Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) (20 page)

Chapter 32

The stars were already out when Falcon finally marched into the training field with his army. Setting his men free in a capital city turned out to be a bad idea. Most of the men did not show up at the meeting place at sundown as agreed. He had spent most of the evening searching the city for them. He found a few sleeping at the inn, a few others in the local pubs, and others he found roaming the Sandoria flea market.

Dozens of other armies had already set up camp. Most of the men huddled in groups, keeping warm around small fires. A few of them passed the time playing games of elemental cards and Meiji. The sound of raised voices filled the air, creating a din of unrecognizable commotion. 

“This field is bigger than our entire village,” noted an astonished Asturian soldier. He was right. Yet the field had no outstanding features. In fact, it was quite plain. Just a simple stretch of earth devoid of grass or trees.

“I guess we register over there,” said Aya, pointing at a rectangular table set in the middle of the field.

“Is the training field in Ladria this big, sir?” asked one of the soldiers as they made their way to the registration table.

“It looks about the same,” answered Falcon. “Except our fields are full of grass and trees. I’m sure Sandorians don’t have much use for that, seeing that the majority of them are earth wielders.”

A fat man who sat behind the table stared at Falcon as he approached. “State the village you hail from and name your leader.”

“I’m Falcon Hyatt, commander of the forces of Asturia.”

The plump man handed Falcon a white parchment. “Sign your name on top and have your men sign at the bottom of your name.” The man took a quick glance at Falcon’s army. “Not much of an army you have there. How many men have you brought forth?”

“Forty-two, sir, including myself. We also have a medic who can serve on the healing squad.”

“I see. Since there are so few of you in number, one parchment will suffice.” After they had all signed, the stocky man pointed to the far corner of the field. “You and your men can set up camp over there.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Falcon and the Asturians marched to their designated corner.

“All right, everyone. Let’s set up camp before we freeze to death.”

Despite the long day, the men moved fast. In no time they had put up their small tents.

Meanwhile Falcon used the rocks and wood provided to build two simple fires.

“Sir, tell us more of Ladria,” said one of the soldiers as he took a seat beside Falcon.

“I don’t know much,” answered Falcon. “I’ve rarely stepped foot in the city. Most of my time I’ve spent training at the academy.”

“You heard that, boys?” snickered a voice from behind Falcon. “The Asturians have brought a mighty Rohad mercenary. We are guaranteed an easy victory now.”

Falcon swiveled his head. Two men stood laughing at their sarcastic remarks. Falcon’s sighed annoyingly.
Is there nowhere I can go without being ridiculed?

“We didn’t mean any disrespect
, oh mighty Rohad warrior
,” mocked the biggest of the two men. He wore blood-red armor with a similar colored helmet that covered most of his face. Only his eyes and nose were exposed. “We are so overjoyed to have a commander who fights for money and holds no allegiance.”

“If you can even call him that,” laughed the second man, pointing at Falcon’s men. “No real commander would lead that sorry excuse of an army.” The second man was much smaller than his companion, but he sported the same blood-red armor. He wore no helmet, his shriveled skin and black teeth evident for everyone to see.

Falcon glanced at his men. He had to admit, they didn’t look like much of a fighting force. The best Asturian soldiers had either been lost in the Ciompi ambush, or were recovering back in Asturia. That made most of his current army either young inexperienced fighters or old men.

“Just because I am from Rohad doesn’t mean that I don’t have an allegiance,” answered Falcon, trying to contain himself. “I am a son of Asturia, as are these men. Instead of throwing insults, you should be grateful we came to your aid.”

The bigger man laughed. “We don’t thank any riff-raff that shows up. You Asturians will cause more harm than good. But, if you are all so good, then how about you back it up with a little wager?”

“What kind of wager?”

“You, pitted against my friend here. If you manage to beat him, which you won’t, by the way, then you get to fight me. There is just one rule, no wielding.”

