Fifthwind (47 page)

"Let's
get started," said Gordo.

Cobalius
patted the Borderman on the back. "Not until I get something to
eat. It's been a long night and I'm hungry. You men get inside, I'll
be in shortly. Don't worry, Fuzzy won't be going anywhere."

Inside,
Mason helped James in the kitchen prepare food and Ben sat with
Vincent and Gordo discussing what they would do next. Only a few
minutes behind, Cobalius came in from the cold and Ben instantly
noticed something surprisingly different about him. He was completely
cleaned up, bandaged in spots and wearing a fresh set of clothes.
Even his boots shined without a trace of dirt or slush. Ben wondered
how the man accomplished such a rapid makeover, but suspected it had
something to do with the timeless nature of the Witherscape.

"Good
morning, Vincent." Cobalius said with one hand lightly over his
heart. It was a Tanian friendship greeting that took the place of a
formal bow. Gordo noticed the gesture and stiffened in his chair.

"Calm
down," Ben said, "he is not your enemy."

Fahd
Cobalius pulled a chair up to the table, sat and started removing his
gloves one finger at a time. "Last night was a challenge that sure
got the blood flowing... I haven't felt this young in years. Those
things don't have the decency to fight you one at a time, they swarm
over you like ants."

Gordo
leaned into his words with as much sincerity as he could manage. "I
don't know where you came from, or how you are able to do the things
that you do, but with your help, we just might have a chance after
all."

Cobalius
said, "Don't sell yourself short, Gordo. You, Mason and Ben are
nothing short of an amazing team. And with Kyla watching your
backs..."

"Kyla's
not risking herself out there!" Vincent objected.

Cobalius
tilted his head to one side quizzically. "She's going to be useful
when things get nasty."

Vincent
frowned. "She does indeed hold great power that could be of use,
but that power must be protected. "

Cobalius
asked, "For what?"

Vincent
seemed reluctant to answer the simple question, but all eyes were on
him. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, but finally took on a
resigned expression. "Look, over twenty years ago, I came across
the documents that led me to believe that all of the old stories were
real. Even more frightening was the realization that the Fifthwind
was returning and The Core would seek power again. With no guarantee
that The Fahd would reemerge to counter them, I began to train Kyla
at an early age to weave a single spell."

"Only
one?" Cobalius asked intrigued.

"Well,
no... not exactly. I mean, she knows a few more things." Vincent
stuttered over his words. "But if it comes down to the survival of
all mankind, she's now prepared to do what she must. The Fifthwind
was crippled before, and it can be removed from this world again if
necessary."

Ben
instantly thought of the stone girl in the woods. She was not a
statue at all, but a reminder of what happened to the last person who
broke the soul of the world. His eyes grew wide with panic as he
realized what Vincent was suggesting, but before he could respond,
Fahd Cobalius casually waved away the comment.

"We
are ahead of ourselves. While your concern is admirable, that is
almost certainly not going to happen. The Core are only just
beginning to reestablish their presence, and are probably not
powerful enough for you to be considering such a reckless cure to our
problems. There is still time, and there are simpler ways to deal
with The Core. We just need to find them."

Gordo
added his thoughts, "That's right. Enough with all this talk about
magic and madness. We have swords and good men to swing them. That's
the only solution we need!"

Megan
grinned, "Leave it to Gordo to point out the simplest route. He's
never failed me before, and with Mason at his side, I don't think
there's anything these two men can't do."

Vincent
shook his head and said, "This is no ordinary foe, Gordo. We're
talking about someone who knows the ways of magic!"

Gordo
shrugged indifferently. "I don't care if he can turn purple and
float in the air... if I can get close enough to him, he'll feel my
steel. Even Sorcerers bleed, don't they?"

Ben
found himself agreeing. Mason and Gordo were both very capable men,
and with himself and Fahd Cobalius along to help, victory actually
seemed possible. Perhaps he was being a little overconfident, but he
had never seen an assembled team of such wide talents. Whoever was
behind the attacks in Kishell Springs was about to get a taste of
their own medicine.

