The Call of Ancient Light

by Ben Wolf

  The noose tightened so that all sixteen of the remaining bandits plus Tyburon stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder around Calum, Magnus, and Axel.

  Definitely, definitely bad.

  “What do we do now?” Calum muttered.

  “We kill them all,” Axel said.

  Magnus exhaled a long sigh. “No matter what happens, it has been an honor to know you both.”

  Calum tightened his grip on the handle of his sword.

  A horse whinnied in the distance. Calum glanced in that direction, but he didn’t see anything. He refocused on Tyburon and his advancing men, except now Tyburon had locked his eyes on something far away.

  “By the Overlord.” Tyburon’s eyebrows arched lower.

  “What is it?” Calum asked.

  “Soldiers.” Axel shielded the sun from his eyes with his left hand but didn’t lower his sword. “A lot of ’em.”

  Calum grumbled, “As if things couldn’t have been worse.”

  “They’re coming this direction,” Axel said. “What do we do?”

  “Stay put, and stay on your guard,” Magnus said. “Things are about to get very interesting, very quickly.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Brothers, regroup to me,” Tyburon said.

  To Calum’s surprise, the bandits abandoned their circle and formed two orderly lines with Tyburon in the center. He hadn’t expected them to demonstrate that level of discipline.

  “We should make a break for it,” Axel said. “We’re not surrounded anymore.”

  Magnus eyed him. “First you want to fight, now you wish to flee?”

  “There are at least two-dozen soldiers approaching, plus seventeen bandits. Forty-one is too many to risk fighting on our own.”

  Calum chuckled. “So forty-one is your cut-off for too many enemies to fight at once?”

  Axel scowled at him and quipped, “No, it’s actually more like thirty-seven. Maybe thirty-eight if I’m feeling especially spunky.”

  Calum rolled his eyes. “Axel raises a good point. Why don’t we just run for it?”

  “If we flee, both sides will pursue us, and we will be killed,” Magnus said. “If we stand our ground, perhaps it will end differently. Besides, the soldiers are too close now. It is too late to flee.”

  Calum wanted to say something else, but a yell stayed his words.

  “By order of the King and with his full authority, I, Commander Beynard Anigo, command all of you to lay down your arms and surrender for crimes against the Crown.”

  Calum turned back. A commander on a white horse extended his spear as he and two-dozen soldiers approached.

  “Do it,” Magnus said.

  “What?” Axel’s tone could have shattered a boulder.

  “Just do it, but keep them within reach. Trust me.”

  Calum and Magnus dropped their swords to the ground, but Axel hesitated.

  “Axel.” Calum nudged him.

  Axel grunted but dropped his sword at his feet, then he unslung his spear from his back and tossed that to the ground as well.

  “Raise your hands, too.” Magnus raised his hands into the air, and Calum and Axel mimicked him.

  Commander Anigo reined in his horse about ten feet from their position, and the soldiers stopped just behind him. He looked them over and smirked, and Calum took in his handsome face and dark eyes. He exuded confidence, much as Tyburon or Magnus did, only in a more polished, official sense.

  Commander Anigo eyed the bandits behind them next. “You men, drop your weapons as well. I order you in the name of the King.”

  As if on cue, Calum, Axel, and Magnus rotated so they could see both the soldiers and the bandits.

  Tyburon stepped forward. “We will not relinquish our weapons. Our quarrel is not with you, but with these three villains.”

  Commander Anigo’s voice hardened. “I said to drop your weapons.”

  “We will do no such thing.”

  “A violation of an order given by the King’s representatives is equivalent to disobeying the King himself,” Commander Anigo said. “You are hereby under arrest. Drop your weapons and surrender.”

  Calum glanced at Magnus who gave both Axel and him a wink. Whatever Commander Anigo wanted to achieve, he wasn’t going to succeed at it.

  Tyburon smiled and shook his head. “Commander, do you have any idea who I am?”

  “Your identity doesn’t factor into this matter.” Commander Anigo narrowed his gaze. “Only the King’s does.”

  Unfazed, Tyburon continued, “I am Tyburon, leader of the Southern Snake Brotherhood.”

