Wielder's Fate

by T. B. Christensen

  At least there would be food for the foreseeable future. Stands were being set up all throughout the city where the refugees could go to receive food. The leaders of Kavar had also sent out messengers to the nearby villages to the south asking them to send food and supplies for the army and the refugees. Those extra supplies would begin arriving within the next few days. As long as the army could hold, the people should have their needs met.

  She had to maintain hope that the Royal Army would be able to repel the galdaks. They had held strong at Candus for five days and should be able to repeat the feat. That would allow Traven the time he needed to arrive with the magic object. She hoped his power, supplemented by the object, would be enough to turn the tide of battle. She sighed once again as she looked up at the clouds and thought of the young wielder. All she could do now was hope.

  32

  Traven stepped back from the screeing dish, dumped out the water, and slipped it into his pack. He had sent his messages. Now it was time to continue marching south. He swung up onto Pennon and gave the signal. His elven army immediately surged forward behind him as he began down the road. He let out a sigh. It would be another long day in the saddle. Darian and Giselle rode directly behind him, with the rest of the elves marching in the rear.

  He glanced back at his devoted servants with a smile. They had both been noticeably happier ever since the night he had talked to Giselle. Darian appeared to have an extra bounce in his step when setting up and taking down the tent, and Giselle seemed to have a perpetual smile on her lips. It filled him with joy to see the two of them so happy, but it also made him long to experience the kind of love they felt.

  He had just seen Kalista’s beautiful face in the screeing dish, and her image remained before his eyes. Traven reached into his pocket and felt the familiar letter that rested there. He had thought about it often along the road to Kavar and had renewed his promise countless times to truthfully tell the princess how he felt the next time he had a chance to speak with her. After expressing his feelings, he would then be able to move on without regretting what might have been. If the two of them were not meant to be together, at least it wouldn’t be his fault.

  He pulled his hand from his pocket and began practicing wielding the ambience while seated atop Pennon. The armband of endurance had been an even greater blessing to him than he could have imagined. With its assistance, he had been able to practice for the majority of each day without any ill effects. He would go to bed feeling only slightly tired and wake up the next morning feeling completely energized. The sensation was still new to him and made him eager every morning to use his extra energy.

  The armband of endurance had allowed him to continue improving his skills in the ambience at a rapid rate. Unlike his full days of training at Faldor’s Keep, he now didn’t have to pause often to eat and rest. At first, he had feared that his constant use of magic would disturb his elven soldiers, but he had soon learned that they not only didn’t mind it, they actually enjoyed it. Darian had told him that many of the elves mentioned being disappointed when they went a day without seeing him wield the ambience.

  Traven smiled to himself. Ever since then he had made sure to perform visible manifestations of his practice for at least part of the day, but most of his practice was done without anyone seeing what he was doing. He had focused mostly on creating things ethereally, wrapping the necessary particles around them, and then holding them steady just inside the barrier of existence. The practice had allowed him to greatly increase his control.

  He knew that his power was nowhere near the strength of the ancient galdak wielder and that he wouldn’t be able to defeat the powerful galdak with brute strength. His best chance was to outmaneuver and outlast the old wielder. The armband of endurance would allow him to continue wielding the ambience long after he normally would have collapsed with exhaustion. He had determined that if he practiced enough, he would have the skill necessary to avoid the galdak wielder’s attacks and wear him down until the ancient creature was weak enough to defeat.

  At the moment, Traven was maintaining ten shields at the same time. He moved them around in various patterns through the air, making sure they were solid and all exactly the same. Creating multiple shields had saved his life the first time he had faced the galdak wielder, and he was positive they would be useful once again. He continued practicing with the shields for most of the morning. He changed their shapes and sizes and increased their count to twenty.

  The morning and afternoon passed slowly as he relentlessly practiced wielding the ambience in different ways. He worked with fire and lightning for part of the afternoon to the delight of his army. By the time evening finally fell, he was tired and ready to stop for the night. He gave the signal, and the elves quickly began setting up camp. It wasn’t long before he was seated next to his fire enjoying a delicious stew that Giselle had prepared.

  Every time he ate one of her meals, he silently thanked Darian for sharing his future wife’s talents. Giselle wasn’t much older than he was, at least by elven standards, but he had begun to think of her as a second mother. She cooked, cleaned, and made sure that he was as comfortable as possible. She had served him well ever since she first swore her devotion, but she had been even more attentive to his needs and wants after he had talked with her in the field.

  Traven often felt guilty for the love and devotion the two elves showed towards him. He really hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Everything he had done for them would have already been theirs if they hadn’t given away their freedom. Giselle laughed at something that Darian whispered in her ear, and Traven smiled. He supposed that as long as the two were happy, he really didn’t have anything to feel guilty about.

  As he watched the happy pair, his smile turned to a frown. There were those he loved and cared about that would not be laughing tonight. He set his bowl down and thanked Giselle for the delicious stew. He then walked over to his tent and ducked inside. He waited for a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before reaching into his saddlebag and pulling out his screeing dish. After filling it with water, he sat down in front of it and called up an image of the city of Kavar.

