Wielder's Rising (35 page)

She turned her focus back to the road and stared forward.  In three more days she would be in Candus again, back in a safe, comfortable palace.  As good as it sounded, she felt guilty to be heading towards it while her future husband battled against an invading army behind her.  She assumed that the battle was nearing the end of its second full day of fighting.  However, no messengers had passed them yet to bring word of how the battle was proceeding.

The last two days had passed slowly.  She hadn’t felt like talking to her servants much, and it was improper for her to talk at length with any of her guards.  It had been two days of almost complete silence.  The weather had been good, for which she was grateful, but each day had seemed to last forever.  One would think after traveling so far already, a day of traveling wouldn’t seem so long.  However, she supposed that given her current company and the worry she felt for Gavin, it made sense that the days felt longer.

The sun was soon directly in front of them, making it hard to see.  She kept her eyes down on the ground and let her guards worry about what was ahead.  Another day had passed and still no word of the battle.  She began to worry that somehow the battle had gone worse than planned.  She wondered why a messenger hadn’t been sent yet.

“Pull up and take defensive positions!” the head guard commanded.

Kalista’s previous thoughts disappeared as she looked around to see what the problem was.  The guards reformed around her facing eastward.  Were they really about to be attacked?  Her heart started racing at the thought.  She stood up in her stirrups to see what was happening.  It soon became apparent that there was only a single rider racing towards them from the east.  As the rider drew closer, the royal markings of his uniform announced him as a messenger from the Kalian Army.

The news she had been waiting for was finally arriving.  She hoped it was good news and everything was proceeding according to plan for Gavin and the Kalian Royal Army.  She resisted the urge to move in the direction of the messenger in order to hear what he had to say.  The man soon reached their group and pulled up.  He quickly gave his report to the head guard and then hurried past them on his way to Candus.

“Proceed,” the head guard announced.

They were soon formed up in their normal positions and riding westward.  She tried to wait patiently, but when the head guard didn’t immediately come to her to report, she signaled for his presence.

“Yes your highness,” he said as he slowly came to her side.

“What did the messenger report?” she demanded.

“He reported on the first day of battle,” the guard replied.

“Repeat his message to me,” she stated firmly.  It irritated her that the head guard was being so difficult.  He had to know of her interest in the status of the battle.

“He said the battle was going as planned.  The Royal Army was able to easily repel the attack of the Balthan Army.”  Kalista let out a sigh of relief as the guard continued.  “There were casualties, but more on the Balthan side than on our own.  If the Balthans aren’t able to mount a better offensive, there won’t be any difficulties in stopping them and soundly defeating their army.”

“What of the Balthan wielder?” she asked.

“The messenger reported that he is quite powerful, but it appears he does have certain limits.  He began the battle by calling down fire, lightning, and something else that was incredibly hot from the sky.  A number of our troops were killed in the assault, but after the initial onslaught the wielder didn’t attack the rest of the day.  The generals aren’t sure why but hope that it’s because the magical attacks take so much of his energy.”

“Was there anything else?”

“No,” the lead guard answered.  “All of the generals and commanders were untouched by the attacks and are hopeful that the conflict will end quickly.”

Kalista dismissed the guard and went back to riding alone in silence.  She felt as if a great load had been lifted from her shoulders.  Gavin was okay and the battle was proceeding in their favor.  She was deeply grateful for the good news.  Tonight she would be able to sleep a little better.

The remainder of the day’s ride passed by a little more swiftly.  Camp was set up, dinner was served, and she did indeed sleep better than she had the past few nights.  When the sun rose, she was back in the saddle heading for Candus.  The morning passed quickly, but by the time the sun was directly overhead, she was anxious for a report on the events of the second day of battle.  It didn’t seem like the evening could come fast enough.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait until evening.  Just after lunch another messenger was spotted racing towards them from the east.  She thought it strange that he had reached them so early in the day.  She had expected that the messages would be delivered at increasingly longer intervals since she was constantly getting further from the battle.  Perhaps the first messenger had just been riding slower than the second.  She waited as the messenger reached them and delivered his report to the head guard.  He was then past them, racing towards Candus.

Kalista could tell from the guards’ reaction to the message that it wasn’t as favorable as the message from the previous day.  She braced herself as the lead guard immediately made his way over to her and delivered the report.

“The second day of battle did not go nearly as well as the first,” he stated.  “Our army is still in control and in position, but they sustained almost three times the number of casualties that they did on the first day.”

“What happened?” she asked with concern.

“The second day’s attacks by the Balthan Army were better coordinated and carried out,” the lead guard said with a frown.  “Apparently the Balthan wielder would strike using his powers at a specific point in our troops’ ranks.  His soldiers would then surge forward at the exact point where our ranks had been weakened.  By the time our troops could recover and reorganize, the Balthans would already be deep into our defenses.  The coordinated attacks almost broke all the way through our defenses several times, but they were all eventually repelled.  The Balthans sustained a significant number of casualties in the attacks but not nearly as many as our own troops.”

Kalista quietly turned the information over in her mind.  If the Royal Army wasn’t able to find a way to better defend against these types of attacks, the Balthan Army would eventually overrun them.  With such a shift in the outcome of day two, she hoped that the current day would allow the Kalian Army to turn the tide back in their favor.

“Do you think our army will be able to adjust?” she asked the lead guard.

“I assume they’ve already devised a strategy to better combat the coordinated attacks of the Balthans.  However, I don’t know how much can really be done.  The main problem is that the Balthan wielder appears to be able to strike anywhere in the ranks anytime he wishes.  The only true way to fully combat the coordinated attacks would be to kill the wielder.”

“How far is the range of the wielder’s attacks?” she asked as a troubling thought occurred to her.  The guard had said that the wielder could strike anywhere.

