To Be Chosen (68 page)

“I suspect the same as brought you all out. We came to help Sir Daniel,” Adam replied. He was tall like most of his countrymen and had a chiseled look to his face.

“Are you the forward scout?” David asked.

Avery was shaking his head. “I was assigned to the rear. The rest of the detachment should be a span and a half ahead. If you hurry, I believe it will be possible to catch up with them before they cross the border.”

Simon wasted little time deciding. “Let’s move,” he said, and took off jogging.

None of his companions had a difficult time catching up with him or maintaining the pace he set. The scout traveled at his own pace. Simon heard the sound of trampling boots before the detachment of Royal Guardsmen came into sight
and then caught up with them just north of the border. “Ho, the company,” he called out in an effort to keep them from thinking they were being set upon by strangers in the night. A tall man at the front of the column of guardsmen raised his hand and signaled a halt. Simon had been introduced to him. “Sergeant Keenan, you do realize the presence of Ducaunan Royal Guardsmen on Pentrosan soil could be construed as a border violation at best.” Simon informed him.

“My orders are to assist Sir Daniel in the carrying out of his Royal assignment wherever that may be. He has gone to the Foothills and so we will follow,” Keenan replied, evidently not caring about the consequences of crossing the border.

“If they want to assist my son, let them,” Ronn spoke up. “The quicker we get in, help him finish his chores, and then get back into Ducaun, the better off we will all be.”

Instead of trying to talk the guardsmen out of following after their leader, Simon decided to summon the map and show the Sergeant where specifically they were going. “This is the route we have decided to take. Can your men move quietly enough so as not to bring the Pen
trosans down upon us?”

Keenan glanced at Simon and his companions. “Accomplished, I and my men are fully capable of walking silently in the woods. I’ve no doubt the mountaineers and the pair of Teki can move stealthily, can you?”

Simon chose not to bring up hearing the sound of trampling boots or the fact that the rear scout had been heard by the mountaineers. “Now that you know exactly where Sir Daniel is within the Foothills, we need to move quickly, so let’s pick up the pace.”

Keenan gave a single nod of the head. “It will be as you say, Accomplished.”

They continued north, skirted the Pentrosan encampment without incident, and were well on their way. “I hear a horse galloping in the distance,” Gina informed the group with her ear cocked toward the east.

“Me too,” Tim added, and the Benhannon’s also acknowledged the fact.

“It has passed south,” Miriam told them minutes later.

Simon was about to comment when harmonic ripples from multiple spells began washing through him. “The rider does not concern us. The confrontation is under way and that means we are needed.” Daniel had been Silenced, eliminating him as a cause of the affect in Simon’s reckoning, and that lef
t Samuel fighting the renegade.

“I suggest we move at Double time,” Sergeant Keenan spoke up, grim determination written all over his face.

“Double time,” Simon agreed and began jogging up the path, setting a pace none of his companions had a problem keeping up with.

Harmonic waves came more frequently and with increased intensity. “Daniel is battling Serin Gell,” Tim said while jogging to Simon’s right. “I remember the sensation well.”

“This is not nearly the level we felt during his fight with Balen Tamm,” Miriam added. She seemed to be having no difficulty double timing, if anything she seemed to want to go faster.

Simon was shaking his head while breaking from a jog into a run. “No, it has to be Samuel. Daniel cannot summon potential.”

Tim and Gina both looked at him askance. “He can and has learned new spells that were not in his original repertoire. Daniel is probably as powerful as he ever was,” the mountaineer said, and the statement was backed up by his wife.

Neither Benhannon seemed surprised by the revelation about their son, nor were the Royal Guardsmen showing any signs of astonishment. The situation was so dire Simon had no time to ponder the news or the reactions of those around him. A part of him was glad to know a Maestro level potential was on his side in what promised to be a nasty fight.

The Foothills were in sight. “Carlin, we need to establish a perimeter around this hill.” Sergeant Keenan commanded.

