The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 02 - The Gathering (25 page)

“Half of your
men will fish, every day. We need resources to feed the refugees from the
kingdoms as well as prepared food when the battle begins. I believe many of
your men have fishing experience, so use them for that task. Gather as much as
you can, and preserve what is not eaten.”

“And the other
half?” the captain asked, but his brow had furrowed at the work assignment.

“The other
half will fortify your ships as strongly as you consider possible. Gather wood
from the forest and fashion ballistae, bows, crossbows, arrows, and any other
weapons that you might need. If your men fail in this preparation, the army
will overrun your vessels. They will slaughter you.”

Raize frowned,
but rose to his feet before saying through clenched teeth, “We will do as you
have ordered, but only because it appears we have no choice.”

As he turned
to leave, Braon stopped him. “One more thing, Captain.” When he turned and
glowered at him the young commander surprised him with a smile full of
sympathy. “Regardless of your past, we welcome you to the gathering. Our own
lives will depend on your support just as much as yours do on ours. Thank you.”

After a moment
Raize bowed and departed without another word. As soon as he was gone Thacker exploded,
“Braon, you can’t allow that man into our forces! He is evil to the core and
you cannot trust him!”

Braon sighed
and rubbed his eyes, weariness crashing over him. “I don’t trust him, Thacker,
but we have to let him join. Your family’s lives may have been threatened by
him before, but right now he and his crew might
save
one of your
children because they are here.”

Thacker shook
his head and stalked from the room. Under his breath Braon whispered, “And he
is not evil to the core, or he would not be here.” Taking a sip of warm ale he
tipped his head to Rokei. “Send in the next one.”

For the next
hour Braon dealt with various issues ranging from problems in the construction
of the battlements to difficulties in organization. Finally there were only two
remaining and he stifled a yawn as they entered together. Before him stood two
elves who couldn’t have been more different. One wore robes signifying magical training,
and the other wore a long katsana on his back and a tunic of light mail.

“You are not
from Azertorn.” Braon guessed, and they both grinned.

“What gave us
away my young commander?” the mage asked.

He shrugged,
“Your skin has seen much more . . . sun . . . than the elves of this city.”

The warrior’s
grin widened, “As good as we have heard then.”

“Agreed my
friend,” the mage nodded. “I am Daiki, and this is Murai. We have come from the
island of Sri Rosen.”

“The training
ground for the elves,” Braon smiled. The masters alone would be very valuable.

Murai tilted
his head. “Correct again. The queen sent a message to the island and we left as
soon as possible. We have brought every soul with us. Together we number over
five hundred masters and four times that number of students, as well as horses,
weapons, and any other gear that it was possible to bring.”

“I bet your
ships were rather crowded,” Braon said with a chuckle.

“You have no
idea,” Murai said, flashing a light grin.

Daiki sighed,
“I wish it were better circumstances that brought us to this gathering, but it
is not to be. I also apologize for the late hour, but we just arrived and
wished to speak to you directly.”

“What is it
you need?” Braon asked, but both of them shook their heads.

“We are here
for our orders, Commander,” Murai exclaimed, inclining his head towards Braon.

The young man
wondered what had been in the letter or what they had heard that caused such
respect, but he hid his surprise. “For now, get some rest. In the morning I
will need you to do several things. Most importantly, select seven of your best
masters. Have them report here and speak to this man.” He motioned to Thacker.
“He and his children form a telepathic link that we are using to communicate
with our commands.”

Daiki’s eyes
widened. “A mind link! Astonishing! I never thought I would see one.”

“And fortunate
for our cause. Without it, we would be vulnerable—but with it—our organization is
far superior. Because his children are the Links that connect our defenses,
their survival is paramount. Your seven masters will be their personal
guardians, as well as trainers for the rest of their guards. Because of their
critical role in the battle, their survival is crucial.” His voice softened.
“You should also know that some of them are very young, but have risen to their
calling admirably.”

