Wielder's Fate (35 page)

He glanced from the faces of the ambassadors to the faces of the elves in the crowd surrounding him.  The elves were skilled and capable warriors.  In the past, they had been called the children of the wielders and followed the great wielders into battle.  Darian and Giselle had already chosen to follow him.  He wondered if others would follow him if he asked them to.  With an army of elves joining him, the tide of battle could more easily be turned in favor of the humans.  Caught up in the moment and with the memory of the murals so fresh in his mind, Traven stretched out his arms and turned his attention to the on looking elves in the audience.

“Noble elves,” his voice rang out, piercing the silence.  “Today your gracious king has given a gift beyond compare to the cause of the humans.  In the past, the elves followed wielders into battle and fought alongside the humans.  There is again a need for your help.  Will you follow the example of your mighty king and pledge your help to my cause?  Will you fight at my side?”  He paused and then asked a final question that popped into his mind.  It came in a voice louder and firmer than the rest of his impassioned speech.  “Will you be my children?”

His last question rang impressively through the arena.  In the silence that followed, he turned a dark shade of red as he realized what he had just said.  He wasn’t sure where the phrase had come from or why he had spoken it.  Surely, it would offend the elves who had just been so gracious to him.  He turned towards Darian and was surprised to find a look of approval upon the elf’s strong and determined face.

An elf in the audience stood up and bowed his head towards Traven.  Almost immediately, several more did likewise.  Then, whole groups of elves began to rise.  The tens turned into hundreds and the hundreds into thousands.  Traven stared up at the crowd, humbled by the response.  As one, all of the elves standing raised their hands and touched their solid black honor tattoos.  Darian stepped up and put his hand on Traven’s shoulder.

“They are now yours,” the elf whispered.  “They will follow you.”

28

Kalista offered up a bittersweet smile at the sight.  From the slight rise her horse stood on, she could see the Kalian Army in the distance.  A part of her had hoped the army was still holding strong at Candus, but it was comforting to know the large group of refugees she was traveling with would soon have the protection of the entire army.

Dark clouds sat low on the distant horizon behind the army.  She hoped it did not mean there was a storm on the way.  Her suggestion that tents be supplied to all those who did not have one had been taken seriously and had been efficiently taken care of.  If it did end up raining, at least everyone would be sheltered while sleeping at night.

Kalista turned away from the menacing clouds and led her horse back down the small hill.  The last three days had been tiring, but it seemed as though the citizens of Candus were finally growing accustomed to the march.  They had been able to pack up fairly quickly that morning and leave earlier than the last two days.  There was also much less complaining and confusion.  It appeared that everyone had finally accepted the fate of their beautiful city and were ready to do what was necessary as they moved forward.

It would still be at least another ten days before they would reach Kavar, maybe longer.  Thankfully, their supplies were holding up well, and there would be no shortages of food on the trail.  Of more concern was what might happen in the days following their arrival.  Kavar was a large city but not quite as large as Candus.  She knew it had a large stockpile of food for emergencies, but she wondered how well it would do in supporting such a large influx of people.

She supposed that was a concern for after they arrived at their destination.  For now, it was important to keep moving forward at a steady pace and stay ahead of the galdak horde, which was almost certainly now pursuing them.  She looked up at the sun and sighed.  It was only midafternoon, but the Kalian Army was still far enough behind that they would not catch up until the following day.  She would have to wait until then for a full report on how the retreat had gone.

She would also have to wait until tomorrow to find out how Gavin was doing.  She felt slightly unfaithful for not being more eager to see him.  Kalista hoped he was safe and knew if anything had happened to him she would be deeply saddened.  However, she no longer felt the same urgency to see him as she once had.  Before, she had lost sleep at night worrying for her fiancé’s safety.  Now, she lost sleep worrying about the citizens of Candus and whether or not Traven had been able to gain the object he had left seeking.

