Five Kingdoms: Book 07 - Wizard Falling

by Toby Neighbors

  There weren't enough dwarves to properly man all twelve fortresses, but with reinforcements from Wilam’s army, the largest part of the Walheta Mountains could be defended quite well. But there was still a lot of work to be done. Not only did the soldiers need to be assigned to the strongholds, supplies had to stored. Water, food, medicinal supplies would need to be stockpiled at each location and lines of communication needed to be established. The dragons could help with communications and mop up the stragglers who tried to circumvent the strongholds, but it was still going to be an awful struggle. She only wished the areas around the eastern and western passes were as prepared for the battle to come.

  The passes were the natural way through the mountains, if the defenders fell there it would mean disaster for Yelsia and Baskla. The Five Kingdoms would be overrun with very little hope of survival for the people who lived there. Brianna tried not to think of what might happen. The war would be terrible enough, she assumed. She had nightmares of the battle she and Zollin had fought to hold back the witch’s forces so that the king’s army could escape back to sea. The grotesque creatures ambled toward her in her dreams. No matter how many she killed there were always more, always coming for her no matter where she ran or how fast. They were always at her heels. Brianna had to shake her head to escape the fear that her dreams drummed up inside her.

  Selix shook and roared, Brianna’s emotions had spilled over onto the dragon. As far as Brianna knew the dragons didn’t fear anything other than lightning, but while Brianna was dragon-kind, she did not benefit from their size and strength. And it was her very human heart which seemed the most vulnerable. She knew her greatest fear was returning to Walheta’s Gate and facing Wilam again. She didn’t despise him, in fact she held the new king in high regard, but she was afraid he would see through her lies about her feelings for him. He was a king, handsome and strong, but she loved Zollin. She couldn’t fool herself about that any longer. She had been swept up with infatuation for Wilam in Orrock, letting herself feel the giddiness of romance as her childhood fantasies came true with the handsome prince. But reality had shattered those dreams and she was left with the truth, which was respect for Wilam and love for Zollin.

  Still, knowing her feelings didn’t help her now. She understood at last that her heart was forever Zollin’s only when he was forever out of her reach. She wondered if she would feel his passing. He had gone to find and kill Gwendolyn, the sorceress who had destroyed three of the five kingdoms. No one, not even Brianna, expected him to survive such a mission. And while she understood why he had to do it, she still ached with the pain of lost love.

  That was why she didn’t want to return. She wanted to stay with the dwarves, but she knew that Tig was returning and she would need to relay the small, blue dragon’s information about the enemy horde to the King’s soldiers planning their defense. Tomorrow she could go out and fight with the cavalry, and Gyia would keep Wilam and the others informed about what was happening. Tomorrow she could throw herself into the task of defending Yelsia without bothering to wonder about her future or her feelings, but first she would have to get through the night. Wilam had proposed they marry and share the wedding bed. That was a point of no return, Brianna knew, but she still held out hope, however slim, that somehow Zollin would succeed and find her. How could she face him as Wilam’s wife, but how could she deny the king and break her promise? She didn’t know and that scared her.

  Selix circled above the small settlement. The sun was just beginning to set and Brianna was surprised to see troops from the coast already there. She saw their horses, their sides heaving and slick with sweat, their mouths foaming with spit from the punishing pace their riders had forced upon them. The sight made her angry. There was no need to push the horses so hard. It galled her to see the good animals treated so harshly and it made her shudder to think of how her dragons could be used if the wrong people somehow found a way to control them the way Offendorl and King Felix had done.

  “Join the others,” Brianna said to Selix, patting his long golden neck before she slipped off the side of the dragon.

  She flipped and twirled through the air, but in her anger she landed a little too hard, sending a shock of pain up through her feet and into her legs. Silently she scolded herself for being careless. It was a lesson she couldn’t afford not to learn since she was the only person who could heal the dragons and her wonderful beasts would be crucial to the war ahead.

  Brianna was just about to walk into the feasting hall when she heard the shouting inside.

