by Aaron Thomas
“It is an honor,” Daniel said.
“The honor is mine,” Gortus said, smiling. “Queen Twilix, you have managed to surround yourself with a good group of warriors. The captain, this man, and Ray all remain strong in my presence. Usually, a wielder will go to mush when I come close. They usually fall under the weight of their own bodies.”
Twilix gave a slight bow of her head, “This particular man is my Stable Master. He is also a personal friend to Kilen. The captain, however, has learned to never depend solely on magic on his own.”
“It seems to be a hard lesson to learn for wielders, even King Atmos fell victim to the lesson in my presence,” Gortus said through pointed teeth.
Twilix noticed the confusion on Daniel’s face, “I’m sorry, Daniel. Gortus is a Kapal. When someone is close to a Kapal, they lose all connections they have with magic. As Gortus was saying, some people become so used to using their imbuements they forget that it makes their bodies weak. When he comes near, some of them fall under their own weight.”
Daniel nodded, “So that’s why my normal strength returned. I thought my chainger had broken.”
Gortus gave a smile, “Make sure you use your muscles on a regular basis, so you don’t lose that natural ability of yours, Stable Master.”
“Your horse is the black roan I saw?” Daniel asked.
Gortus inclined his head.
“I’ll be glad to add it to the royal stockyard until you need it. While I have it can I use it for breeding?” Daniel asked.
“A funny question to be asking a Kapal, don’t you think?” Gortus asked.
Daniel gave a small smile, “It’s habit. I just don’t want to lose the opportunity to breed such a fine animal.”
Ria walked in and looked irritated at Twilix before sitting in her seat, “Not a one. Not one wielder sufficient enough to examine you. I thought the commander had been teaching them magic. Now it seems you will have to teach someone yourself.”
When Twilix was able to turn her attention back to Daniel, it seemed a deal had been worked out. By the look on Daniel’s face, he would soon be breeding Gortus’ black roan. Daniel clasped his hands together as if his business was done for the day, then noticed Ria walking in and his face went back to a man working on shaping a stone.
“Wizard Ria, I’ve found one last piece in the armory that’s confusing to me. It’s a bunch of chain links in a pile. I didn’t know if it was useful.” Daniel said as if asking a question.
“Let’s have a look then,” Ria said, walking into the armory in frustration.
Twilix shrugged to Gortus and walked through the water surface into the hidden armory. Gortus followed as the water barrier opened and splashed the stairs below when he passed. Once far enough into the armory, the water surface flowed again behind him covering the staircase.
They all stood about, waiting for Daniel to show them the chain. Back in one corner of the room, there was indeed a large pile of chain. Daniel began pulling on it and even with his massive arms, was not able to move more than a couple wrist thick links at a time.
Ria came close and brought a torch that had been left burning. She leaned in close to examine the object and recoiled.
“You are not to touch this again, Master Peter. The object you have found is very dangerous.” Ria pleaded as she stared at Twilix, “We should leave the armory locked from here on. No one should touch it.”
Twilix, being a little afraid of Ria’s caution, gave a quick nod of her head. Each one of the party exited the dark dungeon-like room into the throne room above. Gortus grabbed the three element blade and twisted. A loud pop resounded, and the liquid barrier was restored to its solid shape. Gortus pulled the blade out of the clear stone ground and looked at it in his hand.
“I will make sure the commander has this back,” Gortus said, giving a sly smile.
“Give it to him nicely, Gortus,” Twilix commanded in a way that sounded more like a request.
“Would you leave us, Daniel?” Twilix asked while staring at Ria.
The stable master gave an awkward bow before bounding up the stairs and out shutting the doors behind him. Twilix and Ria were left alone in the throne room. Ria was already at work centering the throne in the room and doing her best to avoid eye contact with Twiix.
“What is it, Ria?” Twilix asked.
“I shouldn’t tell you. You would be too tempted to use it,” Ria said with her back to the queen.
“I’m tempted now just to see what it will do,” Twilix replied.