  The galdak horde was already advancing towards the city but hadn’t attacked yet. Traven scanned the high walls of Kavar and located Blaize. The magnificent warrior stood firmly, staring in the direction of the approaching monsters. The walls of the city were packed with archers awaiting his signal. There were also swordsmen spaced evenly along the tops of the walls. Just inside the city, numerous soldiers stood waiting to either replace their comrades atop the walls or stop the galdaks if any happened to get through the outer defenses.

  Traven turned his attention back to the approaching army. He noticed with concern that the galdak wielder was walking at the head of the horde. It looked as if he were planning on repeating what he had done at the beginning of the siege of Candus. The galdak wielder finally stopped just out of the range of the archers. The enormous horde behind him stopped as well.

  The old wielder raised his arms in the air as Traven watched helplessly. Suddenly, three giant bolts of lightning came slamming down from the clouds and struck the wall of Kavar in three separate places. Rocks flew, but the thick and solid walls remained standing. The galdak wielder followed up by sending three more bolts crashing into the wall. This time larger pieces of rock fell, and the wall began to waver slightly. The soldiers standing on the three sections of the wall realized another strike could collapse it and began hastily scrambling to get away. The galdak wielder didn’t wait. He immediately brought three more massive bolts slamming against the wall.

  Traven watched with horror as hundreds of soldiers were sent plummeting to their death as three sections of the wall crumbled. He looked on from the silence of his tent, as three more bolts came slamming down on other sections of the wall. It appeared that the galdak wielder intended to do more damage than he had at Candus. Soldiers began abandoning the wall as fast as they could while more lightning
bolts continued to strike.

  It was surreal to watch the destruction and death and hear nothing but his own breathing in the stillness of his tent. The longer he watched, the more he fancied he could hear explosions and screams emanating from the scene in front of him. As he listened closer, he realized the faint sounds were merely the laughter and songs of his own elven army.

  He continued watching as the entire eastern wall of Kavar was systematically reduced to rubble. The sight left him numb. Many soldiers had escaped the wall, including Blaize, but many others had died. The city’s main point of defense was now no more. The advantage the Kalian Army had counted on was gone.

  The galdak wielder sent a fireball straight up into the sky, and his warriors began rushing past him. The second wave of the attack was now under way. The Kalian soldiers quickly regrouped and took positions along the rubble that had once been a mighty wall. The piles of stone would still serve as a barrier but were no longer the impenetrable wall the defenders of the city had counted on. The remaining archers sent volley after volley into the onrushing horde, but the sheer number of galdaks made it impossible to slow them down.

  Traven looked on as the first group of galdaks reached the edge of the rubble and launched themselves towards the tops of the piles. The Kalian soldiers held firm against the onslaught, and the grey rocks at their feet soon became covered in red. Behind the front lines, the archers continued to send volleys of arrows into the horde. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the galdak wielder began sending balls of fire into the city, effectively scattering the archers. The old wielder seemed intent on playing an active role in the current attack. He watched the battle for several moments longer before letting the image fade away.

  It was frustrating to see the destruction and have no way of helping. If he had been there, he could have countered the galdak wielder’s attacks. Instead, he had watched helplessly. A deep worry for the Royal Army weighed heavily on his mind. Many soldiers would not live to see the morning. If the galdak wielder continued to attack, there was nothing the soldiers could do to defend themselves.

  What if he wasn’t able to reach Kavar in time? He had assumed the army would be able to easily defend the city for four days, but now he wasn’t so sure. He stood up and exited his tent. Darian was chuckling at something Giselle had just said but stopped the moment he saw Traven’s face.

  “What is wrong?” the elf asked, immediately sensing Traven’s change in mood.

  Darian’s and Giselle’s features turned solemn as Traven quickly related what he had just witnessed. In the background, the other elven soldiers continued to sing and talk, but around his fire, all was deathly silent. Darian finally rose to his feet.

  “Would you like me to send the news throughout the camp?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Traven replied. “We will need to leave earlier tomorrow morning and march longer.”

  Darian hurried off to begin spreading the news and giving the new orders. Giselle walked over to him and laid her hand on his shoulder.

  “Do not worry so,” she said gently. “It is not your fault. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it. You have already done the impossible in gaining the armband of endurance. When we arrive at Kavar, you will continue to do the impossible. Until then, rest and conserve your energy.”

  “I’m afraid we’ll arrive too late and find Kavar nothing more than a smoldering pile of ruins. How many people will be killed before we get there?”

  “We can do nothing about it at the moment,” Giselle stated. “Go and rest. Things will work out.”

  Traven thanked her with a smile and allowed her to lead him to his tent. He went inside and got ready for bed. Giselle was right. The best thing he could do tonight was to rest and not worry about it, but when he closed his eyes, the scenes of destruction kept running through his head. He slowly drifted off to sleep as the scenes of the attack mixed with his normal dreams.

