The Willbreaker (Book 1) (40 page)

Jasmine blushed again, covering her smile with her fingers as she looked down to the ground.

“In a few more days,” Brandon continued, “we will be at the doorstep of the Empress. I am not certain what will happen when we get there, but you can bet it will be a terrifying experience. This will be a fight for the two kingdoms and all will be laid on the line. Might against magic and wit against steel. Blood will flow free, and the gates of the Underworld will be filled once again. Let us stand strong, let righteousness guide our hands, and may the Gods help the world if we fail.”

Edward and Jasmine stayed quiet. The reality of the war set in. In a couple of days, they would stand in front of Orlimay, deep within Cloudkeep Kingdom. In front of them would be the most powerful psionicist the world has seen in centuries, and at her command, the world’s largest army of Gifted and a battalion of two-hundred thousand Blade Maidens, possibly the best-trained fighters on the planet. Opposing them, a brilliant battle tactician and officer, Lord Cedric Reinhold and his army of men fighting for freedom and justice. Brandon hoped that Reinhold brought a solid force to this battle, for if he did not, then Brandon feared this would be a quick one.

I have to get to Aurora. I have to find out where she is. First, I am going to have to get inside, if that is even possible. Once inside the walls, I have to survive long enough to figure out where she is staying. Once I find her… then what? I sure hope I know what I am doing.

They rode until nightfall. Brandon setup a small camp while Edward gathered kindling and Jasmine pulled out the last bit of jerky from their knapsack. Blue, as usual, kept watch forty paces out from the camp. They kept a small fire and sat close together, each lost in their own thoughts. The thoughts of the future grew heavier with each passing hour. Uncertainty and doubt crept like spidervine through every passing thought.

“We are going to make it.” Brandon said, looking at the others. “We are going to win this war and everything will be set back as it should be.” Edward and Jasmine nodded with forged smiles. Brandon wondered if he tried to convince them, or himself.

Morning came quickly and before the sun fully reached the horizon, the group resumed their journey. The minutes passed like seconds, and the hours passed like minutes. Before too long, Brandon raised his head and gasped. Over the tree line, he could see the magnificent white towers of Orlimay. Five major towers, all elegant and slender, stretched towards the sky. From here, Brandon could imagine the towers, like fingers, reaching for the clouds.

Brandon rode slowly through the woods, wary of any sounds or movement. As he neared the edge of the trees, the land flattened out onto a field of thick green grass. Orlimay rose from the ground like a white marble masterpiece on the other side of the grassy plain. All white marble buildings of various heights shot upward from the city, each topped with a smooth and conical roof covered in gold.

The city stood on a colossal circular disk made from the same white marble as the city’s buildings. A moat of beautifully blue water surrounded it. Spanning from the disk, wide bridges connected the main land to the city within, all equally white and ornate. Brandon, Edward, and Jasmine all stared in awe at the majestic city before them. The cities of Karpathos paled in comparison to Orlimay’s beauty.

Brandon peered into the wood’s edge to his right. Smoking torches and the black and silver shields of men shimmered and flicked light through the dark woods. The entire forest seemed to writhe and move. None of the men stood on the coverless plain, but ten trebuchets and countless ballistas were set into position on the edge of the grass. Brandon’s heart raced.

Lord Cedric Reinhold stood tall at the trees edge, hands upon his hips, as he stared at the city before him. Janga Blackhand, in a mighty suit of blackened war armor, stood to his right and Arkam Icebreath in his black and blue cloth armor stood to his left. Next to them stood Ess, the High Shaman of the Hermetic Order of Helios, Hronlin, the leader of the wild men of the mountains, and High Templar Ri’Kel’Asan Reyendar, Commander of the Templars of Highren’Dol.

Cedric drew in a deep and calm breath. His mind, clear and tranquil, thought of one thing; Aurora. Aurora waited somewhere in the city ahead. He imagined that she looked out from the city, out towards the army that waited and stared right at him. Reinhold stared back, hoping she could see him.

“Is the Beacon safe?” Cedric turned to look at Janga.

