Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (9 page)

He woke to
silence, which was surprising. Kilen laid on his stomach, the smell of fresh
grass in his nose. The wind was calm again. He picked himself up and noticed
the sun was just rising over the trees. He had been there all night with his
face in the dirt. Because of his magic imbuements the burns on his skin had
lessened, but his legs and joints were all sore from the trials of the day
before. Without taking any time to revise his plan he closed the distance to
the wall and started climbing.

It didn’t take
long for his second attempt to be thwarted. This time he was removed from the
wall before he was halfway up. When he hit the ground, he picked himself up and
dusted off, ignoring the pain. Again he jumped as hard as he could, but this
time the wind was ready and caught him mid flight, throwing him nearly all the
way to the fog wall. Kilen stood again and watched as the fog parted into a
narrow path.

On the other
side of the fog was Kilen’s camp. The camp was only feet away; his food and
horse were within reach. The Elder Wizards were tempting him. He rebuked the
temptation and ran at full speed towards the rock.

He jumped at
half the distance but was thrown directly to the ground just after his feet
left it. He pushed up from the ground just to be lifted and thrown back, again
towards the fog. He lay there being caressed by the breeze, facing an open path
to his camp. He wondered if this was the test, or if getting to the top of the
cliff was the test. Kilen remained on his stomach and crawled slowly to the
rock’s surface just as Gortus had him train on his first day. The wind could
gain no hold on him so close to the ground. He grabbed a handhold on the rock
wall with one hand and pulled himself up the rock’s surface.

He had an idea
to change this game to his advantage. Kilen reached back and slammed a fist
into the stone. Rock broke away and his skin began to bleed, but he had made
his own hand hold. He pulled himself up and reached back to slam another fist
into the rock, only this time his arm went shoulder deep into a liquid stone
which hardened around his arm instantly. He tried to pull his arm free but it
was stuck inside the stone. He waited for any change in the stone to happen but
nothing did. The wind seemed to have stilled.

Letting go of
his hold, he tried to swing again at the surface with his other arm and was met
again with liquid rock. Now, with both arms stuck in the side of the rock wall,
he moved his feet as close to his arms as possible. Kilen pushed his feet
against the wall as hard as he could. The stone started to crack between his
two arms, and with a burst of flying stone he was thrown back, again to the
wall of fog. The hole in the rock melted closed, as smooth as it had been
before.

Kilen came to
the realization that they would not let him succeed in this task. He was sure
the Elder Wizards were trying to tell him to go home, but he knew he couldn’t.
The Wizards had to have been watching him, so instead of trying to come to
them, he decided to do what he had come there to do.

“I know you can
hear me,” He said, nearly out of breath. “I can’t go home, I cannot leave
without delivering my message. King Atmos has sent me here on what he sees as
an impossible mission. He has sent me here to my death. If I am do die, then I
will die doing what I said I would do.

“There is a war
starting at the border of the Earth and Fire Realms. King Atmos marches there
now to fight an army brought by the Fire Realm. He requests your assistance in
this battle. If you deny his request and do not march to war then it is me that
goes into the traitors bowls. If I leave here without pleading his request, it
is me that goes into the traitors bowls. If I do not return to him, it is my
sister that goes into the traitors bowls. I beg of you, please don’t make me
continue this test. Please let me plead the case of my king. Please reveal
yourself to me.”

No voice
returned to answer his pleading. Kilen waited in silence until he had caught
his breath from being thrown around from the wind. When no answer came he hung
his head low and began to walk toward the rock wall again. He immediately was
lifted and slammed back to the ground by a gust of wind. This time he landed
flat on his back and watched the fog come from all sides of his vision. Kilen
sat up and watched figures approach in the fog from every direction.

A voice broke
through the fog like a wise grandfather, “There, was that so hard? All you had
to do was ask.”

Kilen finally understood Alexander’s hint. He should have
just been polite all along.

