Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1)

by Billings, Ryne

  The redhead looked back at him immediately, bringing her brown mare to a walk as well. The look she gave him questioned his motives.

  “We still have a few hours of daylight,” she said carefully. “Are you sure you want to stop?”

  Caleb nodded his head in response. “Can’t you see the clearing up ahead? Can’t you hear that sound? We’re not far from the river.”

  “We are,” Katie agreed, ignoring the questions. “I thought you’d insist that we hurry up though.”

  Caleb frowned at that. It was hard to hear those words, especially since he knew that she was only being honest.

  “I would like to get there soon, but I’m also hungry and would like to stop before it’s too dark to catch anything.”

  “It’s good to see you’re capable of rational thought,” Katie remarked.

  “I’m bound to get it right once in a while,” Caleb retorted, getting frustrated with her. “What is your problem? You’re nice one minute, and you’re hostile the next.”

  Katie looked taken aback by his words. In fact, she looked as though she had just been slapped.

  “Is that what you think?” she asked quietly, looking down at the mane of her horse. “I suppose I am a bit hard on you.”

  “You’re still mad at me for disappearing for three days, aren’t you?” Caleb asked suddenly. By the look on her face, he could tell that he had struck a nerve. “No, you’re mad at me for not telling you what happened.”

  Exhaling deeply, Katie looked at him with a sharp glare. “Fine, I’m still angry at you for not telling me where you were. You won’t even talk about what happened.”

  Caleb slid off of his saddle at that point and used his reigns as a lead rope. “If you want to talk, come with me.”

  With that, he walked down the road with his mare towards the clearing that was only about an eighth of a mile up the road.

  Sighing, Katie slid off of her saddle and did the same, walking next to him and his horse.

  They walked in silence until they reached the clearing. It stretched along the banks of the Skyfell River, going out about two hundred yards from the river.

  Caleb immediately walked off to the side and tied the reigns of his horse around a low hanging branch. He proceeded to walk about twenty yards away from where he had left his horse when he turned around to face Katie. She was right behind him, having tied her horse up next to his.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?” she asked, her eyes meeting his.

  “Yes,” he answered with a neutral expression upon his face. “I didn’t want to tell you, but I will if you’ll stop acting like this.”

  Katie frowned at the admission that he did not want to tell her. It was easy to see that it stung.

  “I guess I should start at the beginning,” Caleb said with a sigh. “After we split up, I managed to get lost. I think I could have managed to find my way back, but I saw a cat and followed it.”

  “A cat,” Katie said skeptically.

  “Yes, I saw a cat,” Caleb said patiently. “I followed it and was knocked out when I went into the alleyway that I saw the cat walk into. The good news is that I found the person who knew where the Sword of Kirakath was.”

  “The person that you were looking for knocked you out?” Katie asked in disbelief.

  “And put me in a cage underneath the city,” Caleb answered with a nod. “He knew some tunnels underneath the city really well, and he had some of them set up for me. The cage was more to stop me from doing anything stupid.” The last statement came with a slight look of embarrassment.

  “Putting a person in a cage isn’t right,” Katie said quietly.

  “No, it isn’t,” Caleb agreed. “I put myself in a cage though. You made that clear to me yesterday. It might not have been made of metal, but it was just as restricting.”

  Katie opened her mouth to speak, but it closed without a single word coming out. She was caught off guard.

  “Anyways, the person that brought me done there was about the same age as Nicolas, and his name was Lance White,” Caleb continued.

  As expected, Katie interrupted again. “Lance White… you should have told me who it was from the start. I’ve never met him, but the House of White is a noble house. They’re lower nobles and few in number, but they’re still pretty important.”

  Caleb continued on as if she had never spoken, though. “He told me that I had to undergo three tests. The first was a test of character.”

  The look that Katie shot him made it clear that he could not just be vague about the tests.

  “For the first test, he trapped me in this dream world using some kind of magic ball. I had the choice to stay in the dream world, which was supposed to be a world where I could have anything that I desired. Even…” Caleb said, his throat going dry at the memories of what happened. “I chose my responsibilities over my desires, so I passed.”

  Katie’s eyes dropped to the ground as she realized exactly what the first test had entailed.

  “The second test came in the form of a fight with him using swords. I had to give in to anger to stand a chance,” Caleb said, frowning. “The test was to see if I could embrace my emotions.”

  “You’re definitely a slow learner,” Katie remarked as her she made eye contact with him again. She covered her mouth when she realized what she said. “I’m sorry. That slipped out.”

  Caleb rolled his eyes at that.

  “Why would you need to give into anger to stand a chance though?” Katie suddenly asked. “I saw you fight the bandits that held us captive. You’re an incredible fighter.”

