The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (15 page)

‘
You have shown the strength of your perception,’ said Meara.
She was clearly intrigued by Baftel’s skill with magic.

‘
There are many Skatheans, perhaps twenty, and there are five
Zyranian Enforcers,’ said Baftel. Meara cast her eyes downward and
shook her head.

‘
We can’t possibly defeat so many Skatheans and Zyranian
Enforcers,’ said Meara.

‘
Perhaps we can ride back to the sea and sail around the
Endora Mountains. We could come to Orelin across Southern
Scaldonia,’ suggested Cassiel.

‘
No, by the time we arrived the battle would be over,’ said
King Ignis, shaking his head in frustration.

‘
Is there no other way?’ asked Cassiel.

‘
There is one way,’ said Baftel softly, as if what he was
about to suggest would not be received well.

‘
What way?’ asked King Ignis eagerly.

‘
The Northern Pass,’ said Baftel solemnly.

The King shook
his head again and was clearly against the idea. ‘No man has passed
that way for hundreds of years. A powerful draug lives there.’

‘
The power of Eben’s sword may protect us from the draug,’
said Meara.

‘
The draug that lives in the Northern Pass is particularly
formidable. I don’t think that the Sword of Light will help us. A
draug usually won’t attack directly; it will be more likely to set
a trap,’ said King Ignis.

‘
True, King Ignis is right, the draug won’t attack us
directly, but we have no chance against the Skatheans and
Enforcers; we may have a chance at defeating a draug,’ said
Baftel.

‘
Wolf! There’s a wolf!’ cried Red, waking up to find the
massive black wolf by his side. He bounded across the room,
stumbling away from Kiarn. Kiarn leapt up and growled at him
fiercely.

‘
Red, he’s a friend!’ cried Eben, but Red fumbled for his
sword as Kiarn snarled. Eben crossed the room and held out his hand
to Kiarn. ‘Calm down, Red!’

Red stared,
bewildered at the sight of Eben standing beside the wolf. He put
his sword back in its scabbard and shook his head in disbelief.

‘
We have no choice. We will attempt the Northern Pass,’ said
King Ignis.

**

They left the
farmhouse early the following morning and rode north away from the
river. The forest slowly gave way to grassy hills. As they
progressed northward the land about gradually became rockier. Kiarn
and several other forest creatures followed the company, including
two other wolves, Gasta the fox, and two jackals. A number of large
birds also followed the company.

‘
How do you communicate with all these animals?’ asked
Cassiel.

‘
The creatures share images with me,’ replied
Meara.

‘
What a wonderful gift you possess,’ said Baftel.

‘
This is a secret mystery understood by all the wizards of the
Irilian Order,’ said Meara.

‘
No Zyranian can do what you do,’ said Baftel.

‘
The Zyranian Order saw little worth in befriending the lesser
creatures of Veredor. The Irilians have always included this skill
as an essential part of our training, and as you can see, Zyranian,
the ability has proved useful,’ said Meara.

‘
It is very clear to me how useful such a skill is,’ said
Baftel. ‘You should know, Irilian, that I was banished from the
Zyranian Order for trying to fight against the evil that is growing
in Zyran. I was once the leader of the Seers of Zyran; now I am a
lone wizard and an outcast. I no longer belong to any order of
wizards. You should also know the Zyranians have long known that
the Irilians are stronger; however, they deny it to
themselves.’

Meara looked
across at Baftel. She stared at him for a few moments. Her
expression softened.

‘
I would like to invite you to come to Dravania with me to
join the Irilian Order, Baftel,’ said Meara.

Baftel’s jaw
dropped at the suggestion, and he stared at Meara with wide eyes
full of wonder. A wizard had never been known to change from one
order to another in all of history.

‘
Are you saying that you want me to become an Irilian?’ asked
Baftel. ‘I...I...would be honoured,’ he stammered.