  The ferry
proved to be a frustrating experience as it took so long to get everything
loaded and unloaded for each trip across the river. Bowie’s men had made great
time getting to the river, but lost their lead while waiting for the ferry.
They were so fast that Bowie had arrived there only a few hours after the sun
had set. The ferrymen were already done for the day, so his troop had to wait
till morning. Unfortunately that meant his men hadn’t been able to set up a
permanent camp. They were, at least, able to bed down for the night and get a
good night's sleep after pushing so hard.

  Finally having
crossed the river, Bowie had found a campsite outside the town walls and near
the trees. He ordered Tyler to the task of getting the permanent site set up
for a week’s stay in the area. He hoped to get into town soon and acquire
enough supplies to get the men started on outfitting the army with bows and
arrows.

Bowie watched as
yet another completed trip pulled into the dock,the burly ferrymen pulling
their way along the ropes. Being the businessman he was, Bowie knew they could
have charged more. Auburn and some of her fletchers had come across in the
second trip, and now Ria with the rest of the fletchers. One more trip and
Bowie’s small advance party would be across. Bowie went ahead and paid the
ferryman for the rest of his men for when Curtain and the rest caught up. With
the ferrying costs taken care of,he would be able to spend freely to get the
most supplies possible.

  Ria’s wagon
pulled off the docks and up the bank. Bowie held up a hand to the driver to
stop. He paused to take a deep breath then gently knocked on the back door of
the wagon. A muffled,”Who is it,” came from the inside in Ria’s voice.

  “Bowie,
m’lady,” he carefully answered back.

  The door to
the wagon slowly came open to show Wizard Ria, again in a plain brown dress
with dirt covered fingers. Bowie pulled the hat from his head and bowed deeply
as if bowing to a queen.

“Trying to court
me, are you archer? I stopped being a lady a long time ago, I am a ma’am now.
Stand up, you look ridiculous.”

Bowie stiffened
at the thought of him courting her, and she looked him over for a moment with
his hat in his hand. His jaw stiffened at the wizard now trying to rile him up.

“Well, at least
you're trying to remember your manners. When this is over I'll have to have a
chat with your mother about that.”

  Bowie, still
holding his hat said, “My mother is past, she died from a fever when I was
three. It is just me and my dad now. He runs the butcher shop and wasn’t much
for teaching me manners.”

  The wizard’s
eyes narrowed. “Still, one of the town ladies ought to have taught you
something. Very well, what is it you need, Master Crescent?” She said, the last
part with a particular disgust on her tongue.

Bowie wondered
what it would take to make this woman happy, or at least tolerant of his
behavior.

  “I was just
going see how you were doing from the ride, and see if there was anything you might
need. I am about to go into the town for supplies.”

  Ria backed
away from the door, leaving it open, and yelled out from inside, “Tell the
driver to move to the camp and you come inside. I want to talk to you, Master
Crescent.”

Bowie did as he
was told and closed the door behind him. Ria stood in the back of the cart
using a water can to water various plants in her cart. He hadn’t noticed the
windows covering in sporadic locations in the roof. The windows provided enough
light to see and to grow plants inside the wooden box of a wagon.

“Sit, please,”
She said without any of the earlier distaste on her lips.

He sat
immediately, partly to get off his feet and partly because he didn't want to
irritate her anymore.

“I was wondering
if you have a plan for getting enough arrows together for the king, or if we
are running away from the army so you don’t have to face him. It does seem a
tall order and most youngsters such as yourself seem to run off at a whim,
thinking only as far as their arm can reach. They seldom look ahead to their
destination.”

  “Well Ma’am, I
was hoping to gather some supplies for the men in this town before the king’s
army arrives and swallows the supplies for their use. I thought that as long as
we can keep a distance between us and the army, the better chance we would be
able to find supplies.” He took a swallow as soon as Ria placed a cup of water
in front of him. He wondered why he was so nervous.