Mason
returned from the kitchen with James and the two led a train of
servers carrying platters of food. Gordo and Ben quickly pushed two
tables together and arranged enough chairs for everyone. The tables
were set with a feast of eggs, ham, fruits and cheeses and freshly
baked bread. The breakfast fare was an unexpected but welcome sight.
It had been a long time since any of them had seen such a large meal.

"What's
the occasion?" Ben asked.

Mason
lifted a cup of frothy goat's milk and turned to everyone gathered.
"To Lieutenant Karr's return! And the victory he will bring us!"

The
toast was echoed by everyone at the table, and the meal began. It was
nice to be among friends in such uncertain times. Mason's toast was
exaggerated, but he knew it was spoken with good intention. Ben
enjoyed the moment the best that he could, knowing that his
relationship with these people might soon come to an end.

He
lifted his cup and offered a sentiment of his own, "To good friends
and long life."

Cobalius
hoisted his own cup in response, but leaned over and whispered to
Ben, "Unfortunately, you cannot have both. Fahd Karthos did not
misspeak his words. Friends... or a long life... one or the other.
The choice is yours."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

A
horn sounded from somewhere outside. It was a long and clear
announcement that was immediately answered by a second trumpeter.
Soon after, the distant barking of dogs followed along with the sound
of marching boots and clinking armor.

"What
was that?" Vincent said. The scholar stood from the table and moved
to a window to peek outside.

Mason
met Ben's eyes and a hopeful smile grew on his face. "That's a
sound I've heard many times. I don't think I'd easily mistake it."

Ben
got to his feet and pulled his sword belt off the back of his chair.
Fastening it around his waist as he walked, he made for the door. He
turned back for only a moment and happily acknowledged Mason
suspicions, "And by the sound of it, they're not far away."

Ben
and the others hurried out front onto The Step, and were graced with
the sight of blue uniforms marching up the south road. Two separate
companies of soldiers, each carrying a Kreggorian banner as well as
their own company colors, filled the street from side to side and
with ranks at least a dozen deep. Both groups were short-manned, but
combined, there were at least a hundred soldiers. Leading the
procession were two Kingdom officers, both Captains.

Ben
waited on The Step until the group approached, then went out to meet
the officers. He moved down the stone steps and out into the slush
covered plaza, joined by Mason and Gordo on each side, and Cobalius a
little behind and to his right. The Sergeant and the borderman both
promptly saluted the newly arrived Captains, and Ben addressed them
with a sincere welcome. "Your arrival couldn't have been better
timed!"

The
younger of the two Captains called the company to a halt and along
with the other officer, moved up to meet their greeters. The
Kreggorian officers were both dressed in field attire, lightly
armored and equipped, but by no means in mere ceremonial garb. It had
been years since Ben had seen an active unit on the move and showing
all the signs of combat readiness. The officers stopped a few feet
short of Ben.

"I'm
Captain Belfrey, and this is Captain Hodge." Belfrey was a strong
man with a weathered face, obviously a soldier with field experience
during the war. Hodge was a shorter, fatter man who had the pale skin
of an officer who had perhaps commanded a garrison farther from the
rigors of conflict.

Hodge
said, "We both received orders to move our men east toward an
undisclosed threat. Being only partial companies, we joined forces
and had planned on settling in south of here to await further
instruction."

Belfrey
continued, "But that's when we met with your messengers who said
you were under assault by some kind of wild creatures. They painted a
pretty grim picture of your situation, and since this town was only a
day north of where we intended to hold, I thought we might be of some
help." He spoke with a sureness that outweighed Hodge's unfledged
demeanor. Captain Belfrey had clearly made decisions in the past that
did not follow the exacting intent of his orders, a trait that
separated a great leader from a merely good one. Hodge was a
by-the-book accommodating type. Not so stubborn as to follow his
superiors blindly, but easily convinced by someone like Belfrey to
ignore the rigid nature of orders.

