The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (22 page)

‘
It’s going to be different with Meara and Baftel gone,’ said
Stella, a hint of sadness in her voice.

‘
We will be fine,’ said Red. ‘Meara said she’ll return to
Ortaria as soon as possible, and she’ll bring with her more wizards
to teach those Zyranians a thing or two.’

‘
You’re right, Red. She won’t be gone for long.’

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

The following
day they came out of the mountains and into the foothills on the
Ortarian side of the range. The air was clear, and the sun was
shining brightly down on them. From a high hill Eben could see the
Kingdom of Ortaria stretching out into the distance. He could see
the hills below and emerald green plains that faded into the
distant horizon. His eyes were drawn to a hill about three miles
away. A mighty fortress was set at the height of the hill. A small
town covered the steep hillsides surrounding the tower.

‘
Galdir!’ cried King Ignis excitedly.

The general
mood in the army was hopeful; Eben could feel the excitement in the
air. They continued to move forward toward the fortress, and within
two hours they were rounding the last hill.

A group of
riders rode out from the fortress to meet them; their leader was
wearing bright armour in the manner of a knight, but without a
helm. A large moustache dominated his face, and he was mostly bald
with hair growing out only above his ears. The other riders were
Ortarian cavalrymen.

‘
Hail! General Hugo!’ shouted the leading rider. ‘I expect to
hear good news. Has Orelin fallen?’

‘
Baron Doriak, there is much we must discuss,’ replied General
Hugo. Baron Doriak’s posture stiffened; he took a quick breath as
he stared in shock at King Ignis. A few moments passed in complete
silence.

‘
I don’t see how this can be,’ said the Baron, visibly
shaking. ‘I received word from King Ignis in Ancora only yesterday,
and yet, here I see that King Ignis rides with the army. Surely
there is something wrong.’

‘
I am King Ignis. The message you received was from an
imposter,’ said the King firmly.

‘
I don’t know if this can possibly be true,’ said Baron
Doriak, his eyes narrowing.

‘
It is true,’ said General Hugo. ‘We have all been the victims
of grave treachery. King Ignis has been imprisoned in the Dungeons
of Zyran for three years. An imposter has been ruling our lands.
Now that King Ignis has returned we will make all things right in
Ortaria.’

‘
I trust you, General Hugo; however, this news is difficult
for me to understand. I must say that I am shocked. Let me lead you
to the fortress. We will discuss this matter further in private.
Follow me, Your Highness,’ said Baron Doriak as he turned his
horse.

The army
marched onward toward the fortress. The towering fortress was a
thin structure made of dark bluestone and looked to be as old as
the mountains themselves. The tower was about fifty yards across at
the base and about a hundred and fifty yards in height. The
fortress only had narrow vertical windows set high above the
ground. On top of the fortress three flags of Ortaria blew gently
in the wind; the flags depicted the golden lion of Ortaria set
against a red background. A defensive wall, standing about forty
feet in height, encircled the town at the base of the hill. Several
small towers were set at intervals along the wall. The army marched
up to the main gate.

King Ignis
turned to General Hugo. ‘Hugo, tell the men to set up camp here.
Allow them to enter the town if they wish, but tell them to be
respectful toward the townsfolk. Have your commanders organise
supplies for the journey to Ancora. I want to leave at first
light.’

‘
It will be done,’ said General Hugo with a curt
nod.

The King then
turned to Eben. ‘Eben, come with me up to the fortress. I’m not yet
sure this place is completely safe, so keep your eyes open.’ A few
moments later General Hugo returned. Baron Doriak led King Ignis
and Eben up toward the fortress. General Hugo, Cassiel, Red, and
Stella followed after them. The town was depressed and desolate;
however, it was in a far better state than Ancora or Lantern Hill.
The people all stared as they rode by. Eben could hear the
surprised shouts as the people of the town saw King Ignis riding
with the Baron.

