Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (42 page)

“If you want to
have a chance at survival. If you want to live. You WILL follow Sergeant
Curtain, and that is an order. Pass my words down the line. I will follow
Sergeant Curtain and so should you until the moment I lead you again,” Bowie
said looking into the eyes of all those that would meet his.

Andrew lifted
his bow to the sky and let out a yell, “YAH!” He lifted his bow back to his
shoulder and let out another yell, this time joined by the surrounding men.

Lieutenant
Borgen pulled his horse up, threatening to crash into the men and stopped what
would have been a third cheer.

Instead of
berating the men he spoke loud, “We have an hour walk to the south to where the
battle will commence. If you continue to shout, you will alert the enemy of our
presence by scaring the game. Move silently and keep your eyes open for
scouts.”

Horses were tied
to trees and the knights pulled their blades free as they lead the way through
the thick trees. Bowie noticed the wind stir in an unnatural way. He looked to
see Mica floating down from between the trees.

“Status,
Borgen,” Mica said, demanding an answer.

“Councilmen, we
will be in position within the hour.”

“Very well. I
will move on ahead and scout the trees. I have found no scouts directly to your
south. You should be clear to advance to the treeline. If I find any I will let
you know.”

Borgan nodded
and waved the advance.

The soldiers
stepped silently through the green knee length grass. Bowie was reminded of the
days when he lead his men on hunts through the woods for scouts. He cursed
Alexander under his breath for not teaching him how to use his magic. If he’d
been taught, less of his men would be injured or die.

Just as Borgen
had said, an hour’s march brought them within view of the enemy's camp. The men
stayed behind tree lines and were given only a couple seconds to look at the
defenses that were visible through the trunks. Bowie saw wood walls with
openings that soldiers could pass through. Spikes jutting out of the ground
would prevent any horses from running up to the walls. They had not brought the
horses for a reason.

They were given
the order to rest by arm signal. With every breath, Bowie tried to calm
himself. His breathing was loud in his ears and his heart felt as if it would
beat out of his chest. He wondered if everyone felt as he did at that exact
moment.

When he turned
he could see Auburn with her eyes closed and a hand on her chest. Her cheeks
were flushed and she licked her lips in anticipation for what was about to
happen. He offered her his water skin. Troops all around him began to share
their water and help each other prepare for battle. Empty skins were tossed on
the ground and Bowie started to check his arrows.

He watched as
every man within sight began doing what he was doing to prepare. Bowie finally
realized that he truly was their leader. The thought came to him a little late
for his liking, but he tried to calm himself for the people that followed him.

  Bowie checked
his bowstring, his boot laces, then straps on his quiver. He checked his dagger
to make sure it was in position to employ quickly. When he had done all he could
do to prepare, he grabbed some of the dirt and rubbed his hands with it to
improve his grip. The others followed and he nodded in his satisfaction.

  He turned and
found Borgon looking at him. The lieutenant nodded his approval and wiped the
sweat from his brow. Bowie kept his eye on the old lieutenant who diligently
watched the sky.

**********

  Kilen was glad
he arrived early that morning. He even had to extinguish his fire earlier than
he thought he would have to. King Atmos arrived in viewing distance almost two
hours before the meeting was to take place. He stayed at the ridgeline, but
Kilen could make out each and every one of the Earth Realm soldiers in the
trees.

  Three of the
four council members sat on mounted horses behind Atmos. He watched as they
smiled and laughed amongst each other. As he thought about them laughing, he
realized it truly was a cause for celebration. Two realms were combining forces
against a great evil. Although, something in the back of his mind would not
relax. He did not know if it was the man that threatened to overcome his
thoughts with internal sobbing or his distrust for King Atmos.

Mary never
smiled, but she nodded to the others engaging the others in their conversation.
Kilen figured that was as close as it would get with her to being happy. They
shared some bread and cheese as they awaited the proper time to come to meet
the Fire Realm.    

