Zachania (45 page)

The King looked
at Ganasis still feeling embarrassed as being protected this way,
this was somewhat new to him; Talon noticed the strained atmosphere
and added his own view which he hoped would please the King.

“Arun I think
it best if you stay here and supervise the arrival of your army,
anyway Ganasis and I could be in the valley for days, it would be
great to have your company but your advice and leadership would be
much better suited here.”

The King nodded
as he understood what Talon was saying.

“Yes your
right, there is much I need to do here.”

Talon then
picked up a map that was lying on the General’s desk and began
studying it as Ganasis turned to the General.

“Tell me
General Kanyan, when did you last send a scouting party into the
valley?”

The General
then reached for a note on the table.

“A party
returned this morning, I have their report here.”

“Was anything
unusual?”

“No everything
was normal, except that the Empires presence on the other side
continues to grow, but the valley is as it always is.”

“That’s good.”
Talon added lifting his head from the map.

Ganasis then
tapped Talon to join him outside and then excused himself from the
King before the two men walked out of the tent back into the
blazing sun.

“The sun shines
strong here Ganasis.” Talon said shielding his eyes and loosening
his garments.

“Come Talon, I
want to show you something.” replied Ganasis ignoring the comment
about the sun before leading Talon towards a group of small
mountains which were a few hundred feet to the east.

“Are we
climbing Ganasis?” added Talon as they reached the rocks.

“Come on!”
Ganasis snapped back as he began scrambling up the hills, when they
reached the top Talon could see the sea to his right and a vast
desert valley stretching for as far as the eye could see before
him.

“Death valley!”
Ganasis said pointing to it.

Talon took a
few steps forward and gazed out at the barren landscape, the valley
was a natural bridge with mountains either side linking Zachania to
Kratos.

“What do you
feel?” asked Ganasis as he joined besides Talon.

Talon closed
his eyes and concentrated.

“I feel death,
suffering, and pain.”

“Good! Your
inner sight serves you well Talon, there is no life in the valley,
not even the birds fly over it.”

Talon then
winced which Ganasis noticed.

“What’s wrong
Talon?”

After a short
pause Talon answered looking in discomfort.

“I am not sure
Ganasis, but I am feeling the life’s of thousands screaming in
agony.”

Ganasis looked
at Talon now fascinated at what he had said.

“You can sense
them Talon.”

“It’s a
horrible feeling Ganasis, I can feel it in my stomach.”

“The valley is
cursed Talon, you can sense the souls! Centuries ago thousands and
thousands of men died where they fell, we had to leave them and
never had the chance to bury them, they just rotted into the
ground.”

Talon suddenly
spat and screwed up his face as if he had eaten something
horrible.

“It’s
horrible.” Talon sighed.

Ganasis rubbed
his beard as he held out an arm to comfort his friend.

“Your powers as
a mortal amaze me Talon, you feel the feelings only a wizard can
feel.”

“You can feel
this Ganasis.”

Ganasis nodded
that he did.

Talon then
remembered what his Grandfather had said to him about the powers
his family possessed.

“Sometimes your
powers will seem like a curse.”

Talon then
turned away from the valley and spoke again to Ganasis.

“How can you
bare this, I can almost smell them.” he added once again screwing
his face up.

Ganasis grabbed
his arm and made him face the valley again.

“Don’t turn
away Talon, confront it and find a way to accept it.”

Slowly Talon
sat down and faced the valley again and closed his eyes, he raised
both hands up to his temples and soon he had a picture of the past
enter his mind, he saw thousands of men screaming in agony as the
Empire laughed and tortured them then suddenly Talon dropped his
arms and opened his eyes.

“I feel the
Empire!” he snapped which shocked Ganasis who quickly joined Talon
and looked in the direction that Talon was looking, Ganasis closed
his eyes and concentrated

“I can’t feel
them Talon”

“They are
there.” added Talon

Ganasis looked
at Talon still shocked at what he was saying and confused at how
Talon could feel them but he couldn’t.

“How are you
doing this Talon, how can your powers reach further than mine” he
said fascinated and cautious.