They arrived
at the top of the hill. At the base of the fortress was a great
iron door set above several stone steps. There were many depictions
carved into the surface of the great door. Two guardsmen stood on
each side of the entrance. They all dismounted and tied up their
horses. A few moments later they walked through the doorway into a
hall. Mighty pillars lined the walls, rising about eighty feet to
the ceiling above, and the floor was covered with grey slate. On
the far side of the hall was an empty bronze throne. To their left
and right stone stairways led up to the higher level. Several
doorways led off from the main hall on both sides.

‘
The Hall of Galdir, it has been too many years since I was
last here,’ said King Ignis as he walked toward the bronze
throne.

‘
I would not sit there if I was you,’ said Baron Doriak as the
iron door slammed shut. The doors lining the walls burst open, and
groups of armed Ortarian guardsmen charged into the hall. About
forty guardsmen surrounded the group as Baron Doriak walked toward
the throne and sat down, relaxing back with a smug grin on his
face.

‘
What is the meaning of this?’ shouted King Ignis, his hand
going to the hilt of his sword.

‘
The real King Ignis has instructed me, by royal decree, to
capture the pretender and to remove General Hugo’s rank. I will
take control of the army.’

‘
This is madness!’ cried General Hugo. ‘The army will never
allow it!’

‘
Yes they will. Because I am the highest ranked man in Galdir,
now that you, Hugo, have had your rank and nobility taken from you.
This pretender will be put in chains and taken back to Ancora. You
will be punished for trying to masquerade as the King of Ortaria.’
King Ignis looked across at Eben who was standing at his
side.

Cassiel began
to lift his hands; Baron Doriak’s snorted and then glared at him.
‘Ah, yes, the young Zyranian. My reports say you are an impatient
fool and that your skills are feeble at best. Do you think using
your magic now will save you or your friends?’ Several of the
guardsmen pointed their spears at Cassiel. Cassiel lowered his
hands and looked across at King Ignis for direction. The King
turned to Eben.

‘
Eben,’ whispered King Ignis. ‘These guardsmen are Ortarians;
they don’t deserve to die for following the orders of this mad
fool. I saw you slay a hundred muckrons and a wyvern.’

‘
What are you plotting?’ shouted the Baron, clenching his
fists.

Eben glanced
around at the guardsmen and drew his sword. He nodded back to King
Ignis confidently. A moment later Eben stepped forward toward Baron
Doriak.

‘
You cannot take the King,’ said Eben boldly.

‘
Do you want to die, boy? Your group is outnumbered at least
five to one!’ shouted Baron Doriak, his lips curling in anger. Eben
continued walking toward Baron Doriak. ‘Kill him!’ cried the
Baron.

The guardsmen
charged at Eben. Eben easily parried several attacks and sliced a
spear in two as he kicked a guardsman back. He parried and threw
another to the ground as he continued walking toward Baron Doriak.
More guardsmen charged at him and again he parried and threw a man
down as he tripped another up and knocked the man’s sword away. A
moment later he held his sword inches from the Baron’s chest. Baron
Doriak stared up at Eben in shock.

‘
Tell them to drop their weapons!’ said Eben in a low
voice.

The Baron
shrunk back in fear. He looked to the guardsmen who had been
knocked to the ground and the others who were stumbling away; none
of them were seriously hurt, but they had all been completely
outmatched.

‘
Drop your weapons,’ he muttered, trembling in fear as he
stared up at Eben. ‘Who are you?’

‘
He’s a loyal Ortarian,’ said King Ignis, stepping forward to
stand beside Eben. ‘Now get off my throne, Doriak! You will never
sit in my place again!’ Doriak stood up and cautiously stepped away
from the throne. ‘Hugo, have the town secured. I want to make sure
there are no other traps or traitors. Also have the entire fortress
searched.’

‘
Yes, Sire,’ said General Hugo as he went to the iron door and
pushed it open. He took from his belt a horn and blew it three
times.

King Ignis
then walked over toward the group of guardsmen. ‘You men are
Ortarians. You have all seen the evil growing in our lands. Your
families have faced hardships. I am King Ignis, rightful ruler of
Ortaria. I am a true descendent of the Ecorian Arbiters of the
Ecorian Empire. I have been imprisoned for three years by people
who plan to make you into slaves. Now I have returned, and I intend
to free our lands of evil and bring back freedom and happiness to
Ortaria. If you serve the Kingdom of Ortaria you should take up
your weapons and fight for what is good and true. I give you this
opportunity, an amnesty; pick up your swords and pledge your
allegiance to Ortaria.’