  “No, I’m not,” Caleb said as he looked away. “My father only taught me the basics of fighting. Everything you’ve seen up until now has just been an accident. I’m good with a bow, not with a sword. Lance is a master swordsman though.”

  “Wait, so you’re going to find a magical sword, despite the fact that you only know the basics?” Katie asked, completely stunned. “How does that even make sense to you?”

  “I’m going to have to learn as we go,” Caleb said with a shrug. “I told you before. I’m doing this for my father. That’s what matters.”

  Katie sighed in frustration, but she did not say anything further on that matter.

  “What was the third test?” she asked, feeling that there was more that he had not told her.

  “I had to fight a golem,” Caleb said stiffly. “I don’t know what the purpose of the test was, but that’s what happened.”

  “What is a golem?” Katie asked immediately. “I’ve never heard that term before.”

  “It’s a creature of magic and stone,” Caleb said, unsure how else to explain it. “It looked kind of like a statue made from marble.”

  “If you’re lying to me, I’m going to knee you in the groin,” Katie promised.

  Naturally, Caleb winced at the thought. The only comfort was that he was not lying.

  “I guess it’s a good thing that it’s the truth then,” he said as he stretched his arms out and let out a yawn. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get a fire going.”

  “Yeah, yeah… I’ll go kill something,” she said as she drew one of her knives from her belt.

  “Have I ever told you how terrifying you are?” Caleb asked nervously.

  Katie laughed as she stalked off towards the nearby forest.

  After a few minutes, Caleb followed her, wanting to give her a head start before he began gathering firewood.

  I’d hate to end up with a knife in my thigh, he thought wryly, though he knew that if it happened, it would not be on accident.

  It was on that note that the pair began to get ready for a night of rest before they crossed the Skyfell River and made their way to the treacherous Skyfell Mountains, at the heart of which rested the ruins of the ancient city of Draesa.

  Chapter 18

  “Wow,” Caleb said as he looked at the sight before him. Never before had he seen anything so high. The Skyfell Mountains seemed to litera
lly scrape against the clouds, towering over the forests that stood before them.

  He was not sure what he was most impressed by, the fact that the mountains stretched as far as he could see and were taller than anything he had ever seen or the fact that the entrance to the ancient city of Draesa was only about five miles away.

  “We’re going to need to stop for the night,” Katie mused as she sat on her mare next to him. Unlike the first couple days of their trip, they were riding through the forest. No roads led to the Skyfell Mountains, after all.

  “Yeah,” Caleb said with a heavy sigh. He seemed to be doing that often as of late. “We can set off in the morning. It’s no doubt safer to go into the mountains early in the day.”

  “So what’s your plan from here?” Katie asked as she slid from her saddle to the ground. “What happens when we get the Sword of Kirakath?”

  Caleb looked at her blankly as he landed on the ground next to his mare. “What do you mean? I’m just going to hunt down the men that attacked Kirakath. Why would I have some big plan?”

  Katie shot him a look of disbelief. “Surely you’ve considered the fact that it will be very difficult to track them.”

  “That’s what I have you and Nicolas for, isn’t it?” Caleb asked, ignoring the glare she gave him. “As I recall, you convinced me to let you come with me on the basis that you could help me find them.”

  By the look on Katie’s face, it was clear that she recalled her words to Caleb after killed the bandits that sought to enslave them.

  “Fine, I did say that,” she said, grimacing at the way he used her words against her. “That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a plan.”

  “My plan is simple,” Caleb said after a moment of thought. “I’m going to find them, and then I’m going to slit their throats.”

  With that, he tied his mare up and walked away, leaving Katie shaking her head.

  I need to get some firewood again, he thought, trying to forget all about the situation. As expected, such an endeavor was a failure. Why does she have to do this? Can’t she just be happy that I’m not trying to hide how I feel?

  Before another thought could cross his mind, an explosion of fire coursed through his veins and he fell to his knees in a quiet scream. The memory of the first time something like that had happened immediately flashed to mind, bringing the sword wielding phantom that he had seen on his hunting trip back to mind.

  The pain… it was never this intense, he thought as his vision began to become blurry.

  As he became to fade into a state of unconscious, he heard Katie scream, “Caleb!”

  * * * * *

  Heat was the first thing that he felt as he woke from unconsciousness. The warmth radiating from a nearby fire broke him out of his slumber, his eyes snapping open within moments. He could immediately see that he was laying on the ground in a very small clearing with a small fire a few arms’ lengths away.

  “Katie, where are you?” he asked, his voice coming out hoarsely.

