Benjamin Ashwood Box Set 2

by A. C. Cobble

  “Deal,” said the commander, and then he spun and marched off, checking his men’s camp, hassling those who weren’t moving quick enough, and offering a word of praise for those who had already squared away their sleeping space and started on dinner.

  “You could learn a lot from that man,” said Lloyd.

  “You overheard?” asked Ben.

  “I did,” admitted Lloyd. “One of my less honorable habits is eavesdropping. You did right by telling him the truth. A man like that has led men to their deaths, and he knows that’s what he’s doing here. He’ll save the ones he can, but you don’t face a demon army bloodlessly. He won’t listen to someone who isn’t going to tell him the truth. He doesn’t have time for that foolishness and won’t send his men on a suicide mission.”

  Ben nodded.

  “This isn’t a suicide mission, is it?” asked Lloyd.

  Ben winced. “I hope not.”

  Lloyd frowned and glanced around the bustling camp. No one was near them. “You have more resources than just us, don’t you?”

  “Not many,” admitted Ben. “It’s a small group, but like I told Rakkash, give them an opportunity to show what they can do. Mages, swordsmen, all worth scores of regular soldiers. We also have some other tricks up our sleeve that we can’t discuss just yet.”

  “Is it enough to stop a demon army?” challenged Lloyd.

  “Wait until you meet my friends Jasper and Adrick,” suggested Ben. “Then, you tell me.”

  13

  Kirksbane

  They followed the broad sweep of the river and Ben couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the first time he’d traveled those waters. Then, his biggest concern in life had been a drunken encounter with a bar maid and how Amelie would react. The Sanctuary had been a benevolent group of mages who rarely made themselves known in the broader world, and the Alliance and Coalition had been interesting in an abstract way. He hadn’t even heard of the rift, and the thought of a legion of demons led by some sort of giant king would never have even made it into his imagination.

  He shook his head. Even now, after seeing the thing, he was still having trouble grasping the enormity of the demon-king. It was massive, and it flew. Conventional weapons would be worthless against such a creature. Jasper, the group he’d recruited, Lady Towaal, maybe help from the Sanctuary. If they couldn’t put a stop to the thing…

  “It’s getting real now, isn’t it?” asked Amelie, evidently guessing at his thoughts.

  He nodded. “It’s been real. Impossible is the word I was thinking.”

  “You don’t think we can stop this swarm?” asked Amelie.

  “I’m not very hopeful,” admitted Ben. “We have to try, but will that effort mean anything? You saw what Jasper showed us just like I did. There’s nothing I can do against a monster like that.”

  Amelie hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “They’re following you, Ben. By ourselves, you’d be right. We’re like insects to that thing. Together, maybe we can stop it.”

  “Maybe,” grumbled Ben. His eyes were down, watching the battered toes of his leather boots march along the hard-packed dirt road. He needed new boots. Sighing, he asked, “What if it’s not enough? Where can we find more allies?”

  “I don’t know,” responded Amelie, “but every time, you somehow find more supporters.”

  “Every time?”

  “Jasper and his mages, Lloyd and his blademasters, Commander Rakkash and the rangers. We found them, didn’t we?”

  Ben rolled his shoulders. She was right, but he was right too. At every turn, they’d been able to recruit more allies, but it wasn’t enough. They had hundreds, while the demons had thousands.

  “Huh,” said Amelie. “There are more of them than I thought.”

  Ben glanced at her and then followed her gaze. In front of them, spread across the road, were a dozen disparate figures. In their center stood a lean man with close-cropped silver hair. A smile crept onto Ben’s face.

  “We’ve been standing here for two bells, waiting to make an impression,” drawled Jasper when they got close.

  “Sorry,” said Ben. “We slept in.”

  He looked down the line at Jasper’s companions. They definitely made an impression. Beside Jasper was a hulking giant. He reminded Ben of Gunther, but instead of a war-hammer, the giant clutched a crossbow the size of a man. A regular-sized man, thought Ben, eyeing the giant. His hair was shorn on the sides, and a thick black shock of it rose straight up from his head. Mages Jasper had said, but the man looked every bit a warrior.

