Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (22 page)

“Yes, I am going
to get some sleep. As soon as I’m rested I will be moving the last of the camp
forward. Auburn, you will have to wait for your archery lesson until after I
arrive there.”

She smiled and
placed a hand on his shoulder then quickly retracted after Ria gave her a look.
She cleared her throat, “I won’t be needing your lessons as much anymore. John
and Tyler have been more than adequate in fulfilling your end of the bargain. I
am making improvements in archery.”

Bowie nodded his
head, pleased that the others were able to convince her to let them teach her.

“Ria, is there
anything you need from me or my men?”

Ria smiled at
Bowie. He knew she thought he was learning his manners.

“No, thank you.
I will be able to produce one more batch of arrow shafts and a few more bows
before leaving this place. Auburn will be watching over me as I rest.”

Bowie nodded and
finished the last of his tea. He was already feeling tired from the warming
effect the tea had.

“Auburn, how
many arrows do we have now?” he asked.

He wanted to
make sure he wrote it down so he could send a report to the king as soon as a
scout came through the camp.

She smiled, “We
have made eight thousand in the last week. John was able to retrieve your tools
from the blacksmith. He had already made half of the tools and said he would
pick up the other half when they arrived at the camp nearest town. Once we have
those we will be able to make a quite a bit more.”

Bowie tapped his
fingers on the small table. “Eight thousand is ahead of schedule. As long as we
do not run into trouble we should be able to get the rest made before this
battle begins.”

Ria spoke in an
ominous tone, “This battle has already begun, Master Crescent.”

**********

The landscape
drifted by as Alexander found himself in his favorite place in the world. The
sky was the only place he could truly be himself. He had no expectations or
responsibilities to anyone when in flight. Alexander used the extra long flaps
on his robe to glide in a desired direction to save energy. Once the descent
was finished he would then use magic to swell the pockets sewn in the arms to
lift him back into the sky. Using magic in this fashion allowed him to fly for
extended periods with little magic use.

Alexander pushed
his mind to remain on one topic at a time but the combination of open sky and
magic brought up new topics in his head unexpectedly. Kilen was the biggest
priority at the moment. It was possible the fate of all the elemental realms
depended on the boy stopping these two realms from killing one another before
another dark army threatened their existence.

He pictured the
boy riding the earthen horse to the top of the mountain. Kilen seemed to baffle
everyone with his skill at maintaining elementals and keeping his mind about
his physical body. He was a rarity in the world and the Elder Wizards would use
his talent and ignorance to do their bidding. Alexander promised himself that
he would allow it as long as it was just and the boy was in relative safety.

Alexander’s mind
wandered at the thought of Kilen and elementals. He wondered if he would be
able to walk beside his elemental if he had practiced more. Wind wizards rarely
found a reason to use a wind elemental. Their bodies couldn’t fly while in
elemental form unless they were very practiced at it. Alexander had used his in
a couple situations to listen in on conversations at windows. Each time he saw
Kilen walking beside one of his, he wished he had taken the time to practice
the skill.

He reached the
bottom of his descent and began climbing into the sky once more. He liked
feeling the wind lift him into the air. The vision of the wind magic swirling
under his robes pockets lifting him was something he thought was exhilarating.
He prided himself in using the most efficient magic practices to lift himself.
He was paying close attention to the swirling wind in his makeshift wings and
knew he would readjust his direction when he started to glide his way down.

Halfway to the
peak of his climb, the air ceased to exist. Alexander snapped out of his
daydream and scrambled to grasp at the air pushing his ascent. Alexander was
falling towards the earth with no wind to slow him. He searched and found wind
he could control but was unable to push it near his own body. Alexander knew
exactly what it meant. Another wind wizard was attacking him.

Straining his
neck, he turned in the air to see the form of a man growing in size as he
hurdled towards him and the ground. Mica was flying low to the tree tops far
below Alexander. His own protege was cleaving his link to the wind.

