The mention of larger beasts made Aiden’s skin crawl. There are more, he thought anxiously. What was he getting himself into?
The King walked over to the table, motioning for them all to gather around. A massive map of Eden was laid out. They all studied it silently until the King pointed at a large green area between the mountains and the Capital City.
“Emerald fields,” he said. “That is where we will fight.”
“Why there?” asked the Captain. “It will take us almost a week to get there. A week of travelling won’t let our men have a lot of time left to train.”
“We can’t have it too close to the city,” he argued. “They will send another troop around us, attacking the city to distract us from behind. We need to keep the people there safe, and the only sure way to do this is by taking the battle farther away. It is still close enough to access our resources if the battle drags on.”
“We’ll have the river too,” Logan added, pointing to a painted blue line on the map. “We can try to lead their men and beasts toward it. They won’t know the current like we do, so it will work to our advantage.”
“Good point, lad,” the Captain said, nodding his head. “What do you think, Ottman? You’re from the north originally. Do you think they’ll go there?”
“I don’t see what other path they would choose. The river is at its thinnest there, and as mentioned before, they don’t know the current. There aren’t very many active bodies of water where they’re from, so Brutus won’t want to bring them through a deeper or wider area of the river, at risk of losing some of them. He’ll need all the numbers he can get. It is right to assume they’d pass through there. We can be there to greet them.”
“I’d better get the men ready then,” the Captain said as the final decision was made. “There will be a lot to pack if we are to get moving.”
Everyone started to disperse, the meeting officially called to an end. As Aiden went to leave, the King called for him to stay a minute.
“I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m about to say,” he began, walking over to sit on the edge of the platform the throne sat upon. He patted the spot next to him for Aiden to take a seat. “I want you to be in the front line when the beasts come out,” he said as Aiden sat down. “I can only assume that they will send them out first, in order to thin out our forces before their men attack. The more they can do with those magical monsters, the more they can save their numbers. Since you have fought one before, you’ll understand their movements better than the others.”
He felt hot as he listened to the King. In reality, he much more preferred to just stay in the back, like he did in class at high school. It was easier in the back—no one noticed you there. In the front, all focus was on you.
“Please don’t think that I am using you as bait, since you have a remarkable ability to heal. The men look up to you now; you’re the only one to defeat one of these in hand-to-hand combat. I don’t think you realize how many men we’ve lost to these animals already. If you lead, the men will be encouraged to follow, will believe that you will lead them to a victory.”
“What if I can’t?” he interrupted.
“It is not up to you to actually win this for everyone, but to make them believe they can do it themselves. Leading has everything to do with encouragement and faith, and nothing to do with our actual abilities. We just need people to believe we can do things, so that they in turn believe the same for themselves. It is fate that will decide who can actually deliver and who can’t.”
Aiden nodded his head in understanding. “I will take this responsibility on, and I pray for us all that it works.” The King smiled thankfully. “One thing, though,” he added as they both got up. “I want my friends with me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When he left the palace, Wolf and Logan stood waiting for him. They both wore huge smirks that made Aiden instantly on guard.
“What’s going on?” he asked hesitantly.
“Looks like you’re ours today, newbie,” Wolf said, smiling. Logan laughed an exaggerated evil cackle, grabbing Aiden around the neck into a headlock.
“Let’s go!” he exclaimed happily.
The three of them headed out of the city walls, where three horses stood waiting. Felix stood there white as a ghost, holding their weapons and shields in his hands.
“Oh, don’t look so scared, Felix,” Wolf said, laughing. “It really isn’t that hard.”
“I’m not scared to fight,” Felix said defensively. “I’m scared of this miserable beast you call a horse,” he said, nodding toward Wolf’s mount. “He bit me!” he accused. Wolf laughed.
“He didn’t get his name for nothing!” He smiled, slapping Felix on the back. “All right, you two, today we learn to use what Logan has taught you, and what I have taught you, and put them together. It is one thing to fight on your own two feet, but it is a totally different experience on the back of a horse. You need to learn your balance, and the space in which you have to fight. You need to be conscious not only of your own health, but that of your steed as well. The men that will attack you will go for your horse just as quickly as they will you.”
“You must be in tune with your animal, understanding their movements, while still focusing on your attacks and blocks,” continued Logan. “If you can handle it, it would be better to carry both a shield and a weapon. This would, however, require you to know how to ride without holding the reins. That might be too much for you to start with, so we’ll stick to just the weapon and see how it goes.” Aiden’s head was already beginning to hurt.
“Now, get saddled, boys. We have a long day ahead of us!” Wolf barked, the large smirk still stuck on his face.
Aiden could already tell this was going to be a rough one, ending in him being thrown or falling off his horse again. He sighed as he lifted himself up, reaching his hand out for Logan to pass him his axe. He watched Wolf with Felix, helping him get settled.
“Hey, Aiden,” Logan began as he checked all the straps on his saddle.
“Yeah?”