  Now it was Commander Anigo’s turn to look unimpressed. “So?”

  Tyburon chuckled. “You really have no idea who I am, do you?”

  “Like I said—” Commander Anigo pointed his spear at Tyburon. “—it doesn’t matter who you are. You’re still under arrest.”

  “Alright.” Still holding his sword, Tyburon raised his hands in the air as if to dismiss Commander Anigo’s words. “You obviously don’t know what you’re saying, so I’ll grant you a pass for your ignorance… just this once. If you run along, you and your men don’t have to die today.”

  Commander Anigo went stone-still, and his face warped into a mask of rage mixed with disbelief. “Did you just threaten me?”

  “Threaten you?” Tyburon scoffed. “No, Commander. I’m trying to show you mercy.”

  The ranks of soldiers stirred behind Commander Anigo. He held up his right hand, the one that didn’t hold the spear, and they fell silent. “No, sir. You threatened me. To threaten one of the King’s representatives is to—”

  “To threaten you is to threaten the King himself,” Tyburon interrupted. “Yes, I get it. If you want to take it as a threat, fine. But I assure you that not a single one of your men will escape this field alive should you try to disarm and arrest us.”

  “Soldiers, prepare for battle.” Commander Anigo raised his spear, and every soldier behind him drew their weapons and stepped into a balanced fighting posture.

  “Last chance, commander. These three belong to me. They killed my cousin and his friends, and I’m here to do right by my kin.” Tyburon extended his hands out to his sides. “I have no desire to spill your blood on this field as well.”

  “These three are wanted for the deaths of multiple quarry workers, the ransacking of one of the King’s outposts, and for the murder of at least three of the King’s soldiers. We have been pursuing them for weeks.” Commander Anigo’s jaw hardened. “Their penalty is death.”

  Calum’s stomach twisted. He’d considered that the consequences of his escape and his actions since might end his life, but hearing Commander Anigo proclaim it aloud somehow made it more real, more ominous.

  But the fear quickly yielded to obstinance. Why should he pay for the sins of others? He hadn’t enslaved himself at the quarry. He hadn’t subjugated people and forced them to work in order to better his own life. He hadn’t ordered the death of anyone’s parents.

  The sheer gall of the King to rule his subjects in such a way kindled a righteous anger within Calum that he hadn’t known was there before. Those four words passing sentence on him and his friends made him realize, for the first time, exactly why Lumen needed to save Kanarah.

  Calum would do everything he possibly could to ensure that it happened.

  “But it shall not be at your hands,” Commander Anigo concluded.

  Tyburon readied his red-bladed sword. “Then we have a serious problem.”

  “Soldiers, take the three outlaws into custody immediately.”

  About half the soldiers marched forward, still battle-ready, toward Calum, Axel, and Magnus.

  Tyburon waved his left arm in a big arc. “Brothers, forward.”

  “Great. Now they’re closing in on both sides,” Axel muttered. “We’re in worse shape than before.”

  “That is precisely why I instructed you to keep your weapons close.” Magnus’s golden-eyed gaze darted between the two forces. “When
I say the word, grab your weapons and back away from the main fight. Let them thin each other out, and we will clean up the rest. Only fight those who come directly for you. I will handle Tyburon.”

  “Good. That leaves the big-talking commander for me,” Axel said.

  Calum nodded. It sounded like a good plan, at least. “I hope this works…”

  “If not, we will perish anyway,” Magnus said. “At least I bought us a few more minutes to watch a good show on our way out.”

  Axel huffed.

  Tyburon and his men charged forward. In response, Commander Anigo and his men also charged forward, including the twelve soldiers who’d already started marching in.

  “Now!”

  At Magnus’s shout, Calum and Axel snatched their swords from the ground, and Axel grabbed his spear as well. All three of them retreated straight back.

  About a quarter of the closest soldiers followed them, as did a quarter of the bandits, but the rest plowed straight into each other, their weapons flashing in the midday sun.

  Axel fended off two of the bandits while Magnus handled two of the soldiers, and Calum had one of each. They stood in an awkward triangle, each of them glancing between the other two, but none of them moved.

