Wielder's Fate (12 page)

“You would be wise to heed your own advice.”

Gavin’s eyes flashed with anger as his attention turned to Traven’s cloaked companion.  The man still stood with his head down and his face in shadow, but it was obvious it was he who had spoken.  It was the first time she had heard him speak, and she was surprised by the tone with which he had countered Gavin’s command.  It was definitely not the tone of a submissive servant.  The cloaked man’s voice had been dripping with contempt.

“He has no right to speak in this setting,” Gavin said angrily to Traven.  “If you cannot control your servant, he will need to leave this audience.”

“I believe gratitude is an important quality for a future king to possess,” the cloaked servant said as he raised his head and spoke defiantly.

“That is enough,” Gavin stated.  “I will not stand for such insubordination.”

Traven’s servant took a threatening step towards Gavin but was immediately stopped by his master’s outstretched arm.  Traven whispered something to him, and the man stepped back and dropped his head.  Kalista could not believe the audacity of Traven’s servant.  Surprisingly, Traven did not appear upset or embarrassed by the man’s outburst.  She glanced at Commander General Blaize and was startled to find a slight smile on his face.  Gavin was fuming at her side.  Obviously, something had happened the night before that she was not aware of.

“What is going on?” she asked.

She could see that the baroness was curious as well, but all of the men remained silent.  She looked up at Gavin and saw that his jaw was firmly set.  It appeared he was not going to tell her at the moment

“Fine,” she stated.  “Let us forget about it and move on with the important work of protecting our land.”

She quit talking and listened as Gavin and the commander general began discussing the movement of the soldiers and the manning of the walls.  Traven excused himself, saying he needed to get some more rest if he wanted to be at full strength when the attack came.  Their eyes met for a second as he passed her, and then he and his cloaked servant were gone.  Traven did look tired, but there was a burning in his eyes as well.

Kalista waited patiently while the rest of the initial details were discussed.  She was very curious about what had happened.  It was apparent something had upset Gavin and he did not want to talk about it.  However, Commander General Blaize had seemed to find the situation amusing.  She hoped she might be able to get some information from him once the meeting was over.

The baroness eventually excused herself, and Kalista left with her.  Instead of returning to her quarters, Kalista walked a little ways down the hall and waited around a corner.  The commander general would have to pass by her before he left the palace.  Thankfully, she did not have to wait very long.

“Commander General Blaize,” she said as he strode quickly down the hall past her.

The large general stopped and turned to her.  She decided she might as well be direct.

“What happened last night?” she asked.  “What did Traven do to make Gavin so upset?”

The commander general wrinkled his brow in thought for several moments before answering.

“Traven was essential in our victory last night,” he said.  “He single handedly slew several hundred galdaks with his sword.  Perhaps Gavin felt that Traven took too many risks.”

“There is more than that,” Kalista pressed.  “What else happened?”

“Traven also saved Gavin’s life,” the commander general stated.  “When the vice baron was knocked from his horse and lost consciousness, Traven leapt to his aid.  He cleared the area of danger and healed Gavin.  That’s all of it in a nutshell.  May I continue on?”

“Yes,” she said.  “Thank you.”

She watched as the large general hurried on his way.  She stood in stunned silence for several moments.  No wonder Traven’s servant had been so upset.  Not only had Gavin not thanked the young wielder for saving his life, he had slighted him.  She wondered what had gotten into her fiancé.  He normally did not act that way.

Kalista began wondering what all of the details were surrounding what had happened the previous night.  She had been under the impression that Gavin and his charge with the cavalry had been key in turning the tide of the battle, but he had not mentioned being knocked from his horse and almost killed.  The commander general’s comments led her to believe the battle may have played out much differently than she had been told by Gavin.  Had Traven really saved his life?  She would have to get a full report of the battle.  She wanted to know the truth.

