The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (11 page)

King Ignis
placed his hand on Azagord’s shoulder. ‘Please, Azagord. Remember
our pledge. You do not have to be a slave to the darkness. You can
choose the path toward the light.’

Azagord looked
over his shoulder at the King again. His body was trembling. He
looked down and away from Eben and tears started to issue forth. ‘I
am sorry. I’m so sorry for what I am,’ he said shakily. A moment
later he released Eben. Azagord then fell to his knees and grasped
his head in his hands, hiding his face from them.

Eben shrank
back from the sorcerer and watched on as Azagord began weeping
bitterly. Cassiel was also released. Stella and Red helped Eben up.
Eben felt his blood returning to his limbs.

‘
The Zyranian Order waits outside the prison. Can you help us
escape?’ asked King Ignis.

Azagord
glanced up at King Ignis with tortured and sorrowful eyes. ‘I once
fought the entire Zyranian Order and failed. I can save you, but
only with my life.’ The sorcerer slowly stood up and turned to look
at Eben. ‘I am sorry for hurting you, forgive me. I will pay my
debt to you and your noble ancestors.’ Azagord resolutely took the
key from the hands of King Ignis and started walking toward the
stairs.

They followed
Azagord up the stairs and across the entrance chamber. The sorcerer
touched the key to the iron door. Slowly the door opened revealing
the area outside which was crowded with Zyranian wizards. The
wizards watched as the door opened and Azagord stepped out.

‘
Greetings,’ said Azagord. There were several gasps and cries
when they saw him.

‘
Azagord is free!’ cried a Zyranian.

Instantly the
area lit up as the wizards all raised their hands and unleashed a
torrent of bright yellow energy, masses of sparks, fire, and
flaming columns toward Azagord. Azagord howled and a blanket of
bright green energy blasted forth, completely matching the incoming
fire and creating an explosion just outside the door that shook the
ground. He then raised his hands high above his head and a bright
green beam of liquid light rushed up toward the clouds above. The
energetic light created a twisting vortex in the sky. The Zyranians
all looked up at the swirling clouds. The energy whirled in a
massive circular motion hundreds of feet in diameter and then
suddenly started funnelling downward toward Azagord.

Azagord
glanced back over his shoulder and smiled for the first time in his
life. ‘Run my friends!’ he cried as he walked toward the Zyranians
surrounded by swirls of bright green light. The battle exploded
between the sorcerer and the wizards. Fire, sparks, and shockwaves
of energy blasted in all directions.

Cassiel led
the way out of the door and down a narrow lane that cut away from
the prison. Explosions thundered and shook the ground as they
ran.

‘
This way!’ cried Cassiel. He knew the way back and they
followed him. They ran quickly through the laneways and made their
way toward the supply gate. Eben looked back and could see the
entire Citadel was ablaze with fire and light. He noticed
silhouettes in the light coming after them.

‘
We are being followed,’ shouted Eben as they approached the
gate. Three wizards and a group of guardsmen came into
view.

‘
Red, the fireworks!’ cried Cassiel. Red took his bag of
fireworks and threw it with all his might toward the approaching
wizards as Cassiel sent a flame through the air that ignited the
bag as it struck the ground. The fireworks started blasting in all
directions and created a spectacular multi-coloured barrier of
blazing light.

‘
Quick, to the gate!’ commanded King Ignis.

They dashed
down toward the gate. Falsig stood waiting for them.

‘
What have you done?’ shouted Falsig, looking up at the
fireworks exploding in the sky and the blazing fires in the
distance.

‘
Get out of the way, Falsig!’ shouted Cassiel.

‘
Where’s my payment?’ cried Falsig, his face was red like a
beetroot, and his veins were clearly visible on his neck. ‘We had a
deal.’ He drew a large dagger from his belt; the blade shone in the
light of the fireworks. ‘You can’t leave!’ he bellowed. ‘I want my
payment!’ He stood in front of the supply gate and blocked their
way. They all stopped in their tracks.

‘
There is no gold,’ said Cassiel firmly.

‘
The Zyranians are going to hang you up by your toes!’
screamed Falsig, jumping forward and stabbing at Cassiel with his
dagger. Eben reacted quickly and threw one of his sleeping darts. A
moment later, to the surprise of the entire company, Falsig fell to
the ground asleep.

