The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (21 page)

“How is your leg this morning?” the High Priest asked.

Aiden looked down nervously. The old man waited patiently, making Aiden finally give in. He threw off the covers so his wound was exposed. The green paste still lay thickly over the injury, making it hard to see.

“Let’s get it cleaned up,” the High Priest said, heading to the bathroom and coming back with a towel and a basin of water. He sat on the edge of the bed by Aiden’s feet. “Let me know if I hurt you.” He started to rub the paste off, using a bit of force since the stuff stuck to him like glue. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. When he finally stopped, Aiden looked down to see how bad it was. All the colour in his face drained. He looked up questioningly at the priest. “Just as I expected,” he said, almost to himself.

The place where the animal had torn his flesh was completely healed, just like his injuries before. Aiden had thought it wouldn’t be possible, since this wound had actually needed stitches to keep the skin together. The High Priest literally brushed away the thread that had once kept his skin closed, revealing a perfectly healed spot, with no trace of the bite.

“I don’t understand,” he breathed. Alistair looked up and smiled at him.

“Some things are just beyond our understanding, my dear boy. We need to go see the King. He is waiting for us.”

When they entered the throne room, Aiden could see the others waiting with the King. The room was a massive hall, the walls made of a dark wood with gold sconces lighting the place in a warm glow. The ceiling held a massive chandelier that had what looked like thousands of candles. There were paintings of angels and what Aiden assumed were the God and Goddess on the ceiling. The only pieces of furniture were the throne, which sat on a raised platform, and a table that looked like it was placed there momentarily. It didn’t really fit the room, so Aiden assumed they had brought it there only for the time being. The throne was a massive chair made of gold and wood. The crown sat on a deep purple cushion, gleaming in the pale light. Aiden could see rubies and emeralds embedded in the crown, which sparkled as he walked toward it.

The King and his Chancellor started to walk toward them, leaving the others behind. Wolf and Logan stood beside the table, looking down at something that lay across it. Felix and Elisa looked at Aiden with concern on their faces.

“How is he?” the King asked, not Aiden, but the High Priest.

“As good as new,” Alistair announced, smiling. The King slowly nodded, understanding his meaning.

“So it is as we thought,” the Chancellor said. Wolf and Logan were looking back at him now too, confusion written on their faces. The four of them started to walk toward the table, with neither the King nor the Chancellor addressing Aiden directly.

“We are extremely pleased that you are okay, Aiden,” the King finally said to him, as they approached the rest of the group. “Do you mind if I see the area that the beast bit?”

Aiden nodded his head and pulled up the leg of his pants to reveal the untouched patch of skin. Wolf gasped, being the only one who had seen how bad the wound had been.

“How is that possible?” he asked, bending down to look closer.

“We need you to explain to us what happened when you fought the animal,” the King said, purposely ignoring Wolf’s question. Logan and Felix looked at him with expressions just as shocked as Wolf’s. Only Elisa kept her face neutral, hiding her amazement.

The large wooden doors that led to the throne room slammed open, and large boots came stomping toward them. Aiden looked back to see Captain Turk rushing in.

“Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, following everyone’s eyes to Aiden’s leg. “Interesting,” he muttered, almost to himself.

“Aiden was just about to tell us the story of his fight,” the Chancellor explained. They all remained quiet, waiting for Aiden to begin.

All eyes were on him expectantly, making him nervous. His mouth felt dry, and the air inside the room suddenly felt hotter. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound as sure of himself as he could. “Well, the beast attacked me, throwing me to the ground, but I hit him off with the butt of my axe so I could get on my feet. Then I just dodged his attacks until I could strike him in the skull with my axe.” He shrugged.
What else is there to know,
he wondered.

“How did you manage to do that, child?” Alistair asked, encouraging him to elaborate.

“Um, well, he bit my leg,” he said, motioning to the now clear spot on his thigh. “I noticed that when he tasted my blood, he appeared to forget about me and my attacks. He was in a trance, I guess, so I used that opportunity to strike. I don’t think he knew what hit him.”

