Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (16 page)

  “Alexander!
Alexander! I need to talk to you.” Kilen caught up with the wind wizard, who
was now waiting on him outside of one of the taller houses.

  Alexander
smiled,“I’m glad to see you are doing well. I heard about how hard you fought
to get inside. You almost passed every one of their trials. Good work, lad.”

Kilen
laughed a bit at the compliments. “It was mostly due to the voices in my head.”
Alexander’s expression turned serious.

  “You can stop
that game now. We both know I have never had voices in my head. Saying that I
did was a way to keep others off guard. I was able to act a part that would let
others trust me more because they thought I lacked the mental aptitude to keep
up with their lies. You, however, won’t be able to convince others that you are
crazy. The path the Elder Wizards have chosen for you is very different from
the life of a crazy wizard. I would keep talking to yourself to a minimum.”

  Kilen didn’t
know what to say in response. He couldn’t tell him the truth about having
actual voices in his head, but he knew the wizard already had his suspicions.

  “What path
have the wizards chosen for me?” He asked to change the subject.

  “It will be
revealed when they are finished with their plans. Meanwhile, keep training
hard.” Alexander started to walk up the front steps of the house and Kilen
reached up to touch his arm.

  Kilen pleaded,
“Why are we all still here? Shouldn’t they be sending wizards out to help with
the war? If not, I should be going to help my friends.”

A wizard Kilen
had not seen before came out the front door and stopped to shake hands with
Alexander. He ushered him inside and stayed behind to talk to Kilen.

  “Kilen, it’s
nice to meet you. I am Warick. I grew up near Paddleton, it
was
small
village just north of your home town, Humbridge. I would like to talk to you on
behalf of the council.” The old, gray haired wizard kept his hands folded in
front of him awaiting Kilen’s answer.

Kilen nodded as
the wizard started to lead him on a slow walk back towards the blacksmiths.

“Alexander was
just promoted to the rank of Full Elder. He will be receiving instructions and
knowledge that other wizards can only hope to achieve. In receiving his rank,
we were forced to take on you as a weapon bearer.” He stopped to turn to Kilen,
“Which is not your fault, but nonetheless you have given your oath to protect
him. You still wish to be a weapon bearer, don’t you?”

  Kilen was
unsure how to answer. “I became a weapon bearer in order to protect my sister.
This is all I want.”

The wizard
nodded and started again down the path.

  “Your sister
is in good hands and is making very good progress. She will not be the girl you
remember the next time you see her. You must prepare yourself for that.”

They stopped to
grab a freshly baked loaf of bread out of a window. Warick pinched off a bit
and handed it to Kilen while he took a bite of his own. A second loaf was
tucked under his arm and they continued on.

Warick continued
to talk as he chewed his bread, “As long as you do what the Elder Wizards ask,
they will watch after your sister. Soon, you will receive instruction that you
must follow through to the end.”

Kilen nodded in
understanding.

“You see Kilen,
weapon bearers and wizards were the first bond formed to achieve peace between
man and wizard. We hold that bond sacred as long as man does. Kings and wizards
now don’t fully understand that bond. Anyone who has been made a wielder by means
of another man or a wizard, who has not been welcomed into our community, will
never be recognized as a True Weapon Bearer.”

  “So, you are
saying that because Alexander was only just accepted to be an Elder Wizard, I
am to be accepted as a True Weapon Bearer?” Kilen asked.

  “Correct. The
rules that man has twisted by killing our kind and appointing wielders to the
ranks of weapon bearer or armor bearer, creating an abomination to our peace
agreements. In the distant past, wielders were the protectors of man and wizard
alike. They were meant to roam free of authority from wizard or man. Wielders
of the past were untainted justice on the wings of magic. Wizards feared the
wielder's connection to man’s vast numbers. Man feared the wielder’s power and
strength in magic. Weapon bearers fought for everyone. They stood for justice
for as far as they rode. Some towns even weighed their word above any other
judgement on those that committed crimes. They waited months for a wielder to
come to exact justice. You see Kilen, wielders were chosen because of their
knowledge, wisdom, and strength of heart above all else.”

