Dragons' Onyx (3 page)

“Would Master Khatama really destroy Arik?” asked Fredrik. “I cannot fathom that he could ever do that.”

“Truthfully,” Mustar sighed, “I do not know.  He might be able to thwart Arik’s plans without harming the lad. Perhaps he could protect the seventh stone in a way that makes it impossible for Arik to obtain it. It is not something that we have discussed. Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if Arik knew what was going on and agreed to the limitations? The Mage is not known for taking life casually, but there have been times when lives were taken for the good of all. When the Mage battled Alutar in Sagina, hundreds of elves were called upon to spend their lives in Egam’s defense. It did not bring joy to his heart to ask that of the elves, but it was necessary. It will be no different this time.”

“You should wait for Boris to get up in the morning,” pressured Niki.

Fredrik stared at Niki and then at Mustar. “No,” he finally said. “Mustar is correct that Master Khatama may not let me go. I am sure that he does not wish to contemplate Arik’s downfall until there is no other choice. Perhaps he feels that he can achieve his goal another way, but maybe that other way will fail. Arik needs to be informed. The chance of Alutar returning is too dangerous for us to worry about offending people. Teach me the transportation spell, Master Mustar.”

The soldier halted and dismounted just shy of the summit of the hill. He tied his horse to a withering old tree and looked back down the trail at the mercenary captain following him. The soldier signaled with his hands for the mercenary to dismount. Captain Orteka of the Kadin Claws Mercenary Company nodded and silently dismounted. He tied his horse securely and walked up the steep trail to stand before General Mobami’s soldier.

“Is this the hill you talked about?” asked Captain Orteka.

“It is,” nodded Fardez. “I grew up in the valley below. We will be able to see for leagues in all directions from here. We will also stand out if anyone is looking for observers. It is best if we crawl the rest of the way up.”

“Lead the way,” nodded Orteka as he dropped to his hands and knees.

Fardez crawled up the steep slope until he reached the summit. He scooted over to make room for the mercenary captain that General Mobami had asked to scout out the approaching Lanoirian army. Captain Orteka moved next to Fardez and stared into the valley below. His eyes grew large as he gazed down upon thousands of horsemen. He held his breath as he watched the army ride slowly into the valley like a flooding river.

“General Mobami was expecting foot soldiers,” Captain Orteka said softly. “Lanoirian cavalry will spoil the reception we had planned for Emperor Hanchi.”

“What reception?” asked the local soldier.

“We had planned to harass the Lanoirians with our own cavalry as they approached Trekum,” explained the mercenary captain. “Foot soldiers would not be able to respond swiftly enough. We could have inflicted some serious damage before the Lanoirians ever got to the walls of the city.”

“But they are all mounted,” frowned Fardez. “Won’t they chase your riders?”

“They certainly would,” nodded Captain Orteka. “General Mobami was wise to ask me to observe the Lanoirians before we sprung our trap. Look at that army below. They have more riders than we have soldiers. Our trap would have been suicide.”

“Why are they riding so slow?” asked Fardez as the thick black river of riders spread out into the valley below. “They do not appear to be in any hurry to get to Trekum.”

“A very good question,” frowned the Kadin Claw. “They must be pacing something that travels much slower. Perhaps the Emperor does not like being left behind. We must wait to find out. Whatever they wait for, their horses will not be beneficial in attacking the walls of Trekum.”

“What if we could kill the emperor?” asked Fardez. “Wouldn’t that stop the Lanoirian army?”

“It might,” shrugged Captain Orteka, “or it might not. It would depend upon who is second in command and whether or not the men would follow him. I would love to see the emperor unguarded at the rear of this column. That would make it an easy decision to try it.”

The two Sordoans watched for over an hour as the Lanoirian cavalry rode slowly into the valley below. Suddenly Fardez tapped urgently on Captain Orteka’s arm and pointed towards the mouth of the valley.

“Foot soldiers,” Fardez sighed. “They must have not had enough horses for all the men.”

“Perhaps,” frowned Captain Orteka. “Or it could be worse than that. No military leader would slow his army down for the lack of a few horses. The stragglers would be left behind. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Fardez asked nervously.

“Unless the foot soldiers are not stragglers,” Captain Orteka shook his head slowly.