  “Bring him out!” shouted general Tollis.

  “He’ll answer for this outrage,” shouted another soldier.

  Brianna pushed open the door and found a cluster of dirty soldiers at the foot of the stairs leading up to King Zorlan’s side of the feasting hall. Soldiers were stationed along the stairs, their weapons drawn.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” said a small voice from behind Brianna.

  She turned and found Nycoll hurrying from a small store room.

  “What has happened?” Brianna asked.

  “King Zorlan taunted King Wilam into a duel. Wilam’s badly injured I’m afraid. The healer is with him now.”

  Brianna felt the blood draining from her face. She didn’t want Wilam to die and she felt afraid that he might. That would leave so many questions unanswered, not the least of which was who would lead the king’s army and become king of Yelsia.

  “Where is he?”

  Nycoll led Brianna up to the rooms that had been assigned to Wilam. There were more people in the anterooms, most standing idle with nothing to do and no way to help. Mansel and Quinn were by the door.

  “Thank goodness you’ve made it back,” Quinn said. “You’ve heard he was injured?”

  “Yes, Nycoll told me. How bad is it?”

  “Bad,” Quinn said. “The healer thinks he will live, but he’s in no shape to lead the army.”

  “What on earth happened?”

  “Zorlan sent for his torturer,” Mansel explained. “King Wilam went crazy with rage when he saw the man.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Brianna said. “He was cruelly abused when Zollin and I found him. He would have probably died from the torture if Zollin hadn’t healed him. There’s no way he would have ever walked again.”

  “That’s what Wilam said, but of course it was his word against King Zorlan’s,” Quinn said.

  “So the crafty king called for trial by combat,” Mansel added.

  “And the torturer would have killed Wilam if Mansel hadn’t intervened,” Quinn said.

  “Thank you for that,” Brianna said.

  Nycoll led her into the sleeping chamber. It smelled of sweat and strong herbs. The room was hot, with a brazier of coals standing near Wilam’s bed. He lay shivering beneath a thin sheet and a tattered but comfortable looking quilt.

  “He’s sustained several serious injuries,” the healer said, standing up from the small stool where he had been sitting and keeping watch over his patient. “His right arm is broken and he has cuts on his left thigh and backside. I was able to set the bone, clean and stitch the cuts, but he also has a very bad wound in his side. The muscle there is swollen and I’m afraid I can’t stitch it closed until that subsides. I’ve covered it with a poultice and I’m keeping it clean, but we’ll have to wait and see how it heals. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “Will he live?” Brianna asked.

  “I think so,” the healer said. “He’s strong and the wounds are clean. Nycoll did a good job seeing to the wounds before I arrived, otherwise I wouldn’t hold out much hope at all.”

  “Thank you,” Brianna said to Nycoll, and then turning back to the healer. “Thank you both so much.”

  She wanted to rush out and join the mob calling for King Zorlan’s head, but she knew that wouldn’t help matters. If Wilam died, no one could stop King Zorlan from taking over the army, and supposing they managed to defeat the witch’s army, take the throne of Yelsia.
Still, Wilam was alive and hopefully would still be able to name his successor if the worst came to pass.

  She sat on the edge of his bed and took his hand, silently willing the young king to live.

  It was a full hour before Tig returned. The small dragon had watched the progress of the witch’s army all day and was now returning to report. Brianna saw the images Tig relayed to her as well as the estimation that the army would arrive at the settlement in two days, if the cavalry wasn’t successful in slowing them down.

  “I need Quinn,” Brianna said to Nycoll, who was helping watch over the king.

  “I’ll bring him up right away,” Nycoll said.

  Brianna watched Nycoll. She was older than Brianna, older than Mansel too, but she had a youthful energy. She had been shy and almost timid when Brianna had first met her, but Nycoll had come alive when she discovered she could help people. It was a bright spot to see her so fulfilled in the midst of the sickness and death Brianna found herself in.

  Quinn came quietly into the room. He looked tired and worried, but he gave her a reassuring smile.