Daiki nodded,
accepting the orders, “And the rest of us?”

“Our defenses
cover seven battalions, three east of the city and three west. Spread your
masters amongst the six regiments outside the city and report to the elves that
are in charge of training. Do everything in your power to make sure every
member of the battalions is ready for battle, regardless of race. Also, send
your students to join Deiran’s forces in the city, unless they are too young to
fight, in which case send them to the queen to help with women and children in
the caves behind Azertorn.”

Murai’s lips
twitched into a smile. “Excellent. We will begin sorting tonight and seven
masters will be here in the morning.”

Braon nodded
and the two elves departed as Thacker re-entered the room.

“I apologize
for my outburst,” he said with his eyes on the floor. “I did not follow my
training.”

Braon stood
and moved to stand in front of him. “There is never a need to apologize for
wanting to protect one’s family.”

Thacker lifted
his head and swallowed. “I just . . . hate that man so much, and I can’t
believe we will have to work with him.”

“I know
Thacker, but keep in mind there are many others in your position. All of us
must stand together with once hated rivals. It is our only way to live, and
protect those we care about.”

After a moment
Thacker swallowed and sighed before straightening his back. “It is late, but
something tells me you are not finished for the day.”

“Correct, my
friend. It is time we took a brief survey of our progress. Summon Newhawk and
we will meet him on the roof.” Braon said, striding from the room.

Rokei and
several other guards appeared as they headed through the house of Runya and
Braon hid a smile at the sight. For the last several days his personal guards had
mysteriously increased in number, and now six sentries slid in and out of the
shadows around him. Rokei in particular appeared more wary and watchful, so it
seemed that he might be the instigator of the extra protection. Braon had wondered
if there might be an underlying reason for the increased vigilance, and reminded
himself to speak with Rokei on the matter.

Braon stepped
onto the roof of the House of Runya and took a deep breath of night air. Lush
gardens grew across the entire roof, and waterways gurgled on winding paths. A
partial moon in the scattered clouds lit the area and for the first time Braon
realized how late it was. By the height of the moon it was probably after
midnight.

A sudden gust
of warmth heralded the arrival of the great phoenix as it landed on the edge of
the roof. Before Newhawk could dismount Braon stepped forward and greeted the
druid leader and his Link Seath.

“Thank you for
coming. I was wondering if I might have the privilege of seeing the progress on
the fortifications.” Braon said.

It would be
my pleasure
, a deep voice said inside his head, causing him to look around
in astonishment.

Newhawk
laughed, “Reiquen does not often speak to others, but I think he likes you,
Braon.”

The great bird
ruffled its neck and said in Braon’s mind,
Of course. He is our commander
and we are lucky to have a good one,
The mind voice turned affectionate
and he added
, even if he is small
.

Pleased by the
phoenix's confidence in him, Braon bowed and filed away the knowledge that the
bird could mind link to others for future thought. “Thank you Reiquen. You are
most kind.”

In response,
the massive bird bent down so Braon could mount. Smiling,
Braon looked back to Thacker and Rokei. “I will be back within a couple of
hours. Thacker, go get some rest. Tomorrow promises to be another long day.
Seath will be my Link for now.”

With that he
stepped forward and with the aid of Newhawk’s outstretched arm, climbed to a
seat between Newhawk and Seath. Spreading his wings, Reiquen launched them into
the air. As they rose skyward in the calm night, he felt warmed by his seat on
the giant phoenix.

Impulsively he
thought,
Reiquen, if you could always hear me, why did you choose to speak
to me
?

After a moment
where Braon almost doubted he'd heard him, the same deep voice echoed in his
mind,
I heard the Oracle explain to Newhawk about you, but I had my doubts.
After seeing your plans for the defense of so many, and your devotion and
ability to bring people together, I began to realize the Oracle had been right.
This is your destiny, young one, even though few would have thought of you for
the role.

