Bound to Survive (The Magic Within Book 1) (29 page)

As Elle entered the front door to the family’s home, she hung up her cloak. Light shone from under the kitchen door and she could hear her father’s voice. She wondered who’d be visiting this late at night and her father seemed cheerful, which puzzled her more. Of late his woes seemed to weigh him down and now Elle brought home the problem of Kovak Turr. As she entered the kitchen she noticed her father sat at the table with another man. The visitor’s back was towards her. His dark hair was dirty and his clothes were worn and in need of a good wash.

‘Hello, father. I didn’t know we had a guest,’ Elle said as she walked over to the hearth and swung the iron kettle to heat over the fire.

The man who sat at the table called her name, and as she turned he rose from his chair. He was a few years older than her, and although he’d grown a beard she recognised him instantly. ‘Jack!’ she said and ran to him. He caught her in his arms and held her tight as he swung her around. Her beloved brother Jack had come home.

The three members of the family remained in the kitchen that night. Jack thrilled Elle and his father with stories of his life in the army and how he’d travelled and helped the King of Alberdez reclaim his lands. Each town that was reclaimed by the army had left men behind to help the town rebuild, after many years of neglect. Jack was proud that a town he’d returned to several years later, now thrived under the King’s reign and this made Jack glad he’d been able to do some good.

Jack had worked his way up in the ranks of army and had been one of their prized soldiers. He led his own attacks and helped the King reclaim his lands but in the end, he came to realise it did nothing to help his own family. He could no longer live in freedom while they were enslaved to another’s will. He met with the King and asked him to turn his army south to help those enslaved by Arnak and his Sorceress. The King had refused, and even when Jack had told him that he planned to leave and return home, he wouldn’t reconsider. The King wanted Jack to stay but he wouldn’t turn his army around and head south as he had no magic and wouldn’t risk his men.

Elle and her father were overjoyed that Jack had returned to them, but Elle still had news to depart to them both. With much regret, she turned the conversation to the events that were now foremost in their lives.

‘Father, Jack, I’ve some good news and some bad,’ she said. ‘The good news is that some men have come to help free Clarence.’ Elle’s heart pinched as she watched her father’s expression change. Gone was the smile and the joy she’d seen in his eyes while they’d chatted about things long gone. Now reality had come back to the forefront of things and his worry returned.

‘You say this is good news, Elle. I say it’ll be trouble, trouble you’ll no doubt get yourself involved with. Why can’t you just let others deal with these things?’

He wished as soon as he’d said the words that he could call them back. Atlas knew his daughter had a heart as big as the world she lived in and to expect her not to be involved with life was like asking a fish not to swim. He’d witnessed the injustice of the parade and how this once prominent man was now belittled and treated worse than any human being he’d ever known. It pleased Atlas to know his daughter looked out for him, but it also did nothing to ease his worry for her.

‘Father,’ Elle said.

‘Elle, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just…just worry for you, that’s all.’

‘I know, father, but we must sacrifice what we have for those who are unjustly treated and I’m sure you would agree, none has it worse than Clarence. If we allow ourselves to be bullied or intimidated, if we look the other way because the way ahead is too hard, then we’re just as guilty of that injustice as the ones who inflict it. Now is the chance to take a stand and help, however small that part may be.’

Jack was intrigued. Here was something that he could sink his teeth into. ‘I’ll gladly help, Elle,’ he said, but she cut him off.

‘I don’t think we’ll be around to help.’

‘What do you mean? What else is going on?’ Atlas sighed.

‘On Sunday after the parade, I’m to leave with Kovak and travel to The Dale with him. When the Lord next visits there, we’re to be married.’

‘Married?’ Atlas blurted out. ‘When did he ask you to marry him?’

‘That’s the whole point father, he hasn’t. He told me that when he leaves I’d be going with him and to be ready to travel.’

Her father wasn’t happy with this news. ‘So what did you say to him?’

‘What could I say? I told him that it was quite sudden and that I couldn’t leave here without you, father. But he said he’d find you work in the barracks and that he’d speak with Silas about a replacement for me.’

‘Work in the barracks, that’ll be the day. He’s a fool if he thinks he can take you away with him. Unless it’s what you want, Elle?’

‘Father!’ Elle said in astonishment.

‘I was just making sure, dear.’

‘What would happen if you just said no?’ Jack was used to freedom and the ability to choose his path.

‘He’d make our lives a misery, Jack, you could count on that,’ Atlas said before Elle even had the chance to reply.

‘So what will it be then? Do we flee or do we fight?’ Jack was ready. They just had to decide.

‘To leave will be safer for all of us,’ Atlas said. ‘We’ll leave the night before the parade. The soldiers will be too busy with their preparations to notice we’ve left the town. We should be able to get away with no problems.’

‘Do you concur, sister?’

She looked from her father to her brother before she spoke. ‘I’m sorry to bring this upon you both.’

