Laying on his back he panted to revitalize his deprived body with oxygen. Ava was by his side cooing at him, asking if he needed something. He shook his head for he was still out of breath. Marlin reached his side first and saw his dear friend pressing a hand heavily on his right chest. Even through the dark tunic he could see the liquid was more than sweat. He collapsed his pole and moved Alex’s hand, but he was quickly told it wasn’t that bad.
As his wife, Lily wouldn’t take any chances and against his protesting had Marlin help her remove his tunic. The wound made her jaw clench for she didn’t like seeing his lifeblood oozing from the vertical stab. Luckily the blade didn’t slip between the ribs like she would have done. The flow was slowed considerably and though she couldn’t touch it from the localized and intense heat, she didn’t see him coughing up blood so it showed his lung hadn’t been punctured. He had only fallen from total exhaustion.
Seeing he wasn’t in immediate danger she fussed over Ava and saw not a mark on her. Ava was too worried about Alex to notice Lily probing and prodding in the search for wounds.
Then she looked down off the raised platform to see Crest and Clift leaning heavily against Shade from either side to support and keep him erect. Between them all Shade was in the worst condition.
Taking his hand she asked “Alex, what happened? I was too far away to see anything. Crest, Clift, Marlin and I all lost track of you after that strange roar.”
Eventually he caught his breath but his muscles wouldn’t cooperate and had to rely on help just to sit up. “I need to find Allahandra and tell her what happened immediately. This caught us by surprise and would have turned out differently if we only knew.” He looked into her pleading eyes and knew she wouldn’t do anything without some information. “The wound upon my chest came from a battle with a Furion, Runkamon’s daughter Zara. Shade fought her Makkian, Kyri. Now can we hurry and find her.”
She looked at Marlin and knew her astounded expression was similar. Allahandra needed to hear this straight away and helped him to his feet. They soon found just how weak he was and nearly supported his full bodyweight. At the edge Marlin said “General Rakkian.” He turned around after verifying that the fleeing enemy was a safe distance away. “Go find Allahandra and the advisors and have them meet at the tent. We have a new problem that she needs to be informed of without delay.”
Like a good warrior, he gently tapped Beta’s neck, made a few quick hand signs and they took off in a northerly direction to fulfill the task.
With the help of another Shadow Fang lord and lieutenant, Alex was lowered and secured to safely ride. Two other Alphas took Crest and Clift’s place to help their High Alpha limp back into camp safely. It took nearly an hour, but with the return of Rakkian and Beta they brought a sizeable force to protect the wounded heroes of the day. As they returned with the party Alex noticed hundreds of captured Royal Guard who had their items confiscated and placed under heavy guard.
Nearing the tent a dozen healers and a handful of Orggian were awaiting their arrival and went immediately to work to tend to Alex, Shade and the few mildly injured who escorted them safely back to the camp.
Told that they arrived Allahandra nearly ran out of the ten with her advisors and fiends keeping up with her brisk pace. A space was cleared and to quicken the relatively deep wounds on Shade she used her syringe and it mixed well with Orggian healing saliva to seal Shade’s many wounds that would have killed a human.
Patched up, Alex and Shade managed to nearly drag themselves onto a mattress inside the tent.
Chapter 25
Allahandra went straight to the point. “Tell us what transpired. So many of us are confused and even our seers don’t understand. All we know is that you left the frontlines and disappeared. Some of Freelan sought to run with you but their reports differ and are confusing.”
Tea was brought in just then and Alex ran over to the woman and took the tray from her hands. “Sorry, but I need this right now.”
He then took the tray of chilled drinks back over and was so parched he drank nearly six mugs alone and Shade drank the other eleven, as his brother poured it down his throat. Ava finished what Alex couldn’t from his deep mug. It was a life restorer and everyone remained silent until the injured prince and his siblings could speak. Allahandra requested more tea for the others in attendance and forgot just how thirsty she was after her fights.
