The man who had been sent scuttling across the ground on his backside was clearly not best pleased. So much so that Finley thought he might even consider shooting his crossbow his direction. However, Terrence was good to his word and quickly tried to defuse the situation before it got any worse. What Finley did not want was Arach diving down out of the sky and killing the man, something he thought he might do if he felt Finley was at risk. After all the dragon would have self-preservation in mind, and just as a threat to Arach endangered Finley, the reverse was also true.
Fortunately, it was evident that Terrance was a persuasive man, and the two were soon sent scurrying back from wherever it was they had come from. “So not only do you fly on a dragon but you have special powers too? Any more surprises you want to tell me about?” The blacksmith asked, chuckling to himself. Unfortunately, most of what Finley had to say was not particularly welcome news, but he thought it only fair to keep Terrance updated. Afer all this was the man responsible for him being where he was today, by one selfless act.
Although he could tell the blacksmith was concerned with the fact the army of the Darkness was now being unleashed, the man put on a calm exterior. “Come on, I’ll show you where we buried your family,” he said sounding genuinely saddened. “One of your cousins survived though. The youngest I think it was, and now staying with one of your Uncle’s sisters.”
“My Aunt was expecting you know,” Finley replied thinking of the unfortunate loss of the unborn child as well.
“Aye, the beasts seemed to target them they did. Swooped down and …” realising he was probably going into too much detail Terrance stopped.
Finley nodded feeling saddened by the fact he was probably the one responsible for that being the case. Although he was not sure the blacksmith would understand, he tried to explain nonetheless. The man listened as they strolled over the bridge and into the village proper, passing by what used to be Finley’s home. “The house is sealed up. It’s yours by right, I’m not sure what you want to do with it?” Terrance asked as the two paused briefly.
Finley just shrugged, he hadn’t even given it any consideration, and hence had no definite answer to give. “Can you just keep it that way, for now at least?” he asked not sure what else to say.
At the small chapel, Terrance pointed out the fresh graves of his Uncle, Aunt and cousin. There were actually several more as well, meaning that his family had not been the only ones to suffer in the attack. Three wooden crosses indicated where his family had ben put to rest, and he felt comforted by the fact somebody had taken the time to lay fresh flowers at the foot of each of them. Despite him not particularly liking his uncle, the loss of his aunt and cousin saddened him deeply, so much so, that he felt a tear or two in his eyes.
Having done what he had wanted to do, Finley accepted Terrance’s invitation to stay for lunch. “You can tell me all about your mother and brother,” the man said trying to lighten the mood. After that, he could fly back to the capital and see what else Galdrac had lined up for him. For now, though, he could spend an hour or two with an old friend away from all the hassle.
Chapter 16.
Prince James was standing in the small area of the palace grounds set aside for training. He watched as his two more experienced men were once more putting his newer selections through their paces. Having devised a training plan that far exceeded that of any other new recruits, James hoped to give his men a good solid understanding of both ranged and melee combat.
As a result, for two hours each morning, the recruits were to practice with the bow or crossbow, whichever they found easier. After another hour of physical training, they were allowed a good hearty lunch, something one or two could certainly do with. Once suitably fed they were then put through their paces with swords, shields and spears. While James wanted all the men his group to have a horse to themselves, allowing them to move much more quickly, he as yet had not received word back if the man he sent to buy them had been successful. The problem with there being a war on was that such creatures as horses had suddenly become a much sought after commodity. While Jared and Leonard as members or past members of the Elite Royal Guard already owned horses, it did only mean that James had to find five more.
James watched as Seamus, the youngest member of the group appeared to have some skill with a bow, something that was all the more surprising as he had never used one before. Unfortunately, that was as far as the good news went when it came to ranged weapons, and as such the others were all given crossbows to practice with. While this weapon was just as accurate and even surpassed the range of a standard recurve bow, it was let down by its slow rate of fire. While easy to aim and shoot, the crossbow was a much more challenging and time-consuming weapon to reload, something that wasn’t always possible when in a battle.
With his men being treated differently to those training at the Garrison training yard, there was already a certain amount of animosity towards James’ group. Better trained and housed in the same barracks as the Elite Guard, they had also already received their uniforms. Even these were something a little different, as the young Prince had wanted his group to stand out from the other conscript soldiers. Aside from the usual uniform, James had managed to persuade the people who manufactured them to come up with a tabard that stood apart from the others. A dark blue in colour, James had asked that they show a crown on the front to show they were his men.
Although Eric, the Commander of the Elite Royal Guard had doubted the young Princes’ appointment as a group leader, the King was glad to see his son’s energy being diverted into something more positive. Not only did it ensure the heir to the throne was kept at Carison, but it also meant he was surrounded by men loyal to him for the most part of the day. As a result, the King had ordered his Commander to allow James use of the facilities more typically set aside for the Elite Guard.