The King slapped his hands together, laughing loudly. “That’s it, then,” he exclaimed. “We confuse them and get their attention with blood, and then kill them.”

“It does seem simple, but I don’t think it is so,” Alistair commented, visibly bringing the King’s mood down. “The beasts most likely crave fresh, warm blood, from a live source. Our men don’t all heal like this young man here, so it won’t be as easy to find a way to distract them. How do you suggest we do that?”

They all sat in silence. “What about animals?” Aiden suggested. They all turned to him, making him nervous again. He went on to explain. “Perhaps if we bring some livestock, maybe sheep, we can let them graze in the field where we choose to fight. This might draw them out, and take their attention away from us as we approach them.”

“I’ve seen what they can do to other animals,” Captain Turk said. “They would tear them apart in seconds. We wouldn’t have a large window of time.”

“It still has merit,” the King replied, slapping Aiden on the back. “Anything is worth a try.”

“We don’t know how many they will have,” the Chancellor argued. “We can’t afford to sacrifice too many animals at a time of war.”

“He has a point,” Alistair commented.

“Then we’ll bring what we can afford to bring, and hope that it helps lower their numbers by at least a little. The taller beasts are easier to kill, because they stand on only two legs. Their hearts are more exposed than these hog-like creatures. You almost always have to get them in the skull, and that is extremely difficult due to the speed at which they can move their heads.”

The mention of larger beasts made Aiden’s skin crawl.
There are more,
he thought anxiously. What was he getting himself into?

The King walked over to the table, motioning for them all to gather around. A massive map of Eden was laid out. They all studied it silently until the King pointed at a large green area between the mountains and the Capital City.

“Emerald fields,” he said. “That is where we will fight.”

“Why there?” asked the Captain. “It will take us almost a week to get there. A week of travelling won’t let our men have a lot of time left to train.”

“We can’t have it too close to the city,” he argued. “They will send another troop around us, attacking the city to distract us from behind. We need to keep the people there safe, and the only sure way to do this is by taking the battle farther away. It is still close enough to access our resources if the battle drags on.”

“We’ll have the river too,” Logan added, pointing to a painted blue line on the map. “We can try to lead their men and beasts toward it. They won’t know the current like we do, so it will work to our advantage.”

“Good point, lad,” the Captain said, nodding his head. “What do you think, Ottman? You’re from the north originally. Do you think they’ll go there?”

“I don’t see what other path they would choose. The river is at its thinnest there, and as mentioned before, they don’t know the current. There aren’t very many active bodies of water where they’re from, so Brutus won’t want to bring them through a deeper or wider area of the river, at risk of losing some of them. He’ll need all the numbers he can get. It is right to assume they’d pass through there. We can be there to greet them.”

“I’d better get the men ready then,” the Captain said as the final decision was made. “There will be a lot to pack if we are to get moving.”

Everyone started to disperse, the meeting officially called to an end. As Aiden went to leave, the King called for him to stay a minute.

“I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m about to say,” he began, walking over to sit on the edge of the platform the throne sat upon. He patted the spot next to him for Aiden to take a seat. “I want you to be in the front line when the beasts come out,” he said as Aiden sat down. “I can only assume that they will send them out first, in order to thin out our forces before their men attack. The more they can do with those magical monsters, the more they can save their numbers. Since you have fought one before, you’ll understand their movements better than the others.”

He felt hot as he listened to the King. In reality, he much more preferred to just stay in the back, like he did in class at high school. It was easier in the back—no one noticed you there. In the front, all focus was on you.

“Please don’t think that I am using you as bait, since you have a remarkable ability to heal. The men look up to you now; you’re the only one to defeat one of these in hand-to-hand combat. I don’t think you realize how many men we’ve lost to these animals already. If you lead, the men will be encouraged to follow, will believe that you will lead them to a victory.”

“What if I can’t?” he interrupted.

“It is not up to you to actually win this for everyone, but to make them believe they can do it themselves. Leading has everything to do with encouragement and faith, and nothing to do with our actual abilities. We just need people to believe we can do things, so that they in turn believe the same for themselves. It is fate that will decide who can actually deliver and who can’t.”

