Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One)

by Julian Saheed

The window burst into a hundred tiny shards, spraying glass into the entire room. Thibalt jumped out of his bed with the fright of his life just as the forceful winds swept through the broken window. "What in the world!" he shouted over the loud moaning of the wind.

  His door swung open and Estallion charged in. "We need to board up the windows, a great storm has hit the city," he yelled as loudly as he could.

  Thibalt barely managed to hear Estallion's cries as the wind swept past his ears, knocking everything from his bedside table. A great clap of thunder rang through the house, causing Thibalt and Estallion to cover their ears.

  "Great Skiye! That sounded like it was just outside," screamed Estallion.

  Thibalt ran over to the door just as the thunder sounded again, causing both men to jump. The noise of more windows bursting in the nearby rooms caught their attention and they ran towards the other bedrooms. Estallion moved in first and was showered with glass as the main window of the room burst into pieces. Thibalt pulled him out of the room and yelled, "We need to get out of here. It's too dangerous."

  Estallion nodded, wiping the shards of glass from his clothes. "Let's head to the Guardhouse," he shouted back.

  They ran through the house, hearing more windows breaking and furniture being blown around as they left. When they opened the front door they were both pushed back by the powerful force of the wind. They wrapped their cloaks tightly around themselves and marched outside. The city was in utter chaos. The gales were blowing trees and chimneys down with deafening crashes. Windows and doors were being thrashed so violently that there was little use in boarding them up. Men and woman ran through the streets seeking shelter as thunder and lighting tore up the heavens in a display of nature's dark side.

  "I've never seen anything this intense in my life," shouted Estallion as he looked upwards. The entire sky was covered in a curtain of thick black clouds, blocking out the stars. The clouds stretched all directions, as far as the eye could see. Lighting coursed through the sky with every passing second, illuminating the city in intervals.

  They hurried through the streets, avoiding the dangerous debris being thrown around by the wind as best they could.

  Then the rain began.

  Heavy droplets of water fell from the sky, pelting and instantly drenching everything out in the open. The strong winds only helped the torrential rains to get into every nook and cranny of the city.

  When they reached the Guardhouse of Oril, they saw hundreds of people running inside for shelter. They hurried up the stairs and walked into the main chamber, relieved to finally be out of the storm. Estallion motioned for Thibalt to follow him and they walked through the building to a door in the far west of the Guardhouse.

  "No one enters this room," said the guard standing at the door with a stern face.

  Estallion's eyes widened. "Have you gone mad? I am Estallion Bastion. There are no boundaries in this city that can withhold me. Now move out of the way, before I am forced to use my charm on you," he said with a quick smirk at Thibalt.

  "I don't care if you're the King himself. The General demanded that no one be allowed to enter," replied the Guard.

  "Well there you have it. He said that no one was allowed in. There are two of us here. By rights you will be following orders by letting us in," said Estallion, smiling happily. He pushed passed the Guard, who was standing dumbfounded at the door, and walked into the room, followed quickly by Thibalt, who was holding back his laughter.

  General de Lamina, who was standing in front of the fireplace of his personal office, turned and sighed deeply when he saw Estallion enter. "I knew it was only a matter of time until you smuggled your way in."

  "Yes, dreadful business this storm is," replied Estallion. "Never seen anything like it. Wonder what caused it... Have you got any ideas?" he asked.

  The General shook his head. "No, but it troubles me deeply that such a storm would engulf our city on the eve of war. It is a bad omen."

  Thibalt nodded, but Estallion shook his head. "I never believed in omens. All a bunch of nonsense if you ask me. My mother was one to brag about omens. Don't go out hunting tomorrow, she would say. Those rain clouds are a bad omen. What did she know?...Nothing that's what...Mind you I did catch a rather bad cold during that hunt. Never mind."

  The General rolled his eyes and returned to his warm fire, whilst Thibalt walked over to the large table to take a seat. Estallion turned and saw Errollan and Ludvic sitting rather grimly in two wicker chairs in the corner. "Oh, I didn't know you were here. Why are you looking so glum then? Still torn up about Azbaar's death. I'm sure he's up there right now, watching us from the Third Plane, laughing because he's not down here in this horrid weather with the rest of us poor souls."

