Fate Rides Wicked: Volume I of the Lerilon Trilogy (58 page)

On the sixth day at the cabin, Blard came through the
trap door as Tych drove in the final nail. The prince
dropped to the ground and climbed in through the window.
“What is it, Blard?” Something in the endaril’s mind
instantly bothered him.

“Tych, the dragons, the garams and the eagles have
arrived at Mont Andar. The Lakian army is on schedule.
Your main army, however, is restless. Without their kings,
I don’t think Cort could keep it under control.”

Tych picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off his
brow and body. He only wore protective fabric pants.
“Are the squads organized and ready to fight?”

“That’s part of the problem. Combining races and
nationalities has dredged up old hatred. The squads are
well trained but morale is low. When will you make your
appearance?”

Lendril came in wiping off her bare upper body.
Before Tych could stop her, she had her axe off her belt
and rose to strike. “Stop, Lendril. I know this isn’t Blard.
I just haven’t finished playing with him yet.”

“It’s Blackdrad, Tych.”

Tych had known who it wasn’t but the sorcerer’s
illusion looked good enough to hide his identity. Now,
knowing the danger level facing them, Tych also took out
his blade. Gaylin sang as Blackdrad ended the illusion. As
Tych swung, Blackdrad vanished, appeared next to Lendril,
and disappeared again with her.

Tych sheathed Gaylin and stripped off his pants.
Quickly he put on his cloak to enhance his magic, picked
up his staff, attached Gaylin to his belt and tried to find
Lendril in his mind. His eyes opened wide in horror at the
absence of her.

Lendril could feel the magic. She knew she had seen
through the illusion with ease that surprised her. Armed
only with an axe and wearing only a pair of leather pants
and shoes, she tried to get her bearings. Something had
disoriented her and she turned slowly. Her senses not
completely dull, she spun just in time to catch the flaming
blade of Blakdrad between the blades of her axe. The
sorcerer brought the magic weapon around again, trying to
cut her in half.

Again the warrior stopped it. As she came around with
a counter blow, the sorcerer disappeared. “Rangdor gave
me powers for my service that you cannot defeat.
Surrender to me or die!” Lendril spun again and knocked
another blow away with such force that the sword flew out
of Blackdrad’s hand. Instantly, it vanished and so did her
opponent. She turned around again and blocked another
blow from a new magic sword. The endaril realized she
would be dizzy and worn out at this pace.

Deflecting another blow she took two steps back and
started to act tired and dizzy. The sorcerer pressed it,
swinging blow after blow. The rough rock floor stood as
the only characteristic of an otherwise void place.
Blackdrad, not being a warrior, continued his long wide
strokes and Lendril wished over and over that she had a
sword. Still, she kept up her ruse, grimacing in faked pain
each time she lifted her axe. Inside she smiled as the
sorcerer began to sweat and gain confidence.

Then she got her opening. As the human came around
with a low blow that fell too low because of his exhaustion,
Lendril leapt forward into the air. The sword passed under
her feet and the off-balance sorcerer couldn’t disappear
again as the axe came around. Tych appeared the same
instant that Blackdrad hit the floor. Lendril landed half a
second later. The prince looked at the sorcerer lying on his
face with one of the axe’s blades buried in his skull.

“I see my worry of the last hour was unfounded.”

“He fell to his own stupidity. He tried to fight me as a
warrior. He would have done better with magic.”

“You are immune from magic. That is why you saw
through his illusion.”

“Still he could of used it on himself to make himself a
better opponent. As it was he lowered to my level.”

“Obviously below it. Let’s go home.” Lendril walked
to her lover and hugged him. They found themselves next
in the cabin. “The cabin is repaired. We should go seal up
the entrance to Doleof’s cave.”

“We haven’t been down there since we came here this
time. There may not be anything left.” Lendril led him to
the closet and down the ladder. When Tych got down, he
found Lendril standing stock-still, looking towards the tiny
creek that ran across the cave in the sandy chamber.

There, on a wooden pedestal laid a book. It glowed
with a faint light. “I wonder why Blackdrad didn’t take
this,” said Lendril.