They all
looked bewildered and some of them hung their heads in shame. One
of the guardsmen stepped forward.

‘
We serve you, Your Highness. Baron Doriak told us you were a
pretender. We see now that you are the real King of Ortaria.’ He
then fell on one knee and pledged his allegiance, and the others
followed his example.

General Hugo
walked over from the iron doors. ‘The army is coming up the hill
through the town.’

‘
Good,’ said King Ignis, turning back to look at Baron
Doriak.

‘
Doriak, I have always trusted you; now I see my
mistake.’

The Baron
looked up at King Ignis with a smug grin. ‘King Ignis, you have no
idea what you are facing. You think that you can retake Ortaria.
Only days ago there were dozens of Skatheans here; they knew you
were coming, and they have prepared for you. Soon Ortaria will be a
land of muckrons.’

The King
stared at Baron Doriak. A few moments of harsh silence passed.

‘
Put him in the dungeon,’ commanded King Ignis. ‘I remove your
rank and nobility, Doriak. You shall answer for your crimes, your
dishonour, and your treason.’

‘
When the army of muckrons arrives here they will free me, and
you will learn the hard truth, King Ignis. I look forward to seeing
what they do to you when you are captured. The days of the Ecorian
Arbiters are at an end. The Master in the north will utterly
destroy you and all the fools who choose to stand by your
side.’

‘
Take him away!’ commanded King Ignis.

Several of the
guardsmen took Doriak by his arms and led him away through one of
the side doors. Moments later about twenty soldiers from the army
burst in through the iron doors, all of them ready for a fight,
having just run up the hill at Hugo’s call. King Ignis walked over
and sat down on the bronze throne.

‘
We must prepare.’

**

In the upper
level of the fortress was a large chamber with a long oak table and
a great fireplace. A fire burned brightly and kept the entire room
warm. King Ignis sat at the table looking through piles of
parchment that had been sent between the Imposter and Baron Doriak.
Eben sat across the table whilst Red and Stella sat by the
fireplace. General Hugo stood near the King.

‘
Doriak was working with the Imposter for years,’ said King
Ignis. ‘He knew all along that I was imprisoned in Zyran. They were
initially planning to use the army to invade Vastoria; they then
planned to march across into Irvaria. After I was freed they made a
desperate move as they knew the army would be a threat to them if I
could regain control. It seems that several nobles have been in on
the Zyranian plan. Earl Zalmar and Baron Ardok were working with
Baron Doriak. This explains a lot; Baron Ardok had a meeting with
me the afternoon I was taken away to the Dungeons of Zyran. I’m
sure he infused my wine with a potion that put me to sleep. He must
have been working with the Zyranians all along.’

‘
I’m surprised that Earl Zalmar is a turncoat. I always
thought that he was a good man,’ said General Hugo.

‘
We will question him on our return to Ancora,’ said King
Ignis. ‘This last note sent to Doriak worries me the most. He was
told to attempt to capture us and take control of the army. The
note then goes on to say that they are making preparations in the
east. They say they will come west and crush the Ortarian army if
he fails to take control of it. This would refer to the muckron
army Doriak was talking about. Perhaps they plan to meet us on the
road.’

‘
We should send scouts across the plains in the morning,’ said
Hugo.

‘
Yes, we should. The fact they think they can match us is what
concerns me the most. They’re aware of our numbers, and they’re
confident enough to come west to meet us.’

‘
Perhaps we should remain in Galdir and wait for them,’
suggested Hugo. ‘We have walls and the fortress here.’

The King gave
it some thought before answering. ‘No, Hugo, I want to go east and
recapture Ancora as soon as possible. They could starve us out by
laying siege to Galdir, and our cavalry would give us no advantage
here. We know the cavalry helped us a lot on the battlefield in
Scaldonia. It’s an advantage I don’t want to give up.’