Ria let out a sigh, “It’s a powerful weapon. So powerful that it has only been successfully wielded by only one warrior. Every other time it has destroyed the man that held it. When it is used to change the fate of war, it ends up destroying whole cities. The weapon cannot be used.”
“What is it,” Twilix asked again.
“It’s the hammer of Tilrick the Warlord,” Ria said, turning to face Twilix.
Twilix sat down on the cushioned throne to steady herself. The weapon wielded by a legendary warlord sat in her armory. The hammer is so large that a group of ten men could not pick it up. A wielder with the strength of twenty men could not lift it off the ground. The hammer is so heavy that thick links of the chain had to be connected to it, and each link imbued so that the wielder would need the strength of a hundred men just to be able and pick it up.
With each imbuement’s strength also came a detriment. A man wielding the hammer aiming for the destruction of an army might change his mind and seek to destroy an entire nation to ensure war was never waged again. The compulsion would be too great for one man to handle.
Depictions of Tilrick had littered the halls of Deuterium’s Castle, depicting a man leaning on a giant sledge. The head of the weapon stood over halfway to the man’s knee and was twice as wide. Thousands of bodies laid at his feet as he smiled in triumph over his enemy. A man that could wield that would be just as dangerous or more dangerous than the man they already faced. The hammer would need to be kept a secret.
“The armory is not to be opened again,” Twilix said in a shaky voice.
Chapter 18 - Ellipse
With the final push, Kilen did his best to stay awake with the gentle rock of the saddle. An icy trickle of wind caressed his neck, sending a shiver down his body. He shook the cold off himself and looked back at Paul, riding in the cart behind him. The wielder was watching the night air in wonder. Since summoning his elemental, his unusually talkative mouth had become silent.
Along with his voice, the rest of the party had become silent as well. Which made staying awake much harder. They had ridden the entire night and morning was now approaching. Kilen shook his head and took a bit of water from his waterskin to splash on his face. Nothing seemed to shake the sleepy feeling. His body wasn’t so much exhausted as his mind. Closing his eyes, he searched for the source of the tickling breeze.
Jace’s face was riding the wind beside him, undetectable by the others in the group except for Paul. He still needed to have a talk with Paul and his elemental about keeping Jace a secret. With Paul holding Kilen’s only wind imbued weapon, Kilen wasn't supposed to be able to have a wind elemental at his command. With two floating around, if Alexander ever saw the two together Alexander would know something was amiss.
Kilen opened his eyes and saw a small ridge of hills along the horizon. He pulled his horse to a stop and fished his map out of his bag. The trail of wagons and armored soldiers pulled to a halt.
“What is it, Majesty?” Brent said in the darkness.
Kilen held a finger in the air and lit it on fire, casting the darkness aside so he could see the map. With one hand, he unrolled his map on the horse’s neck.
“There are hills up ahead that are not on the map,” Kilen said while double checking the battered scroll’s surface.
Brent cleared his throat as if he was about to launch into a lecture, “The hills you see surround the bay of Ellipse. It’s like a Giant bowl with the ocean at its center. Houses
and stores line the inside of the bowl and through the hills. On the lip of the bowl are towers to watch for an enemy. During the war with the Dark Army, Ellipse was one of the only cities to keep the demon army at bay.”
“So the hills line the outside of the town? Got it. We need to replenish ourselves here. We will be there by midday, and I need to get some rest before we have to deal with more nobles,” Kilen said, dismounting from his horse.
“Will you be training Paul this morning?” Brent asked.
Kilen rubbed his chin, “He has been controlling the wind elemental since our last stop. I believe that he’s learning more on his own than I am able to teach him. Perhaps if Alexander were here, but as it stands, I can’t teach him anymore.”
“I’m sorry, my lord. Did you say he was in control of the wind elemental?” Brent asked.
“Yes, everyone is always telling me to take it easy and not to control so much at a time. Paul is able to maintain them like I can, so he is taking control for now,” Kilen replied with a bit of annoyance on his breath. He hoped by giving the attitude, Brent would stop questioning him.