“It has a protection of good magic around it. He didn’t
even see it. It helped that he wanted to get to us so bad.”
Tych walked over and picked up the book. On its cover it
said
Bane of Rangdor
.

Tych opened the cover, curious what it could provide.
The prince read it aloud, “Tych, this book was made by the
dragons at the first arrival of Rangdor. Your people lost
much magic and knowledge during their forced nomadic
days when the humans hunted you. We had the luxury of
keeping it. With the help of your grandfather, who has
regained a lot of the lost knowledge, we have written this
series of exercises, with special triggers that will change
you. Some of it will be very painful, some of it pure
pleasure. It will combine old magic, less powerful than
today’s but more keys to the power; new magic, made
stronger by the old; and your innate ability to make these
part of you, as natural as breathing. Read it. You will die
without it.

“The last twenty pages are dragon words of power that
must never leave your protection. They must be taught to
Doleofa. They will provide you with various skills that you
will find useful. I will be dead when you find this. You’ll
need at least seven days to complete it. To your health,
Tych. Rule wisely. Your friend, Doleof.”

“I have less than seven days until the Feast of Growth.
I will have to push it harder to complete it by then.”

“Come on, let’s go seal off the cave and then you can
start.” Lendril slapped Tych lightly on the back and again
led him down the cave. The coins, jewels and other
treasure looked virtually untouched. Lendril let Tych walk
past her and he stopped half way across the room.

The princess could feel the energy being sucked into
the room. It became such a heavy stream that it became a
visible blue. Then another flow of energy left Tych’s hand
as he threw it towards the top of the cave entrance. Lendril
watched in amazement. The stone began to melt. Tych
raised his other hand and created a wall of steel. It floated
to the melting entrance and became covered with the
melting stone so that the surface facing out looked like
normal rock. Finally, the endaril pushed out and embedded the
wall into the surrounding stone.

Tych turned to Lendril. “To somebody coming in the
other side of that entrance cave, it will look like a stone
wall, but be unbreakable.”

Lendril kissed him as he reached her. “I love you,
Tych. By the way, I’m pregnant.” Tych celebrated by
yelling all the way into the cabin, not caring that the
upcoming battles might end their lives.

The first section immediately gave Tych both
discouragement and hope.

The most intelligent and strong of us have only
been able to read for twenty minutes. Then we
must rest for two hours or we get knots in our huge
bellies. Those who have tried to continue beyond
this pain lapsed into comas. So beware when you
read! Stop when pain is felt!

The discouragement came for obvious reasons. He had
hope because he would be able to sleep. Lendril already
slept on the couch next to him as he continued on. A half
hour passed by unnoticed by him.

As an hour approached, the pain hit. Lendril’s finely
honed awareness woke her up when Tych shot up to a
standing position. His knees buckled and he collapsed. He
tried to speak but his mouth refused to open. As Lendril
ran around doing everything she could, which wasn’t much,
he curled up in the fetal position facing the fire. The
indescribable pain seemed to be pulling him into the ball,
tugging at all his nerve endings.

Lendril brought cold, wet rags and healing herbs, but
their application did nothing. She became frantic. “Tych,
tell me how to help! Oh, Lendela, don’t let him die!”

The prince’s head began to clear. He knew he needed
to pull himself out, but the knots in his abdomen blinded
him. The voice of his martial art combat teacher rang in his
head, “distract your opponent with a leaf, and hit him with
a tree.” His mind screamed back that it didn’t know where
to find his opponent. Another spike of pain raced through
him as if to say, “I am.” He felt the heat of the fire as a
cloth came off and knew what to do.

Lendril yelled in horror as Tych reached out his hand
towards the fire. She grasped his wrist and tried to pull it
back. The couch rattled when she hit it, flying through the
air. Tych summoned energy as the log burned into his
hand. The heat felt wonderful compared to his abdomen.
Still, he jerked it back as the knots fell apart. He rolled
over and let sleep carry away his sprawled body.