  “I have news from Tig,” she told him. “But it needs to be shared with everyone. What is going on downstairs.”

  “Boasting mostly,” Quinn said. “King Zorlan is still in his rooms, and the younger officers still call for his head, but they haven’t started a fight yet.”

  “I think the best plan of action is to share the latest news of our enemy and then send King Zorlan on to the eastern pass. The dwarves are preparing strongholds along the foothills, but the eastern pass will need a strong leader to ensure it does not fall.”

  “What if he won’t go?” Quinn asked. “I’m sure you understand what’s at stake here.”

  “I do,” Brianna said.

  “So if bringing him out of his hiding hole doesn’t start a fight, asking him to leave surely will.”

  “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

  Quinn thought for a moment and then shook his head.

  “But it won’t be easy,” he said. “Zorlan has a strong case for taking leadership of the army. If Wilam can’t do it, he will argue that he should. Wilam lost the trial by combat, so there is nothing officially we can use to deny Zorlan.”

  “Let me deal with King Zorlan. I need you and Mansel to help keep Wilam’s officers in line.”

  “We’ll do whatever you need.”

  “Good, call everyone together downstairs, I’m on my way.”

  Quinn nodded and ducked out.

  “You sound like a queen already,” Nycoll said as she patted Brianna’s shoulder.

  “I don’t feel like a queen,” Brianna admitted. “I feel like a garment that’s been stretched too far. If one more thing goes wrong I’m liable to tear right down the middle.”

  “I doubt that,” Nycoll said. “You’re a strong woman. You can show those men whose really in charge of things.”

  Brianna smiled and was a little surprised to see one on Nycoll’s face in return. She gazed back at Wilam. He looked pale and weak.

  “Alright, do all you can for him. We need him conscious if he’s to keep his kingdom,” she told Nycoll and the healer.

  “We’ll do all we can for him,” the healer assured her.

  Brianna felt a heavy weight settle onto her shoulders as she stood up. She knew she had to walk the perilous line between holding Yelsia together and creating the best chance for their survival against the witch’s mutated army. Once again she couldn’t help but wish Zollin was here. He could have taken the lead and no one would have doubted him. She didn’t think she could pull off such a delicate task.

  She walked down the staircase just as King Zorlan was coming out of his rooms. The officers from Yelsia were hissing and shouting, but Brianna threw a ball of fire into the huge, stone fireplace. The flames streaked through the feasting hall and exploded up the chimney. It was a powerful display of her abilities and the room fell silent.

  “King Wilam lives,” she said.

  The room burst out in cheers. Brianna had to wait a moment until the cacophony died down before she could continue.

  “But his injuries are severe. He won’t be able to lead the army from the front. Still, our task is clear. We must make every effort to carry out his strategy and ensure that no creature breaks through our lines of defense.”

  “I’m sorry,” King Zorlan said from the top of his staircase. “Why exactly do you feel you are in charge here? You may be promised to King Wilam, but you are no queen. I am the lone sovereign in this room. I shall take charge of our defense and ensure the survival of the Five Kingdoms.”

  The Falxis soldiers cheered and Brianna saw that while the Yelsian soldiers grumbled, they also wavered. A king was a person of awe for most people, it would be hard for even the nobles who led Wilam’s army to deny King Zorlan.

  “That is a kind gesture but it is unnecessary,” she said. Silently she called for the dragons, sending her thoughts out to the pride who were resting in the high hills not far away.

  “As I said, King Wilam lives, despite your best efforts to see him cut down.”

  “Your king sullied my name and you are treading dangerously close to doing the same now, sorceress.”

  Brianna smiled despite the insult.

  “I will do more than sully your name, King Zorlan. I was with Zollin when we found King Wilam left with your healer in your own tent along the road to the Grand City. I saw what your torturer did to him.”

  “Foul!” Zorlan shouted. The room was quiet, everyone watching the exchange between Brianna, the willowy young woman who was pledged to marry King Wilam and King Zorlan, the rotund, red faced monarch. “I cry foul and I will stand for these insults no more. I banish you from this place. You are no longer welcome here.”

