The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (17 page)

Orelin was a
large town; the wall that surrounded the town was almost a perfect
circle. Eight towers rose from the wall, set at even intervals. At
no point was the wall more than a thousand yards in diameter. A
large keep was situated at the centre of Orelin, and the Scaldonian
flag still flew above the town. The dark blue Scaldonian flag
depicted a white eagle with outstretched wings. The road they were
on led to a large gate that was securely closed. Eben could see the
walls were manned with many men.

‘
They have not attacked the town!’ shouted King Ignis happily.
He charged forward. Eben and Cassiel rode after him down the slope
toward the Ortarian encampment.

As they
approached the camp several armoured riders broke away and rode out
to meet them. They were carrying spears and were prepared to fight.
They stopped about fifty feet from them.

‘
What is your business?’ shouted one of the riders.

‘
Who is your commander?’ asked King Ignis.

‘
What is your business?’ repeated the same rider
angrily.

‘
We are here to speak with your commander!’ cried King Ignis.
The leading rider moved his horse forward and came
closer.

‘
I will spear you if you don’t tell me your real
business.’

‘
You would spear your own King,’ responded King Ignis, staring
harshly at the rider.

‘
What nonsense is this?’ asked the rider sharply.

‘
Take me to your commander, now!’ commanded King
Ignis.

The rider
stared at King Ignis for a few moments and seemed to be considering
the situation. ‘At very least I hear you are Ortarian by your
accent. If you make any trouble for me you will pay with your
life,’ he said, turning his horse. ‘Follow me.’

They followed
the rider toward the edge of the encampment, and after the rider
had spoken with several other soldiers they were asked to
dismount.

‘
I hear that you want to see General Hugo?’ asked another
soldier, who was clearly of higher rank due to his impressive
armour. He was an older and very skinny man with a long face and a
receding chin, yet the fierce look in his eyes revealed he was a
seasoned warrior.

‘
That’s right,’ replied King Ignis.

‘
I cannot permit you to see General Hugo unless the purpose of
your visit is clearly stated,’ said the soldier.

‘
I have a message from King Ignis,’ said King
Ignis.

‘
What message would that be?’ asked the soldier.

‘
I will tell him myself,’ said King Ignis
resolutely.

‘
No you won’t,’ replied the soldier firmly, crossing his arms
and standing tall.

King Ignis saw
that he was clearly not going to be taken to General Hugo. He gave
the situation some thought for a few moments.

‘
Tell him this: the shadow will never overcome the
light.’

The proud
soldier looked puzzled for a moment and scratched his chin. ‘That
is your only message?’

‘
Yes, that is all,’ said King Ignis. ‘Tell him just what I
have said.’

‘
Alright, but I will have you flogged if you are making a fool
of me,’ said the soldier. He then turned and walked away into the
encampment.

King Ignis
turned to Eben with a smile. ‘I said that to Hugo just before we
went into battle against Azagord’s army. He never forgot those
words.’

They waited
for a few minutes and nothing happened. Eben could see that the
army was preparing for battle, swords were being sharpened,
catapults were being assembled, and armour was being prepared. The
whole camp was bustling.

A few minutes
later they could hear some commotion. They saw a man approaching
who was adorned in fine armour and wore a long red cape. He was an
older man with greying hair, a noble face with large green eyes,
and a big dark moustache. He moved with determination and strength,
and he stood tall with pride. General Hugo looked very noble and
the picture of a warrior. He was flanked by several fully armoured
knights and other guardsmen. The General approached the edge of the
encampment and stared at King Ignis, greatly shocked by the sight
before him.

‘
What sorcery is this?’

‘
No sorcery, Hugo,’ replied King Ignis.

‘
I see King Ignis before me. Why are you clothed like a
peasant, and why are you here in Scaldonia when I received word
from you in Ancora only a day ago?’

‘
Perhaps you are taking orders from the wrong man,’ said King
Ignis.

