by Aaron Thomas
With her elemental gone Mary lashed out with continuous fire balls. Kilen’s ice shield worked well enough when the fireballs were small in size, but soon she started launching some as big as the traitor bowls. Joahna swooped in and took one in the elemental’s chest. The injury sealed and Joahna walked on in front of Kilen. The attack seemed to stop, but Kilen could clearly see Mary in the fire. She held her hands in front of her and soon the flame from the pyre started to gather into her hands, forming a sphere of rotating fire. Joahna stopped moving and soon turned the elemental to ice. The fires surrounding Mary and even some from the battlefield died down low, almost to the point of extinguishing themselves. Kilen felt the concussion and wobbled at Joahna’s unexpected return into his head. DON’T LET IT TOUCH YOU!!, he screamed. He was almost too late as the sphere of fire had turned white hot and came screaming from Mary’s hands toward Kilen. He managed to duck and raise his shield. He felt nothing but a searing heat as the sphere passed by him. His entire body felt like he had lain out in the sun during a hot summer day. It reminded him of standing too close to the blacksmith’s furnace. When he managed to regain his composure, he opened his eyes to see the sphere had melted his shield and burned him through all his water protection and armor, and it hadn’t touched him at all.
Mary was now slumped on top of her fire. The flames still low to the logs, but Kilen knew that she was regaining her strength. He knew it was his chance to move quickly, she had put too much into the attack. Now was his chance to stop this battle. He ran with as much speed as he could and closed the distance to her fire. When he neared it the flames leapt up to their normal height. Fire balls started raining down again, this time much smaller only so rapid that Kilen couldn’t close the gap. He started to gather rain above Mary, but it was too hot for the moisture to gather. He threw one ice spear, but it melted before it reached the edge of the wood pile. Kilen knew that his only chance was to put out the fire, or at least reduce it in size. Kilen started forming a wall of ice in front of himself to protect from Mary’s bombardment of flames. When it was thick enough to withstand a couple of blasts he stopped using all magic to give himself time to think. He wasn’t close enough to attack her with water, she would turn up the heat when it was out of his control. Bury her fire like you did her elemental last time. It will give you the opportunity to take her on one on one. Max’s idea made so much sense Kilen didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it.
He immediately went to work hoping that his ice wall would hold out long enough. He concentrated on the ground and opened two cracks on either side of Mary’s burning pyre. The shaking of the ground sent logs tumbling into crevasses. Kilen made the cracks deeper, pushing the earth up from underneath the pyre like a mountain being born. Mary tumbled with her logs, but managed to stay out of the crevasses he made. When all of the logs rolled in, he slammed them shut, letting Mary freefall from her temporary mountain peak. Smoke rolled from small cracks still in the ground and Mary laid still in the center of the destruction. Kilen walked slowly, sword raised and ready to attack. He reformed his shield, then Mary stood. He was close enough now to engage in weapon combat, but she had nothing to fight with. She looked weary from the battle, her arms hung limp at her sides and black ash stained her skin, but her eyes were as furious as ever. She didn’t intend to lose.
She managed to raise her hands and unleashed a solid flame that Kilen deflected with his shield. The heat caused his already burnt skin to renew with pain. He crumpled and held his shield up in front of him until he felt the heat no more. Mary collapsed on the field, landing face first into the dirt. With a still steaming ice shield, Kilen stood and moved to Mary. He nudged her with his foot and felt the water in her body. She was as subdued as he had ever made Kara. He had defeated her again. Only he knew that it wasn’t a battle won by a single man.
Kilen sheathed his sword and bent to pick her up. In his magic infused muscles he lifted her as if she were a feather, then carried her to Twilix.
King Elick Rekkan moved his troop of veterans slowly through his realm, stopping at every well to fill water skins. Only a few days had passed but already he had lost one warrior to a giant desert boar called a gorvat. A gorvat was known to be able to kill and feed on entire villages and move on to the next. They grew to the size of peasant houses and had tusks the size of a man. Their heads were covered in thick leather and underneath the skin laid an even thicker skull. They were extremely hard to kill. Elick’s small group of veterans was able to take it down with only one loss. Its meat fed his troop for a week before rotting. One soldier had the unfortunate luck of sleeping on a scorpion’s nest, he died while others slept. Despite the loss of the two men his troop had grown. With each small village or oasis that they traveled through, they were joined by veteran soldiers. Each man brought only what foodstuffs and water they could carry and their imbued armor and weapons. The small troop traveled by moonlight to save themselves from the sun’s terrible heat. With the addition of the troops the line they had slowed considerably to aid those without horse or camel. At the last town Elick ordered that if a man cannot keep up he would be left behind, but all were welcome to join. The battle to come could change the Fire Realm’s fate forever.
