The Soul Sphere: Book 02 - The Final Shard (28 page)

“No argument there. Sure doesn’t feel like a run of good luck though, does it?”

Demetrius simply shook his head and stared off into the brightening sky, trying to picture what the future held.

They moved slowly that day, and were rewarded with the arrival of the main body of the Corindor army just before sundown. Old friends were greeted and introductions made, and the next day the men and dwarves marched as one. They forded the Crystal River, and their mounted front screen reached the Eastern Forest two days later, where they were halted by elves who appeared suddenly, as if they winked into existence. After a brief exchange they were greeted as friends and offered an escort through the woods. As if this were not enough good for one day, they were also told the Delvish army was at the hidden city of Dol Lavaan, and were preparing to march to war with a host of elves.

“How far to the city?” one of the Corindor riders asked.

“Many days, and out of the way if your aim is to cross this forest as quickly as you might. We would lead you on a more direct path to the other side, and send word to the others so the armies can link there.”

“I will ride back and tell our generals so,” the rider said.

“Do so,” said the elf. “And welcome them most graciously to our wood, as friends.”

Joss and Destan led the army of Corindor, generals who had earned the respect of their fighting men and women. Both were strong-willed and set on their decisions once made, but neither had any issues sharing information or fairly weighing the opinions of others. As the rider recounted his brief encounter with the elves, Gellan was there for the dwarves, and Demetrius and Corson as well due to their past experiences with the Delvish, the elves, and Solek’s minions. All agreed that the direct path the elves recommended was the wisest, and plans were made accordingly.

When they were finished, the rider was dispatched to thank the elves for their welcome and their promise of guidance through the forest. As he departed, Joss clapped Corson on the shoulder. “As good
as your word, not that I’m surprised. I would give you a field
promotion if it had any meaning. Demetrius as well.”

“I’d take a nice steak dinner and a bed instead,” Corson said with a wistful smile.

“When this is over,” Joss said, his mind quickly returning to the task of preparing his army for war.

Corson could read the general’s face, and quietly excused himself. The words repeated in his head, “When this is over,” a siren call of hope for better days ahead or of permanent rest. He thought of all whom had already fallen, the ruined cities, the bleak land that may or may not yield a crop again. "Even if we win,” he whispered solemnly, “what will be left?”

He shook his head to chase the thought and the gloom away. Some questions that can’t be answered are better left unasked.

*          *          *

Rowan wasn’t sure what the news was, but he could tell from the bounce in Tala’s step and the twinkle in her eye that it was good. He greeted her with a broad smile. “Has Solek asked for terms for his surrender?”

“Not quite yet,” she replied. “Demetrius and Corson. They entered the forest to the west nearly a week ago. They march with about five thousand from Corindor, plus nearly a thousand dwarves.”

“Dwarves, too!” Rowan exclaimed. Now he understood Tala’s excitement. “Prayers answered beyond expectation.”

Tala agreed, though she had never uttered a prayer. Perhaps, she thought, she should give it a try some time. “We should be able to link up with them on the other side of the wood.”

“Aren’t we nearly out of the forest? Any sense of how long it will
take them to get through?”
“They can move swiftly—elves guide them. But they may be a day or two behind us.”

Rowan pondered this a moment. “Still nothing on Alexis or Lucien?”

“No. But that is no surprise. They will likely pass north of the Demon Hills.”

“We should send some riders ahead once we reach the edge of the forest, to see if they are coming, and when. But I think the remainder of our group should stay under the canopy of the trees until our friends from Corindor are closer. I’d prefer not to wait out in the open, now that we are nearing Veldoon.”

“I am sure my father would agree. We can send messengers back to be sure they reach our flank.”

Rowan smiled at that. “Maybe we can give one of Solek’s spies and eyeful when we step out of these woods together.”

They finished their passage through the elven wood two days later, veering west to shorten the journey for the Corindors. At dinner that evening, a more leisurely affair since they received word that they had another day or so to wait, Deron and some of the other leading elves held council with Rowan and Tala.

“You realize,” said Deron bluntly, “that we may be attacked as soon as we leave these trees.”

“Of course,” Rowan replied. "All we could do was gather our strength and try to take the fight to Solek. It is his to choose if and when he wants to meet us.”

“There is little doubt about the ‘if,’ ” Deron said. “I am sure the ‘when’ will be a time and place most appealing to Solek.”

“The Saber Pass would be the obvious place,” said Tala.

Roldon, one of the elven elders, agreed. “We will be forced into a moving column, and can be attacked from the cliffs. Any bottleneck is dangerous.”

“Is there no other way into Veldoon?” asked Rowan.

“Not for an army,” said Deron. “There are paths known to elves from the days of old through the mountains, but they may have been closed by time or Solek. And the cliffs along the sea cannot be readily scaled, even if we had the ships to reach them. Veldoon has always been blessed with powerful natural defenses against an invading army. It is no surprise that the Dark One would choose it as the place to set up his kingdom in Arkania.”

“Is it possible he means to draw us in?” said Adiel, another elder.

“What do you mean?” Rowan asked.

“Your plan to defeat him is desperate, but wise as well. If he can be forced to expend power, continually, he might be weak enough
that there is hope for us. But he knows you have the nearly complete
Sphere, and that to get the last piece you need to come to him. If he stays his hand…it may be so that we draw near enough that we can be finished in one swift stroke.”

