Heir To The Nova (Book 3)

by T. Michael Ford

  “One more, small thing,” Elsa crooned. “I had a few minutes so I stopped by and checked in with my brother. You know, just to let him know I was still alive and what was going on at Sky Raven. He became quite agitated when I told him about the Kerr. He was also fairly insulted that you didn’t come to him for help. I explained that you had a lot on your mind, what with the wings and everything and having to keep a full contingent of dark elves out of trouble.”

  “Ok, this story is leading to something…what?” I said impatiently.

  “Patience, you don’t rush a dwarf when they’re storytelling,” she counseled easily, wagging a finger at me. “Well, my brother, the King’s next question was exactly how many dark elves did Faeron send to defend Sky Raven? And I told him there were a few less than seventy here.”

  “So?”

  Elsa sighed and shook her head sadly. “Alex, you’re a fine lad and all, but you have no ale in your blood or music in your soul. Fine then, the King sent seventy axe warriors, all volunteers, back with me. Plus five master smiths to work with Darroth for good measure. He commands that we win the battle, however, so that he can rub it into the dark elves faces that we dwarves provided the greater service!”

  Later that night, Maya and I had just started to relax for the first time in days, in chairs in our room. I had barely enough time to sigh blissfully before Dawn and Dusk opened the door and stood before us.

  “We’re sorry about this, we know you both just got a break, but you’re needed at the main gate.”

  Maya moaned. “There had better be a friendly army on our doorstep,” she said sleepily.

  “Close,” said Dawn. “It’s Lady Belrothe and her people…all of her people. She is requesting to speak with you immediately.”

  We glanced at each other with surprise. Bel hasn’t exactly been one for open visits like this, usually she comes directly to us. But now that I think about it, the fortress might make that hazardous to her health. Reluctantly, I levered myself out of my overly comfortable chair. Maya had her arms out, pleading for me to help her up. The twins led us down the stairs once again; I was starting to question which idiot decided that the royal chambers needed to be in the highest bloody tower on the planet.

  When we arrived at the central court, several of Ebony’s guards along with Higs and a full squad carrying torches and glow orbs, were already there to meet us.

  “There are a large number of farmers and villagers outside. It appears they’ve come to stay too; clothes, dogs, goats, and kids, lots of kids,” Higs reported. “It looks like they are being escorted by Segmun’s outriders and a small number of hooded warriors in light chainmail.”

  “Sounds like Bel’s people all right,” Maya whispered. “What are they doing here in the middle of the night?”

  I shook my head. “They must have the undead hard on their heels to make that long a trek in the dark. Ebony, do we have any of the barracks areas able to receive that many people?”

  “Yes, my King. We’ve had to do some shuffling around to keep the dwarves and the dark elves as far apart as possible, but I believe Barracks Five is available. It’s a little dusty but at least furnished and fully operational.”

  “Thank you, Ebony. Captain Higs, I’d like you to take charge of ushering the villagers inside and to their quarters. These are simple farm folk.”

  “Simple farm folk who live with vampires,” Nia interrupted from her perch on my shoulder.

  “As I was saying; they may be a little leery of the Helios until they get to know them. Wake people up if you need to; our new guests are probably hungry, and a few of them might even need healer attention. Please see that they get what they need.”

  “Yes Sir.” The captain saluted smartly and started issuing orders to several troopers who ran off in various directions.

  I took my dark elf’s arm and we started walking through the series of raised portcullis that protected the main door, which began to swing open. A group of four Helios slipped past us in order to go out first, with a like number and Ebony following behind. Once outside, we were struck by the wall of noise that a large unhappy group is capable of making; bleating goats, crying children, and barking dogs all vying for attention.

  As Higs reported, there were several hundred people milling about between the bridge and the walls. Bel’s people looked tired and scared. Their faces reminded me of what we all looked like that first day after losing Xarparion.