She supposed it was not bad for her to be so concerned for her people and the man who potentially had the key to ending the threat the galdak horde posed.  Yet, she felt as though her feelings for Gavin were growing weaker with each passing day.  Perhaps she would feel differently when she saw him the next day and her love for him would be strengthened once again.

Kalista reached down and fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger.  She could remember the excitement she had once felt for it.  Where had that excitement gone?  Was it normal for such feelings to fade so quickly?  She dropped her hand back to her side with a sigh.  Tomorrow she would see how her heart received Gavin’s return to her side.

* * * * *

Commander General Blaize looked southward at the dust rising in the air before turning and eyeing the dark clouds on the horizon to the north.  The army had been marching hard for Kavar ever since retreating from Candus.  If he wasn’t mistaken, they would overtake the citizens of the city sometime the following afternoon or evening.  The army would then be able to offer more immediate protection and support to the immense group traveling to Kavar.

He stared at the clouds behind the army and shook his head.  The unnatural gloom had remained over Candus after the army had retreated.  It had been refreshing to see the sun again for a few days, but it appeared the clouds were once again rolling in the army’s direction.  The galdaks were undoubtedly pursuing them.

The retreat had gone smoothly without any major problems.  The Kalian Army had dealt a harsh blow to the galdak horde before quickly slipping away.  That night they had only lost a few thousand soldiers while the galdak horde had been reduced by almost twenty thousand.  Blaize was pleased with how well everything had turned out.  His only regrets were abandoning the city to the destructive horde and the reality that the galdaks were at most only a day or two behind them.

He hoped the horde had stayed in Candus a day or two before pursuing them but had no way of knowing for sure.  He wished once again, as he often had over the last several days, that Traven was at his side.  A wielder’s abilities would be invaluable as far as scouting was concerned.  Blaize had left scouts behind to track the movements of the galdaks, but the army’s march had been rapid enough that no scouts had been able to catch up and report yet.

He hoped Traven had the magical object he had left in search of and was hastening to rejoin the army.  He also hoped Traven and his elven companion would be able to travel fast enough to reach them before they arrived at Kavar.  It would be much easier to plan the defense of the city with the young wielder’s help.

Blaize glanced at the position of the sun.  It wouldn’t be long before night fell.  They had been marching into the night for the last few days, but he decided that with the citizens of Candus finally in sight, it wasn’t necessary to push the troops so hard.  The Royal Army would overtake them the following day whether they set up camp now or marched until after dark.

He raised his hand and gave the signal to sound a halt.  It would be wiser to allow the soldiers a good night’s rest than to continue testing their endurance.  They had fought hard for several days and then marched hard for several more.  He wanted his troops rested when they met up with the citizens of the city they had abandoned.

The trumpet sounded and the large body of soldiers stopped as one.  Blaize could hear a collective sigh from those near him.  Several more bursts of the trumpet instructed the troops to set up camp.  He watched as the organized column began fanning out to prepare for the night.  It would be beneficial for everyone to have a long night’s rest.

Blaize made his way to the side of the road.  He swung down off his steed and patted the horse kindly.  By the time his tent was up and he had received all of the daily reports, the sun was just beginning to touch the horizon.  He was sitting and eating dinner with several of his generals when a trumpet sounded, announcing that a messenger had been spotted.  He finished up his meal and stood in order to see if the messenger was coming from the north or the south.

He quickly spotted the plume of dust at the northern edge of the camp.  It would be a scout with word of the galdak horde.  He waited anxiously for the messenger to arrive.  It would be nice to know how much of a lead they had on the galdak horde.  The scout soon made his way through the camp and to the command tent.  He located Blaize and saluted.  The messenger was covered in dust and looked exhausted.  It was apparent he had been riding hard for an extended amount of time.

“Proceed,” Blaize commanded.

“I come with a report of when the galdak horde left Candus.  They only remained in the city for one day following the retreat.  The next night they set fire to the city and began marching south.  The creatures did not appear to be marching particularly fast, but even so, are most likely only a day and a half behind us.”

