Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2)

by Aaron Thomas

  Now he had to stand or sit outside the king’s tent and be put on display for any who wished to challenge Atmos. He had to admit, this was the first time in his life that being so large was an annoyance. He was always being put on display for nobles and mayors as they traveled.

  The camp they were in hadn’t moved for three days. The king’s tent stayed in place as troops passed each day. The King and his retinue would be traveling to the front as soon as they met the end of the long line of troops. The troops would move off to the side as they made their way down the worn path. It would be another day before they began to make their way to the front of the army again. At least he wouldn’t have to walk the whole way. Traveling with a king had its perks: a new horse and food three times a day as they traveled up the line.

  Captain Lorusk approached the king’s tent followed by a few nobles. Chit slowly stood for his superior officer. Lorusk waved him to follow into the tent. Chit put his sword back into the sheath on his back as the nobles and captain disappeared inside. When he stepped inside there was the usual bunch of wizards and nobles sitting around the king, looking over maps and scrolls with supplies and troop counts.

  “My lord, I present Sir Fulstom,” said Captain Lorusk.

  Chit had sat on in enough of the king’s meetings to know this particular noble. He was a bit of a leader amongst the nobles. King Atmos had made special arrangements on occasions to keep Fulstom happy. Chit could see why he was getting special favor, he had promised to bring ten thousand of his own men to the battlefield. Chit still despised the man for the way he had help Kilen graduate his training and keep his sword.

  “Thank you, captain. Lord Fulstom, welcome. Are your troops joining the march?”

  “I see, right down to business then,” the puffed up nobleman said as he pulled up a chair next to the table.

  “Yes, my troops have joined the march. Ten thousand, as I promised. Where is the weapon bearer? I was hoping he would accompany my men.”

  Allen Fulstom was one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles of the Earth Realm. His grandfather, father and uncle were all wielders for previous kings. He inherited these pieces of armor but built his wealth off of the land he controlled. He had many orchards and farms that surrounded Deuterium and supplied most of the food for the city.

  “Allen, the newly raised weapon bearer is on a mission of the utmost importance. I am hopeful he will be returning with the Elder Wizards to assist in the battle. He will not be able to lead your men into battle or on the march. I offer my Champion to lead your men if you would like.”

  Lord Fulstom looked Chit up and down and let his gaze return to the king. “The name is Lord Fulstom and that won’t be necessary. I’m sure he is needed with your men. How else can I help the cause, my lord?”

  “Your presence here alone will ensure more nobles will support the army. Make yourself at home while in the camp.”

  “I was refering to help you need in planning the defense of this kingdom. If you think I will blindly commit my men, you are mistaken. I will be included in all discussions from this point on or I will take my men and leave.” Allen reached out and took a blackberry off the king’s plate and threw it in his mouth.

  The king’s jaw became tight but he said nothing as he stared at the confident noble. Finally, the king tried to choose the most diplomatic answer for the man.

  “I’m sure the wizard’s council can fill you in on all of the reports and plans that we have so far.”

  The noble nodded and narrowed his eyes to the king. Chit assumed the noble knew it was probably the best he could get from Atmos. The man stood to join the wizards at a map table in the back.

  The king spoke to Lorusk next, “Any word from the archer?”

  “My lord, scouts report that he has some men already crossing the river by ferry. Some follow a little slower but the main portion of his forces are across. He passed our scouts a day and a half ago. Corporal Curtain brings up the rear of his troops. They are supposed to amass on the far side of the river for supplies.”

  “Good, see that the scouts keep in touch with the archers. I don’t want them getting too ambitious and arriving a month before us. Captain, I also want current numbers on all supplies.”

  Lorusk put his fist to his chest and Chit and Lorusk departed. Chit was growing tired of being sent to do a store keeper’s job. It seemed like every day he became more and more like the stock boy his father had turned him into.

  **********

  The hunt went better than Bowie expected; two of the four hunting parties had turned up with deer. Bowie had taken off his jacket and hat to help put up tents for more of his men’s arrival. He gave them an opportunity to get some rest as soon as they came into the camp. The newly arrived men were enjoying some of the freshly prepared deer stew. Andrew reported that Corporal Curtain would be over on the next ferry with the last of his troops. They had only taken roughly a day longer than Bowie to arrive. He was surprised at the speed his troops had made the journey. He imagined John following his men with a whip and cracking it over their heads to drive them forward.

  Ria had eaten and was attempting her second growth on the apple tree, now sprouting apples. Ria walked away carrying a small sack full for herself and an escort held her other arm to steady her. Bowie was starting to enjoy having the wizard along.

  Retrieving his jacket and hat from where he had put it, he finally sat down to eat some of the stew himself. He wasn’t sure if his appetite had returned from the good news of the hunt or from the hard work he’d put in pitching tents. He dished a bowl and sat down on a stump.

  Tyler didn't wait long before he brought up another problem. “Sargeant, can I introduce Scout Benson?”

  Bowie finished chewing the spoon full of tough deer meat and stood to shake the scout’s hand. “Pleasure. You have word from the king?”