The Fire Realm
on his other side looked all too serious. They squatted and propped their large
weapons on their shoulders or over their knees. The Crimson had brought out
fresh strips of red cloth to tie to their arms. Each strip of cloth fluttered
in the warm breeze that had somehow made it to the bottom of the valley.

The open area
that separated the two forces was chosen for the sparseness of the tree’s. The
slightly sloping area was thick with grass only a couple finger lengths high.
The foliage was so low that no one would be able to hid within the area for a n
ambush. Each troop would have a specific tree line that would provide cover for
their approach and their retreat if it did not go as planned. The best thing of
all was that the area was a quarter of a day’s ride from either camp.

  Kilen knew his
elemental friends were around and doing their best to control the outcome of
this meeting, but he still felt very alone. He leaned down and pretended to
tighten the laces on his boots so others could not see his lips moving.

“Are you sure
you are in control?” Kilen asked.

  The stone man
with wings did not move, but a sandy voice ground out sounds that resembled
words, “We are in control as much as we can be. No one will be able to use
magic except the fire wizards. Remember Kilen, if something does happen, you
will be unable to depend on magic to save you. You will need to run.”

  Kilen nodded
and stood. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Concentrating he
looked at the world through the unseen colors of magic. Green emanated from
Max’s strong form as well as Blue coated the every surface with a mist from the
fog. Kilen even saw the normally chaotic wind was formed into the shape of a
man as Jace walked invisible amongst his friends.

Mica dropped out
of the sky and landed amongst the fifty wielders the king had brought with him.
He tied up his sash and climbed atop a mount set aside for him. Once he had his
robes straightened, the mass of wielders rode forward following King Atmos.

  Trying to give
each side as much equality as he could, Kilen waved King Rekkan towards the
meeting grounds. They jumped up from their squatted positions and cantered to
the small hill Kilen had chosen. The Fire Realm men looked very different than
those from the Earth Realm; they came to the meeting unarmored and without
horses. The Earth Realm was covered from head to toe in metal and rode on
horses with lances and flags. Kilen knew each side would be particularly deadly
in their own way.

  A large arc of
men stretched out to either side of Kilen and five men rode up from each side
to the center. King Atmos had his wizard’s council in their robes, still
chatting about the heat of the day. The Fire Realm’s king had chosen warriors
instead of wizards. Rekkan’s chosen men came hefting weapons to suit their
personality. Each of them, including King Rekkan, had red strips of cloth
hanging from their biceps that seemed to have been soaked in blood sometime
during the morning.

  King Rekkan
stepped forward, the only items setting him apart for recognition was his large
amount of jewelry. Kilen knew each piece was imbued. He had several different
imbuements of each element and Kilen had found out that Elric truly knew how to
use them. He also knew how to use the two imbued short swords that now stuck up
over his shoulders.

  On his other
side, King Atmos wore his crown and a full set of gleaming armor. He had no
sword on his side or back. His horse however, carried a highly polished
longsword. Each piece of his outfit was shined to perfection, even the golden
rivets in his belt.

Kilen was unsure
what he was supposed to do so he stood still, waiting for either of the kings
to move. Atmos smiled while Rekkan wore a face of stone, much like his brother
behind Kilen.

King Atmos
pulled the sword from its sheath and walked halfway to where Kilen was and
pushed the blade into the ground. Rekkan pulled the two blades from his back
and crisscrossed them in the dirt before him. He then pulled a dagger from
behind his back and with a flick of the wrist it sunk into the ground. The two
men came together and stared for a moment into eachothers eyes.

King Atmos gave
a small smile, “Elric Rekkan, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard of
your ability to control magic. You are probably not as skilled as this young
weapon bearer though.”
            Elric gave a glance at Kilen, “He is skilled, indeed. The weapon
bearer is the only reason I have agreed to this meeting.”