  Estallion's cheerful banter brought a smile to Errollan's face. He and Ludvic had been disheartened since Azbaar's death and it did them good to hear Estallion's chatter.

  "Where is Mandigal?" asked Thibalt.

  "He's sleeping, boy," answered Ludvic. "Though Skiye only knows how he manages to sleep through such a storm."

  "I am not sure that I will ever get used to him. I get shivers whenever he is near," added Thibalt.

  Errollan laughed, though it was a forced, half hearted laugh. "You're not the first person to say that, Thibalt," he pointed out. "Mandigal is a disciple of Gushkall, that is why your feel uncomfortable in his presence."

  Thibalt was completely shocked. "Gushkall. How can that be? He worships the god of your most hated enemy?"

  "Gushkall is not our enemy, Thibalt, Dargon is," replied Ludvic. "And Mandigal is a good man who has turned from the darkness and embraced Feldom as his own."

  "He was also once a friend to Zephra Hermagoras," added Errollan. "And has provided us with crucial information that has saved countless of lives."

  Thibalt simply shook his head. "Unbelievable," was all that he could say.

  "Have you tracked down the men that delivered the message for Ludvic and Azbaar to join you in the Ranges?" asked Estallion.

  "No!" snapped Errollan, clearly frustrated. "They had long left Precedin. The message was a master forgery. I myself would have been fooled by that letter. It was as though I had signed it myself."

  "At the very least it has shown us how lax we have become," said Ludvic. "We need to take stronger measures to ensure that we are not fooled again."

  Thibalt had not mentioned his suspicions about the link between the prophecy that Mandigal had revealed at their first meeting and the events in the Ranges. Staring at the dismay in the Honour Guards eyes he felt it best to keep the thoughts to himself for now.

  A clap of thunder echoed through the halls of the Guardhouse, causing many of those seeking shelter to cry out. The General walked over to take a seat and rested his worried head against the table. "There is nothing we can do but wait until this storm passes," he said.

  The others nodded and returned to their own thoughts, stirred every once and a while by an exceptionally loud thunder clap, or Estallion's ravings.

  What they did not know, as they sat dwelling on their own troubled thoughts, was that the storm of change, as it would be called in later days, covered the entire world.

  In the Misty Forest, homeland of the Karmanians, trees were ripped form the ground by savage winds that penetrated Nyrune's magical barrier. In Dargon, the hammering rain was joined by a thick blizzard, which sent heavy snow falling from the sky to cover the land. And across the Sea of Turmoil, the Miirvkin suffered greatly as giant hailstones and hurricanes tore apart the ground along the coast. The surrounding seas and oceans where sent into disarray as typhoons and heavy swells destroyed most ships out in the open water. Tonight no part of Kovi was untouched.

  As they sat in the Guardhouse it seemed as though the winds were about to tear the building from its base. Foundations shook as lightning struck and thunder boomed, and the constant wailing of the wind was heard in every corner of the building. There was no true refuge from this storm.

 
The office door burst open and Mandigal walked in, a flushed look on his face. Sweat was beading on his forehead and his breathing was rapid and irregular.

  Errollan jumped up at the sight. "What's wrong?"

  "Something has happened," replied Mandigal nervously. "I can feel a great change in the world. Something I have never felt before."

  The fear etched into Mandigal's face as he spoke, chilled the hearts of all those in the room. "Is it the storm?" asked the General.

  Mandigal nodded his head. "This is no ordinary storm. I sense none of Nyrune's power in the foul weather outside. I cannot explain it."

  A soldier appeared in the doorway, dripping wet, and struggling for breath. "General...something is happening in the lake. You must come to the wall at once!"

  The General grabbed his cloak without hesitation and followed the soldier out of the room. The Honour Guard and Thibalt and Estallion stood to follow.

  The soldier led them out of the Guardhouse back into the heart of the storm. They struggled to walk through the forceful winds, but finally made their way to the massive eastern wall of the city. They climbed the stone steps up to the top of the high fortification and ran to the battlements to look at the lake. The wall was packed with citizens who had received word of something occurring.

  Thibalt placed his hands on the soaked battlements and looked out towards Lake Moonsong. The water was alive with the constant splashes of heavy rain and the storm was causing large waves to wash up on the edge of the fishing village beyond the wall. He could not see what the concern was. It appeared just as he would have expected in this terrible weather. He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw a young lady standing next to him.