  They walked a
slow pace and Kilen slowly chewed on his bread, soaking up the information.

“Jace, your
mentor, was supposed to be chosen for his wisdom just like your father before
him.” Warick sighed. “You seem to be the last hope for wielders in this age.
Today, wielders are chosen for their experience in battle, for the power in
their arm. They are given this power by wizards employed by man. Men, like King
Atmos, have been demented with power and twisted to believe themselves to be a
supreme being. You see, we have great hopes for your ability to choose between
what is just and what is unjust,” Warick said.

  “I thought I
was just supposed to protect Alexander,” Kilen said as they approached the
blacksmith’s shop.

Warick placed
the bread on the table as the two silently watched the wizards work the same
metal ring in the forge. They had worked the ring for the entire week Kilen had
been there. It still didn’t take on any form Kilen could recognise.

  “If you choose
to remain a weapon bearer of the Elders, you will protect
everyone
. You
will protect wizard and man alike without favor to either. I hope you would
protect all people just as you do your sister, or your wizard.”

  The feelings
in Kilen’s head began to turn. He knew the emotions were not his own; he heard
Jace’s voice.
“The road of being feared by everyone, but accepted by all
would not be an easy path, Kilen. I would choose wisely what you say here. You
commit your life to saving everyone, even a king that chooses to plot against
others for his own power. You will stand amongst few and be accepted by even
less. You will walk all paths alone, because that is the only way you can be
fair to all.”

 
Kilen
thought it over and found when he looked up from the ground, all the wizards
working the forge were looking at him. They were waiting for an answer. He
stood a little straighter and cleared his throat, but Warick spoke first.

“It’s okay. We
don’t expect an answer now, but we do expect one. I will let you get back to
your training.”

  Kilen was
still deep in thought and forgot to ask if they were going to help King Atmos
with his battle. He stood watching the fire coming from one of the wizard’s
hands. He was hypnotized as the flames licked the metal ring and turned it from
black to glowing red. The earth wizard pounded the metal with sparks bursting
off each swing of the hammer. The water wizard cooled the metal back to black.
Kilen had watched the process many times at the local blacksmith, but never
with this much precision. As they started to reheat the ring, the flames reminded
him of his sister and the night his world was turned upside down. The water
reminded him of Twilix and how his adventure began.

  He wished he
had not made the choice to chase Chit down. He could have taken back the sword
some other way.

Joahna spoke as
if he could see Kilen’s thoughts
, “If it had happened some other way,
perhaps Kara wouldn’t be stuck in a castle’s dungeon. She would have awakened
someday whether you were there or not. You might have even died, had it
happened in a different way. Kilen, this is the fate that we all have been
dealt there is no turning back now.”

Joahna’s voice
was that of reason. There was no changing his fate now.

  The wizards
stopped working to eat the lunch that was being dropped off by various wizards.
When the activity in the shop slowed down for the wizards to eat, Kilen noticed
his armor in the corner. The shield leaned against the rest of the armor,
hiding behind it as a warrior would. Kilen reached for the restored shield. The
dents and scratches had been removed and a fresh layer of paint coated the top.
Each of the four emblems of magic were painted into separate quarters of the
shield’s surface. Water opposite earth, fire opposite wind; all represented
equally.

  The earth
wizard spoke while chewing his food, “Take it, it’s all finished.”

  Kilen started
to lift the shield and the wind wizard spoke.

“You were
missing a few pieces of a full suit, so we found some of the parts and also
replaced some that didn’t match-”

  The large fire
wizard spoke before the wind finished, “You should probably train in those
before you leave town. It will feel different; fighting in a full suit. You
will have some limited use of your arms, but Ray should be able to teach you to
overcome it.”

