The Crimson Claymore (29 page)

A sudden knock at the door shifted Noraes’s attention for a moment. He got to his feet and wiped his mouth with a thin white cloth before setting it back on the counter. Sophie opened the door and bowed to a young man wearing bronze chain mail with a long scabbard at his hip. Rain frantically bounced from the chains on his armor, and his short red hair was soaked to the top of his head. He smiled and curtsied low to Sophie before standing up straight and winking at her. She giggled and moved aside for him to enter.

“Lord Noraes, I have come upon request,” he said, holding out a parchment.

“Very good, Phoenix. I would like you to meet my brother.”

Searon stepped forward and extended his hand, which Phoenix took immediately. A smile came across the man’s broad lips as he scratched at his red goatee.

“A pleasure to be sure, my lord; your brother has spoken high of you over the years since his return.”

“His return? Where has he been?”

“I’m afraid that is something he will not say.” Phoenix grinned as he watched Noraes from the corner of his eye.

“It is not of importance where I went off to. What is important is that I’m here now, and I am your commander.”

“Yes, my lord,” Phoenix bowed.

“I want you to be a captain under my brother’s army. He is in need of help, and who would we be not to assist him?”

“We would be ill-suited hosts indeed, my lord; what is the mission?”

“His intention is to remove the threat of the daerions…and another creature called the draeyks from this land. To cleanse them from being a threat.”

“Excellent, my lord, I have much desired to be a part of such a party.”

“It will not be easy, and your responsibly will at least double from the small command you have under me. Do you think you are capable?”

“Yes, my lord. I am more than capable, my lord. I will not fail you.”

“Good, see that you don’t. Not only will you be in charge of ten thousand of our men, but you will be advising the spies and scouts as well as communications so that if you are needed elsewhere you will be well informed.”

“Ten thousand?” Phoenix whispered along with Searon and Karceoles.

“Will it be enough?” Noraes asked.

Searon stood straight, making sure his back didn’t slouch in the slightest. “It will be plenty, my Brother, and I thank you for such a generous offer.”

“Brother, I know these draeyks are top in your mind because of what they did to your family, but I only give you this many because I trust that you will return if we send word. If we are attacked, we will need assistance. I have left enough for us to defend, but if too strong of a force appears, I will need you.”

“I understand.”

“I have spoken with the king, his advisors, and the council. They all agree that this threat of the daerions is strong enough to rally an alliance to oppose them. They were also intrigued that you have a wizard with you and kheshlarn support.”

“Only one kheshlar is in support of our cause.”

“Shh, they don’t know that. Besides, I know you’ll find a way to turn that around.”

Searon smiled.

Phoenix stepped forward. “A wizard?”

Karceoles smiled and stuck out his hand, “I am Karceoles the Wise. I am a wizard graced with the task of keeping young Searon here alive.”

Phoenix shakily put his hand in the wizard’s. “You’re not going to turn me into a toad, are you?”

“A toad? Butter and salt, my boy; if you upset me that much, I will turn you into a slug and sprinkle salt on you.”

Phoenix gulped, but Karceoles only laughed. “Come, young Phoenix, let me show you our plans on this map.”

“So you have decided to help?” Searon asked in a whisper.

“Don’t think you’ve got off so easy my brother. You still have to finish beating me. Besides, it will be near another week before all the forces will be ready to march. They are coming all from all over the province. Would you like to hear your numbers?”

“Surely, I would, so the battle tactics in my head can begin.”

Noraes smiled. “Two thousand pikes, two thousand long spears, two thousand swords, one thousand maces, one thousand crossbows, one thousand cavalry, five hundred archers, and five hundred javelins.”

“That is quite the force to match. I’ve never seen such high numbers with these creatures. Let us hope that with one swift strike we can all safely return home.”

“That is the idea, my Brother, but I fear that there is much more going on than we can see. My heart tells me that such a force isn’t enough. Let us only hope that it is.”

“Dare we send for Xython?” Searon asked.

