The Crimson Claymore (41 page)

"Let me pass,” she demanded.

"What is your business with the king?" Vil'ek asked.

"A threat approaches the capital. I must speak with him."

Her breath came in gasps since she’d reached Sudegam in a matter of only a few hours. Nothing dared get in her way or slow her down, not even the hand of the kheshlarn king. She stepped forward toward the golden doors of the throne room

He stared at her for only a moment, searching her eyes before sheathing his weapons and stepping aside. The doors clambered open, and the scraping metal echoed throughout the chambers. Vil'ek kept at her heel, trying to cease her speed but failed as she ran up the steps to the king.

Elsargast pondered scrolls as he sat upon his golden throne, without a look of fret upon his ageless, wrinkleless face. Annoyance stained his expression as he glanced up from his studies toward Starlyn, who swiftly bowed before him.

"What is it, my child?" Elsargast asked with distaste in his mouth.

"An army approaches our land, my king. Thousands strong, both draeyks and daerions amid the ranks."

"How have you come across this information?"

"I traveled north with Searon and the wizard to the draeyk settlements. Abandoned...all of them. He keeps pace with the rear of their army, but they press on directly toward us. Searon plans to strike them from behind, my king, as soon as they enter our territory, but he won't be able to stop them. There are too many.”

"Are you sure of what you’ve seen?"

"Do you not trust one of your own, my king?"

"Not one that holds the company of a human. Especially when traveling with a wizard who desperately wants me to join this silly war of his."

"Karceoles might be outspoken and rash, my king, but foolish he is not. He saw this war coming and did all in his power to stop it. Nobody took him seriously, and now an army approaches our land."

"Will this human army weaken them so, that when they strike we can easily finish them off?"

"I beg of you, my lord, there is little time. If we don't help them out, they will be no more. Is that what they deserve for trying to protect our race? They will be slowed and weakened attacking us, but it will still happen. If this is a full-scale war, any allies we can get will be useful."

Elsargast calmly rolled up his scroll and neatly tied the purple ribbon onto it before placing it on the ground with the rest. Footsteps rang through the hall, and three kheshlars entered the throne room, each bowing in turn to their king. Vil'ek stepped between them and the king with hands on scabbards.

"My lord," one of them said, "a threat approaches our northern borders. Draeyks and some blue beast. They appear to be marching toward us."

"Very well," the king sighed. "Vil'ek, head into the city, and seek anybody willing to fight on such short notice. Have them join together north of Sudegam. Lead a force against this army, and protect our lands. Wedge them between you and this human army at their head, and destroy all between."

"Yes, my lord.” Vil'ek bowed.

"Starlyn?"

"Yes, my king?”

"I am sorry to have doubted you. Join Vil'ek under his command, and show him to this force. Plan with him the best way to strike this upcoming foe. And when this threat is no more, I want you and any living human leaders to report directly back to me."

"Yes, my king."

Starlyn followed Vil'ek out the palace, but instead of keeping with him as he rallied the kheshlars, she parted and traveled by herself outside of Sudegam toward a small lake. She hadn't realized how much she’d missed her home until she returned. The kheshlarn territory was peaceful, animals scurrying about, birds chirping in peaceful melodies.

She stopped at the foot of a small cottage surrounded by blue jays and chipmunks, and she smiled at their welcoming sight. The cottage seemed separated from everything else around the kheshlarn capital—this was solitude, and it had been a while since she had visited this place. After a deep breath, she knocked on the door, breath caught as she wondered how long it had been since she’d seen her friend.

The door opened slightly where a pair of silvery-emerald eyes appeared with a smile before it opened fully. A kheshlarn woman emerged with long brunette hair that she pushed from her face with a blush. Her skin was a pale green rather than the pale blue of most kheshlars. Tall rounded ears with only a slight point at their tips broke through her straight hair on each side.

"Starlyn, it's nice to see you,” she smiled.

"Anaela…there's no time; I need your help," Starlyn pleaded.

A mask of concern replaced the kheshlar's smile. Starlyn hated to ask aid from her friend, but knew that she needed to. Time was desperate, and there was nobody more skilled. More importantly, there was nobody she could trust more than her dear friend.