“No. I don’t fight to satisfy the whims of bullies.”

“I see. The mighty Rohad warrior is scared,” taunted the smaller man. “Of course I would be scared too if I was an Asturian coward and had to face two Sandorian commanders.”

“Asturians are not cowards,” snapped Falcon, his face hot. “If you want a fight, I’ll give you a fight. But not one at a time, I’ll take you both on at once.”

“You can do it, commander!” shouted the youngest Asturian soldier. The rest of his men joined in.

“Go, Commander Hyatt.”

“Do it for Asturia.”

Aya stood in front of Falcon. “Don’t do this. We are all on the same side, remember?”

Aya’s words fell on deaf ears as Falcon blocked out the noise around him. All his focus centered on the two Sandorian commanders before him.

“Get him!” ordered the bigger man.

The smaller man grabbed Falcon’s arm. Before the man could get a firm grip on him, Falcon ducked and threw him over his back. The bigger man then grasped Falcon from behind and squeezed.

Falcon recognized the hold, a classic bear lock. He slammed the back of his head into the man’s face. There was a loud crack accompanied by a cry of agony. The man rolled to the ground and held his hand over his bleeding nose.

The smaller man unsheathed his sword. He swung it wildly. Falcon caught the sword with his hand and jerked it away from its master.

Unwilling to give up, the man reached for a dagger he had tucked into his waistband. Before he could use it, Falcon drove his fist into the man’s face. The man crumpled to the ground.

Falcon’s men cheered loudly.

“What’s going on here?” commanded a powerful voice.

The cheering immediately ceased.

A dark man with equally dark hair and piercing eyes emerged from the crowd. His deep green-and-brown uniform and cape complemented his skin.

The two red-armored commanders lowered their heads. “Just a friendly sparring session, sir,” stuttered the smaller man.

“Two against one doesn’t seem friendly to me,” countered the mysterious man.

“It’s not a problem,” said Falcon.

The man looked at Falcon, then back at the two defeated men. “Both of you, go get yourselves cleaned up.” He turned his attention to Falcon. “And you, you’re welcome to stay. We can use all the help we can get.”

“Thanks, sir. I c—”

The man’s voice rose. “I wasn’t done speaking. If something like this happens again, you and your men will be sent back to where you came from. Is that understood?”

“Bu—” started Falcon.

“Yes or no, that’s all I need to hear from you, soldier.”

Falcon felt like a child who was being scolded for misbehaving. Even worse, he was being lectured in front of his men.

“Yes, sir,” answered Falcon, gritting his teeth.

“Good. And now that we’ve got that settled, on to what’s really important.”

The men in the field gathered around the imposing figure. “I am General Higa, leader of the Sandorian forces. As I’m sure you are all aware, the Suteckh Empire is marching against Sandoria as we speak.”

Lightning flashed in the distance. The sound of thunder followed seconds later.

General Higa continued. “I’m afraid the situation is more complicated than we initially projected. Even with all the volunteers, we’re outnumbered three to one.” The general gazed up at the sky, gathering his thoughts. “To make matters worse, our scouts report that the Blood Empress and her general, Draknorr, have used their dark wielding to summon dark beasts.”

There was a loud groan among the men. Fighting men was one thing, but fighting dark beasts was something else altogether.

“Well…um…how many of these dark creatures did they summon?” asked one of the soldiers. His voice sounded as if he were on the verge of tears.

“Our scouts have seen ten.”

A collective moan of distress rose from the men.

“That’s it then. It’s all over,” whimpered a young soldier, throwing himself on the ground.

“This is hopeless,” added another soldier.

“How can we hope to stand up to an army and ten dark beasts?”

Falcon own hopes dwindled. This was shaping up to be a massacre, not a battle.

“Don’t let your spirits leave you, men,” said General Higa. “I also bring good news that may win us the day.”

Despite the general’s enthusiasm, Falcon doubted he could say anything that could lift the men’s spirits.