  Despite a night filled with disturbing dreams, Traven awoke feeling rested and full of energy. He quickly dressed himself and went outside. The sky was just beginning to lighten. He looked over the quiet camp. A few elves were already awake, but it appeared that most were still asleep in their tents. He turned his gaze to the sky and a thunderous boom split the air.

  Immediately, thousands of heads poked out of tents and looked to the sky. When they saw that it was clear, they glanced around and located their leader, dressed in black, waiting with his arms crossed. They all understood what it meant. The camp burst into motion. It wasn’t long before the entire army of fifty thousand elves was marching south at a rapid pace.

  The landscape they passed through was similar to what they had seen ever since leaving the blackened ruins of Candus. The land was mostly flat with tall grass and low bushes. There were infrequent hills that gave slight variation to the landscape and proved that the army was indeed making progress through the never ending plains.

  Traven’s mind was occupied with concern for how the Royal Army was faring. He had checked just before he began the march and had seen the galdaks returning to their camp. Several of the buildings in Kavar nearest the crumbled wall had burned down, but other than that it appeared that the army had kept the galdaks out of the city. Even though the Royal Army had stood its ground, it was readily apparent there had been thousands of casualties on both sides. The army couldn’t continue to sustain so many casualties day after day like the galdaks could. The grand army would soon not have enough soldiers to continue to defend the city against a seemingly innumerable galdak horde.

  The thought had Traven thinking about what he could do to help the Kalian Army against the actual horde. He had been focusing solely on how he could defeat the galdak wielder. Killing the ancient wielder would undoubtedly help, but even with him out of the battle, there would still be hundreds of thousands of galdaks left. Traven’s powers would be essential for the army to defeat such overwhelming odds.

  He glanced at the shields he was currently maintaining and let them disappear. Multiple shields would not help against the horde. He knew he could send numerous lightning bolts and fireballs into the midst of the attacking galdaks, but he doubted that would be enough to truly slow down the horde. His attacks would need to be more wide spread. They would need to affect a larger number of galdaks at once.

  Traven spent the rest of the morning contemplating what he could do. He came up with several ideas but wouldn’t know how well they would work until he tested them. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to test most of them until he was actually in battle. There was one, though, he could test today.

  In the early afternoon, he decided it was time to try. He carefully formed tiny ethereal spheres of ice high up in the air. He made sure none of them were being formed above the marching elves and continued expanding them out away from the road as far as he could. All of the practice he had been doing made it fairly easy for him to create so many objects ethereally at once. He was also able to hold them all steady without too much effort. He finally stopped forming the spheres of ice when he had thousands of them radiating away from both sides of the army.

  Traven took a deep breath. This was by far the most objects he had held at the same time. He could feel the slight strain but was happy to find that with concentration, he could hold them all. What he didn’t know was whether or not he could bring such a large number into existence at the same time. It would take a huge amount of strength to pull them all into the physical realm.

  He supposed there was only one way to find out. He took another deep breath and yanked them all into existence as one. His body instantly broke out in a cold sweat and his vision blurred for a moment. His sight cleared just as he felt a slight shockwave in the air. The seemingly empty sky suddenly turned almost solid on either side of the road. The thousands of balls of ice hung suspended in midair for an instant before they all came rushing downward, picking up speed as they fell.

  The ice soon crashed into the plains with thunderous tumult and flatten
ed the tall grass on either side of the army. The surprise event was over in a moment. The elven army came to an immediate halt, not knowing what to think of the strange and startling incident. On both sides, the plains appeared as if they were covered in snow. The hot, summer day suddenly had a chill to it as a stiff breeze blew over the layer of small ice spheres surrounding the army.

  Traven shook his head to clear the last of his dizziness and smiled. It had worked! He surveyed the result with the pride one feels after accomplishing a difficult task. As he viewed the large swath of grass covered in ice on both sides of the road, he suddenly realized that there was complete silence. The army had stopped moving, and there was no sound. He turned around and found Darian and Giselle staring at him with surprise. His two servants’ horses were dancing around with wild eyes. Behind them, the rest of the elven army stood still. Some were staring out over the layer of ice while the others were staring forward at him.

  He offered them all a slightly abashed grin as he shrugged his shoulders. A visible look of relief immediately washed over those nearest him as they recognized the look on his face and realized the strange phenomenon had been his doing. Darian shook his head with a laugh and gave the signal for the army to continue marching.

  The group of fifty thousand warriors surged ahead and continued their march. Darian urged his horse forward and brought it alongside Pennon. He gave Traven a questioning look.

  “What was that?” the elf asked.

  “I was just experimenting,” Traven replied with a smile.

  “Right before it happened, you looked like you were about to fall out of your saddle. Do you feel well?”

  “I’m fine. It just made me a little dizzy. I shouldn’t have tried to do so much at once.”

  Darian glanced back at the large ice covered areas and whistled.