“What’s wrong?”
asked Talon reaching out for the old man.

Ganasis looked
at Talon and studied his face.

“Apollo has
blessed you Talon; I can feel him so strongly in you.” Ganasis then
paused,

“There is
greatness in you, now I know it” he added still looking but now
with a look of awe in his eyes.

“I hope so
Ganasis, for all our sakes I hope so.”

Ganasis then
quickly rose and ushered Talon to join him as he made his way over
to another hill where he quickly began climbing it. Talon looked on
at the old wizard’s energy as he began to fall behind scrambling
over the mountains rocky face.

“Ganasis! Where
do you find your energy from?” complained Talon.

Ganasis turned
and laughed at Talon struggling over the rocks.

“Ha! You should
have seen me a few hundred years ago, I could run the length of
Zachania without drawing breath!” he boasted as Talon joined him
and knelt down beside him breathless.

“Well I am a
mere mortal Ganasis and I get tired, and out of breath my friend”
Talon joked back. Ganasis smiled and sat down next to Talon where
he put an arm around him.

“I’m sorry my
friend but I am feeling excited at seeing the Talisman again.”

Talon looked at
Ganasis when he heard him say Talisman.

“It’s up
there.” added Ganasis pointing.

“Close your
eyes Talon and focus over there, can you feel it.”

Talon did as
Ganasis asked.

“I can feel
something Ganasis but I can’t explain it, it’s like a force which
is beating like a heart.” Talon said opening his eyes again and
making Ganasis smile.

“I feel it too,
the force is still strong, come I want to see it again.”

Talon gave a
slight smile and then rose with Ganasis.

“Let us go.”
Talon added excited by the thought of seeing the Talisman but not
excited about struggling over more rocks. Once again Talon fell
behind as Ganasis almost ran over the rocks and after a couple of
hours of hard climbing Talon joined Ganasis on a ledge where he
found the wizard smiling and cleaning the dirt of off the Talisman.
As Talon reached him he noticed himself feeling warmth coming from
the strange looking Talisman, Ganasis noticed Talon.

“Can you feel
it?” he asked smiling almost in a proud way.

Talon knelt
down next to him and held out his hand above it.

“It’s like
warmth coming from it.”

“Yes.” Ganasis
said before looking into the sky.

“The power has
not faded! Apollo your word was truthful.” he then shouted.

Ganasis
finished cleaning it before carefully placing it back in its
resting place.

“Ganasis! Talon
where have you been!” asked King Arun standing amongst some
soldiers and seeing Talon and Ganasis return to the camp covered in
mud and dust. The soldiers that had been speaking with the King all
suddenly looked up as they heard the name Talon.

“Talon!” one of
them said quietly to another mentioning the name of the man they
had all heard of who entered Korvak’s castle and killed two
wizards, and the name that was now a meaning for fear and
conviction. Talon noticed the men’s attraction in him as they
lowered their heads and so did Ganasis.

“Sire we had a
few things to do.” replied the wizard.

“Come! Come and
see the men, these are fine warriors Ganasis” added the King
outstretching his arms. Ganasis greeted the nearest man and
questioned him as if testing him

“What will you
do in the war which will soon be upon us” asked Ganasis in a very
strong voice.

The soldier
froze for a moment as he looked at the King, an action that only
seemed to anger the old wizard.

“Answer the
question! Don’t look at your King; tell me what will you do?”

The soldier
straightened and then replied loudly.

“I will obey my
orders sir!”

“What else!”
Ganasis demanded moving his face closer to the soldier.

“WHAT ELSE!” he
repeated raising his voice.

“I will kill
Imperial soldier’s sir!”

Ganasis then
moved his face even closer till their noses almost touched and
spoke again but this time slower and almost in a growl.

“What
else?”

The soldier
searched his mind for an answer to please Ganasis, then suddenly he
scowled his face and moved closer himself now touching noses and
replied in the same determined growl that Ganasis had asked him
in.

“I will
win.”

Ganasis stared
into the soldier’s eyes for a moment before breaking into a smile
and moving his head away.