“Safe and secure, Sire.  She is with ten of our finest and mounted on Arrow, our fastest colt. At a moment’s notice she can be out of immediate danger.”

“And the Boatman?”

Janga pointed behind them with his chin. “He’s ready.”

Aurora watched the movement of the men in the trees from her tower. From this elevation, she could see the entire battleground area and half of the city. Aurora wished that her sister stood with her; she had lost sense of her over a week ago. In addition to being able to move things with her mind, Aurora had telepathic powers, all a part of the Psionic aspect of the Mind sphere. She could connect with someone and communicate with them in their thoughts. She used the same power when reaching for the Watcher, but she could no longer feel her sister’s consciousness. She had either been captured and held deep underground, or more likely, she had been killed. Aurora kept her cool, but thoughts of her sister stuck in her mind.

Aurora did not look at this war as a gamble. She knew in her heart that Reinhold would fall beneath her boot, and although none of her scouts had returned, she estimated his army at no more than twenty-thousand. Aurora’s army of Blade Maidens reached two-hundred thousand not including her army of Gifted. This would be Reinhold’s last foolish mistake. She would be sure of it, and once she obliterated his forces, she would march north with the rest of her forces to destroy Castle Belkin and claim the land for her own.

Aurora decided she would stay in the tower to oversee the battle. She did not need to assist the others; her army would destroy Reinhold’s measly forces before dinner. She peered over the heavy artillery placed along the forests edge. The Gifted would have no trouble dispatching the flying ammunitions.

“It’s time to finally end this,” she said quietly to herself. Thoughtlessly, she spoke to Gretchen Lomire, Commander General of the Blade Maidens. She channeled the voice inside her head towards Gretchen’s focusing conscious. When she spoke from the tower, Gretchen, near the gates below, heard her as if she stood side by side with the Empress.

“Move the Maiden’s to the battlefield. Order the Air Benders to watch the long-range weaponry and have the Earth Breakers prepare for second wave. The Flame Legion will be right behind you. Do not worry; this battle will not last very long. Leave no survivors, but bring Reinhold to me, alive and unharmed.”

Aurora watched as the ground shifted with movement. Heavy footsteps neared from the stairwell behind her. Aurora did not move or shift her watchful eye. The footsteps stopped, followed by a heavy thud on the floor.

Aurora casually turned to look at the man before her. The man had one knee to the floor and his head tilted down in a deep bow. Scars covered his bronze body and his rippled muscles bulged from underneath his tight skin. Even on a knee, the top of Princess’s back reached Aurora at chest level.

Princess wore a tight, black leather mask that covered his whole head, excluding the two holes where his ice blue eyes peered. Two small holes opened at the nose and a silver zipper ran closed along his mouth. His bare chest glistened with sweat and he wore only elk-skin boots, a fur loincloth, and the black leather facemask. A long whip, constructed of interlocking metal links, dangled from his hip. The whips end, topped with a saw blade, curled onto the floor.

Aurora reached out her pointer ringer and touched the top of Princess’s head as she walked around him. “Gather the Lash Lords. Have them battle ready. Chances are we won’t need you, but just in case.” She flicked her finger off his head.

In a muffled voice, Princess said, “Yes, Empress Aurora. Your wish is my command. I do your bidding.” Princess stayed in the bowed position. Too many times had he tried to move early and received gut-wrenching pain as punishment from his Empress. She controlled him, and he did
exactly
what she said.

Aurora smiled.
Good job, pet.
“You may go now.”

Princess stood up, towering over Aurora, and rushed down the stairs.

The opening of city gates echoed over the grass plain. The men in the trees all perked up to attention, watching the armored Blade Maidens pour from multiple gates around the city’s edge. They marched in unison, filing out with order and direction.