  “Actually, no. I tried to acquire a room in town but it was a bit more costly than I thought it would be. Since your camp is on my way, I was wondering if I could borrow one of these tents to rest in?”

  “Yes, of course. We don’t have a lot to offer for food. Wizard Ria is trying to grow out this apple tree a little to help. I have a few men out looking for food but you can have any extra. If you need anything else please let me know.”

  The scout held out his hand to thank Bowie. “I have heard of you and your troops. The truth is there will be a lot of scouts coming back and forth on this road. If you continue to have a place for them to sleep and possibly eat, I’m sure we could trade valuable information with you.”

  Bowie perked up a bit at the word ‘valuable’. “What kind of information can you provide us?”

  “Camping locations, animal trails, road conditions, and more when you get closer to the enemy. Like locations of scouts to avoid any deaths to your men.”

  “Well, I would say that’s valuable information. How will I know which men are real scouts to the king and not just someone wanting to camp with the army for the night?” Bowie sat down and started eating again.

  Tyler handed the scout a bowl of soup and the tired man sat down next to Bowie. “Each scout is a wielder. I would ask to see their imbuement. Other than that, we do not carry anything that would distinguish us from any other man.”

  “Which imbuement do you carry, Scout Benson?”

  The scout reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with a pendant made to look like the earth symbol. “Earth, of course; is there any other?”

  “Good. Perhaps you could earn the food that you eat by aiding that apple tree’s growth. It would certainly help out my troops, as we will be here for the next few days.”

  The scout took some quick bites that said he hadn’t eaten a warm meal in a couple days. He said nothing but nodded his head in agreement. Bowie and the scout continued to eat until they were full. A hunting party returned with two turkeys. They began plucking the feathers and handing them to Auburn. They would make decent arrows.

  The scout found
a tent and before he finished getting ready to head in for the evening, he placed his hand on the apple tree. The leaves shook and the tree grew about a foot in every direction. No apples grew, but it was certainly larger than before. Bowie examined the tree as the scout made his way to the tent. The trunk was getting thick and the branches were starting to lift off the ground. It was hard to believe it had been grown in less than a day. He really wished he knew what his wind magic was capable of. He turned the bracer over where the magic imbuement lay hidden against his skin.

  “Go ahead, give it a little kiss.” Auburn was always like a shadow creeping up on him in her soft-soled shoes.

  Bowie took off his hat as he turned to face her. He wondered what she could want now.

  “The big boy from the store in town wants a word with you. Mr. Ramos is just outside the town gates waiting,” she said.

  “Probably wants another try at my hat. Just tell him that I no longer need the supplies, I’ll get along without them.”

  He tried to make his way to the larger tent the troops had set up for him. The tent was large enough that they were able to squeeze in a desk. He had no idea where they had acquired it, let alone transported it with their limited space.

  He sat down at the desk and began going over the money amounts listed and the amount of supplies they would need to fill all the quivers in the army. He had been told that the size of the army would continue to grow. The best estimate on final troop numbers for battle was going to be around one hundred thousand men. He would probably need to have two dozen arrows per quiver for the archers. The number of arrows needed was very surprising since the king’s army had just over ten thousand archers. He would need to make around two hundred fifty thousand arrows to fulfill the king’s demands.

  Auburn came into his tent without being welcomed or even asking to enter, saying, “I think you had better meet the man. While we were in town he had a change of heart I think.”

  Bowie looked at Auburn with disbelief.

  “It would take more than a miracle to change the heart of a businessman like him. The Dark Army would’ve had to have risen and been making his supplies for him to change his prices.”

  Auburn turned a shade of red to match her hair. “Perhaps you better run and tell the king the man has the dark army working for him then. You have to go and talk to him again. What will it hurt? You might just get some of those supplies you need.”

  “Will you quit following me when I go into town?” he asked her.

  “I doubt you will want me to quit following you, but if that is what you request.”

  Bowie sighed and put his hat back on. Auburn practically jumped up and down. He felt like he had been manipulated by the woman. When he came out of his tent he came face to face with John.

  “Just arrive?” Bowie asked.

  “Yes, all of the troops are across the river. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Get some rest, John. You did well, however I was less than successful. There should be some stew and some apples for any that are hungry. I just saw some turkeys brought in if you can wait. Otherwise, find a tent and get the men some rest, we will be here for a few days.”

  Bowie tried to leave but John caught him by the shoulder and asked,“We got some sleep before the ferry came across. Where are you off to? Perhaps I can accompany you?”

  “I am on my way to visit with a local price gouging merchant named Ramos. He has tripled the price on everything in town. I was unable to get supplies because he is wanting to wait until the king arrives to sell to him.”

  “I am sure the king will buy all of them without even looking at the quality,” John replied. “War is good for the economy.”

  Auburn cleared her throat. “I may have lead him to believe different.”

  John and Bowie looked at her strangely.

  “Well, he said he had offered to sell the bows at six silver a piece. So I told him that the king had just taken everything he wanted from my town. He’s probably trying to sell off everything in his store to avoid the king taking it and getting nothing in return.”