“It will be as you say,” Corporal Carlin replied and took off around the hill with two thirds of the men.

The harmonic ripples abruptly ceased. Simon reached into his pocket, removed the amulet, and placed the communication device against his forehead. “Samuel, what is going on in there?”

A flood of mixed emotions came through the link ahead of the words. “Simon, we are in the Foothills and Daniel can summon potential and has executed Serin Gell. Sherree has been Condemned and I don’t know if our mountain friend can help her or Jerremy. Where are you?”

Simon hated to hear about Sherree’s fate, morning her Condemnation would have to come later, he continued his sprint toward the southwestern entrance along with Keenan and his men. The Dukane’s, Benhannon’s, and Teki were climbing the hill. “I am right outside Gell’s lair with Ronn and Miriam Benhannon, the Dukane’s, the Teki, and Daniel’s detachment of Royal Guardsmen and, wait; some of the scouts are speaking to Sergeant Keenan. The entire Pentrosan camp south of us is coming north. You and Daniel need to grab Sherree and Jerremy and get out here.”

A sense of frustration came ahead of, “Daniel will not leave before healing Sherree and all of the Condemneds. He wants me to help you defend the caves. Concentrate your forces to defend the southeast entrance. Shields have been placed on the other two. I’m on my way.”

“Understood,” Simon sent back in reply and placed the amulet in his pocket. “Sergeant Keenan, there are three entrances, shields have been placed on two, and we need to defend the one on the southeast side of the hill. Daniel has executed Serin Gell and is attempting to heal those who have been Condemned. He needs us to give him the time.”

Keenan hand-signaled his men and they followed he and Simon to the east where they found the cave Samuel had spoken of. “Hawk,” the Sergeant called, and was soon joined by a slim young man. “Run to Corporal Carlin and tell him to bring all of our men here to the south east side of the hill.”

“It will be as you say,” the young man replied and dashed off to carry out his orders.

Simon reached into his seed bag and pulled out a handful of Horse nettle seeds, cast Sowing The Seeds, and sent them all around the perimeter of the hill. Raising the baton straight up, he focused Grow: Plants, and soon nettles grew until they were three cubits high with thick thorny trunks. He then did the same using honeylocust seeds and surrounded the perimeter with the seventy cubit high trees, each twig with three-branched thorns. The Pentrosans would now have to travel through thick nettles and hundreds of thorny trees in order to breach the perimeter. Simon was grateful for the level four crescendo, growing trees on this scale was beyond his ability as a One-bolt Accomplished, but not when using a baton that gave him an additional six bolts of potential. He drank a full canteen of water to quench his thirst from spell casting.

A harmonic wave blasted from inside the hill, powerful enough to cause everyone to stumble and more than a few to fall to the ground. What in the world was Daniel doing? The spell had been tightly focused, yet the wave probably could be felt by every living thing within a hundred spans, southwest to Valeen, and all the way north beyond Los Collins and possibly northwest to Los Callen.

“What just happened?” Corporal Carlin asked as he and his men rejoined the rest of the detachment.

Sergeant Keenan turned to Simon. “Was that a result of your work?”

Simon was about to answer when Samuel exited the cave. “That was Daniel. He told me not to worry if I felt a High Power spell,” the Eagle Guild Fledgling informed.

“Hawk, get in that cave, find Sir Daniel, and find out what more he needs from us,” Sergeant Keenan ordered.

“It will be as you say,” the young guardsman replied and then ran into the cave.

“I felt some heavy spell casting out here, what were you doing?” Samuel asked.

Simon made a circular motion with his right arm, taking in the area in its entirety. “I surrounded us with nettles and honeylocusts. The Pentrosans will not have an easy time hacking their way to us.”

“Avery, Kaypen, get south to those trees the Accomplished spoke of, and send word when the Pentrosans arrive,” Keenan ordered.

“It will be as you say,” both men replied and dashed off.