  On the other side of Jasper was a blond man with a neatly trimmed beard. He wore chainmail that appeared to have more patches than it did original chain and he had two longswords strapped across his back. Next to him was a man leaning casually against a battle axe with a head was as wide as Ben, and a woman stared at them from behind a blue, silk mask. Ben was certain she was a woman because her face was about the only portion of her that was adequately covered. At the end was a slip of a girl. She wore a thick, brown cloak with the cowl pulled forward. Her lack of obvious weaponry only made her seem more dangerous. No one would travel with a group like Jasper’s if they couldn’t handle themselves.

  “Friends of yours?” asked Lloyd. “They look dangerous.”

  “They are,” confirmed Ben, answering both comments.

  “How’d you convince two score blademasters to follow you?” asked Jasper.

  “They would ask me the same thing about you,” remarked Ben. “Besides, they’re not all blademasters. Some of them are students.”

  Jasper grinned. The mage sipped his ale and let out a satisfied sigh. “Not as good as the Curve’s ale, but not bad either. You know the innkeep over there, Tabor? He tells me he brews all his own ale. Really has a knack for it.”

  Ben coughed.

  “We’ve heard,” said Amelie, venom dripping from her voice.

  Jasper looked between the two of them, confused.

  Rhys, shockingly, was the one who pulled Ben out of the fire. He changed the subject.

  “Did you get it?” he asked. He nodded to Prem, who sat quietly beside him. “Can you show it to her?”

  Jasper eyed the guardian.

  “Her father may be the one to wear it,” explained Rhys. “We have something to show you as well, another item that shouldn’t get into the wrong hands.”

  They streamed upstairs and crowded into Jasper’s small room. Ben climbed up onto the bed and scooted down to make room for the others. Jasper glanced at Ben’s boots resting on his pillow, and Ben offered a sheepish apology. The mage opened a battered wooden wardrobe. Inside was a shining suit of silver plate armor. The helmet had been removed to fit the thing inside, but even scrunched over, it looked impressive.

  Prem let out a soft whistle. After a look at Jasper to confirm it was okay, she laid a hand on the plate.

  “Mage-wrought,” she murmured. “The entire set. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Neither have I,” admitted Jasper, “and I know a thing or two about fashioning devices. This, I believe, is entirely unique. It will imbue the wearer with exceptional speed. The metal will be nearly impervious to damage.”

  “You could be invincible in that,” said Ben. “Could someone wearing that face this demon-king you saw?”

  “The wearer will be difficult to kill,” replied Jasper, “but not invincible. Think about it this way. The steel will withstand a huge amount of force, but the body within will be just as fragile as any human body. Imagine if you put a crystal glass in there and shook it violently. The glass would shatter.”

  Ben frowned.

  “Also, we have the additional problem of needing a mage with sufficient will to activate it, and sufficient skill-at-arms to make use of it.”

  The mage glanced at Prem, and she nodded.

  “My father,” she said. “He is the one who should wear this.”

  “Will it fit him?” Ben asked Prem.

  “I think it will,” responded
Prem, standing close and judging the size of the armor.

  “Are you sure this man is the right one?” Jasper asked, glancing at Ben. “The armor is wasted if the wearer is—”

  Ben held up a hand to stop the mage. “I’ve seen him fight. Her father is the right choice.”

  “There’s something else,” mentioned Jasper. “I can get this armor onto someone, but I haven’t yet figured out how to get it off. When it clasps shut, it will be resistant to manipulation, and it will be sealed to prying fingers. There must be some way to remove it, of course, but it will have to be done on the inside.”

  “You’re saying if he puts it on, my father may not be able to get it off?” worried Prem.

  “I’m saying he’s going to have to figure that out himself,” answered Jasper.

  Prem looked back at the suit of plate and began poking and prodding at it. They left her alone with her thoughts. Incredible power with an incredible risk.

  Ben grimaced. The armor wasn’t the only item to fall into that category. He reached under his cloak and removed the wyvern fire staff.

