Deliverance (14 page)

“I never knew that about you.” replied
Gavril, “That must have been terrible!”

“Indeed, it was.” Thaddeus responded, “There
weren’t even any beds to sleep on, so we had to sleep on the cold,
hard ground that was covered in urine and feces for ten days
straight! Thankfully, the High Elder discovered we had been
captured and, considering many dark elves were students in the
city, the king was forced to release us to avoid conflict within
the kingdom.”

Blaze thought about the dungeon Thaddeus
spoke of. It sounded almost like the dungeons back home in
Daldussa, only at least the cells had beds. While his father stayed
in Cartigo, Blaze would sometimes travel to the castle in Daldussa
to oversee the military and other matters there. His father said
that it was part of his training to take his place on the throne,
but thinking that now it was all for nothing only angered
Blaze.

Suddenly, Blaze’s thoughts were interrupted
when he suddenly heard Gavril say, “Try lying in agony on a raft
floating down a river in the dead of winter.”

“That’s right, I remember that!” Thaddeus
exclaimed.

“Remember what?” interrupted Blaze.

Gavril paused and then said, “I was . . .
very seriously injured many years ago and was left to die on a raft
in Daldussa—”

“You were from Daldussa?” interrupted
Blaze.

“Yes, I was. I floated down the river from
Daldussa into Cierith for many days. King August, Crystal’s father,
finally found me and Elaine, Crystal’s mother healed me. After
that, I stayed in Cierith and served the royal family for
years.”

“I do not ever recall you ever telling
anyone who gave you that injury, either.” Thaddeus pointed out, “I
don’t even think August ever knew. It would have taken someone
horrible to do that to another human being!”

Gavril’s head snapped up, he looked at
everyone nervously, and said, “I do not care to discuss it.”

“I apologize, Gavril. I did not mean to
upset you,” replied Thaddeus ruefully.

“No, don’t be sorry. I just . . . it’s too
painful to talk about. I have my demons from the past and do not
wish for them to surface,” Gavril responded.

“Well then, I will not press the matter.”
replied the old mage, “Now then, I believe we should all get some
sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Yes, you are right,” replied Gavril.

Within the next few minutes, Blaze’s three
roommates were fast asleep, but he was wide awake. He never knew
the old general was originally from Daldussa and yet he hated them
so much. What could have happened to him in his homeland that made
him serve another kingdom? Not that Blaze cared, of course;
curiosity was getting the best of him. However, something else
nagged at his mind. It could be that he was just tired, but when
Gavril spoke of the demons from his past, Blaze could have sworn
that Gavril looked straight at him.

****

The following morning, Blaze woke to see his
roommates were gone. Figuring they were in town somewhere, he
decided to head to the tavern for a drink before he had to leave.
He got up, put his jacket and gloves on, and walked downstairs.
Before Blaze even asked him, the innkeeper told him that his
friends were all in the village. Even though he hardly considered
any of the rebels his “friends,” Blaze didn’t tell the innkeeper
anything and just nodded.

Outside, the villagers were conducting their
everyday business. The quiet little village was filled with
light-hearted citizens who lived modest lives. Blaze didn’t really
care much for the town, so he began walking and scanned each
building. He could see a bakery with dozens of rolls and cakes in
the window, a few houses, and eventually caught sight of the
tavern.

Upon entering the tavern, Blaze caught smell
of strong ale and was immediately drawn inside. Before he sat at
the bar, he froze when he saw that Crystal was already sitting
there.

Blaze frowned and said, “You are the last
person I would expect to see in a tavern.”

Crystal turned around. “Oh, you’re finally
up. Good, now we can get the team together and get going.”

Blaze eyed the cup in front of her
curiously. He gestured to it and said, “Little early, don’t you
think?”

She looked at her cup and then looked back
at him annoyed. “It’s water, thank you very much. I’ve never had a
taste for alcohol. And what about you? I doubt you came here for a
little cup of water,” she retorted.

