The Apprentices (The Crimson Guard Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

I looked down to see the entire camp standing in formation.  The two brothers seemed to be in charge.  “We request to join you Berserker.”  I still had not gotten used to that label.

“Why do you wish to travel with me? The only payment I can promise you is death on some distant battlefield.”  A slight murmur went through the crowd, but was quickly hushed.

“We know the path you speak of and wish to aid you in every way possible. If death is all you will find, then that is all we can give.”  Spoke the young knights in unison.

My gaze found Jes’ and he merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine!  I have no problem with more company.  You are all welcome to join me, as for you two.”  The knight’s backs snapped straight.  “You will be in charge of all the men in the ranks and we,” I pointed at Jes, Talon and the big Healer, “Will give you orders.”

A sudden thought occurred to me,
I didn’t even know the name of our healer
.  
That is odd, I
thought
where did he come from?
  Oh well, Now is not the time, I guess those are questions best left for later.

“Yes, sir.”  The armored men saluted.  I turned to leave and found myself face to face with Jes.

“I guess we have an army now.” Spoke Jes.

“So it seems.”  I responded.

“It also seems that one of the mercenaries has been to this city, hidden in the forest.”

“Well, that is where we are headed.  Does he at least remember where it is?”  Jes frowned.

“Yes, I believe that he does.”

I didn’t feel like giving him an answer and pushed back through the tent’s entrance. 
What have I done, all of these men are going to die because of me.
  The dust on my cheeks filtered the tears that were escaping my eyes. Wiping away these scars seemed all too familiar now.  Jes returned shortly after my action was completed.  The man accompanying him was not much of a man at all.  His build was quite regular; the only notable aspect of him was the unbearable smell and uncontrollable trembling.

“Relax my man; I will not slay you here.” 
Did they really think that I am that barbaric?

“I have been to this place you search, and it is not far from the ground we sleep on.”  The man seemed to grow somewhat confident since I could barely see his legs shaking now.  “The forest is a safe place to tread, but the city walls and streets will be your downfall.  This witch can see all that was and all that will come.  Nothing escapes her magic sphere.  By now she already knows that you intend on attacking.” 
I didn’t even know that we were going to attack, yet how could she.

Jes cut in. “Does she have an army?” 

“Yes, all the citizens are her soldiers.  In times of great need she calls upon all who are able to fight.  I have seen this and lived through one battle.  Shortly after I fled; nothing in this world would allow me to have a woman make me fight.  Not only that, but she is a special kind of ruthless to those who do not fight for the best of what she believes their abilities are.  She changes them…” with that the small man shuddered.   

“Well, it seems to me that we must throw ourselves into another vicious battle.  Thank you, good sir, you may leave.”  The soldier wasted no time in fleeing the tent.  “Tell the brothers to have the men prepare for battle, with unknown enemy numbers.” 
Maybe,
I thought,
some men will desert and save themselves while they still can.

As Jes left I realized that I had changed into a very different man.  Once I had found myself quivering behind a sofa and now I am leading a group of ragtag soldiers to war.  The irony caused me to chuckle.

“Whatsss ssso funny mage?”  The sudden outburst gave me a start.

“Oh, you startled me Talon, how does one with scales on his skin travel in such silence.”

“What were you doing?”  He completely blew off my question, but it did not bother me.

“I was just reminiscing.”

“Yesss I do that a lot asss well.” 

“You ready for more death dragon man.”  He cringed at my words.

“Of courssse Bessserker,” Talon bowed and strode away with a chuckle of his own.  Touché I thought.

With Talon taking leave, I realized that I still had the book in my hand. 
Now is not the time to read
, and I wondered
if I would have the opportunity to look upon this book again or if this city in the forest will be my grave.
  With that thought I placed the book in my bag and got ready for battle.  As I ran my hand over my bag one more time before putting it on my shoulder, I felt a small object in the front pocket.  Reaching into the pocket I found the small golden bell that had been used by the Keeper in the Library, what seemed like a lifetime ago.  I wonder how it made its way into my bag.  Thinking back, I realized that Juleen handed me my bag, she must have placed it there, but why and what did it really do.  I remember it mentioned in the book the Librarian gave to me. I will look into it later, if I lived through this upcoming battle.   And a battle it would be, Lyndon could not foresee how this battle would change his future, all of their futures, forever. 

