Fate Rides Wicked: Volume I of the Lerilon Trilogy (57 page)

“This is Arif and Lazol,” she said pointing to each.
“They joined in our efforts and proved their skills. But,
you’re right. Let’s enjoy ourselves. You four will be on
duty for a little while longer.”

“We don’t mind, Lioness. From what we have heard, it
will be a pleasure to serve with you. You have made our
jobs easier.”

“Yes, we lost only one in a failed attack,” commented
the King. “Come let’s go do my favorite thing.”

“That’s why we arrived when we did. We knew we
would be fed.” That comment started a round of laughter
as the nine of them headed for the dining room.

King Vrekian and nineteen of the strongest remaining
warriors rode out on a partly cloudy day, no sign of the
snow that melted a few days earlier. The horses carried
tents and bedrolls and food, but they made quick progress
as the warhorses held up well. In three days they reached
the border of Lake where they stopped early so they could
penetrate deep before they set up camp again.

Vrekian turned to Ofeldar and asked, “I know the
Prince of Lake has been sick, are we going to encounter
trouble from him?”

“The prince died. Tych’s brother Cort is now king,
since Tych had the right to name the new one as the
commander of the army. Tych still runs the kingdom while
Cort supervises the army in the north.”

“Good, we should have no problems.”

“We only have to be careful once we get on the North
Plain. Only the patrols of the main army roam it, but the
area is too large to fully cover,” Aquendar said as he
dismounted and unpacked his horse.

“We had best set up camp,” said Vrekian and he went
about ordering the soldiers.

As night fell the first watch took their positions, made
up of the four quietest soldiers to this point. Arif went to
the tent with the other three. Two other tents held soldiers
and the king slept in a third. The former thief couldn’t
sleep, however, as the others drifted into dreamland.
Something didn’t seem right and she used her very acute
hearing to listen to the sounds of the camp. Trying to
figure out what bothered her, she moved to the front of the
tent and looked out. Both moons lit the clearing up like
day. Then the problem hit her: the dead silence.

She slipped quietly across the space between their tent
and the soldiers’, passing between them. Near the middle,
her sensitive ears picked up the whispering and she
focused. Her magical ability soon brought the words to her
clear as day.

“Let’s go over it one more time,” Arif heard from the
captain. “We’ll go back on guard. Then, when the moons
are behind clouds, we collapse all but the king’s tent.
While everybody struggles, we kill the king.” Arif began
back towards her tent. She heard the parting words. “Let’s
get back to the watches.”

The guard saw the tent of the warrior’s tent swinging
and froze. Feeling the breeze hit him, he attributed it to the
wind and returned to his patrol. Arif woke the others. She
indicated silence with her finger to her mouth. With a
whisper she said, “The current watch is plotting against the
king. I’m going to slip back out to the king’s tent and
prepare a surprise for them. Take your swords and
scabbards and be ready to prop the tent back up. You’ll
hear the right time to come out.”

The others nodded and Arif listened on the ground for a
second for footsteps. As she slipped out, one moon had
moved behind a cloud and the other hung near one. Using
her thieving skills she stealthily passed to the king’s tent.
Without making a sound, she slipped under the back wall
so she rested under the king’s cot. She heard the sound of
tents collapsing and rolled out to the middle of the tent.
Quickly she turned back to the cot and shook the king.

He sat up groggily. “Pretend you’re asleep. The watch
is about to attempt to kill you.” The king started to say
something but Arif covered his mouth and pushed his head
down. “It’s already started.” As if to confirm this, she
heard footsteps outside. Like a cat she moved to stand next
to the door.

The flap moved, brushing against her body, but she
remained still. A figure moved towards the bed, raising a
sword above his head. He brought the blade all the way
back, but couldn’t bring it forward. He spun and surprise
registered as he realized that Arif’s sword had crossed his
own and held it. The captain grinned. “I can take a woman
any day.” Then a look of pain and surprise crossed his face
as a blade protruded through the front of his neck. He
turned and choked out, “I was paid handsomely, My Lord,
but you are served well.” With this he died.

“To arms!” yelled the king. Arif spun as two of the
deadly watch charged in.

