With that, Damian stepped past Thane and turned to the window. He reflected on the now familiar landscape of the kingdom, allowing Thane a moment to reflect on their conversation. The room remained silent for several minutes.
“So this is it,” Thane said from behind Damian. “This is what you really want to do?”
“It is,” Damian replied. “We’ve come too far and there is nothing standing in our way.”
There was another long silence before Damian received a response.
“When do we begin planning this new campaign?” Thane asked.
Damian smiled, but didn’t turn to Thane. “We’ve already started.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Leoden was initially distracted by the thumping in his ears, until he realized it was his own beating heart. After sneaking into the guarded compound by way of the drainage pipe, he’d only made it halfway through before his feet locked in place and he could go no farther. Crouching on the ground, he rasped. “Wait, what am I doing?”
There was no logical reason; no explanation for why he had broken into an obviously secured structure and potentially put himself in danger. The fear momentarily overwhelmed him. His heart thumped harder, making his head hurt. Leoden needed to leave. He needed to leave now! But again, his feet wouldn’t move.
Just beyond the ripples of his self-doubt, he suddenly became aware of a presence in his mind. From what he could tell, it was neither a thought nor an emotion. It simply existed. Leoden shook his head, trying to refocus. But now that the presence had been detected, it was impossible to ignore. The more he acknowledged it, the stronger it became. Energy suddenly cascaded from the presence and flowed through his body. It strengthened his will.
Before Leoden even knew it, he had risen to his feet—the presence burning within his legs, urging him forward. For months, he’d struggled against his instincts and had grown tired of feeling conflicted. At that moment, Leoden decided to just let go. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and released all of his inhibitions. He concentrated solely on the presence within him. Before he knew it, one foot had stepped in front of the other.
Tracing his hands along the interior’s metal surface, he carefully felt his way forward through the darkness. After several yards, he detected a hint of light at the end of the pipe. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust as he stepped out of the other side of the pipe into the light. Hastily glancing around, Leoden found himself in a hallway that connected to a larger cellar of sorts. Amber-colored cobblestone covered the walkway, stretching from the ceiling to the ground.
Where am I? Leoden thought. He could tell that he was underground.
His senses shot to full alert at the sound of approaching footsteps. Ducking into a darkened corner of the cellar, he watched two guards march by. His heart thumped so loudly in his ears, it was hard to hear their conversation as they passed.
Leoden breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves. The cellar’s atmosphere was humid and suffocating. He wiped his hands on his shirt, which was damp with his sweat and soiled from climbing through the drainage pipe. He peeked around the corner and found that the coast was clear.
Creeping slowly down the long walkway, he took care to muffle the sound of his feet. He scanned every corner, unsure what he was looking for. Leoden paused. His doubts had begun interfering with his focus again. He cleared his mind and resumed walking.
The cellar was filled with walkways that twisted and turned for what seemed like forever. Yet, Leoden noticed an odd sensation: When he turned in a particular direction, his mind tingled. When he turned away, the tingling stopped. He used this sensation like a compass needle. With each turn, the feeling grew stronger.
Leoden paused again. He heard the faint sound of voices. At first, he searched for a place to hide, before realizing that the voices were not coming closer. Nor were they moving away. He crouched down, leaning a hand against the stone wall for support. Leoden snuck toward the voices. A metal gate blocked his path. When he carefully slid it open, it creaked loudly with age.
“Shhhhh,” he whispered to the gate.
At that moment, the voices stopped. He halted in his tracks. Had he been discovered? Where they coming for him? Leoden unsheathed his wood axe and tiptoed through the gate. Creeping along with his weapon drawn, his mind rippled with a force he’d never felt before.
Someone was close.
He straightened, pressing his back against the wall and gripping his axe tightly in his striking hand. The voices were gone, but Leoden could still feel them. They were close. In fact, he could sense that they were right around the corner.