………………………………………………………

The day was winding to a close and the shadowed figure was confused, for the enemy camp was quite alive.

“They must be moving sooner than I had hoped,” whispered the clocked being.

She watched the men hurry about gathering weapons and provisions, trying to ready themselves and keeping their minds preoccupied.  All the tents had been taken down except for one, she observed. 

This must be the command tent, thought the woman and at the very instant of realization a large man emerged from the canvas structure.  

“This must be their leader,” whispered the woman to herself. 

Darkness had just replaced the retreating sunlight when she found an opportunity.  The man was making his way through the woods, for what she did not care.  All she cared was the fact that the man and that white sword were finally alone. 

The man turned as her gentle hand grazed his unarmored shoulder.   The witch smiled as she saw the look upon his face.  An easy task she thought.  Part of the man’s amazement must have been from her naked body covered only by a slight breeze. 

“Are you a Goddesssss?”  Words slithered from his lips.  Interesting she thought.  How does a man with such speech, have such an army?  She didn’t and couldn’t consider that this man had more about him than what met the eye.  To her, this was but a man with a sword, nothing special as most men. 

Leaning in close, allowing her hips to brush his hands, she whispered in his ear, “No, but after I am finished with you, you will believe that I truly am.”  Tenderly she finished her thought with a kiss on his eager lips.

She could tell that it had been a long time since the thick skinned man had been with a woman, and it pleasured her to know that it would also be his last.

15

Traveling in the cover of darkness had all been part of my plan,
I thought.  This darkness, however was overwhelming.  “Coordinating the troops or even seeing them might prove to be very difficult,” I said to myself.  At least an element of surprise might be achieved. 

“Lyndon the guide informed me that we are quite close now.”  Light shown off the speakers polished armor.

“Thank you knight, now return to the front and prepare the troops.”  He rode off as suddenly as he had appeared.

“Hey Jes does it seem strangely dark,” Jes’ horse had been parallel with mine for quite some time, neighed. 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is very dark out,” I shrugged my shoulders. “Do you think it is some trick of the witches?  Even though darkness will not stop the slaughter,” A smile crept across his face.

“You sure have a way with words.” Jes commented. 

The faces of the dead washed over me. 
How many must die, how many?  Is there ever an end?
  This question had plagued me for quite some time.   It was a question that I never spoke.

“Ride ahead and find Talon.  I need to discuss our formations with him before the battle begins.”

“Yes, sir.”  Jes mocked me with a salute. 

“One more thing, do you think she knows we are coming?”

“Yes.”  Jes’ horse jolted; he is quite eager I thought.  Before I could say another word I saw the arrow.  A sliver of silver had imbedded itself in the horse’s flank, effectively securing the thief’s leg in the stirrups. 

“Take cover, they know we are here!” I screamed.  More screams and battle cries soon followed. 

I could see total panic within the men; Jes and his horse now had disappeared from view.  Arrows sparkled like stars as they sliced through the wind.  Death, will this be my last battle, will we all die?  Our life spark doused by a star lit arrow.  No, to die now would be very frustrating.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Unknowingly both armies had nearly marched into one another.  The city defenders got the jump on the mage’s men as a result of the witch’s sudden arrival, burdened by the weight of a very large man.

The first volley of arrows, mostly found themselves embedded in trees and other natural barriers.  The terrain that the battle started on was a very dense grove of trees just outside the city’s walls.  Even the barbarian monk had to leave his great battle axe.  Not only was it already embedded in an enemy soldier, but far too large to navigate through the trees.  Instead the monk replaced it with a now ownerless short sword. 

The battle raged on, leaving empty shells of men lay scattering the ground; many were left standing with no life, impaled to trees.  More and more bodies were on display for their fellow soldiers, morale hit rock bottom for both armies.  There is a moment in each battle that men change.  For this battle it was the reason for fighting.  Now a man’s driving force was for no Witch Queen’s or battle mage’s hidden quest, but the basic will to survive; to forget the burning of muscles and the sting of wounds.  The carnage showed that soldiers can be nothing more than animals when blood is thick, and survival is thin. 