“Getting right
to it then?” Atmos pulled off one of his gauntlets and tucked it into his belt.
“Do you even have the authority to send this army after this supposed soul
wizard?”

Elric grunted,
“My queen gave me this army with the intent of discussing the canal. If
stopping this soul wizard helps improve our standing, then I will use every man
to find the wizard.”

“I don’t believe
that she would let you out of the realm with this many men and not give you
specific instructions.” Atmos waited for a reply but none came.

Elric stared
back into Atmos’ eyes. He offered no paper or excuses. He did not try to argue
with Atmos whether he did or did not have permission.

“How to do you
suppose we go about finding the soul wizard?” Atmos asked.

“Surely as king
of this land you would know where to start, Atmos. I will allow your men to
escort mine through the land and we can determine the best way from there.”

Atmos crossed
his arms, “So you are giving me an order to allow you to cross my lands now?”

“I am merely
suggesting a way. You could let my men run ahead if they are too fast for you
and your men to keep up.” Elric said watching the line of wielders behind
Atmos.

Atmos laughed at
his response.

Elric’s face
still looked as if chiseled from stone. “I think the best way would be to
combine our groups. Allow our men to learn from one another. I mean you have
already mingled among my townships. You have caused a revolution in my own
land. Why not allow you to turn my own army against me?”

“You are the one
that turned your people against yourself,” Elric retorted.

Elric turned to
Kilen. “Thank you, Weapon Bearer. It seems that this meeting was a farce” Elric
collected his weapons and backed away.

Atmos took
another step forward, “It was nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for Elric
to shake, “One of us will die on the battlefield so I thought I would shake
your hand while there is still blood pumping through it.”

Elric eyed the
ungloved hand held out before him. King Atmos held the other hand to his side
with an empty palm facing forward. Elric took a step forward to meet Atmos’
grip. A devilish smile lit up Atmos’ face.

Atmos took a
step back and Elric raised his empty hand to prepare himself for what was
coming. Elric’s hand lit into flame just before Atmos’ unfathomable strength
yanked the unsuspecting Fire Realm King into himself. The two collided with a
crash of flesh on metal.

Kilen felt like
a statue at the rate for which he reacted. He clawed in his mind for an idea of
what he was supposed to do. King Atmos stood between two opposing forces still
holding a limp and bleeding king in his grip. The ground shifted and Atmos fell
to a knee as the ground trembled and split in front of him. Kilen turned to see
Mary jumping from her horse and unleashing a flame upon the men of the Earth
Realm. Brent held up his hands in an effort to stop her but no magic came.
Luckily, Joahna was just as fast at stopping the flames from reaching the men
by building a wall of ice before them. The flames were deflected over the
council’s heads.

With the
wielders distracted, Mary ran towards King Atmos, her whole body now engulfed
in flame. Atmos held out his hands but no magic formed. Atmos dragged a limp
Elric towards his long sword sticking from the ground. He reached his hand out
and almost touched the blade before the swords disappeared into the dirt, a
hole opening in the ground below it.

A blast of wind
buffeted the ground sending Kilen to his knees, even with his strength
enhanced. He watched as the blast continued in all directions, scattering the
two forces.

Jace’s moaning
ghost-like voice spoke just as the wind stopped, “Run, we will do what we can
to save Elric!”

Kilen escaped
into the direction of the Fire Realm who had no one to protect them, “Run!” He
shouted at the Crimson as they regained their footholds.

They looked for
their scattered comrades and their weapons as fireballs started to streak from
side to side between the lines of wielders.

Mary ran to
defend the Fire Realm as King Atmos stood and ordered his armored men to
attack. Only the council of the Earth Realm was able to stand because of the
armor that each of the King’s fifty wielder's had weighing them down. Kilen
watched as vines now reached out of the ground and grabbed each armored man as
he started to right himself. The ones that did reach their feet were thrown by
Jace into the trees or sent rolling along the ground.