How many were there? He’d have to strike at the closest person to him and then maneuver to the next combatant. His thoughts ended and his battle instinct took over. Without hesitation, Leoden bounded around the corner, his axe high in the air, prepared to strike.
Wait! He stopped in mid-swing.
He stared into the eyes of the man before him. They were wide, filled with surprise, and oddly familiar.
“What the…” Leoden exclaimed, lowering his axe.
What’s going on here?
From the expression on his face, the man before him seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“I…” Leoden began, but couldn’t speak. He was utterly stunned by this new development. But finally, the initial shock subsided enough for Leoden to pull himself together.
“I … I think I know you,” he said to the man standing behind what appeared to be metal bars. He glanced at the others with him.
“Actually, I think I know all of you!”
Chapter Forty-Six
“You’re the boy from Cyperus Village,” Maebus exclaimed. He stared at the youth who still had his axe slightly raised in the air.
“Uh … yeah,” the young warrior replied. He seemed very much in shock.
Normandy sat up from the ground and walked toward the prison bars. After running his gaze from the warrior’s head to his feet, he said, “What’s your name?”
“Oh, sorry. I’m Leoden.” He reattached his axe to his belt and reached through the bars attempting to shake the tall man’s hand. Normandy however did not comply.
“Leoden, how did you get here?” he asked instead. “In fact, how did you even know we were here?”
Leoden shook his head, “Sir, I don’t even know where here is.”
“Then why did you come?” Maebus could hear the curiosity, amazement, and slight frustration in Normandy’s tone.
“I … I don’t know. Well actually, I guess I was guided here … kind of.”
“By who? Who else is here with you?” Normandy inquired.
“Umm … There’s no one else here but me,” Leoden said.
Normandy groaned. “You’re not making sense!”
“Young man,” Kelm began before Maebus could. “You are in the dungeon of the Realmsic Castle and…”
“The Realmsic Castle!” Leoden exclaimed. His eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“Yes, yes. I am Grand Wizard Kelm, the Realmsic Advisor and…”
“The Realmsic Advisor!” Leoden blurted. “Sorry…”
“Uh-huh,” Kelm continued. “And the man you spoke to back at your village is King Maebus.”
Leoden took a step back. “Whoa! Are you serious?” he asked.
“Very,” Kelm’s monotone voice was artificially calm. He inched closer to the bars that separated him and Leoden. “You’ve probably seen Normandy in your village at some point in the past,” he pointed to the woodsman. “And Fable is a member of the Archival Order.”
Maebus observed Leoden’s ears perk and his eyes dart back and forth as if trying to make sense of what he was hearing.
“What’s going on here?” Leoden asked.
Maebus took a step forward. “There is no time to explain, but answers will come. Right now, we need your help. Can we count on you to help us escape?”
“Oh!” Leoden said, now focused on the long black bars that stretched from the ceil
ing to the floor. “Sorry, I hadn’t noticed you all were imprisoned. I guess I’m still a bit in shock.”
He then took a moment to examine the thickness of the prison bars. “I can try to get you out. But I don’t think I’ll be able to bend this iron.”
“You don’t have to,” Kelm said. “If you can help free my arms and hands from this brace, then I can use my power to remove these prison bars.”
“Sure. Anything!” Leoden said. “What do you need me to do?”
Kelm leaned his back against the metal, trying to soften the clank of the brace against the bars.
“These braces were magically forged to inhibit my powers. But Laymen must also be able to use them. See if there’s a button or a switch anywhere on the back that will release its hold.”
Leoden examined the brace. “There! I see it,” he announced. “Lean closer to the bars so I can reach it.”
Kelm pressed his back into the metal as far as he could. Leoden reached in and tapped the release button. Instantly, the brace snapped open and fell to the ground. Kelm exhaled and rubbed his swollen forearms and wrists. “Thank goodness,” he said.
“Quickly! Free the rest of us,” Normandy demanded.