Alexander dealt
with the young wizard on many occasions. He knew this time Mica would do
whatever it took to win the match. This was not a practice match but a match to
the death. Instead of trying to overcome the hold that Mica placed on the air
surrounding himself, he knew it was better to distract Mica by attacking the
air around the young wizard. Instead of removing the wind from underneath Mica,
Alexander pushed the air down on top of him. Mica plummeted and struck a tree
branch. In his attempt to stop Alexander’s counter attack Mica released the
hold on the wind Alexander had been using. Wind returned to its natural place
beneath the folds in Alexander’s robes. He regained his flight and used magic
to protect the wind keeping hold of what he used to fly. Looking between his
feet, he saw a bloody faced Mica racing to catch up.

Mica had lost
his element of surprise and now stood little to no chance at winning against
the stronger, wiser wizard. Alexander raced ahead in the flight, keeping the
advantage. The wizard in front in a fight of speed racing over the land was
much like a normal man having the high ground. It took an effort to keep up and
he had to deal with the entropy the leading wizard caused in the wind. The
closer he flew to the leading wizard, the more obstacles there would be.

Alexander,
having been interrupted in the glory of climbing to the heights of birds, was
irritated with Mica more than he was angry. Alexander knew the young wizard was
only doing what he thought was right by killing him. He was protecting those he
thought were doing the most good in the world, like King Atmos. Alexander also
knew he would still have to punish Mica for interrupting such a wonderful flow
of wind.

Reaching into
the folds in his cloak he pulled out some weapons that Mica had never seen him
carry. The weapons were simple and used by many wind wizards of ancient times.
Each was a small disk of metal with small protrusions carrying razor sharp
blades. They were designed like all wind wizards weapons; to catch the wind. He
had them made and painted in three colors; blue, green, and black. The black he
released first, making a show of throwing his arms out. Then with a flick of
his fingers, the green was thrown down towards the tree tops and the blue
towards the sky.

Mica easily
avoided the black palm-sized disk, veering to one side and back. The other two
disks were nearly invisible to anyone not looking for them. The green blended
in with the trees when looking down and the blue blended in with the sky. The
disks ripped large holes in Mica’s robes. He fluttered in the wind as he
struggled to keep from hitting the ground at deadly speed. At Alexander's
command, the disks floating on the wind, returned to his hand.

Alexander
circled and watched as Mica fell into the branches of the thick trees, bouncing
off three tree limbs before finally landing on the rich, dark earth. Alexander
floated down and gently landed on the soft dirt and watched Mica regain
consciousness. Mica’s robes were in shreds, Alexander knew Mica would have to
replace them before he flew again. He was lucky Alexander left him alive.
Alexander could have easily directed the disks to rip Mica’s body much like the
folds of his clothes. He was hoping to teach him the errors of his way and give
him a second chance.

Mica finally
came to his knees and examined not only the rips in his clothes but in his
flesh. His body was unbroken except the skin that opened when hitting the
trees. Alexander had done well helping his former student avoid injury. Mica
however, had not seen Alex leaning on a tree near him.

Alexander said,
“Have you ever heard the saying? ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

Mica looked up
with a chaotic fury in his eyes. “The king feeds me, not you.” Mica pulled
himself upright, obviously still dizzy from the fall he had taken. He waivered
on his feet.

Alexander
scoffed at his reply, “The king feeds you lies. You need to open your eyes and
see the plots that surround your king. If you do not, you will end up like his
loyal servant, Jace. Do you remember him?”

“You know I do.
He found me and brought me in to serve the Earth Realm. All along he was a
traitor working to destroy what King Atmos had built.”

Alexander
laughed again and walked slowly up to Mica to stand in front of him. “You mean
what Atmos’ father had built. What his father had built while leaving others to
die to protect his cause. The Water Realm fell because of his father refusing
to help build all of the realms back to their glory. The realms’ rulers are
supposed to work together, to help each other. King Atmos and his father sought
only glory and power. True rulers rule to protect the people of their lands. If
Jace was a traitor he was a traitor to that ruler, not to the cause that is
just.”

Mica grew red in
the face at the insinuation that King Atmos was the traitor. He reached his
hands forward and pushed wind at Alex but nothing happened.

