Thunderbolt (Dynasty of Storms Book 2)

by Brandon Cornwell

  Elias nodded. “That is correct, your Grace. Sargoth was occupied fighting a dragon that flew from Steinhalt. Were it not for him, we would have likely been killed to a man. He also reported to us, after we had fallen back to our camp with the wounded, that Steinhalt had a wizard.”

  Eira frowned, her face changing its expression for the first time. “A wizard? What wizard? I was unaware of a mage in or allied with Steinhalt.”

  Elias shook his head. “I do not know. Sargoth told me of a red mage who successfully fended him off from attacking Steinhalt and burning it to the ground. He only said that she was able to repel him with fire, her color was red, and that she was a woman.”

  Her frown deepened. “I shall have to have a conversation with the dragon myself.”

  Elias nodded. “As you wish, your Grace.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Once he returned, Sargoth set fire to the forest surrounding Steinhalt, to slow or stop any pursuit that might have sought to eliminate our wounded and retreating soldiers. As far as we could tell, we were not pursued.”

  Eira sighed, sinking slightly into her chair. “And my son?”

  Elias bowed his head. “Forgive me, your Grace, but I do not know. There was a detachment of our cavalry that rode south, away from the battle, but it was too far away from me to see who rode in it, and I do not know if they outran the enemy cavalry that chased them.”

  Eira nodded once. “It is as it is. I will pray to the gods for his safety, for that is all I can do. In the meantime, we have a war to continue.”

  Jonas looked up, frowning. Martin looked at Elias, slight confusion on his face. Elias stood where he was, looking at Eira. “Your Grace?” he asked, questioningly.

  Eira sat up a little straighter in her chair again. "My son, King Brandt, would not have wanted this war to end with a single defeat, nor with his death. I will continue what he started, and see it through to its completion. If he returns to us, he will resume command of the Northlands. If not, then I will lead in his name.”

  Elias was silent for a moment, before bowing slightly. “As you command, your Grace.”

  Eira held up her hand. “Thank you for your valor and bravery, Elias, Jonas, and Martin. I appoint you, Elias, general of the army of Valtheim. Jonas, Martin, you will be his lieutenants, and carry out his orders amongst my men. Do you accept your appointments?”

  Elias nodded. “I do.”

  Jonas nodded as well. “Aye, it seems fitting.”

  Martin hesitated. “Does this mean that Jonas and I are equal in rank now?”

  Eira nodded slightly. “It does.”

  Jonas scowled as Martin looked at him, grinned, and said, “I accept.”

  Eira gestured to the three. “Very good. Go forth now. I will notify the officers of your appointments. I do not expect there to be any resistance amongst the soldiers. Your valor and bravery are known throughout their ranks. We will deal with our wounded and then plan our next move.” She stood, waving her hand. “Leave me now. I must go and pray.”

  Elias, Jonas, and Martin all bowed to Eira, and turned, exiting the great hall.

  ~ ~ ~

  1st Waning Frost Moon, Year 4369

  Sargoth lounged on the ground outside of the Valtheim walls, reminding Elias again of a feline as he lay on his side, while both of his front elbows touched the ground, his head held high on his long neck, eyes half-lidded. He glanced over to Elias and Eira as they approached, dipping his head in greeting.

  “Elias, Queen Eira, greetings. What brings you out here on this cold autumn day?”

  Eira bowed to Sargoth. “Greetings, Sargoth. I hear you had an encounter with a red wizard during the battle at Steinhalt. If you will, I have some questions.”

  Sargoth shrugged, drumming his claws on the packed earth. “But of course, my lady. I am an open book for your perusal.”

  Eira looked around, making sure there were no soldiers nearby who would overhead their conversation. “As you know, I am a student of the council of mages. You are familiar with our order, I assume?”

  Sargoth nodded. “Quite. Our kind and yours fly in the same air streams, as it were. Especially those from your point of the star.”

  This was news to Elias. He listened to them as they spoke, surprised to find that the wizards and the dragons were associated with each other. Sargoth seemed to know a bit more about the Council than he let on, but Elias had assumed it was due to the fact that he was thousands of years old.