“My lord, do you think that it is wise?” Brent continued.
Kilen held his hand out to Paul, sitting in the driver’s seat of a wagon looking around, “When was the last time you saw him speak to the voices in his head? After summoning an elemental, he seems to have focused on the task at hand. If this is the only way I can help him, I will let him hold an elemental for the rest of his life,” Kilen said, pulling his leather-wrapped armor off the horse.
Brent took a moment to stare at the so-called crazy man, looking at nothing before giving a half bow and dismounting his own horse. Brent distributed orders amongst the untrained soldiers. Half of the men could be heard in their unmatched armor clinking as they ran to form a perimeter. Leroy was already arranging his cookpot and logs to start a fire. Kilen went to the fire and was greeted by a wood stool out of one of the carts. The soldier ran off to the next task as soon as Kilen threw out his cloak and sat down.
“Master Bradley, something with a bit of spice for everyone here please,” Kilen said.
“I will make a proper dish for you, Sire,” Leroy replied as he went to work picking through the herbs on his apron.
Brent easily filled the pot to the desired level with water drawn from the foggy morning air. Kilen watched as Leroy threw in planks of salted pork from a barrel. Kilen lit the flame and increased it until the water boiled, then let the logs take on their natural burn. Leroy was getting used to the others aiding in his meals. It made his task easier and made their stay on the side of the road as brief as it could be.
Erica soon brought a bucket filled with chopped vegetables and handed it to Leroy. She smiled at Kilen and looked him over to make sure he was okay. Kilen had gotten used to the girl being worried about him and let it happen at every stop. If he didn’t, the girl would hover until she was able to complete the task.
When she was satisfied she untied Kilen’s armor and began setting the pieces along the edge of Leroy’s wagon. Using a clean strip of cloth, she began vigorously rubbing the metal until it showed a high polish. Kilen could swear he could hear Jace cursing on the wind about the kind of scout he had become. The shiny armor and attention were something that was demanded of his station now. He could no longer try and lurk in the shadows like Jace had taught him. Besides, he knew he was too clumsy to perform the most minor task at the skill Jace had expected of him.
Kilen watched two soldiers practicing fighting with sticks and wanted to help them out. He bent over, and with a finger in the dirt, he drew an arrow towards the two soldiers. Shortly after, Max had formed himself into a man and began giving basic fighting instructions. Kilen sat watching and listening to Max’s lesson. He had heard it before, but since Kilen’s own skill with a blade was inferior to most swordsmen, he listened again.
Intent on the lesson being given, Kilen had forgotten the meal being cooked. Leroy handed him a bowl of soup that smelled lightly of Kapal spices. Kilen took a spoonful of the soup’s broth and was pleased with the blend of spices and flavor. Leroy handed him a piece of bread, which Kilen refused.
“Feed the others, they may need the bread more than I will,” Kilen said, starting to dig into the bowl.
Leroy waved over a couple soldiers, and they began walking about the camp to distribute the soup. The sputtering and coughing that erupted made Kilen laugh. Kilen watched as Brent took a deep breath of the aroma before putting his spoon down. Brent smiled at Kilen and Kilen took another bite of the soup, enjoying the heat and the flavor.
After chewing his food, Kilen stood, “You all better get used to the taste. My cook makes Kapal dishes at my request. The food is made with spices that reinvigorate the body and mind. They strengthen the endurance of your body so that if needed you can fight longer and harder than any other man on the battlefield. Eat, so I know you will have the strength to endure a battle. Some advice for those of you who haven’t eaten Kapal dishes: the bread helps more than water.”
Kilen sat back down and laughed inside as soldiers were grabbing for their bread. He finished scooping the remnants out of his bowl. While the party destroyed the last of the bread reserves, Kilen started putting on his armor. Erica was at his side in a second, helping him tie the leather straps.