Alexander
smirked, “You should never attack your teacher. They often hold bits of
knowledge back that would otherwise take a lifetime to learn. Things that they
had tried on their former teachers. I have not used anything that I did not
teach you. I told you to design your own weapons. I told you to disable a wind
wizard simply hold the wind around them so they cannot use it. No wind will
reach us here unless I say so.”

Mica grew even
madder and started to charge Alexander. Without moving a muscle Alex pushed
wind from underneath Mica, twisting him in the air where he landed on his face.

“I think we are
at an impasse. I will leave you to find your way back to the glory and honor of
your king.” Alexander made a deep bow and gracefully lifted into the sky,
leaving Mica to his misery.

Mica brushed the
dirt from his arms and stripped himself of his tattered robes. Underneath he
had tied a second set to his waist, which he promptly put on. He had already
learned a few tricks that his teacher hadn’t taught him. Alexander smiled, it
would take him a moment to change into the robe. In that moment Alex would be a
league away. The air rushed around him causing Mica to disappear amongst the
trees and he soared into the clouds.

  The ice sphere
protruded out of the ground where Brandon had created the stone bowl. Servants
and soldiers avoided the large structure sticking out of the training grounds.
Its reflective surface had a way of drawing people's eye. Rumors spread that it
contained a powerful fire wizard. They did not come within shouting distance of
the dome, thinking it may break open like an egg giving way to a baby chick;
that if they neared it Kara would burst forth and destroy their world. Twilix
let those rumors spread. She had even gone as far as to meet servants sent to
her halfway to the sphere and then glance back as if she could feel Kara
fighting her way out. She would watch them scurry away as she told them to run.

For now, Twilix
sat alone at a table near the large ice sphere. She was eating a Kapal dish
that had been taught to the kitchen workers. If she was ever going to have
another meal with Kilen then she better get use to the spice in the meals he
ate. Besides, she knew the spices in the food had a certain energizing property
that would help her keep up with Kara’s growth.

  The sphere
containing the growing girl was easy to maintain and she took pride by writing
about her success in a book for the wizard library. She particularly liked the
way the wall cooled the wizard as it melted. The melted ice would run down the
interior until it reached the wizard and cooled her with ice-cold water. The
time it took to rebuild the water back into a roof was little, allowing the
wizard maintaining it to sleep or eat without having to worry. When she was
done she would merely rebuild and go perform another task, confident that the
aging wizard would be fine.

She jotted down
a few other ideas about how other aging wizards of different elements would
benefit by a similar structure. She noted issues that could arise with each
type of elemental dome. She wondered if wizards of other elements would be able
to add to her ideas. None of her idea’s were as sound as the one she had
thought of for water wizards assisting fire wizards.

  She finished
her plate of food and refilled her cup of water from the humid air of summer.
She drank deeply, which helped the burn in her mouth and throat but did nothing
for her lips. She cupped her hand and filled it with water. Leaning forward,
she placed her lips in her hand and moved the water to cool her burning lips.
Twilix hoped that all the effort she was putting into getting use to the meals
would pay off. She did not particularly like the taste of the spices on the
Kapal menu.

  With her meal
finished she made her way up the stone ramp to the alcove to refresh the wall’s
thickness and deplete the water that pooled around Kara. Just before reaching
the top, she saw a reflection in the sphere’s surface. Brandon was approaching
from the castle. Her new grown-up form allowed her more advantages than she
ever had with men. She could merely ask and many of her wishes were granted.
Men did not argue or utter disagreement when she offered her opinion. They
often talked less and swallowed a lot more. Mary had warned her about using it
too often or with the wrong men, but so far all experiences had worked in her
favor. She checked her hair in the reflection before turning around, as if she
did not notice he was approaching.

  “Good
afternoon, Twilix. How is the girl?”

Brandon sounded
pleasant enough, so she walked back down the ramp before talking with him.

  “Her power is
increasing slowly day by day. As long as she doesn’t stay in transition for
more than a month and continues to grow at this rate, it will not be difficult
for me to control”

  “A month!?! If
she stayed in transition for a month I think King Atmos will need every water
wielder in the kingdom to assist you in keeping her from heating up. Even then
I think he would want you to abandon your cause,” Brandon said.