  The bandit swung his axe at Calum’s head, but Calum dodged the attack. The soldier jabbed at the bandit with his spear, but the bandit parried the attack and returned with one of his own, and they continued to fight each other. Perfect.

  Calum ducked away from the fight and snuck up behind Axel’s opponents. Two swings of his sword from behind them dropped them to their knees, and Axel finished them off from the front. He and Calum exchanged nods and repositioned themselves to look for new enemies.

  Magnus felled one of the soldiers with his sword, grabbed the other by his throat, and hurled the soldier toward three approaching bandits.

  They all hit the dirt hard upon impact, and when the bandits made it back to their feet, they ganged up on the soldier. He didn’t last long, but another soldier joined the fray and quickly cut down two of the bandits. He faced off with the one that remained.

  Axel and Calum partnered against the next batch of soldiers and bandits. They had a good system: they waited until one of the soldiers attacked one of the bandits, or vice-versa, and then they threw a quick barrage at the attacker. Each time it happened, the initial attacker got himself wounded or killed.

  In the distance, Calum saw Tyburon at work. He took down opponents with broad, sweeping swings, and otherwise walked through the battle as if strolling through a vacant field admiring the flowers and butterflies.

  But when their eyes met, Tyburon’s entire countenance changed to one of limitless fury. He started toward Calum, now walking much faster than his previous casual pace.

  “I’m gonna take on the commander, alright?” Axel said.

  Before Calum could respond, Axel stormed into the battle toward Commander Anigo, who deftly battled the bandits from atop his white horse.

  Meanwhile, Tyburon drew even nearer.

  “Magnus!” Calum cried.

  Magnus carved through his opponents like a gigantic green-and-blue blur, but he’d ventured too far away from Calum. Instead, he engaged what appeared to be a mixed force of seven or eight men from both sides combined. He showed no indication of having heard Calum’s call, so Calum started toward him.

  A soldier whirled around and swung at Calum with a sword. He dodged the stab, clamped his left hand on the soldier’s opposite wrist, and ran him through.

  A second soldier came at him with an axe. Calum yanked his sword free and raised it to block the blow, but a red blade with a curve at its end intercepted it. One swift motion later, the soldier dropped to the ground, dead from a savage hack.

  Tyburon stood in the soldier’s place and glared at Calum with bloodlust in his hazel eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I would kill every man on this battlefield to get to you,” Tyburon said.

  Calum glanced past Tyburon. Both Magnus and Axel still fought others, too occupied to even notice him, much less help.

  He was on his own.

  “Your friends can’t save you now, boy.”

  Tyburon’s first attack came so fast that Calum barely had time to avoid it, but somehow he managed to back away just in time. The second was predictable—a hard chop down at his head. Calum blocked it easily, but he couldn’t do anything when Tyburon’s boot slammed into his chest.

  Calum skidded through the tall grass on his back. He pushed himself upright in time to bat away a series of quick strikes from Tyburon’s sword.

  A brick hit his face and pain flared in his right cheek. No, not a brick—Tyburon’s fist.

  Calum staggered back and shook his cognition back into place. Tyburon would maintain his advantage unless Calum could do something to interrupt it.

  He knew one thing for sure—if Tyburon expected to kill him easily, Calum intended to disappoint him. Magnus hadn’t trained him over the last few months for nothing, and Lumen hadn’t called him for no reason, either.

  Calum had been chosen, and he’d resolved not to fail, no matter what.

  Tyburon laughed. “How does that feel, boy?”

  “Not as good as killing your cousin.” Calum cracked his neck and leveled his sword.

  A solemn wave washed Tyburon’s glee away. “First, you kill my cousin. Then you make me track you through the woods, away from my home and my bed. Now you’re joking about it? By the time I’m done, no one will even be able to recognize you.”

  “You talk too much.”

  Tyburon slashed at Calum’s head, but Calum rolled under the blow and swung at his legs. Tyburon blocked the attack and kicked Calum again. Calum’s breastplate absorbed most of the kick, but the impact knocked him off balance. He fell to the ground, totally vulnerable.

