Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (26 page)

  It took a
considerable amount of time to find a graveyard and bury Palvey, but Bowie
wouldn’t leave until he had seen it done right. Bowie’s normal schedule had
been long forgotten in his efforts to get both Ria’s and his troops combined,
organized and on the road. Auburn hadn’t said much since arriving back in the
camp and had mostly taken to staying in Ria’s wagon. The road seemed
extraordinarily quiet. Only the sounds of wagons and horses were present. This
section of his troop was a complete day behind Bowie’s normal schedule.

  John’s camp
could be seen only by the front riders in the column, where Bowie rode. Bowie
saw a commotion in John’s camp start as they had appeared with in view. Bowie
sped up to meet John.

“Sergeant
Crescent, I am glad to see you. I was just assembling a few men to ride out to
check on you.”

  “I am glad we
were able to make it before you did that. We ran into a bit of trouble,” Bowie
replied

  John cleared
his throat, “How much is a bit?”

  “Ten.” Bowie
said nothing other than that. His mind was still going over his near-death
experience. He still couldn’t believe he had come so close to dying. Bowie
snapped out of his vacant stare to see John still looking at him wanting
details. “We came upon at least ten men around sunset. I took a large cut to my
waist and Palvey died. One other was injured and is in the cart. Bobby and Ria
have been seeing to him.”

“You were able
to stop all ten?” John asked.

“Ten of them we
killed. We are not sure how many there were altogether. A few of my troops
chased two into the forest and lost them. By the time we had returned to the
area the armor and weapons were all gone from the men they had killed. Not one
piece of armor was left.”

  John must have
noticed something in Bowie’s voice, “You took on an enemy force of more than
ten men and only came out with one death and two injuries. I would say you did
rather well. Besides, we may have caught up to those men that lost you in the
forest.”

Bowie perked up
in his saddle, ready to get justice for Palvey.

“Early morning
yesterday we saw some men moving through the forest near our camp and were able
to chase the soldiers into a farm house.”

“Did you kill
them?” Bowie asked.

“When we
approached the house, a farmer said we had no right to her belongings. She said
we couldn’t enter her house. We have it surrounded and were waiting for you,”
John replied, beaming.

Bowie gave an
evil grin, “Show me.”

Together they
rode to Ria’s wagon and had her come with them, explaining where they were
going on the way. Auburn insisted on coming along. Still dressed in her hunting
outfit covered in dirt and blood, she clammered on a horse and used the saddle
to string her bow. Bowie pushed Charger into a trot and winced at every bounce
from the horse, he needed to have Bobby re-sew the wound.

On a small road
they came upon a house that was surrounded by his soldiers. The cottage was
made of stone walls and a thatched roof. The walls were almost completely
covered by moss like most of the ground in the open area surrounding the house.
The wooden shutters on the windows were closed and a tendril of smoke rose out
of the chimney. A small garden extended out of the front of the house and a
gray-haired woman wearing a brown apron retreated inside upon their approach.

  “We haven’t
gone any closer since you were last here, Corporal Curtain,” said a soldier
coming out of the tree’s.

  “Has anyone
else gone inside?” Bowie asked the boy.

  “No, but a
wagon did come down the road, see us, then promptly turned around without
saying anything. The wagon left in quite a hurry.”

Bowie nodded to
the boy.

  Ria had been
too silent, listening to John and Bowie update them on everything that had been
discussed. “Well, shall we go say hello and introduce our selves? I am sure
this is just a small misunderstanding,” Ria dismounted and walked towards the
house expecting the others to follow.

Auburn didn’t
hesitate to follow the wizard. Bowie and John shrugged their shoulders and
dismounted. The archer that spoke from out of the bushes took control of the
horses and the four walked up to the front door.

“I will talk and
you two will remain silent,” Ria said looking them in the eyes.

They both nodded
their heads as if they had already become mutes.

  With a lantern
in hand, Ria knocked on the door three times. “Good morning, may I trouble you
for a moment to rest my traveled legs?”

One of the
shutters on a window opened to reveal one nervous looking eye.

