The Enchanter of Rangel: Child of War Book 1 (21 page)

A full suit of armor was wheeled in dressed on a wooden dummy. Looking closely, Xander could see that unlike the gleaming silver the other guardsmen wore, this one seemed to be a pale pinkish color. On the breastplate of the armor was the seal of the House of Rangel along with the Princess’s name written at the bottom.

“Xander, all consorts to the Queen have worn similar armor throughout the centuries, and you will be no exception. The pink is the color of femininity, its strength and its grace. Take it, I am sure you will need it. Hurry and get dressed, you along with a strike team of the Guard are to leave. The regular watch will take over exterior palace duties and our army is preparing to march. The High Witch will be there, but as of yet the situation is more dire than she predicted. Leave me, and do not return without my Aubrey or some news of her.”

Xander stood up and looked at the armor. It was made of high grade steel although Xander did not know how it got its pinkish hue. Xander thought it looked weird compared to the Guards armor but figured he would make it his own. Xander wheeled the Armor to the practice circle and got dressed. Before long he was on his way along with ten other guardsmen in four covered wagons and a carriage in which Xander rode alone, as they traveled down the road, Xander smiled and started becoming happy with the idea of marrying the Princess.

Xander while left alone in his carriage took the time to get out of his armor, and enchant it, only where the others had the writing on the outside, Xander decided to make his on the inside. Xander decided to make his armor faster, as he was not as big as the normal Palace guardsman or even most of the regular army folk, his advantage was his speed. Figuring his plate could hold up to all but the most awesome attacks, speed was in his best interest. Xander enchanted his armor where it only needed one symbol activated for the whole thing and could only be used by another enchanter.  Xander rested after all his enchanting until his caravan stopped for the night.

“Alright boy,” Xander heard
Frowley’s unmistakable voice. “You have played future consort long enough you lucky dog. If you would have told me a child of war was going to catch her Royal Highness’s eye til the point of marriage I would have laughed myself to death. Whatever the case, suit up in there, you and Max have first watch.”

Xander stepped out of the carriage and tried a fast walk, much to his surprise he felt much faster than when he had the armor off. Xander walked to one perimeter and began experimenting. He often wished he had a better alarm than footsteps on the stairs if someone entered the tower, and thought he could enchant some type of symbol to light up and make noise if someone is getting closer. Xander started clearing space in the dirt and drew his word for light. Xander put a little of his ether into it and moved on doing the same every three feet or so. Xander did this for the entirety of his watch until he was relieved. Xander felt extremely tired as he went back to his carriage and fell asleep. Xander was sleeping comfortably until he heard a scream, followed by a snarl. Xander quickly rose silently thanking the Gods the guardsmen convinced him to sleep in his armor. Xander grabbed his weapon and headed out his carriage where he was treated to a light show.

It looked as if all of his traps worked beautifully as lights lit up the night time sky revealing a pack of dire wolves. The wolves froze at this display and those unlucky enough to run were soon ran through by short swords.

“Okay Xander, what in the hell was that?” asked Max as he looked around blindly, his night vision ruined by the display.

“Perimeter traps, I didn’t know they were going to work!” answered Xander looking at the devastation around him.

“Well if you could do that boy, why in the Gods name didn't you tell us so we could all get some damn sleep” Frowley complained.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, lasting four more days of hard riding until they reached what had to be the base camp of the Rangelian resistance.

“Where can we find Princess Aubrey” Max asked a passing Soldier.

“Down by the outpost, she went down there just for a second and the position is overrun. We are trying to get a healthy group down there now. The only reason the post hasn’t fallen is because the high witch is down there, along with a mountain of a man.”

“We need to reach her now!” screamed Xander.

“Aye lad, we do, Frowley what is our plan” asked Max.

“We need to be the vanguard, show everyone the Queen’s might. From what it looks like they are killing all who try, but numbers will overwhelm them due to fatigue. Let’s just jump in the middle of the fight, cause a bunch of mayhem. Maybe that will throw off their attack enough to allow the princess to escape.”

“Well we might as well get this over with. We either die trying or die running. Let’s go.” said Max as he held his shield up high.

Xander marched along with the Guard out of the camp and down into the valley. Looking around, Xander could see many Inglish dead but they had numbers this far out. He could see all types of flame and ice being pelted down upon the intruders by floating witches, but he knew they could not keep up spells indefinitely. A group of the attackers noticed the guardsmen and went over to attack.

The war hammers were even more damaging than Xander imagined. Situated in the center of the formation, Xander did not get the chance to fight early on as men went flying as much as twenty feet in the air from a blow of the powerful weapons. The guardsmen with their shields were equally deadly, smashing foes against each other in preparation for a hammer strike. Before long Xander was past the outpost marching toward Ingland herself when he heard a sickening crack followed by a cheer.

Xander looked back and could see a section of the outpost wall collapsed and invaders were pouring in. Xander quickly broke formation and began running full steam towards the breach, battering any unlucky enough to be in his way to the ground. Xander reached the breach in no time and could see what only could be and armor clad Patrick fighting next to his mother and the princess as the Second Witch’s body lay on the ground, ran cleanly through with a sword. Xander pulled out his father’s blade along with one his mother gave him and began his dance of death.

Unlike the Warhammer’s brute force, the speed Xander’s armor gave him along with the power of the sword he carried, Xander started cutting people in two, finding it easier than trying to stab. Xander began to rally up a body count, as he cut a path to his fiancé. Soon the pink in Xander’s armor turned red with blood as he made his way over near the high witch. NO one wanted to attack the new pink armored foe as it gave Xander a time to get a quick rest but more importantly see Patrick in action.