“How did you heal that fast?” He saw Wolf and Felix both looked over interestedly out of the corner of his eye. All three waited for him to answer.
“Um, I don’t know,” he lied. “Must have been that green crap.”
“I’ve had that stuff put on my wounds hundreds of time—ones that weren’t nearly as bad as yours—and they didn’t heal like that,” he argued.
Aiden sighed, looking down at the back of Ty’s neck. How was he supposed to answer them? He wasn’t supposed to reveal where he was really from. These were his friends, and he didn’t like keeping secrets from them, but he had no choice. Looking up, he saw the three of them still looking at him, waiting for the truth. He had to give them a partial one, all that he could for the time being.
“Look, I can’t really explain everything to you at this point, but I promise you when I can, I will explain it all.” Their faces looked confused, but none of them argued.
“All right, newbie, if you say so. Let’s get to work!” Wolf called out, slapping the butt of the horse Felix sat on, sending him running forward. Felix yelled out as the three of them laughed behind him.
Wolf and Logan kept saying how surprised they were at the two of them. Neither Aiden nor Felix had fought yet on horseback, but it didn’t take them long to gain the proper balance.
“We have to teach you now what it is like to be attacked by someone on foot,” Logan said, calling them over to stand in front of them. “I’ll attack Felix, and Wolf will attack Aiden.”
Wolf circled around him, his short sword in hand. “Be aware of my attacks on you, and Ty,” he was saying. “You don’t want Ty injured, because you could be thrown, which you’re used to … or worse, you could be trampled.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “Ready?” Wolf lunged at him, his sword flying in and out like the wind. It took all of Aiden’s concentration to block his attacks with the handle of his axe. Thankfully, Ty was calm, since his attacker was Wol
f, who was almost like a father to the animal. Aiden found himself only blocking, barely finding an opportunity to attack Wolf.
They heard a cry, and turned to see Felix lying on the ground beside his horse. Aiden jumped off Ty to run over and see if he was okay.
“What happened?” Wolf asked as the two of them approached. Aiden hadn’t realized he was right beside him until then.
“He just slipped off the saddle,” Logan said calmly. “He leaned out too far to get me, and lost his balance.”
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, crouching beside him.
“Yeah,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head. “Just a bump, I think.”
“Back to work, boys,” Wolf said. They walked back over to where Ty grazed on the grass.
“I’m finding it difficult to find an opportunity to attack,” Aiden confided.
“It will take some time. You’re preoccupied with yours and Ty’s safety, because that was the last thing I told you. Now, you just have to convert that to being second nature for you, and focus on attacking at the same time. Soon, it will all just come to you, I promise.”
They practiced until late in the evening. Wolf insisted that they needed to learn how to fight in the dark, so they continued way past sunset. By the time he called them to a halt, Aiden’s arms and thighs were aching. Wolf had been right: Aiden eventually got the hang of attacking as well as defending. He was still slower than when he was on foot, but he had vastly improved since just that morning.
“It amazes me how quickly you pick these things up,” Logan commented as they headed back to the city. It was a little unsettling for Aiden himself. He had never even been that good at sports, taking soccer for five years and still being mediocre at it. For some reason, he just understood the basics of fighting and absorbed the instructions they gave him. He still doubted he’d be good enough against the army from the north, which scared him more than he could admit, but all he could do was pray that he’d last through most of it. Hopefully, Diana was right, and he’d be unable to actually die while he was in Eden. That thought brought images of his family to his mind again, and he began to miss them dearly.
“What is the matter?” Felix asked, nudging Aiden.
“I’m just thinking about my family,” he admitted. “I miss them.”
“Me too,” Felix replied, looking up at the sky. “I always wonder what they’re doing right now.”
“Do you have siblings?” Wolf asked.
“I have a sister,” Aiden said, thinking about her tiny face.
“Really? Is she pretty?” Wolf smiled.
“She is a baby,” Aiden said defensively, looking at him in disgust.
“Damn,” he said, chuckling. Logan laughed too.
“I have a sister as well,” Felix said. “She is a year older than me, and more beautiful than any other girl in our village.”
“Now that is some good news!” Wolf laughed. “I can’t wait to meet her!”
Felix looked at Aiden, rolling his eyes. All four guys started to laugh, and kept it up until they reached the gates. When they got there, Elisa stood waiting for them. Her face looked grave, and she wore no smile.
“What’s wrong?” Wolf asked, instantly sobering up.
“We’ve had news from the north,” she said, looking over at Felix. Everyone waited for her to continue, confused by the pause. Aiden turned his head to look at Felix too, her eyes never left his. Felix’s face turned white as he understood.
“My village?” he asked, tears already building in his eyes. She looked at him, slowly nodding her head. “Nothing?”
“It looks like they destroyed it all,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry, Felix.”
He dropped to the ground, burying his face in his hands. They all stood silently as he wept openly for his family. Aiden crouched down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The loss seemed to hit them all, awakening a desire for revenge in them, not only for their friend, but for all the people who were gone now.
