Avondale V

by Toby Neighbors

  Even though there was no change in the light and no way to see the sun setting, Olyva knew that night would fall soon. The sudden shift to complete darkness could be unsettling, so Olyva gave orders to have the fires lit. One large fire was kindled and built up near the communal tent, and from that fire the smaller cooking fires that each family would use were lit. When the blighted lands suddenly plunged into darkness, the camp was prepared, and the evacuees merely marveled at what was to them a new and interesting facet of their strange new home.

  Olyva was curious about what was happening in the city high up on the mountain, but she had gone without sleep for a long time, so she settled just outside the small tent occupied by Desyra. The ground was warm and inviting. She lay down, letting the muscles in her legs and back relax and slowly feeling the pressure she was under drain away. She was almost asleep when she felt the earth shudder. She knew that no one in the camp but her had felt the tremor, but she had felt it, and the message it carried was as clear to her as a flash of lightning across the sky. The eruption would happen soon. Everything was ready, and the pressure building inside the ancient volcano was so massive, Olyva realized that nothing in Avondale would be safe.

  Chapter 33

  Rafe

  It was almost nightfall when his men woke him. Rafe hadn’t meant to sleep through the day, but he had been working to prepare the city’s defenses for days and had been up all the previous night. His body was stiff, and he had a terrible taste in his mouth, but overall he felt better than he had when the battle began.

  “Commander, we have news from the scouts,” Captain Gerick told him.

  “Scouts?” Rafe asked.

  “I sent them once the fire on the walls had died down,” the officer said.

  Rafe looked at the city walls. The magnificent battlements were now blackened, and many were still smoking. The sunset was beautiful as the last rays of light filtered through the cloud of smoke that hung over the city.

  “You were right—the war ships are landing men even now,” Gerick went on. “They’ll be mobilizing to move into the city.”

  “We could send troops to defend the broken wall,” Captain Rowen suggested.

  “No,” Rafe said. “Their magic broke down that wall. For all we know, they’ll blast their way in from the opposite direction. Besides, that gap is on the far side of the city. Our best chance of survival is to concentrate our forces. This will be a long, grueling campaign, gentlemen. Make no mistake about that. Our forces must hold out against the enemy’s attack for as long as possible.”

  “We’ll hold, Commander,” Gerick said. “But to what end? What are we fighting for?”

  The soldiers all fell silent as Earl Ageus made his way onto the roof. He was flanked by a dozen of his guardsmen, a precaution that Rafe insisted on. Each of the soldiers bowed slightly, and the earl smiled.

  “We have survived another day, gentlemen,” he announced happily.

  “But we’ve lost the walls,” Rafe said. “And our ballistae.”

  “Your father would have been distraught over his precious crossbows, but we can always build more. The walls are there to protect us from the beasts of the blighted lands, not an assault.”

  “Leonosis is moving his forces in for a ground attack.”

  “Just as we expected,” the earl said. “So why the gloomy faces?”

  “We were just discussing the reason for fighting at all,” Rafe said.

  “We meant no offense, my lord,” Captain Gerick said with a pained look on his face.

  “None taken, Captain, none at all. It’s a good question. One I cannot fully answer, but I will tell you why I am fighting. I fight to defend this city and to protect its citizens. We did not start this fight. We did not attack or offend or even fail to meet our many commitments to the King of Valana.”

  “The king is your son, my lord,” said Captain Rowen. “Surely he would listen to reason.”

  “As you all know—and I’m sure Rafe explained this—my son is under the influence of magic. I cannot reach him or reason with him. I can only resist his outrageous ambitions to make us his slaves.”

  “We serve the king already,” Captain Gerick said. “Why attack us now?”

  “Greed, I suppose,” Earl Ageus said. “Avarice? I do not know for certain. What I do know is that the king cannot replace a sitting earl without cause and a proper hearing before the council of earls. And the king cannot bring a fleet of warships to engage a city for any reason other than war. We have a responsibility here, gentlemen. We must stand against King Leonosis, for if we give in, then the other cities will soon fall, and the kingdom will once more be on the verge of destruction.”

  “They can’t attack at night, can they?” asked Captain Rowen.

  “We can’t predict what their king will order them to do,” Rafe said. “But we must prepare for every possibility. Send word to every squad. I want the watch doubled through the night, and every man sleeps with his armor on and weapons in hand.”

  The officers saluted and hurried away. Rafe and the earl watched the last rays of daylight fade away, then looked out across the city. There were still fires burning and people in the streets. Many would not survive the night, Rafe knew that. Even if Leonosis didn’t attack until morning, the slaughter would begin in the darkness and spread like a vile disease across Avondale.

  “I wish I could help them,” the earl said. “They should have listened when we warned them.”

  As if the mountain had heard what Earl Ageus was saying, it shook again, but this time was different. There was a roar and then the shaking, but then in the fading twilight, they saw a huge gush of superheated water spray up into the night sky. Details were impossible to make out, but for nearly twenty seconds, the water blew upward, venting the gas that had been trapped inside the mountain. Then, the shaking stopped, the geyser vanished, and the entire city was unnaturally quiet.