Everyone contemplated that in silence for a time. Rowan then said, “We cannot know his mind. We must continue on as we have planned. I’ve no doubt that cloud was his doing, as were the blurs within. Word is the dwarves and the Corindors both faced the Dead Legion and the same cloud. He may not have unleashed his full fury on us, but he has certainly tried to slow us, wound us, and I believe keep us apart from one another. For the most part he has failed, and that will not sit well in his mind.”

“You have the truth of that,” said Deron. “He is a proud one. Your success with the Sphere, and the passing of armies to this point will stir his anger. If we are fortunate, he will act on that anger, and he may do so rashly and fall into a mistake.”

“Let us hope so,” Rowan heard himself saying. Strange, he thought, that he actually
hoped they would be the target of the Dark One’s fiery rage. Truly, these were desperate times.

*          *          *

It is never easy for a leader to oversee a burial, but Alexis forced it upon herself. The goblins burned their dead, and the troll dead as well, but separately and with no ceremony. Alexis felt pressed to do the same, but instead ordered her warriors to take the time to dig graves, and then she watched as the bodies of the slain were lifted and gently placed, one-by-one, in their final resting place. Some she knew by name and others not, but she grieved over each, as friend to some and queen to all. Then the gruesome task of denying these dead to Solek was carried out, the severing of heads that had to be done, painful as it was to mutilate their own dead. When the task was ended she went personally to the goblin chiefs, to thank them for their timely arrival and support, both on this field of battle and the battles to come.

“Honor to fight with Lorgras,” answered Xoshan, Lucien’s new chief. “You kill many trolls. We help. Next time, maybe we fight first.”

“Next time we fight together,” Alexis replied, to which the goblins answered with grunts of approval.

They camped where they were for another day, seeing to the wounded and allowing a brief period of rest before they pushed on to the final stretch to Veldoon. The following day dawned warm and fair, the sun rising in a cloudless sky. Alexis breathed deeply of the late spring air, ignoring the subtle smell of decay that was always there now—a symptom of the disease Solek had brought into the world—and ignoring the newer smells of burnt flesh and upturned earth. It was a new day, and their quest continued. She did what she had to do, shaking off the past to focus on the future. She could not lead the living while mourning the dead. So her mind filtered what her sense of smell could not, and drew the air in, letting it fill her lungs while the sun warmed her face. Prepared now, she turned east, and signaled that it was time to move. She would not look back.

They passed beyond the end of the Demon Hills later that day, and the armies now formed a line of battle, no longer needing to move in a column as was necessary in the narrow gap between the Demon Hills and the Great Northern Forest. The land was flat and covered with pale green grass and a few wild bushes and trees, all of which were covered with little or no foliage. In the hazy distance the tops of the Black and Gray Mountains loomed, dark sentinels.

“We are early,” Alexis told Lucien. “We can advance in battle formation since we need not move as swiftly now. I will send riders south, to see if we can contact the others.”

“I tell goblin chiefs,” Lucien said. “Think they will do this.”

“Let me know if there is a problem. I don’t expect your people to take orders from me, but we do need to coordinate our efforts for this to be effective.”

“Goblins understand. When time to fight comes, have talk. Must fight together, as you say.”

“Good. If the others have done as well as we have, we’ll have a chance to pay Solek back for all the pain he has inflicted on us.”

Lucien nodded, but his eyes drifted past Alexis to the south. “What if they no come?”

Alexis leaned on her spear and shook her head slowly. “I’ve tried not to think about that.”

“Tala had Sphere. Need that.”

“We do, and more. Your army is powerful, but even the combined strength of the goblins and Lorgras will not be enough to push Solek.” She forced a smile. “They will come. They have to.”

“You right,” said Lucien.

Alexis could not tell if he meant it.

*          *          *

There was a time, all too brief, when the troubles that plagued Arkania were nearly forgotten. Under the shelter of the elven wood, where the leaves were a deep, healthy green, near a gentle waterfall where the stream was clear, clean, and cool, Tala, Rowan, Demetrius, and Corson were reunited. There was joy at being able to see each other again, alive and well, and happiness at their success in gathering these armies to fight the Dark One’s evil. They recounted their tales since their last parting, and when Rowan tried to state in the most humble terms possible that Duchess Onsweys had asked him to lead the Delvish forces, Demetrius smiled and said, “A wise choice.”

Corson was no less complimentary, but he did things in his own peculiar way. Dropping to one knee and bending low over Rowan’s feet, he said, “My liege!”

Tala saw Rowan’s reddening face and let out a hearty laugh.

“That’s enough of that,” Rowan said. “Get up. If I need a court jester, I’ll let you know.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Corson said in grave tones, although he could not stop his own smile.

That night the leaders gathered: Rowan for the Delvish, Deron for the elves, Gellan for the dwarves, Joss and Destan for the Corindors,
Zald for the Westerlanders, and Chel for the Ridonians. Tala,
Demetrius, and Corson were present as well to give counsel, as were several elven elders and important captains among the human and dwarven forces. They had all gathered under the same premise, and knew their goal was to move on toward the Saber Pass, to engage Solek’s forces wherever he decided to give battle, and to move the fight into Veldoon itself if possible. Deron suggested they risk removing the Sphere from its cloaking bag and using a finding spell. “The final shard must be collected, so we can defeat Solek completely, and the defensive spells of this wood might allow us to remove it briefly from its concealment without it being detected.”