  Jasper’s eyes shot wide open.

  “We didn’t want to say anything over the thought meld in case someone could eavesdrop,” explained Ben. “We believe the Veil will know it was us who took the staff, and surely, she will come looking for us. If Eldred could listen to our thoughts, then the Veil may be able to as well.”

  Tentatively, Jasper reached out and laid a finger on the staff. The runes flared to life, a sudden heat warming Ben’s hands. The mage’s eyes narrowed, and his hand closed around the staff.

  Ben let it go, and Jasper drew it close, studying the intricate runes that covered its length. The mage sat down in the sole chair in the room and laid the staff on a rickety wooden table. He was bent over, eyes roving along the weapon, fingers tapping a staccato rhythm on the table.

  “Let’s give him time to study it,” murmured Towaal. They followed her out into the hall and she explained, “I can feel him probing it, testing where I was afraid to go. It feels like what the Veil was doing but confident. Bringing this to Jasper was the right decision. We should give him silence and space to work with no distractions.”

  “Is it dangerous what he is doing?” asked Amelie, shooting a nervous glance over her shoulder.

  “Of course it is,” responded Towaal. “But his touch is delicate and controlled. He is a mage of exceptional ability.”

  “Stronger than Gunther?” wondered Ben.

  “Not stronger,” mused Towaal. “I can’t imagine a mage stronger than Gunther. Where Gunther is a hammer, Jasper is a sharply pointed quill. Different tools for different purposes. We should not discount Jasper’s strength, though. Prior to Gunther, I’d never felt any mage with the power Jasper commands.”

  Prem listened closely but did not comment.

  They descended the stairs from the rooms and Ben saw scores of eyes rise to study them. On one side of the room were Jasper’s mages, on the other the blademasters from Venmoor. The two groups had warily accepted that they were fighting the same battle, but there was still a high level of distrust between them. They were both too dangerous, figured Ben, like two angry mountain lions used to working alone but who’d agreed to track down prey together. He was glad he wasn’t the prey.

  Just then, Commander Rakkash entered the inn. He glanced around, looking sick to his stomach but then brightening when his gaze alighted on Ben.

  “The men are bunked and settled,” he declared. “We’re ready for your next instructions.”

  Ben frowned and looked over the groups in the common room.

  “Good, Rakkash. I’ll want you with me, Lloyd, if you have time, and, ah…” he trailed off, unsure of any of the names in Jasper’s contingent. “We, ah, we’ll go north and find a suitable place to stage our defense.”

  The small, brown-cloaked girl stood from amongst Jasper’s friends. Despite the heat in the room, she was still swaddled in the cloak, and Ben had not seen her even loosen the collar. It was a bit strange when he thought about it.

  “I’ll go with you,” she murmured. “Jasper trusts me to speak for the others in his absence.”

  Ben shrugged, noticing no disagreement from the deadly array of warrior-mages behind the girl. “Let’s go then.”

  Ben, feeling awkward, led the group through Kirksbane and out the north side of town. They followed the road along the river until they reached a bridge that passed the locks just above town. He paused there and looked around.

  Commander Rakkash rubbed his chin and then offered, “If we tore down these bridges, most of those demons’ll be afraid to come over the water. Some’ll come, but those we can handle. Should be able to keep Kirksbane safe that way.”

  “Kirksbane,” responded Ben, “but if the creatures bypassed us, they’d head straight for Venmoor.”

  Rakkash frowned.

  “Do we have a good idea of what we’re up against?” asked Lloyd. The blademaster was standing atop the bridge, looking down. “If we know some specifics, that will help understand what kind of defense we can mount.”

  “I do,” remarked the girl from Jasper’s contingent.

  The party turned to her, and Ben scratched the scar on his arm. The girl looked to be no more than twelve summers.

  “First,” asked Amelie, offering a smile, “what should we call you?”

  Amusement flickered across the girl’s face and then disappeared.

  “Elle,” pipped the girl. “Follow me.”