  I nodded back at Higs and his men standing at the entrance, and they immediately started trotting out with glow orbs in hand to direct the leading elements into the courtyard. We walked a short distance out and away from the looming walls, which still emitted an eerie white glow even in pitch blackness. The Helios warriors formed a protective cocoon around us, swords drawn and at the ready.

  Bel dismounted effortlessly, leaving her horse’s reins on the ground; all of the rest of her guard force hung back. As she approached, our guards instinctively put themselves between us and her. “First dragons and now this; you never cease to amaze me, young ones,” she said, pausing to eye the golden warriors. “These new protectors of yours are very interesting. Even from here, I know what those swords would do to a master vampire such as myself.” I smiled slightly, realizing that Belrothe was fishing for a reaction from Ebony and her girls; and much to the Helios credit, none of them even flinched at the information.

  “Still up to your old tricks, eh, Lady Belrothe?” said Ebony.

  Bel’s face lit up in recognition. “Guardswoman Ebony? Well, isn’t this a surprise! It seems you’ve seen the light and joined the ranks of the undead as well.”

  “I’ve seen the light, it is true; but not undead. However, that’s a story for another time,” Ebony retorted.

  “Indeed.” Bel came closer to us, but the guardswomen didn’t budge. Maya nodded and gestured for them to fall back.

  “It’s alright, Ebony. Lady Hornalde is a friend and business partner, we have nothing to fear from her or her people.”

  “Thank you. Queen Maya and King Alex, may I approach so that we may speak freely?”

  “Certainly, Lady,” I said, my interest piqued. She stepped forward and withdrew a large parcel of scrolls from her hooded robe.

  “You are no doubt wondering about all this,” she said, indicating the procession moving into the fortress with a wave of her elegant hand. “Well, I come bearing gifts. The first…” She lifted her hand toward a large freight wagon pulled by four draft horses at the middle of the procession. The farm folk who were driving it stood up in the seats and threw back a large tarp revealing baskets of greenery. “This is as much healing herbs and poultice roots as my people could harvest on short notice. It should be enough to help out greatly in your upcoming battle.”

  She paused and handed me the parcel of scrolls, a little tremor showing in her hands. “The second gift is this.” I opened the scrolls, and even though it was dark, I could read it plainly with my mage sight. Most of the back sheets were supporting documents for the top writ, which garnered most of my attention.

  “Lady, this deeds all of the Hornalde lands to the King of Sky Raven Fortress! Like all of it…?”

  “Indeed, King Alex, it does; from the human settlement at the outflow of Dashern Lake, to the primordial dark forests to the far south, up to the border of the dark elf lands to the southeast and the dwarf lands to the northeast, including the abandoned seaport and, of course, the valley holding our farm communities. Even the lowlands behind your mountain for ten leagues or more are included. Maya, I believe it would take even one of your ‘handmaidens’ the better part of a full day to fly its full circumference.”

  “This is a huge parcel of land; how did you acquire it all?”

  She smiled a toothy grin. “Let’s just say when the last of the human landowners in the area were on the verge of leaving in the face of the swarms of undead, they were more than happy to trade their worthless-to-them holdings for gold. We vampires tend to look at investments in th
e long term. It’s all legal, including the boundary signoffs by the Kings of the dark elves and dwarves at the time.”

  “But I thought the dwarves built the seaport?”

  “Oh, they very much did; but they were commissioned and paid to build it by the human rulers of the time. The dwarves never owned the actual port, but now you do.”

  “But why, Bel? Why are you giving it to us?” Maya interjected.

  “Because she can no longer hold the territory through force of arms,” Ebony muttered under her breath.

  The old vampire swiveled her blonde head, her hearing as acute as ever. “Indeed, Ebony, perceptive as always.” Then she turned back to look at Maya and me. “However, it is not the only reason, nor even the primary one. King Alex, in the days of old, most of which I remember fondly, it was the Lord of the land’s sacred duty to protect his vassals in times of duress.” Bel nodded at the trail of villagers passing through the gate. “Even inviting them into their own castle for protection when war ravaged the land.”