“He will learn of it soon enough. Besides, let him visit with his family for a bit longer before the lust of war clouds his judgment.” Noraes brushed his hair back before grinning. “Besides, we still have a game to finish. Are you ready?”

Searon smirked. “Aye, you will not survive long without your captain.”

Chapter 30

S
tarlyn stood on a grassy hilltop that looked over most of the land. Only she, Andron, Sh’on, and the human captain, Etherond, stood on the hill. Behind them, a force of nearly eight thousand men camped. She was surprised that young Etherond was able to mass such a large force in only a few weeks, yet at the same time she could sense the aura of leadership about him. Most of the men were barely warriors, as nearly half were holding pitchforks, but there still were a large amount of pikesmen and maces. The cities to the north weren’t wealthy in any way, and so there were few swordsmen, less than a thousand in the army. She only hoped their determination and heart could replace what they lacked in skill. While their task had been successful in bringing numbers and heart to their cause, Starlyn still didn’t feel it would be enough. She hoped that Searon had been more successful when he met his brother in the south.

There was an elderly gentleman with a sword that invented a concept weapon called a protosword. It was a wooden club shaped like a sword with sharp edges fastened with chunks of glass and obsidian. They were easy enough to make and were given to the new recruits or those without weapons. Every day there were people outside practicing with wooden swords, preparing for war.

She stared at the lavender-and-scarlet sunset of the third day they waited for Searon’s return. It was true that they had expected him days ago, but she didn’t fret the delay. After all, it had been years since he had seen his brother, and she was sure Karceoles was doing all he could to hasten things up. She smiled at the memory of the bitter old man and his sarcastic remarks. Being so long without seeing the two of them, she actually missed some of his bitter remarks.

As the last light dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky in twilight, Starlyn sighed. Another day had come and passed without sight of Searon. She hoped that he was all right and nothing had gone amiss. The men were growing impatient for battle despite their readiness. Etherond being the worst as his blade almost seemed to twitch for battle. Out of all the men, he was the most capable, as she noticed his skill not only from battling him once firsthand, but also from the many spars that both he and Andron engaged in each day. Both seemed matched in skill, although Etherond came out ahead more often than not.

She walked down the hill unsteadily to the company of men. Etherond and Andron had already gone back to the games and activities while Sh’on accompanied her back to camp. He seemed as anxious as her to get things moving, but she was unsure if it was to be in battle or to see his old cousin the wizard. The mage had always been much of a mystery to her, and even after the years of knowing him, she still didn’t fully understand him. It had been decades since she’d even seen him, but from what she could tell he hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“If he doesn’t appear tomorrow, we’ll have to send scouts,” she whispered.

“Yes, I believe we should have sent a few today.”

“Sorry, I have been going by his word when he should return…I should have realized that things could have come up. I will send scouts in the morning.”

“Do not fault yourself, Starlyn, you have trust in this young man…a human. How are you fairing with the likes of them?”

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to think with the rumors through Sudegam about the hastiness, hatefulness, and stupidity of them. However, after meeting both Searon and Andron, I have also found compassion, love, and wit. They are more intelligent than kheshlars give them credit for, and their compassion and love is something that the kheshlars could do with.”

Sh’on flashed a smile. “I am glad you have chosen not to discriminate against them as so many of your kin have done.”

“Discrimination is only for those who choose not to take the time to get to know someone. I have a friend who is discriminated against only because of what she is, when she has no choice in the matter. I protect her, and if need be, I will protect Searon and the others from the discrimination of the rest of the kheshlars.”

“Kind words. I hope this Searon treasures your friendship.”

She smiled. “He does.”

Etherond walked up with an impatient look upon his sturdy face. “Still no sign of this army?”

Starlyn felt his deep-gray eyes stare deep into hers. “Not yet…they will be here.”

“I say we strike. There is plenty of damage our force can do to the draeyks, instead of all this endless waiting!”

“Relax your bloodthirst; you will have it soon enough,” Sh’on remarked as he stepped forward next to Etherond and collapsed his hand on the man’s shoulder.