‘Nonsense, girl. We’re family!’ Atlas said as he slapped the table in front of him. ‘We leave in two nights.’

Clarence sat in his cell that night and thought of Christopher. He was comforted by the fact that Henry was still alive and he’d seen in Christopher a light he’d never before seen in another and a spark of hope came to life inside him. He had to get out of the vault and escape, not for himself but for the realm.

Christopher was the One. He could see it in every part of him. From the way he held himself to the way he’d looked at Clarence, not with pity or with sadness but with the injustice of his enslavement. Clarence saw the conviction inside of him even if the lad didn’t yet know it himself. Christopher was born to unite and lead the people. Freedom was what this One offered Solencia and Clarence would do everything in his power to help him. As he sat there his hopes rose. He didn’t know how he’d get out, but he knew there had to be a way and he was sure Henry and Christopher would find it.

The morning sun warmed Arnak and Athena as they stood on the docks and watched the soldiers load the ships. Tomorrow they’d sail with the morning tide and their journey to Solencia would begin.

Horses, wagons and soldiers waited to take their place in the ship’s hold. The last of the armour had been loaded and soon all who were to travel across the ocean to Solencia would be required to board the tall ships. The vessels had been finished well before the sun had returned to warm the land and day-by-day, the ships had been stocked with the supplies that the army needed.

As Athena stood with her brother on the docks she thought how their plans had so far come to fruition. Their army had expanded over the last two winters and the soldiers were trained and battle ready. Only a few of the younger boys were untrained but that would happen when the army settled.

In two days’ time they’d be near the lands of Solencia where they’d travel north and sail parallel to the coast until they were adjacent to the cove. Arnak and Athena had decided the army should go ashore under the cover of darkness. This would give the men and the horses time to rest after the journey over the sea and allow the smiths and carpenters to ready the wagons for travel. Their plans were set and Arnak watched as his and Athena’s trunks were loaded aboard one of the ships. There were only a few cabins on each ship and the officers would have to share them between themselves, while the rest of the soldiers and workers found rest upon the decks or down in the holds amongst the stores they travelled with.

The tall ships were roped to the dock and they swayed as the waves gently lapped at their sides. Out of the bowels of the ships the masts soared, standing strong and tall against the blue of the morning sky as they stretched upwards towards the heavens. The sails were wrapped around the cross beams and wouldn’t be opened until it was time to leave. The canvas would catch the morning breeze and pull them out of the docks and into the open seas.

Arnak and Athena watched until the last items were aboard the ships. Then they returned home one last time before they, too, would board to wait for the morning tide.

As Athena stood at the bottom of the steps and looked at the house, she remembered the times she’d spent there with her beloved mother and brother and when she was ready, she took her seat in the carriage. Arnak took a last look. He didn’t know when they would return home again and his memories were different than Athena’s. He was much younger than she’d been when their mother had died and could only remember Athena’s love for him within those walls. Although he’d loved his father, theirs had been a strange relationship that he still couldn’t understand. Arnak remembered his pain and how he’d suffered those last few years, and now the time had come to take back that which should’ve been his. But the first thing they’d need to do was to find the boy and eliminate him, then they’d be assured of success in their quest for revenge and power.

The fleet set sail and within two days had turned to head north. They stayed out of sight of the coast, as they sailed for the cove. That night the ships dropped anchor, and under cover of darkness, Lord Arnak ordered his people to disembark. The horses would have to swim ashore as the army unloaded the ship’s bounty into longboats. The boats sat low in the water and waves lapped at their sides as the men rowed ashore. Many trips were required from ship to shore to unload the precious cargo and then transfer it out of sight.

The army slowly built its camp. Small fires were lit and food was prepared. Carpenters and smiths assembled the wagons, while a group of soldiers sorted the armoury. Horses were dried, fed and tethered to long lengths of rope that stretched between trees on the outskirts of the camp. The young lads tended the animals and ran errands for the soldiers. Tents were erected for the Lord and the Sorceress and around them a ring of soldiers would stand guard. Beyond that a small clusters of tents could be seen as the army settled into the landscape. Scouts were sent off to survey the countryside and report back any activity within the area.

Once the ships were emptied they sailed out to wait beyond the horizon until the army had secured a stronghold within the Keep.

It was early morning when Arnak and Athena retired to their tent. Athena sat in a high backed chair that was draped with furs, as she talked with Arnak. Gerard’s map of Solencia was spread out upon the table in front of them and Arnak retraced the hidden route towards the Keep.

‘We need to travel inland and come from behind these mountains,’ he said as he pointed to the map. ‘From here we travel southwest to the hidden pass that leads around Mount Burlog and up to the Keep. So, Athena, after we take the Keep how will we find this boy?’

