Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (47 page)

“That was not a
joke, wizard.”

“Oh. Well in
that case, I think you ought to be made aware that I hold the earth magic in
this hovel. I will be crushing the entirety of your men shortly due to your
threats to kill an innocent wizard. Furthermore, when I am done here, your
reign will look as a disease in the history books that started another wizard
war.”

The ground
started to tremble which caused Atmos’ chair to crack. Vines reached out of the
ground and restrained Mica and Sasha.

“Control as much
wind magic as you can, Master Crescent. Do nothing with it, mind you. Just hold
it,” She said.

Vines now
constricted around everyone present in the tent except Ria and Bowie. The
vine’s victims were squeezed until they gasped to breathe.

“It only takes
one mistake with a wielder of power to undo what you have accomplished. I think
you taught me that lesson with your actions against King Rekkan. Bowie will
keep his bargain we have set forth. I will keep all of you tied up here until
we are on our way from this camp.” She picked up the sack of imbuements and
opened it for Bowie. “Get the imbuements we discussed, but leave the one’s for
John and the archers. He will not allow them to keep them anyway. If you would
have stayed he most likely would have killed you before morning so that he can
have these.”

A fire started
on one of the vines constricting the king; he was using fire magic to try and
loosen her grip on him. The dirt opened and Atmos sunk into the dirt up to his
chin.

“You think me
feeble. I was channeling magic before your father was born. Test me again, oh
king, and I will crush your army,” She said with as much fire that lit the
torches in the tent.

Screams could be
heard outside of the tent of the men being tortured.

Auburn came
through the door with her bow in hand, followed by Brent, who had a panicked
look upon his face.

Ria turned away
from the king, “I will explain later. Each of you, get a good horse and some
supplies for the road. We are leaving,
now
.”

Brent took
another look around and nodded his head before ducking out the door. Auburn was
reluctant to follow so Bowie ducked out as well, waiting beside the tent flap.
Ria casually walked around the tent looking each person in the eye.

Finally, she
stopped and squatted to look at Atmos’ head sticking out from the ground. “Come
after me and I will make sure to put your lowest ranking soldier on your throne
the day I drop you from the highest tower of your castle.” She stood and looked
around the tent once more before picking up a piece of cheese to eat on her way
out.

Bowie and Auburn
ran as fast as they could to their tents and grabbed their bags inside. On his
way he saw several soldiers still sinking in the ground up to their necks. He
hoped Ria wouldn’t mistake him for one of those soldiers. One simple bag
containing of all his belongings was all that remained, so it didn’t take long
for him to clear out his tent. Crossing the camp to the horses, he noticed
there was still a large amount of arrows so he filled his quiver and grabbed a
handful as Auburn caught up to him.

“Let’s get out
of here. Do you think she can really hold off the entire camp?” Auburn asked
almost in a panic.
            Bowie smirked, “Let’s not find out.”

They dashed for
the rope where the horses were tied. Charger was anxious to see Bowie and ready
to ride. He had been tied up all day while Bowie was fighting. He patted his
favorite horse on the nose and freed him. When he finished tying his saddle on,
he mounted and saw Auburn leading a horse of Elian stock and possibly better
than his. The horse was already saddled but danced around as she tried to mount
it. She jumped a few times with one foot in the stirrup before slinging her leg
over its back.

He nodded to her
and they carefully lead their horses through the camp towards Ria’s wagon.
Bowie was extra careful to keep Charger’s hooves from crushing the heads
sticking out of the dirt. Ria was patiently waiting in the wagons seat for the
others to arrive. Out of the shadows being cast on the ground by the setting
sun, Brent lead a horse while trying to hold onto an armload of books. He
dropped several and stopped the horse so he could finish packing them.

Once everyone
was in their saddles, Ria smiled and began leading them down the road
northward. Bowie looked back and cursed under his breath.

Auburn turned
her head to the side, “Missing something.”
            Bowie grumbled, “My bloody tools.”

Auburn reached
into her saddlebag and pulled two leather pouches. “I have them. How else am I
supposed to keep my dads shop in business?”

Bowie smiled and
held out his hand for one of the leather pouches.

She pulled it
back, “These are mine now. You forgot to grab them. Unless you have something
to trade perhaps; I heard you were a good businessman.”