‘
Well done, Eben, he needs a good nap,’ said
Cassiel.

Red took the
gate key from Falsig’s hand as he lay sleeping. A moment later he
had opened the gate. They all raced outside and hurried down toward
the docks. The Citadel of Zyran shook and burned behind them as
they ran.

Baftel stood
by his boat staring up at the Citadel; he was mesmerised by the
sight. The dark clouds above were glowing from flashes of light
that issued up.

‘
Cassiel! What’s going on?’ asked Baftel, not taking his eyes
from the Citadel.

‘
Ahh, we had some help from an unexpected ally,’ answered
Cassiel. Baftel stared in shock as they jumped into his boat. ‘We
have to make haste.’ Baftel nodded as he hurriedly loosened the
ropes. He guided the boat away from the docks and into the
night.

Before long
they were out in the bay. They looked back at the Citadel as the
fiery battle raged on. Suddenly there was a mighty flash of green
light accompanied by a great explosion. An instant later the
Citadel of Zyran became dark and silent.

‘
Goodbye Azagord,’ said King Ignis sadly.

CHAPTER
EIGHT

They had
sailed west across the Sea of Zyran throughout the night. Few of
them slept at all; the feeling that they were being followed kept
them all on edge. The morning arrived and the sun slowly rose above
the horizon in the eastern sky. Baftel often looked back anxiously,
but no other boats or ships could be seen. Zyran was out of sight,
and the sail was fully raised; a strong wind was blowing them
toward Ortaria.

‘
It’s a good wind, and the currents favour us,’ said Baftel as
he took a seat at the back of the boat. ‘The Zyranians may have
power over fire and earth, but the weather and tides are mostly
beyond them.’

Cassiel had
explained to King Ignis much of what had been occurring in Ortaria
since his imprisonment. King Ignis was deeply saddened by the news
of how bad the situation was in his kingdom.

‘
Monsters roam freely in the wilderness, and the main highways
around Ortaria have become mostly impassable,’ said
Cassiel.

‘
What about the port city of Sevadir; does my cousin Duke
Julian still rule there?’

‘
Your Highness, I am sorry to say that your cousin Duke Julian
died two years ago. The imposter has placed an evil ruler in his
place to govern Sevadir.’

King Ignis
nodded sadly. ‘It would seem that our only hope is to travel to
Galdir and the Iron Gate Pass where my army waits.’

‘
Yes, I think that it would be a wise course of action,’
agreed Cassiel.

‘
I know that the imposter was placed there by the Zyranian
Order,’ said King Ignis. ‘I also know that they will send word
quickly to intercept us if we try to dock at Ancora or Sevadir. Our
only choice is to dock at a smaller village or to land on a
secluded beach and make our way through the wilderness. We can
stock up on supplies once we find a village. It is at least a
twelve day march out to the Iron Gate Pass, and the wilderness will
slow us down. Perhaps we can acquire some horses.’

‘
You are right, Your Highness. I’m also sure our enemies will
do all they can to try to stop us reaching your army,’ said
Cassiel.

Baftel looked
up into the sky and saw a sea eagle ascending as the sun rose
higher in the east. He glanced toward King Ignis anxiously. ‘They
will send the Zyranian Enforcers after you.’

King Ignis
nodded soberly. ‘Yes. I would expect them to do that; however, I
believe we can avoid them,’ said King Ignis confidently.

‘
There is something else that you should be aware of,’ said
Baftel. ‘I see a shadow like black smoke drifting across Ortaria.
Something evil will stand in your way.’

‘
Skatheans,’ said King Ignis, flinching as he said the
word.

‘
What are Skatheans?’ asked Eben.

‘
The Skathean Knights are an evil order from the north of
Veredor,’ replied King Ignis. ‘They have been the bane of all good
folk for many ages. For a long time the Fiorian Knights matched
their strength and prevented them from entering the Southern and
Eastern Lands. Now there are few Fiorians remaining in Veredor, and
the Skatheans have come south without hindrance.’

‘
I thought Fiorian Knights were a myth,’ said Red.

‘
I believe the Fiorian Knights still exist, but their numbers
have greatly diminished,’ said King Ignis.

Stella
interrupted the conversation and excitedly pointed out a group of
five dolphins from the front of the boat. The creatures approached
and swam by the small vessel. Eben looked over the edge; they were
very close to the side. He reached out; gliding his hand through
the water, and a dolphin came very close and was only just out of
reach. Eben was sure that the beautiful creature had looked up at
him for a moment before swimming onward.

