Deke Brolin Rhol (32 page)

“But he had no choice,
” Kaelyn insisted.

“No, but I know Palto
, and in his mind he regrets giving Jayden the day he requested that he stay in the Realm. He blames himself for not acting right away, and being unable to save Jayden from Solharn. I am sure that after hearing the story from Oisin of what transpired, he believes that it is his fault Jayden was captured. He knows Jayden far too well, and in his mind Jayden would never have taken the chance of crossing that field in daylight, unless it was, in at least some regard, to get back to Solace to save him.”

“That is absurd. There were many reasons he made that choice.”

“Perhaps, but you will never convince Palto of that.”

Kaelyn and Issa
walked over to their half of the army, and explained to them what their strategy was for the battle to come. There was a disturbing silence in the air as they talked. The only other sound they heard came from Palto, who was ensuring his fighters were aware of what was to come, how proud they would be when the battle was theirs. How they were all heroes. How strong they were. How their heart would guide them to rise above and defeat Solharn’s armies. Palto was a true leader, unlike no other. He was a leader whom even other leaders followed. After hearing his speech, Palto’s troops were confident. They all believed that this battle was theirs to win, even though Kaelyn was sure Palto knew how slight the chance of victory was. And so Kaelyn followed suit and gave a similar speech to her warriors until they too held their heads high. In their minds, nothing could defeat them.

After everyone had finished the last meal that they would have for a very long time
, they lined up along the edge of the cliff looking down upon Solace. Six hundred strong paired up Lealians upon Pegapires, a formidable alliance. The weight of each Lealian must have been tremendous on the back of each Pegapire. Each Lealian was adorned in brilliant armor, and each carried long gleaming swords. Orler arrows and bows were strapped within their reach, on the side of every Pegapire. They stood strongly, steady as if frozen in time awaiting Palto to give the final order to attack.

Palto looked down to the ground. He could see Oisin and Orulla were also ready and waiting. They had done well to organize the troops in a short span of time. Oisin had used an older strategy that only Roland or Jayden, on his behest, must have shown him. It was a good strategy to use, given
that their numbers were so small. Instead of the warriors lining up in one straight line they lined up in a V pattern. The archers remained well behind them. Their position would not change, they remained in a line.

The advantage to the V pattern
was that when the enemy army observed them from a distance, it would appear as if their army was much larger than it actually was. It was a strategic illusion, which if it worked, would change how their enemy would fight.  Not only would it work for reasons of intimidation and fear, but it would draw a larger portion of the army toward them leaving the lesser portion far more vulnerable. Palto was impressed. Oisin and Orulla were drawing attention to themselves so that Palto could drastically diminish the portion of Solharn’s army that was left behind as reinforcements.

W
hen Solharn’s army approached, Oisin would order the V formation to slowly fall back into a straight line. This would appear to the enemy that they were retreating, giving them a false sense of confidence. It would also allow time for Palto and his armies to return and attack from behind.  It was a strategy that came with a lot of risk, particularly with timing. Once Oisin’s troops had formed the line it would mark the signal for the archers to release their arrows at the enemy. Once the first set of arrows flew through the air, Oisin’s army would advance on them hoping that Palto had already defeated the reinforcements and swung in behind the attacking army. This would essentially trap the enemy. It required a great deal of trust to believe in this strategy. A trust that Palto was clearly glad Oisin had in him.

Palto beamed confidence, at least to his troops. He had to
; if he did not show them that he had confidence, then they would not hold onto theirs. Solharn’s army was now in sight, although still a few miles away. You could hear the distant sounds of drums, or perhaps it was the sound of the Kruntullas feet as they slammed into the ground with each step they took. Another mile and it would be time. He could not believe the endless streams of soldiers walking in groups of one hundred, nor the number of Phits that flew directly over the Kaltaures soldiers.

But that w
asn’t what suddenly caused Palto to lose his poise. He had not expected to see what abruptly approached him from the rear. It was not something he was unfamiliar with. In fact, it was something he had seen quite recently. He should have been prepared, but he wasn’t, and as Phanthus descended down upon them, he suddenly lost his confidence.

Silence surrounded the humble home buried deep within the soil of Rhol. Everyone’s eyes were glued to Mary with this sudden revelation.

Before anyone could ask any more questions she continued.

“You see, the Kilto elder was right. I hadn’t failed my quest. It just wasn’t completed. My quest was to find the Queen, and then lead you to her. It wasn’t easy. It took me a full year to finally realize what I suspected; there were far too many Phits skulking around the swamp. It didn’t make any sense to me that Solharn wouldn’t use them for some other purpose. They wouldn’t be of any help to his cause just idling away in the swamp, besides, what better place would there be to stash her away? The Tiqor Swamps are full of vile creatures, and they have no redeeming qualities. Nobody ever enters them.

I set my sights on their camps, their home territory. It had to be where Elissa was imprisoned. It took several months of hiding away, watching the Phit patterns, their security pat
rols and where they gathered in larger concentrations. Each time I returned to their territories, I moved in closer and closer. I always followed the same route until I felt uncomfortable. Then I would change it slightly. Within half a year I could move with ease, in and out of their camps with confidence. As a precaution, I had escape routes planned should I be detected, but I never needed them. I had adapted well to the swamps and after learning the topography, I simply blended in.

I had my sights set on one particular section. It was almost impossible to get there
due to the sheer number of Phits that congregated there morning, noon and night. It was about a week before I found you that I was able to use the cover of the night to slip my way in. The fact that there were hundreds of Phits within this area actually helped me, as the buzzing of their wings provided the perfect mask for any noise I might have made.