With a wave of his hand, the Wizard simultaneously released their braces.
“Excellent!” Maebus cheered.
“Thank you,” Fable added, rubbing her wrist.
“Ok, now everybody, stand back,” Kelm ordered.
Leoden scurried away from the dungeon cell. Kelm focused his power on the iron bars. Within seconds, they were blown from their hinges with a thunderous bang. The bars rocketed into the adjacent wall and pounded the ground. Fable was knocked to the cell floor from the impact. Maebus immediately sprang to help her to her feet.
“I’m sure nobody heard that,” Kelm lied. He then turned to see Fable being assisted from the ground. “Oh no, are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Let’s go!” Fable replied.
“Wait!” Normandy shouted. “Leoden, this place is heavily guarded. How did you get past the main gate?”
“Actually, I didn’t go through the main gate. I snuck in through a drainage pipe. Come on. I can lead the way!”
Maebus reached inside his robe and unsheathed his battle sword.
“Now hold on! Wait just a minute!” Kelm threw his hands up in astonishment “You’ve had your sword this entire time!?!”
Maebus chuckled. “That dumb ox General was so obsessed with finding the crystal, he forgot to search me for weapons.”
Kelm quickly thought it over. “Or perhaps it didn’t matter, since your hands were already bound.”
“Hey! Can we go?” Normandy demanded impatiently.
“Sorry.” Kelm said sheepishly.
• • • • •
Leoden stood aside as one by one, his friends exited the prison cell.
“This way!” he gestured them forward with a nod.
Together, they maneuvered from the holding area. Propelled by a sense of urgency, Leoden needed to lead them carefully, for entering the guarded structure was one thing; escaping would require a different skill set.
“The dungeon is crawling with sentries,” Leoden explained. “So stay single file against the walls to reduce our chances of being spotted.”
The group complied. Swiftly, they ran, following Leoden, who was guided only by his instinct. After several turns, his mind began tingling with a familiar sensation. He sensed danger.
“Stop where you are!” The shout echoed from down the narrow hall.
Leoden turned and saw several Legionaries chasing them down, brandishing swords. Kelm instantaneously pivoted and shot a sparkling blast of energy down the corridor. It crashed into the side of the wall, shattering shards of debris into the guards’ faces, stopping them in their path.
“Nice!” Normandy exclaimed, pumping a victorious fist.
“Sound the alarm,” another guard screamed, coughing and rubbing his eyes. “The prisoners are escaping!”
Within seconds, metal bells rang throughout the castle.
“Great!” Kelm said sarcastically, scanning around for Legionaries.
“We’re almost to the drainage pipe!” Leoden encouraged them.
Rounding the stone corner, the group came face to face with two armed Legionaries. With no time to react, Leoden bashed his shoulder into the first guard’s chest, who fell backwards upon the ground and slid against the wall. Leaping over the injured man, Normandy slammed his massive body into the second guard, also knocking him down. The corridor began filling with soldiers. Kelm fired several more blasts behind them.
“There it is!” Leoden shouted, pointing towards the drainage tunnel. He guarded the entrance as they all ran through. “Just go straight, the pipe leads outside.”
Leoden pressed upon the back of everyone who passed him, pushing them forward. Once everyone was through, he followed closely behind, protecting their rear. Running through the dark interior, their feet splashed through mud. “This reminds me of our escape from that mountain town,” Maebus said to Kelm.
After several hundred feet, they exited just beyond the castle’s east exterior guard wall. The frigid night air hit them harder than the stones that were suddenly being chucked at them from the towers above. While scrambling for cover, a fist-sized stone smashed into the side of Fable's head. She fell motionless to the ground.
“Fable!” Kelm screamed.
“Oh no,” Maebus reacted. Sprinting toward her, Normandy scooped Fable from the ground in one fluid motion. “I’ve got her,” he yelled. The Archivist had been knocked out cold.