  A woman’s
voice called out from the crack in the window, “You may come in but the
soldiers will stay outside.”

  “Excuse me
mad’am, I have come to talk. I will need you to allow me and the commander of
this troop to enter to help discuss what is going on here. He will be unarmed,
of course.”

  Bowie stepped
up to Ria, “What are you saying?! We can’t go-” He was cut off by a whip like
vine hit him on the back of his leg.

  Ria cleared
her throat, “I will need my handmaid to come along as well. It has been awhile
since we have had a properly brewed cup of tea. I did bring my own if you wish
to use it.” Ria’s words sounded as if the tea was the hardest part to commit
to.

  “Fine. The
commander, your handmaid, and yourself. No one else comes closer to my house.”

  “Very well,”
Ria said happily. “My backside needs a cushioned seat after all that riding.”

The door opened
and Ria stepped inside showing no fear, followed by Bowie and finally Auburn.
John was left to wait outside.

As soon as
Auburn cleared the door a commotion inside erupted with Fire Realm men pulling
blades out of their sheaths and yelling at each other. The door was shut and
barred into place with a wood beam. Bowie noticed Auburn had knocked an arrow
and was now pointing it around the room at each of the enemy soldiers.

  The
gray-haired woman was doing her best to put herself in front of the soldiers so
Auburn wouldn’t have a clear shot. Ria calmly walked over to the table and made
herself at home, having a seat amongst the commotion. She waved Bowie over and
he sat in the chair next to her. Ria nodded at Bowie and looked up at his hat,
which he quickly snatched from his head.

The woman
staring defiantly at Auburn finally spoke to Ria, “Tell her to put her weapon outside!”

  “I am sorry,
that is not what we agreed to. I told you the commander would be unarmed and he
is. Besides, it is not my maid you have to worry about. After all, I am a
wizard. If I wanted to kill them, believe me when I say they would already be six
feet under.” Ria pulled a small canister from her handbag and held it over her
shoulder. “Auburn, if you would see to making us some tea.”

  Auburn slowly
released the tension on her bow and put the arrow in her quiver on her hip. She
moved across the room to a table with a tea kettle and made sure it was full of
water. She cleared her throat while approaching the men that now stood in front
of the small fire in the hearth.

When none moved
Ria spoke again. “You can tell those men to put away their swords and step
aside. We are only here to talk.”

One of the men
cautiously returned his sword to his sheath and was followed by the other men.
Bowie counted six men as they moved away from the hearth and now stood beside
the windows, peering outside. One even moved to stand directly behind Bowie,
making him feel very uncomfortable.

  The old woman
sat down across from Ria and was nervously glancing around at her men. The man
behind Bowie put his hand back on his blade’s hilt. The ground trembled and
dust fell from the rafters. A couple stones shook loose from the wall and
rolled across the floor to a stop. Ria turned to look at the man who promptly
removed his hand from his sword. She turned back and reached a hand across the
table.

“My name is Ria.
I usually don’t get caught up in these sort of matters, but since the king
stumbled apon me using magic, I’m here. The boy’s name is Bowie Crescent, he is
the master fletcher from the Water Realm and commander of these troops.”

  “Now the king
is recruiting children from other realms to die for his selfish causes,” She
retorted. “My name is Cathy Hill, and this is my home.”

  “Cathy, it is
a pleasure. I must say I thought that you would be a bit more joyous about our
wanting to enter your home when it contains the soldiers of an enemy land.” Ria
was very calm with her statement.

  “These men are
no enemy of mine. These men choose to fight for King Rekkan because Atmos
chooses not to keep his promises. It’s a wonder that Atmos thinks we will
follow him at all,” Cathy said fussing with a lace doily.

  “What promises
are you talking about?” Bowie asked.

Both women
looked at him, Ria did so with a bit of a scowl for defying her instructions
not to speak. The other, he was sure, was from his lack of knowledge. Bowie
never did have a knack for staying out of a conversation.

  “You command
men in his army and you don’t know why you are riding to war?” Cathy asked as
she shook her head.