‘
I serve the King of Ortaria with complete loyalty; I do not
question his orders,’ said General Hugo.

‘
That was always one of your faults, Hugo,’ said King Ignis,
shaking his head. ‘You were always a little too good at following
my orders. You should remember what I said to you when I made you
commander of my army.’

‘
If you tell me that then I will kneel before you here and
now. Only King Ignis knows what he said to me that day.’

‘
I said that there may come a day when I may order you to do
something you thought was wrong and if that day should come that
you should question me.’

General Hugo
stared in astonishment at King Ignis. He was speechless for several
moments.

‘
My King!’ he cried, and he fell upon a knee, bowing his head
to the ground. All the knights and soldiers who stood around did
the same. There was a sense of great shock among the men who had
witnessed what had happened. Cassiel and Eben remained
standing.

‘
What foolishness is this; why are you invading the lands of
our Scaldonian friends? Why didn’t you question this
order?’

General Hugo
looked up, confused by the question. ‘I did question the order,’ he
said, his shock still obvious.

‘
Then you should know the truth. I have been imprisoned in the
Dungeons of Zyran for three years. The Zyranian Order has placed an
imposter on my throne. What they did not expect was that I would
escape with the help of these two friends and some others,’ he
indicated to Cassiel and Eben. ‘Now the time has come to rise up
against the tyranny in our land.’

General Hugo
stood up. ‘There is much we need to talk about.’

**

As the day
neared its end they were led through the encampment to a large
command tent where a command table had been set. General Hugo sat
at the table with three of his field commanders and two knights.
King Ignis sat on the other side with Eben and Cassiel.

‘
The Imposter’s commands were to invade Scaldonia and capture
Orelin. He ordered me to kill Duke Egil and destroy any
resistance,’ said Hugo with a tone of regret. King Ignis nodded
soberly at hearing the news.

‘
Recently I have spoken with Meara of the Irilian Order,’ said
King Ignis. ‘She told me the enemy’s plan is to have us destroy
each other. Tomorrow we will make peace with Duke Egil. We will see
if he needs our help. I have also heard news that an army of
muckrons has landed near Ancora. We must return to Ortaria and
clear the evil army from our land.’

‘
There are muckrons everywhere. We encountered a group of
forty on the road south of here, and we saw many smaller groups
near the entrance to the Iron Gate Pass. I have also heard that the
Scaldonians were driven south by armies of muckrons. Apparently the
muckrons and Skatheans control the north of Scaldonia.’

‘
Perhaps we can work with Duke Egil and clear these monsters
from both our kingdoms.’

‘
My King, it may prove difficult to convince Duke Egil that we
are his allies. I sent him a message this morning; I have asked him
to surrender and allow us to enter Orelin,’ said General Hugo,
staring down at his own hands.

King Ignis
cringed at hearing the words. ‘Did he send a reply?’

‘
Yes, he did. He said that every man and woman in Orelin would
fight to the end, and he also said that we are
traitors.’

King Ignis
stared down at the table gravely. ‘This will be difficult for me to
repair.’

‘
They blame us for much of their suffering. The Imposter
closed the Iron Gate Pass and stopped all trade going north and
west from Ortaria. The Scaldonians relied on our exports, and they
have been impoverished by the closure of the pass. They also blame
us for not assisting them when they were first invaded. An army
from Kaznor attacked the north of Scaldonia several months ago, and
King Vidar was taken in chains back to the Dungeons of Zarkanor.
Perhaps we should not attempt to reconcile. Our army could be ready
to march for Ancora tomorrow morning.’

King Ignis
heavily sighed as he contemplated the situation. ‘No, Hugo, I want
to talk with Duke Egil. A shadow has covered both our lands. Evil
is everywhere. We need all our friends in these dark times. The
Scaldonians are our age old allies; we must stand by them. I will
talk with Duke Egil myself in the morning.’

‘
We will send a messenger at first light to arrange a
meeting,’ said General Hugo.