Death was in the air, men screamed and horses kicked.  Near the front of the carnage stood a man with fire in his eyes, flames scorching the ground.  Trees once clogged the area, but now were just burning timbers.  Lifeless bodies could be seen scattered throughout, lit by the many fires; their cause of death nothing but shear burning power.  Soldier after soldier attacked from all sides, not thinking that death was merely a thought away. 

Far from view of the burning one, fighting from horseback, the two knights attacked.  They had been fighting alongside one another for so long their motions seemed as one.  A swath could be seen in the field of men, carved from sweat and steel.  Rank upon rank of soldiers fell on the Knights’ swords.  It had not taken long for their allies to fall.  They fought on, each knowing their end was near.  This was going to be their last battle, but they did not care.  Sampson caught his brother’s eye just as the final blow was landed.  He watched the light fade. 

Their death was not a powerful magician or skilled archer, but a lucky spear and their love for each other.   The savagery of destiny had perfect aim, the phalanx found its mark.  The spear that had suddenly appeared from the crowd lifted the younger brother clear of his horse; as it pierced through the red stained armor.   

No chance was given to the killer to celebrate or even retrieve his weapon of choice.  For another species of cold steel found its mark on this man, cutting him down.  Tears and hate flowed from the lone knight:  his feet hit the ground where his sibling had fallen.  Others tried to crush this pinnacle of honor and love, but no foreign army could proceed close enough to cripple the man.  Whispers floated in the air as the knight’s blade moved with a fluid grace.  Only the dead could see the pain in the brother’s eyes, pain that no injury could produce.  Finally, as the men stopped attempting to kill the menace, the armored man was able to look upon his fallen brother.  All the adrenaline vanished and he fell to the ground.

At first the rag tag army of beggars, mages and ex-pirates had the upper hand.  The ensuing chaos caused by the storm of arrows, had nearly broken the mercenary band.  However the knight’s blades claimed many lives; none could hide from the razor edges.  After the final screams finally died out, every soldier still alive had to take a second to thank the gods. 

…………………………………………………………………………….

My mind raced through the events of the battle, so many corpses.

I stared at my bloody hands, remembering the blank eyes as the souls slipped from our world.  All the power of destruction and mayhem could course through these fingers, but to save one life was too much.  The once shiny armor, which had been a pinnacle of hope, now lay stained with crimson red.  No one would ever wear it again; the point of a blade had sealed that fate.  

I never realized how horrible this world could be.  Jes had never returned, but I knew he could take care of himself.  The enemy was very determined to exterminate us.  The brothers were dead.  The youngest, whose name I had never learned, lay upon the ground.  The phalanx still lodged between his ribs, a beacon of sadness.  The elder, Samson died by a well-placed sword.  To him it was not an ending, but a beginning of a new campaign with his brother.  The men did not follow me because of love; they fought because of fear.  The brothers were loved by all and they died protecting a quest that was not even theirs. 
How can I possibly live with myself, or will I even survive long enough to understand true grief?
   Suddenly I realized that I was still in the same location that I had begun the battle.  The fighting and screaming was still quite fresh in my mind. 

The echoing twang of bow strings was replaced with the deep rumbling of hundreds of padded feet, moving across the tainted soil.  That moment I thought victory was impossible, there were just too many.   I really had no part in rallying the troops; they were intent on staying clear of the searing magic lurching from my fingertips.  Much of the battle at that point eluded my memory for control was all that was on my mind.  Later it came to my attention that the gentle healer was the iron in my army’s spear.  Rumors circulated that he led an attack with six other men, which devastated the enemy’s ranks. 

Some say that it was all an accident, but now as I look down on their bodies I realize that the death of the brothers was no accident.  They had spent so many years looking for revenge, and befriended no one which brought them so close together.  When one died it took the soul of the other, leaving just an empty shell.  Pleading to rejoin its’ other half in another world, the shell fell upon its sword. 
Is that truly noble or should he have lived on in his brother’s memory?
I thought.   I hope that Jes had learned of their birthright.  I wished to speak with their kin if I survived this.

…………………………………………………………………………….

There stood what as the most powerful mage in all the land shedding tears over the bodies of two humble knights.  Ones that he had just met not even a fortnight before.