Bowie looked
back at the camp falling behind in the distance. He reached inside his pocket
and pulled out a ring with a blue jewel inside. “It’s imbued with water, I
figured you could use it to heal me if I ever get hit with another arrow.”

She snatched up
the ring and gave him the leather package which he quickly inspected for his
grandfather’s tools. When he looked up she had the ring on her hand and was
smiling at him. He shrugged, confused at the look she was giving him.

“I know I told
you that I wouldn’t be visiting your bed just because I was coming with your
troop. I just want to let you know that just because you proposed, it doesn’t
mean I’ll be visiting it until the marriage is done right.”

“
What
!?!
Wait a second!”

It was too late,
Auburn had already spurred her horse forward and was showing off her ring to
Ria in the driver’s seat of the wagon ahead.

Brent looked at
Bowie, “You look troubled.”

“Troubled
doesn’t even begin to describe it.” Bowie said as he reached up to tighten his
hat. He cursed when he remembered he wasn’t wearing one.

The summer in
the open plains of the Water Realm had already reached sweltering temperature.
Leroy remembered the unbridled humidity so close to the lake he wished he had
filled his water skin at the last stream. Izabel, the herbalist he had promised
to court, was sitting in the driver’s seat of the wagon seeming unfazed by the
heat. She looked pristine as ever with a dress that climbed to the tip of her
chin.

The trip back to
Keepers from Deuterium was a lot longer than he had remembered the other way
around. Of course, he was traveling with Kilen and had his energy rejuvenated
every couple of hours. This time he stopped at almost every town along the way
to get a room or stop for something to eat. Izabel had made a point to remind
him that he needed to court her properly at least once a day.

He still had not
managed to complete a proper date during their travels. It was always
interrupted or shortened by their need to keep moving away from the city. He
had it in his mind he would give her one once he introduced her to his mother
and father. It was a big disappointment when he did. His father said Izabel was
not part of Keepers and she would have to leave the morning after arriving. She
insisted they stay close to his hometown, even though he said it was not a
town. She argued and won, just like every other time. So here he was again,
leading the wagon outside of the boundaries of Keepers to set up their tent.

“I think we are
far enough outside of town now.”

Izabel stood on
top of the wagon and put her hand over her eyes to shade them. “I see a stream
not to far away. How deep is it?”

“Deep enough
when it rains to come to my chest, but not shallow enough that it runs dry in
the summer. The stream is supplied directly from Lake Leviathan, so it always
flows.”

“The dirt here
seems rich enough to grow some plants. I only see one trees for shade.” She
pointed at a withering tree with less than half of its limbs with leaves. “I
think here will do nicely. We are close to the road that those wanting to avoid
Keepers will come. We are still close enough to the Earth Realm to draw travelers
in. I should be able to start a good shop here.” She turned in a circle atop
the wagon.

He wondered how
she stayed so cool in a dress that came all the way to the chin with lace and
trimmings. She moved to step off the wagon and Leroy rushed to hold out his
hand, as any proper man would do. She had taught him enough of proper behavior
on their improper dates for him to start knowing how to treat a lady.

“Are you sure
you want to start it here? The materials are a little scarce.” Leroy was still
trying to catch his breath, which seemed harder because of the heat. Looking
back at the lake and the town of keepers the sun illuminated in the foreground
he began to come up with a plan. “I guess I can build the base out of rock and
haul that over from the lake. I might be able to get the others to lend us a
hand in loading the wagon.” Leroy said untying the cattle from the back.

“Yes, this place
will do fine. I will get started planting if you want to unload the sheep,” she
said more like a command than a question.

Leroy really
hated the sheep, but they served more than one purpose. Clothing and if needed,
food. He was still unsure what he had gotten himself into; Izabel had bought
two sheep and two cows on the way. The undiscussed purchase of the animals gave
a more permanent feel to their relationship, but he could be just reading into
things.

The sheep rode
in the wagon for most of the way. The cows pulled the wagon when the horses
needed a break, but often in an unwanted direction when they were spooked. He
had broken three wheels and knew he was lucky to not have broken more. The two
cows now followed on lengthy ropes behind the wagon.