Elick placed a small wooden bowl into the sand and filled it with water. They had been traveling too long in the morning sun and already his troops were beginning to feel the heat. He had to make sure that he was traveling in the right direction. The dunes and waves in the sand were constantly changing. He had experience fighting pirates on the coastal cliffs surrounding Iratan, the capital of the Realm, but he had little to no experience navigating the vast desert to the north. The water soon settled and its surface was still. He placed a small leaf on the surface of the water and waited for it to still its self. Out of his pouch he drew a tiny steel arrow and held it between his fingers to examine it. This was a trick he had been taught to navigate. Silently he thanked his predecessor for teaching him. He rubbed it on the silk scarf that protected his face from the sand and then carefully placed it on top of the leaf. The arrows point would turn the leaf and point the way north. He didn’t understand how it worked, but trusted his master to know the truth. The arrow pointed north and he knew he was on the correct path. He collected the tiny arrow and leaf, and drank the small bowl of water. Water was precious in his realm, and not to be wasted.
After he drank his bowl, others took a drink from their skins. He remounted his horse and started up the dune. He was now certain that he was close to the Oasis of Puratel. His company would find shelter, sleep, and provisions. It was the last big civilization before they entered the Earth Realm. Once he arrived he would let his soldiers rest and regain their strength in the shade of the trees. Once on top of the dune he saw the treetops exposed over the next three dunes. They were close. He turned to announce it to his men and saw that the trail of troops extended back five dunes with no gaps. He had not realized that his army had grown in size so much. Confidence flooded his veins like the heat from his first piece of imbued fire armor. With a troop this size his realm looked to be more powerful than he had expected. He actually stood a chance.
***
Bowie watched Kilen carry the fire wizard to Twilix. She seemed more confused by Kilen than surprised. He knew today would be another day he would not get to spend with his best friend. He turned to leave and found men waiting on him to start paying out his gold. A bet was a bet. He handed out thirty gold crowns to men whom he had placed bets with. He knew Kilen was a quick learner and smarter than more men he knew. He should have taken that into account before betting such a heavy sum. It mattered to Bowie little though. The entire recruit army had just received their first payment for service in the king’s army, and he knew just how to take advantage of that.
John Curtain was built like a carved statue, his muscles bulged in every direction and were thick with veins running over their surface. His bow drew hard and required an even harder man to wield it effectively. Once he had intimidated
Bowie, but now he was his subordinate. “My Lord, the supplies you requested were parked by the archery range. I would put them in your room before long. The recruits aren’t allowed to leave the grounds for another month yet, and they will probably be trying to steal that stuff.”
Bowie smiled, “That’s exactly why I bought it John. I intend to make a profit.” He knew that the recruits were not allowed to leave the castle’s grounds for another month. Captain Lorusk warned him about leaving after the first day of training. The king was providing anything that the recruits would need, food, shelter, armor, uniforms. The problem was that Bowie was considered a full soldier in the army and could leave the grounds. He saw it as an opportunity to set up shop. He would be the only place where the recruits could buy things they wanted…like ale. Bowie had bought ten large casks just for such a venture. Now all he had to do was spread the word.
He headed back to the archery range both to oversee training and to oversee his new stock of goods. John Curtain followed in his wake, creating a large shadow following Bowie. When he arrived, the young boys were already starting to point at the three canvas-covered wagons near the back of the range. They were filled to the brim with ale, wine, cheese, polished knives, bows, and an assortment of leather armor. Bowie also had a few new hats made as his had taken a beating on the road. Feathers were a little harder to come by, but he found some for sale from a hawker and bought some dyes to fix them himself, in an assortment of colors.
“John, could you see to the training? I need to go over the supplies I ordered.” John smiled.
“I will see to the training if you will do me a favor in return later tonight, Master Crescent.” Bowie thought it over and wondered at what game John was playing at. Since the day Bowie had been promoted and beaten John at archery, John had been obedient and docile. It couldn’t hurt to at least hear his request.
“What’s it you want John?”
“I want a rematch.” John crossed his massive arms across his chest and smiled a mischievous smile.
“Sorry John, I have nothing to bet with. All of my coffers were emptied on that fight just moments ago, and these supplies.”
“Well that’s ok, I want to bet for something else.”
“What is it then?”
“I want one of those hats there, like the one you wear on your head. Some of the men say it marks you as an archer, that it gives you some advantage in shooting.”
Bowie laughed a small amount, “I tell you that it offers no advantage that I know of, but nonetheless I’ll take the bet. If you will see to all the training tomorrow, if I win.”
“Bargain struck,” John said as he spit in his hand and held It out to Bowie. Bowie reluctantly clasped the now wet hand and shook on it. John smiled and started shouting at recruits malingering on the range. Bowie went about removing the canvas from atop his three wagons full of goods, and noticed four of the boys watching him while waiting their turn to shoot.
“Something the matter boys?” They laughed a bit at Bowie. They had taken bets with him and won. One fingered his purse. It probably contained more money than he had ever had before.