Aiden nodded his head in understanding. “I will take this responsibility on, and I pray for us all that it works.” The King smiled thankfully. “One thing, though,” he added as they both got up. “I want my friends with me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

When he left the palace, Wolf and Logan stood waiting for him. They both wore huge smirks that made Aiden instantly on guard.

“What’s going on?” he asked hesitantly.

“Looks like you’re ours today, newbie,” Wolf said, smiling. Logan laughed an exaggerated evil cackle, grabbing Aiden around the neck into a headlock.

“Let’s go!” he exclaimed happily.

The three of them headed out of the city walls, where three horses stood waiting. Felix stood there white as a ghost, holding their weapons and shields in his hands.

“Oh, don’t look so scared, Felix,” Wolf said, laughing. “It really isn’t that hard.”

“I’m not scared to fight,” Felix said defensively. “I’m scared of this miserable beast you call a horse,” he said, nodding toward Wolf’s mount. “He bit me!” he accused. Wolf laughed.

“He didn’t get his name for nothing!” He smiled, slapping Felix on the back. “All right, you two, today we learn to use what Logan has taught you, and what I have taught you, and put them together. It is one thing to fight on your own two feet, but it is a totally different experience on the back of a horse. You need to learn your balance, and the space in which you have to fight. You need to be conscious not only of your own health, but that of your steed as well. The men that will attack you will go for your horse just as quickly as they will you.”

“You must be in tune with your animal, understanding their movements, while still focusing on your attacks and blocks,” continued Logan. “If you can handle it, it would be better to carry both a shield and a weapon. This would, however, require you to know how to ride without holding the reins. That might be too much for you to start with, so we’ll stick to just the weapon and see how it goes.” Aiden’s head was already beginning to hurt.

“Now, get saddled, boys. We have a long day ahead of us!” Wolf barked, the large smirk still stuck on his face.

Aiden could already tell this was going to be a rough one, ending in him being thrown or falling off his horse again. He sighed as he lifted himself up, reaching his hand out for Logan to pass him his axe. He watched Wolf with Felix, helping him get settled.

“Hey, Aiden,” Logan began as he checked all the straps on his saddle.

“Yeah?”

“How did you heal that fast?” He saw Wolf and Felix both looked over interestedly out of the corner of his eye. All three waited for him to answer.

“Um, I don’t know,” he lied. “Must have been that green crap.”

“I’ve had that stuff put on my wounds hundreds of time—ones that weren’t nearly as bad as yours—and they didn’t heal like that,” he argued.

Aiden sighed, looking down at the back of Ty’s neck. How was he supposed to answer them? He wasn’t supposed to reveal where he was really from. These were his friends, and he didn’t like keeping secrets from them, but he had no choice. Looking up, he saw the three of them still looking at him, waiting for the truth. He had to give them a partial one, all that he could for the time being.

“Look, I can’t really explain everything to you at this point, but I promise you when I can, I will explain it all.” Their faces looked confused, but none of them argued.

“All right, newbie, if you say so. Let’s get to work!” Wolf called out, slapping the butt of the horse Felix sat on, sending him running forward. Felix yelled out as the three of them laughed behind him.

Wolf and Logan kept saying how surprised they were at the two of them. Neither Aiden nor Felix had fought yet on horseback, but it didn’t take them long to gain the proper balance.

“We have to teach you now what it is like to be attacked by someone on foot,” Logan said, calling them over to stand in front of them. “I’ll attack Felix, and Wolf will attack Aiden.”

Wolf circled around him, his short sword in hand. “Be aware of my attacks on you, and Ty,” he was saying. “You don’t want Ty injured, because you could be thrown, which you’re used to … or worse, you could be trampled.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “Ready?” Wolf lunged at him, his sword flying in and out like the wind. It took all of Aiden’s concentration to block his attacks with the handle of his axe. Thankfully, Ty was calm, since his attacker was Wolf, who was almost like a father to the animal. Aiden found himself only blocking, barely finding an opportunity to attack Wolf.