Wielder's Rising (38 page)

“I only have two arrows,” she replied.  “I’ll need both of them.”

The lead guard smiled as he motioned one of the other guards forward.  The second guard pulled out a full quiver of arrows and handed them to her.

“Just because none of my guards are skilled archers doesn’t mean that we aren’t equipped with bows and arrows,” he said.

Kalista accepted the quiver and slid off her horse.  She pulled out an arrow and fitted it to her bow.  It was difficult for her to pull all the way back on the string but she managed.  She picked a small tree in the foothills of the mountains and let the arrow fly.  She smiled as it glanced off the side of the trunk.  She pulled out another arrow and embedded it in the bark of the trunk.  She followed it with one more to be certain that she had the feel of the bow.

She turned as the third arrow lodged itself in the trunk near the second one.  All of the guards were staring with wide eyes.  Apparently they hadn’t thought she was really that skilled with a bow.

“I am ready,” she stated.  “Let’s get this over with before I realize how crazy it is.”

“It’s definitely crazy,” the lead guard said nervously.  “But now that I’ve seen how skilled you are, I think we might actually have a chance.  I think it’s best that we continue to the hill on foot.  That way we will be able to keep out of sight until we reach the top.”

He quickly gave commands to the other guards as to who was to stay with the horses and who was to continue on.  Kalista took a deep breath as she began to creep towards the small hill with eight guards surrounding her.   She wondered if her rash idea would really end up working.  Could she really bring down the Balthan wielder?

They were soon at the base of the hill.  The lead guard slowly crept to its crest and slid out on top of it, flat on his stomach.  He remained motionless for a few moments before sliding backwards off the top and descending.

“The wielder’s easy enough to pick out,” he said after he reached the bottom.  “No one is near him.  He’s a little further away than the tree was but not much.  Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

Her stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of what she was about to do.  She had never shot at a person before.  She tried to calm her nerves by taking several deep breaths.  She closed her eyes and imagined that she was back in the fields outside of Calyn hunting snow lions.  The wielder was nothing but a snow lion.

“We’ll creep up to just below the top with you Princess,” the lead guard said.  “Signal us when you’re ready, and we’ll all climb up on top together.  I would suggest taking your shot as quickly as you can while still being accurate.  We’ll want to get off the hill and back to the horses as fast as possible.”

Kalista nodded in understanding.  She took one last calming breath and began creeping up the hill.  She stopped just below the top and readied herself to take the shot.  She pulled out an arrow and strung it.  She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the sounds of battle coming from the other side of the hill.  She went through in her mind exactly what she would do.  She would let three arrows fly in quick succession and hope that at least one of them would find its target.

It was time.  She signaled the guards and leapt in unison with them to the top of the hill.  She immediately located the Balthan wielder, stood up straight, and let her first arrow fly.  Two more followed in quick succession before the first had even reached its intended target.  She dropped to the ground and watched anxiously as the arrows zipped through the air towards the wielder.

* * * * *

Kadrak let loose another lightning bolt and frowned.  The day had not proceeded how he had hoped it would, and he was beginning to tire.  The surprise counter attack by the Kalians had been fierce.  He had been forced to spend the majority of the morning using his powers to defend his army instead of using them offensively.

His troops had broken through the Kalian Army eventually and forced them down from the rise.  They now battled on equal ground.  For that he was thankful.  His morning attack had also killed several of the Kalian Army’s commanders and left them slightly disorganized.  He believed his army was gaining the upper hand with his continual support, but he feared that if he rested the Kalians would take control back.

He suddenly sensed a disturbance in the air near him.  Time froze as he located the three arrows, one after another, pointing towards him.  All three burst into flames and fell harmlessly to the ground several spans away from him.  He growled in anger.  Apparently the Kalians hadn’t learned their lesson yet.

He quickly located the source of the arrows.  A handful of soldiers lay flat against the ground at the top of a nearby hill.  Did they think they could shoot at him and get away with it?  Did they think they could hide?  He focused on the hill and snarled.  They would pay.