“Don’t worry, Felix,” Logan said passionately. “We’ll avenge them—we’ll destroy them all.”
Elisa and Aiden looked at each other in sadness. No one wanted to move until Felix could regain his composure. It took him a while, but eventually he stood up again, wiping the last of his tears from his face.
“I need to be alone,” he said in a hoarse voice. They all nodded, letting him walk ahead of them.
“Who else?” Wolf asked, turning toward Elisa.
“It looks like two more villages were also destroyed.” She sighed. “I recognized the name of his, so I thought I should be the one to tell him. We didn’t think they’d destroy the villages, opting out in order to make up more time, but they’re setting fire to everything. No one has been left behind; they’re all destroyed.” Aiden could see tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke. He stepped forward, bravely putting his arm around her shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” he offered reassuringly. “We’ll stop them before they can do any more harm.” She looked up at him uncertainly. He smiled back, hoping he could at least fake confidence for her sake.
“Are there any more villages leading toward emerald fields?” Wolf asked.
She nodded her head. “One more,” she answered hesitantly, looking at Logan. Aiden turned to see his face fall.
“My parents,” he uttered. He started forward, but Wolf stopped him in his path.
“Logan, look at me,” he said, grabbing his shoulders. “There is nothing we can do now. They are too far away—we’ll never reach them in time.”
“So we’re just going to let them all be destroyed?” he spat out bitterly. He shoved Wolf back. “This is my family, Wolf. I can’t just stand by and let them all be killed.”
“What can we do, Logan? They are probably only a day’s ride away. It would take us at least five to get there if we rode all night—it’s impossible,” Elisa said in a soothing voice. She reached out to touch him, but he jerked away, turning to look at the field behind them. He screamed at the top of his lungs in anger, kicking the ground hard. The three of them stood quietly as he let out his frustration. Then he stood with his back to them in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, he turned to look at them again, and his face had his usual calm look. Aiden let out a sigh of relief.
“I need a drink,” he said. Wolf smiled, walking over to throw his arm around his shoulders. Aiden couldn’t help but smile too.
“That’s my boy! Drinks on me then. Come on, Aiden,” he said, leading the way.
“Are you going to come?” Aiden asked, looking down at Elisa. She smiled and shook her head.
“You guys go ahead. I have some things I need to do,” she answered. Aiden wished her a good night and hurried along to catch up with the other two. Something else seemed to be bothering her; Aiden could sense it. He figured it was the stress of the war, and left her to deal with it privately.
Elisa watched as the three boys strode off toward the tavern they frequented. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from sympathy and despair. So many people had died already, and so many were still at risk. Even as she watched the boys’ figures disappear into the darkness, she realized that one of them could just as easily not be there in a short time. Everything was so uncertain, teetering on an unknown future for each of them. She had been spending most of her evenings in the sanctuary, praying for whatever favour the God and Goddess would bestow upon them.
That evening she would have to miss her prayers and head out of the city. Her father had given her a special task, which would require her to be out for the whole night. The emerald fields were a good five days’ ride away, if one took a horse. In Elisa’s case, she’d be taking a much faster means of travel, which would bring her there by midnight. Her father had called her into his chambers earlier that evening.
“Sit down, my child,” he said, motioning toward the sofa. She obediently sat down, waiting for him to speak. He looked concerned, overwhelmed by something. Elisa assumed it was
the upcoming war that troubled him. “I have a task for you,” he said.
“Of course, Father. What is it?”
“The King’s plans to use the emerald fields is a good one. However, the northern army will have the advantage of the trees, whereas we will be out in the open. I’m sure you can appreciate the difference.”
“Indeed, they will have more cover, and their archers will have higher points to shoot from,” she said, thinking about the trees that lined one side of the field. She had been there only once in her life, a long time ago when her father had taken her to see the Riders in the west. He rode through that way, and they had stopped to eat. She remembered climbing one of those trees, finding the large, low branches ideal. It was on that trip that her father had introduced her to the Chief’s son. She hadn’t known then what was planned for the two of them.
Bringing herself back to the present, she focused on her father’s words.
“I need you to go see Diana tonight, and ask her to send you to the fields. She has a way of sending people through magic in only a matter of minutes. She doesn’t do it often, but I think she’ll agree that now is the time to use her skills to our advantage.”
“What would you like me to do there?” she asked, nervous at the thought of travelling by way of magic. She didn’t understand the witch and her abilities, and was a little frightened of putting her faith in her.
“I need you to find a spot where you can station yourself during the battle. You are our best archer, which means the higher we can get you, the more of the battle you will be able to see, and then you can pick their men off one by one. We also need to make sure your whereabouts won’t be discovered by their men.” He walked over and knelt beside her. “I don’t think I need to express in words for you, how scared I am to even have you near that field.”
She smiled softly at him, placing her hand on his cheek. “You don’t need to worry, Father. I have been trained by the best.”
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