Eventually Alex said “During the last hour of the battle, how many heard a roar you’ve never heard before?” Over half in attendance gestured that they did. “It came from a Makkian lord.” He dropped upon them and let it sink in.
“You mean Runkamon himself was behind this?” Allahandra assumed.
“Nay, but that was my first thought as well. Using the Makkian mist as a cover, Shade and I rushed through the opposition to end this war quickly, before it got any worse. I found a man fitting the description of Runkamon and threw myself at him, but I quickly found the man to be a stand-in when he was kicked off the temporary overseeing platform.” Then he looked at everyone in the room. “It was Runkamon’s daughter Zara I faced.”
Nearly everything in the surrounding area went dead silent. Some gasped but from Travis’s expression he seemed to be the most surprised and he said practically as much. “But how can that be? I’ve been in the confidence of that king for nearly fifteen years and not once have I heard him father a child. Are you sure she is his?”
The elder specialist was given a stern look from his prince. “There isn’t any other explanation. She was definitely a Furion for I received only a scratch or two during the whole battle, but she was my equal if not superior. My injuries would have been different if I were fresh, but I fought continually beforehand. Keeping our forces from being overrun was a task that extended my skills to the limit. I had to fight those coming at me and shade, as well as rescuing those being surrounded by the Guard before they were wiped from this existence. But because of my previous exertion she had the upper hand. You’ve all witnessed what I’m capable of, do any of you believe for a moment that even when I was mildly exhausted that a normal person could have fought me for ten minutes and not have been a Furion?”
Many shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare. It was Allahandra who then said “Continue with the confrontation. We must hear this in its entirety.”
“After the man I assumed to be Runkamon was tossed aside Zara stepped out. I believe that if it weren’t for me being a Furion, aside from her father, she wouldn’t have taken the time to talk with me. She had long blond hair, blue eyes and looked to be about two years my junior. From what I concluded, she was the one who ordered the herald’s death in her command tent.”
Angie then looked up from her crystal ball to realize “So it was her that we couldn’t see. I have been looking still for the cause of these events, but now it makes sense. I cannot see Furions or the future they can create. It is no wonder why I can’t find the triggers. Can I assume it was this Zara that issued the attack?”
“You can, for she said as much.”
“Great,” She sighed. “another Furion to cloud the future. This will make my task harder if she remains in control of the forces ahead of us.”
“Do not worry about her for a while yet.” Alex promised. “I will explain why soon enough.
“I learned that she has only recently been allowed outside the palace. Travis,” The gray-haired man perked up at being called upon. “were there any restricted places in the palace even you were forbidden to pass.”
Travis closed his eyes to contemplate, but a few moments later his eyes shot open. “Aye, the royal family tower! It is a relatively small tower that was built upon the mountain to the north of the city and cannot be climbed or accessed unless one is a Furion, friend or fiend. The late princess, your mother and a rare few others knew of a hidden pass, but he even had that blocked by guards. There are said to be five rooms in that tower that the only king and his descendants are allowed to reside in. Runkamon ha
s had that tower blocked off for a great many years and I’ve never seen him go there. Perhaps he didn’t trust anyone. I always thought he couldn’t stand that place for it reminded him of the family he slaughtered, but now it makes sense. This Zara must have been kept locked in that tower and any information of her presence was kept quiet.
“If I had only known I would have done something to get her out of such a cruel fate.” He ended solemnly. If only he knew about this everyone in the room could tell he would have done something to save her years ago.
“What is done is done and you cannot be faulted for this information blinded us all.” Alex spoke gently and the words soothed the elder. “I tried to persuade her as best I could under the circumstances, to stop the violence and tell her why we were doing as we are. I believe I made a mistake when I told her that her father needed to vacate the throne and be judged based on his actions.”
“You think?” Lily said and indicated to his wound with a smile. He smiled back.
