Wielder's Fate (15 page)

“I don’t know,” Traven said to Darian with a shrug of his shoulders.  “My visions foretold the coming of the galdaks, but that doesn’t help us in any way.”

“Was there anything else in your visions?” the elf asked.  “You mentioned that the princess was in them.  Was she one of the symbols in it?”

“Yes,” Traven replied as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the memories of his recent visions.  “She is still a symbol in them, and I’m still always wearing the crown of Kalia.”  As he relived the vision in his mind, he realized that there was something else that he was always wearing: an armband.  “I’m also always wearing an armband that I’ve never seen before.”

“The crown and an armband,” Darian repeated thoughtfully.  “What does the armband look like?  Is it also a symbol of power like the crown?”

“I’m not sure,” he answered.  “It is made out of silver and has a bright green stone in the center of it.”

“Describe it to me,” Darian said as his eyes lit up.

“In my visions it is a solid metal armband about the width of my wrist.  Its entire surface is covered with intricate symbols that I don’t recognize.  The green stone that is set in it is perfectly round and its color is so bright that it almost seems to glow.”

“It is the armband of endurance,” the elf stated confidently.

Traven paused in thought.  The name sounded familiar.  It only took a few moments for him to remember where he had heard of it.  Faldor had created the armband of endurance using the endurance stone and given it to the elves as a symbol of their agreement to provide guardians to the keep.

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“Certain,” Darian said.  “I have seen it many times.”

“Then the elves still have it?”

“Of course,” Darian responded.  “It has been handed down from elf king to elf king from the time Faldor first presented it to my race.  For over nine hundred years, every king of the elves has worn it on his arm.  It has allowed them to be stronger and live longer than those around them and has been a cherished heirloom.”

Traven thought it strange that in his visions he was wearing both the crown of Kalia, a symbol of the High King, and the armband of endurance, a symbol of the elf king.  He still wasn’t sure what importance the crown of Kalia held.  He had thought it represented the victory crown he had received, but it had remained in his visions after the presentation ceremony and seemed to represent something else completely.  Whatever it meant, it didn’t seem like it would help him in facing the current crisis.

However, the armband of endurance was very intriguing.  If he recalled correctly, the endurance stone had been pivotal in defending Faldor’s Keep against the three attacking wielders.  The armband of endurance could prove invaluable in defending the people of Kalia against the galdak wielder and horde.

“Do you think my vision means I need the armband of endurance?”

“Maybe,” Darian said with a shake of his head.  “But I can’t see any way possible for you to get it.  You remember how I acted when I first met you.  That was after living with the human guardians for over a decade.  The elves don’t want anything to do with humans.”

“I could explain the situation to the king of the elves,” Traven said.  “I’m sure he would understand the importance of my request.”

“You don’t understand,” Darian continued.  “I am not even sure they would allow you to be in the presence of the elf king.  You are a wielder, so perhaps you would have special privileges that other humans could never hope for.  You might be lucky enough to gain an audience with the king.  However, the armband of endurance is sacred to the elves.  I have a hard time imagining them agreeing to let anyone other than the king of the elves wear it.”

“Could we steal it?” he asked with a cringe.  If the elves wouldn’t loan it to him, he could try to take it anyway.

“Good luck with that,” Darian said with a sardonic laugh.  “The elf king never removes the band from his arm.  You would have to kill him in order to take it.”

Traven let out a frustrated groan.  Was it really impossible to obtain the armband?  He reflected again on his vision.  As he thought of the symbol of the armband of endurance, it seemed to pull at him more strongly than the other symbols, just as the image of the princess had felt more prominent before.  The more he thought about it, the more certain he felt that he needed the armband.

“Are you sure there is no way to get it?”

“I didn’t say it was impossible,” Darian responded.  “I merely meant it would be incredibly difficult.  Are you sure it is essential that you obtain it?”

“Yes,” Traven replied with newfound conviction.

