The Willbreaker (Book 1) (38 page)

              “Ok, Edward. Can you keep it there?”

              “Of course,” he said.

              Brandon reached into the pool of cool energy. It pulsed and sucked him in, filling him with vibrant and refreshing power. The power blew over him like a frosty wind. He opened his mind again, seeking out Edward’s consciousness. Brandon flew through the chaotic columns of Edward’s thoughts until he found what he sought. Edward pulled his magic and it lit up his mind like the sun. The brilliant and shimmering yellow power centered on a single thought: the focus of using his power to raise the rock.

              Brandon released his power into the glowing mass of Edward’s thought. The blue energy swept over Edward’s mind, soaking up his energy like a sponge. It only took a brief moment for the yellow power within his mind to dissipate. Brandon pushed against Edward’s will. The rock floating in front of their faces dropped to the ground.

              Edward stared at it. “I cannot… I cannot use my power,” he stuttered. Brandon corrected him. “You can use your power; you just do not have the will too. I have not broken or changed your will, I have just bent it. Just like this, and it returns back to normal.”

              Brandon withdrew his power, a surprisingly easy task. The ease at which he navigated Edward’s mind made Brandon understand the true power behind his abilities.

              The rock shook again and rose upward. Edward’s power flowed as if it never faltered. He spoke a single, simple word. “Wow.”

              Brandon recognized the fatigue that overtook him. The morning sun would be rising soon and neither Edward nor Brandon had gotten any sleep. He patted Edward on the shoulder and smiled. “Bed time, friend? I’m exhausted.”

              Edward looked up into the night sky. “Yes, yes, it’s time. I need some sleep.”

              As expected, the morning came early for Brandon and Edward. Jasmine cleaned the camp as Brandon readied the horses. They snacked from the leftover jerky and cheese in Edward’s sack as they worked. Brandon cinched down Firecracker’s saddle and then looked over at Edward.

              “Edward, we need a name for the Guardian.”

              Edward glanced up from jamming a blanket into one of the packs. He looked into the woods where the Guardian stood, still looking around on alert.

              “Blue!” he shouted out, laughing to himself. Brandon looked at him, wondering if he should take Edward seriously.

              “Come on, Blue is a great name!” Besides his eyes, Brandon’s eyes, ‘Blue’ seemed an odd name for such a ferocious creature. 

              “Blue? Guardian!” The Kella’Dune Guardian burst from the woods and dropped his head before Brandon. Brandon outstretched his hand and placed it on the beast’s head.

              “Do you want to be called ‘Blue’?”

              The Guardian raised its head and looked at Brandon. It had a look of wonder in its eyes. Although it did not speak, Brandon nodded his head as if it did.

              “Alright, Blue it is!” He chuckled as he patted the beast on the jaw.

              Edward laughed and said something to himself. Brandon turned back towards Firecracker and tossed two saddlebags on his back.

              Within the hour, the three riders headed down the Paraline River towards Orlimay. Blue walked behind them making deep imprints in the ground with each step. As they rode, Edward on Brare and Jasmine on Baby, Edward conveyed his thoughts to Brandon.

              “So, I am not totally sure how this is going to work. In about two weeks we will reach the border into Cloudkeep Kingdom. As if it is not dangerous enough, things are going to get much worse then. Are we planning on riding into Orlimay and fighting her army by ourselves?”

              “No, Lord Reinhold will be there. I have seen it.”

              “In a vision? Oh, yes. Okay. Well, what is our plan? Do we have one?”

              “To be honest, I am not totally sure. I just know that I have to be there and that I am the one who must confront Aurora.”

              “I do not mean to interrupt, but what if we are wrong? I know you have the power to make a difference, but what if something happens? What if things go bad and you are captured, or worse? You already told me that you would not change her will.”

              As he spoke, Brandon shook his head in agreement. He would not use his power that way against Aurora. He would not use his power that way against anyone. Although it might stop the war between the two kingdoms, the means to which he could stop the war went against everything Brandon believed in.
That is what I believe, and how much would I pay for my beliefs? Everything.

              “I will not change her will, or anyone’s will for that matter. Who am I to do such a thing? I am not a God. I am not the Creator, and I think they hold a special place in the Underworld for me if I went around imposing my will upon others. However, Edward, I can do more than just that. I think I can stop her from using her power. That is why I practiced on you last night.”

              “But Brandon, she is a class five!”

              “So am I. Right? You said so yourself.”

              Edward opened his mouth to speak and then nodded his head, understanding that Brandon had a point.

              “But what about her armies? She has legions of the Gifted and who knows what else.”

              “Well, hopefully that is where Reinhold will come in. I am hoping that he can distract their attention long enough for us to sneak inside the city.”

              “You truly have gone mad.” Edward said.

              “What choice do we have? I do not believe that Aurora will put herself at such risk by exiting the confines of her city, especially with an army of people outside all waiting to overthrow her. She is smarter than that. Look, you are a Sensor, we can use your abilities to help us locate her, and Jasmine can look like anyone she desires. There is a reason we are all together. We are all pieces of a puzzle that we cannot see yet. We will make it. I have faith.” He paused momentarily and then jokingly said, “I am The Willbreaker, remember?”

              Edward looked over at him, believing, until Brandon laughed. Even Jasmine giggled to herself.

              “That is not funny. This is serious,” he said.

              “I know. I am sorry. There is nothing more we can do from here. Once we reach Orlimay, we can make some better decisions. It is going to be dangerous and there is a chance that we will not make it out alive, but if there was ever a reason to fight then this is it. This is a journey worth the risk of death. Someone has to stand up to tyrants and we are as suited as anyone else is. I love you guys, you guys are my family. I am honored to be here with you and if need be, I will be honored to die by your side for such a valiant cause. I never believed before now. I never thought that a single person could change anything but I was wrong. Let us give this war our best. Let us stand in the face of adversity and overcome the challenge. Have faith. We will succeed.”