“Let me get the
livestock to the water and then shade before I start putting up the tent.”
Leroy knew that if he could get the building up, then Izabel’s plans would be a
success. She was very talented with herbs and remedies, and Leroy had a knack
with food. They planned on putting up an inn for travelers to stay in along the
road. If Leviathan Castle ever rose from its watery depths, the inn would be
just a stone's throw from Keepers and in a great location for business.

Izabel seemed
eager to sink her fingers into the rich soil. He watched as she chose an open
spot with sparse grass. The place for her garden just happened to be the same
place he was going to choose to put the foundation for the inn. Leroy shook his
head and continued to work on untying the cattle from the back of the wagon.
The cows went straight for the water so Leeroy unloaded the sheep for them to
get a drink as well. She had acquired a male and female of both cow and lamb.
Izabel had the thought to breed livestock so they could feed their visitors
without fear of running out of meat.

Leroy finished
watering the animals and made his way back to the wagon while they grazed in
the open, waist-high grass. When he reached the wagon, he noticed a man
approaching on a horse. He started to unload the tent, but as the rider
appeared in the distance he recognized him as Sergeant Wells.

Leroy stopped
what he was doing and waited for him to finish approaching, “Did I forget
something?”

Wells stepped
off his horse and tied it to the wagon. “Some of us in town don’t agree with
your father’s dislike of the girl. We figured we would help.”

“My father’s
going to allow you to help?” Leroy stopped tugging at the knots of rope around
the packed tent.

“Does it matter?
He’s not a mayor and we are not his subjects. We will do as we please. I have
come to find out what you will be doing out here.”

Izabel
approached, brushing the loose dirt from her hands, “We will eventually be
building an inn. For now, we are just trying to get some plants started and a
place to keep the animals.”

Wells nodded, “I
will get some of the people to see what scraps we can lend to you. Leroy, don’t
forget the horses you bought before you left. We are still using them but you
may want to demand them back from your father.”

Leroy smiled,
“Thanks Sergeant. I’ll think about.”

“Can I give you
a hand with the tent?” He asked.

Leroy nodded and
they pulled it from the wagon.

“Your father has
been worried about you. He figured you would at least write, telling him you
made it to Deuterium, or when you would be on your way back.” When Leroy didn’t
respond to his banter he cleared his throat, “He thought you were dead, Leroy.”

“Well, I’m not
dead, and I
am
home. He didn’t even welcome me back. At least my mother
hugged me before he kicked us out, and she
is dying.”

“It will take
some time for him to see you as being alive, but he will come around. He is
right though, you cannot build a inn, shop, or house in Keepers. King Atmos
will come down on all of us for taxes,” Wells said.

“I know. I
shouldn’t have suggested it. I just wanted to come home and there are promises
that I made,” He said, sticking his chin out in the direction of Izabel.

Leroy did not
really want to get rid of Izabel, but he did want to make good on his promise
and he couldn’t unless his father let him come home. Leroy picked up a rock and
started pounding the tent stake into place.

Wells replied a
bit more somber, “As long as you know.”

The rest of the
stakes were hammered into place and oil treated poles lifted the canvas off the
ground to form the tent. Leroy began adjusting the guide lines to the tent and
saw a few carts on their way to his site. “Who is that?”

Wells laughed,
“I’d say the rest of the people who disagreed with your father. Looks like
they’re done loading the supplies. Mostly stone for the foundation right now,
but we will collect some good lumber from around the lake as soon as this is
built. You said an inn, right?”

Even though he
thought she wasn’t listening, Izabel yelled out from where she was digging in
the dirt, “Yes. He did say an inn.”

The men looked
at each other and laughed.

“A fence for the
livestock, and eventually a stable for the guests horses,” Izabel said.

Wells smiled as
he helped tie the knot around the tent stake, “She is not demanding at all.”

Leroy looked at
the girl digging in the dirt, “She is my burden for getting mixed up with a
weapon bearer.”

“Don’t you
forget it, Mr. Bradley,” She said without looking up.

**********

Twilix was
starting to take control of her emotions again. Today by far, had been the
easiest to get out of bed and start the day. For some reason she actually
wanted to train Kara instead of taking a bath. Except now Kara seemed to be
acting strange. The last two days she had not complained once about Twilix
being slow.