Braon
swallowed against the sudden surge of emotion and heard Newhawk’s low chuckle.
Realizing the druid had heard he asked aloud, “Can Reiquen hear every thought
of those around him?”

“Some mages
make it more difficult for him by trying to seal their mind,” he patted the
wide neck in front of him. “But Reiquen doesn’t have much of a problem with
that.” He turned to look at the young commander, “I’m actually surprised he is
speaking to you so much. I’ve never seen him do that with anyone.”

 “He’s never
spoken to me,” Seath said in his ear, and by his tone Braon could tell he was
smiling.

I speak to those
I trust
, Reiquen said, and even in Braon’s mind he could tell the phoenix
was amused.
I almost trust a few of the telepaths
,
but only because
the commander has trained them to merit loyalty
.

Braon
smothered a laugh, but in the back of his mind several questions popped
unbidden into the forefront of his thoughts.
What have I done during their
training to make them more trustworthy? And why does he trust me?
Last of
all, the strategic part of his mind whispered
, How can I use this to improve
our fighting?

A knowing
chuckle from the phoenix reverberated through his head as they flew west and
Braon realized that the bird knew what he would ask.

During the
battle, can you mind link to Thacker so I can communicate with Newhawk?
Braon
mentally asked.

Is that an
order, Commander
? the bird replied, his mental voice tinged with both amusement
and something else that Braon couldn’t identify.

After a
moment’s thought Braon replied,
No Reiquen, it is a request. I do not
believe that I have the authority to order you to do anything.

The bird
underneath them rumbled and Braon heard deep laughter at the same time that
Newhawk leaned forward and asked if he was all right. Apparently Reiquen had
kept that part of their conversation private.

It took
several minutes before the firebird replied to his question. When he did, it
was better than he could have hoped.
We’ll see, Commander
. Before he
could reply he felt a separation as Reiquen withdrew the link and he knew his
mind was his once more.

For the next
couple of hours Braon flew with Newhawk above the growing walls and partially
constructed defenses. Even though he paid close attention to his second in
command’s report, a small portion of his mind continued to ponder the sudden
revelations about Reiquen. The idea of easy communication between them was
appealing, and would give him a Link that he could place somewhere else.

He felt like the
keystone of an arch had just fallen into place.

Chapter
20: Azüre

Braon looked
at the Azüre king, Emeka, but did not allow any of the apprehension that he
felt to show on his face. Emeka had arrived moments ago in advance of a fleet
of ships carrying his people, a fleet he’d proclaimed he’d gathered by fighting
every other tribe leader to the death—right before he’d challenged Braon for
the right to leadership.

Tall, ebony,
and muscular, King Emeka appeared as a model of the Azüre people. Shirtless, he
wore a leopard skin around his waist that hung to his knees. Thick white fur
banded his ankles, and gold bands wrapped his wrists. For weapons he carried a
long spear and a thin, oval shield made of wood and leather.

Resisting the
urge not to flinch at the fierce grin, Braon mulled over the challenge amidst
loud protests from several voices in the command center. In a calm voice he did
not feel, he said, “As I understand the terms of a challenge, the one
challenged has the right to choose the contest.”

The proud
warrior king’s lip curled into a sneer. “So the
fat
boy has some
knowledge of our people.”

Several voices
began shouting but Braon raised a hand and waited for his worried friends to
calm down. To him, the two of them were the only ones that existed, and he
considered his options carefully. He could decline, and risk losing the
confidence of all of the warriors in his command, or accept and somehow defeat
one who had bested far better than him. Unfortunately it seemed there was only
one option. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Newhawk twitch, and his worried
expression gave him an idea.

Smiling he
answered, “I accept, Chief Emeka.”

Several people
gasped and he heard a few men mutter about insanity, but he ignored them. Out
of the corner of his eye he also saw a few satisfied expressions from
individuals he knew doubted his leadership. Among them the arch-mage's eyes
glittered with anticipation.