She knew he was
right. If Kara took too many resources to control and posed too much of a
danger to the public the king would let her burn herself up. Twilix was
determined not let that happen.

  “You know
there have been wizards who remain in transition for more than a month, but
it’s rare and unlikely that she will. Besides, I was strong before my
transition and now I am more so. I should be able to maintain her fairly
easily, especially with your help,” Twilix said smiling.

  “It is also
rare that a wizard go into transition so soon after being awakened, Twilix. You
should know when dealing with the Everheart family, any rarity is a
possibility,” Brandon retorted.

  She smiled,
“Yes, they do have a way of overcoming what is normal. Brandon, I wouldn’t
worry yourself.” Brandon’s body seemed to calm down as she cood his name when
talking to him. She took a step forward, “Her transition shouldn’t be much
longer. Her body has already changed form and we know that an increase in power
and awakening will follow soon after. I just wanted you to be aware that if it
goes much longer than a week, I will need a bit of energy.”

He was about to
speak when she noticed a woman approaching carrying a basket. She directed her
attention to the woman and left Brandon standing by himself.

“Excuse me
Brandon, I must see to this. Kara’s body has grown and she needs some new
clothes made. She now lies naked, so you keep your peeping eyes away from my
work. I know you came by to visit me and my outgrown clothing often.”

Twilix smiled a
devious smile as Brandon turned red in the face and tried to think of something
to say. The seamstress and Twilix disappeared inside the ice sphere leaving him
to squirm.

  The seamstress
seemed nervous to approach Kara so Twilix walked down the ice stairway and
started to walk through the icy water at the bottom. Twilix formed the water
into a stream that she poured all over Kara. The water hissed and steamed and
Twilix reformed the ceiling’s thickness before turning her attention to the statue
of a woman at the entrance.

“I know. It is
not normal to see magic being used, but I need you to come and do your job. I
will let no harm come to you. She is asleep and will be for some time. I have
cooled her so you can touch her as long as you do not take too long. Be careful
coming down the stairs, they are made of ice and are very slick.”

The girl nodded,
carefully walked down the stairs and crossed to the center of the sphere to
Kara. She pulled a string out of her basket and began measuring lengths of
Kara’s arms and legs. Twilix assisted crossing with the tape under her body to
measure her waist and bust. The woman shook as she worked. Twilix was unsure if
it was because of Kara or because of the cold temperature. Twilix used magic to
cause the water in the air to heat up a bit but the woman’s hands did not stop
shaking. Twilix put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. The entire city had grown
up on horror stories about fire wizards and the destruction they caused. She
began to understand a small amount of what Mary had to face every day.

“I know it is
scary, but this girl will not harm you,” Twilix reassured her.

  The woman
nodded but said nothing. She finished her work and quickly made her way up the
stairs. Twilix cooled the air again and cooled the ice that formed the ceiling
already starting to melt. The woman was gone without saying a word. Twilix made
her way out of the icy room. By the time she reached the sunlight, the woman
had already crossed the training field trying to put as much distance between
her and the fire wizard as she could. Twilix knew she should find Kara more
leather to wear, something that fit better than what she had previously. Kara
had grown a substantial amount. She wouldn’t fit into the leather pants made to
fit Mary. She had already grown taller than Mary and now matched Twilix.

  Brandon had
already gone on to the business he needed to conduct for the day. Twilix
thought she had better not travel too far from Kara, so she sat on a small
stool next to a tent that was made for her. Twilix looked over the books that
were brought down. She and Kilen had once discussed the book,
The Dark Army
.
She had read it twice more since the discussion. She opened the book and read
its contents again, looking for any weakness she could find for the coming
days. The question that Kilen had asked about how to fight a soul wizard
resonated in her brain. None of the books say how to combat a soul wizard if
found, or how to find them. It scared her to think that one could already be
amongst the people, plotting and learning. If there ever came a time when she
would need to face a soul wizard, she wanted to be ready.