  Eira was speaking to Sargoth now. “You know my master then?”

  Sargoth shook his head slightly. “I do not know him, but I know of him. I have never met him or been introduced, but all thinking, winged dragons are familiar with the mage that controls the winds. I can smell his energy from a long distance away. I can smell it on you.”

  Eira sat on a large stone, while Elias stood nearby. “Have you ever met any other wizards, maybe that you would recognize their energy?”

  Sargoth shook his head. “Again, my lady, not personally. You - and the young elf lady - are the first users of magic I have ever spent time with that were not trying to kill or capture me. However,” he said, holding up one taloned finger, “I have been attacked by those who smell of fire, earth, and destruction. I would recognize their scent if I were to be exposed to it. The red wizard I faced at Steinhalt felt like fire, and that much would have been obvious to anyone watching. Her bolts of energy burned me, and melted stone where she missed. Her presence was very hot; even my scales felt as if they were heating.”

  Eira frowned. “But neither the master of Fire nor his student are women, and you said 'she.' Who else could it be?”

  Sargoth smiled slightly. “My lady, the council and its students are not the only ones who practice magic; surely you know this.”

  Eira nodded. “I most certainly do, however, defeating a dragon without proper training? That feels well beyond the power of a peasant magician.”

  Sargoth lowered his massive head near to Eira. “Tell me, my lady, when you were chosen, were you the only applicant for your master's tutelage?”

  Eira paused. “No, no I was not.”

  Sargoth pulled back a little, regarding her. “And those other applicants, were they 'peasant magicians,' as you called them? Did they lack potential, or only training?”

  Eira was quiet for a moment, pondering. “No, they did not lack for potential. There were a few applicants who, frankly, had more potential than me.”

  “And why were you picked?”

  Eira blushed then, deeply, her cheeks turning crimson. Elias looked down at her, furrowing his brow in curiosity as she spoke.

  “That... is not something I am willing to discuss at this time. Rest assured, you have made your point.”

  Sargoth nodded. “As you will, my lady.” He sat back again, in the position he had been in when they had arrived. “I believe, my lady, that I have given you all of the useful information I can. If you please, regrowing scales is very tiring work, and I have many to replace. I would appreciate some sleep.”

  Eira stood, and bowed to Sargoth. “Of course. Thank you, Sargoth, for your time.”

  Eira turned back to the castle, letting Elias escort her. Elias was not entirely sure what had transpired between the queen and the dragon. It was obvious that there had been an exchange of information, but it felt as if it had been deeper than just the words that had been said. When they got back to the great hall in Valtheim, Elias stopped Eira.

  “What was that he was saying about why you were picked?”

  Eira frowned, looking him up and down. “Have you never heard the phrase, young Elias, that a woman will have her secrets?” she said, sharply. “This is one of those times. I did not want to discuss them with Sargoth, and I do not want to discuss them with you.”

  Elias was silent, somewhat stunned by her reaction. She turned away from him, and stepped into Brandt's chambers, closing the door behind her and leaving Elias in the empty great hall. He stood for a time, looking at the door, co
nflicted. Now Eira was hiding something. He shook his head, and turned towards the exit to the courtyard.

  These damn magic users made no sense to him, and they knew more than they were sharing. None of this was going to help him recover Brandt, nor decide the best course of action from this point forward.

  He stepped out into the late autumn afternoon sun, and looked around the courtyard. Everywhere were men sitting on the steps, standing in the courtyard, repairing armor or weapons as they could. He could hear that hammers were falling at the forge, rhythmic pings from the steel being forged into more implements of war. He looked up to see the sea elves, the blue of their skin mostly hidden behind thick furs and clothing they had donned to protect themselves from the cold of the Northlands, patrolling the walls, keeping wary eyes out for signs of an attack. On each ridge, they had scouts watching for the approach of any armies that might be coming to attack Valtheim after their resounding defeat. Though he could not see them, he knew they were out there, keeping a keen eye on the horizon.