10

Traven sat up and stretched.  He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed for the second time that day.  He felt much better than he had earlier.  After the morning’s meeting, he had returned to his room to eat breakfast and sleep.  Traven walked over to the window and looked outside.  The sun appeared to be directly overhead.  He had only slept a couple of hours but was thankful for the added rest.  If the galdaks did attack that night, he would be in better shape to defend the city.

“Lunch is here,” Darian said as he poked his head into the bedroom.

Traven turned from the window and followed Darian over to the small table in the antechamber that was covered with food.  They were both enjoying the continual supply of delicious fare while staying in the palace.  They sat down and began eating the assortment of breads, cheeses, meat pastries, and fruits.

“I still can’t believe you said what you did to Gavin,” Traven stated.

“What is so unbelievable about it?” Darian asked.  “The man needed to be reprimanded for his disrespect towards you.”

“He’s the future king of Kalia.”

“What do I care for a future human king?  I would have said the same thing even if he was the High King.  I am an elf and feel no loyalty to any human but you.  I will not stand idly by and watch my master be slighted.”

“Gavin was being rude, but it wasn’t such a big deal,” Traven replied.

“It was a big deal,” Darian continued.  “When someone saves your life, you show them gratitude and treat them with respect.  You do not try to publicly embarrass them.  If not for you, Gavin would be dead.  Maybe you should have let him die?”

Traven rolled his eyes and continued eating.  Darian had a point, but it would have been best to ignore the slight.  He wondered how long they would continue to be welcome within the walls of the palace.  It was obvious that Gavin’s temperament had changed since he had initially invited them into his home.  With all that was going on, Traven really couldn’t blame the man.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” he said to his devoted servant.  Even though he thought it would have been best to stay quiet, he was grateful for Darian’s loyalty.

“Any time,” the elf replied with a smile.  “And so you know, I was not planning on doing anything rash.  I just wanted to see if Gavin would stand his ground.”  Darian took another bite before his eyes took on a mischievous gleam.  “I said what I did for more than one reason.”

“Really?” Traven asked, not sure what Darian was getting at.

“Yes,” the elf continued.  “I said what I did for the benefit of your lovely princess.”

“How did it benefit her?”

“You saw her.  She was very curious as to what the exchange was all about.  By now, I am sure she has discovered the truth that you were the hero of the battle last night.”

“What is the point?” Traven asked.  “It doesn’t matter if she knows.”

“It will help her in her decision,” the elf replied.

“What decision?”

“The decision between you and Gavin.  Normally, I would stay out of such things, but since you like her, I suppose it is part of my duty to help you win her.”

“I can’t win her,” Traven responded, slightly frustrated.  “She’s the princess.  The decision of her marriage has already been made.”

“Does she know that?” Darian asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I have seen the way she looks at you,” the elf continued.  “If she were in love with the vice baron, she would not look at you the way she does.”

Traven stared into the face of his elven companion.  Darian was being completely serious.  Was it possible the elf’s observation was correct?  Was it possible the princess was interested in him?  He shook his head.  He shouldn’t even entertain the thought.

Darian shrugged his shoulders and finished his lunch.  Traven sat back, forgetting about the food for a moment.  His feelings for the princess surged within him.  She had held onto his hand the previous morning.  Maybe she really did have feelings for him.  Then again, did it really matter?  She was already engaged.  He shook his head once more in frustration.  He needed to focus on the looming battle, not on Kalista.

He joined Darian in finishing the food.  Afterwards, he practiced wielding the ambience, being careful not to waste too much energy.  He also discussed with Darian various strategies he might use to help the Royal Army in battling the galdaks.  The afternoon passed slowly.  He finally decided that he would visit Blaize at the eastern gate and get an update on the current situation.  He left his quarters and made his way towards the front of the palace.  It would be easier for him to plan his own strategy if he knew how Blaize was planning to defend the city.