Kilen didn’t say
anything as he picked up the pieces of armor tied together by leather straps.

Lifting the
pieces was not as taxing as it once had been. He figured his muscles must have
grown or the weight of the armor would be causing him a problem. While residing
in Idleton, he had done every task without the aid of his magic imbuements. He
worked and practiced like any normal man. His muscles were getting bigger, so
much that he might even rival the strength of his good friend Daniel. He
thought of returning home and seeing Daniel’s face when challenging him to arm
wrestle.

  Kilen hefted
the armor over his shoulder and headed back to the training ground where Ray
was sharpening his sword. The large man spent most of his day in this training
ring or in his home by the fire. Kilen wasn’t sure he wanted to live his life
staved away from the world, stuck in a town of wizards like Ray. He also knew
he would live and die here if it meant his sister would have a chance to live.
He hoped that if he made the choice to become a true weapon bearer, he would
have access to the wizard’s library he heard so much about.

  “Ray, are you
a full weapon bearer?” Kilen asked.

  The master
swordsmen stopped sharpening and looked at Kilen, “They asked you, did they?”

Kilen nodded.

Ray ran a rag
over the length of the polished blade. “Dark times are coming then, if they are
asking young ones like yourself. In my time they refused to recruit anyone that
hadn’t grown a full patch of hair on their chest.”

Kilen took a bit
of offense, having only a lightly haired chest.

The grizzly
weapon bearer grinned,“Kilen, if they are asking you, then they think you are a
good choice, but that is exactly what it is, a choice, and only one you can
make. Whether you know it or not, you have already made your decision. All you
need to do is find out what it was. To find out if you are a weapon bearer, you
simply must ask yourself a question.”

Ray stood and
looked Kilen in the eye and placed his large hands on either of Kilen’s
shoulders. “Will you stand up against all forms of evil to serve those who
cannot stand up for themselves?”

  It seemed as
if it was an easy question, but several instances came to his mind. His sister
was a fire wizard; if she was unable to control herself and hurting people, was
she considered evil? If a peasant was poaching on a king’s land because he was
starving, is he considered evil? Kilen was not sure how to answer and when he
didn’t, Ray let his arms fall to his side.

  “You are wise
to think your answer through. I made that mistake once while a weapon bearer. I
made a choice from my own heart. Men and wizards came down on me for justice. I
was let off easy, with a life sentenced to protect these wizards. I do the job
because the decision I made was the wrong one, and it cost many of lives.”

Ray spoke with
his back to Kilen but he thought he saw in the reflection of his blade, a tear
come down Ray’s face. “Let us practice the sword, it always helps me clear my
mind. Perhaps it will help you clear yours so you can make a proper choice.”

  Kilen put his
armor on. The weight was more than he had expected, now that he had it in
place. He did, however, have a difficult time raising his arms above his head.
The new shoulder guards restricted his movement. He wondered if wearing them
would do more harm than good. He was soon happy he had chosen to leave them on.

  Ray’s attacks
were swift and powerful. The new armor took a beating more than Kilen did. He
remained unscathed from the assault that was unleashed on him. Ray’s sword
moved as swiftly as it had when Kilen wasn’t wearing armor and Kilen was now
useless in fending off the attacks. The sound of the wooden sword cracking
against the metal pieces of armor reverberated off the nearby buildings. He
found himself so frustrated at being unable to stop attacks, he started to
anticipate them in advance. Kilen would ignore an attack just to stop the next
one.

  Ray soon
figured out Kilen was ignoring the attacks and chose to hit areas left
unprotected by his new armor. Kilen found himself being stabbed in the armpit,
falling after being hit in the back of the knee, and waking up after being
struck in the side of the neck. Ray would not let Kilen get off easy for
leaving himself exposed. Kilen soon went back to fighting the wordless battle
of wits that he was losing.