I ne
ared a heavily guarded cavern. Two torches blazed away on either side of the opening providing all the light I needed to see. Seven Phits milled about making sure nobody came close. Several others flew in circles above the cavern, but never far enough to lose sight of the entrance. I realized there was no way I could make it without being detected. I would have to come up with another plan to deal with the Phits that guarded the makeshift jail, one that could be executed quietly. So, I returned here. I made poison darts from the Derinto plant that grows in abundance in these swamps. A mere drop from the nectar of these plants is enough to paralyze a full grown man for a week. I crafted a blow gun from some hollowed wood. I was intending to return to the cavern on the very day the Kilto elder appeared and told me to go west. I heeded his words. I knew I was running out of time, but I thought there must have been a good reason for his advice. Perhaps he knew I wouldn’t have been able to save the Queen on my own, or that my mind would soon be too crazed to help the Queen, even if I had found her. Whatever the reason, he once again steered me down the right path.”

“So, you never actually saw the Queen there?” Deke asked.

“I didn’t have to. I know that’s where she’s being held. It all makes sense.”

“It is certainly a possibility,
” Deo said.

“I know she is there. I can’t explain it
, but on top of everything I’ve just told you, I just feel it. You don’t have to be as convinced as I am, but where else do we start? We can’t just ignore it.”

“Mary is right,
” Delca added. “We owe her our trust considering what she has just gone through to bring us all together.”

“Okay,
” Deke answered. “What is the plan?”

“My plan is the same
, only now I have all of you to help me. We must immobilize the Phits guarding the cavern, and rescue the Queen. I have enough wood left to make a blow gun for each of us.”

They wasted no time and immediately fetched the hollow sticks that Mary had piled in the corner. Deke and Deo began to cut the pieces to length
, while Delca carefully dipped shards of wood into the poison that Mary had placed into a clay bowl. 

Mary left the house to gather some food. She had agreed to prepare a dinner for them while they worked. She went by herself on purpose. She didn’t think any of them would want to see what they would be dining on. Torslendas were one of the few things within the swamps that one could eat without becoming violently ill. They tasted fine when boiled for a few hours.
However, the outward appearance of a Torslenda would cause most people’s stomach to turn, particularly if they imagined having to eat it. They looked much like the slugs one would find on Earth except, on Rhol they each weighed about twenty pounds.

Mary walked slowly through the woods in search of K
orten trees; that was where she would find the Torslendas. They fed on its sap. It was also why the Korten tree wood burned blue. The Torslendas left buckets of blue mucus behind. They were covered in it which was part of the reason they looked so hideous. The wood of a Korten Tree was a soft wood with thin bark. The wood absorbed the mucus deep into its pores. When the wood was subjected to extreme heat, the mucus turned into a fuel that burned blue.

As she wal
ked she could see the Chumpralas following her from tree to tree. They were in a playful mood, occasionally throwing large nuts at her feet, hoping that she would react, but she wasn’t in the mood. There was too much on her mind. Disappointed, the Chumpralas gave up. They were curious animals though and continued to follow her, wondering what she was doing.

She had not walked far when she spotted a Torslenda half way up the trunk of a large Korten tree.
She carefully aimed the homemade spear she had brought along with her, and thrust it toward the unsuspecting creature. It fell and hit the ground with a thud.

All at once the Chumprala
s started cackling. Mary immediately ran for cover. The Chumpralas had seen her hunt Torslenda on countless occasions. There was no reason for them to start chirping unless something else had entered what they deemed to be their territory.

Her instincts proved to be right.
Something was casting a large shadow across the ground toward her from well above the trees. She didn’t move a muscle; only her eyes glanced upward in an attempt to see what was angering the Chumpralas. The creature finally came into view. She had heard many stories and seen many pictures of it, but this was the first time Mary had ever seen the creature in the flesh. Its enormous size made it seem so close. Her body was frozen. She held her breath not wanting to make the slightest of sounds. Several seconds passed before its massive body finally disappeared.   Mary breathed in and slowly rose to her feet. Her body still shook from what she had just witnessed. She would have to warn the others. Grabbing the Torslenda, she ran as fast as she could toward her underground shelter. She reached the entrance without incident and slid the remainder of the way through the hole, bowling over Deke as she emerged at the other end.

“Are you alright, Mary?”

Mary ran to the small stove. “I’m fine,” she said as she poured water onto the fire she had lit before leaving that morning.

“What is wrong? Mary
, you are as white as a ghost,” Delca added.

Mary threw supplies into a bag as she spoke
. “Our plans have changed. I think we are going to need some help.”

“Ok, Mary. Calm down. We will figure s
omething out,” Deke said.

“We will have to because Phan
thus is now scouring the swamps. I can only assume that he is looking for us, which means the Phits are sure to be on high alert,” Mary casually said.

The room went silent for a brief moment as everyone took this information in. “I had heard of the dragon but never actually laid
eyes on him. He is a massive beast,” Mary continued.

“Did he see you?” Deo asked.

“No. He flew right over me. The Chumpralas began to cackle allowing me the time I needed to hide, but he flew directly over this place. I am sure he would have seen the smoke from the stove. Even though the smokestack comes out of the ground a few hundred yards from here, it will only be a matter of time before he figures out that the stack leads back to here. We have to leave now and fast.”

The other three moved all at once, grabbing whatever they could. Within minutes, Mary was beckoning them over to the hole.