“I want to know how much that bitch knows. How much you told her,” he snarled at the woman who was acting like she was in detention, not about to be executed for murder.
Larahredhel cackled. “What the hell are you going on about? What bitch? Your wife? Have you finally turned on her? Well, I’m sorry, you’re not going to get anything here.”
His fingers clenched and his brow drew together. “The Phoenix,” he bit off, trying his best to get a rise out her.
She was speechless, her eyes incredulous. “Are you serious? You really think I would bow to that witch?” The look on her face was hard to mistake; she was genuinely surprised.
“Why else would you kill Haymdal?” he asked after a pause, trying to collect his thoughts.
“Because he was going to expose my plot to overthrow you in exchange for his freedom. I couldn’t allow that to happen,” she snarled, eyeing him closely. “You really thought the Phoenix forced my hand? Is that what you think of women? That they are incapable of acting on their own, that magical means must be employed if they act outside your expectations?”
His mind was reeling—what the hell? “Why would you want to do that? What have I ever done to you?”
“It’s not always about you,” the woman retorted, finally getting to her feet and moving towards the bars. “You changed the law so that your daughter could rule, then she gets kidnapped. You were sick; bedridden. I know because I snuck into your room while your aide was elsewhere, and your watchdog was asleep. I saw what was happening and decided to act. With Haymdal supporting me, I would overthrow you and be named interim Queen. And when circumstances permitted, permanent ruler of Forlorn.”
“You wanted my crown?” he stammered, still trying to comprehend what she was saying. This was about timing and not a plot by the Phoenix to take him out? It was simple murderous ambition?
She laughed again, stared at him for a moment and then moved to the bed. “You really are full of yourself. Of course it was about the crown. And the fact that you are so slow to see that proves that you are not fit to rule. Don’t worry, I’ll just hang out here until the approaching army kills you, then I’ll make my move. I will not be in this cell for long.”
“You’re right,” he said in a low measured voice. “You won’t be. Did I forget to tell you? You’re being executed at dawn. Sleep well, it’ll only draw the moment that much closer.”
He watched the shock spread on her face; she had really thought she’d live out her days in a cell. Well, she murdered a prominent member of the council in cold blood and he was not going to allow such treachery go unpunished. Before she could respond, he turned and walked out the door, leaving the Seer to enjoy her last breaths of life before her appointment with the gallows.
III
Merlin watched the large silver dragon soar overhead, his trajectory leading him west, as if he wanted to see for himself where the army was currently encamped.
Not that it was really needed.
Now that the army was this close, they were getting constant updates from the scouts, and he could spy the smoke from campfires in the distance. It looked like the entire forest was on fire. Indeed, with the hint of ash upon the air, they were probably doing just that. Setting the forest aflame not only to help them progress, but to make a point to the elves; they were here to utterly destroy their world.
There was movement on either side and he knew that Erik and Tristan had joined him. “Enjoy your honeymoon?” he asked the youth and Tristan flushed in response. “No, don’t answer that. I am sure you did. You see that?” he asked the king, nodding to the western sky.
“Are they setting the forest on fire?” Erik asked, eyes widening. “Why? They could just go around.”
“They aren’t just coming to kill you, they are coming to erase you from existence. Everything that the elves stand for are a contradiction to the Phoenix’s doctrine. She wants complete annihilation and no record that you ever existed to defy her,” he told the other.
Tristan shook his head, unable to believe it. “What’s the point? If you destroy everything, what is left to rule?”
He sympathized for the innocence still dwelling with the young boy’s eyes. “You can’t justify evil, can’t explain it, can’t understand it; it just is. The Phoenix doesn’t think on anything other than the accumulation of power and the destruction of her enemies. She doesn’t care what is left as long as there is no one to oppose her and she rules absolute.”
“That’s just nuts,” Tristan muttered with disgust.
Erik grunted. “I just confronted a murderer who hungered for power and tried to overthrow me just to get my crown. With all this going on, with chaos raging throughout the lands, with the Phoenix marching her armies against us, she still let her ambition get the best of her and almost killed us all. How does that make sense?” he asked, not turning his head, keeping his eyes unfocused and on the night sky. “She accused me of mistaking her intentions on the fact that she was a woman. That wasn’t it, not at all. My mistake was thinking she was an elf, not a monster.”
There were footfalls behind them, but Merlin didn’t need to turn to know who was coming. He had sent an aide to fetch his companions and asked them to meet on the ramparts as soon as they were able.
“What are you three up to? Planning your escape?” Willow asked as she stepped forward and hugged her new husband.
Erik turned and looked at those assembled, then at the mage. “Should I go? Give you guys some privacy?”
He shook his head. “There’s no need for you to leave. Whether you know it or not, you’ve been a part of this group since its conception. Seems only fitting that you remain and join us.” Turning, he glanced at those before him and felt pride swell within his breast.
Reyna had moved to the wall next to Erik and was eyeing the horizon suspiciously, as if smelling the army about to knock on their door. Kylee was next to her sister, her mind seemingly distracted and an odd look on her face like she had done something wrong. Kore and Riska were standing there expectedly, their new armor glistening in the moonlight. Trek was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t nearby and able to hear all that transpired anyways.