“Then we will try,” the elf said with a mix of determination and fear in his eyes.  “I can lead you to the elf king, but that is all I can promise.  I will do everything in my power to help you, but I have no authority among the elves anymore.  When I devoted myself to you, I relinquished what authority I might once have had.  I will do my best.”

“Thank you,” Traven replied with sincere gratitude.  “That’s all I’m asking for.  How long will it take to reach the elf king?”

“He lives at the base of Mount Morian.  If we travel swiftly, we could be there in three days.  Whether or not we receive an audience is another question, but I have a few ideas that might work.”

“We should leave as soon as possible,” Traven stated, thinking out loud.  “Maybe we could leave in the morning after tonight’s attack.”

“Why not leave now?” Darian suggested.  “If the armband is essential to our victory, there is no time to waste.”

“I would feel like I was abandoning the army.”

“You are not abandoning them if you are leaving on a mission that has the ability to ultimately save them,” the elf countered.

“I guess you’re right,” Traven conceded.  “Nevertheless, I need to provide as much information to Blaize as I can before going.”

“I suggest we get moving,” the elf said.  “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return, with or without the armband.”

“I agree.  Go back to the palace and prepare for the trip.  Get the horses saddled and meet me here.  I’ll tell Blaize our plans and give what help I can until you return.”

Darian nodded his acceptance and sprinted off into the night in the direction of the palace.  Traven shook his head as his devoted servant disappeared.  Once again he would be rushing off into the unknown because of a dream.  His visions hadn’t failed him yet, and he hoped this time would be no different.  Still, he couldn’t help feeling apprehensive and wondering whether he was making the correct choice.

He shook off his worry and gazed back into the smooth surface of water in the shield.  An image of the galdak horde instantly appeared.  They hadn’t begun advancing towards the city yet, but the flow of galdak warriors lining up had slowed to a trickle.  It seemed that the horde was almost in position to begin their attack.

Traven watched as the galdak wielder and his small group of warriors reached the main body.  The old wielder stopped in front of the horde and straightened to his full height.  He began energetically gesturing with his arms.  It appeared that he was giving an impassioned speech to the on looking warriors.  When he finished, all of the galdaks lifted their arms into the air and shouted as one.  Traven’s ears easily picked up the far distant sound, and he felt the vibrations in the ground as the horde surged forward.  The invasion had now truly begun.

He was about to let the image disappear but stopped as he noticed something he hadn’t expected.  The galdak wielder didn’t appear to be joining the rest of the horde.  As the endless multitude of galdak warriors streamed past, the old wielder slowly made his way in the opposite direction towards the encampment.

Traven let out a sigh of relief.  He wondered whether the old wielder was tired and needed to rest or was merely choosing not to fight at the moment.  In any case, the Kalian Army would have a much better chance of defending the city without the galdak wielder joining in the attack.  He took one last look at the surging horde and let go of his hold on the ambience.

He left the shield behind and quickly made his way to Blaize’s command center at the top of the wall.  Blaize was talking casually with several of his generals.  It was apparent they had no idea the horde had just begun advancing.  Traven stared out into the darkness.  Even he couldn’t spot the horde’s advance in the almost complete blackness of night.

“They’ve begun to advance,” he stated loudly.

Blaize and his generals fell silent as they glanced out into the darkness.  Traven could hear the rumbling of the advancing horde in the distance.

“How long ago?” Blaize asked.

“Only a few moments,” Traven replied.  “They’re moving towards the city at a quick pace, but it will still take them a while to reach the wall.”

“Will you be able to shield our archers from the galdak wielder?” Blaize asked.

“It won’t be necessary,” he responded.  “At least not in the initial attack tonight.  The wielder returned to his camp.”

“Will he remain there?”

“I don’t know, but at least for the moment he won’t be a problem.”

“Prepare the soldiers,” Blaize commanded.  “Make sure the archers are ready, the cavalry are mounted, and the footmen are in position.  At the first sign of the monsters, we’ll light the fires.  The galdaks will be stopped.  We will not wilt.  We will not budge.  We will be immovable.”