  Bowie sat a
bit straighter in his chair, “I am trying to keep my men from dying in a war
that we are ordered to participate in whether we like it or not. Furthermore, I
was told they invaded this land and were taking from the kingdom’s people.”

  Cathy scoffed,
“The people in this area of the Earth Realm do not recognize Atmos’ authority.
The previous King Atmos and his son on the throne have taken more from us in
the last month than the Fire Realm could take from us in a year. We gladly help
the Fire Realm, as they have proper manners and are willing to pay for what
they require. Why, my husband has even chosen to work for them in their new
settlement.”

  There was a
moment of silence as Auburn set the table of tea cups and poured the tea. She
offered each person a scoop of sugar as she rounded the table. After serving,
she finally settled herself into place.

Ria then
continued, “We know all too well the things that King Atmos takes from this
land, but it’s nothing that no other king takes.”

  Cathy took a
sip of tea, followed by Ria and Auburn as it was the woman’s home and was
customary she drink first. She then continued, “We haven’t seen a soldier or
guard in our town for more than the time it took to stock up on food and drink
himself to sleep in the inn that he doesn’t pay for. The king then demands
taxes, our children to fight, and any available supplies for his wars. When he
arrives this time there will be nothing left for his men to take. Bandits,
thieves, and murderers travel this part of the realm, unchecked by his
so-called majesty.”

The men in the
room nodded their heads while she ranted.

  Bowie spoke
out of turn, “I’ve paid for everything that we have taken. I was ordered to
make due with what I had. Perhaps those soldiers did this on their own and
should be punished accordingly.”

  Cathy scoffed,
“There is a decree in the town hall by our mayor that we have followed. We are
to avoid the king’s men and to do our best to hide and stay out of their sight
to stop them from intruding even more upon our town. Auburn is it? There is a
bit of bread and butter in the cupboard there. It isn’t much but it will go
nicely with the tea.”

  Ria reached
across the table and placed a comforting hand on Cathy’s, “Thank you for your
hospitality. I will repay you as we leave. I have a knack with plants and
your’s seem to be a bit sparse of fruit.” Cathy raised her eyebrow, seeming
unsure of what she was talking about. “Is this love for the Fire Realm’s men
shared with many of the towns here?”

  “It’s shared
with some even farther north of here, and
all
to the south, east, and
west. Most of the towns have sent men by night to fight at their side. These
men are all native to this land.” She held her hands up to the men in the room.

  Ria looked
around the room, “Is this true?”

  Each nodded
his head in turn. One even spoke up, “This is my grandmother.”

Bowie was more
than surprised, he was confused by the leather Fire Realm clothing that the boy
wore. He hated to ask but he did. “The men we found in the forest a couple
nights ago, were they also from the Earth Realm?”

  Ria shook her
head at the archer’s commander, “Master Crescent, we will not go down that
road. They attacked you and I will not having you regret protecting Auburn’s or
your own life for something you did not know.”

Bowie already
had his answer. He was angry. Angry at the men for choosing to fight him
instead of just refusing to fight for the king. He was angry at the king for
not telling his men the true reasons they fought. He was mad that he had put
Auburn in a place to kill those from her own homeland. His face reflected that
anger as the blood filled his cheeks. He pulled at his collar and clenched his
jaw as she continued.

“There is
nothing to do about it now, Master Crescent, except do our best to change the
future,” Ria said trying to calm him.

Bowie looked
across the table at Auburn who had stopped buttering bread. Her naturally green
eyes, now bloodshot as tears ran down her face between the tendrils of hair
that had come loose from her braid. She had killed two of them.

  Bowie did not
allow them time to offer excuses as he sure they would. “So a foreign king
comes to town and you just decide to give him all the supplies that King Atmos
would have taken, and then you join his army and try and kill your fellow
country men?” Bowie asked.

  Cathy’s grandson
took a step forward and spoke up. “No. He asked for tools and bought supplies.
When we gave it to Rekkan we knew he was different, so we joined his force.
Both his realm and our people have not had our promises fulfilled by King
Atmos. Besides, King Rekkan wouldn’t let us fight with him, we decided to fight
for ourselves,” the boy said.