"What is it?"

"I need you to come fight with me. I know you were hoping to stay out of battle, but a threat exists in the kheshlarn forest. You are the best archer there is."

"Let me get my armor," the woman said as she closed the door.

Within minutes, the woman opened the door back up, dressed for battle with chain mail covered with green plate mail lined in silver that nearly resembled leaves. The two rushed back into the city where they found Vil'ek awaiting them with a force of over six thousand kheshlars armored and ready for battle. There hadn't been such a sight in decades, not since the last time Starlyn had led her brethren into battle.

"Lead the way to your…friends.” Vil'ek nearly spat the last word out.

Starlyn did not care for his judgment and only concerned herself with the fact that he was going to help her save her friends. Nothing else mattered. Hope remained. They left Sudegam and Starlyn led the way to the north where they traveled less than a league to hear the clatter of battle. As soon as the creatures were spotted, kheshlars rushed forward, raising weapons high and screaming a battle cry to the mother to aid them in their fight.

Starlyn raised her own sword and noticed Phoenix's blade in her grasp. Tears formed around her eyes for the fallen hero that had saved her life. "For the mother!" she cried and ran forward.

Although a sword wasn't her preferred weapon, her skill with it was near flawless. She parried foes with such precision that many fell before her. Draeyks and daerions fought hard against her, and many were hard to oppose with their hardened scales, but Starlyn knew of their weak spot just below the jaw and targeted it. As she pressed on, she saw the impressive magic that had frozen Karceoles in a statue of black ice. A wizard in black robes rushed at the frozen form with a sword held high, and Starlyn cried out. Before the ice could be shattered, Searon leaped forward and blocked the blow, only to be thanked by being knocked away as easily as a moth.

The dark wizard turned back around with a sickening grin appearing on his face when he looked at the frozen statue of Karceoles. He raised his sword high and slashed it down, but before the blade could make contact, a blast of green energy zipped through the air and struck his palm, knocking his weapon from his grasp and into the sky where it disappeared with a twinkle. More magic pressed onward toward the dark wizard in lightning bolts and water blasts, but many were cast aside as he raised his zylek to deflect them.

Kheshlars pressed forward through the ranks, many unheard because of their soft steps. Vil'ek fought gallantly next to Starlyn with his two scimitars, and the two of them sliced through many ranks of creatures. The draeyks and daerions outranked the humans three to one, but now that the kheshlars arrived, the numbers were well balanced. It took little effort for the kheshlars to break through the dark army's defense, but after a while they reformed and created a wall that made things more challenging.

Starlyn felt uneasy with the sword in her grip and dearly missed her hammer. She fought well with the imbalanced weapon, but knew that she would be more successful with her own steel. Kheshlarn weapons were better balanced, and there was always something about a hammer that she craved. Swords were meant for elegance and precision, when all she wanted to do was slam through defenses. She pushed through the ranks with the kheshlars surrounding her. Kheshlars weren't that much better warriors than the draeyks and daerions, only swifter with better balanced weapons. The creatures had been trained well, and many kheshlars underestimated their foe, paying with their lives.

A harsh battle transpired between Sh'on and Zergiel. It took them far from most of the action. Zergiel shot a black spell at Sh'on that formed like a skull coming toward him. Sh'on shot two small green fireballs from his palms that blasted into the skull, and both magic disappeared into a swirl of smoke. Both of Sh'on's hands glowed green, and within moments so did Zergiel. With a smile, Sh'on raised his hands into the air and slammed them down, causing the warlock to float up into the sky and crash into the ground in a thud.

Zergiel got back to his feet, grasping his shoulder with clenched teeth, and shot a bolt of black lightning toward the mage. Sh'on's body lit up ebony, and his white bones could be seen through the shock as his body convulsed. While being electrocuted, Zergiel shot another blast of magic—a black fireball—that caught Sh'on's green robes aflame. He spun around, shaking his body and trying to put out the fire as an arrow killed a daerion beside him. The beast collapsed on top of Sh'on, putting out the fire but trapping him under it.