  “Is there any chance that Leonosis is doing this?” Rafe asked.

  “I don’t understand,” the earl said.

  “I mean he made the wall explode even though he wasn’t anywhere near it. Maybe he’s behind the tremors, too.”

  “Your wife said the volcano is preparing to erupt.”

  “Yes, I know, but it has to be a possibility. I mean, what else could be causing it? I can’t believe it’s just a coincidence that the mountain is preparing to erupt just as the new king attacks us.”

  “You know more about magic than I do,” the earl said. “At least you’ve been with Tiberius.”

  “Yes, Ti can do things that your mind can’t fathom,” Rafe said. “When we were going to Hamill Keep, we got trapped in an old city. There was another wizard there who sent an army of bronze statues to fight us.”

  “Statues?” the earl said, sounding doubtful.

  “Outrageous, isn’t it? But it really is true. We were stuck inside this old fortress of some kind. Tiberius climbed up on the wall, cast a spell, and melted the statues. I had to hold on to him to keep him from falling, and it was like standing in front of a forge. The heat was so intense I thought I was going to pass out. I thought that was the limit of magical power up until I saw our wall explode.”

  “We really don’t stand a chance if Tiberius isn’t successful,” the earl said. “My last act as earl will be to die in the city I was entrusted with.”

  “We may die,” Rafe said. “But at least we’ll die fighting. A man can’t ask for more than that.”

  “I’ve never understood that sentiment. What is the upside to dying, fighting or not?”

  “Death is inevitable—that’s what my father always told me. Don’t fear death, fear not dying well. He used to tell me to face my death like it was an old friend coming to escort me home.”

  “And how do you feel about his death?” the earl asked softly. “Do you feel that his belief was right?”

  “I do,” Rafe said, nodding. “I lost him and I greatly regret it, but he died exactly the way he would have wanted. In
that moment, when it was your life or his, he didn’t hesitate or shy away. He didn’t cling to his own life or besmirch his honor. He died a hero.”

  “That he did,” the earl agreed.

  “And I think that when I die, I want to be just as confident. I’ve fought and put my life on the line. I would be dead already if it weren’t for Tiberius. He saved me more than once. But I think it’s when death is inevitable—not just a possibility, but a certainty—that we really see if what we believe is real.”

  “I’m not sure death is ever a certainty,” the earl said. “Tiberius taught me that. There are forces much greater than our lives, more powerful than we can hope to contain. So we must do what is in our power to ensure those forces don’t destroy what we love. If the mountain erupts and Avondale is lost, I can live with that. But if I have to give my life fighting to keep some vile sorcerer from destroying it, then I will gladly make that sacrifice. Your father died for me, that is a gift I can never repay. But I assure you, Rafe Grentzson, I will make that sacrifice worthwhile. I will make it count.”

  Rafe knew he didn’t love Avondale or even the earl enough to die for them. And yet he was there, risking his life for the city and for his earl. His motivation was the honor that his father had taught him to value so highly. And love for his friends —Rafe was there for Tiberius. He would give his life for Tiberius or Olyva, even for Lexi when it came down to it. They had put their lives on the line for him, and he would never shy away from any danger if they truly needed him. He knew that.

  If he survived the battle for Avondale, he thought to himself. He would discharge his duty to the earl and join Tiberius in whatever adventure the young wizard came up with. He realized that was his place, not serving as commander of the earl’s war band, even though he’d wanted that position since he was a boy, and not being the sword master of Avondale, even though that was his greatest ambition in life until recently. He wanted his sword and his sacrifice, if it came to that, to mean something to someone he truly cared about.

  “They’ve entered the city, Commander,” said a young officer, presenting Rafe with a telescope.

  Rafe held the device up to his eye and looked across the cone-shaped city. He could see a dark mass moving in through the gash in the wall. There were pinpoints of light—torches, he thought—giving just enough light to reveal the enemy army. But they didn’t seem to be in any hurry.

  “They’ll take up their positions tonight,” Rafe said, handing the telescope to the earl. “Come first light, they’ll attack.”

  “Are we ready?” the earl asked.

  “We are, my lord,” Rafe said confidently.

  The earl looked at Rafe for a moment, nodded, then walked away. Rafe could feel his heart beating in his chest. He didn’t want to wait all night long. He wanted to fight right that moment, but he knew that fighting wasn’t the goal. They could slay every man in the king’s army and still lose. They had to cut the head off the snake, and not just because the king was ordering his men to fight, but because Leonosis and Queen Ariel were more dangerous than the armies of both sides put together. And only one person could stop them. Once again, Rafe wondered where Tiberius was and hoped that his friend returned soon. Otherwise, the lives sacrificed in the battle would be for nothing, including Rafe’s own.

  Chapter 34

  Tiberius

  When Tiberius awoke, it was dark outside. His back hurt, but otherwise he felt fine. He stretched his leg and was amazed that there was no residual pain. He knew what his magic could do, understood that his own leg had been mended, and yet his mind was still baffled by the change.

  That was one of the things he loved about magic. There was no explaining it. He had no idea where it came from or how he was able to access it, yet it was just as real as the ship they were sailing in and at the same time just as mysterious as the wind that propelled them.