Simon glanced at his colleague. “My spell casting will slow them down, especially when I start manipulating the tree branches, but I’m hoping you have some Melodies in your repertoire to deal with the Pentrosans who get by me. I cannot see in the dark and can only manipulate what is in my direct line of sight.”

Sergeant Keenan’s eyes shifted to the top of the hill. “I suggest you start climbing. The peak is your best vantage point.”

“And so it is. I’ll go up in a moment,” Simon replied.

“When the scouts report the arrival of the Pentrosans, I will summon light spheres so you can see,” Samuel stated. “I have some spells to deal with any soldiers who get through and I’m confident the good Sergeant and his men can deal with any who get by me.”

“Be assured we will deal with the Pentrosans. These are the ones who have been raiding across the border and I am looking forward to chastising them,” Sergeant Keenan replied, earning a hardy shout from his men.

A loud roar to the south drew everyone’s attention and another roar from a different lion followed the first. Coyotes howled and Samuel smiled while shaking his head as if amused by it all. “That would be Daniel’s scouts. I don’t know what they can do, but some wild animals are coming to help defend the cave. Our orders from the Chosen Vessel are not to harm the creatures.”

“Nature fights for the Champion,” Corporal Carlin stated as if the fact was well documented.

Guardsman Kaypen came running. “Serge, one hundred eighty-seven cavalry with a hundred men on foot have just started into the nettles. The prickers are slowing them down but not stopping them.”

Simon gave up thinking about the animals coming to provide a defense, and started up the hill while Sergeant Keenan began organizing his men. They were outnumbered by a fair margin but Melody wielding should more than make up for the difference. He reached the top of the hill and was greeted by Ronn and Miriam, who each had an arrow notched and ready. Tim and Gina were about thirty strides away facing north while Silvia stared west and David peered to the east.

“What news?” Ronn asked.

“Two hundred eighty-seven Pentrosans are coming at us from the south. Samuel is going to give me some light and then I’ll see if I can discourage them from paying us a call,” Simon replied.

“We’re ready for any who come into range,” Miriam stated.

Tim and Gina along with both Teki came over to Simon. “Daniel’s swirl is gathering around him,” Silvia informed him.

Gina scrutinized the pair of Teki, looking them up and down. “We can shoot from here and can see well once the sun is up. I don’t know the range of those bolts or how far you can throw a knife.”

“My wife,” Tim said with an emphasis on, wife, “is suggesting that you are better suited for guarding the cave entrance, where your weapons will be far more effective.”

“He has a point,” David told his wife.

Silvia nodded her head. “We will be deadly at that range,” she replied, and both of them started down the hill.

Orange balls of light appeared all around the perimeter, lighting up the honeylocust trees surrounding the hill, with the greatest concentration of illumination to the south. Simon could see the Pentrosans moving cautiously through the nettles and waited for the first group to reach the trees. He cast Manipulate: Tree, and focused potential through the baton, at the closest honeylocust to the enemy line. He moved his fingers and thumbs, causing the branches of the tree to move in accord with his gestures, and then swept four cavalry men right out of their saddles.

Men screamed and panic irrupted as they scrambled to avoid being hit by a thorny branch. Solidified blades of air began mowing a broad path through the nettles, and soon the rest of the Pentrosan forces were advancing unhindered. The moving trees did give them pause, but then the blades of air began slicing through the branches. Simon focused his spell on the next tree over and swept several more cavalrymen from their saddles, yet sword wielding infantrymen ran under the branches at double time, and he could not stop them. The Pentrosans came to an abrupt halt and a rider in black silks came forward.

It seems the Pentrosans have a Melody wielder on their side, which suggested a partnership of some sort between the kingdom’s military and the Serpent Guild, a troubling development to be sure, yet good to know about sooner rather than later. The enemy Accomplished was not wasting time attacking all of the trees, only those directly blocking the way to the Foothills. Simon was hoping his trees and plants would prove more effective, but they proved inadequate.