Lendril sat up a few minutes later. Her joints protested
in the places she’d been bruised and she rubbed them.
Suddenly, she remembered Tych and fell onto her knees
next to him. She listened to his chest. Relief flooded over
her at the sound of his heartbeat. While still on her knees,
she crawled into the bedroom and onto the bed. Her
decision to leave Tych where he lay came from fear. That
apprehension didn’t keep her from falling quickly into
sleep.

Again the training of the warrior brought her out of
sleep two and a half hours later. Her jaw dropped in horror
at the view through the curtain. Tych sat on the couch,
encased in ice. As the princess rushed into the room,
amazingly the ice began to burn. Steam surrounded her
until Tych disappeared from sight.

She just stood still, afraid of what might happen if she
moved. Finally and quickly, the steam cleared and there
stood Tych. “You can’t continue this, Tych! I can’t take
it.” She cried about very little, but her fear for her
companion’s life brought tears to her eyes.

Tych pulled her close and wrapped her up tight. “I
must if I am to return from my battle with Rangdor and see
the birth of our child. Trust me, Lendril. I will be alright.”

The cycle continued, Tych being consumed by flame or
sent to the farthest reaches of ecstasy, then returning to
reality and sleeping. Both conditions left him helpless to
the world around him. Lendril stayed away as much as
possible, even spending a couple of days sorting through
Doleof’s treasure for magical artifacts, weapons and armor.

Two days before the Feast of Growth, Tych found
Lendril meditating in the middle of the clearing their cabin
sat in. He sat down next to her but she didn’t move. “Are
you done with the book, my love?”

“Yes, Lendril, the memorization is complete. We have
one more day to rest.”

“Did you learn a lot?”

“Well, let’s say I want rain...” Tych raised his hand and
waved it at the sky. In a few seconds clouds filled the sky
and a downpour began. “...or sunshine.” With another
wave of his hand, they sat in sunshine. Lendril squeezed
out her wet hair. “I think, if I am named ruler after the war,
I will turn it over to somebody else as soon as the continent
is settled. Nobody with this kind of power should be
ruling. It’s too dangerous. I will better serve Li as a
counselor. I can take control at any time with this power, if
it becomes necessary.”

“I must think about the wisdom of that. For now you
should join me in meditation.”

On the Feast of Growth, the army of Li stood gathered
in the field of scars looking at the three story podium to the
north of them. Suddenly, a peal of thunder broke the near
silence and lightning flashed in the clear sky. It struck
Andar, the tallest mountain on Li, still covered with snow.
When the steam cleared, they could see Tych, as clear as
day, standing on top. He had magically grown to two
hundred feet so they could see him.

His voice boomed out to each as if he stood next to
them. “Tomorrow you march into the mountains! You
have more strength, better training and excellent leaders!
They will outnumber you three to one, but you are
superior!” Cheers began to build, and some of the soldiers
first noticed Lendril standing on the podium where they
expected to see Tych earlier.

“Take only human prisoners! Take no forangen
prisoners!” Tych became a bolt of lightning again and
zipped downward, appearing above the podium and
floating to it. He now stood at his normal size next to
Lendril. “In the interests of protecting our strategy and
increasing our chance of victory, we will not detail the
battle plans.”

Lendril took over with help from Tych. “We will be
victorious! I will fight with you! It will be a week sung
about forever by all of the bards and storytellers! Make
yourselves heroes!” Now the noise of the field lifted to a
deafening level. “The dragons and eagles will support you
from above!” On cue, forty-five gold dragons burst into
the sky, and eagles emerged from every mountain peak.
“Return to your camps, rest, eat, be ready to march!”

The crowd dispersed to the sound of various chants and
cheers. Lendril and Tych climbed down from the podium
and met Cort and the other commanders at the bottom.
Tych’s older brother said, “We should go to the command
tent and make our plans.”

“I will go retrieve our equipment in the cabin and meet
you there. Tomorrow I will leave to challenge Rangdor.”
Tych vanished.

“Bring me up to date, Cort, while we go to the tent.”
Lendril ordered.

“There are magicians and eagles watching the Plain of
Death for movement. So far, the forangen and xadineft are
on the far side with brief signs of patrols leaving the
mountains around the Valley of Death. Some humans have
been spotted. The magicians have detected supernatural
beings, as we expected.”