Patrick’s armor was nowhere near as pretty or functional as even an
unenchanted guardsmen but what it lacked in movement it made up for in terror. Patrick’s armor looked at least twice as thick as his and instead of enchantments to help lighten the load, this was all Patrick powered. The armor had a weathered and beaten look to it, like it was made in an hurry just for this battle.

Patrick blasted men left and right, everywhere he struck Xander could hear either heavy thuds or bones snapping. Patrick ventured deep into the fight and despite Xander’s earlier heroics, the sight of a much bigger and scarier looking Patrick struck fear and soon the men of Ingland began running outside the post, lest be dealt with by the iron covered behemoth. Xander saw his chance and scooped the princess up in his
arms, silently wishing he would have gave himself super strength. Xander saw the back of the post had its door opened as men were trying to escape with the front wall destroyed and Xander took off towards it.

Xander ran faster than a horse in full gallop and was soon past the base camp and began loading the Princess into the carriage. Xander looked around and could find no other guardsmen around him, including the ones who previously journeyed with the Princess. Xander jumped on the carriage and decided he would take his chances with the Princess. Xander pulled out his dagger and etched the enchantment for harden in the walls of the carriage, ensuring that not even the strongest arrow or hammer could bash or pierce its walls.

Xander put the horse in motion and headed back towards the way they came, stopping only when the night came upon them and it was time for rest. Xander set up his perimeter alarms and spied a safe place for them to sleep in the tree tops, leaving the carriage as a trap for would be assassins. Xander carried her into the tree tops and sat her down on one of the cushions he brought from the carriage.

“You haven’t spoken to me at all my Princess” Xander said as he stroked Aubrey’s hair.

“I’m just shocked, I was on my way to your mother when we found a wounded raven. Liano searched it and found a missive from the high witch that the situation was direr than we thought. We should have sent more troops to the border instead of powerful witches. We thought they would see our power and flee, instead they rushed as fast as they could. A lot of Inglish were killed during this time, but they figured out their only hope was to send numbers. We didn't know this and a pause in the fighting happened. I foolishly along with the high Witch and her vanguard went into the outpost. I just wanted to take the wounded out when the attack began anew. My guardsmen were fighting bravely but they eventually went down trying to protect the walls, only Liano was still standing. The high witch was taken by surprise also, as a good number of her men died too. We were making our last stand when I saw you, you came for me.”

Xander just stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Of course I came for you, you are my princess and soon to be my wife.”

“I thought you didn’t care for me. After I asked you to marry me you didn't seem warm to the idea” Aubrey said crying.

             
“I was a fool my love, stubborn to the core. I have fought and killed for your safety, no one will take you from me.”

             
“Xander I do have one question” said Aubrey looking at the ground in the night sky. “Why are we up so high?”

             
“I don’t want to alarm you, but I am sure we could have been easily followed. The commander of the enemy forces had to learn a high value target was in that outpost. The palace guards are easily recognizable and I would be surprised if they didn’t send someone. I don’t really know the way back enough to back track and throw them off of our trail so I am sticking with the way I came down. If we have any visitors, I want you to stay hidden.

             
Xander went to sleep with Aubrey lying on top of him and was doing it peacefully until he heard a man’s voice. Xander opened his eyes and could see bright flashes of light along with men trying their best to creep up on the royal carriage. Xander covered Aubrey’s mouth and pointed down signaling there were men below. The men could not see Xander or Aubrey and took positions around the carriage, some drawing their bows and others displaying their swords. The men drew closer as one of them grabbed the handle and pulled.

             
Xander’s final trap went off as the handle was pulled and a burst of light went off. Xander took this time to drop from the tree while their attention was on the carriage. Xander pulled his sword from its sheath and charged towards the nearest bowman gutting him before he knew he was being attacked.

             
Of the twenty men surrounding the carriage, five were dead before they knew Xander was among them. Xander could hear the sound of arrows barely miss him as he was running too fast to accurately draw a bead on. Against unarmored men, Xander might as well had been a Thornian White Bear against a den full of baby rabbits. Xander could see a couple of them start running into the woods as he heard a larger force come upon him.

             
Xander charged into the woods towards the noise and collided with one of his attackers. Unlike running through armored opponents, it hurt to collide with this one as Xander flew backwards and landed on his backside. Xander stood up woozily and noticed he did not have his sword. He picked up a branch and went after his opponent when he heard a voice.

             
“Stand down boy!” screamed Frowley as Xander was going to charge again.

             
Xander started looking around and could see the sounds he thought were reinforcements turned out to be his reinforcements.

             
“You have to be mad trying to knock over the High Witch’s boy like that” said Liano.

             
“My name is Patrick, use it.”

             
“Listen here hot shot, I don’t care what your damn name is or how big you think you are, I still haven’t forgot about what you did” Frowley said facing the bigger man.

             
“Are we here to argue or find Princess Aubrey” Patrick said as he moved past Frowley and walked towards Xander.

             
“The Princess is safe, follow me and I’ll lead you to her” Xander said as he walked back towards where the carriage was located.

             
“It looks like you were right Liano, they were Inglish, not the deserting Soldiers I had thought” Max said looking around.

             
“Too bad these poor bastards ran into Death’s Hand” said Frowley looking at a body that was cut neatly in two.

             
“You can kiss each other later, where is Aubrey?” asked Patrick as he saw the carriage was empty.