  She led them off the bridge and down to the riverbank. The water swirled sluggishly in the shallows. Below them, some of the stream split off and poured into the canal that made the locks, and some flowed downstream, following the main channel all the way to the City and the South Sea.

  “Still water would be best,” murmured the girl, “but this is slow enough. Look closely.”

  Ben and the others leaned over the water and looked down. A fat fish swam by, startled by their shadows. Ben blinked and gasped. The water was changing. Instead of murky brown stirred up by the fish’s swishing tail, it resolved into an overhead look at Northport, just like what Jasper had shown them. This one was hazy, though, as if seen through a filter.

  “We were returning from the Wilds and used far-seeing to scout ahead,” explained the girl. “That was near two weeks ago. This is what we saw.”

  A loud string of curses erupted, and Commander Rakkash went flailing backward to land on his bottom on the lush turf. He scrambled back on his heels and elbows, eyes wide with wild fear. “What is that!” he shouted.

  Grim-faced, the others watched as the man lay panting, struggling to get control of himself.

  “That,” answered the girl, “is what we’re up against.”

  They looked back at the image. It shifted, floating on the surface of the water. Elle closed her eyes and continued to project her memories. They soared above the grim scene, seeing huge packs of demons swarming outside of Northport’s walls, seeing the carnage and destruction inside.

  “Destroying the bridge will be a waste of time,” muttered Lloyd.

  The blademaster knelt on the thick grass of the riverbank. Rather than showing the fear that Rakkash had, his eyes were burning bright with anticipation.

  “Oh,” he murmured. “Go back a little, can you?”

  Elle complied, and they were all looking at the demon-king, perched atop Rhymer’s keep.

  “The men will be worthless against that thing,” said Lloyd.

  “We will handle this creature,” responded Elle. “Well, we will try to handle it. Nothing like this has ever been seen before in this world. That creature’s powers are unknown. I think it’s safe to assume they will be substantial.”

  “We have a weapon we believe may be up to the task,” assured Ben.

  Elle looked at him.

  “Jasper is studying it now,” he added.

  The girl nodded. “We will need every advantage we can get.”

  “You’ll want the sw
ordsmen to keep the ordinary demons off your backs while the mages deal with, ah, that thing?” asked Lloyd.

  Ben shrugged. “Yes, that’s what I was thinking.”

  The blademaster stood and surveyed the terrain around them. “Water is good. The demons are afraid of it, and if we can put our backs to it, we’ll prevent them from surrounding us. Height as well. Whatever it is the mages plan to do, I’m guessing visibility is our friend. Particularly if we lose the sun, we’ll want to be above the creatures. A clear field where Rakkash’s archers can slow them down, a gentle enough slope with enough room that my men have space to use their blades effectively…”

  The leader of the blademasters continued talking, primarily to himself, and he set off, hiking north, looking for the perfect spot to make a stand.

  “You convinced him, at least,” said Rhys, slapping a hand on Ben’s shoulder.

  “I didn’t do anything,” protested Ben.

  “You brought us together,” said Elle, her eyes following Lloyd as he found a tree and scrambled up it. “Without you, Jasper may have not gathered us in time. Even if he had, we’d be alone in the Wilds or dead outside of the walls of Northport. Without these arms men, we’d be overrun in a moment by a swarm this size.” The girl turned toward Ben. “If we are successful, it will be because we combined our strengths, not because of our individual efforts. We must work as a team, and every team needs a leader.”

  She walked after Lloyd, who was perched on a branch, covering his eyes with one hand and looking to the north.

  Ben bent down and grasped Rakkash’s arm. The commander grunted when Ben hauled him up.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just, I-I didn’t expect to see that.”

  “Can you prepare your men, so they don’t have the same reaction?” asked Ben.

  Rakkash twisted his lips. “I guess I’m going to have to. It just stunned me for a moment. I’m okay now, I think.”

  “Good,” responded Ben. “I need you with me this afternoon. I’m going to see the lord of Kirksbane and the commander of the watch. I’m told they know you and respect both you and your rangers. We’ll use that and gather as many swords and strong arms as we can.”