The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (7 page)

‘
It doesn’t look like a key,’ said Stella.

‘
It’s an ancient and mysterious amulet which can be used to
open any door,’ said Cassiel. ‘Our mission is to enter the Citadel,
steal the key, free the King, and escape before anyone knows we’ve
been there.’

‘
Impossible,’ said Red, shaking his head. ‘I don’t want to
dampen your enthusiasm, but even getting into the Citadel of Zyran
will be a great task in itself, and trying not to be seen will
probably be even harder. I’ve seen those towers; assuming Trebax
locks his door the only way in would be through the high windows
that are a hundred feet above the ground.’

‘
I didn’t say it was going to be easy,’ said
Cassiel.

‘
I can do it,’ said Stella. They all were surprised by her
words. ‘If we can get into the Citadel then I can climb into those
windows. Acrobatics, rope climbing, and trapeze were my specialties
in the circus.’

‘
Stella, Trebax will kill you if he sees you. I don’t like the
sound of this plan at all,’ said Red.

‘
It’s risky for all of us, Red,’ replied Stella.

‘
But we still have to get into the Citadel,’ said
Eben.

Red started
lightly tapping on the table, and they all turned and looked at
him. ‘When I was a sailor we delivered Silvorian wine to Zyran in
big oak barrels. I know a man who may be able to smuggle us inside
the Citadel. He’s not the charitable type; he’ll require
payment.’

Cassiel took
from his pocket a leather pouch and tipped the contents of gold and
silver coins onto the map. A gold coin could buy a great deal in
Ortaria.

‘
Money isn’t a problem,’ stated Cassiel. ‘Assuming we can get
into the Citadel and steal the key, we will still need a
distraction to get into the dungeons. The prison is guarded by two
wizards and there is only one way in and out. If there was only one
wizard I could probably deal with it; two make it impossible for
me. I’m simply not powerful enough to deal with two wizards at
once.’

‘
Fireworks,’ said Red with a cheeky grin.

‘
Fireworks!’ repeated Stella, shaking her head. ‘We don’t want
to wake the whole of Zyran.’

‘
Why not? I could create absolute chaos by setting off the
fireworks, and everyone’s focus would be on me. No one will have
any idea that a prison break was happening. Maybe the guards will
leave their posts long enough to investigate.’

‘
Hmmmm,’ groaned Cassiel, not liking the idea. ‘Firstly, there
is no guarantee that the wizards will leave their posts, and
secondly, you will be completely destroyed by the
Zyranians.’

‘
I won’t!’ said Red defensively. ‘I can light them up and run.
By the time they start looking for me I’ll be long
gone.’

‘
Do you know enough about fireworks though?’ asked Cassiel
hesitantly, still not liking the idea.

‘
You’re talking to the unsurpassed master of fireworks
himself!’ said Red confidently. Both Eben and Cassiel looked to
Stella for confirmation.

‘
Yes, it’s true, Red is very experienced. In the circus he was
a Fire Master and prepared a display every night,’ said
Stella.

‘
A man of many talents,’ said Cassiel. Cassiel paused and
reflected for a few moments on the idea. ‘It’s possible that
fireworks could be used as a diversion within the walls which could
help us escape after we free King Ignis. We should definitely bring
some fireworks, yet I doubt the wizard guards will leave their
posts for anything. We still have to think up a way of getting by
them.’

The room fell
silent. They all sat in quiet reflection, searching for a
solution.

Eben broke the
silence. ‘I once hunted mountain deer in a special way. Mountain
deer can’t be shot with an ordinary arrow because they are likely
to run leagues away before they collapse. I would wait for them
quietly in a hidden place. When they appeared I would use a small
harmless dart with a tiny amount of the common herbs Ortarian
Mugwort and Valerian Root. Within seconds the dart would cause them
to fall to the ground asleep. We could use this same method on the
wizards.’

‘
Brilliant,’ said Cassiel. ‘This is just what we need. If you
could approach the wizard guards with a long cloak and hood they
would probably mistake you for a wizard, and then before they
realised you weren’t...they would be sound asleep.’ Cassiel was
very pleased with Eben’s idea.