  Ti sat up suddenly, his senses straining in the darkness for some sign that he was wrong. He listened for the telltale creaking of the wood as the masts held firm against the push of the wind-filled sails, but the ship was silent. There was no creaking of wood, no flapping of canvas, no thrum from the rigging. He slipped out of the bed where Lexi was still asleep and pulled on clean clothes that Robere had laid out for him. His boots were ruined, and he had no replacements, so he went out onto the deck in his bare feet. It was completely dark, and Tiberius had to move slowly, feeling his way around the partition that made his room below decks, up the wooden steps, and out onto the deck, where he should have felt the wind on his face, but the air was perfectly still.

  “Captain?” Tiberius said.

  “Aye,” came the gruff reply from the small command deck.

  Tiberius wondered if the crusty sailor ever slept.

  “There’s no wind,” Tiberius said. “How long have we been stuck?”

  “A few hours now. It’s hard to tell in this damn impenetrable darkness.”

  “How far from Avondale would you say we are?”

  “Oh, three days, if we can get some wind in the sails.”

  Tiberius wanted to curse, but he knew his temper wouldn’t help them. They needed wind, and Tiberius knew how to get it.

  “Have your men get the sails ready, all of them.”

  “We’ve got every stitch of cloth hanging already, my lord, just hoping for a breath of wind.”

  “I can provide more than a breath. Which way is north?”

  “We’re heading north. I’m pointing, but you can’t see a damn thing at night down here.”

  Tiberius closed his eyes. He felt the need to get back to Avondale deep in his bones. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew he needed to get back. The danger was almost like standing too close to a tall cliff. His intuition was screaming for him to return to Avondale the same way it would have warned him to back away from the edge.

  “I hope you’re holding on to something. Flabra!” he said with authority.

  When he’d first begun using magic, he always felt timid casting spells. The entire process was so ephemeral that he was afraid of unleashing a power he couldn’t control. Now, he was much more confident. He knew what each spell felt like, knew the capabilities of the magic and his ability to control it.

  The portal of wind opened, and immediately Tiberius divided the portal. Splitting it wasn’t easy, but he remembered what the book fragment he’d learned his powers from said about magic. The essence of magic isn’t spells or working wonders, but rather a mastery of the will, combined with a judicious use of knowledge.

  Tiberius understood the spell, knew how it would work and what he could do with it. And his will had been strengthened by his experiences until now it was like iron. He split the portal and moved one to each side of the ship; then he let the wind blow.

  The sails popped as they suddenly filled with wind, the rigging thrummed like the stings of a harp, and the wood of the ship creaked. Then the war ship shot forward so quickly that several of the soldiers manning the ship toppled backwards.

  There was shouting and laughter as the men celebrated their sudden good fortune. Air raced across Tiberius’ skin in a cool, invigorating sensation that he reveled in. They couldn’t see where they were going, but they had been sailing just under the misty barrier that covered the blighted lands, so their path was unobstructed.

  It was several hours before the world suddenly shifted from night to day. The sunlight filtering through the mist was so perfectly diffused that the amount of light never changed until the last rays were gone. Tiberius closed his eyes, then opened them in thin slits until they adjusted to the bright light.

  The soldiers who were still awake were leaning out over the railing, amazed at how quickly they were moving. One sailor took the steering oar from the captain and let the older man take a break. Robere came up onto the main deck with bread, water, a lump of hard cheese, and a small crock of butter. Tiberius was eating when Lexi came up from below. Tiberius thought she was beautiful, even though her face was still puffy with s
leep and her hair was plastered down on one side.

  “I take it you’re responsible for our speed?” she said.

  “We were in a calm when I woke up last night.”

  “You shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”

  “It’s not so hard,” Tiberius said. “Magic gets easier every day.”

  Lexi looked down, and Tiberius could see that she wasn’t saying what she was thinking. And he didn’t have to ask her to know she thought he was playing with fire. All their lives they had been told and had believed that magic was bad, but Tiberius knew the truth. He knew that magic really did exist for the benefit of all mankind. That didn’t mean it shouldn’t be used responsibly, but it wasn’t going to possess him or hurt him, as long as he worked from a place of knowledge and didn’t bite off more than he could chew mentally.

  “We have to get back,” Tiberius said.

  “Why? Why is it so important that we get back to the city? The Emerystone can’t help us defeat Leonosis—isn’t that what you said?”

  “The stone no longer has any power,” he admitted. “And I honestly can’t say why we need to go back, but I know we do. I have a horrible feeling that our friends are in danger.”

  Tiberius knew Lexi cared about Rafe and Olyva, but he also knew that she didn’t make attachments to people for this very reason. She didn’t want to feel pulled into someone else’s fight or to depend on someone who might let her down or, worse yet, betray her on purpose. He knew she would be more than happy if the ship let them off somewhere and they left Valana and the nine cities behind them forever. But Tiberius knew they needed to help. He couldn’t abandon his friends or the city his family had ruled for so long. He didn’t need to stay there, didn’t need to keep Rafe or Olyva close to be happy, but he could never simply turn his back on them and live with himself.