* * * * *

Kalista gaped in surprise as all three of her arrows burst into flames and fell harmlessly to the ground before reaching the wielder.  She had underestimated him.  Before she had time to think of anything else, she felt a buzzing in the air and her hair stood on end.  There was a blinding flash of light and a loud crack.  Suddenly she was flying through the air.

She grunted as she came crashing to the ground.  Dazed and confused, she lay still for several moments.  She then slowly pushed herself up and rolled over to her back.  She stared up at the sky as her eyes tried to regain their focus.  What had just happened?  She blinked several times with her ears ringing.  The sun appeared to be moving and growing larger.  She blinked several times.  As her eyes finally focused, she realized she wasn’t looking at the sun but at a fireball that was falling rapidly down on top of her.

32

Traven crested the rise and glanced out over the battlefield.  A fierce battle was raging all the way down to the mouth of the pass.  He disregarded the fighting soldiers and quickly picked out the princess and her guards.  They were riding hard towards the foothills at a safe distance north of the battle.  Where were they going?  He shook his head in frustration.

He had first caught sight of the princess when she was at the top of this very rise.  He had thought she would stay put and he would be able to catch up to her at last.  Instead, she had soon disappeared down the other side.  It looked as though they would need to hurry in order to catch her.  He turned to Darian with a shrug, and they both took off after the princess and her guards once again.

As excited as he was to see her in person, it made him extremely nervous to see her so near the battle.  He wouldn’t feel comforted until he was at her side.  He urged Pennon to go faster.  He couldn’t bear the thought of losing the princess because he hadn’t been fast enough.

He glanced at the battle raging to the south of him as he continued riding after the princess.  It appeared chaotic and disorganized.  He wondered where the commanders were.  He hadn’t seen any centralized location where the battle was being directed from.  He hoped Blaize was okay.  He would have to find him tonight when the fighting stopped.

He turned his attention back to catching up with the princess.  She and her guards had disappeared into the foothills near the pass.  Pennon and Darian’s horse continued thundering towards the hills.  He was so close to the princess and yet still too far away to keep her safe.  They finally reached the edge of the foothills and pulled up.

“Where do you think she is?” he asked his elven companion.

“I’m not sure,” Darian replied as he scanned the hills.  “The only reason I can think of for them to go into the foothills is to hide.”

“Why would they come to this side of the battlefield to hide?” Traven thought out loud.  “They could have just turned around back at the rise.”

“I think they are trying to get closer to the battle without being seen.”

He followed the elf’s gaze to where the foothills ended near the edge of what appeared to be the fiercest part of the fighting.  A sick feeling came over him.  What were the guards thinking?  He booted Pennon and hurried along the edge of the foothills towards the fighting near the mouth of the pass.  He kept an eye on the hills for any sign of movement.

The princess and her guards suddenly popped into view in the distance at the top of a small hill.  He watched with surprise as the princess drew her bow and fired three arrows in a row towards the center of the large group of battling soldiers before she dropped to the ground.  He wondered who she had been shooting at and why.

A bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down on the hill with tremendous force.  He watched with horror as bodies were flung into the air.

“No!” he yelled as he continued racing towards the hill.

He was too late!  As the dust settled he was able to pick out the body of the princess sprawled near the top of the hill.  He gasped with relief as he saw her push herself up and roll over.  She was still alive!  His eyes narrowed as a fireball came arching over the battling soldiers and barreling down towards the princess.

Time froze.  He quickly formed a shield above the princess’ body.  Time returned in a rush, and the fireball slammed into the shield and disappeared harmlessly several feet above her.  He left the shield in place and hurried towards the base of the hill.  When he reached it, he leapt from Pennon’s back and raced up the incline to the princess’ side.  She was laying still upon the ground.  He slipped his hand under her head and brushed the dirt from her cheek.  Her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive, but she was breathing.