  Several of the men saluted him as he exited the great hall, and he returned the gesture as he moved through the sparse crowd. He walked through the town towards the barracks, where most of the infirm were being kept. He found Geoff's bed, and moved a pile of books off of a nearby chair. The young man looked up from the volume he was reading, laying it down as Elias sat. There were books everywhere, with scraps of paper sticking out as bookmarks, piled here and there on the ground, and covering the small table next to the bed.

  “You'd be shocked how many tomes these Northerners have on medicine and the healing arts. I didn't even think they had a written word of their own, but most of these are written in the Lonwick common tongue.”

  Elias chuckled. “I knew. I never had much interest in reading them, but I knew that the priests had a library from which to study.”

  Geoff scowled from under the dressing on his head at a small pile of leather-bound volumes that sat off to the side. “I can't read the northern script yet. I plan on learning it so that I can read all of these. They are positively brilliant, from what some of the other surgeons say, and deal mostly with healing wounds caused by battle; cuts, broken bones, severed limbs, the like. That could come in handy.”

  “Maybe you could have some of Valtheim's surgeons teach you?”

  Geoff shook his head. “Nah. Not enough of them can read well enough to teach it. There's nothing for it... I'll have to learn it myself, then read them myself.”

  Elias nodded, grinning slightly. “Seems like a noble goal.”

  Geoff sighed and lay back in bed. “I dunno if it's noble or not. The more I learn, the better I get at stitching you up.” He adjusted his position, wincing and he moved his splinted leg, and grunted. “Maybe I should learn to be a wizard. They seem to have no problem doing it.”

  Elias chuckled. “It does seem to come easily to them.” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Geoff, you once said you had been training to be a priest before you met Jonas.”

  Geoff opened one eye, looking sidelong at Elias. “Yes, that's true.”

  “Did the priests know anything about the mages that Quartz spoke of, the ones you referred to as the Council?” They were surrounded by men and dwarves from Silverdeep and Valtheim; Elias didn't want to discuss the queen's secret abilities in public.

  Geoff opened both eyes and frowned. “Some things. Some stories. Mostly stories. Nobody I knew had ever dealt with them. It was said that they steal their power from the Gods and should be destroyed as heretics, but they were too powerful for mere men to face. It was mostly agreed that it was best to leave them in the frozen lands beyond the North where they couldn't hurt anyone.”

  Elias nodded. “And what do you think?”

  Geoff sat back up. “I think that they would make worrisome allies, but terrifying enemies. It's best that we stay on their good side, I think. You saw what Quartz did to those men, to those ridges. It wouldn't take her but a moment to reduce Valtheim to rubble. Who cares if she sleeps for three days when she's done? We'd already be buried in our own fortress.”

  Elias sat up straight. “That's true. And in Tiefuhr, there was a mage that was able to keep anyone but himself from doing magic. In Steinhalt, there was a wizard who used flame, and she was able to make even Sargoth flee. So there are mages who are already working with our enemy.”

  Geoff lay back down. “That thought had crossed my mind. I'm not sure how exactly we're supposed to proceed against that kind of opposition. I've never fought one before.”

  Elias shook his head. “I have, and frankly, we didn't stand a chance. I think there's only one way to go about it.”

  Geoff looked up at the beams of the ceiling. “Assassination?”

  Elias nodded.

  Geoff closed his eyes and huffed another sigh. “That sounds like a suicide mission.”

  Elias shrugged. “Not necessarily. We got into Steinhalt fairly easily.”

  Geoff scoffed. “And immediately got yourself discovered, when you had information on where to go, and a guide to get you there. You wouldn't have that for Steinhalt.”

  Elias dropped his hands to his knees, exasperated. "What do you suggest we do, then?”

  Geoff sat in silence for a moment. “I don't know, Elias, I'm just a mercenary surgeon. Two years ago, if you'd have told me that I was going to be in an army in the Northlands, or sailing around in Greenreef fighting pirates, or talking about how to assassinate wizards, I would have checked you over for a head wound, maybe told you to get some sleep, because you're obviously not thinking straight.”

  Elias exhaled stiffly. “That's fair enough, I suppose. I'd have felt the same way, to be honest. But we're here now.”

  Goff nodded, closing his eyes again. “We are definitely here now.”