**********

  Max had kept
up a faster pace than Kilen had anticipated, having them arrive at Kesterton
earlier than he wanted. The sun was still sitting on the horizon and showed the
small pirate ships at the docks. Their sails looked like the ribs of an animal
with shafts running lengthwise across them to help keep their shape. Each ship
was made in the same fashion; being small and having a pointed front to slice
through the water. Their front sale was shaped more like a cone with the other
sails angling the wind into the front. He had seen pictures of the ships in his
school books and even learned a little of the pirates culture. He noticed on
some ships the symbols of magic carved into the bow. Some had none of the
symbols and some had all four.

  The pirates
were not so much a different race or species of human like the Kapal; they were
merely a different culture with different language and customs. Only the
pirates knew their history. Kilen would love to find out how they came to be
and how they lived with one another. He heard stories of how they were ruthless
outlaws with a greed for supplies and money.

The pirates made
port at a couple of places in the elemental realms, but never left their ship.
They often shouted their demands to the dock master and awaited delivery. The
pirates traded goods they had stolen. They paid in stolen gold for goods at two
to three times the normal price.

  He knew they
didn't have a fear of the land or the docks because of Kesterton. Houses and
docks were built up for as far as Kilen could see. Workers filled gardens and a
few fields that ranged all the way to the edge of the mountains. The houses
were all sizes and shapes from flat roofs to angled. Some had tile shingles,
some mud, and others wood. Kilen thought that perhaps when visiting other
cultures, they adopted some of their structures into their own. Most of the
structures near the water were on wooden beams sticking out from the ground. As
the sun set, the buildings farther inland began to look like they were sinking
in the water as the tide came in. Once it reached their foundation, it looked
as if they were floating.

The sound of the
water crashing on the shore was rhythmic and mesmerizing. He sat alone in a dip
of land on an upper portion of the beach. The brush was high and allowed him
some cover as he spied in on the people that walked up and down the docks of
the town. Alexander warned him about going through the town and told him to go
around, but now that he was here, the town seemed to go all the way to the
mountains. Even Joahna and Max were having a hard time finding a way around the
village. Kilen thought that, with Jace’s help, he could make his way through
undetected.

  The walkways
and buildings were all elevated off the ground. If Kilen came close enough to
the dry land, he would be able to go directly underneath the buildings to get
through the town. He knew he would have to wait for nightfall and for all of
his friends to assist him. Kilen kept his armor covered, as it was a polished
set and was afraid that it would be easily seen from the boats. If he moved
through the town he wouldn’t be able to wear his armor due to the noise it
would make. He needed to have Max carry some of it for him. A small dirt devil
swirled on the beach and moved out towards the water and ruffled a sail on a
couple boats. He knew it was Jace checking in.

  Kilen watched
the people from behind the screen of dried grass still waving in the fresh
ocean wind. He kept his movements slow to avoid detection and only moved when
the grass wavered to obscure it. He watched as men, women, and children went
about the last tasks of the day before the sun set. Every one of the pirates
that he could see wore nothing on their feet. They ran, walked, danced, and
even stomped to the beat of small drum a man played, all while wearing no
shoes. Men and women alike wore pants that went just below the knee and
gathered into a sort of puff. The extra clothing gathered in at the waist and
was colored with reds and oranges. The men wore vests of matching colors and
displayed tattoos proudly as they walked around. The women wore linen shirts to
cover their chest that were cut off at the sleeve. Some wore vests over their
linen shirt but it seemed a more fancy type of vest with lace and embroidery.
Each person had dark skin from spending time in the sun. The dark brown skin
made the white ink tattoos all the more prevalent. He hadn’t read anything
about what kind of clothes the pirates wore or what their towns looked like. He
made sure to take mental notes on everything he wanted to write down for others
to read. He couldn’t afford to take out a quill and paper to start writing at
the chance he might be seen.

  The sun was
sinking about halfway into the water. This was the first time he had ever seen
a body of water so vast that he couldn’t see the trees on the other side. Lake
leviathan was large, but trees on the horizon on the far side could always be
seen. Kilen watched the reflection on the waves out in the distance and wished
Kara could have been there to see it. The clear ocean sky revealed colors he
had not thought possible; shades of orange and purple too magnificent to ever
be captured on paper.