Darian hurried up the hill and joined him.  They both looked up as another fireball came arching down towards them.  The shield effectively blocked it just as it had the first.  Traven glanced towards the field of battle to see where the attacks had come from.  His eyes instantly locked upon the source.

In the center of the raging battle, an imposing man with flowing blond hair sat atop a horse staring towards them.  A ring of empty field separated him from the soldiers battling nearby.  A bright aura of golden light shown all around him.  It was the Wielder Kadrak.

“Take her to safety,” Traven said.

“What of you?” Darian replied.  “I should stay by your side.”

“No,” he said firmly.  “The Balthan wielder needs to be stopped, but I need to know the princess will be safe.  Please take care of her.”

“As you wish,” the elf said as he took the princess from Traven and carefully scooped her up in his arms.  “Be careful, Master.”

Traven took one last long look at the unconscious princess before turning his attention fully to the wielder Kadrak.  He focused and gathered his strength as Darian hurried down the slope and disappeared into the foothills.  He rose to his feet and took a deep breath.  He would need to be completely focused if he hoped to defeat the Balthan wielder.

He worked to calm himself, but the blood in his veins boiled.  The wielder had hurt the princess.  He had tried to kill her.  Traven took another deep breath, trying to clear the raging emotion from his mind.  The wielder had struck her with a lightning bolt.  Traven would return the favor.  Time slowed and the air thickened.

* * * * *

Kadrak stared across the battlefield to the small hill in the distance.  The young wielder from Kalia stood atop it facing him.  A shining, golden hued aura surrounded the boy, testifying of his power in the ambience.  When the first fireball had exploded in the air harmlessly above the hill, Kadrak had been at a loss as to what had happened.  He had sent another fireball with the same perplexing result.  It became clear what was occurring when the boy had stood up.

Static abruptly filled the air around Kadrak.  He immediately created a shield around him and his stallion.  Almost instantly a giant lightning bolt crashed down into his shield and arced all around it to the ground.  His horse danced around in surprise at the sudden bright light and dull boom of the bolt hitting the shield.

The boy had just attacked him!  Did he think to challenge the mighty Kadrak?  He growled and gathered his strength.  He would teach the young wielder the true power of the ambience.  The boy would be sorry that he had dared to challenge him.

Around him there was a sudden silence.  The battling soldiers had all paused.  They were staring towards him with wide eyes.  They understood what had just happened.  He had been attacked with magic.  They followed Kadrak’s smoldering stare and saw the lone figure standing tall upon the hill in the distance.  He was dressed all in black.  He was too far away for them to see many details, but it was obvious by his stance and posture that he was the source of the attack.

Kadrak gritted his teeth and sent a lightning bolt thundering down towards the young wielder in response.  The lightning was effectively stopped by the boy’s shield just as the fireballs had been.  Soldiers on both sides stared at the man in black who stood firm upon the hill, untouched by the lightning.  They glanced between the two wielders and began to hurry out of the way.  It was obvious a wielder’s duel was about to take place, and they didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

* * * * *

Traven stared back at the Balthan wielder.  He obviously hadn’t appreciated the lightning attack.  Unfortunately, the wielder knew how to use a shield.  He had expected as much but had thought it was worth a try.  He watched from his perch on the hill as the soldiers from both armies began scrambling away from the Balthan wielder and hurrying out of the space between the two of them.  It was clear they didn’t want to be caught in any of the crossfire.

He waited anxiously for the Balthan wielder to attack again, but nothing happened.  The wielder appeared content to wait for either the field around him to completely clear or for Traven to make the next move.

He wondered what his next move should be.  It seemed strange to be facing an enemy with the ambience.  Should he try and defeat his opponent with trickery or with brute force?  He wished he knew how the Balthan compared to him in strength.  It was obvious by the man’s bright, golden aura that he was very strong.  He wondered how his own aura of power looked to Kadrak.