              Jasmine spoke, “Well said, Brandon. I am with you until the end. I never felt like I had a purpose until now. You have given me a reason to stand up and fight. You have inspired me to be stronger. We can make a difference, together.”

              Brandon looked over at her and she smiled softly at him, making him blush. He reached his hand out to her as a sign of trust and she gripped it tightly.

              “Well, okay! I am too old to do anything else! Let us make a dent of some kind in this war. Maybe we can help enough to tip the scales. You know I am with you, Brandon. We ride until the end.”

Lord Cedric Reinhold peered across the open area in front of Castle Belkin. He wore his battle armor and the Heart of the King hung sheathed in the scabbard around his belt. The crisp and clear air gave open canvas to the sun’s rays that beamed out from behind the mountain range to the east.

An incredible army waited in front of him: one hundred ten thousand Templars of the Highren’Dol in their majestic suits of armor, twenty five thousand wild men of the mountains and their savage dogs, and fifty thousand nomads of the sand. They were here, all united under the Banner of the Red Lion. They were here with a purpose: to help Lord Reinhold fight Empress Aurora. Many will die and blood will soak the battlefield, but that would be the price for freedom; a price each person knew they might have to pay. Cedric smiled, proud of the army that lay before him.

As he watched, the men packed up their tents, loaded up wagons and carts, and readied the trebuchets and ballistas. The trip down to Orlimay would be long and rough. Janga stood in the courtyard, commanding the soldiers to move the food wagons out into the entryway. The castle storerooms were empty and nothing remained in the silos. This trip cost Reinhold everything. The vaults were emptied and the weapon and armor sheds were picked clean. If they had to retreat from Orlimay, they would have nothing to come back to besides stone walls and empty rooms.

Janga walked up beside the King. “Cedric, we are ready. The gold from the vaults has been put in chests and loaded into the wagons. The food carts are stuffed and horsed. Our men will be ready to travel within the hour.”

“Janga. This is a huge gamble. We have to take her down. We do not have much of a choice anymore. This is costing us everything.”

“I know. The moral is high and attitudes are positive. If we do not make it, then let us make our final stand as champions. Let us hurt her armies and her city so bad that they cannot recover. We will make this our final stand. We have the help of all these people and I do not think they came with the intent of losing this battle. Stand strong, we will overthrow the witch Aurora. She is powerful, but so are we. We will shake the foundations of her world with our relentless might. We will rock her confidence by defeating everything she throws at us, and we will not stop. We will fight day and night, never giving up. We stand united under your banner, and the banner will fly high. Men, elf, and lizards alike, we will stand together and set this world right.”

Cedric needed to hear Janga’s words. Although a strong king, he also felt the weight of the war upon his shoulders. The decision to go to war with Aurora had not been made easy.

“Is the Avatar loaded up?”

“Yes, Sire. I have a group of our best escorting him as well. That is going to be an interesting sight, eh?” Janga laughed. “I only hope it is going to be as spectacular as I am imagining.” Janga raised his eyebrows and mocked Aurora. “Oh look, Reinhold and his men! I will crush them! What is that? The Avatar of War? Oh no! Run!” He imitated a sarcastic scream and then he laughed. Cedric chuckled lightly, knowing the dangerous situation with the Avatar.

Reinhold planned to release the Avatar onto the battlefield when Aurora’s armies entered the area. The idea sounded good but the Avatar did not take sides, which meant he would kill Reinhold’s men just as quickly as he would kill Aurora’s maidens. The Avatar remained Reinhold’s wild card. He would only play it if he had to.

“What about the Boatman?” Reinhold asked.

“The Boatman and the Beacon are resting comfortably in their wagons. We have informed them of our plans and they are both willing to help as we see fit.”

The Boatman and Beacon would play a key role in Reinhold’s plan. The Boatman, a pre-class like the Avatar of War, had been born under the name Harold Kinna When Cedric rescued him from Orlimay, Harold wore unkempt, dirty rags and had no shoes. Aurora’s women led him around by a shackle around his neck. Since his rescue, he had access to clean and warm bath water, soaps and lotions, fresh clothes, and a razor. Harold was sixty-five years old, older than Cedric, but had a unique power. When Harold drank of his power, all flame would extinguish. The more power he pulled, the farther from him it would extend. The size or type of the fire did not matter; it would simply go out. Cedric saw the value of his ability when thinking of facing Aurora’s Flame Legion.

The little girl that shared the wagon with the Boatman went by the nickname ‘The Beacon.” She earned this nickname because her innate ability drew in the magic of all Sensors. While around, a Sensor could not detect anything but her. Whether they could normally detect life, water, fear, or something else, their magic would only draw in an awareness of the little girl; a strange and powerful ability if utilized right. Having her with them limited them, because none of Reinhold’s sensors would be able to detect danger or anything else, but it worked for the opposing force’s sensors as well; just another gamble in the list of many that Reinhold had to make.

Reinhold watched as the men moved like ants around a disturbed anthill. After a moment, Arkam approached. His spoke with chilled wind on his tongue.

“The Ice Lancers are ready, sire. Ri’Kel’Asan, the elven commander, wishes me to tell you that his troops are also ready to move when you are. The wild men are anxious to move. Give the command and I shall give the word.”

Reinhold nodded to him. “Ready the army. Janga, bring me my horse. Let us start this journey.”

Arkam bolted off towards the assisting armies, and Janga turned and ran towards the stables. It was beginning.