‘
It’s a long journey to Dravania; I am sure the Irilian Order
will welcome you,’ said Meara warmly, smiling across at Baftel.
Baftel was glowing with happiness.

‘
For a long time I have been out in the cold, banished and
alone. Thank you, Meara. I accept your gracious offer.’

Meara simply
nodded as they rode onward.

**

The landscape
became continuously more craggy and rocky the further they
journeyed north. Kiarn led the way. Gasta, the fox, often ran ahead
and would frequently disappear, only to reappear soon after. In the
distance Eben could see a line of tall mountains stretching across
the horizon from east to west.

‘
The Endora Mountains,’ said King Ignis. ‘The Northern Pass
isn’t far from us. It is above the source of the Merus River. We
should be there by tomorrow afternoon.’

They rode on
through the rugged landscape. The day was cold, and dark clouds
hung over the mountains ahead. They found that the land was
climbing gradually and becoming more barren. The afternoon
progressed toward the end of the day, and the company together
decided to set up camp in a sheltered flat area between two small
hills. Red made a campfire, and Stella gathered firewood with King
Ignis and Baftel. Cassiel was talking with Meara. Eben sat by the
edge of the clearing and looked down at his sword that glinted in
the soft light of the setting sun.

He pondered
the grave responsibility the possession of the sword had bestowed
on him. He wondered why his mother didn’t use it to fight the evil
in the lands. Why had she left the sword with him as an infant?
Surely such a great sword would have helped her to free Eben’s
father from his captors. He knew he would have to travel west to
search for the answers. He also knew that he would have to find a
Fiorian Knight, if any remained in Veredor.

A moment later
Meara approached. ‘Eben, you look concerned. What is troubling
you?’ she asked. He looked up at her. ‘King Ignis told me that you
are the son of the wise and beautiful Lady Kaloren.’

‘
Yes, that is so,’ said Eben. ‘Why would she leave the Sword
of Light with me if it has such great powers? Why didn’t she use
the sword to fight the evil in the land?’

‘
She wanted you to have the Sword of Light,’ replied Meara.
‘You must trust her. The sword has many powers; in time you will
learn to understand them. The people of Veredor need you to be
brave. There were three swords that once protected Veredor from the
powers of darkness; you have one of those three swords. You have a
duty to protect Veredor with your sword as others who carried the
sword before you did.’

Eben looked
down to the ground; he felt the weight of the responsibility. ‘I’m
a simple villager, Meara. I want to help the people of Veredor, but
perhaps someone else should take the Sword of Light.’

Meara sat down
beside him and stared at the campfire across the clearing. ‘Eben,
the power of the sword increases when you believe. The Sword of
Light magnifies your skill by a measure of your belief, trust, and
bravery.’

‘
But how can my belief change the way things are?’ asked Eben.
Meara continued staring across at the fire and was contemplating
the question.

‘
What you are asking me is a deep mystery, yet I may be able
to shed some light on the matter. Think of it like this: would you
cross a bridge if you believed it wasn’t secure?’

‘
Of course not,’ he replied, not sure where she was leading
with the question.

‘
Therefore what you believe changes what you would
do.’

‘
But you said the bridge wasn’t secure.’

‘
Only according to your belief. Because you believed the
bridge wasn’t secure you wouldn’t cross it; therefore, you would
never know what was on the far side of the river.’ She paused for a
moment and then glanced across at him. ‘Every action, every plan,
and every step in life relies on your belief. You must believe to
trust, and you must trust before taking action. It is the same with
your sword. If you believe you will do amazing things, yet if you
do not believe the Sword of Light will diminish in power and you
will never see the sword as it truly is.’

Eben glanced
at her and then across to the fire. The fire was blazing and
lighting up the area as the evening grew darker. His eyes followed
the sparks that drifted up into the cold night air. He knew there
was truth in what she was saying.