One of the boys spoke up, “We were just wondering how you are going to unload all of that by yourself. More importantly, how you are going to drink all that ale and wine?” They laughed a bit more at the boy’s remarks and Bowie knew that he had found his first customers.
“Actually, I knew that you all couldn’t go into town so I found a way to bring some of the town to you. Any of you care for a pint later I’ll bust open one of these casks for a small price, but you’ll have to bring your own mug.” The boys looked taken back a bit before they started talking amongst themselves quietly.
“Anything else on those wagons for sale? I told my ma I would get some real good boots before I went on any big marches.”
“Well everything on these wagons is for sale, except a few personal items like those hats.” They talked again, this time with a bit more excitement. “I do need a couple of guardsmen to make sure nothing’s stolen off of the wagons if you boys want a free pint later.” All the boys immediately volunteered to guard the wagon for a pint of ale. Bowie finished his inspection and made a list of his items. He told them that two at a time could go and practice the bow and switch until they were done for the day. Bowie went back to assisting John in teaching, and was asked a couple times by the recruits about the wagons. He knew that it was going to be a long night, but a night filled with profit.
The recruits guarded the carts as Bowie rejoined John teaching his classes. The archers had come a long way in a week. Some tested out with a basic skill, and John taught them battle formations and battle commands. The battle skill Bowie had no knowledge of and sat in on the classes himself. Evening meal came and went and he finally made it back to his carts to start selling items. A line had formed already by the direction of his impromptu guards. Bowie called out for anyone that wanted ale or wine to step out of line. He sold all of the weapons he had including swords, bows, and knives. The leather items went next. Boots were in high demand. Many of the recruits asked about the hats and some even wanted to pay upwards of five silver marks for them. He held them back, but he could always get more. Some others requested Crescent arrows and bow strings, but were refused since he hadn’t had time to make any since arriving at Deuterium. He now had new ideas of what he needed to buy for next week. His father had always taught him to look ahead of the consumer.
During the sales he had little time to look about or get to know the recruits that had come to make purchases. Bowie had noticed a man that never made a purchase standing a small distance away leaning against an announcement board. He wore a tan robe with sleeves that nearly hung to the floor. The tan material draped around him loosely. He wore no embellishments and no weapons to be seen. Bowie couldn’t quite place why the man seemed so odd to him. The man drew his attention, nonetheless.
The wares were soon all gone and the ale was running low when Bowie noticed that his archery range was covered in the passed out, drunken bodies of his recruits. Normally a strong arm would show out the men that had drunk too much. Boys not knowing how to handle their booze wasn’t part of the planning he had done. He needed to clean this up quickly. He saw two boys standing where the man in the tan robe had been. He couldn’t place their names but the two had been some of the better skilled at the bow. He motioned them over and they came running to his call. When they approached, he recognized them as two of his trainees that had tested and passed early in the week. “I am about to close up shop. If you want to make a purchase you will need to do it now.”
One of the boys spoke up, “My pa told me not to spend my wages on ale and women.” The other boy nodded his head in agreement with the first.
“Smart man your pa. I’d like to say I wish there were more men like him, but then I’d be out of business. Where are you two from?”
They answered in unison, “Chutne, in the water realm.” They laughed that they had answered together. Both of them said it with pride in their voice, standing a little straighter when they did.
“That’s not too far west of Basham, is it?” They nodded their heads together.
“A few day’s ride from there, depending on the horse,” the taller boy answered.
“I am from Humbridge myself. I just made the rank and position a couple days before you arrived. I am thinking I need a bit of a hand here tonight if you are willing to earn a few extra coins in your pocket.” They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, then turned back to Bowie.
“Sure, what do you need,” the shorter asked.
“First I need you to remind me of your names.”
The tall boy put down his bow and leaned it against the wagon unstrung. “I am Tyler, people call me Ty. This is my good friend, Andrew.”
“Let me guess they call you Drew?” Bowie answered him.
“No,” he said flatly. “How can we help, Master Crescent?”
“For starters, I need
all of these men helped back to their rooms. I don’t care how it’s done, whether you help them hobble or use my wagons here to cart them to the doorsteps. Just get them off the archery range. I have a challenger in the bow that’s waiting for me. After I’m finished I might have something else for you to accomplish.”
“Right away, sir.” They both turned to get to work and Bowie stopped them before they got three steps away.
“Hey! Are you two going to negotiate a payment?”
“My pa told me never to turn down a job when its available.”
“Well, you pa was wrong this time. I didn’t tell you to turn it down. I asked if you wanted to negotiate the price.” The boys stuck their heads together and talked quietly and pointed at the cart Bowie had laden with his left over merchandise.
“We want three silver halves and one of those hats you wear.”
“Sorry boys the hats are not for sale. How about three whole silver pieces and no hat?” The boys stuck their heads together and turned to Bowie standing atop his wagon.
“The hats might not be for sale, but they might be for bargaining. We will take the hats and no silver.” Bowie was taken back a bit by the boys counter offer.