“As far as I am concerned, you have all fulfilled your oaths and are released from participating any further unless you choose to do so,” he told them, looking at the others one at a time and making sure they knew how proud he was of their efforts.
“I called it,” Reyna snorted, glancing at the ranger.
Kylee swore, digging in her pocket for a gold coin and flipping it to the black knight. “Damn it, I had it at five minutes, not three.”
“Hoo dae ye hink Ah feel? Ah called it at ten! Thooght we’d gie a long-winded speech afair th' bit!” Riska snarked, his brow coming together in mock frustration as he handed over a pouch of coins as well.
He was confused. “What are you three going on about?”
The orc grunted, tossing a bag at Reyna, who caught it deftly with a large grin. “Kore bet seven.”
Erik broke into laughter and clapped the mage on the shoulder. “Now that’s hilarious. Thanks for letting me stick around, I needed that.”
He was lost, looking at the others and not comprehending what they were talking about. Then Tristan stepped forward and placed himself so that they were face to face. “We all took bets on how long it would take for you to go all noble and tell us that we completed our mission, but we should leave before that army gets here. How did you not see this coming?”
Reyna chuckled. “Now you’re beginning to sound like me.”
Tristan rolled his eyes as he handed her another pouch. “Yeah, no. Look Merlin, you might have formed this group, given us a purpose, but we all made the choice to stay, to see it through. Not just for you. We all had our own reasons and none of them have changed. We got Excalibur, Erik is healthy and leading as he should, but he was not the sole reason any of us went on this crusade of yours. And with all due respect, we’re not done yet.”
He was at a loss for words. He stared at each of them and realized that he really should have known better.
“You think you can assuage your conscience by cutting us loose and giving our lives back, but they weren’t yours to begin with. I have given you a hard time over the death of my brother, but you didn’t make him come along, he made that choice himself. As did I. You were up front about the risk, you didn’t hide anything, nor could you with Jared. He knew what he was getting into and he still chose to come along,” Reyna admitted, coming to stand by Tristan’s side.
Kore and Riska were stepping forward and Willow remained where she was, Kylee smirking over her shoulder.
“I have blamed you because you are our leader and an easy target. But you were right, the person responsible is the Phoenix. She hides in shadow and lets others do her dirty work. There is an army out there, the largest that has marched since the Freedom Wars, and I guarantee you that she is not present among their ranks,” the black knight continued, her voice firm and measured.
It was the longest speech he’d ever heard her make.
“You, on the other hand, are right here on the vanguard, the same place you have been from the start,” Reyna stated, looking at him with a weird look in her eyes. For the first time, it wasn’t hate, but almost admiration.
What the hell was happening?
“You could have given us our mission and departed, seen to other things, not take part in it yourself. But you chose to stay, to take charge, to do everything you possibly could to see the task got done and protect as many of us as you could in the process. That is what marks you as different; you have honor,” she paused for effect, looking at the others and nodding her head. “I choose to stay. I’ve yet to avenge my brother and if defeating this army will lead to us marching on the Deadlands and taking the fight to her, then I’m here until the very end.”
“My family still needs avenging,” Kylee told him, her eyes catching his.
“Orcs not free,” Kore added, giving him the same firm glance.
Riska shuffled his feet, then nodded his head as well. “I’ve bin exiled fur daein' th' reit hin' it ay misplaced fear. If Ah can prove myself worthy, mebbe a body day Ah can gang haem.”
“I have a family to protect, and I can’t do that hiding within a castle while the war rages on without me,” Tristan stated with a quick glance in Willow’s direction.
Willow smiled at him. “We all have individual reasons to continue on, to fight the good fight. You are absolved of your guilt. You might have goaded us to come with you, but now we are here by choice.”
“You’re not getting rid of us that easily,” Tristan snickered, clapping the mage on the shoulder.
Merlin looked to Erik, who only shrugged. “You’re the one that chose them, and it was obviously for a reason. Trust in your choices, that is how you reward their sacrifices on the altar of what’s right and good,” the king finished, then gave a quick laugh and shook his head as he drew forth a pouch from his right pocket. “I had it at four minutes, couldn’t you have paused a moment longer?”
Exasperated, he threw up his hands and shook his head; which broke them all into fresh laughter.
“So, what’s next boss?” Reyna asked with a mischievous grin.
That got him and he laughed at last, feeling complete, that everything was going to be all right. For the first time in a long time, he was optimistic about their chances and the future looked that much brighter than it had before.
As if in answer, a dragon roared across the sky and horns began blasting their way from all across the fortress.
“What the hell?” Reyna blurted, eyes following the creature across the heavens.
“Weel, sae much fur a guid night’s sleep,” Riska snarled as he moved to the rampart and watched as the red dragon swept across the grasslands and landed in the field beyond.
Three other flying monstrosities landed beside it and Merlin’s breath caught in his throat; the Four Horsemen had arrived.