  Bowie had
ridden Charger hard the last few days trying to catch up with his men. He knew
John must be pushing them to get that far ahead of him in three days time. The
prance had long ago faded from the horse’s step. Bowie had never run him to the
point of Charger wanting to walk for a while. The dust trail up the road told
Bowie he was getting close, so he kept Charger at the same pace. Before long,
he came up on the last men in the formation.

  Then men on
foot were jogging with no packs or equipment on. They simply ran together
behind the carts. They waved to Bowie as Charger passed by. Bowie saw that the
carts were filled to the brim with people and supplies. It took Bowie another
thirty minutes to catch up to the front of the line. John was running beside
one of the carts filled with sweaty men. Each man in the cart had a bow in hand
and was looking about the road. Bowie was unsure what they were looking for. He
slowed Charger to a walk beside John.

“You have made
some distance between us and the rest of the army. Well done,” Bowie said.

  John seemed to
brighten at the compliment, saying, “You said the farther from the army we are,
the more successful we will be. I thought I would give us as much time in one
place as I could. There is a town up ahead, I figured we could set camp there.”

  Bowie
scratched his face and the stubble that started to grow during the ride. “I
would prefer setting up on this side of town if there is a place.”

John nodded and
turned to one of the men on a horse and waved him forward.

  Tyler
approached on horseback and John made a signal with his hand that said it was
time to switch. When John was in the saddle he was handed a bow and he spurred
his horse forward.

John shouted,
“Shall we find a good spot?”

  “Of course, and
after that you will have to show me how you have been able to keep this troop
moving so fast,” Bowie replied.

John smiled with
yet another compliment.

  “Let us visit
Ria first. She will give our horses some energy,” John said.

Bowie nodded and
followed John back to Ria’s wagon. He leaned in the saddle and knocked on the
side wall of the wagon. Soon the back door of Ria’s moving wagon popped open
and she stuck out her head.

  “Oh Master
Cresent, it’s good to see you finally caught up. John, did you need something
or were you just telling me Master Crescent is here?” Ria asked.

  John took off
his hat to speak to her,“Sorry to bother you. We need a bit of energy for the
horses so we can ride ahead and find a good place to camp for a few days. If
you don’t mind of course?”

She smiled at
John before leaning over to touch the horse’s neck. Soon after, John moved back
and waved Bowie over so Ria could reach Charger. The horse danced and bucked
Bowie away from the wagon with an eagerness that said he had regained his
normal prance. Ria nodded at the men and closed the door to her wagon.

John was looking
at Bowie’s empty quiver. He moved to the next cart up and held his hand out to
the men inside, “Arrows for Master Crescent.” The men reached in a basket
hanging over the side of the wagon and pulled out a handful of arrows.

  Bowie examined
the arrows and noticed the traits he told Auburn to include were present. The
feathers were inset into grooves before being glued into place. The arrow tips
were shaved to give them straighter and easier flight. These were higher
quality arrows than what the men had been making before. He looked back at the
cart and saw his grandfather’s tools being used by the fletchers. Auburn hadn’t
delayed in putting the tools to good use.

Some troops
waved as Bowie and John rode past to the front of the line. John rode fast to
advance ahead of the troops, leaving them to watch the treeline.

  “What are you
looking for, John?” Bowie asked as he looked around in the trees.

  “Scouts,
bandits, or game. Whichever we might encounter first. I have the men keeping
their eyes out for them as well. There is no way we can know how far out the
Fire Realm has pushed their scouts. If we push too much harder, we will start
to encounter some of them for sure. They have been in the Earth Realm for
almost a month.”

“They should
have a pretty good camp set up by now, but they’re probably running low on
resources.” Bowie said.

  “Perhaps. The
king’s scouts have given me some of the information they collected. However,
the information doesn’t involve anything in this area. All we know is this
summer heat that slows us down is like winter to them; they’re probably making
great time. To make matters worse, I doubt they are running low on any resources.”

Bowie thought it
over for a moment while John pointed to a large clearing off to the side of the
road. “If they have resources and weapons, then the more time they have, the
more fortified they become,” Bowie said.