  "Excuse me, but do you know what it is?" she asked.

  Thibalt stared at the girl. She had long blonde hair which was tied into a single braid behind her head and wore a simple brown dress underneath her drenched cloak. By her appearance she seemed to be one of the people from the village outside of the wall. "What are you talking about?" he asked back with a puzzled look.

  "The light in the lake," she replied, pointing to the centre of the lake.

  Thibalt squinted to see through the curtain of rain that was blocking much of his vision, and saw a green light glowing in the centre of the lake, faintly illuminating the water. He rubbed the rain out of his eyes and stared at the light. How could he have missed that before?

  "Do you know what it is?" she asked once more. "No one will tell me anything."

  Thibalt turned to her once more. She looked to be close to his age, yet her manner portrayed a certain innocence. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I have no more of an idea than you."

  A displeased look graced her face and she walked to the edge of the wall, keeping her eyes on the lake. Thibalt could not help but admire at her full figure as she walked up to the wall's edge. Although not a stunning beauty, the girl held a simple attractiveness that Thibalt now found quite charming. The girl turned to Thibalt and, noticing that he was staring at her, smiled cheekily. Thibalt quickly looked out to the lake, his face flushing red.

  "What's your name?" she asked in a kind tone.

  "Thibalt Steelfist, my lady," he replied awkwardly.

  The girl laughed at his formal tone. "I'm not quite a lady, Thibalt. You can call me Miera," she replied with a smirk.

  Thibalt simply nodded, feeling like a fool. "Should you not be seeking shelter from the storm at home?" he asked, trying to move away from his initial awkwardness.

  "My home is on the shore of the lake. I somehow think that I will be safer behind the city wall at the moment," she replied with a giggle.

  Thibalt was roused by a tight grip on his shoulder. He turned to find Estallion's cheerful grin a few inches from his own face. "How about that light, Thibalt. I would love to go for a swim, see if I couldn't find out what it is. Though the lake looks a bit choppy at the moment. Oh hello there!" he said, seeing Miera standing behind Thibalt. "Estallion Bastion at your service. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

  Thibalt sighed. Estallion had a subtle gift with women that had often tested his nerves. Particularly when Estallion had worked his charm on a girl that Thibalt had fancied. "Her name is Miera," he said quickly, casting a frown at Estallion.

  Miera giggled behind her hand, as Estallion stared wide eyed at Thibalt. "Oh!" he replied, realizing why Thibalt was showing him hostility. "Well...um, nice to meet you then. Better go see what the General's up to." He then spun on the spot dramatically and walked back to the others, chuckling loudly as he walked.

  Thibalt raised his hand to his forehead. What was he doing? Acting like a young child. He felt more embarrassed than he had ever been, and now ashamed of his foolish jealousy. He turned back towards Miera who was still laughing, and lowered his head in shame.

  A shout came from one of the soldiers on the wall. "The lake, it stirs!"

  Thibalt turned his gaze once again to the lake and saw that the water was beginning to swirl in circles. His mouth opened in amazement as he watched the water swirl with greater speed until the entire lake had become an enormous whirlpool, with its eye at the point of the green light.

  The General stood next to the Honour Guard watching the spectacle with disbelief. "What in Skiye's name...," he muttered.

  The whirlpool swirled with such a force that it sent twelve foot high waves crashing into the fishing village on the outskirts of the lake, destroying piers and boats in a rush of water. The light in the lake began to grow, becoming so intense that the city wall was illuminated in a green hue. Then as the light engulfed the last inch of the lake, the centre of the whirlpool began to bubble wildly. Foam and froth spewed from the eye of the whirlpool and slowly a shadow began to emerge from the bottom of the lake.

  Small at first, the shadow grew to immense proportions, blotting out the green light emanating from below. Thibalt felt a shivering hand touch his own and grip tightly. He looked down and realized that Miera was gripping his hand nervously, watching the strange phenomenon with fright.

  No one on the wall had any idea of what was happening. Even Mandigal, who was standing besides the General, stood dumbfounded, lost for words. Hundreds of people ran from the fishing village into the city through the mighty gates of the wall, fleeing from the unknown. Errollan instinctively drew a dagger from his belt, unsure of what was about to happen.