  Bowie looked at her, confused, asking, “What else did you tell him?”

  “I may have told him that the king also took anyone along that had a skill unless they were able to pay to get out of coming along. I told him that I was the only one in my town unable to pay, so I was forced to come along and work for you. I told him you had purchased all the town’s goods before the king arrived in order to save the townspeople from being forced to join the army.”

  Bowie cleared his throat. “So he thinks if I buy all the supplies, he may have enough to save all of his workers from going to battle?”

  Auburn nodded and Bowie smiled a wicked smile in response as he said, “I wish I had thought of it myself. Next time you come up with an idea like that you had better clear it with me first.”

  “What, no ‘thank you’?”

  “No, and you are still not allowed to follow me.”

  John interrupted, “The man will probably start hunting Bowie down the minute the king enters town and he finds out the truth.”

  Bowie adjusted his hat.

  “That’s the truth. Although, I don’t have much of a choice if we are to make two hundred fifty thousand arrows before the battle starts.”

  They followed Bowie as he started down the worn dirt path that led into town from the camp.

  “Do we really need that many arrows?” John asked, seemingly confused by the number.

  Bowie replied, “I think that we will by the time we fill each quiver of ten thousand men. We will also have to make strings and possibly some bows as well. I have only a little experience producing bows. I’m sure the quality of my bow is not going to be good enough.”

  “I have made a few. I can be of help. However, making the bows won't be easy while on the move,” Auburn said, trying to keep pace with the two men.

  Bowie looked back at the girl, who was trying to keep her dress out of the dirt. “I’ll settle for just the arrows at the moment, but thank you.”

  The outskirts of town came into view. Bowie could see a lot of commotion outside the gates. Carts had been aligned,each covered with canvas tarps. The large businessman was barking orders at all of the workers. Bowie could make out the two large men watching each person to guarantee that nothing was removed from the carts loaded with merchandise.

  “You wished to see me, sir?” Bowie asked.

  “Indeed I did. I must apologize for earlier. I mistook you for a lordling and thought I could make some money for the townspeople here.”

  The man had sweat on his forehead and was wringing his hands while he talked. Bowie knew he was desperate to make a sale now.

  Bowie smiled and said,“I won’t say it hasn’t happened before. I am just a businessman like yourself, so I must tell you I will not be needing some of the items in your shop. I would prefer to buy from the individual shop owners.”

  “Well, I buy from them and resell it to make sure they have a constant money flow. The individual workers don’t have anything to sell. If you want to buy to support them, you will have to buy the items from me.”

  “What guarantee can you make me that they will receive the money they need to avoid being enlisted into the army?”

  The man let out a small chuckle. “If they all are enlisted, it would ruin my business because I would have no one to stock my shelves.”

  Bowie nodded in acceptance. “How much are the bows now?”

  “Let’s just say the bows are a gift. Shall we discuss the prices of other items?”

  He replied without missing a beat, “Let’s just discuss what I need.”

  The man nodded his head.

  Bowie proceeded, “I need glue, string, tar, candles, paper, boots, clothes, knives, and food provisions.”

  “I already had the things you would need separated.” Ramos turned to Auburn and said, “I placed the purple dress you were looking at in with the other clothes. Consider it a thank you
gift for making me aware of what is coming.”

  Auburn curtsied, and the man smiled in return.

  Bowie cleared his throat. “Well, I won’t be needing this much. I don’t have the room to carry this many supplies. Unless you have some horses and carts to sell as well.”

  “We might have a few for sale. Perhaps we could work something out.”

  Bowie smiled and said, “I hope so, for the sake of this town.”

  The business man nodded and seemed to understand this wasn’t an actual hope, but instead was a threat.

  “I will see what I can do. Sergeant Crescent, is it?”

  “Yes, it is. I’ll take these three carts with the horses and be back in the morning for the rest of the supplies,” Bowie said while climbing into a cart’s seat.

  “We haven’t discussed price yet, Sergeant.”

  Bowie flipped the merchant ten gold pieces.

  “You had better make due with what you get, sir.”

  Bowie tipped his hat and motioned Auburn and John to take the other two carts. As he pulled away he felt as though his heart was going to jump out of his chest. This was the easiest negotiation he had ever experienced. He wondered if he would be killed in the night when the merchant realized he’d been had. He at least needed to do his best at accommodating the scouts to keep them from tipping off the merchant.

  Bowie stopped to look back at Ramos. He instantly felt regret for the way he had talked to the man. His father had always taught him to treat other men with respect, especially if you were doing business.

  When the small caravan returned back to the camp Bowie waved over Tyler, who was surprised to find carts full of supplies.

  “Take this cart and inventory it as well as the two that are on their way. There should be some paper in one that you can use to take inventory. As soon as that is done, Auburn will get her fletchers together and start constructing as many arrows as she can before we get on the road.” He nodded as Auburn and John approached.

  “John, will you and Auburn come to my tent please?”