  Elias patted the young surgeon on the arm, and stood. “I'm sorry I interrupted you while you were reading, my friend. We will be meeting to discuss strategy tomorrow, Jonas, Martin, Jenna, and I. Do you think you can be there?”

  Geoff didn't open his eyes. “Yes. I can be there. I'll put some thought to our wizard infestation in the meantime.”

  Elias smiled. “Thank you, Geoff. Rest well.”

  ~ ~ ~

  2nd Waning Frost Moon, Year 4369

  The sun shone weakly through the thin clouds over Valtheim. It had been nearly a week since the battle at Steinhalt, and Brandt still had not returned to Valtheim. It was time to make plans for their next move without him. Elias and his companions were gathered around a large, bare patch of dirt near the castle walls, with Sargoth laying close by. A rough map of the Northlands was scratched out on the ground, carved wooden castles denoting the various strongholds of the northern lords.

  Elias stared at the diagram. He was so tired of looking at maps. He felt like he was always looking at gods-damned maps. He'd looked at maps for the entire voyage across the sea, he looked at maps most times that they camped, and he looked at maps before each and every battle. It was unavoidable but boring. He could draw any of them from memory at the drop of a gauntlet. He sighed, and used a long stick to indicate different areas on the patch of dirt.

  “Here are the lords that betrayed us, and their cities. Trevor in the forest of Waldgebeit, Einman at Steinhaus, near Steinhalt, and Gevalt at Hohlhaus, in the mountains. The only one of these that is an easy target is Waldgebeit, and it's the closest to us, three days march. They sent two thousand of their soldiers to the battle at Steinhalt, and they suffered heavy losses. We could send three thousand men and take the city, provided Gerulf doesn't reinforce them or come to their aid. The other lords nearby, Gevalt and Einman, they don't have the men to spare, so they would be an unlikely threat, but a threat nonetheless.”

  Elias tapped each fortress in turn as he mentioned them. “Einman is too close to Steinhalt, far too easy for Gerulf to aid, and Gevalt's city is built in and around the caverns in the mountains. Taking that city would require more men, as we'd be up against the very mountains themselves.
Our numbers would count for nothing in those tight caves.”

  Jonas nodded, one hand holding his chin, the other supporting Jenna, who stood at his side.

  “It looks like Waldgebeit it is then. That would put a gap in the string of allies between Gerulf and Adalhard, and isolate them from each other, as far as marching along the road was concerned. If we took it with a larger force, then fortified it, could we hold it?”

  Martin shook his head. “I don't think we could. Not for long, anyway.”

  Sargoth drummed his claws against the packed earth. “Do you need to hold it?”

  Elias frowned. “It does represent a strategic point, and as Jonas said, it would disrupt the connection between Gerulf and Adalhard, making it more difficult to aid each other.”

  Sargoth glanced at the map. “But if you take it, kill the humans that live there, and burn it to the ground, wouldn't that achieve the same goal, even after you left?”

  Martin snorted. “They'd just send more troops to garrison there and rebuild.”

  Geoff held up a hand. “But those troops would have to come from somewhere. Einman and Gevalt wouldn't be able to spare them. Either Gerulf or Adalhard would have to send more men, and our last reports said they had between six and seven thousand soldiers each.”

  Elias considered the map. “If they came from Gerulf, his city would be undermanned, but he may still have that wizard present. Steinhalt would still be able to repel us.”

  Sargoth tapped the larger castle in the northwest. “And if they came from Adalhard?”

  Elias frowned. “We don't know what he has up his sleeve. So far, the other two greater lords had a wizard with them, Adalhard may as well.”

  Jonas was about to speak again, when there was a horn blast from the top of the western wall. They all looked up, to see the sea elves that had been manning the battlements as lookouts, perched on top of them, their bows drawn, aiming towards the western ridge.

  A great shout came from the forest, and armed men poured out of the trees at the top of the ridge, charging towards Valtheim. A second blast from a horn and the sea elf warriors loosed a volley of arrows into the scattered mass of running soldiers. Many of the arrows found their marks, still more pelted the ground as the shouting men rushed Valtheim. Elias was shocked. Why hadn't the scouts returned to inform them of the advancing army? Perhaps they had been captured or killed before they could do so.