John smiled in
agreement. “While the king dallies around trying to gather men to him, the Fire
Realm builds and becomes stronger. Each day it will require more men and more
deaths to win against the Fire Realm. Each day they become stronger and more
adapted to our lands. Each day, they find new ways to stop us.”

Bowie let the
words sink in. They needed to move fast to be able to impede the Fire Realm
wherever they could. They needed to buy the king time to finish gathering his
army.

Bowie finally
looked up and noticed John was dismounted and wandering around, checking the
trees surrounding the open area. “John, I need you to teach me how you get
these men to move so fast.”

John faced
Bowie, “That’s easy. I told them their lives depend on it.”

It was a simple
concept, but one they would all believe in. It was something that they all
could control, and all play a part in. Each man was working hard so they would
survive the summer.

“What do you
think of the area?” He said to John who was still looking around.

“It give us
enough space for the tents and fires. The hunting should be good here, and a
town is a half a day’s ride south. Far enough we shouldn’t bother them by being
in this place. I think it will work well.”

Bowie nodded in
agreement, then dismounted and pulled his bow from his saddle. He bent the bow
and strung it. John eye’d the bow with much wonder but said nothing. Bowie held
it out to John who reverently took it into his hands. He turned the strung bow
over and felt its curves and details.

Bowie let out a
small laugh and held up an arrow, “Go head. Give it a try.”

John knocked the
arrow and pulled the string as far back as it would let him. The bow made the
familiar twang as the arrow took flight. The arrow flew straight and sunk its
head deep into a nearby tree. John let out a deep breath and lowered the bow to
examine it again.

“This is made of
wonderful quality, but I’m afraid it’s too short for me to draw well.” He
handed the bow back to Bowie.

“Well then, we
will just have to have Ria make a longer one for you.” John caught Bowie by the
arm as he turned back to grab another arrow from his quiver.

“Ria made this
for you?” John’s eyes were bright with hope.

“Yes,” He said
while looking at John’s hand on his arm. “She said she was going to be making
more. You are the next one to be getting one.”

John realized he
was gripping Bowie’s arm and released it. His mouth was open but he didn’t say
anything. He glanced back down at Bowie’s bow still in his hand, “Thanks. I
thought we wouldn’t be able to get enough bow’s for all the men, but these
bows. These bows will help us survive what is planned for us.”

Bowie nodded his
head and held out his hand for the bow. John reluctantly handed it back and
Bowie fired some shots to the same tree John had fired on. Bowie asked John how
to improve production. They discussed how Bowie could improve his skills by
shooting faster. The two talked every second of the hour it took for the troops
to catch up to them.

Men filed into
the new camp site and John immediately started giving orders and organizing
each wagon of men to tasks. Tents were being assembled, trees were chopped for
firewood, and two parties were sent out to hunt. Bowie still didn’t know what
he was supposed to do, so he tried to help out where he could. When he started
a task John, or Tyler ran to take over for him until he found another. After
three or four tries, Bowie finally got the hint and started to head back to his
tent.

Ria’s wagon was
sitting close to Bowie’s tent and as he walked by he could hear a muffled
argument between two females. Bowie tried to get closer to the door to hear
what was being said but was unable to make out the words. He put his ear
against the door just as it burst open.

“I will do the
job that has been assigned to me!” Auburn exclaimed as she came out the door.
She stopped and looked at Bowie, now laying on the ground from the force of the
door.

“The job of
leading men is not for a woman to do.” Ria said from inside the hut. She came
out chasing Auburn and saw Bowie laying on the ground. “Sitting around is not a
good trait for a leader, Master Crescent.”

Auburn started
to walk away, “It is about time you showed up. Maybe now that you are here, she
will stop telling me how to do my job.” She did her best to stomp away as a
frustrated Ria stared at her back.

Ria finally
noticed Bowie was still on the ground, trying to figure out what was going on
between the two.