Hodge
added, "Your runners continued west to deliver their message to the
King. It shouldn't take more than... What's that?"

"What?"
Ben asked.

"That
thing tied up over there? Is that one of the animals your men
mentioned?"

Ben
looked back over his shoulder at the Murg chained up in the middle of
the plaza. "One of many," he said. "It might prove useful to us
in its own way."

Belfrey
cautiously walked up to the beast and eyed it more closely. The Murg
pulled the chain taut and clawed at the Captain who was smart enough
to stay just out of reach. Hodge stood a little behind Belfrey and
leaned out to venture a look, but kept the other man between himself
and any potential danger. They both were speechless for quite some
time with faces of disbelief staring at a beast that was not supposed
to exist. Ben understood the feeling all too well, but had been
forced over the last several weeks to suspend his doubts on a number
of different fronts.

Belfrey
did not blink an eye and stepped back appraisingly. "I thought your
men had exaggerated. Now, it seems that perhaps they had not. I've
never seen anything like this. What is it?"

Ben
didn't see any reason to soften the truth. "A Murg."

Belfrey
looked up at Ben and then back at the creature which was gracious
enough to put on its most frightening face and growl at the Captain
fiercely. Belfrey did not argue with Ben's assessment, and managed to
mumble, "I see."

Hodge
finally managed to close his gaping mouth and spoke, "We
encountered a group of shadows moving though the trees the night
before last."

Cobalius
moved up beside Ben. "You're fortunate that they weren't interested
in your presence, or perhaps we wouldn't be meeting you today."

Hodge
huffed, "My men could hold their own against these things. Who are
you?"

Cobalius
took a half-step backward and lowered his head. "Just a traveler,
pardon my interruption."

Hodge
frowned and said, "Not anymore. Every man is an asset. Grab your
things and see my Sergeant. He'll get you equipped and put you on the
watch schedule. We can't have men identifying themselves as mere
travelers during wartime. Captain Belfrey is the ranking officer and
all assets are now his."

Mason
stepped forward, and saluted. "He's already joined Lieutenant
Karr's company, we're small in number, but rich in talent, most of us
are formerly of Captain Haddaway's company."

Belfrey
nodded, "I understand the efforts you've made here Lieutenant, but
you and your men fall under my command now. I'll be counting on your
experiences to aid me in formulating a plan."

Cobalius
lifted his eyes to the Captain. "He is a Royal Guardsman... he
holds field rank of Knight-Commander."

Captain
Belfrey glanced at Ben's sword and saw the Kreggorian guard emblem on
the pommel. He showed the briefest instant of surprise, but composed
himself quickly and saluted. "I apologize for my forwardness, but
you're not wearing any other insignia. It is a privilege to serve
with you, Sir."

Ben
no longer held that title and knew that he now walked on treasonous
ground, but he also knew that these newly arrived kingdom officers
knew nothing of what they were walking into and their survival
depended on him making the right choices. Cobalius had obviously
believed that it was best that he maintain control in Kishell
Springs. Taking the somewhat middle ground, he returned the salute
and said, "I didn't come here to serve in the capacity of a kingdom
officer, but if you would recognize my men as an autonomous unit, I
would be grateful."

"Of
course," Belfrey said quickly on Hodge's behalf. "All kingdom
officers recognize the legitimacy of a Royal Guardman's field rank.
And if you possess what remains of Captain Haddaway's company, then
you are surely a significant force."

Captain
Hodge turned his attention to Mason. "Why is Haddaway's company
under the command of a Royal Guardsman? Where is Taddus?"

Mason
lifted his chin and stood straighter. He looked the Captain straight
in the eye and kept his voice clear. "He has fallen to the enemy."

Hodge
lowered his head. "A great loss, indeed."

Belfrey
nodded to Ben with a stern face. "Your men are yours to command
Lieutenant. You're better situated to understand the needs of this
town anyway. I'll follow your orders until we're needed elsewhere."

Ben
broke traditional protocol and offered Belfrey his hand. "Thank
you, Captain."