The generals saluted and hurried to their respective assignments.  Traven watched them go and looked towards the palace at the center of the city.  He wondered how long it would take Darian to get everything ready.  Hopefully, they could be gone before the battle began.

“Blaize, I’m leaving,” Traven blurted out.

“What?” Blaize exclaimed.  “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” he replied.

“You can’t abandon the army,” Blaize said sternly.  “Just because the galdak wielder is stronger than you doesn’t mean you aren’t desperately needed.”

“It’s not like that,” Traven explained.  “I’m leaving to retrieve an object that will give me a chance to defeat the galdak wielder.”

“Are you sure such an object exists?”

“Yes,” he said confidently.  “I dreamed about it, and Darian confirmed that he’s seen it and knows where it is.”

“And you think this object will allow you to defeat the galdak wielder?”

Traven nodded in the affirmative.

“Can’t you send someone else to get it?” Blaize asked.

“No,” he replied.  “I don’t even know if they’ll let me have it.”

“Who has it?”

“The elf king.”

“Oh,” Blaize said thoughtfully.  “Do you know him?”

“No,” Traven answered.  “I’ve only met the four elves who were the guardians of Faldor’s Keep.  I’m not even sure exactly where the elves live, but Darian knows and can lead me to the elf king.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Darian says we can reach the elf king within three days.”

“That close,” Blaize remarked with surprise.  He paused in thought.  “So, at the minimum, it will be six days before you return.  Hopefully, we can hold until then.”

“I’ll return as quickly as possible,” Traven assured his friend.  “I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t think it was essential to our victory.”

“I trust you,” Blaize responded as he clasped hands with him.  “We’ll do our best until you return.”

Blaize stared firmly at him before releasing his hand and staring back out into the darkness.  Traven peered into the gloom but still couldn’t make out any sign of the galdak horde.  It wouldn’t be long before they came into view.  He turned and walked away.

“Good luck,” Traven said over his shoulder as he started down the stone steps.  “I’ll keep an eye on the battle and send you messages on the wind with updates of my progress.”

“Thank you,” Blaize responded.  “Be safe.”

“You, too.”

 Blaize nodded as Traven hurried down the steps and made his way back to the ruined guardroom.  Darian hadn’t returned yet, so he started down the main avenue towards the palace.  It wasn’t long before the cloaked elf appeared in the distance.  He was riding his horse with Pennon trailing close behind.  Traven hurried forward to meet them and swung up onto Pennon.

“Everything is packed and ready,” Darian stated.

“Thank you,” he responded.  “I suppose there’s no reason to wait any longer.  Let’s go!”

They rode speedily down the avenue, back towards the palace.  They would pass it on their way to the western gate of the city.  Traven glanced back over his shoulder in the direction of Blaize.  He was worried for his friend and mentor.  The coming battle would be unlike any Blaize or the rest of the soldiers had faced.  He didn’t know how long the greatly outnumbered Kalian Army could hold off the invading galdaks.  A part of him felt like a coward for rushing away from the battlefront, but he knew that what he was doing was more important than staying and fighting.

He turned forward and looked at the palace looming ahead.  What would happen to the beautiful structure if the army wasn’t able to stop the horde?  What would happen to the citizens of Candus?  He suddenly felt an urge to search out the princess and take her with him, but he knew he couldn’t take her where he was going.  He would have to trust that there was a plan in place to evacuate the city if necessary and that she would be safe.

Traven resisted the urge to veer to the side and ride into the palace grounds.  Soon, the palace was behind him.  He stared forward, refusing to look back in the direction of Kalista.  The last time he had rushed off it had been towards her.  This time, it was away from her.  He shook his head, trying to get the princess out of his mind.  His focus should be solely on his current mission.  He had failed to defeat the galdak wielder, but he would not fail again.

“She’ll be fine,” Darian said with a chuckle.

“Who?” Traven asked nonchalantly, pretending that he wasn’t thinking about the princess.

“You know who.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Fine,” Darian said.  “Then I guess you don’t care that she left a letter for you in your room.”

“Kalista wrote me a letter?” Traven burst out excitedly.