  The shadow finally reached the top of the water and from the bottom of the lake came a structure. Pale in colour, it rose out of the dark water and stopped, water draining over its sides back into the lake. The people on the wall gasped at what they saw. Standing in their beloved Lake Moonsong was a gigantic bridge spanning the entire distance from Dargon to Feldom.

  Cries and screams began to sound along the wall as the citizens saw what the bridge was made of. Thousands of bones, held together by some foul magic, formed the mammoth bridge that now covered the lake. Bones of animals, fish and even men were all wrought together to make the horrifying walkway that now connected Dargon to Feldom.

  The whirlpool subsided and slowly the green light began to fade, leaving only the bridge. The rain slowed and came to a halt, and eventually the lighting and thunder that had torn apart the sky ceased.

  Mandigal looked up as the storm of change ended, leaving its final mark on the world. "We must destroy that bridge," he said to Errollan, who was staring at the bridge in shock. "We must act now before the magic that has summoned it has time to settle."

  Errollan was shaken from his trance and sprung into action. "Watchman!" he yelled. A nervous watchman ran over quickly and stood tall in front of Errollan. "Run to the Guardhouse and summon all of the disciples in the city. Tell them to come to the wall at once."

  The watchman nodded and bolted down the stairs of the wall.

  Miera gripped Thibalt's arm with her other hand and asked, "What does this mean?"

  Thibalt wanted to reply, but could find no answer, so he simply shook his head. He had never thought that something like this was possible
. The bridge stood threateningly over the lake, a symbol of Dargon's viscous intent.

  The General approached the Honour Guard. "If this bridge remains, we will have great difficulty stopping an attack on the city," he said desperately. "We have always held the enemy numbers back at the lake. If they can simply march over the water we will be hard pressed to hold this wall.

  "I know," replied Errollan, in irritation. "We must trust in the power of Skiye's disciples to break the force that holds that bridge together."

  "For Feldom's sake let us pray that they succeed," added Ludvic gravely.

  The watchman returned hastily with all of the disciples of Skiye that he could summon. Twenty two answered the call, all dressed in the blue robes of Skiye and ready to be of aid.

  After they had all had their first glimpse of the bridge, they came to realize how dire the situation was. Mandigal approached them and ordered them to line up on the wall. Errollan and Ludvic worked on moving everyone out of the way and the General left the wall to talk with his captains.

  "You must use all of your concentration in this," yelled Mandigal. "The bridge must be destroyed."

  The disciples all closed their eyes and began a deep chant, praying to Skiye to grant them the power to destroy the bridge. Mandigal walked over to the others leaving the disciples alone to unleash their power.

  "Will you not join them?" asked Estallion, "Surely your own magic would help."

  "I would not dare combine Skiye's magic with my own. You have no idea how dangerous that could be," he replied in a tone that sent a chill through Thibalt.

  Their talking ceased when the disciples finished their chant. Those still standing on the wall remained dead silent, hoping and praying that the assault would be successful. Thibalt felt Miera's body press close to his own and found comfort in her nearness.

  The time had come. The robed men and women raised their hands high to the sky and began to summon up Skiye's magic. The air crackled with energy as each of the disciples formed a ball of energy above their head. Mandigal watched with glowing eyes and then screamed, "Now!"

  The disciples threw their arms forwards sending the balls of mist flying at the bridge. On their descent the balls of magic morphed into immense blue fireballs that roared threateningly through the air. The crowd watched anxiously as the fireballs flew over the rooftops of the village and darted at the bridge of bones. They reached the bridge but were repelled moments before the impact by a black field that appeared around the structure. The field sent the fireballs soaring back at the disciples at an intense speed. Each fireball struck the wall where the disciples had been standing, exploding in a series of deafening blasts.

  Miera turned away from the blasts clinging to Thibalt for safety. Once the smoke had cleared Thibalt saw charred bodies scattered along the wall that were once disciples of Skiye and retched.

  Screams of horror filled the air as people ran from the wall in terror. Errollan fell to his knees, unable to look at the scene in front of him, and Mandigal stared out to the lake. The bridge remained unscathed, looming in the city's shadow, promising further death and destruction.