  Tyburon’s red blade chopped at Calum’s left leg, but Calum jerked it away. When Tyburon followed up with a chop at Calum’s right leg, Calum shifted, dodged the blow, and planted the sole of his left boot on Tyburon’s knee. He pushed off, and Tyburon’s knee buckled as Calum rolled backward onto his feet.

  Grimacing, Tyburon came at him right away with another swing, and sharp pain knifed across Calum’s chest. Had Calum’s sword not been there, and had his leather armor not absorbed some of the hack, the slash would’ve killed him.

  As it was, Tyburon’s red blade remained where it was, partway digging into the flesh of Calum’s chest. Only Calum’s sword and his strength kept it from delving any deeper.

  With gritted teeth, Calum shoved his sword against Tyburon’s, and the blade barely dislodged from Calum’s leather breastplate. He staggered back a few desperate steps and dabbed at his chest. Blood tainted his fingertips.

  “I hope it hurts,” Tyburon said. “It’s only the beginning.”

  Calum glanced at Magnus and Axel again. Magnus had whittled the number of his opponents down to three—all of them the King’s soldiers.

  Axel no longer held his spear, but he had somehow managed to get Commander Anigo off of his horse, which then bolted for the tree line. They now fought face-to-face in a flurry of clashing metal that made Calum glad he wasn’t fighting Commander Anigo.

  Then again, he still had Tyburon to deal with.

  Tyburon smirked. “Truth be told, I’m impressed you even made it this far.”

  “That makes two of us.” Calum swallowed the lump in his throat and sucked in several quick breaths.

  “Not so confident anymore, are you?” Tyburon angled his sword so the tip pointed at Calum’s face.

  “It’s just a cut.”

  “It’s a harbinger of your demise,” Tyburon said. “A promise of things to come.”

  To Calum’s surprise, he defended Tyburon’s next several attacks without incident, and he even managed to throw in a few of his own. He actually struck Tiburon’s left thigh once, but the blow didn’t pierce his armor.

  Tyburon staggered back and shook his leg, all while callin
g down every curse and hurling every profane name under the sky at Calum. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

  “Add it to your list of grievances.” Calum sucked in quick breaths, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

  “Funny thing is…” Tyburon huffed and waved his sword through the tall grass, for now keeping his distance. “I didn’t even like Norm.”

  Calum’s jaw tensed, and anger briefly overpowered the pain in his chest. “Then why are you taking this so personally?”

  Tyburon shrugged and began to circle Calum, still teasing the grass with his red blade. “He was my family, and part of the Brotherhood.”

  Calum wanted to sling a curse or two at him, but Tyburon didn’t grant him the time. A hailstorm of attacks rained down on Calum. He parried some and dodged the others, straining to meet each blow.

  “Just give up, already,” Tyburon said between thrusts. “I’ll make it quick and painless for you. Mostly.”

  “Why don’t you give up?” If Calum could survive just a bit longer, then perhaps Magnus could come and assist him. “You’re old. I’m only sixteen. I have a long life ahead of me. You’re basically worthless now.”

  Tyburon glared at him and scoffed. “Kid, I’m only thirty-eight. That’s not old.”

  As they’d fought, one thing in particular stood out to Calum—Tyburon was aware of everything happening around him in the battle. At one point, he even backed away from the fight to grab a soldier from behind and run him through, thus saving Nicolai, then he reengaged Calum the instant he released his grip on the soldier.

  Perhaps Calum could use that to his advantage… but how?

  Tyburon lashed at Calum’s head, and he leaned back and out of the way. The red metal of the blade missed his nose by inches, and Tyburon continued to spin around for another hack.

  As Magnus had taught him, Calum stepped into Tyburon’s swing and met his sword with his own instead of falling back. The blades met, and Calum earned a slight advantage by catching Tyburon off guard.

  The advantage didn’t last long. Though Calum’s blade blocked Tyburon’s sword from harming him, Tyburon’s other elbow freely slammed into Calum’s right cheek. The blow stunned Calum, and Tyburon freed his sword with another hard shove to Calum’s chest.