David gulped down the dread that now seemed to be blocking his throat. This is not good, he thought to himself. There’s no way I can take on these guys, they’re trained soldiers!
“Well that’s too bad, because you can’t have either of us, so if you want me, come and get me!” cried Erin, and she rushed into a furious attack against the soldier closest to her, catching him completely off-guard and knocking him off his feet.
She dashed into a sprint towards the other two, picking up her and David’s sword from beside their packs as she passed, before ducking into a roll between the remaining two soldiers and jumping up next to David, handing him his sword.
David was completely stunned, and so were the soldiers, but they quickly shook it off and reassessed their opponents as a more serious threat than they had first thought – now they were armed and apparently the girl was dangerous.
The other soldier, the one who had been caught off guard, joined the other two men as they set attention to their newly armed opponents, ready to fight.
The soldier on the right struck first. He rushed towards David in an attempt to push him backwards and put him on the defensive, swinging madly back and forth. David quickly threw up his sword and, much to his and the soldier’s surprise, deflected the flurry of attacks with ease. It was like his body knew just what to do, even if in his mind he was screaming bloody murder.
Encouraged after seeing David was capable of fending for himself, Erin rushed into the fight, taking on the other two soldiers. They were prepared, and the fighting that ensued was ferocious and intense. Although Erin was much smaller and younger than her opponents, she kept pace with them both, alternating skillfully between their strikes, deflecting them, and placing her own counterstrikes perfectly all in the space of seconds.
Eventually, she found an opening and struck her blade home in one of the soldier’s sides, dispatching him quickly to the ground. She was down to just one opponent, odds she felt much more confident with.
In the meantime, David was still on the defensive, not quite understanding how he was still surviving the increasing flurry of attacks from his much better trained opponent. His hands and feet danced around skillfully like a highly trained warrior, completely in sync with the incoming attacks, deflecting each and every one as if he knew where they would land before they even came.
Eventually, the soldier became frustrated and started pounding away in a series of powerful overhead strikes aimed at David’s head like a lumberjack trying to split a log. David instinctively rolled out of the way of one of the powerful strikes, causing the soldier’s sword to sink deep into the middle of a thick protruding root.
When David saw the soldier frantically trying to unstick his sword, he took the offensive and, tightly closing his eyes and grunting with the effort, swung as hard as he could towards the soldier’s neck. He could feel the blade strike home, the sick sound of steel meeting flesh, and the loud crack of bone as his sword broke the soldier’s neck and nearly cut off his head.
When he opened his eyes, the soldier had dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap.
David swiftly drew back his sword and stumbled backward against a nearby tree, breathing heavily and feeling sick to his stomach. He quickly came to his senses and frantically looked around to find Erin.
She was still in a heated battle with the remaining soldier, but after a few moments, she skillfully disarmed him and kicked his left knee with such force that David could hear the bone snap, and he buckled to the ground, grunting in pain and exhaustion.
“Erin!” David called out, running to her side.
“You’re alive! Thank the Creator!” breathed Erin, seeing David unharmed.
They both looked down at the remaining soldier, who had tears running from his eyes from the pain in his leg.
“Why were you sent? What do you want from us?” demanded Erin, pointing her blade at the man’s throat.
He started laughing hysterically. David and Erin looked at each other, both realizing the irony of humor at the moment, given the soldier’s dire circumstances.
“You might as well just kill me!” he said, looking up at the two travelers. “If you don’t, they will!” He spat blood to the ground and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“Who will? Who will kill you?” demanded Erin.
“The Wolf Guard, you fool! They’re working with the Gen…. the King…the new King. Something about a prophecy, and” he looked directly at Erin before continuing, “he said something about you being the only threat to his rule. That’s why he needed you captured. He couldn’t risk you coming out and exposing the truth!”
“The new king? What truth?” asked Erin, “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
With that, the man erupted in even more hysterical laughter. “What, you don’t know? They say the King went mad and was plotting to unleash the Defiant One! The General, weighing his options, found it best to arrest him before he could find a way to carry out his plans and has imprisoned him deep beneath the palace.
“He has now declared himself King of the Northern Kingdom and he has brought in the Wolf Guard to assist him in his search for this fabled warrior of prophecy.
“Apparently, he’s been working with them for some time, hiring them in secret for special assignments, right under the nose of the King! Now, they are acting as his personal bodyguards, carrying out his will with the promise that they will no longer have to remain hidden from society.” The soldier grimaced in pain before gathering his composure.
“They’ve unleashed hell on the citizens of Eldergate, murdering and devouring them at will, but the King won’t let us do anything about it. He says it is a small price to pay for the means to save humanity from the brink of destruction.” The soldier finished with a grim look on his face, and abruptly broke out in tears.
“I had no choice…none of us did. He has all our families in the dungeons. He won’t let them go unless we do exactly as we’re told! And if we don’t, he says he will feed them to the wolves!”