“Did the entire horde march south, or did some stay behind?” he asked the messenger.

“It appeared that the entire galdak horde left Candus and began the march south in unison.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, sir,” the scout replied.  “Another messenger should arrive in the morning with an update and more particulars.”

“Thank you,” he said as he dismissed the scout.  “Go get dinner and rest.”

Blaize watched as the tired soldier departed.  It wasn’t the news he had been hoping for, but it also wasn’t unexpected.  He hoped some of Candus had been spared from the ravages of fire.  If the galdaks had left so soon to pursue the Royal Army, it was possible they hadn’t done a thorough job of razing the city.

The fact they were only a day and a half behind the army was more concerning.  The citizens of Candus would need to pick up their pace or march longer each day in order to stay out of reach of the galdaks.  The next ten days until they reached Kavar would be grueling, but it should be possible to get them all safely behind the walls of Kavar before the galdak horde overtook them.  He knew he should be thankful for that.

It wasn’t yet dark, but after a few words with his generals, he excused himself and retired to his tent.  He had stopped early for the night as much for himself as he had for the rest of the soldiers.  He hadn’t gotten enough sleep since the first attack on Candus and was exhausted.  A good night’s rest would benefit him as much as it would benefit everyone else.  When he had the opportunity to get a full night’s sleep, Blaize did not want to waste it.  He had a feeling it would be a rare event until the war was over.

* * * * *

Shaman Azulk stepped back from the screeing dish.  He shuffled out of his tent and motioned for his servants to pack up.  The sun had just set, and it was time to resume the march.  He shuffled over to his cart and carefully climbed aboard.  As soon as he was seated comfortably on his furs, he gave the signal.  Those privileged enough to bear his cart for the first part of the night began their steady walk forward.

The ride wasn’t particularly smooth, but the piles of fur lessened the shock of the bumps.  Riding allowed the army to move much faster than if the old shaman was walking.  His power in the ambience hadn’t decreased with age, but his physical body continued to deteriorate.  However, he supposed having a body in prime condition when he was nearly two centuries old was too much to ask for.  Azulk didn’t expect that he had many seasons left to live, but he would live long enough to direct and witness the destruction of the humans.

His cart reached the front of his horde, and he raised his hand into the air.  A flame instantly jetted up into the darkening sky, and the horde surged forward.  It would be another long night of marching, but come morning, they would be that much closer to continue enacting their revenge on the humans.

The human army was merely a day and a half ahead of them.  The weaklings had been marching at a faster pace than he had thought possible.  After quickly reducing the human city to ashes, Azulk had hoped to be able to catch up to his enemies within a few days.  Surprisingly, the human army had maintained enough speed to stay safely out of reach.

The Shaman wasn’t happy about having to wait longer, but he knew his horde would eventually catch the fleeing humans.  Once the human army met up with the people who had fled their homes, their pace would slow.  It was possible that the galdaks would be able to overtake them before they reached the large human city to the south.

It didn’t really matter when they caught up to the humans.  Whenever it happened, the galdaks would destroy their enemies.  Azulk was more impatient now than ever to visit destruction on them.  He supposed the war had always been personal to his people as a whole, but now it was personal to him.  The humans had slaughtered almost twenty thousand of his warriors the night they had sneaked out of the large city.

He had become complacent once the human wielder abandoned the city and had contented himself with maintaining the cloud cover and healing his warriors after the battles.  He would not make the same mistake again.  When his warriors caught up to their enemies, he would actively participate both in the attack on the humans and in the defense of his own warriors.  There would be no more surprises like there had been the night the first great human city had fallen.

Azulk’s warriors numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and the loss of twenty thousand did nothing to thwart his plans.  However, twenty thousand more galdak souls now screamed from the ground for vengeance.  When he closed his eyes, he sometimes fancied he could hear their cries.  He couldn’t ignore the wrongs that had occurred in the past and were occurring once again.  The humans must be destroyed so as to never be able to injure his people again.