“It must be quite far,” he answered.  “Yesterday he lit the command tent on fire.”

“Why didn’t you mention that earlier?” Kalista almost screamed.  What if something had happened to Gavin?

“Don’t worry,” the guard said in a calming voice.  “None of the generals were hurt.”

She heard the last statement, but it didn’t calm her.  If the wielder had struck at the command tent once, he could do it again.  Gavin wasn’t safe.  Even at the back of the army with thousands of soldiers between him and the enemy, her fiancé could be struck down by one of the wielder’s attacks.

She had to get back to him.  He would be too prideful to hide from the danger.  She would have to convince him somehow to get away from the fighting.  She wasn’t sure what she could do, but she had to try.  She couldn’t keep worrying everyday whether or not her future husband would be killed by the Balthan wielder, leaving her alone and hopeless.  She had to act.  She turned her horse and began riding back towards the battle.

“Your highness,” the lead guard said as he caught up to her.  “What are you doing?”

“I’m returning to my fiancé,” she replied as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I cannot let you do that,” the guard said as he grabbed her horse’s reins and stopped her.

“Excuse me,” she said firmly as she gave the man an icy stare.  “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?  Do you presume you can tell the High Princess of Kalia what she can and cannot do?”

The lead guard’s firm exterior quivered slightly at the question.  She could tell that the statement had caused an inner conflict in the man.

“I can’t just let you ride back into danger,” he said.  “I have sworn to protect you at all costs.”

“What are you going to do if I refuse to comply?” she asked.  “Will you tie me up and haul me to Candus like a prisoner?”

The guard was left speechless.  He was aware that he wasn’t allowed to touch her.  He could say whatever he wanted to her and risk simply being discharged, but if he touched her he could face being put to death.  She knew that she had him.  He would not stop her.  She watched as his face grew a dark shade of red.  He was obviously very frustrated, but he held his tongue.

“I am returning to my fiancé,” she stated.  “If you have sworn to protect me, then I would suggest you accompany me and make sure no harm comes to me.”

Having made her decision and ending any arguments, Kalista nudged her horse forward.  She saw several of the soldiers give each other frustrated looks, and she heard rumblings of discontent behind her.  However, not one of them tried to stop her.  They formed up in their normal ranks and accompanied her down the road back towards the pass and the armies.  She let out a sigh of relief.  At least she was headed towards Gavin.  She now only had to think of a way to get him to safety when she arrived near the battle field.

By nightfall they had more than covered the distance they had traveled previously in the day.  She hoped if they maintained the quicker pace throughout the next day, they would be able to reach the battle sometime during its fifth day.  Hopefully that would be soon enough for her to accomplish her goal of getting Gavin to safety.  She finally pulled up and told her servants and her guards to make camp.

She stayed on her horse as they complied and went about setting up the camp.  A light breeze blew past her, ruffling the loose strands of her hair.  She gazed towards the east and hoped once again that Gavin had survived through another day of battle.

“. . . careful . . . Princess . . .”

Kalista jerked around to see who had sneaked up on her but saw no one.  Everyone was busily setting up the camp and taking care of the horses.  Another breeze caressed her face.

“. . . please . . . turn . . . back . . .”

She stared into the starry night sky.  It was as before, but the words were so much stronger and clearer.  There was no mistaking them, but she had no idea where they were coming from.  It appeared they were coming out of thin air.

“. . . wait . . . for . . . me . . .”

For some reason the whispers in the night air reminded her of a young soldier.  There was something about them that reminded her of Traven.  The comfort he had given her during her abduction had been firmly imprinted on her.  She shook her head in confusion.  If not for the sense of softness, earnestness, and familiarity of the sound, she would have been scared out of her wits by the words.  As it was, she nervously wondered what was happening.  How was it possible for someone to send a message on the wind?  Should she listen to it and do as it said?

She shook her head once again.  Why was she even considering doing what a disembodied voice was suggesting?  She was almost certain that it was no trick of her imagination.  She was definitely hearing something real.  When she had heard it before, it had been so soft that she had wondered whether her mind was playing tricks on her.  This time it had been distinct and clear.  Was it the voice of her dead ancestors?  Was it some trick of an enemy?  She didn’t know, but she knew better than to follow its pleadings.

She dismounted her horse and entered her tent.  She had soon eaten dinner and retired for the night.  As she lay in the dark she once again reflected on the whispers of the wind.  She knew the voice on the wind should scare her and worry her, but for some reason she longed to hear it again.

* * * * *

“It appears she heard it,” Darian said as he stood next to Traven’s side.

“I know,” Traven replied as he let the image of the princess disappear from the screeing dish.  “Though, I doubt it will do any good.  Who would follow what a voice out of thin air told them to do?”

“You should just be thankful she wasn’t so scared that she fell off her horse,” the elf said.  “Do you remember the time you whispered on the wind to me and the other guardians in the field?”

He smiled at the memory.  They had all jumped at the sudden sound out of thin air.  It had been hilarious to see the confusion and worry on the faces of the guardians.  He dumped the water from the dish and put it away.  They needed to get to sleep so they could get an early start in the morning.

Before screeing the princess, he had called up an image of the battle.  It appeared that things weren’t going very well for the Kalian Army.  They were still holding firm in their position on the rise, but their numbers were dwindling.  From the sections of scorched grass and holes in the ground, he knew that the Balthan wielder was actively involved in the attacks.  He hoped that he would be able to do something to counter him when he arrived at the battlefield.

When he had then screed the princess, he had found her farther from Candus and traveling in the direction of the battle.  He didn’t know what she and her guards were thinking.  Why would they be heading towards the fighting?  He shook his head in frustration.  He was so close, and yet now he didn’t think there was any way he could catch up to her before she arrived at the battlefield.