‘
They seem to like you, Eben,’ said Red.

He had never
seen such beautiful creatures; they looked so graceful and gentle.
Before long the dolphins were gone from sight and disappeared
beneath the waves.

They continued
sailing throughout the day. A brisk breeze brought them ever closer
to Ortaria. Several hours passed. Red had fallen asleep and the
others were also resting. Cassiel was seated at the front of the
boat and was in a deep meditative trance, completely oblivious to
what was happening around him. Eben reflected on the recent events
as the boat became quiet. He felt that he had been caught up in a
whirlwind of happenings and had barely had a chance to think about
everything that had occurred since he left Clemensdale. He felt a
hand on his shoulder and looked up. King Ignis was standing beside
him.

‘
May I sit here?’ asked the King, indicating to the place
beside Eben. Eben nodded and the King sat down. ‘It was quite a
night last night. I must thank you for your bravery,’ said King
Ignis, lowering the volume of his voice so no one else in the boat
could hear.

‘
You’re welcome,’ said Eben.

‘
I have wanted to talk to you about your sword; this is the
first chance I have had,’ he whispered.

‘
What do you want to know about it?’

‘
Where did you come across the sword?’

‘
It was left to me when I was a child,’ said Eben, also
lowering his voice.

‘
I see, and who bequeathed the sword to you?’ asked the
King.

‘
A man named Carlin at the request of Lady Kaloren,’ replied
Eben. King Ignis stared at Eben with wide eyes for a
moment.

‘
I knew Carlin and Lady Kaloren.’

Eben felt his
weariness leave him. ‘Can you tell me who my parents are?’

The King
raised an eyebrow and seemed puzzled by the question. ‘You don’t
know them?’

‘
No, I was adopted by a hunter: Erako of Clemensdale. I have
lived for most of my life in the hills in the south of Ortaria. I
only recently came to Ancora.’

‘
A hunter...’ repeated King Ignis, scratching his chin and
pondering Eben’s words. He stared at Eben for a few moments, and a
look of surprise was clearly evident in his eyes.

‘
What can you tell me of Carlin and Lady Kaloren?’ asked
Eben.

‘
Carlin was a Fiorian Knight. He died twelve years ago in
battle.’ The King stared out to sea and was sad at recalling the
memory of Carlin. Eben could see that Carlin must have been a
friend to him.

‘
And Lady Kaloren?’ asked Eben

‘
Lady Kaloren, she was the leader of the Fiorian Knights, the
Gatekeeper of Emeril. She was the greatest and most noble warrior
in all the lands of Veredor. Almost twenty years ago Ortaria and
Zyran were at war with Azagord and his army from Kaznor. I
requested the help of the Fiorian Order, and they sent five Fiorian
Knights. Kaloren was their leader. Carlin and the other Fiorians
worked with my army and the Zyranian Order. They vanquished
Azagord’s army after a long and bloody war. It was Carlin who
captured Azagord and imprisoned him beneath the Citadel. Kaloren at
the time was pregnant, and she stayed in Ancora whilst the war was
being fought in Zyran. The other Fiorians went west after the
battle, but Kaloren and Carlin stayed with me in Ancora for several
months. Kaloren waited on news from her husband; a great warrior
who I knew as Elons. He was helping the Irilian Order in a battle
against a Northern Sorcerer called Baramak in the Far Western
Lands.’

King Ignis
paused and looked about to make sure no one would overhear him
before he continued.

‘
We had news that her husband had been captured by the
sorcerer Baramak who was in league with the Skatheans. Sir Dorn, an
Irvarian Knight, came to tell us this terrible news, and Kaloren
was deeply saddened. Not long after this time a group of Skathean
assassins attacked the palace in Ancora and attempted to kill
Kaloren. Carlin defeated them. We later discovered that there were
various Skathean plots designed to assassinate Lady Kaloren. She
was forced to leave Ancora and went into hiding somewhere in
Ortaria. Only Carlin knew where she was hiding. He kept it a secret
because he believed the Skatheans had spies all over Ortaria. Two
years later Carlin told me that she had gone west to search for her
husband. I have not seen her for over eighteen years, and to be
honest I do not know what became of Lady Kaloren.’