“What else could they be?” quizzed Fardez.

“They could be the bulk of Emperor Hanchi’s army,” sighed Captain Orteka. “If that is the case, Trekum’s defense will be short-lived.”

Fardez frowned and stared at the mouth of the valley looking for the end of the column.

“I am going to catch some sleep,” declared Captain Orteka. “Wake me in a couple of hours or if something appears that I should see. When you wake me, you can rest for a while, and I will keep watch.”

Fardez nodded soundlessly, and Captain Orteka placed his head on his outstretched arms and drifted off to sleep. Three hours later, Fardez tapped Captain Orteka’s arm lightly. The Kadin Claw mercenary woke immediately.

“I think Emperor Hanchi just entered the valley,” whispered the soldier. “See the coach at the far end of the valley? It is surrounded by riders and men wearing different uniforms.”

Captain Orteka nodded as he focused his eyes on the procession. He bit his lip gently as he saw the valley filled with Lanoirians. His mind spun as he tried to estimate the number of soldiers in the valley below. What had been a river of soldiers earlier had turned into a spring flood whose banks swelled to fill the entire valley. Still the Lanoirians slowly continued to surge into the already-full valley. He narrowed his gaze to the ornate coach and its escort. His eyes continued panning past the coach to the mouth of the valley. The steady stream of Lanoirian foot soldiers continued to pour into the valley.

“This is much worse than I could have imagined,” sighed Captain Orteka. “General Mobami will not be pleased with this report.”

“There are as many foot soldiers as cavalry,” nodded Fardez.

“I suspect that we have only seen half of the foot soldiers,” retorted Captain Orteka. “I think the emperor is riding in the middle of his army. We will have to wait to find out for sure. Catch some sleep while you can. I will keep watch for the next couple of hours.”

“After a short walk in the woods,” nodded Fardez. “I will be right back.”

Captain Orteka nodded knowingly and returned his attention to the Lanoirian army below. The mercenary had heard the reports of a hundred-thousand man army, but he had not believed them. The number had been too large to be believable before. Now he wondered if that estimate was large enough.

“Captain,” Fardez called urgently. “Come.”

The Kadin Claw captain frowned as he crawled into the trees. It was impossible for anyone in the valley to hear them, but they had whispered anyway. Fardez’s urgent call must be important for him to call loudly. The captain crawled into the trees and rose. Fardez called again, and Orteka homed in on the sound of his voice.

“What is the matter?” Captain Orteka asked as he approached the soldier.

“You were watching the Lanoirian army that sacked Partek,” Fardez stated nervously. “Another Lanoirian army attacked Gortha. Twenty paces to the west of us the trees stop. Go there and look.”

Captain Orteka stared at the soldier with a puzzled frown. When he realized that Fardez was not going to say anything more, the captain turned and headed westward through the trees. After a dozen paces, Orteka could see the edge of the hill where the trees stopped. He dropped to his knees and crawled forward. When he reached the edge of the hill, he stared down in disbelief. Below him was a wide valley full of Lanoirian soldiers. His eyes quickly panned over the valley looking for the emperor’s coach. Thinking that he was somehow looking into the same valley that he had been observing for hours, he was surprised that he could not find the coach. Fardez crawled up alongside him.

“It is not the same army, Captain,” whispered Fardez. “Note the Toulane River running through this valley. That river comes from Gortha. One of the reasons the Lanoirians were going so slowly is that they are meeting up here for the attack on Trekum.”

“This is impossible,” Captain Orteka said while shaking his head. “There is no chance of Trekum surviving this onslaught. We won’t even last a day. Nothing can stand in the way of these two armies.”

“There is little choice in the matter,” reasoned the soldier. “Emperor Hanchi is not going to stop at Trekum. Where else can we make our stand?”

Captain Orteka stared at the army below for a long moment before answering. “I brought my men to Trekum knowing that many of them would die to protect Sordoa from the Lanoirians,” he finally said, “but we will barely dent the armor on Emperor Hanchi’s army. Trekum will become a graveyard of Sordoans, and Emperor Hanchi will walk over those graves to get further northward.”

“To Tagaret?” questioned the soldier. “I heard men talking about where they thought the Lanoirians were going. Most think it is Tagaret.”