David and Erin were horrified. They couldn’t believe what they were being told. The King was imprisoned for trying to unleash the Defiant One? Why would he do that…it didn’t make any sense. He was always a benevolent ruler who cared deeply about his people.
And what does Erin have anything to do with General Krauss, how was she a threat to his rule? So many questions were bouncing around in her head, each without any real answer.
Erin kicked the soldier’s weapon far from his reach and pulled David aside to discuss what option to take next.
“I think he’s telling the truth, David.” she said, a concerned look in her eyes. “I don’t want to believe it, but it suddenly makes sense why you had seen the Wolf Guard when you came here. General Krauss is looking for you, David. He knows something about this prophecy and for some reason, doesn’t want you to fulfil it.”
“I know…it also explains why we heard all those cries in the city when we were leaving last night. Some of the soldiers must have been trying to fight back the Wolf Guard and protect the citizens” replied David. “And…it explains why they came to your house. They were looking for you…” he said cautiously, not wanting to reopen the already deep wound Erin now carried from losing her mother the night before.
“Yeah…I know.” she said, trying to avoid the subject. “So…what do you think we should do about him?” asked Erin, pointing towards the now crippled soldier.
“I don’t think we should just leave him here…he could be useful. He may know things that could help us.” David said, unconvincingly.
“Yeah, or he could try to slit our throats in the night so he can save his family” replied Erin, playing Devil’s advocate.
After a moment of careful consideration, they thought it best to help the soldier dress his wounds, give him some supplies so he could survive a few days on his own, and send him off in the opposite direction that they were traveling. Eventually he would find the main road far to the South and c
ould follow the road to a nearby village to take refuge while he healed. That was the best they could offer him.
After seeing the soldier off, the pair sat and reflected on the hectic start of the day and rested their aching muscles. The morning was quickly giving way to noon and they had made no progress toward reaching West Point due to the chance encounter with the soldiers. When they rested as long as they dared, they gathered up their things and headed off in the direction of the hidden path, now more visible with the light of day to guide them.
They trekked for the remainder of the day mostly in silence until the light began to fade in the sky, casting the canopy in a dark greenish black and leaving the forest floor buzzing with the endless song of insects and other nocturnal creatures.
They decided to make camp and lite a small fire so they could have some light and warmth for the night. After disappearing into the woods, Erin returned a few minutes later with a small hare hanging limp in her hands.
David sat for a long while in silence while Erin cooked the hare over the fire, taking in what had happened earlier that day with the soldiers. He killed a man and could barely even remember doing it, let alone how he had done it. It seemed he had a lot to learn about the orb and the abilities that it gave him.
He looked up at Erin and she handed him his portion of the meal with a friendly smile. David smiled in kind and looked down at the roasted meat, starving but not having the will to eat.
The fight had diminished his energy greatly and he felt he could eat an entire cow, but for now the realization of what he had done was overwhelming. He was becoming a killer. First Tony, now this man. What’s happening to me? He set his piece of meat down and rubbed his temple which was throbbing painfully.
When Erin finished eating, she set up small bedrolls for the two of them to sleep on. She curled up and almost instantly fell asleep. David on the other hand couldn’t sleep; he had too much on his mind.
Now that the day had ended, David’s nerves had taken control. His stomach felt sick. He had survived a brutal battle with soldiers who were trying to kill him. They had survived, but just barely. How did he get himself into such a mess? He wondered how Erin could be so cool about everything that was happening when he was so shaken by it. As his thoughts wandered off, recounting the events that led him to this dangerous new world, he found himself drifting into a deep dreamless sleep.
✽✽✽
David woke with the sharp hissing of water splashing on hot coals and a gentle shake from his new friend. “Wake up, David. We have to get moving.” she said with a friendly smile. She seemed refreshed from the day before and was eager to get moving again.
The clouds above them seemed to have dissipated over night, but still loomed in the distance over what they knew to be Eldergate. The sun was still low in the sky by the looks of the light coming through the trees, but it was hard to tell. David assumed it was sometime still early in the morning, as the dew was still dripping from the canopy in a random assortment of drops here and there.
They picked up their makeshift beds and rolled them up before securing them onto their packs. Erin then set about creating false tracks heading in the opposite direction as a diversion and told David to get rid of the evidence of their fire. He covered up the area with dirt and spread around a few sticks and twigs to make it blend in with the scenery around them. When they finished their tasks, they set off once again through the forest in the direction of the smoke plume from the day before; hoping their attempts to avert their pursuers was successful enough to buy them some time to get a good head start on the day.
They felt refreshed from their sleep and were both enjoying the peaceful atmosphere around them, feeling safe for the first time since their meeting with the Elders. They watched a couple of brilliantly colored birds weaving in and out of the branches overhead singing a song along the way. They were picking up small leaves and twigs in their mouth and carrying them back to their nests. They noticed a group of squirrel-like creatures jumping in the trees from branch to branch playing what looked like tag, for when one caught up with the others it would tackle the nearest one and then run away uttering cheerful little cries as it took flight from the friend it tackled. David and Erin laughed at the display as they walked along.