‘If the child born is indeed the One to rise up against us, he’ll need great powers to defeat my magic. I can only see his as an inherited power, and for him to be able to master such magic he’ll have to learn how to use it. The only place in Solencia where the boy can train and learn to use his magic is at the Keep. So when we’ve control of the Keep, we’re sure to find the boy. This is why we need surprise on our side. They won’t be able to defend themselves and we’ll be able to overpower them. I see no need to look elsewhere for the boy,’ she said.

‘I want to be sure. If we take the Keep and the boy isn’t there, how will we find him?’

‘Watch and you will see,’ Athena said. She rose from her chair and walked over to a chest near the bed. From within the chest she withdrew a silver bowl which she placed on the table. Next Athena removed a red bottle from the chest. The bottle had ornate swirls and emblems etched on the glass and from this bottle she poured a thin white liquid into the bowl and it glistened as it pooled in the bottom. Athena lit a candle and dripped its wax into the white liquid. Then from around her neck she took her crystal pendant and used it to swirl the wax within the bowl. As Athena stirred she chanted a spell.

‘From this realm I call to you, bring forth the path which does lays true.

The boy who is born I seek to find, there is no other in my mind.

This one who here is meant to grow and rise up now against his foe.

I call forth to you this day, show me so I can find the way.’

Athena chanted the words over and over again while she stirred the liquid in the bowl. She removed her pendant and the liquid swirled faster of its own accord. It shimmered as it moved and within the bowl a vision appeared. Arnak could see a woman as she gave birth. The next minute the vision appeared as a small child and although Athena couldn’t see the child’s face, the image showed him to be at the Keep and she thanked the Lord of the Underlands.

‘Brother, as we stand here, the child is at the Keep.’ Through her vision Athena had linked herself to the child. She could sense his magic, raw and untrained though it maybe. There was no other who held the same magic as him. ‘I want to leave at first light. We still have to travel many miles to reach the mountains and travel the hidden passage. The boy is at the Keep now, but who knows how long for,’ she said.

Arnak strode from the tent. Outside a guard stood on each side of the entrance. Both were dressed in their full battle armour, in case the need to protect the Lord arose. Arnak went over to his Captain in charge.

‘Captain Hark, gather your men. Bring enough to overrun the Keep and the village nearby. Secure the Keep for me and you’ll be rewarded.’

‘Consider it done, my Lord,’ Captain Hark said and then he left to organise a party of soldiers to accompany their leader to attack the Keep.

Royston Hark had joined Arnak’s army that first cold winter in Reist. He’d been bored with his life as husband and father. He’d had to make sacrifices for his wife as he endlessly tried to eke out an existence on their farm. But with a wife who complained constantly and several children to feed, life was hard and so when the offer for gold had come from the Lord of Reist in return for service in his army, Royston had jumped at the idea. His wife was happy as she held the purse of gold in her hands and hadn’t thought ahead to what she’d do when the money ran out. She assumed her husband would send more money home, and she’d been happy with the idea of Royston away with the army.

Royston Hark was now free and he thrived on life under Arnak’s rule. He worked and trained hard and he rose within the army’s ranks. As his strength and knowledge grew so did his wicked ways, and before the ships set sail for the lands of Solencia, he’d made Captain and found himself in charge of a large regiment of men.

Captain Hark would take his best team of men to lead the attack on the Keep. He could see the reward that Arnak promised him and even if there were no reward, he still would’ve done everything he could to please the Lord. Royston loved his new life and now that he’d left his family back home, he wanted never to return to them. He had already closed them out of his mind and now focused on the task before him.

That afternoon the camp prepared for war. They’d travel light. Arnak and Athena would lead the soldiers who would carry their weapons upon their steeds and their sustenance would be stored within their saddlebags. The rest of the camp would stay behind and prepare to follow once the Keep had been taken.

That night Arnak and Athena finalized their plans. Their journey would take them inland across the plains and through the woodlands towards the mountains. From there they’d travel along the hidden passage that led to the plateau.

Before they retired for the night, Athena knelt on the floor beside her bed and prayed for guidance and support. They needed to find the boy and if luck were on their side, all would fall into place when they arrived at the Keep. Her thoughts delved towards Zute. Not only were they to look for the boy but also she had to find
The Book of Alden
. Athena needed the book if she wanted to bring Zute back to this realm. She rose from the floor and crawled under the warmth of her covers; sleep was what she needed now as they’d a long ride ahead of them.

That morning the camp rose early and set out upon the journey to the Keep. All in the battalion were dressed in their armour and the banner men rode to the front as the armed soldiers followed in formation and they made their way across the land. Arnak and Athena travelled side by side upon their great stallions and led the battalion on its course to the mountains.

That morning as the suns ray’s bathed Mount Bulog, Hierarch Astern sat by his window and soaked in the freshness of the cool spring air. The day ahead promised fine weather and the land had begun to warm. The Hierarch enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the morning and he watched Henry and Christopher as they left the Keep’s grounds. Christopher was still rugged up to ward off any morning chill and sat nestled behind Henry as their small wagon made its way out of the common.