  “I see. That
might be a good idea, but how do you plan on paying for everything if we are so
far ahead that you're not being given money for supplies?” She said as she sat
down to eat a fresh plate of berries. Bowie wondered where she found them so
fresh along a river that the townspeople didn't pick them every day. She must
have seen him looking at the berries because she held the plate up to him. “I’m
sorry, I thought you had eaten. Would you care for some?” She waved her hand
near a plant on the wall and the flowers seemed to pop fresh berries out in an
instant. He should have known, she grew them.

  “Thanks, but
no. I’ve already eaten my portion, but if you have extra I’ll pass them on to
the men. About the money problem, I have a few ideas on how to make some money.
Of course it will only work if everyone does their part,” Bowie tried to sounds
as confident as he could.

  “Very well. I
shall start making some arrow shafts for your fletchers as soon as we get to
camp. I am very eager to be outside. Though this carriage is accommodating, I
do like being in full view of the sky.” She took a long drink from a teacup she
had sitting on a shelf along the wall.

“My many thanks
for any hard work you will be doing. I’ll do my best to see that you will be
accommodated in whatever way I can.” Conveniently, the cart came to a stop
throwing Bowie off balance. He took his opportunity and stood bent over in the
low ceilinged cart, bowed a short bow and exited the carriage. “Good day,
madam.”

He put his hat
back on his head as he shut the door behind him. The Black Hat in the driver’s
seat immediately began pulling Ria’s cart out into the sunshine near the edge
of the trees. as it pulled away, Bowie saw Auburn already stomping towards him.
He had hated the quick trip, unable to stop to rest or sooth saddle sores, but
he would do it every day if it meant not having to deal with these two women
all the time.

“It’s about time
you got back, I have a bunch of men sitting around doing nothing.” She started
ranting before she was even twenty feet away. “I need things for these men to
do or they will get ideas in their head and lose focus. Where are the supplies
you said I would get?” She stood tapping her slippered foot, waiting for an
answer.

“I have Wizard
Ria about to start growing your arrow shafts, Auburn. I will be heading into
town to collect some tar and string for the feathers that my men will be
gathering for you. Start your men by preparing those arrow shafts to take a
knock. I’ll get some materials for the heads and glue to attach the feathers. ”

“About time.
I’ll get them gathered and ready for Wizard Ria. I can’t wait to get started so
we can get out on our way to filling the king's order and get back home,” She
practically spat at the mention of the king.

“Auburn, I am
sorry to say that even if we fill all the quivers in the king’s army, you and
your men will be going to battle with us in case we need more. I do appreciate
your eagerness to get started. Now, if you don’t need anything else, I’ll be on
my way.”

“SOAP!” She
shouted. “They need lots of soap. Every one of them smells as if they have
rolled in manure. Get some soap!” She commanded as she turned and stalked away.

Bowie
disregarded the request for soap. He was sure they had some, there just hadn’t
been a chance to use it on the road. He walked through the camp noting that
most of the men looked rested and ready for another day’s journey. He did see a
couple of feet sticking out from underneath tents, they must have been on watch
during the night.

Bowie found
Tyler overseeing construction of a tent near the center of the camp. The tent
was larger than the rest and on one of the peaks was a green feather with two
gold stripes. As he approached Tyler turned in his direction, “Your tent is
almost up, Master Crescent.”

Bowie now knew
how he could tell where everyone one was sleeping; the feathers placed on top.
“Who thought of the feathers, Tyler?”

“Well, you did
sir. You told us how to tell each other apart by feather rankings. We just
figured it was the best way to organize the camp.” Tyler replied.

“Fine job, Tyler.
Thanks for seeing to the construction of my tent, but I won’t be using it right
now. I’m headed into town to get some supplies. If there is anything that we
may need let me hear it.”

“Just the
regular provisions sir, food and the equipment we need to fight. The more you
get of that, the better. The men were excited about having their own bows, and
possibly a horse.”

Bowie laughed,
“I’m a pretty good negotiator, but I doubt I'll be able to get horses. I’ll do
my best to get all the supplies we need in one town. I was told that we need
soap.”