“Only my friends will respond. The other tents have
been collapsed.” She took the blow of the soldier on the
right as the king brought his sword around in an attack on
the second.

The would-be assassins heard the scream of their
companion outside and froze for a second. In unison, the
king and Arif disarmed their opponents and held them at
sword point. Aquendar and Ofeldar came in while Lazol
could be seen outside.

The uglier one said, “Just kill us.”

The king answered, “No, you will hang. There will be
no glory in dying on the end of a sword.”

Aquendar and Ofeldar grabbed them by the collars of
their armor and pulled them out of the tent. As the king
stepped out, he heard, “They’re attacking the king! Get
them.”

The king held up his hands. “No, the attempt is over.
The captain led the assault, and these four saved me again.
Take these two to those trees over there.” Four soldiers
came forward and took them. “Get some rope and hang
them. Strip them naked first and we’ll leave them for the
animals.”

The one that screamed lay at the king’s feet, his neck
obviously broken. “Strip these two also and leave them
with the other two. These warriors will take the next
watch. The rest of you get some sleep.”

The king stood over the dishonoring of the attackers.
Then he turned to the man who had yelled a few minutes
earlier, and yelled, “Captain, see that these men carry out
their duties.” The newly promoted man saluted boisterously
and took the sash off the dead one, putting it on himself.

Thirty-six hours later, zenith, the fifteen soldiers and
warriors reached the army of Lake. Lakian soldiers
stopped them. “Who passes this way, armed?”

Ofeldar leaned down for emphasis and said, “The king
of Murlan, King Vrekian. Let us pass to Tych or face his
wrath.”

“Who are you to ask this?”

“Commander Ofeldar of the army of Li. Now I admire
your zeal, soldier, but I’m more patient than most.”

“I must check with the command.”

“Here, let me do it for you.” She took out the gold,
silver and white circle of cloth and tore it. The moment it
hit the ground, Tych appeared.

The soldiers knew about Tych’s powers but they’d
never really seen him in action. He turned to them and
said, “These are two commanders in the army of Li and the
king of Murlan. Go back to your duties.”

They followed the endaril to the center of camp and the
command center. Lendril came out of the tent to greet
them. “You came at the perfect time. We’re in the middle
of a break.”

They exchanged hugs and greetings and began to turn
into the tent. Just then, somebody shouted, “Wagons
arriving!”

The group turned to look as three large wagons rolled
down the road towards them with white fabric coverings
apparently over large loads. Lendril stepped closer to the
road as they came near and said, “Farther down that way, in
the west field.”

The first wagon passed and the next few seconds
traveled by as a blur. One of the nearby soldiers dove into
Lendril as the driver of the lead wagon pulled up a
crossbow, turned and fired. The human took a bolt in the
back, landing on top of Lendril, having saved her life.
Tych had a dagger in flight before the bolt hit and the
assailant fell.

Lazol flew over the two on the ground and landed next
to the second driver. The other renegade fell, but Lazol’s
face twisted in pain and he jumped off the wagon. “There
are men in the wagons!”

This small warning gave the others all they needed as
Lazol pulled the bolt out of his left arm. Lendril had the
soldier off her and rolled behind the charging warriors.
Tych prepared a spell and sent the third wagon up in
flames. Men with swords drawn came pouring out of the
other two, while burning men fell out of the third.

Some of the attackers turned with bows and began to
fire at the few Lakian soldiers near and ready enough to
help. As the cries of Tych’s army rang out, the endaril had
Gaylin up and blocking a blow. Ofeldar, Aquendar and the
others also waded into the two score soldiers focusing on
them.

“They’re after us,” shouted Lendril. “It’s a suicide
attempt to get Tych and me.”

“Then die they will,” responded Tych, beginning to
glow as he used his fury to build up energy around him.
One of Vrekian’s men fell as Tych’s sword blinded his
attackers and they fell as grass to a scythe.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Tych on the shoulder and
jerked him back. Tych spun to attack, only to find Lendril
there. “You’re endangering the others, soldier, fall back!”
In that moment of contact, Lendril took control of Tych’s
energy and harnessed it. The endaril prince nodded and
stepped back as Aquendar’s two-handed sword sliced into
two attackers of Tych.