Zergiel laughed and rushed forward toward the kheshlarn army. Determination plastered his face that showed he wasn't about to lose the battle because of the arrival of the kheshlars. Dozens of black skulls burst forth from his zylek that claimed the lives of many kheshlars as he charged them with his black horse. The kheshlars scattered out of the warlock's way, including Starlyn, but when she looked over her shoulder she noticed Vil'ek hadn't budged. He stood alone as Zergiel charged for him, zylek raised and a surge of three black skulls that shot toward Vil'ek. Starlyn shrieked out in alarm, but Vil'ek didn't turn. He braced his two scimitars in a cross as the magic neared him, and to everyone's surprise, the black skulls vanished as they encountered the blades. Vil'ek smirked and rushed toward the warlock, dove and slashed his weapons onto the legs of the horse, causing the animal to trip and fall to the ground with Zergiel sliding into the dirt.

Vil'ek rushed toward the fallen form of the warlock. Zergiel didn't have time for another spell and pulled out a sword that hid within his robes and deflected the kheshlar's weapons. The two battled each other with such skill that it amazed all the kheshlars and humans surrounding them. Their weapons hit so hard against each other that sparks silhouetted the air everywhere. They seemed equally matched opponents, and neither could break through the other's defenses.

Starlyn reached the frozen Karceoles and stared at him in disbelief. She felt the cold chill of the ice and looked at the blank expression on his face. His jaw was agape and eyes large as if he expected the worst to happen to him. Starlyn circled him, battling anything that came near. She tried looking around for Searon, but she couldn't find him and hoped he was all right. As she battled furiously at the daerions to her front, she didn't notice one that came at her from behind. She gasped, realizing she didn't have the time to stop it. Suddenly, an arrow with a black tip flew past her face and into the daerion's skull. It dropped to the ground without a sound. She smiled as she searched for her friend, seeing her a hundred paces away with bow in hand. Starlyn's mind eased as she noticed more and more arrows killing draeyks and daerions around her, making her only have to attack one at a time.

The draeyks and daerions were dropping hard with all the kheshlarn support in battle. The once-massive army was getting smaller and smaller, until it held a lot less fighters than the kheshlars and humans. Zergiel appeared to notice and knew he wasn't going to win the battle. He ducked from a blow from Vil'ek and then rolled forward, knocking the kheshlar down. He set his sword back in its scabbard and got his zylek out. A large black skull shot into the air that exploded and created black fog that surrounded the entire battlefield.

When the fog cleared, Zergiel and all of the creatures were gone. Starlyn looked through the wilderness and saw them all running back up north, already a league away. Sh'on came up to her, being freed of the daerion now. He stood by Karceoles and his put hands on the cold ice. His hands glowed green, and steam rose from them. Slowly, the ice around Karceoles melted away. He didn't melt it too fast because the sudden change of temperature might be harmful to even a wizard. When he collapsed free of the ice, Starlyn caught him and held him in her arms in an effort to warm him. Sh'on held onto his robes, heating them up and drying them. As soon as he was done with that, he also helped warm him up slowly with magic. Karceoles was unconscious but alive, and they set him on the ground while they searched for other survivors.

"Where is Searon?" Starlyn asked, concerned.

Her heart caved in a little as she realized she couldn't find him. She remembered him saving the wizard's life and being tossed back. Shivers spread through her body as she searched for him, unable to imagine him being gone.

"I do not know; last I saw he tumbled into a tree after being hit by Zergiel," Etherond responded, walking up to her.

Everybody began searching around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Etherond dug through piles of draeyks and daerions on the ground. Starlyn searched for him through the whole area hurriedly, trying to find any glimpse of him.

The sweat and worry of all the warriors was astonishing. Without Searon, they had no idea what to do or where to turn next. They all seemed to look to Starlyn for orders but realized she was just trying to find Searon. Now everybody joined in. The kheshlars had left the battlefield, already heading back to the capital.

Drahcirch seemed unconcerned about Searon's well-being and gathered a handful of followers that he began to order about. During the battle, he led a sizable force to victory against overwhelming odds and brought even more to his favor.