assessed the situation.
What to do? What to do?
Whether the mayor was wrong or not didn’t change the mission at hand. They had been ordered to do one thing above all: find the culprits behind the attacks. They could simply wait for these people to launch a raid, but that was a gamble. There was no guarantee that the malefactors would strike in the two weeks they were going to be there.

“What if I join the Suteckh army?” said Lao, as casually as if he were asking to join them for lunch.

“What?” responded Aya, taking a step back. “How will that help our situation?”

“Think about it. We need to find out what the Suteckh army is up to, right? I will go to one of their villages and enlist as a soldier. This way I can verify if what the mayor says is true. Meanwhile you three will stay here and protect the village.”

Falcon didn’t like the idea of splitting up the group. He could accompany Lao, but that would garner too much unwanted attention. Besides, what if he left and the village was sacked? No, whether he liked it or not he would have to stay put. He sighed, “I don’t like it, but it seems like a sound plan. We don’t have much time, so you should leave immediately.”

“There is a road to the north of here that will take you to the Suteckh village of Kach,” said Seth, raising his voice so he could be heard over the loud thunderclaps. “The road is plagued with thieves, so be cautious.”

“Perhaps they await,” boasted Lao with confidence, “but let them attack. It will be the last move they make.”

“Bandits are the least of your problems,” said Aya. “The Suteckh are ruthless. They’ll kill you if they discover you.”

Lao laughed. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to kill them first.”

Falcon sighed, feeling sorry he didn’t share Lao’s enthusiasm.

~ ~ ~

After waiting for the storm to subside, Lao threw the bag of sweet smelling cornbread over his shoulder.

“Take care, Lao,” were the only words Falcon found appropriate. What else could he say to someone he had shared everything with for the past five years? Someone who had become more of a brother than a friend? “I’ll miss you.”

“Don’t worry, Falcon,” he said. “I’ll see you two in no time.”

“I’ll miss you too,” said Aya, leaning in for a hug. A stab of jealousy overcame Falcon. He didn’t know why. Aya didn’t belong to him. So why did he feel like she did?

Embarrassed by his emotions, Falcon stared down at the ground while Aya and Lao said their goodbyes. Nonetheless, long after Lao had disappeared into the distance that unwelcome sense of jealousy remained with him.

~ ~ ~

After three days of walking, Lao finally popped the last piece of bread in his mouth and tossed the empty bag aside. The dry bread struggled down his throat.

Back at Rohad training he went days without food or water, but he wasn’t used to the dry Suteckh weather. The sun bore down on him. His only source of shade came from a few scattered, leafless trees. Before him lay a flat patch of land that went on as far as the eye could see. He ignored the thirst and pressed on. Kach couldn’t be too far off.

He strolled down the path humming, taking in the woody smell of bark. That’s when the frantic shrieks of a woman broke through the birds’ melody, putting Lao on his toes.

“Help, somebody help us!”

Lao rushed down the dirt path and up and down two steep hills. He circled an outcropping of rocks that led him to a large clearing. Three men, who wore matching violet and bronze suits and metal masks, stood over a family of merchants. Each of the bandits held a sword.

Two children, a boy and a girl about six years of age, crouched under a wagon. A woman and man lay on the ground with their hands tied and their mouths gagged.

“I told you to muzzle her first,” said the smallest bronze thief. “Women are always the loudest, someone might have heard her.”

“Don’t worry. Almost no one travels these roads anymore,” said the largest of the thieves. He appeared to be the leader. “But just in case, kill them all before they cause any more problems.”

“Leave them alone,” commanded Lao.

The thieves turned toward Lao. Their faces were covered, so Lao couldn’t see their expressions. But he was certain they hadn’t expected anyone to interfere with their heist.

“I suggest you mind your own business, stranger,” said the leader, holding up a long sword.

“I told you to leave them alone. I won’t repeat myself.”

“We’ll show you what happens to those who cross the Volandis brothers.” The three thieves raised their swords and rushed Lao.

Fools. You want to play with fire, fine with me.
He crouched under the smaller brother’s clumsy swing and brought his fist under his chin, which had him crumple to the ground like a lifeless doll. The remaining two thieves swung their swords in one single collective attack, but with an elegant stroke of his sword, Lao parried both weapons from their hands. He then wielded a fire chain. He slammed it across their chins. They fell face down.

“He’s a fire wielder,” cried the smallest of the thieves. “We’re no match for a wielder.” Still quivering, the brothers picked themselves up and limped away as fast as their burnt legs could manage.

“Thanks for the lesson,” said Lao, between chuckles, as the thieves scattered.

~ ~ ~

The air smelled of fresh-baked bread. Off at a distance the first of the sun’s rays emerged from the mountainside. Falcon himself wasn’t a morning person, but on this day he forced himself up early. It was essential that he walk through Asturia and memorize its layout.

“Would you like a piece?” asked a chubby baker from behind his stand, handing Falcon a roll of fresh flaky bread.