“During our first confrontation, I learned quickly that she has been trained well in both swordsmanship and using her skills as a Furion. We fought for nearly ten minutes, but her skills and my exhaustion grew during that fight. Physically, like a normal man I am naturally stronger than a woman, but that was the only advantage that kept me on equal terms with Zara. Eventually I made a mistake and nearly lost the lives of both Ava and Shade.
“I used one of my abilities that is difficult to control at will, but at the thought of my partners being harmed instinctively allowed me the advantage that stopped Zara and Kyri from harming them. I then used it to order and force Zara to call for a full retreat, but what she said got me wondering. She said they were to meet up with the main force.” He met Allahandra’s eyes directly. “I’m not sure if it was a word slip or a warning, but if the forces were split evenly why would she tell those we fought against today to meet the main force?”
“Angie,” The queen said and glanced to the seer.
“Already on it...” She said and looked into her item.
Then Allahandra asked “A few moments ago you told us not to worry about this new threat, why?”
“Because I ordered the both of them back to Ra’van to confront Runkamon directly and tell them the truth. They won’t be back for many, many months, if at all I hope.”
Rakkian then cleared his throat. “What if she does come back? Can you order her again with that Dominance thing you spoke of?”
“Doubtful.” Alex admitted and looked to see Shade closing his eyes after the beating and work he received. “I’ve already explained that I cannot order someone to do something they don’t already want to do. Zara truly didn’t wish to fight, but her father gave her orders. I don’t believe she can kill either and that was the edge I used against her. She couldn’t bring herself to take a life, but she didn’t want to disappoint her father either. I exploited that and had her go home and leave the fight to the generals.
“Secondly, she didn’t know about Dominance whatsoever and that feeling overwhelmed her. I can only guess Runkamon didn’t want her to know about it for she would be a threat if he couldn’t order her into submission. When he learns I’m capable of it, at my age, he won’t be foolish enough to send her again and have his forces withdraw like they did today.”
“I expect that as well.” Allahandra conceded. “And it seems that we owe you all a great debt at the moment. You had them retreat and saved many of their lives. If it weren’t for you I shudder to think how far they were willing to go before calling a retreat anyway.”
Angie suddenly gasped and looked away from her item. “It seems Alex’s worry was true. Zara’s words were a warning for what we faced today wasn’t merely half coming this way. The numbers I’d wager would be close to two hundred thousand. I will need time to focus in on the exact numbers, but it is safe to assume that we will be fighting more than two against one before long.”
Before Allahandra broached that daunting topic she asked “Alex, I believe you have done more than your fair share this day. Might I ask that you go to your tent beside mine and get some rest?”
“Before you answer, my lord.” Janken interrupted. “I believe we should send word to King Gerieg about this development. He must know of his new grandchild and the situation we face. And I should send him a few of my items as well.”
“Excellent idea.” Allahandra voiced. “But how can we find him? He is doing something we know not of. As a Furion we cannot find him by seers or other specialists, so how can we accomplish such a task?”
“I have an idea.” Alex said and spoke of it quickly. She found it simple and effective. She approved and he looked behind her and changed his voice. “Breaker,” Ava’s father and leader of this group of Fury stepped forward to listen. “we need to find my grandfather. He needs to know much. Send a dozen non-essential Fury in the best direction you can guess his force to be.” Alex then told the story in its entirety once again to the Fury lord.
With that finished Alex woke Shade and Ava flew with just enough strength to land on her shoulder perch. Crest and Lily both helped those they loved to stand up and leave the room to get some rest. While they walked away they heard Breaker step out and shriek to begin the task of sending word to Gerieg.
As they found their tent a short distance away they entered it and barely made it to the bedding. Alex stripped and Lily got to work with a bucket of fresh water to clean her exhausted husband. Afterward Crest made a few trips and had Shade step out so that a few nearby people could help rinse out his fur. Alex would have done it, but Lily and Crest were of the same mind and helped them out.
When dry, Shade came back in and together the three siblings practically passed out on their bedding.