‘
But how do we escape once we free King Ignis?’ asked
Eben.

‘
That’s the easy part. The supply gate near the docks is
always locked except for when they’re taking supplies in. If we
make it that far we will have the key; we should be able to open
the gate and walk straight down to the docks to our waiting boat.
So that’s our plan. We arrive on the island and pay your
acquaintance to smuggle us into the Citadel. Stella will infiltrate
Trebax’s tower and steal the key. Eben will put the wizard guards
to sleep, and I will then enter the prison and free King Ignis. We
will then escape via the supply gate and sail back to
Ortaria.’

‘
We have a plan at last,’ said Red merrily.

‘
Indeed we do,’ said Eben, feeling uneasy at the many
difficulties that such a plan may entail.

CHAPTER FIVE

They spent
several days preparing for their mission. Cassiel had organised
passage to Zyran aboard a small trading ship. They had gathered all
the required equipment: ropes and grappling hooks for Stella, the
herbs and darts for Eben, and Red had organised a supply of
fireworks. They had discussed all aspects of the plan in detail,
and they knew that if they could free King Ignis he would be able
to rally the people and bring back all the good men who had been
sent away to Galdir and the Iron Gate Pass. The liberation of
Ortaria depended on their success.

Cassiel had
purchased some swords for them from a local armourer. Stella now
carried a short sword at her side, and Red had a broadsword. Red
was in the common room practicing with his new sword. Eben, sitting
by the fireplace, watched on and was surprised that Red was
actually a skilled swordsman.

‘
When I was a sailor there was always the risk of being
attacked by pirates on the high seas,’ said Red as he keenly
practiced his cuts and stabs against thin air.

Stella sat on
a chair in the corner of the room watching Red. Cassiel had gone to
gather some last minute supplies for the journey. They planned to
leave the following day at sunrise.

‘
Are you any good with a sword?’ asked Red, glancing across at
Eben as he continued to practice.

‘
My adoptive father taught me how to use a sword when I was
young, but I’m probably a lot better at archery.’

A moment later
the door opened and Cassiel walked into the common room. He quickly
closed the door and bolted the lock. His face was flushed, and he
was visibly shaking.

‘
What’s the matter?’ asked Stella, alarmed at his
state.

‘
I saw Zarceler on my way back here. I rounded a corner and he
was across the street from me. Unfortunately he recognised me and
sent his guardsmen after me. I escaped through the back lanes. I
managed to lose them, but only just,’ he said.

‘
Who’s Zarceler?’ asked Stella.

‘
He is a Zyranian Enforcer. He is highly skilled in the art of
battle magic. They send him to hunt the enemies of Zyran. He’s not
someone you want to meet in a dark alley,’ answered Cassiel. Eben
handed Cassiel a mug of water.

‘
He was the one who attacked us at the meeting,’ said Eben,
remembering that Torela had said his name.

‘
Yes, that was Zarceler,’ said Cassiel, before pausing to
drink from the mug. ‘Torela’s real name is Meara. Meara has been
using the name Torela to hide herself from the Zyranians in Ancora.
She’s an Irilian. The Irilians are the largest order of wizards in
the Far Western Lands of Veredor. Long ago the Irilians and the
Zyranians went to war against each other. After many battles the
Zyranians scattered and almost destroyed the Irilian Order. The
Zyranian Order has patronised the Irilians ever since those days.
Meara came to Ancora to contest the power of the Zyranian Order and
to free the lands of the east from their evil schemes, but the
Zyranians are powerful and there are many of them. Few wizards are
brave enough to challenge the power of Zyran. For a long time the
Zyranian Order has been the most powerful order of wizards in
Veredor.’

‘
How many orders of wizards are there?’ asked Eben
curiously.

‘
There are four main orders and a few smaller groups of
wizards here and there,’ replied Cassiel. ‘The Zyranians are the
largest order. The Irilians live in the Far West, and they are
mainly based in the land of Dravania. The Fire Order is a small and
very ancient order based in the Old Guardian Mountains between
Vastoria and Everdon.’