“I meant that it was early for you, Miss
Madame.” he responded, “I, on the other hand, have a high tolerance
for alcohol, and therefore can drink whenever the hell I like.
Besides, I haven’t had any booze in a while because I have been
cooped up in your hideout.”

Crystal glared at him and turned back to her
drink. Blaze grabbed the empty seat right next to her and ordered a
cup of ale from the bartender. For the longest time, they sat in
silence. It wasn’t until Blaze received his drink that Crystal
broke the silence.

“You didn’t by any chance ask around for
more rumors?” she asked him.

“No,” Blaze responded quickly. More
uncomfortable silence ensued. Neither Blaze nor Crystal looked at
each other. It seemed that the two of the really had nothing in
common enough to even make conversation.

Crystal glanced at Blaze from the corner of
her eye every now and then, but all she could see was how quick he
drank his ale. She then decided to improvise.

“So . . . you drink often?” she asked.

Blaze plopped his drink down on the counter
and gave her a look that made her feel two-inches tall. “What the
hell kind of question is that?” he asked rudely.

Crystal’s face turned red with
embarrassment. “I was just trying to make conversation,” she
responded.

“Don’t be stupid,” he muttered and continued
to drink.

“I was only being polite and trying to ease
the tension. Not to mention, if you are going to be working with
us, I thought I would try to get to know you more,” she
replied.

“I don’t need you to buddy up to me.” he
said, “As soon as this is all over, I don’t want to hear from or
see you or any of your other buddies again.”

Crystal sighed and said sharply, “Fine.”

She then finished her water, paid the
bartender, and walked away. Just as she was about to reach the
door, everyone heard shouting outside. Suddenly, Gavril, almost out
of breath, burst into the tavern.

“Crystal! Come outside, quick!” he shouted.
Crystal bolted out of the room, and Blaze soon followed.

Outside, Blaze’s stomach sunk when he saw
Daldussan soldiers marching into the village. The others had
already drawn their weapons and were blocking the path out of the
village. A lieutenant dressed in heavier armor and a long, red cape
stepped forward.

“I am here on official business for the
king. This village is to be placed on lockdown and all of the
citizens arrested! You rebels will be placed in special custody!”
said the lieutenant. Several villagers cried out in protest, but
the lower-ranking soldiers simply held out their swords to silence
the crowd.

“What is the king’s reason for doing this?”
asked Crystal.

“I am not authorized to reveal that
information,” replied the lieutenant. He then saw Blaze and added,
“The king has also placed a bounty on the head of Prince
Blaze.”

Figures, Blaze thought.

“First he abandons him, then he wants him
dead?! And you still serve that pig?” shouted Crystal.

“Insulting the king is a crime that is
punishable by death! I will NOT hear you speak a moment longer!”
yelled the lieutenant, drawing his sword.

Crystal responded by lifting her hands and
emitting an electric aura between them. The lieutenant seemed taken
aback, but he obviously expected her power and charged forward
anyway. He underestimated the strength of her spell and was knocked
off his feet by the blast she sent in his direction. Before she
could attack again, however, the other soldiers began to charge
forward.

Gavril and Blaze fought off several soldiers
that tried to attack Crystal and incapacitated them one at a time.
Each swordsman fought well and didn’t give their enemies much time
to attack. Thaddeus froze several soldiers in blocks of ice and
electrocuted others while Kerali jumped onto the rooftops and shot
arrow after arrow into the necks of his enemies. The elf ran along
the top of the buildings as he continued to shoot, and he jumped
from building to building with the reflexes of a wild cat.

The rebels fought well, but it was quickly
becoming apparent that they were greatly outnumbered by the
soldiers and it even with all of their efforts to fight the troop,
the scene was becoming dangerous for the innocent villagers. Even
Blaze and Gavril were becoming surrounded by enemies on either side
and they stood back to back to avoid being flanked, and Crystal was
quick, but with all the enemies she tried to fight off, she was
losing energy fast.

“Surrender, now!” the lieutenant
ordered.

“You will have to kill us!” Crystal yelled
back.