“Kara, are you
feeling well?” Twilix said while busy combing Kara’s hair, as it had become
tradition before leaving their room.

“I am fine,
thank you.”
            “You haven’t been talking much lately. Especially about getting out
of this room. I mean, you haven’t even asked to go into town in the last couple
days.”

The brush went
through her dark hair a couple more times before she responded, “I talked to
Brandon and he has me thinking.”

“Well if it’s
Brandon, I’m sure it wasn’t too deep of thought,” She smiled at the joke. In
the mirror she saw that Kara wasn’t smiling.

“But it was. He
said he is taking a risk letting me out of the dungeons. He also said if I were
to go into town, it would be an even bigger risk. If King Atmos found out,
Brandon would most likely be punished instead of not me.”

“So you don’t
want others to be punished for you being out of the dungeon, but you can't go
back into the dungeon?” Twilix asked while waving the hair bush like a septer.

“Yes,” she said
as she turned in her chair. “Brandon has let me stay out of the dungeon, but
what happens when the king returns and I have to go back in? I’ll become angry
and lose control. Then he will surely be punished,” Kara said looking at the
floor.

“Yes, I guess he
will be, won't he?” Twilix set the brush down on the silver tray it rested on
throughout the day. She sat down on the chair and thought for a moment. Kara
watched her thoughtfully, clearly turning the situation over in her mind.
Twilix’s mind had been clouded by the magic of late. It frustrated her to know
that she missed such a situation.

“Kara, I know
you feel as though this is your fault, but we all played a part in this. I am
the one who convinced the guards to let you out, and I convinced Brandon to let
you stay out. Although we all had a hand in this, we all knew the risk we would
be taking. Even Brandon knew.”

“So what do we
do? I can’t go back in the dungeon, and I can’t let you all be punished for
me,” Kara said.

The smile on
Twilix’s face widened, “We need to train you. C’mon.”

Twilix was on
her feet and out the door in a flash and Kara tried to stay on her heels. The
guard that was standing in the hallway jumped when they bolted out the door.

Twilix yelled
over her shoulder as she pulled Kara along by her arm, “Come on boys, there’s a
fire wizard loose on the grounds!”

The guards came
running out of the room, holding their armor in their arms as they chased the
girls down the hallways. Kara rounded the corner and tripped over her new legs.
Twilix and her both crashed into the wall and laughed at their failure to get
away. The first guard rounded the corner and they squealed as they started
running again. Being around Kara made her feel like the tiny carefree wizard
everyone had thought she had been.

The two girls
threw open the door to the training grounds and ran across the cracked dirt
while the wielders all tried to keep up and put on their clothes at the same
time. One was still holding his breeches and running in his small clothes. The
girls laughed and turned their backs to them so he could finish getting
dressed.

Twilix blurted
out a half apology, “Sorry, we’re just having a bit of fun.”

The large, bald
leader spoke to them for the first time that Kara had heard, “You are lucky we
don’t strap you both and put you both in the dungeon.”

Twilix gathered
her full height and stomped up to the bald wielder. “You think I like having
you follow us all over this castle like I need a caretaker? You are merely a
feeble precaution that would not stand a moment if this girl opened her
strength on you. Threaten me like that again and I will freeze your tongue
right out of your mouth. If we want to run through the castle, we can. If I
want to go into town without you confining her to a room, then I will. You do
not own me or any other wizard. Truthfully, the only reason you have imbuements
is
because
of wizards, so you should be thanking us for giving you the
power you wield. Go on, thank her for the power.” Twilix held out an open hand
towards Kara.

“We are done,
the advisor can put you back in the dungeon himself.” The leader of the
wielders took a couple steps back, then turned and walked away. The rest of the
men followed and none looked back.

“Great, now
Brandon is going to make me go back. Why did you do that?” Kara said.

“You’ll see, but
for now let us get to practicing. I want you to try something. It’s a very
powerful skill that takes a lot of strength. It is called Inferno Fire. It
takes a few different skills in magic to use it properly and it should speed
your training along.”

Kara seemed to
perk up at the name “Inferno Fire.”

“Wait, I read
about this in one of the books you brought down. It turns heat in on itself
until you create a ball of pure intensity.”