General Higa continued. “I’m glad to say that a legendary soldier has come to our aid. He and I will be leading you in battle tomorrow.”

As General Higa spoke, a ripple similar to the one that teleported Falcon from Ciompi materialized besides him. Out of the flux in space emerged a white-clad knight.

The men cheered at the top of their lungs.

The Ghost Knight had arrived.

Chapter 33

It was past midnight and all but a handful of soldiers slept. Falcon, with the anticipation of the forthcoming battle, couldn’t get himself to do the same. So instead he sat alone by the campfire, his brain consumed with thoughts.
What am I going to do when I run into Lao on the battlefield? Can I really bring myself to kill him?

“Mind if I join you?” a familiar voice asked. Falcon looked up to find the Ghost Knight staring down on him.

“Of course not.”

“I saw that little display you put on earlier. Obviously your emotions continue to get the better of you,” said the Ghost Knight, taking a seat on a log beside Falcon. “You were fortunate that your anger only cost you a loss on this day. Next time the price you pay could be much higher.”

“I didn’t lose. I decimated those two in seconds. They didn’t even land a single punch.”

“You let two complete strangers lure you into a fight that you did not wish to be involved in. You allowed them to get inside your head and, like a child, you responded instinctively without thinking the situation through. At that moment, the fight was over, you had lost.”

Falcon couldn’t bring himself to speak.

The Ghost Knight pressed on. “Do you realize that the men you fought are in charge of commanding battalions in tomorrow’s battle? What kind of morale do you think the soldiers they lead into battle will have after witnessing their commanding officers decimated by a rookie Rohad?”

“I didn’t consider that.”

“That is no excuse. Last time we spoke I told you to listen to your energy. Don’t force it to do what you want it to do, instead force yourself to understand how you can work together as one.”

The Ghost Knight’s advice sounded eerily similar to the advice Albert had given him in years past. It had been so long ago, but he still remembered every single word as if he had just heard it:
Stop and listen, there is no need to always be in a rush. Your energy is not a lifeless thing. Listen to it and it will tell you what it wants.

“Yes, someone told me something similar a long time ago,” said Falcon, embarrassed by his earlier actions

“You should listen.”

“It’s much harder to do than it sounds. I try. I really do, but in the heat of the moment everything becomes a blur. It becomes hard to distinguish right from wrong.”

“You see that fire?” The Ghost Knight motioned his hand toward the fading campfire. “Anger and rage are like fire: dangerous and destructive if left unchecked. This fire here is controlled by the stones set around it, essentially a barrier that it cannot escape. You must do the same for the fire inside you. Contain it and use it to your advantage.”

“How?”

“When I feel like I might lose myself, I think back to my most precious memories. You could try the same. Allow your dearest memories to become your barriers.”

“What kind?” asked Falcon. He couldn’t help but wonder what memories the white knight before him held within.

“That’s something I can’t tell you. You alone hold the answer to that question. But the fact that you’re a chaos wielder gives you much more anger than most people will ever possess. To combat that level of anger, you’re going to need a particularly strong memory. My suggestion to you is that you rely on a memory of someone you care deeply about, someone who makes you a better person.”

~ ~ ~

Falcon lay in the sleeping bag inside his tent. The Ghost Knight’s words echoed in his head. He closed his eyes and tried to envision the most pleasant memory he held.

He saw a large green field. A lone woman moved through its center. She smiled and hummed a beautiful melody. It was his mother. A blink later his mom lay on the ground. Blood stained her dress. She reached out her hand and cried, “Why did you let me die, son?”

Falcon’s eyes snapped open. His breathing was heavy and his head ached.
I can’t let this stop me. I must keep on trying.

Again he closed his eyes. This time he stood at the edge of the Rohad arena. The stands were full of faceless people. A deep, red full moon hung in the sky. Dark clouds flanked it on both sides.