IV
Tristan watched as Merlin muttered words of magic and gestured towards the eastern forest. A messenger had been dispatched to warn of the Horsemen’s arrival and to alert the army to stand ready for attack. He glanced the Elven King, then at the horse’s tethered nearby. He wasn’t about to run, he would stay and face this, but that didn’t mean Willow had to.
“You should go,” he told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
She nodded and gave him a crooked smile. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“You know me,” he responded, and she laughed in return.
Mounting her horse, she looked down at him with a smile upon her lips. Then it faded, as she remembered what was waiting for them out in the grasslands beyond. “You’re right, I do. Be careful.”
He acknowledged her command and patted her on the leg. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You’d better,” she replied, then nudged her horse and began riding for the palace.
Kylee watched her go, then came to his side. “Well brother, now what?” She was nervous, having seen first-hand what one Horseman was like when not at full-strength. What could all four of them do when fighting as one?
He jerked his head in Merlin’s direction. “Best to ask him.”
Merlin’s eyes were on the sky and seconds later he heard a cry echo across the heavens. He prepared himself for a fight, hand falling to his pommel, muscles tense. Then a familiar form came into view and Kallen pounced onto the pavement, three of his kin close behind.
The griffin’s mighty eagle head craned to look at them, his scaled tale swinging back and forth, the great lions’ paws stomping the ground with vigor. “You called?”
Had they been here the entire time?
Merlin smiled at him as if reading his mind, then stepped forward. “Care to meet the enemy?”
“If that infernal red is out there, then we’re in,” Kallen returned, hatred flaring in the griffin’s eyes.
Erik was amazed by the beasts in front of him and he looked wide-eyed in the mage’s direction. “You’ve been holding out on me, old man.”
A rider came to a halt before them and he looked up to see his brother in full battle armor, his face stern, his hand upon his sword. “I’m going out there with you,” he told Merlin, who only nodded and silently motioned for John to dismount.
“You’re going as well,” Merlin told him, and his breath caught.
“It makes sense that the three of you are going, but what good am I going to do out there? Better to take Reyna with you, she has more experience dealing with their kind than I,” he returned after a brief pause.
Erik laid a hand on his shoulder and forced Tristan to look at him. “Trust me old friend. There is nobody else I’d rather have by my side. Come on, let’s get moving.”
The Elven King joined his brother and mage as they began mounting the griffins. After a shake of his head, he slowly followed after. “Jebediah?” he asked, seeing a familiar color to the awaiting griffin and forced a smile.
“Well-met, Tristan of Griedlok,” the griffin remarked, bowing his head. “Shall we ride?”
The young prince saw that the others were waiting for him and quickly swung himself into the saddle. “Let’s go.”
The four griffins lifted into the sky and began the short flight into the grasslands beyond. As brief as it was, it still felt exhilarating, but then he looked upon what was awaiting them. His smile swiftly faded, and the horror of what was to come slammed quickly home.
Three figures were mounted, and one had flown himself there on his own power. The red dragon was sitting on the left, a warrior in red spiked armor astride its back. The next was a figure wearing dark green and black armor; mounted on a creature that Tristan had never seen before. However, he did notice the same kind of mismatched body shape that the Griffins had. It was a large three-headed monster, one of a goat, a reptile, and a lion. The front right paw was the same color as the goat head, with a large hoof planted in the gr
ound, the other scaled and dragon-like, matching the reptilian head on the right. The rest of the body matched that of the lion with the exception of the brown, bat-like wings.
“Chimera,” Jebediah cursed, hackles rising. The griffin was readying himself for battle.
The third figure was wearing brown armor, had dark red fur, and a steer head mounted on its neck. He had read fables of creatures living in the northern lands beyond the Blackedge Mountains but had never seen a minotaur in person. He was wielding a lance and looked skinnier than he should have been. The creature snorted, steam rising from its snout, as it watched the four newcomers with disgust. He rode a black horse with flaming red eyes and feet, fire raging upward from where the hair should have been. It was straight out of a nightmare.
A gargoyle was the last Horseman, and he required no mount as his long black wings folded in and moved slightly with the pulsing of breath. White eyes stared at them, a black slithering robe flowing in the breeze. A large scythe was held with both hands and the creature looked ready to strike.
A piercing roar filled the air and a large thud made the earth quake beneath them. He turned and grinned at the silver dragon; Wyrddlin had decided to join them after all. “Good of you to make it,” he teased and got a scathing look in return.
The rider in red dismounted and pulled a greatsword free as he stepped forward to greet them. “Your Queen has ordered you to disband your armies and present yourself for immediate return to slavery.”
Erik had slid down off the griffin in response to their adversaries’ approach and he now drew Excalibur as he walked forward to treat with the enemy. “We do not answer to the Phoenix. If she wishes to dispute that, let her show herself. Or will she simply cower behind her castle walls and send others in her stead?”
“You’re one to talk,” the other answered, gazing at the fortress behind them. “How long do you think these walls will seriously keep us out? Why not do the smart thing, lay down your arms and kneel? She might show mercy on you. Well, some of you at least.”
The New Age Saga Box Set Page 85