Brent came to help but with his skinny arms was unable to lift the metal breastplate that Erica hefted off the ground. “Sire, when we get into the city, they may be waiting for us. If they are, we can expect a bit of a celebrated welcome. I urge you to ignore the citizens and play the part of a king. Look straight forward and give an almost irritated look while riding in,” Brent said.
“You want me to act irritated that they are giving me a warm welcome?” Kilen asked skeptically.
“I want you to pretend that we don’t need their assistance. I want you to act like they need you more than you need them. I have already spread to these men the rumors that their number of volunteers were pathetic to the numbers we have received from the rest of the realm,” Brent replied.
Kilen nodded, “How far will we be traveling into the city?”
Brent cleared his throat, “If Lord Faris Burnholt is still in charge, we will have to travel the length of the city before we stop. Which is good for us; the more people who see you, the more recruits we will receive. If we get a large enough group, Lord Faris will have to give us a substantial amount of troops to keep you in good favor.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Kilen said.
“You leave the politics to me. It’s a precarious game they play in Ellipse,” Brent said.
Kilen grunted, “I thought your brother was the politician.”
“Yes, well my brother isn’t here. You’ll have to rely on me for the time being,” Brent said, trying to help tie on Kilen’s sword.
Before Brent could get very far, Kilen spoke, “I want Paul riding beside me.”
Brent stopped in his tracks, “You want a crazy man riding with you over me?”
“Not over you, on the opposite side of you,” Kilen corrected.
“It will make him look an equal to your wizard’s council. We don’t need to be sending mixed signals to the nobles of Ellipse,” Brent countered.
“We also don’t need to show a rift between my council and me either. Let the nobles think what they want. Paul will ride beside me,” Kilen said as he hefted his glimmering shield with the symbol of the Water Realm on its surface.
Brent reluctantly bowed his head and stepped away.
“Why do you push the issue? Paul is clearly a madman and Brent is only trying to protect you,” Erica said.
For some reason, Kilen was caught off guard by her inquiry.
Kilen bowed his head, “Even Brent doesn’t know everything that happens in the world. Perhaps someday you will all understand why I keep Paul close to me. In the meantime, Councilmen Parker will have to take my word.”
Erica smiled, “Perhaps if you told him, he would unders
tand.”
“Paul’s secret is a secret I need to keep to myself,” Kilen replied as he mounted his horse.
Kilen kept thinking of the story Twilix told him so long ago. A king took in a man claiming to be a spirit wizard able to capture the spirits of the dead. Even despite the evidence, the man was hanged, and the king was taken from his throne. Kilen was afraid that he would be hanged, even if he was the king. His secret would have to be kept until he could find a way to prove spirit wizards were real.
Kilen’s horse danced in place as he waited for the others in the camp. Slowly, Leroy distributed flags bearing the elemental mark of water. Soldiers on horses carried them in front as well as the back of the group. Kilen and Max shared the load in rejuvenating all the soldiers. Kilen took a certain pleasure in maintaining his skills in magic and ignored Brent’s protest to let the others do it for him.
After close to an hour, the camp completed their packing and set out to finish their journey to Ellipse. The lightly clouded sky gave a dreary feeling to the march and matched Kilen’s mood. He’d been told very little about what to expect of the city, mostly that the greatest politicians resided there. It frustrated Kilen that he knew almost nothing about the people that resided there.
At the base of the hill, Kilen could make out the wall and archer towers that lined the top rim. Archers traversed its walkways in no short number and pikes manned stations every couple hundred paces. Kilen could see taking this city by force would be nearly impossible.
A white stone rooftop caught Kilen’s eye. It jutted out from the base of the mountain for more than thirty paces. Every ten paces, a man thick stone pillar held the roof in place more than three stories in the air. Between the pillars on either side were two ranks of five men, fully armored, holding short spears. They stood looking forward at the soldier across from them, not seeming to notice Kilen.
These soldiers were disciplined enough to ignore the sight of a king, and so he regrettably did as Brent asked and ignored them. He did his best to play the part of their leader and not some gawking farm hand. Kilen thought he was doing well until he looked up into the extending overhang that lead into the mountain.