Etherond flinched at first, but his scowl quickly turned into a wide grin. His hand released where it clutched at his sword hilt, and he clasped Sh’on’s shoulder in turn. He shifted his bronze curls from his eyes. “I’m famished.”

“Let’s eat,” Andron suggested as he walked up next to Etherond from behind.

The two humans had seemed to form a bond in the past few weeks. Starlyn noticed that Etherond was still reticent to approach her on most matters, but she was happy that Andron was at least able to form a friendship with him. The two seemed to have a lot in common—from their love of families to morals to their respect for the creator. Etherond was constantly preaching about following the creator in his wishes and willing to speak to anybody willing to listen. Andron was most interested, as he shared the same beliefs in everlasting life in another world. Starlyn wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, as kheshlars hadn’t created sin as the humans proclaimed to have happened to them. Perhaps that was why the kheshlars were still gifted with eternal life, but she wasn’t sure and didn’t feel like getting involved. The only thing the kheshlars worshipped was nature, and respected all those whom lived among it.

“Do so away from me,” Starlyn grumbled as she looked away from the men.

Without saying another word, she disappeared from sight and walked back up to the top of the hill where she sat with her legs crossed. Her mind became filled with her thoughts, and her breathing slowed so that it was too low to be heard by anything other than kheshlarn ears. A soft breeze tickled her long ears and brought a chill to her face. The last bit of light disappeared from the sky and was replaced with darkness.

Starlyn loved the night more than the day, as nothing could compare to the beauty of the stars. Her blonde hair always seemed to brighten in the starlight. It was a calm night with only a few clouds in the sky in the distance. Lightning zipped from the clouds off in the distance with a few crackles sounding nearly thirty seconds later. She was glad that the storm was far off as it would have covered the beauty of the stars. The small crackles and pops of lightning almost sounded like music in her ears. Sighing heavily, she lay down on the hill and ate a small piece of bread to settle her stomach.

She wondered where Searon was and if he was safe, yet beyond that she wondered where her sister was. It had been a long time since she had seen her sister. She was surprised when she had appeared to taunt both her and Searon. Before that encounter, it had been a few decades since she’d seen her last. She wondered if there was anything she could to do to bring her sister back to the light. Surely, there had to be some way, a hidden piece of a puzzle, that once shifted into the right place would complete it once more. She closed her eyes as she remembered the times she spent with her sister as a child. Back when the two of them were innocent, playing in fields and catching dragonflies and butterflies. Often, she wished she could return back to that time, but instead her mind faded to a dream where she felt like she was reliving it.

* * *

Starlyn awoke to a hazy pink sunrise through thick fluffy clouds. Birds glided through the sky, allowing the brisk wind to carry them on their journey to new lands. She still lay upon the top of the hill where she strayed during the night. All was silent around her except for a few murmurs between the men at the bottom of the hill in camp. A warm smile came upon her face as she whistled into the wind at the birds. There were four in the distance, but one was apart from the others, and when it heard her call, it immediately soared toward her. Its beauty was unmatched by any other bird in the sky with its head as white as the clouds and its body as brown as the bark on evergreen trees. It was a bald eagle and the proudest of the sky.

The large bird landed on her outstretched hand and blinked its eyes at her. It cocked its head as it watched her, making its beautiful bright-yellow beak glitter in the sunlight. She stroked it a few times gently on the back of its neck as it watched her. Footsteps echoed behind her, and the eagle tensed up but soon relaxed. Starlyn turned around to notice it was only Sh’on, and he smiled back at her but kept his distance.

“Can you do me a favor, oh proud one?” she whispered.

The eagle considered her for a moment before nodding its head. She smiled back at the bird and stroked its neck some more.

“Fly south, and find an army, a large army. It will have a general in red plate mail with a giant claymore sword. With him will be a foolish wizard wielding a zylek. You should notice the horse with the black-and-white stripes. Can you find them and come back to me and tell me how far away they are?”