As he rounded a corner, Traven stopped in mid-step.  Half way down the hall, the princess was gazing out a window.  He was surprised to see her in this part of the palace.  He almost turned around but realized he was being foolish.  There was no reason he couldn’t walk past her on his way out of the palace.  He continued down the hall and had almost reached the princess before she turned and looked at him with a smile.  Her hair shown like gold in the dim light streaming through the window, creating a muted halo that framed her face.

“I am glad you passed this way,” Kalista said as he came to a stop next to her.  “I hope you were able to rest.”

“I was, thank you,” Traven responded politely.

“I would like to apologize for Gavin’s behavior earlier and thank you,” she said.  “He was not acting appropriately.  I heard how you saved his life.”

“It was nothing,” he stated as he gazed back into her deep blue eyes.

Darian had been right.  The princess had searched out the truth of what had happened.  The elf’s outburst had paved the way for this moment.  Traven ripped his gaze away from Kalista with effort.  Despite what Darian had said, Traven didn’t want to fuel the hope that there would ever be anything between the princess and him.

“From what I heard, you were amazing,” Kalista continued.  “They say you not only saved Gavin’s life but also turned the tide of the battle by yourself.”

“Whoever said that was exaggerating.”

“I do not believe so,” the princess said as she took a step away from the window and towards him.  “I heard it from several different sources.  Will you deny that you single-handedly defeated several hundred galdaks?”

“Well, no.  I mean, I don’t really remember killing that many, but I was told I did.”

“See,” she said with a large smile.  “It was not an exaggeration.  Once again, you protected my kingdom.  I am running out of ideas of how to show my gratitude to you.”

Traven glanced at the warm smile playing on her lips and had an idea of how she could thank him.  He realized what he was thinking and quickly averted his eyes.  It would be best for him to hurry on to the city wall.

“I need to get to the eastern gate,” he said hastily, changing the subject.

“I’ll walk with you.”

“No,” Traven replied quickly.  “I mean, it would be best if you stayed here, away from any fighting.”

“Believe me,” Kalista said with a laugh, “I have learned my lesson.  I do not plan on being anywhere near the battle.  I just thought I would accompany you as far as the palace doors.”

“Oh, sure,” he said.

Traven continued down the hall with the princess keeping pace at his side.  He wondered why she wanted to walk with him.  He definitely didn’t mind the attention, but he wasn’t sure what purpose it served.  She had already apologized for what happened earlier.

“Did you dream last night?” she asked suddenly.

He thought for a second before answering.  The events of the night were somewhat of a blur.  However, he did remember waking up from a vision just as the galdaks began attacking.  Thinking about the dream and the red lightning, he suddenly understood the meaning.  His visions had been predicting the coming of the galdaks.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Did it have anything relating to the galdaks in it?”

“Yes.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back at my recent visions, I can see they foretold the coming of a great threat.”

“Was I in them?” the princess asked.

“Yes,” he replied carefully, hoping she wouldn’t ask any more details.

She didn’t.  They soon covered the remaining distance to the front doors.  Kalista remained quiet until the doors of the palace were opened for them.

“I must admit that I am curious as to the full contents of your visions, but I will not ask any more about them.”

Traven nodded his thanks with a smile and started down the steps.  He hadn’t gotten off the first step before he felt the pressure of Kalista’s hand against his arm.  He stopped and turned back to her.  She stared into his eyes for several moments before speaking.

“Be careful,” she finally said with a worried smile.

“I will.”

Kalista then released her hold on his arm and waved as he continued down the steps.  She had touched his arm and was worried for his safety.  He didn’t know what all she felt for him, but he did know she would be thinking of him.  His steps became slightly lighter, and a small smile made its way onto his face.

“Are you that excited to get to the eastern gate?” Darian asked, making Traven jump.

He had totally forgotten the elf was with him.  He hadn’t noticed anyone but the princess after they started talking.  Darian began laughing as he stepped up beside him.

“You two are pathetic,” the elf said with a shake of his head.