“Excellent!
They are well schooled sire” Ganasis said patting the soldier on
the cheek and turning his attention back to the King.

King Arun
thanked his soldiers before walking away with Talon and Ganasis
back into the main tent where he sat down and poured them some
water.

“Ganasis” Talon
said, “did you see that when the King said my name?” he added.

“I saw fear
Talon! The soldiers fear you, but do not concern yourself with it;
it is good that they do.”

“Ganasis I do
not want the soldiers to fear me, not like that; I felt the fear
within them strong and intense.”

“Don’t worry
Talon, it’s only natural, let them get to know you then you will
feel something different in them, at the moment all they know of
you is the Zararhakzar and the man who mercilessly killed two
wizards!”

“Mercilessly
Ganasis.”

“Argh its
soldiers talk! What do you think they say when they’re in their
taverns or gathered together, Talon kindly killed the wizards! You
slit their throats and barely batted an eyelid, what do you
expect?”

“You sound like
your saying what I did was wrong” added Talon only for Ganasis to
turn angrily at him.

“What you did
was right!” Ganasis snapped before turning to the King and ending
the conversation with Talon. And asking the King how the rest of
his army travelling from Zachra was progressing.

“They are
scheduled to arrive sometime in the morrow, probably in the
afternoon Ganasis.”

“Good! Me and
Talon will be going into the valley at first light.”

The next
morning Talon and Ganasis left the camp at first light and headed
straight for the valley, the two men stayed close to the rocks as
Talon once again sensed the feeling of death.

“Ganasis this
place is hideous” he said as he walked across the scattered bones
and dried blood that had stained the rocks.

“Ganasis how
far shall we venture?”

“As far as we
can” answered Ganasis himself treading carefully to avoid treading
on the thousands of fossilised broken bones that still after all
these centuries littered the ground.

They carefully
ventured on into the depths of the dry barren valley bombarded by
the blistering sun as it reached its highest point of the day.

“Let’s rest.”
Ganasis said passing Talon some water.

“How much
further Ganasis?”

“Not far now
Talon, Kratos is near us now.”

“Ganasis we
must take care that we are not seen” added Talon reminding the
wizard that the Empire would soon be close.

“We will go to
that cliff, it looks like we could climb it and from there we will
get a good view of Kratos and the Empire.” replied Ganasis
pointing.

Talon nodded in
agreement as the two men set forth for the cliff, when they reached
it Ganasis led the way and the two men climbed until they could see
beyond the valley and down into Kratos where They got a good view
of the Empires camps and numerous huts scattered around, Talon
noted the blockade but there was no sight of any massive army
build-up.

“Ganasis it
looks so peaceful.”

“The armies are
here Talon; probably back over the hills out of sight.”

Talon then
noticed Ganasis concentrating.

“What’s wrong
Ganasis do you feel anything.”

“No! I feel no
wizardry or magic.”

“Good!” Talon
said before looking back down at the valley.

“We will smash
them into the ground when we will attack.” Talon added sounding
confident.

“Don’t be too
confident young Talon, your eyes could be deceiving you, they are
here training and readying themselves.”

“But I see
nothing Ganasis.”

“Talon the
Empire would not leave this place unguarded you know that!”

Talon took
check of himself and his enthusiasms and nodded back that he agreed
with Ganasis who was now looking around at the ledge that they were
seated on.

“I think we
could camp here tonight Talon.”

“We’re not
going back to camp Ganasis.”

“No I want to
stay here for a while.”

Ganasis was
correct about the Empires armies, two miles away behind the hills
there were one hundred and seventy-five thousand Imperial soldiers
camped and in a state of full alert. The wizard Grand Grarlin was
with them and he was awaiting the arrival of one of his fellow
Lords in the wizard’s guild, he was waiting for Jestika an evil and
ruthless wizard who was scheduled to arrive the next morning.
Grarlin had asked the wizard to join him to help him decide what to
do about the strange occurrences that had been happening especially
in Zanlia. Grarlin was seated in his tent advising some Generals
when totally unexpected and ahead of schedule Jestika strode in