Lendril charged in with her axe. The renegades hadn’t
counted on so many warriors near by, not knowing the four
anti-assassins would be there. Facing more than soldiers,
their numbers quickly dwindled and the Lakian army had
responded. It only took a few minutes and out of the sixty
that arrived, fifteen laid down their weapons and raised
their hands. Tych had returned to the conflict near the end
and Sir Xalt, Wiltev and Loktaro arrived as the attackers
surrendered.

Ofeldar turned and said, “Vrekian, use your men and
some of mine to lock these scum up and guard them.”

One of the renegades, figuring out what was going on,
started to yell, “All of you, listen. Don’t follow these
monsters! Look at them! Their skin is silver, they don’t
have real blood! They’ll lead you to doom!”

A soldier moved to silence him but Tych reached out
and stopped him. “Yes, we do have strange powers that
many humans have yet to master, and I am extra gifted by
fate. But, without me, Rangdor will rule forever, for only I
have the power to beat him.” The man tried to yell more
but Tych drowned him out, so that every man in the Lakian
army could hear. “I have organized every army on this
continent against the creature that has killed your families
and spread death and destruction with his forangen. Is that
evil!? I will not kill you, but your lies will not do here.
You will sleep until we leave.” With this the endaril raised
his hand and a wave of amber light floated through the air,
encompassing the renegades. They all collapsed to the
ground as the energy hit them.

“Pick them up and get them out of here. Tie them up
and place one squad on them at all times. The commanders
will join me in the tent.” It was a command.

Arif said, “What about your men? Are you afraid of
rebels?”

“No, they hold me up as a god. There may be a few,
but the loyalty of the others is very strong. That’s why I
used a whole squad to guard the renegades. If there are any
sympathizers, the others in the squad will report them and
lock them up on the spot. We march tomorrow.”

“What are the assignments?” asked Aquendar.

“Xalt, Aquendar, Ofeldar and Wiltev will travel north
with the Lake army. Arif and Lazol will stay with Vrekian
on the march to the Field of Scars. Lendril and I have some
last minute preparations. You can do your work when we
get there, then join the main army. The Lakian army will
not march to the field to scars. Here are the instructions...”

At dawn the two groups rode out. The main army and
the commanders went one way, straight north. Vrekian and
his men headed slightly west, and for miles the two groups
could see each other. Lendril and Tych traveled with the
army for two days until they reached a point directly east of
their cabin.

Tych pulled aside the commanders the following
morning. “There will be wagons and horses ready in every
town from here to the Great Northern Plain. Prepare the
men as best you can for the pemilons that will meet you
when you get off the ships. There will only be enough
horses on this side for about two thousand of the men to
cross the mountains. The rest will get their horses after the
Quelian marines drop them off. I’ll visit you the night
before the battle. To your health, commanders.”

“To your health, Tych.”

As they left the army’s view, into the trees, Tych
touched Lendril and they teleported to the cabin. The army
members not on horse would keep up by running, putting
their stamina training to good use. They would get a day’s
rest on the ships. The Feast of Growth would arrive in
three weeks, but the Lake army would be marching west in
two, from the east coast of Li.

Lendril and Tych spent the first few days repairing the
cabin’s wall and roof. Tych wore the magic strength belt,
but other than that they used only physical, mundane labor.
In the forest, Tych cut down trees and brought back long,
thick logs. Lendril stripped the bark and cut them in half
lengthwise with a saw. Every day, as the sun hit the top of
the forest, they hammered the lengths of wood into place.

Every night they performed an ancient daril ceremony
of unity. They kneeled in the darkness facing each other,
neither of them wearing any clothing. A candle flickered
on the floor between them. After chanting in unison they
said individual devotions. Now the magic of it built to the
point for the finale. Both lovers locked their hands behind
their back and leaned forward to kiss. If they could do so
without getting burned, bright light would swirl around the
room, extinguishing the candle. Two people in love rarely
experienced the pain, and these endarils never had.