  I nodded, this was basic history taught even at Foalshead. “Bel, we’re friends. I would have offered your people shelter without all this.”

  Belrothe reached up and ran an affectionate hand along Maya’s face. “You look so much like your mother, you know.” Turning back to me, she smiled. “I know you would never have considered turning my people away, Alex; you have a good and pure heart, both of you. But the fact is, Ebony is correct; the Lich has decimated my vampire liegemen and slaughtered all of my living descendants, save for Segmun, who has neither the desire nor the aptitude to manage an estate. He will happily play dashing cavalry commander until the day it kills him. So you can see, the proud Hornalde line is at an end, and we no longer have use for these lands.”

  She stopped and paused, looking around as if taking it all in for the last time. “But when the Lifebane is defeated and normality returns to this region, Sky Raven will need a substantial territory to supply it, and coin from trade to support it. For the sake of my people, I would rather see a wise, benevolent ruler assume leadership than have the lands that I love lapse into petty land grabs, war, and chaos.”

  Maya took my arm and clung to it in concern, speaking out shakily, “Bel, you’re talking like you aren’t going to be here.”

  She smiled, her dark eyes glistening. “On the eve of battle, is it not customary for those who are close to make their last will and wishes known to their comrades in the event they should fall in battle? Is that not what friends do for each other?”

  By this time, Maya had tears streaming down her face as she answered, “Yes, Bel, that is exactly what friends do.” And she drew the surprised vampire in for an emotional hug. Belrothe blinked and returned the gesture almost reverently, touching my dark elf like she was made of glass. Finally, drying her own tears and composing herself, Bel took a step back.

  “Thank you, my dear; however, just to satisfy Ebony’s opinion of me, I do have two selfish requests. First, when this is all over, I would like you to grant back my personal home estate either to me or my successor. We spent many years developing the process to foster safe interaction between vampire and villager. It’s where we take new vampires and train them to live respectfully with humans. The staff who live there, breathing and non-breathing alike, know what to do. It is good work and it deserves to be continued.”

  “Done,” I whispered. “Kalah’s memory will be preserved.”

  Belrothe nodded gratefully. “Second, if you could find a permanent place for Segmun and his outriders in your army, I would be most appreciative. I know he is very taken with the grandeur of this fortress, and perhaps more so, the charms of some of the wizard girls currently living here.” She grinned sheepishly. “Who knows, he might even survive long enough to marry and father a new generation of Hornaldes.”

  “You have my word, Lady.”

  She nodded curtly. “Well, I have taken too much of your time already. You two should be in bed, you have a battle to fight tomorrow. I would like to visit Renalla, and it’s a long trip, even for a vampire.”

  “I would offer to send you through our portal but…”

  Belrothe raised her hand to stop me and looked up appreciatively at the stark white walls towering over us. “No, Alex, as much as I would love to tour your shining fortress, it is not for one such as me. I’m afraid even as old as I am, I wouldn’t last two minutes within her walls, but thank you for the offer. By tomorrow, this wondrous place will be besieged. My liegemen and I will harass the rear lines of the undead as much as possible, plus I still have one Amulet of Tepestra left to collect.”

  The vampire took both of Maya’s hands in hers and gave her a stern look. “You, young Queen, need to hold onto this one,” she bobbed her head in my direction, “with all your might and never, ever let go.”

  “I promise, Lady Bel,” Maya whispered.

  “Goodbye, my child.” And with that, Belrothe performed a formal bow and strode back to her waiting horse. Mounting up, she joined Segmun and his cavalry as they silently picked their way cautiously through the darkness over the bridge and eventually out of sight.

  As we returned to the main gate, I turned to Ebony and growled, “Remove the damn bridge!”

  ..................................................

