King Of The North (Book 3) (27 page)

Chapter Twenty

Eogan watched his troops assemble just to the west of Faerbane. He had ordered them to stay away from the falls, as the enemy was likely to attempt pushing them over the edge to the river below. Any strategist worth his salt would use that tactic. The Prince himself remained in his tower at
The Lifegiver’s request, and could only watch, not direct, his troops from here. He trusted that task to the experienced Jindala commanders that The Prophet had personally recommended.

Even so, he longed to taste the blood of his enemies, and being confined to the castle was humiliating, and very unbecoming of a future King.

“They will fail,” The Prophet said from behind him. “As you have.”

Eogan turned, glaring upon his grandmother. Her insolent words angered him, and to
The Prophet, it was quite obvious.

“You were ordered to remove your mother, if you remember.” She said.

“Her death was your wish,” he replied. “Not The Lifegiver’s.”

“Of course it was my wish!” she hissed. “How do you think our ascension would occur?”

Eogan laughed. “
Our
ascension? If you remember correctly, it is I who am in line to inherit the throne.”

The Prophet glared at him, her blood boiling and her face twisting into a mask of rage. Eogan maintained his calm, allowing his indifference to accentuate his point.

“You are nothing,” he said finally. “Leave me. Now.”

He turned back to the window to continue watching the preparations, keeping his awareness on
The Prophet as she remained glaring at him. After a few tense yet silent moments, she finally stormed out.

Eogan’s smirk remained.

The Rangers watched the enemy army gather near the pass just north and west of Faerbane. Their numbers were not impressive, he noticed, and that led him to believe that there were more surprises in store for the armies of Eirenoch.

Ulrich and the rest of them had arrived earlier that morning and were awaiting the Knights of The Dragon before marching within sight of Faerbane. Once the Knights arrived, the battle could begin. As of now, the only duty that Adder was given was to infiltrate the city and contact the Thieves’ Guild. Then, the secret evacuation could begin through the tunnels underneath.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Jhayla asked.

Adder shook his head. “It will easier for me to get inside alone,” he said. “One limping old man is fairly inconspicuous. Two of them would be obvious.”

“Do you really think I would disguise myself as a hobbled old wanker?” she joked.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek, prompting her to scowl and wipe her face. “Wish me luck,” he said, then disappeared.

“Idiot,” she whispered, smiling at his antics.

Having rested for the night at the abandoned trading post, Jodocus and Aeli awaited Belo’s return. The homunculus had not responded to Aeli’s call since it had departed, and she was unable to see through its eyes. Throughout the night, Jodocus had urged her to rest, but her concern for the tiny creature had overpowered her desire to sleep.

Something was not right.

In the morning, the two of them had resumed their journey southward. Along the way, the amount of desolation continued to grow, until Jodocus was certain that the land here was completely lifeless. Only the wellspring of life that they now approached would contain enough energy to stay green. He hoped that the dryads and other spirits of the forest would remain vigilant and strong enough to rise up and protect it.

“The creature has been here,” Jodocus said, stopping to attune his senses to the area’s remaining aura. “In this very spot.”

“I feel it, too,” Aeli said. “Not just its influence, its actual presence.”

Jodocus touched the tip of his staff to the ground, imparting a small amount of energy to the withered underbrush. It briefly awoke, stirring slightly as it attempted to raise it leaves to the sunlight that filtered in from above.

“I feel its pain,” Aeli said. “And its fear.”

Jodocus nodded. “Do not be fearful yourself,” he said, turning to her. “You must be strong, no matter what you see or what occurs. The creature is unnatural, and must be destroyed. The balance depends on it.”

Aeli swallowed, trying hard to overcome her fears. But there was nothing that could alleviate such a strong feeling of doom. She was terrified. Jodocus felt concern for her. If she were to be a Druid, she must learn to block her fear. For, as he had known for all of the thousands of years he had walked the Earth, fear was a Druid’s worst enemy.

“In your life as a Druid,” he said, “you will face many fears. You cannot waver. Ever. If you do, you will fail.”

Aeli stared, feeling the power of his words. He was right. Her whole life had been filled with terrifying events, and she had faced them all. There was no reason to fear now. Fear would only lead to her own demise. She would remain strong, regardless of what horror they were about to face.

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart slow to a steady rhythm. When she felt calm, she nodded.

“There we are,” Jodocus said, his wide smile drawing the rest of her fear away. “Now, let us continue.”

As they turned, they heard a distant rumbling from the south. It was quite close, near the area that Jodocus had predicted the creature would seek.

“The creature has felt the wellspring,” Jodocus said. “We must find it quickly.”

The two of them quickened their pace, desperate to intercept whatever was heading toward the center of the forest. There, the greatest concentration of nature spirits in Eirenoch were gathered, imparting their life force to make it the most lush and beautiful place on the island. The destruction of such a gathering of spirits would be devastating to the island, and not even the power of its Great Druid could heal it.

As they neared the area, Aeli could see that though the life there was still present, it was fading quickly. The rumbling was growing louder, becoming clearer and more furious. The natural glow that emanated from the wellspring changed from green to red, and then back again.

The spirits were fighting back.

“Hurry!” Jodocus shouted. “We must join the battle!”

Aeli followed behind her mentor, staring up in awe at how the canopy had thickened as they got nearer the center. She had lived in this area her whole life, and had never encountered this part of the forest. Its existence had been unknown to her.

The trees became thicker here, and their crowns grew together to shut out much of the sunlight above. The resulting darkness was only countered by the magical glow of the spirits within the forest. It was a glow that now conveyed the fury of the trees themselves.