**

Eben was given
new clothes and his own tent. He felt exhausted and realised that
he hadn’t slept properly for many days. He went to sleep quickly
and woke to the sound of the clambering encampment. He put on his
new clothing and walked outside. About ten yards away he could see
Cassiel sitting by a small campfire. There were hundreds of tents
surrounding them. Most of the soldiers in the encampment were busy
making preparations. Cassiel was talking with two soldiers who were
seated across the fire. The symbol on most of their shields and
banners was a golden lion set against a dark red background. Eben
walked over to Cassiel and took a seat beside him.

‘
These two men are called Max and Marius. They’ve been
assigned to help us,’ said Cassiel as Eben sat down. They were two
young men, perhaps around the age of twenty. Both were clean shaven
and dressed in chainmail armour, with shoulder plates, and swords
at their sides. Eben greeted the two young soldiers.

Max looked
across at Eben. ‘I have been told to take you to an armourer and
allow you to select some fine armour. We have also prepared
breakfast for you and Cassiel.’

‘
The breakfast is really very good, you should try it,’ said
Cassiel.

‘
Thank you,’ said Eben. Marius handed him a bowl of oats with
honey.

After he had
finished his oats Max led him through the camp to where a group of
large wagons were situated. They approached an older man who had a
thick black beard, a completely bald head, and a fierce looking
face. He was busy sharpening a sword.

‘
Weapons Master Rufus, this is Eben, a friend of King Ignis
himself. I have been instructed to bring him to you so you could
provide him with some new armour.’

The weathered
and rough looking man looked up at Eben and gave a curt nod.
‘You’re young to be a friend of the King,’ said Rufus in a deep and
hoarse voice. ‘How old are you?’

‘
Eighteen,’ replied Eben.

‘
Old enough to die in battle,’ said Rufus gruffly as he looked
Eben up and down and gave a tight smile. His eyes glanced at Eben’s
sword for a few moments. ‘That sword you have is interesting. Who
made it?’

‘
I don’t know,’ answered Eben.

‘
I haven’t seen a sword like it, and I’ve seen thousands of
swords,’ said Rufus as he moved toward one of the wagons. ‘So, what
kind of armour do you want? If you are a swordsman you’ll probably
like something light that won’t slow you down.’

Rufus opened
the back of one of his wagons and inside were racks of swords,
spears, shields, and suits of armour. He climbed up into the wagon
and selected a chainmail shirt, a steel chest plate, and an open
face helm.

He stepped
back down with the armour. ‘This is what the infantry field
commanders wear,’ he said, handing Eben the polished chest plate
latched to a back plate. ‘Here are some schybalds, you probably
call them shin plates, and here are some shoulder plates, that I
call pauldrons; these latch easily to the top of your back plate.
You can choose between leather or metal plated vambraces to cover
your forearms. This is a very light and high quality chainmail
shirt; you wear it beneath your plate armour, it stops cuts and
slashes. And this is an open face helm; this one is good for
swordsmen because it doesn’t block your view. The knights often
wear them when they’re using their swords. Do you need any
weapons?’

‘
No, the armour will be enough,’ said Eben.

‘
Good, it should be easy enough to put on
yourself.’

‘
Thank you for your help,’ said Eben.

‘
I’m just following orders,’ said Rufus gruffly.

Eben returned
to his tent and tried on the armour. It added a little weight, but
he thought he would be able to move almost as well with the armour
on. He noticed instantly that the soldiers greeted him with
increased respect. Cassiel was still seated beside the fire outside
his tent.

‘
Well, don’t you look fine in that new armour,’ said Cassiel.
‘You look like a real soldier now.’ Eben nodded and smiled. ‘I just
heard that King Ignis received word back from Duke Egil. The Duke
won’t come out of Orelin to meet with him. He’ll only meet with him
if King Ignis comes into the city. I don’t think it’s safe. The
Scaldonians are likely to kill him once he’s inside the walls. He’s
only permitted to take one soldier with him inside.’