“Believe me, I can do that—” the lieutenant
was interrupted by a rock hitting the back of his helmet. After
being disoriented and knocked off his feet, the lieutenant looked
in the direction the rock was hurled from and saw a little boy
glaring at him.

The entire battle halted as the lieutenant
yelled, “Arrest that boy!”

However, before soldier made a move, dozens
of villagers stepped in front of the boy wielding shovels,
pitchforks, and any other weapons they could find. The lieutenant
suddenly took several steps back, and as the fed-up villagers
continued to stare him down, they inched closer.

Crystal grinned when the villagers then
yelled and charged into the crowd of soldiers. The battle resumed,
only this time, the Daldussan soldiers were slowly becoming
outnumbered. One by one, the soldiers fell to the crowd of
villagers until the tides of fate began to turn.

“All of you will be put to death for
disobeying the king!” yelled the lieutenant, but these were the
last words he would ever speak. Blaze appeared out of nowhere and
ran his sword straight through the gap in the side of the
lieutenant’s armor. He bled out so quickly that he was dead before
he hit the ground.

Once the surviving soldiers saw that their
commander and over half of their comrades had fallen, they hastily
retreated. Kerali quickly began shooting more arrows into the backs
of several escaping soldiers, but even with his quick hands, there
were roughly half a dozen men that escaped alive. The elf ruefully
jumped to the ground after losing sight of them, and even when
Crystal assured him that he did a great job, Kerali still felt like
he could have stopped them.

Once the chaos and confusion, not to mention
the loud cheers of the villagers, had settled, the old mayor of the
village then timidly stepped forward from the crowd. “How can we
ever repay you all for what you have done for our village?” he
asked Crystal.

“We are not worried about being repaid; it
is our sworn duty to protect the people of Cierith. However, I
strongly advise that all of you leave this village at once,”
Crystal responded.

“Why on earth do we have to leave?” the
mayor asked, puzzled.

“Those soldiers that got away will report
what happened here to Bogdan, and I am positive that after he finds
out that we were here, he will send even more troops to this
location to find us. Considering the fact that several of the
villagers helped us, he would no doubt have everyone here killed on
the spot, maybe even worse. Therefore, the wisest thing you can do
is leave right away. You are all more than welcome to take shelter
in our hideout, and those of you who know how to fight can join the
rebels. You can find our hideout in the Dwarven Mountains southwest
of here. We will have rebels waiting for your arrival and guide you
to the secret entrance,” Crystal explained.

“Very well.” the mayor responded, “I do not
want those soldiers coming back and hurting any more innocent
people. What is your name, Miss?”

“I am Crystal.” she responded with a smile,
“I am the leader of Deliverance.”

“Thank you, Crystal. I will have the
villagers prepare for the journey,” replied the village leader.

“Very good,” Crystal responded. She then
added before walking away, “And don’t bother to pack your material
possessions, only what you absolutely need.”

The villagers showed their gratitude by
giving the rebels supplies they needed for their journey. Neither
of them had eaten breakfast, so the baker gave them fresh bread,
which they gratefully and hungrily accepted. The farmer also gave
the rebels extra horses he bred and by noon that day, the rebels
set out for the hideout on horseback.

CHAPTER 9

It had only been a week since they returned
to the hideout that Crystal received news of yet another shard.
Crystal stood in the meeting room with Thaddeus, Gavril, and an
unenthusiastic Blaze standing beside her. A group of elves
approached her and explained to her that a shopkeeper had found a
shard outside of the city of Ordale and sold it to a nobleman for
enough money to set him for life.

“What is the nobleman’s name?” Crystal asked
the group leader, a female elf named Breuvial.

“I believe his name was Lord Victor
Valamar.” replied Breuvial, “He is originally from Daldussa and
purchased the land in Ordale after the invasion. His estate is the
biggest in town.”

“You saw where he lived?” Crystal asked.

“I didn’t have to look for it; his gaudy
mansion can easily be seen from the city gate, and not just because
we’re elves,” Breuvial responded.

“He must have quite a fortune to afford a
house of that size,” Gavril uttered, knowing well that the city of
Ordale rivaled in size to the City of Magi.