With the men being afforded three hearty meals a day, Jacob, for one was already benefitting. The youngster had clearly not had an easy life, and even in the short time he had been in the group was already looking a far healthier human being. With his scruffy hair now cut and washed, and a smart uniform to wear, the young man looked every part a soldier in the making. Although not particularly strong, he was showing signs that he was a quick learner.
Alvin as the senior member of the selected candidates, and picked by James as the man to help give them something a little different, was actually turning out to be the star of the show. Although from his looks you might think him the type of man to run off with your coin purse when your back was turned, he had actually shown he was adept with most of the weapons they used. While not using them as a soldier would be taught, the man had almost bested Jared in a practice fight with wooden swords. While it was plainly obvious that Jared had been trained to use the weapon and fight as one might expect, Alvin had used several underhand tricks to almost get the better of the more experienced fighter. Picking up a fist full of dirt from the ground and throwing it in the face of your opponent may have been frowned upon, but as Leonard, the senior member of the group pointed out, in battle you had to use everything to your advantage.
While Jared had not taken kindly to the tactics used by his opponent he had to admit after the bout, they had been successful. Although having dirt thrown to the face and a kick to the nether regions was not overly welcome, in a fight they might just mean the difference between life and death. Moreover, this one practice match had seen the group knit together far more quickly than James had hoped for. Not only did Alvin have the other recruits passionately and vocally backing him, but it also showed Jared in a good light. A mutual respect between the old guard and the new now existed and as a result, James thought his group was bonding well.
Of all his picks, Regan, a tall lad of nineteen with brown curly hair, gave him cause for concern. The son of a baker, it was clear the young man was not taking it well being dragged from what had probably been a quiet life he had led. Being from a small town, and spending your life in the c
lose circle of his family was certainly a far cry from where he was now. While there was nothing inherently wrong with Regan, James thought he was just not as well settled as the others seemed to be. Although it was evidently clear the others had nothing against the boy, he just didn’t seem as comfortable in the group. So much so that James was beginning to think him a poor choice. He had even considered sending the lad back to the Garrison and picking a different man, but quickly dismissed the idea as cruel. If Regan were struggling in his group, he would likely be much worse in the far stricter environment of the Garrison.
As a result, James had tried to encourage the man, even taking him to one side to assist in his training. This was the first little hiccup, and James knew there would likely be much more to come. However, he had stood firm in his resolve and promised to himself that he would do anything and everything he could to make life as good as he could for those under his command. If that meant working hard to help Regan settle in, then so be it.
Casper, the last member of his small group, appeared to be one of those people that got on with everyone. Of average height and with a muscular, stocky build, his long hair which he kept tied back had been something of a sore point, at least as far as Leonard was concerned. The old soldier was of the thought that girls had long hair, not young men, and certainly not soldiers. However, as James had pointed out to him, the choice was not his to make, and as a result, the young man was allowed to keep it.
After James had shown that he was just as fallible as any other person, by completely missing the archery target he had been aiming for, the young prince took a step back to watch the others. Standing beside his two Elite Guards, he asked their opinions on how they considered the group was doing. Both men seemed to be of the thought they were doing well, but both also noted that Regan was becoming somewhat of an outsider. This, of course, was a problem James was already aware of, and one that he hoped would remedy itself.
Seamus showed his undoubted skill with the bow as he once more outscored all the others, James included. Moreover, he did so with a new found confidence that had not been so noticeable before. James was about to walk over and congratulate the youngster when he felt a chill, the kind that you get when you know something bad is about to happen. The prince froze in place and turned to see a dark mist twisting and swirling around his feet, before a face he had seen before emerged within it. “Abalyon!” he spat at least trying to sound much braver than he was feeling.
The dark ghost-like face stared at him as it had done once before, but this time it spoke. “Where is the sword?” it asked in a strange, hoarse sounding voice. James had no intention of telling and merely took a step backwards. Having kept his previous meeting with Abalyon secret, aside from telling his old school tutor Alim, James was unsure as to whether the others in the group could see what he could. “Does Zerus Maldhor have it?” the ghostly apparition asked, seeming agitated by his lack of response.
Once more James remained silent and could hear the faint sounds of shouting from somewhere outside the swirling mist. “You will die!” the figure spat before the face disappeared into the sea of mist, which in turn vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “What the bloody hell was that?” Alvin asked running over to check the Prince was okay. James took a deep breath to regain his composure, before explaining to all of them what it was they had just seen. While they could not see any face in the mist, they had heard some kind of muffled voice. “That was Abalyon!” he told them.