  “You cannot banish me,” Brianna said in an icy tone. “Nor can you deny that you have broken the oldest and most cherished laws of the Five Kingdoms. You invaded Yelsia, you invaded Osla, you tortured an innocent and helpless man. No, you tortured a member of the royal family of Yelsia. Your own kingdom has fallen and now you serve at the good pleasure of King Wilam. Do not forget your place.”

  “This is my kingdom,” Zorlan shouted. “You stand on Falxis soil and insult me. I shall not have it.”

  “Would you care to settle the matter by combat?” Brianna said with a smirk. “I will face you here and now? Or would you produce a champion to fight for you? I can produce one as well.”

  Right at that moment the feasting hall shook with the roars of dragons. Every man in the room flinched at the terrible sound and the blood drained from King Zorlan’s face as Brianna continued.

  “I will suffer your insults no longer, King Zorlan. You were given command of the soldiers manning the Eastern pass. You will go there this night and prepare your defenses.”

  “Who are you to command me, woman?” Zorlan bellowed. “You talk of my crimes, but you have no proof. Yet here you are, a sorceress with a pack of dragons in tow. You speak of the most sacred of our laws, and yet the oldest laws say that no kingdom shall harbor a wizard or use a sorcerer in combat. It is not I who have broken the laws of our kingdoms. It is not I who dares to use witchcraft to usurp a throne and overthrow kingdoms. I am a sovereign ruler from a noble family. I have not only the wisdom, but also the experience to lead armies. What skills do you possess that make you fit to give me or any man here orders.”

  “Let me show you my skills,” Brianna said.

  Flames ignited on both of Brianna’s hands. The officers drew back away from her and Zorlan looked around nervously, hoping to find some cover along the bare balcony of the feasting hall.

  “I wear no crown,” Brianna said. “I covet no kingdom’s power. You speak of experience? I have the experience of birthing dragons. I have fought the enemy and saved your life outside the Grand City.”

  She let the flames leap up high into the air.

  “I am dragon-kind, King Zorlan, a fire spirit. My lineage goes back to time beyond remembering.
My nobility stems from my actions, not my birthright. I seek to further no secret agendas, only to save what remains of the Five Kingdoms. If that is not enough, then I will leave and those who wish to may leave with me. We will let the king of Falxis defend his border by himself.”

  “I’m with her,” said Quinn in a loud voice.

  “As am I,” said Mansel, who stood with his sword propped against his shoulder.

  “And I,” said General Tollis.

  “And I,” said Symon.

  One by one all the officers in the feasting hall joined Brianna. Zorlan’s face twisted in rage. Brianna let the fire on her hands die back down, although the flames still flickered around her fingers. She turned and addressed the room.

  “The dragons report that the enemy will be here in two days, probably some time in the early morning hours. You must send men to hold the eastern pass under the command of King Zorlan,” she said, waving a hand at Zorlan who still stood at the top of the stairs. “There are twelve dwarfish strongholds along the road to the east. Each should be fortified with soldiers and General Tollis will see to the defenses here at the western pass. General Hausey and the light cavalry from Felson will harry the enemy and hopefully buy us more time. The dragons and I will help him. But you can’t count on more than an extra day. That means we have three days to prepare our defenses. The enemy is like a swarm of insects. They are too numerous to count. Our best chance is to hold together and beat them back.”

  “That’s your strategy?” King Zorlan scoffed.

  “No,” came a weak voice from the other side of the room.

  Everyone looked up and saw King Wilam, draped in blankets, his face pale and his hair clinging to his head plastered with sweat. The healer stood behind him, but Wilam stood on his own. His weight on his good leg, his left hand clenched to the railing of the balcony. A bloody bandage was just visible under the blankets.

  “It is my strategy,” he said.

  The room erupted in cheers. King Wilam looked down at Brianna and tried to smile, but it ended up being more of a grimace.