“That woman! She
cannot stop complaining for one minute! I cannot believe she actually requested
soap.” Tyler had taken most of the trip driving Auburn’s cart so Bowie was sure
he had received a tongue lashing while on the road. “No sir, we have some, and
I’ll have the men use it just as soon as she learns to say THANK YOU!” Tyler
stalked off in the opposite direction of Auburn.

Bowie rubbed his
forehead and wondered why he even bothered. Charger was unsaddled and being
brushed down by a man that Bowie couldn’t remember the name of. He barely knew
anyone in his charge and he knew that would be something he would have to
change. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn’t even know the names of
those that would be fighting and dying under him.

Without looking
up, he passed a soldier walking into town. He needed to get as many supplies as
he could before sundown. It was not a long walk into town, he could probably
shoot an arrow at his maximum distance twice before hitting the short stone
wall surrounding it. It felt good using his legs after such a long ride. Bowie
knew he had many more days in the saddle and decided to enjoy walking as much
as possible.

The town smelled
a bit like home, the only difference was a greater smell of pine in the air.
Townsfolk walked around talking and waving at one another, though they only
nodded or stared at him as he passed. No one spoke to the young stranger as he
strolled lightly down the town’s roads. He made an attempt to say hello to a
couple of young girls to ask about supplies, but a large man sharpening a knife
stood up from his stool. He thought it was better to tip his hat and continue
on.

He put a few
steps between himself and the front stoop of the man’s home and began to wonder
why that had happened, people had always liked Bowie. He looked down and saw
his flashy green jacket and silk shirt underneath. He knew why now. To everyone
there he was just some kid out in the world for the first time to spend his
inheritance. To them he was just there to buy up their wine, and buy pretty
things for any young daughters they might have. Someone that didn’t know the
worth of money. If he was to get anywhere in this town he would have to change
how they viewed him, and he would have to start by getting rid of his jacket.

Bowie took the
jacket from his shoulders and carried it in his hand. He looked all over the
town to find a fletcher but found none. Instead, he located a trailer, a couple
taverns, blacksmith, quartermaster, and a general store. Bowie decided he
better start gathering some general supplies and get more information from the
shopkeeper on leads for fletching supplies.

Before entering
the shop he noticed a red haired girl walking in the street behind him. She was
a ways back but he recognized her as Auburn. He cursed under his breath. She
was supposed to stay and organize the fletchers. He had business to conduct and
had no time to deal with her. He ducked inside the shop and found himself lost
in a sea of goods.

Shelves lined
the store each in their own section, flour, beans, tools, furs, arrows, knives,
and every other supply one would need. Bowie was so taken in by the large shop
at first that he didn't notice the two guards at every doorway in the store.
Each was twice his size and carried a cudgel. These men were fit with skin
tight over layers of muscles. Each looked Bowie over as if they were sizing him
up. None of the men reeked of alcohol, which was the first indication of a poor
guard. These men were well paid and probably good at doing their job.

A man came out
of the back room at the sound of Bowie closing the door. “Good day lad, how can
I help you? We have some traveling supplies back in this corner, or some sweets
if you’d rather?”

Bowie took off
his hat and held out his hand for a shake to the man he assumed was the owner
of the shop. “Good day, I’m Sergeant Crescent. I am the leader of a forward
party of our lord, King Atmos. I am in need of information and some supplies
for my brigade.”

“A bit young to
be in charge of men, don’t ya think lad?”

Bowie had gotten
this before, only that he was too young to be a master fletcher, “I sometimes
can’t believe it myself. Is there a fletcher in this town? My troop is mostly
archers, yet the king has a shortage of bows and arrows. We need supplies to
make arrows and need to outfit men with bows.”

“Well, there was
a fletcher, but I bought all his supplies and he started working for me. You
see, I don’t just sell supplies here in town, I sell
all
the supplies in
town. So if you need bows you’ll be buying them from me. They are six silver a
piece, and I’ll give you a good price on some arrows as well. I do have a small
supply of Crescent arrows if you're in the market for the finer items.”