“Ladies and gentleman,” shouted a short man. It was the same man who had served as announcer when his brother had dueled Mathias. “Are you ready for today’s main event?”

The people remained silent.

“I give you the champion of Ladria, Albert Hyatt.”

A dark mist rolled into the middle of the arena. It condensed until it took form as a human being. From where Falcon was standing he could only see his back.

The announcer appeared unfazed. “And his opponent—”

Falcon gasped as Albert rammed a spear through the announcer’s chest.

Albert’s body dissolved into smoke once again.

Falcon’s eyes darted everywhere, searching for his brother.

Screams filled the air. Falcon eye’s settled on the silver booth that was reserved for the council members. He watched in horror as Albert dug his spear into all of them as they tried to run.

“Stop, Albert!” yelled Falcon, trying to dash toward him. But his legs remained locked in place.

Then his brother’s body again dissolved.

“Traitor!” came a shout from the crowd.

“He’s not a traitor!” Falcon yelled back.

“Traitor, traitor!”

“I’m telling you he’s not a trait
——
”

“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!”

Their screams drowned Falcon’s voice. He put his hands to his ears, but their chants continued inside his head. His eyes snapped opened.

He touched his wet forehead.

Rely on precious memories, huh?

~ ~ ~

Falcon strapped on his katana. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, but was more than ready for the upcoming attack.

“Hot day, isn’t it?” said Aya, putting on her fighting gloves.

Falcon gazed at the horizon. A few clouds lingered in the sky. “Sure is.” He took a deep breath and went for it. “Hey, Aya. I been thinking; you should join the emperor’s personal guard. I overheard General Higa saying that he would feel much better if he could secure a water wielder to stay behind and protect the emperor.”

Aya curled her lip. “I’m sure there are many other water wielders who would be glad to volunteer their services.”

“There are not many water wielders here in Sandoria. You know that.”

“I will not be stuck back here babysitting the emperor while everyone else is on the battlefield.”

Falcon cursed his luck under his breath. There had to be some way to get her out of the upcoming siege.

“Hey, Aya. How about if—”

“I need medics. Please, anyone with medic skills, come with me,” called out a voice.

Falcon turned. The voice belonged to a short woman who had just burst into the training field. She wore a light green medical suit.

“Please,” begged the woman. “Many of our medics have fled the city. The healing stations are going to be filled with wounded and we won’t have enough personnel to attend to them. We need anyone with any experience in healing to accompany me.”

Falcon grinned. “You should go, Aya,” he encouraged. “You’re one of the best healers we have.”

Aya ran her hand through her hair. “No. I’ll be more help on the battlefield. Besides, Faith is already at the healing stations and she is more than capable.”

“Yes, but the casualties are going to be massive,” countered Falcon. “The healing squads are going to need all the help they can get. You will be saving lives.”

Aya stared at him, conflict in her face.

“Let me handle the frontlines,” said Falcon. “You stay back and save as many lives as you can. These men have wives and children. You can help them return to them.”

“I know what you are doing,” said Aya. “But I suppose you’re right. I’ll do my best back here. You go on ahead.”

Falcon felt the weight of the universe fall from his shoulders.

“Take care.” She turned and hurried toward the city before he could voice his own goodbye. 

~ ~ ~

A grand ocean of black and gray stood before Falcon and the Sandorian forces. He knew the Suteckh forces outnumbered their own forces three to one, but seeing it with his own eyes put everything in an entirely different perspective. Their chances for victory now seemed non-existent.

General Higa seemed unfazed by the sheer numbers of the enemy force. He mounted his mustang and led it before the army.

“Men!” shouted Higa, “The Suteckh want nothing more but for us to cower before them. They would rejoice if we relinquished our freedom. But they will not take such pleasure from us. Today, we will send a message that tyranny will not be tolerated. We will show the world what happens to those who introduce war into a time of harmony.” The general raised his sword high into the air. “Stand together, and deliver the swift sword of justice to our enemy.”