As they entered what seemed like a corridor of trunks, Jodocus stopped to sense the correct direction of the creature’s location. He looked to the right, holding his hand out like an antenna.

“The creature is that way,” he said. “We will go left, toward the center, and catch it by surprise.”

Aeli nodded, her fear returning. Jodocus could sense it, and he pursed his lips in frustration. Without a word, he turned to the left, prompting Aeli to follow. She ran after him, glancing behind her in anticipation of the creature’s appearance.

The Druid shuffled down the path, looking to either side for a place for the two of them to hide and ambush the creature. All along the corridor of trees, gaps in the trunks offered small places for animals to hide, but there were no places for two humans. Jodocus began mumbling to the trees themselves, asking impatiently for their help. At last, several yards ahead, several trees on either side of the path shifted their trunks to allow them to enter.

Jodocus hid to the right, directing Aeli to stand opposite. The Great Druid held his staff ready, looking sympathetically at his apprentice. Though somewhat frustrated with her fear, he was in no position to scold her for it. She was young and inexperienced, and this foe, being of a nature that he himself had never faced, was terrifying. He felt a deep sense of guilt for bringing her here.

As the creature neared, the living trees were visibly shaken. They feared what was approaching, and they almost seemed to shrink back as it passed. Jodocus dared a quick look back. He saw the creature’s silhouette in the illuminated path. It was a mass of tendrils and black energy that swirled around a man-shaped core. It was slightly larger than a Defiler, yet far more powerful and horrifying to behold.

Jodocus himself felt a twinge of fear.

As he ducked back into the shadows, he looked across the path at Aeli. Her eyes were clenched shut, and tears were streaming down her face. Though she did not make a sound, for fear of being discovered, he saw that she was sobbing. Jodocus had to act quickly, and make a decision that would mean life or death for the dear young woman. For, in his eyes, one thing was clear.

Aeli was not ready for this battle.

Jodocus stepped out of the shadows. With one hand, he swept the energy of the forest upward in front of his apprentice. Thick saplings shot up instantly, surrounding her and trapping her within the alcove. Roots came out of the ground, intertwining with each other to form an impassible barrier that wrapped the sapling cage.

“What are you doing?” Aeli cried out in protest.

Ignoring her, Jodocus faced the Devourer as it slowly, but purposely moved toward him like a malevolent shadow. His face became a mask of courage and determination as he backed away, leading the monster past his apprentice and into the darkness.

“Jodocus!” Aeli pleaded. “Let me out! Let me help!”

But there was no answer. Aeli was alone. But she was safe.

Farouk kept pace with Kronos as he trudged tirelessly to the south. The Firstborn would never become fatigued, Farouk knew, and would thus never need to rest. He would walk southward until he reached his destination:
The Lifegiver’s Great Pyramid. There, he would engage the malevolent alien entity in battle, and aid in banishing him forever.

The Druid wondered why Kronos alone had this power, as he was under the impression that
The Dragon himself had defeated such a being, perhaps the same being, in primordial times. The question nagged him as he followed Kronos, and hindered his concentration on their journey.

Or was that the real reason he was distracted?

Some part of him felt that there was danger. Whether it was here, or somewhere else, he could not comprehend. Either way, though he was destined to take part in the final battle, he could not shake the feeling that he was not yet needed. He soon realized that there was no way he would be able to keep up with Kronos throughout the whole journey. Farouk would need rest eventually. He could, however, teleport to Khem. After all, he was born there.

No. He was needed elsewhere.

He stopped, fully expecting Kronos to continue on without him. However, the Firstborn sensed his turmoil and slowed his pace, stopping to turn around. Farouk said nothing, but met Kronos’ gaze. The gentle face remained as it always was, full of love and empathy. Farouk knew that Kronos could sense his intentions.

Without a word, Kronos nodded his head, and turned back to his path, leaving Farouk behind.

Aeli struggled against the saplings and roots that had trapped her within the alcove. She called to Jodocus repeatedly, begging him to release her. Together, she knew, they could defeat the Devourer, and save the forest. But, no matter how hard she tried, she could not break the bonds, and Jodocus would not hear her cries.

It was only when she heard a familiar buzzing that she had any hope of escaping to help her beloved mentor.

“Belo!” she called out between the saplings. “Belo! Come to me!”

The tiny homunculus buzzed around the cage, zipping in and out of the gaps between the thin trunks. Aeli was glad to see that, although panicked and shaken, her little friend was still alive.

“It’s no use, Belo,” she cried. “There is no way out. Jodocus’ power is too strong for me to dispel. Follow him, and let me see through your eyes.”

Belo squeaked his acknowledgement. Taking a few more zips in and out of the cage, he turned and shot away down the path.

The Devourer was a fearsome sight, even for the ancient Druid. Jodocus gasped for breath as he shuffled away, keeping within the Devourer’s sight. He would turn now and then and blast the creature with a bolt of magic, causing it to stop and shriek with anger.

The tendrils of darkness swirled around the beast, grasping the overhanging branches and snapping them away to make room for its bulk. As the Druid fled, he called to the powers of the forest to aid him. Though fearful and weakened with the creature’s presence, many of them began to emerge from their wooden shells and gather behind the creature.

“This is The Dragon’s land!” Jodocus warned. “Here, you shall meet your demise.”

The Devourer growled, reaching such a low frequency that its voice shook the trees around it. The dryads and nymphs that had gathered backed away to escape the powerful cries, and Jodocus gritted his teeth in pain. He continued blasting the creature with his magic, throwing saplings up underneath it in an attempt to impale it and hold it in place. The Devourer simply wrapped its tendrils around them and snapped them off, tossing them aside in indifference.