The day continued relatively uneventful with the sun rising higher in the sky, bringing with it a gentle warmth to chase off the coolness of the morning. They marched on until midday when they decided to stop and rest near a small stream. David took their flasks to the stream and filled them up while Erin set about making their lunch consisting of what remained of their dried meat and cheese, putting a few pieces on bread for the two of them to enjoy. After finishing up their lunch David decided to take another look at their whereabouts. This time though, he decided he would keep a closer eye on Erin.
He climbed to the top of a tall tree and looked around, spotting the smoke trail once again, but this time it was much closer. They had come a long way; the smoke was now only a mile or two from their current position. David hurried down the tree and told Erin of their progress, setting off immediately towards their now much closer destination with a new sense of purpose.
They reached what appeared to be the main road just near the outskirts of the village in less than an hour, hoping that they had found the village the elders spoke of.
It was a little town consisting of a few small houses and businesses, an inn, a pub, and what looked like a large townhall. It was enclosed by a tall wall made up of large spiked timbers. The wall formed two semi circles around the village and had two gates, one on each end of the village. They casually walked up to the gate closest to them and a group of local soldiers stopped chattering as one stepped forward, hand on his hilt ready for any sign of trouble.
“Who are you and what is your business here?” said the man with a piercing glare.
“We mean no harm. We are travelers from Eldergate. We are looking for a friend who we’re told lives in a village called West Post” said Erin.
“Aye, we heard about the trouble in Eldergate. It is a shame, that is. Heard the King’s own soldiers went savage and betrayed him. That the General had to step in and fight them off. Heard there were terrible losses, that the King was killed in the uprising.” said the man.
Erin and David each shared a meaningful look before the man at the gate continued.
“You’re not the first refugees that have made their way to our gates. Don’t worry, you’re safe here. This here is West Post.” said the man, stepping aside.
Chapter IX
The men relaxed the grip on their swords and pointed David and Erin in the direction of the Inn. David and Erin thanked the men and set off towards the Inn, silently digesting what the guard had just told them.
Apparently, word had spread that General Krauss had taken over the city of Eldergate, but he was being portrayed as the hero instead of the traitorous filth that he really was. They knew the General had betrayed the King, but was the King truly dead? What of Tyrius and the rest of the Elders? They had more questions now than when they had started and were no closer to finding the answers they were looking for.
As they walked down the street, they looked around at the village that surrounded them. It was rather small and sparsely populated compared to the sprawling metropolis of Eldergate. There was only one main road, a dirt path mostly, bordered by a couple dozen buildings, most of which looked like houses. Each was a single story, apart from the massive town hall in the center of the town and the two-story Inn.
The main street circled around the town-hall and was lined with the Inn, a metal works station linked to a small shop, a pub, and a farmer’s market. The pub seemed to be the most popular place in town, as it sounded like the whole town was there with the amount of cheers and laughter coming from the open doors. West Post wasn’t much to look at after witnessing the beauty and splendor of Eldergate.
When they reached the Inn, they noticed a sign hanging above the door that read The Beg
gar’s Flagon. They decided to go check into the rooms the soldiers had offered them. They walked through the door and were greeted by an elderly man with a long beard and a clouded over right eye. He was standing at a wooden counter near the entryway waiting for guests to check in and out of rooms.
“Refugees from Eldergate, I suspect?” asked the man after seeing the two young customers enter the building. “Will ye be needing a room?” he asked in a raspy, drawn out voice.
“Yes, we have come a long way and were told we could stay here for the night.” said Erin.
“It’s a gold piece for a room and that’ll get you a week of stay, plus nightly meals. Or, if you prefer to pay daily, it’s five copper coins a night, or a silver piece if you want a meal” said the innkeeper.
Erin looked at David in disbelief. A single gold piece in Eldergate wouldn’t get them half a night in the dingiest Inn in all the city, let alone a hot meal!
She quickly handed the innkeeper a handful of copper coins from her pouch, counting out ten pieces in all. That would cover a room for each of them for the night.
“Right this way.” said the man, waving his hand and walking towards the back of the building.
He led them up a flight of creaking stairs and down an old wooden corridor before unlocking a door on the right.
“Here you are. Enjoy your stay.” said the man, wearing a toothless grin.
They looked at the small room that was more equivalent to a shack and peered inside. There was only one small bed, a mirror and dresser in the corner, and a small curtained window in the back of the room.
“Um, excuse me sir” said Erin to the innkeeper, “But I paid you for two rooms, not one.”
“Hmm? Oh, my mistake, my mistake young lass. I thought you were a couple and were paying for one room and a meal for the night!” he let out a raspy cackle that they assumed was a laugh before opening another room on the opposite side of the hallway.
David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb Page 7