Cedric spoke to Janga. “Bring out the ammunition, and load the artillery.” With a quick nod, Janga disappeared. Cedric realized from the last encounter that air benders could easily knock out bulky rocks and explosives from the air, so this time around, he improved his strategy.  Taking extra wagon wheels, Cedric had them sheeted in iron, like metal flying disks, and edged with iron barbs and blades. These bladed wheels where heavy enough to chop through rough wind and would fly fast enough to act like flying saws. The horses grunted as they pulled the heavy wagons out of the wood’s edge, near the trebuchets and ballistas. Soldiers loaded the disks into the trebuchet buckets, each holding ten to fifteen wheels. Other soldiers cocked and loaded the ballistas eight-foot spears, thick as a man’s arm. As they prepared, Aurora’s Blade Maidens filled up the plains area in front of Orlimay.

Lord Reinhold nodded his head. Hronlin and his wild men ran through the woods to his right as Ess and his nomads moved away to his left. The main elven army, led by Ri’Kel’Asan Reyendar, and the rest of his army, led by Janga Blackhand, shifted forward through the woods onto the flat grassy plain.

The Templars of the Highren’Dol, all marching in perfect unison, blades draped across the right shoulders of each warrior, moved in large blocks directly forward. Janga lead the Red Lion Army forward as well, marching to the left of the Templars. Arkam and the Ice Lancers hid in the woods and vanished out of sight.

Cedric rode through the ranks of men and elves onto the battlefield. He met at the head of the group, where Janga and Ri’Kel’Asan waited. Cedric looked to both flanks. He could see the movement of the wild men and the nomads shifting through the woods, exactly as he expected.

Aurora’s visible army stood nearly twice as large as Reinhold’s. Even with the nomads and the wild men, Reinhold’s men were heavily outnumbered. However, he did have a wildcard. Reinhold wondered how many available units Aurora still held within the city.

As they gathered, Janga caught Reinhold’s attention. Riding at them from the opposing army, three armored and battle equipped women approached. Cedric, Janga, and Ri’Kel’Asan rode ahead to meet the other riders in the middle of the battlefield.

The three Blade Maidens stopped as Reinhold and his men neared. The maiden in the lead, a beautiful woman, had long blonde hair that flowed around her shoulders, and stunning grey eyes. She spoke up first.

“My name is Gretchen Lomire, Commander General of the Blade Maidens, Scarlet Brigade. I am leading this defense against your paltry attack. Stand down, and we will discuss the terms of your surrender. If you chose to disregard my offer, we will strike you down and leave no man standing.”

Reinhold answered. “Well, as appealing as your offer sounds, I am afraid we are going to have to refuse.”

The Blade Maiden on Gretchen’s right side spat on the ground. Long, curly hair draped down her back and her deep green eyes glared hard at the three men. “Such pigs! You will not be so cocky when blood spills from your body and your friends and warriors lay butchered under our feet!” She yanked on her reigns, causing her horse to rear up on its hind legs.

Gretchen glared at Reinhold. “You had your chance, King. Now you will pay for your insolence.” The three women turned and rode quickly back towards Orlimay.

“That went well.” Janga joked, but no one laughed. Turning their horses around, they raced back towards their army as well.

Once reunited with the men on the battlefield, Reinhold turned to look at the Blade Maidens. His horse pranced and jittered around, anxious from the excitement. Cedric reached down to his hip and withdrew the Heart of the King. A nova of wind, focused on Cedric, erupted outward in a ring, blowing through the standing men and elves and across the plains. Ringing still echoed through the trees as Cedric held the sword skyward.

“Here we are! This moment will set the history of this world! This is the moment when men and elves, nomads and wild men, stand united to fight an evil that has overshadowed this world for far too long! Do not hesitate to strike down your enemy! They are women, but if you hesitate, they will strike you down as hard as any man! They will come without mercy, without compassion or pity! And they have trained their entire lives! Be prepared for the hardest fight of your lives! But we are here for the greater good! We are here because we are the only ones who have the capacity to challenge the wicked! We are the hands of light, and today, light will shine clear! Let our pursuit of happiness and freedom guide your hands! Let our dedication to honor men and women alike hold your shields strong! Be ready for metal, be ready for the Gifted, and fight under the Banner of the Red Lion! Today, we ride into battle as one, and as one we will be victorious!”