  Maya

  Daybreak, just a few hours after admitting Belrothe’s people to the fortress, found me wide-awake yet again. I swear, when this is all over, I am going grab my best pillow (his name is Alex) and sleep soundly for a week. At the moment, my feet dangled over as I sat perched on the very top of the main wall, just off center of the main gate. Ebony sat next to me and four of her guards stood a few steps behind. We watched as humans and dwarves toiled to drag the last of the bridge beams through the main gate. Even using some of the teams of horses that Bel left behind, it was difficult work. At the same time, several earth wizards next to the river bank were destroying the bridge piers; essentially erasing all evidence that a bridge ever existed, save for the road.

  I gazed out over the scrub grasses and few hardy alfalfa stems that made up the field stretched out before my eyes, knowing full well that in a few hours it would be a bloody battlefield. At least more blood spilled out here equaled less spilled within the gates of Sky Raven. “So, Winya, how do you think this will play out? Tens of thousands of undead and an army of demons; piece of cake, right?”

  “Forget about the undead, Maya. They serve only two purposes; to intimidate the defenders and to bottle us up in the fortress. We all know they would be incinerated their first step inside these walls and the Duke knows it as well.”

  “Ok, that still leaves the demons.”

  “Yes, and unfortunately, they are a big unknown factor. All we have to go on is what we encountered at Xarparion. There may be many other varieties and strengths that we don’t have a clue about. We’ll have to put them down as a big question mark.”

  “Great,” I said sarcastically. “Well, let’s talk strategy then. If the undead are non-issues, that means the demons are his principle strike force. The Duke doesn’t have to feed either of his forces, so supply lines aren’t critical. Are we looking at a battle lasting six months or six hours?”

  “Definitely closer to six hours I would wager, my Queen,” Ebony added assertively. “Demons bore easily, and if they aren’t constantly entertained, they will start to wander off to find trouble on their own. That is a big problem for the Duke. From a game strategy viewpoint, a quick, decisive win is preferable to a long, drawn out game of attrition. My money is on the Duke going for a quick win.”

  “That means he’ll need an edge or a trick of some sort. He already knows the walls and main gate are impenetrable from his first battle here. So what does that leave us? The secret passage Queen Rialla used?” I questioned.

  “It’s too small to transport large numbers, plus both sides know of its existence, so there’s no surprise factor there,” Winya supplied pensively.

  “Ok, he can’t go throu
gh the walls or around them, which only leaves flyers going over the walls.”

  “I would tend to agree based on the information we have. We should also anticipate a night attack as they will be expecting primarily human defenders who can’t see in the dark.”

  “So tonight, we load up the walls with Helios bowmen and dark elf archers carrying the demon killer arrows, with the dwarves and battle Helios on the back ramparts to dispatch any demons that land on the walls. Humans will be held in reserve. Alex, Nia, and I will roam around and plug any gaps or outbreaks. Sky Raven must stand strong…all in agreement?”

  “Agreed!”

  Chapter 16

  Alex

  Seven days had passed since we returned from our raid on Xarparion and the event where the portals opened and the Helios joined our ranks. It was now mid-afternoon; earlier we had been sent to bed by our handlers to try and get at least a couple hours of sleep. Basically, Maya and I just spooned together with my arms around her. I tucked my face into her silver curls and luxuriated in the scent of her hair. I felt like I had barely closed my eyes when Dusk woke us.

  “You two need to see this.”

  Groans aside, a few minutes and a long trek back down the tower and across the fortress later, we found ourselves on the ramparts looking down at the largest army ever assembled on the planet. There were tens of thousands of undead, with more moving up from behind to mass at the base of the mountain. Apparently, the Duke no longer cared if his troops were spotted. Of course, he would know there were only two ways in and out of the fortress; the main gatehouse, and the not-so-secret escape passage used by Queen Rialla. Our Tempest bodyguards had already reported that that way out was heavily blocked by demons. Too bad for the Lifebane that we weren’t going to make it easy for him this time, and we had no intention of running.