“How dare they!” Kelm’s voice thundered. His eyes hardened as he gazed upon the Legionarie that threw the stone. Clenching his fist, his eyes violently began glowing red.
The Wizard leapt into the air, swinging his arms in the direction of the castle. A red surge of power pulsated from his body and sliced through the guard tower. The Legionaries ceased their rock-throwing, screaming as the tower slid from its foundation, fell several stories, and slammed to the ground.
“Whoa!” Leoden exclaimed, never before witnessing such a display of magic.
A dust cloud rose from the rubble toward the night sky. Kelm’s chest heaved with hectic breaths, his temper seemed uncontrollable. Frantically, he searched for his next target.
“Kelm,” Maebus called to him, but Kelm ignored him.
“KELM!” Maebus shouted forcefully. The Wizard jerked toward him, almost as if to strike again.
“Snap out of it!” Maebus said, trying to calm his friend. “Please, Kelm. Stop!” Maebus begged. “Control yourself, or you’ll kill us all!” The Wizard pulled away from Maebus. Gradually, the glowing hatred in his eyes diminished. After a moment, Kelm fell to his knees. Maebus leaned down to grab him, throwing one of the Wizard’s arms around his own neck. He then quickly assessed their location.
“We’re on the east side of the castle,” Maebus said to the others. “We need horses. Head to the stables,” he pointed to a large structure only a few yards away. Leoden led them towards it, with Normandy carrying Fable, and Maebus supporting Kelm. With one kick, Leoden bashed open the stable doors.
“Grab any horse, quickly!” Maebus commanded as they entered.
“No thanks, I’ve got my own,” Leoden said. With two fingers in his mouth, he produced a deafeningly loud whistle. Moments later, his brown steed burst through the opposite side of the stable and galloped to him.
“Hey Zinly,” he patted the horse’s long face and quickly mounted. “Thanks for staying close by.”
Normandy handed Maebus the reins of several other horses.
“Let me go,” Kelm demanded of Maebus. The King released his grip.
“Are you okay to ride?”
“I’ll be fine,” the Wizard replied while reaching for the reins of a horse.
“Here they come, lets go!” Normandy yelled, pointing to an entire platoon of Legionaries charging towards them.
The woods
man hastily mounted his horse and positioned Fable in the saddle in front of him. “Come on, I said let’s go!” Normandy commanded. “We’re plowing through them!” He secured the Archivist against his wide body.
“Yaw!” he exclaimed, snapping the horse reins. Charging forward, the others followed, bolting out of the stable.
“Follow me!” Normandy shouted, gaining momentum. “I’ll run them down, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
“You’re a mad man,” Leoden laughed, galloping beside him.
BOOM! The ground suddenly exploded.
Leoden’s horse reared up to avoid the blast, nearly throwing him off. He struggled to regain control. “What was that?” Leoden yelled.
Another explosion hit not far from them, scattering bits of earth in every direction.
Maebus, too, was nearly blown out of his saddle. Regaining his balance, he pointed to the castle’s highest command tower. “Up there!”
Gazing upward, Leoden saw a sinister looking silver-haired man, producing what looked to be a fireball within his hand.
“It’s the Warlord,” Maebus shouted to the group.
“The Warlord!” Leoden exclaimed.
“At least he’s keeping the Legionaries away from us,” Kelm stated.
Damian shot another flaming fireball toward them. Leoden only saw the amber flames flickering before he realized they were headed directly towards Maebus.
“Oh!” The King snapped the reins of his horse and jolted off before the fireball impacted the very spot where he had been standing.
Damian fired another.
“Go! Go! Go!” Normandy commanded.
“Go where?” Leoden asked.
“The hell out of here!” Normandy replied angrily. His muscular arms held tightly to Fable, who was still passed out from her injury.
“Head north,” Maebus ordered, galloping forward.
Barely dodging Damian’s continued attacks, the group followed Maebus into the Center Forest.
The Hero of Legend Page 24