The inspired men cheered and banged their weapons loudly on their shields.

The cheers, however, came to a sudden halt as the Suteckh released a volley of arrows through the air. The men brought up their shields in a defensive position. But for many the cover wasn’t enough. Some were hit in the legs, arms, and feet. Others, who were not as fortunate, died instantly when the arrows dug into their heads.

Falcon and his men stood in the back ranks, where the arrows did not penetrate.

“First battalion, with me.” Hundreds of horse-mounted men lined up beside General Higa, and behind the horses stood thousands of soldiers. “Ready. Attack!” At his command the men took off. The ground thundered as thousands of men sped down the green field. General Higa rode ahead of everyone, his sword pointed toward the enemy.

Falcon bit his lip in anticipation. He wanted nothing more than to rush down the field alongside the offensive wave. But he and his men had been assigned to the second wave. They were the last line of defense between the Suteckh and Sandoria.

The sound of war filled the air as the Suteckh and Sandorian armies clashed at the center of the field. Hundreds of rocks, wielded by Sandorian earth wielders, plummeted through the air. The Suteckh soldiers, whose ranks consist of mostly fire and dark wielders, fought back with elemental attacks of their own. Fire and darkness met earth, and metal clashed with metal.

Falcon mouth grew drier as the battle intensified. Hundreds of men fell, but neither side seemed able to gain the upper hand.

“Quicksand!” shouted Higa, clasping his hands together. In the blink of an eye the hard surface on which the Suteckh soldiers stood, turned into a pool of quicksand. Hundreds of Suteckh soldiers sank into the ground. The more heavily armored soldiers went down first. The soldiers who wore less armor fought a while longer. They grasped at anything in their reach: grass, weapons, corpses, but eventually they too met the same fate as their heavier counterparts.

A sense of ecstasy swept over Falcon, but it quickly faded as three dark creatures sprang into the battlefield. They were unlike anything he had ever laid eyes on. Their bodies consisted of a black substance that remained in constant motion within them. They didn’t seem to make a firm definite shape. Their bodies stretched and condensed at whim. The black tentacles that stretched out from them tore into the Sandoria ranks with ease. The only part of them that wasn’t pitch black was their long, deep yellow eyes and their jagged set of razor-sharp fangs.

The Sandorian wielders brought up countless earth walls, but the dark creatures smashed them as soon as they appeared.

“No walls,” ordered Higa. “Defensive wielding is waste of energy. Concentrate on offensive attacks.”

Following the general’s orders, the earth wielders switched their style. Hundreds of earth balls, spears, and waves rushed toward the three dark creatures.

The soldiers who were not wielders delivered blow after blow with their weapons.

Everything from weapons to elemental attacks were absorbed into the dark bodies upon contact. Soldiers whose weapons had been taken by the dark ones sprinted back to the safety of the rear lines. One of the beasts pounced on them as countless sharp spikes stretched from its surface. The spikes ripped through the fleeing soldiers.

The monster’s path of destruction came to an abrupt stop as a large earth spear ripped through its body. General Higa wielded a second earth spear. He rammed this one through the thing’s face.

The creature staggered back, shooting dozens of dark tentacles from its disfigured body. One of the blind swipes smacked the general’s horse to the ground. Higa hit the ground but quickly rolled back to his feet. His horse wasn’t so lucky.

The beast roared at the general as it pulled out the second spear from its middle. 

It took a step forward toward, but Higa remained frozen in place. The creature took another step. Still the general did not move an inch.
What is he doing?

That’s when the creature’s body sank into the ground. Now Falcon understood.
Quicksand.

The beast wailed into the scream-filled air. It turned part of the body that was still above ground into hooks that dug into the little hard surface which remained. The creature flashed its rabid fangs. Then the hooks unhinged as the pull of the quicksand proved too strong. It disappeared underground.