“With armies like the ones below us,” sighed Captain Orteka, “Hanchi can go anywhere he wants. There is no army in the world that can stop him. We have to get off this mountain before those two armies meet, or we will never leave here alive.”

”What will you tell General Mobami?” inquired the soldier.

“The truth,” shrugged the Kadin Claws’ captain. “The Lanoirian army amounts to more than my mind can comprehend. At least he will know that the plan to harass them with cavalry will not work. Let’s go.”

* * *

“You don’t have to hold my arm like I am a cripple,” complained Wylan as Sheri led him along a street in Tagaret.

“I don’t want you to trip and fall,” protested Sheri. “Can I at least hold your hand?”

“I would like that,” Wylan grinned after a moment of hesitation. “I am sorry for snapping at you. I just feel like everyone is staring at me.”

“Well nobody is paying any mind to you at all,” assured Sheri. “They are all marveling at the clear sky overhead. I wish you could see it.”

“At least I saw it once before I lost my sight,” sighed Wylan. “I can feel the warmth of the sun upon me. It feels wonderful.”

“I know that you told me what King Arik was going to do,” mused Sheri, “but it still seems like a miracle. Imagine knowing the person who restored the skies to Tagaret. It seems so unreal.”

“I know what you mean,” nodded Wylan. “When I first met Arik, I did not believe the story he told me about the Sword of Heavens. It seems like my life has changed so much since that day in Cleb.”

“You miss the adventures, don’t you?” frowned Sheri as she led Wylan around a corner.

“Sure,” nodded Wylan. “Who wouldn’t miss them? There are times that I wish that I had died at Watling Flats instead of being blinded. I don’t think that I will ever adjust to being blind. I will never have another adventure again. I am as useless as an old man now.”

Tears formed in Sheri’s eyes, and Wylan heard her sob. He stopped walking.

“I said there were times that I wished that,” soothed Wylan. “There are also times that I feel glad to be alive. You mean the world to me, Sheri. Don’t ever take my bitterness as if it is directed towards you. Spending time with you almost makes me glad that I am not still out there riding with the Knights of Alcea.”

“Almost?” sobbed Sheri.

“Almost,” Wylan nodded sadly. “I will never lie to you, Sheri. I love you dearly, but I would give anything to be riding with the Knights again. It is hard for me to explain, but living in constant danger with the Knights is exhilarating. It makes all of life more precious.”

“Would you miss me if you were riding with King Arik again?” questioned Sheri. “Or would I become the butt of jokes around the campfire?”

Wylan turned to Sheri and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly.

“The person that joked about you would be in serious need of a healer,” swore Wylan. “And I wouldn’t care if that person was King Arik. I love you more than I can describe with mere words. That would not change if I were riding again. In fact, my heart would ache for the lack of you. Still, I feel that being a Knight of Alcea is what I was born to do. How can I make you understand that that does not belittle my love for you?”

“I think I do understand,” Sheri smiled weakly. “You would be thrilled if I rode with you and the Knights, like Tanya does.”

“I would be thrilled,” grinned Wylan. “I would also be constantly worried about you. Why are we torturing ourselves with this fantasy? You are not a warrior that can ride with the Knights of Alcea, and I have less chance of doing so than you do. I should not even be thinking such a thing.”

“Maybe not,” mused Sheri as she wiped her tears, “but this talk is helping me to understand you better. I am glad that you are willing to be honest with me, even though you know it might hurt my feelings. It shows that you respect me.”

Wylan turned away from Sheri and stared towards the western gates. Sheri was puzzled by Wylan’s move. It was as if he had instantly dismissed her. Then she heard the distant shouting.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I am not sure,” admitted Wylan. “A riot maybe? No. No, it sounds like cheering. Maybe it is Arik returning. Lead me towards the main street.”

Sheri felt a shiver of excitement course through her at the thought of King Arik returning. She eagerly took Wylan’s free hand and led him forward. Within minutes they reached the inner gate where the road turned towards the Royal Palace. Other people had begun to gather along the route as well. Everyone waited expectantly for King Arik to come by.

“I think it must be King Arik returning,” Sheri said excitedly as she rummaged through her pack. “You should put on the tunic that Prince Oscar sent over for you.”