‘
And the fourth?’ asked Red as he sheathed his
sword.

‘
The Northern Sorcerers,’ said Cassiel with a grimace. ‘The
Northern Sorcerers are from the Kaznor Empire in the Northern Lands
of Veredor. Their magic is very different in nature to the magic of
the wizards who live in the South.’

‘
How so?’ asked Eben.

‘
I can’t easily explain magic; it’s very mysterious. The
Irilians, Zyranians, and Fire Order all learn about the subtle
potential hidden in their surroundings. They learn to manipulate
this power. The Northern Sorcerers are different, they howl deep
within; in the process they devour themselves and their bodies
wither away, and they often hunger for power.’

‘
Which wizards are the most powerful?’ asked Red.

‘
The Northern Sorcerers almost always defeat the wizards of
the South. Usually several wizards from the South are required to
overcome a single Northern Sorcerer, and on several occasions in
history a Northern Sorcerer has been so powerful that the entire
Zyranian Order has had to fight them. But the magic of the Northern
Sorcerers is not refined. They can’t do things like heal a broken
arm or open a locked door. They’re much more likely to blast the
door open. Thankfully, they rarely come south from Kaznor and if
they do they tend to come alone. Two decades ago a very powerful
Northern Sorcerer came south with a small army and attacked Zyran.
I was a child at the time of the invasion. It was a terrible time
for the people living on the island.’

Stella stood
up and walked over toward the kitchen area. ‘All this talk of
wizards is fascinating, but we will have to have something to eat
if we’re going to be at sea for a couple of days.’

**

The following
morning they all rose about an hour before sunrise and did a final
check on their packs before leaving the inn and walking across to
the docks. Anchored against a pier was a small weatherworn ship.
Sailors and dockworkers were rushing about and completing the last
minute preparations before setting out. Cassiel led the way along a
gangplank. The old captain, standing atop a large wooden crate, was
a fiery man with a bushy black beard and a heavily lined face. He
was furiously shouting commands to all the sailors below. They
jumped and ran about, creating quite a chaotic scene.

‘
Come on ya naw good fish guts; work harda. We need da git
moven! I aint pain ya to run a social club,’ he shouted, his voice
was coarse and guttural.

‘
Captain Orstag,’ said Cassiel as he stepped up onto the deck
of the ship.

‘
Not naw,’ he blurted back, dismissively waving Cassiel away.
They stood on the deck as sailors ducked and weaved about
them.

‘
Git outda da way!’ shouted Captain Orstag down at
them.

‘
Where to?’ asked Cassiel, surprised at the tone Captain
Orstag was taking.

‘
Beelow da deck!’

They were a
little taken aback by his gruffness, and it looked like Cassiel was
going to say something. A moment later the fuming captain turned
his back to them and began shouting at the sailors on the other
side of the ship. Cassiel thought it better to hold his tongue. Red
led the way down below the deck and into a dimly lit and confined
area below. Barrels, wooden boxes, and many traded goods were
loaded everywhere in the stuffy and exceedingly dank space. A
stench of something putrid permeated the entire ship.

‘
What do we do now?’ asked Stella.

‘
Wait. I assume that the Captain will assign us a cabin soon,’
replied Cassiel. That was the deal I made with him yesterday.’ They
could hear voices toward the back of the ship.

‘
I’ll see if I can find our cabin,’ said Red. He walked off
toward the back and was lost from view behind large wooden
crates.

Eben sat down
on a barrel. ‘This is cosy,’ he said, trying to be positive.

Stella smiled
bleakly; she looked down at the floor as two rats scurried around
the edge of a crate and ran along an edge, jumping into a gap in
the floorboards. Her bleak smile quickly turned to a deep frown,
and she covered her mouth with her hand.

‘
Were there any other boats?’ she asked nervously.

‘
Don’t worry; they won’t hurt you, they’re only rats,’ replied
Cassiel. They could hear voices merrily shouting from the back of
the ship. A moment later Red appeared with a big smile.