Chapter 26
The exhaustion of battle, pain of loss and the many experiences that were gained had taken their toll on all in the camp and it was no different for Alex and his pack. Lily stood watch for the rest of the day and most of the night over her new family for she was only mildly exhausted after the arduous fight. She only woke them all when a large meal had been brought by Mistress Marge when she heard what happened. Shade was the hardest to wake and chose to eat his venison where he lay. After the meal they went back to sleep like they hadn’t been disturbed. Lily couldn’t help herself from worrying over what Alex had to endure as she pet his silky mane of black hair. He endured more than physical pain for he had a cousin that none knew existed until the start of the bloodshed. She didn’t particularly like seeing Shade wounded, Ava curled into a ball of feathers or Alex so tired that he doesn’t start when the slightest sound or touch wakes him from sleep. She commented this with Crest and she was in full agreement and could only lay by Shade for her proximity seemed to have allowed him to sleep more restfully.
A small fire was built inside their tent and in a corner held their packs and weaponry. Eventually Alex awoke a few hours after midnight, but well before dawn to find Lily sleeping against one of the poles keeping the tent propped and she looked uncomfortable. He sat up without disturbing either of his siblings, but found his muscles were still in discomfort. He smiled as he thought about the differences between training with swords with Gerieg and the reality of fighting genuinely with Zara. He knew he still had much to learn.
His movements were uncanny as his stealth brought him to his feet and over to Lily’s side. Gently, he used the tips of his fingers to brush her pale white hair behind her ear. Her head immediately jerked and a moment later her left hand was wrapped around his throat. He didn’t move or flinch for he guessed that the earlier fighting put her on edge. Her grip strength could crush a normal man’s windpipe, but she stopped once she saw who she was about to strangle. In a soft whisper he said “Sorry for waking you. You looked uncomfortable.”
Indeed she was for her backside was cramped, shoulders stiff and the back of her neck strained from her head remaining drooped down for too long. She loosened her grip and placed her palm on his bare chest. Lily then looked
to see that his wound held a faint pink scar that looked barely noticeable. She hesitantly touched the skin to feel a strong heat deeper under the skin. “How is the wound?”
“The flesh is nearly healed, but the bone will need another day to mend properly.”
“Is anything else amiss?”
“Nay, I am just stiff from resting. Would you care to come on a walk with me or would you rather rest in a more proper placement?”
Lily rolled her shoulders. “A walk will do us both some good, I believe.”
He stood, took her hands and helped her to her feet. Best to be prepared for any situation they walked over and attired their weapons as quietly as possible. Crest stirred and lifted her head, turned her ears in their direction and cocked her head questioningly. Alex said in the same quiet tone “We are going out for a walk. Go back to sleep.”
She nodded, yawned largely and dropped her large head on Shade’s larger neck like a warm and furry pillow, careful to avoid her sabers from harming him in any way. Shade slept on his side for it was the only place he could find comfort and her touch didn’t wake him.
Together Alex and Lily came out of their tent to relish the cooler night air. Many were fast asleep in the camp while others patrolled the perimeter and the interior, incase a spy infiltrated. Hand in hand they took a path with less traffic.
His first question was an obvious one. “I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier, but were you harmed?”
“Nay,” She said with a warm smile that filled him with joy. “it was the best fight I have ever been in. Crest and I are a great team in combat. We can attack the enemy and defend each other better than we could ever accomplish apart.” Then she willed her item to cover her open hand and the liquid-like metal surrounded her entire hand, all the way to her forearm. She moved her fingers, causing the quicksilver to reflect the stars and campfire light in many astounding ways. “For once I didn’t even have to use this to guard my body in battle.” Then he watched as the metallic item crawled swiftly back up her arm to disappear under her tunic. “I have trained with squads and cavalry, but I’ve never found a compatible companion in battle, until Crest. Our fight was glorious.”
Furion's Trials (Book Two of the Items Trilogy) Page 56