It was evident to see the shock on all their faces, none more so than Leonards. However, before any of them had a chance to dwell on what had just happened, Regan gave them a shout to take cover. Diving from what had appeared an almost cloudless sky were black shapes, and James realised with horror that he had seen these awful things before.
At least a dozen in number they seemed to be heading straight for his group, and it was only the quick thinking of Jared that stopped the young prince from having his head taken off by a set of vicious looking claws that swooped down at him. Leonard quickly tried to shepherd the rest of the group together, “Stand to the wall, it makes it harder for them to dive down at you,” he shouted, grabbing hold of Seamus who seemed intent on standing out in the open.
Within a few moments the bells outside the palace wall could be heard, a signal that it was under attack. The people were to head quickly indoors, which most did, albeit in a somewhat panicky manner. The soldiers of the Garrison and the Elite Royal Guard spewed forth out of their respective barracks to confront the attackers. The large crossbows that had been fixed upon the outer walls were quickly manned and fired for the first time. While these worked in theory, actually hitting a beast moving so fast through the air was not particularly easy, particularly since the men operating them had not yet had time to practice. The downside to this weapon was its time taken to reload, and the fact that if one of the large metal bolts fired up missed, it obviously had to fall to the ground once it had lost all momentum. When shooting at beasts swirling and diving above the city, this quickly became an apparent problem, as several of the bolts fell into the city streets where the people were hurrying for cover.
Leonard removed the half-staff he carried and after twisting and turning it about conjured up a small ball of flame. James watched on as the old man sent the fire soaring upwards at the next beast to dive down towards them. Although the shot missed, it did so by a mere fraction and caused the creature to veer from its course and away from them. James, who had been waiting for a chance to scamper across the yard and get his bow that he had left nearer the practice area, decided now was a good a time as any to make that move. Despite hearing Jared telling him to stay, the young Prince sprinted as hard as could before diving to the ground again and rolling before backing up against another wall.
With his bow in hand, James quickly placed an arrow on the string and fired the first of what would be several shots. All missed except one which managed to clip one of the creatures in the wing, causing it to twirl and fall before crashing into the palace building just a short way from their position. Leonard did not wait to be asked as he quickly conjured up another ball of flame, and sent it straight at the dazed beast before it had a chance to move. James somewhat foolishly ran from his advantageous spot to help finish off the creature, firing another arrow its direction and not even realising he had just made a big mistake in doing so.
Swooping down low behind him came another flying balgraf. With everybody’s attention on the beast they had managed to down, only one person spotted the second creature heading straight for the prince. Regan sprinted from his position against the wall without any thought for his own life and dived towards James. With his bow in hand and about to shoot, the young prince felt himself knocked to the ground as a dark shape stretched out its claws as it swooped down just above him.
It took a few moments to regain his bearings and realised Regan lying on top of him was the reason he could not move. He heard the older lad groaning and at first thought he was winded a bit like himself but soon realised there was blood coming from somewhere. Confident it was not his own, James was glad when Casper crawled over to where they lay and helped drag Regan back towards the wall.
Finley, had not rushed back towards Carison but had quickly picked up the pace when he saw what was happening. Arach darted through the air towards the city where they could see several dark shapes circling above and diving down. With the horrible thought, he was supposedly the one to stop this kind of thing from happening, he had Arach move into the action without actually thinking of the risks involved for both of them.
The first balgraf was taken down in the air, as Arach held back his wings and clutched the beast in his taloned claws, before flying around and letting the wounded creature drop to the ground below. “The Prince is down there,” Finley heard Arach tell him as he flew over the palace. Although not sure how the dragon could differentiate one human being from another at such a distance, he took Arach’s word as good, “Then let us prot
ect him,” he eventually replied.
Although asked not to use his magical skills unless absolutely necessary, Finley thought this was probably one of those occasions where he should. While diving down from their elevated position giving chase to a balgraf, Arach sent forth a jet of dragon fire sending the beast hurtling to destruction, as it merely crashed into the palace wall in a ball of flames.
“Don’t shoot at the dragon!” James shouted as loudly as he could, as he watched the magnificent beast land just a few paces in front of them. Finley slipped down from Arach’s back and immediately asked the dragon to take to the air, “Watch my back for me please,” he asked it, “And stay safe,” he added. As Arach was flapping to retake to the air, Finley watched in horror as a balgraf came hurtling from nowhere and smashed into the side. For a few moments, it appeared as if the beast had gotten the jump on the dragon but much to his relief he sensed that Arach was okay, as he regained his composure to snap out with his mighty jaws and send the creature of the Darkness tumbling to the ground.
The Sword of Light Page 11