  As soon as his question came out, he could see red hair whip through the air out of the corner of his eye. A moment later, Katie was kneeling at his side, her eyes filled with worry.

  “Caleb, you’re awake,” Katie said quietly, relief filling her eyes.

  “I guess I am,” he said groggily as he sat up. “How long was I out for?”

  “The sun set a few hours ago,” Katie said, eyes trained on Caleb. It looked as though she wanted to say something but did not know how to do so.

  “I wonder what happened,” he muttered, looking down at his hands. The pain had left him sometime in his sleep. The only evidence of the pain was in his memory.

  “You don’t know?” Katie asked. A hint of disappointment was clear in her voice. “I saw you collapse after we finished talking earlier. You were unconscious before I could reach you.”

  “It felt like my blood was on fire,” he murmured, wincing as he remembered the sensation far more clearly than he would have liked. “It was too much for me.”

  “Sounds like sensory overload,” she muttered, looking concerned.

  “What’s sensory overload?” Caleb asked curiously, making eye contact with her.

  “It’s not the source of your pain, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Katie quickly clarified. “Sensory overload is when something hits one of your senses so strongly that it makes your mind shut down. I’ve heard of it happened as a result of a sight or a smell, but it can happen through any of your senses. That’s the theory, at least.”

  He looked at her skeptically as he took in her words. “How do you know so much about things like this? A pickpocket shouldn’t be that knowledgeable.”

  “A pickpocket,” Katie muttered darkly. “I’d prefer that you avoid such an unflattering term in the near future.”

  “Weren’t you one though?” Caleb countered.

  “That’s not the point,” Katie insisted. “Pickpockets are amateurs. I am not.”

  “And you take pride in the fact that you were a good criminal?” Caleb asked sarcastically, earning a frown from his companion.

  “If you’re already being sarcastic, you must be in good health,” Katie said with narrowed eyes. “I’m going to get some sleep in the meantime. You can keep watch and make sure that we don’t get attacked during the night. I’m sure you’re not tired anymore.”

  With that, Katie walked to the other side of the fire and laid down on her bedroll. All the while, Caleb cursed himself for the way he had spoken to Katie.

  I can never catch a break, can I? He stared into the fire as that thought consumed him.

  An answer was not forthcoming.

  * * * * *

  The next morning, Caleb was leaning against a nearby tree, prepared to get a move on.

  “Are you ready?”

  He glanced over his shoulder at those words, taking in Katie’s appearance. She, too, seemed ready for the day ahead of them.

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” Caleb said as he stepped away from the tree. “Let’s leave the horses here and finish the trip by foot.”

  Katie looked at him, surprise clear in her eyes.

  “Are you sure about that? It’ll slow down our progress,” she asked, clearly concerned. It did not sound like the type of thing that he would have suggested.

  “Knowing my luck, the horses will get eaten if we take them straight there. That would make our trip back even slower,” he said with a sigh. “The horses will be safer in the forest.”

  “What if they are attacked here?” Katie asked, still skeptical.

  “The forest may have wolves,” Caleb said with a neutral expression as he turned to face her. “But the mountains have griffins.”

  “The mountains have griffins?” Katie asked, even more skeptical.

  Caleb nodded without a hint of doubt. “Absolutely,” he replied. “My mentor told me about them. They avoid people, but they have no such qualms about horses.”

  “You mean they’re real?” Katie asked in disbelief. “I thought they were just something that was made up for the tales that bards told.”

  “They’re real,” Caleb said with a small smile. Hector’s face flashed to mind as he remembered all of the tales that his mentor had told him. “They’re not too common anymore though. My mentor told me that the only ones that are still left in Arcadia are in the Skyfell Mountains and the Shield Mountains.”

  “Your mentor sounds like a knowledgeable person,” Katie remarked, starting to get over the initial shock of hearing that griffins were real. “If I may ask, what happened to him?”

  “We can talk while we walk,” Caleb said, turning back north.

  After a few minutes of walking in silence, he spared a glance at Katie.

  “My mentor is still alive,” he said with a sad smile. “I don’t know where he is right now though. On the day of the Summer Solstice, he left Kirakath. In the middle of the night, a messenger had come to him. He never told anyone what the message was, but he said that he had to leave to
go on a personal hunt. We haven’t heard from him since.”

  Katie looked nervous as she asked her next question. “Are you sure that he’s still alive?”

  Caleb laughed at the question. The sound of his laughter caught her off guard. She could not remember a single time that he had genuinely laughed since they met. It seemed odd that he would do so at that moment.

  “Hector is still alive. I can feel it deep down,” Caleb replied as he managed to gain control over his vocal chords again. “I have faith in him, and I have to admit that it’s nice to be able to have faith in something.”