Meara gestured
toward Red and Stella. Red and Stella were sitting close beside
each other near the fire. ‘Can you see the way they look at each
other? Can you see how they are falling in love? They are shining
with hope. They believe in each other, and they trust each other.
They have so much hope. They will have a strong relationship. Their
trust and belief will be the foundation which will allow their love
to grow strong. Without trust and belief such an outcome would be
impossible. Can you see they believe in each other?’

Eben looked
across at his two friends. He could see Stella smiling at Red, and
Red was beaming back at her. Meara was right, they were falling in
love. He had been so distracted that he hadn’t noticed.

‘
I think I’m beginning to understand,’ he said, glancing back
at Meara.

‘
You are a good young man, Eben. I will help you on your
journey as much as I can. Eventually there will come a time when I
can help you no longer.’

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Eben slept
well that night for the first time in many nights. They left the
cleared area and rode quickly toward the enormous mountains ahead.
Ominous dark clouds filled the sky above, but there was no wind or
rain. Kiarn and Gasta led the way through the wilderness, and the
craggy slopes slowly started to become significant foothills. All
the other forest creatures had left their company overnight. They
turned to the west and came upon the Merus River once again. The
river gushed down from the hills above. The company found an old
path that followed along beside the riverbank. The path was carved
from the rocks and wound a way through the hills ever upward toward
the towering snow-capped mountains above.

‘
This path leads directly to the Northern Pass,’ said King
Ignis, staring sternly upward to the mountains above. ‘The Northern
Pass was once a well-travelled way to Scaldonia. Many knights and
wizards tried to vanquish the draug; none of them ever returned.
This is a cursed way.’

‘
Draugs often try to trap their prey. It has long been said
that they flee from the goodhearted,’ said Baftel. ‘The draug will
attack our weaknesses. They are ghostly wraiths that prey on the
innocent creatures of our world. The draug of the Northern Pass is
said to be very powerful, a dark shadow from the Forgotten
Age.’

‘
Can you see the draug with your powers, Baftel?’ asked Meara
as they proceeded along the path.

‘
When I look toward the Northern Pass all I see is an image of
myself staring back at me. It is like looking into a mirror. I have
never seen this vision before,’ replied Baftel.

They rode
onwards, following the path up into the mountains. Eben stared up
at the enormous icy peaks that rose high into the clouds above. The
path led them along the base of a valley. At the far side of the
valley they reached a wide stairway that was carved from the rock
and ascended for hundreds of yards directly up the side of a great
mountain. Each step was big enough for a horse to stand on, being
over thirty feet wide and twenty feet in length.

‘
These stairs are called the Sky Steps and were built by the
Ecorian Emperors in the days of old. I have always wanted to see
them,’ said King Ignis, looking up with wonder. ‘At the top of the
steps we will find the Astrum Chasm; that is where the draug is
said to live.’

‘
Kiarn and Gasta will not go any further. They say that they
will honour the forged alliance with men; however, they will not go
to a place of such hopelessness,’ said Meara. ‘They’re frightened
for us. They sense evil above the Sky Steps, and they warn us not
to proceed. An image of despair drifts down from the
mountain.’

‘
We are three wizards and four warriors. If we cannot defeat
this draug, no one can,’ said King Ignis as he rode forward and
started moving up the steps.

They followed
King Ignis as he boldly ascended the Sky Steps. Eben looked back
and could see the red fox and the large black wolf staring up after
them. After the company had gone a short way up the fox and wolf
ran off and were gone from sight. The climb was difficult for the
horses, but eventually they reached the top.

Directly
before them was the opening of a chasm cut between two vertical
cliffs that ascended high above. The chasm was about ten feet wide
at its entrance and only a pale light flowed down from above. Eben
couldn’t see very far into the gloom and shadows. The path led
directly between the cliff faces of two adjacent mountains. A bleak
feeling of dread seemed to flow out of the darkness. The horses
were anxious and didn’t want to continue. King Ignis jumped down
from his horse and drew his sword.