The offer caught Falcon off guard. He was not accustomed to this kind of hospitality back in Ladria. In fact, the villagers had been nothing but generous hosts to the Rohads, quick to offer whatever they had in hand, regardless of how little it was.

“Thanks,” he said. He took a small piece and cut it in half. “I’ll just take half, though. I want to make sure there’s enough for the children’s breakfast.”

Falcon took a bite, enjoying the butter as it dissolved in his mouth. He was about to take another bite when he froze, noticing the series of high-pitched chirps.

At that exact moment droves of birds flew out of the forest.
What spooked them?

“We’re under attack. Sizhore is here!” one of the sentries shouted, seconds before an arrow found his chest. Falcon clutched the hilt of his broadsword.

“Oh, no. It’s the she-devil, Bellatrix Sizhore,” cried the baker. He abandoned his bread stand and made a desperate dash to his cabin. Falcon had never heard the name Bellatrix Sizhore, but it was obvious the people of Asturia had.

Out of the woods they emerged, dozens upon dozens of soldiers spilled into the sleeping village. The black and silver armor, dark steel helmet, the insignia of a skeletal raven in the metal plating across their chests, those were all signs of the Suteckh. The mayor was right!

Falcon unsheathed his swords that hung at each side of his waist and rushed at the soldiers. He moved through them, leaving a line of fallen warriors in his wake. Aya, Sheridan and members of the ragged Asturian army joined in the fight.

At his left, Sheridan fended off three soldiers at once. At his right, Aya created pillars of water that kept the Suteckh soldiers at bay from a group of children who hid behind her.

Directly in front of Falcon, Benoit was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a slim olive-skinned woman who wore a tight-fitting leather suit. Her long hair was the same color as her suit, black. She laughed maliciously as she evaded Commander Benoit’s sword attacks.

“Is this the best Asturia has to offer?” jeered the woman, dancing around Benoit. “This is pathetic.”

“Leave, Bellatrix, or die where you stand,” ordered Benoit.

Bellatrix cackled. “Please, I was trained by the Blood Empress herself. What chance have you got?”

Benoit straightened himself, grinding his teeth. He drove his sword down. Bellatrix grabbed the sword by the blade with one hand. With her other free hand she slapped the commander across the face.

Benoit grunted and went in for a punch. Bellatrix back-flipped to safety. “You Asturian weaklings are so easy to toy with.”

“Shut up, witch,” shot back the red-faced commander.

“Play time is over,” taunted Bellatrix, bringing her hands together as one. “Now that we have enough supplies to commence our attack on Va’siel, your insignificant village is of no more use.”

Spheres of light formed in her hands. Two Asturian soldiers jumped at her. They were still in mid-air when a lance of lightning threw them back. Their burnt bodies fell to the dirt with a loud thump.

Bellatrix fired bolt after bolt of lightning at the Asturian soldiers around her. The putrid stench of burnt skin filled the battlefield.

Benoit rushed Bellatrix as she attacked. Falcon quickly conjured an earth wall. It shielded Benoit from most of the weapon’s strength, but not all of it. The commander fell to the ground, unconscious.

“What do we have here?” she asked, amused. “A Rohad, and a handsome one at that. I shall regret watching that pretty face boil as you taste my fury.”

“Your lightning won’t be burning me today, Bellatrix, or anyone else from now on.”

Bellatrix licked her lips in eager anticipation. “Come at me. It’s been a long time since I killed a Rohad.”

Falcon jumped at her, deflecting countless lightning balls in mid-air. He hit the ground and quickly rolled toward her. He expertly dodged a killer blow by her sai. While still in the dirt he delivered a hard kick to her stomach. The hit made her stagger but she remained on her feet. She shot forward with a sweeping kick. He crouched under it. He counterattacked with a volley of small earth cubes. The sharp edges of the cubes cut her face, neck, and ribs. Blood trickled from each of the small incisions.

She stomped her feet on the floor. A circle of lightning appeared under her. The circle quickly increased in size, killing anyone in its path, including her own soldiers.

Falcon created a coating of earth around his feet to absorb the shock. He then wielded a water shield around himself.

Bellatrix laughed. “I have grown far too strong to be stopped by a counter-element, fool.”

She wielded a wave of lightning that extended from her hand to Falcon’s water shield.

There was a loud crack followed by a pained scream. “How?” she shrieked, rolling on the ground. Large red blisters took over her once smooth skin.  

Falcon dissolved his shields and looked down as the stench of burnt hair filled his nostrils. He didn’t enjoy watching anyone die, no matter how evil they may be.

“I’ll take you with me!” Bellatrix roared.

An unexpected bolt hit him on the chest. A thousand stars burst in his eyes as his body took to the air. He heard a loud crack as he broke through a hard surface. He tried to breathe, but his body failed to respond. Hundreds of sharp, stinging points of pain coursed through his body. The same words echoed in his mind as he felt his life drift away.
Not like this, not like this, not like this….