“Come inside.”
It wasn’t a request, but a command.

Bowie stood and
went inside the wagon, brushing himself off and closing the door behind him.

“Why do you
encourage the girl? She has no place commanding an army.” Ria said while
rummaging through her drawers. Vines moved out of the way each time she reached
up to open one. Bowie wondered how many drawers were hiding behind those leafy
vines.

“She is not
commanding an army, just the fletchers. I need someone who knows the craft.”

Bowie tried to
seat himself on the stool but watched as a vine pulled it underneath the table
to keep him from sitting on it. Ria slammed a metal teapot down on the counter.

“You need to
find someone else. Any of the other fletchers will do. Anyone else to make your
arrows. She needs to be in here, getting etiquette lessons,” Ria said with her
back to him.

Bowie noticed
that Ria still had dirt underneath her fingernails and wondered what kind of
etiquette she was supposedly teaching Auburn.

“So you don’t
want Auburn commanding fletchers because she needs to be learning etiquette?
I’m sure as soon as she gets the men taught they will be able to make the
arrows without her help. After that She will have more time to learn.” Bowie
said.

“It’s not just
that. You are teaching her bad things. When she is done here, she will be
expecting men to treat her the same way. Will you be there to put her in charge
of more troops when this war is over? Will you be there to teach her daughters
to command men the way she does? Will you be there to pick her up after she
tries to command the wrong man. They are not all as understanding as you.” She
was pouring tea as she gave him his tongue lashing.

“I don’t
understand. You don’t want me to show her to stick up for herself? You don’t
want me to show the men that she has skills better than theirs? You want me to
have her wash the small clothes and fetch their meals instead?”

Ria let out a
small grunt of a squeak, “I did not say that! I do not want her getting it in
her head that she is in charge of men. If she doesn’t learn to cook or do
laundry she will never find herself a husband. She needs to learn these things
so she can make a good wife.”

Bowie scratched
his head for a moment thinking, “So you want me to stop a woman from being in
charge of men so that she can learn to be a good wife. Then you want me to be
respectful to women by being proper around them and not allowing them to use
their skills.”

She grunted
again.

“Wizard Ria, I
can’t go back on my word to her now. Besides I’m not sure anyone will survive
this. She may not end up ever returning to a normal life.”

Ria used the
vines to move the stool out from underneath the small table and Bowie took the
hint and sat. She poured them both a cup of tea. Bowie drank small sips waiting
on Ria’s reply. “Perhaps you don’t have to go back on your word.”

“You are going
to stop trying to teach her how to act like a lady?”

Ria stopped
drinking to look at Bowie over her small cup, “I will do nothing of the sort.
Perhaps I won't supply the men with items they need unless she comes to these
lessons.” Ria crossed her arms and waited for Bowie’s reply.

He let out a
sigh, “So you want me to go to Auburn and tell her that unless she attends
etiquette lessons, we will not get anymore arrow shafts?”

“No, you will
get your arrow shafts. The more lessons she attends the more bows I grow. If
she wants to help the men in her life then she must be a lady, that is my
offer.”

Bowie shook his
head in confusion. He should have known leaving these two women alone would
cause trouble. He knew he should have given specific instructions to keep the
two separated. Bowie left his half cup of tea on the table as he stood to
leave.

“Will she be
attending the lessons?” Ria asked.

“I will see to
that she attends the lessons, but it won’t be easy. She doesn’t like being told
what to do.”

Bowie closed the
door behind himself and found the way to his tent. The desk had new scrolls
laid out and his cot was pushed to the back. Bowie pulled off his jacket and
shirt and threw them on the cot. He put an arrow on either side of the scroll
to read it while he changed. They managed to make five thousand arrows on the
road, three hundred of which were Crescent arrow quality. He put on a fresh linen
shirt and left off his jacket; it was already past noon and the summer heat was
in full effect. Bowie brushed off his hat and put it on top of his head.