Wielder's Fate (37 page)

Giselle’s confused features began to melt away as she studied him.  He stared back at her with an open and honest look.  A small smile slowly crept onto her face.

“I am sorry, Master,” she said.  “Darian told me that you were an honest and good man.  I am sorry I was worried to be alone with you.”

“It’s fine,” Traven said with a shrug.  “I realize now how it must be uncomfortable for you.  I should have thought of that before bringing you out here.  Would you like to return to the fire to talk?”

“No,” Giselle replied.  “I am fine now.  Ask me what you wish, and I will answer you.”

“May I sit down next to you?”

“You may do as you wish.  You are the master,” she said with a chuckle.

“You will soon learn I am nothing more than a simple young man blessed with the ability to wield the ambience,” he replied as he sat down.

“No, I already know you are more than that.  You completed the King’s Trial and now lead an army of fifty thousand elves.  No simple young man could do that.”

Traven was thankful for the praise and that Giselle seemed more than willing to talk now.  He supposed he might as well get straight to the point.

“Giselle, I want to know why you decided to swear the oath of devotion to me.  When Darian made the decision, he knew who I was and who I was not.  He had seen me work the ambience.”  He paused and then continued.  “What caused you to swear such a sacred oath without knowing hardly anything about me?”

Giselle’s eyes went to the ground as a slight color rose to her cheeks.  Traven knew she would answer a direct question from him truthfully and waited patiently for the answer.

“Well,” she began nervously as she continued staring at the ground.  The rest came out in a rush.  “I did it so as not to be separated from Darian again.  It was the only way I thought I could remain near him.  I trusted that if he had sworn his devotion to you, you were someone worthy of serving and hoped you would accept me.”

“I know you two were promised to each other,” Traven stated.  Giselle looked up with a hint of surprise.  “Do you still love him?”

His newly devoted servant looked taken aback by the question.  More color rose to her cheeks as she smiled shyly.  Her demure expression only enhanced her beauty.  Darian was indeed a lucky elf.  The answer to Traven’s question was obvious, but he wanted to hear it from her own lips.

“Yes,” Giselle said quietly.  “But that will not distract me from my devotion to you,” she added quickly.  “I will love and serve you as I should.”

“I don’t doubt your loyalty,” he stated with a smile.  “If Darian loves you, you are someone I would put my trust in even if you had not sworn your devotion to me.”

“I am not sure that he still loves me like he once did,” she replied sadly.  “It was a long time ago that we were promised to one another.”

“Darian still loves you as much as he always has,” Traven stated confidently.

“You are certain?” Giselle asked with a look of hope.

“Certain.”

The beautiful elven maiden’s face lit up and her violet eyes almost seemed to shine in the darkness.  She smiled at Traven.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said gratefully.  “It is enough for me to know that he loves me as much as I love him.  I will be happy.”

“No, it is not enough,” Traven continued.  “If you two love one another, you should be joined in marriage.  It is painful to be so near the one you love and not be able to commit to love one another forever.  There is no reason why the two of you can’t continue your courtship and move forward with your plans to marry.”

Giselle gasped at his words and stared back at him with a stunned look.  The look of shock soon faded to one of excitement as Traven smiled and shook his head assuringly.

“If you choose to resume your courtship,” he continued, “I will support your decision wholeheartedly.”

Giselle could contain herself no longer and threw her arms around him in an excited hug.  She pulled tight against him and buried her head on his neck.  He hugged her back with a satisfied smile, thankful that his position had allowed him to encourage the union of two hearts and not deprive them of their deserved happiness.

Wrapped in the arms of the lovely maiden and with the sweet fragrance of her hair assaulting his senses, Traven’s own heart groaned inside him.  Despite the joy he felt for his two devoted friends, there was an opposing feeling of despair and jealousy.  He feared he might never realize the joy of marrying the one he loved.

He still dreamed of the princess.  Whether it was a vision or merely an ordinary dream, Kalista was always present when he slumbered.  The memory of their times spent together and the letter in his pocket often consumed his thoughts during the day.  She had somewhat mentioned her feelings towards him in the letter, but as yet he had failed to make any of his own feelings known to her.  He had never felt like it would be proper to since she was a princess and engaged.  After she had confessed she had some feelings for him, he supposed it would now be okay to express his own.

Giselle pulled back from Traven and wiped the tears of joy from her eyes.  He looked back at her with a smile, which she readily returned.  Seeing her smile made Traven more determined to share his own feelings with Kalista.  It most likely would amount to nothing, but at least he would have no regrets.

* * * * *

Darian paced back and forth before directing another angry look out over the field.  He could make out Traven and Giselle in the distance.  They had been sitting next to one another, and now it looked like they were hugging.  What was going on?  He should not have offered up so much information earlier.  Then again, it was his duty to answer his master truthfully.  He shook his head and sat back down next to the fire.  He trusted Traven but did not like the idea of any man alone with Giselle.  Her beauty was beyond compare and could enchant the noblest of men.

His head jerked back in the direction of the field as he heard them slowly approaching.  Giselle was holding Traven’s arm as they returned through the tall grass.  Why was she holding on to him?  He tried to remain calm as they entered the camp next to Traven’s tent.  Darian watched closely as Giselle looked at Traven with a smile.  She then released his arm and walked towards the fire.  He could see that her eyes were puffy, as if she had been crying.  His muscles tensed as he fought to stay seated and in control.  What had happened?

He spared a glance for Traven who had a blank expression on his face as he watched Giselle walk towards him.  Darian returned his attention to Giselle as she finished crossing the distance to him.  She gave him a mischievous smile and sat down directly at his side.  He started with surprise when she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.  Traven’s blank face broke out in a grin.  He winked at Darian and disappeared into his tent.

“I still love you,” Giselle whispered.

The words sounded like a symphony as they floated quietly into Darian’s ears.  A thrill went through ever fiber of his being.  He stared at the dazzling maiden, shocked at hearing her say those words so unexpectedly.

“And I still love you,” he heard himself mumble in return.

The words seemed to escape from his mouth of their own accord.  He wondered belatedly if it was wise to express the true feelings of his heart.  He was devoted to Traven and should control himself better.  Giselle’s eyes lit up as she put one of her soft hands against his cheek.

“Do not worry,” she said as if she could read the conflict in his eyes.  “Our master has given us his permission to renew our courtship.  In fact, he wholeheartedly approves of our union.”

Darian’s eyes grew wide at the announcement.  Was such happiness possible?  Giselle giggled softly and pulled his face towards hers.  He could not help thinking once again of how generous and great a master Traven was.  Giselle’s lips met his, and all thoughts, except the pure joy of being so close to the one he loved, disappeared.

30

Blaize let out a sigh of relief as he crested the rise and saw the towering walls of Kavar in the distance.  The bright red and blue roof tiles of the city sparkled in the sun.  The citizens would at last be delivered to the safety of the city’s thick walls.  A cheer rose up among the large number of citizens as they began cresting the hill and catching sight of Kavar as well.  Their measured pace increased as the sight of the city so near gave them an added dose of energy.

It was still early in the afternoon, and Blaize hoped to have the entire group inside the city before nightfall.  He had pushed the citizens hard ever since the army had caught up with them, but the galdaks had slowly been gaining on them.  It was possible the monsters would be in position to strike Kavar sometime late that very night, but he thought it more likely that no attack would come until the following evening.  Regardless of when the galdaks ended up attacking, he wanted everyone behind the city’s walls as soon as possible.

Blaize remained on the rise while the Princess Kalista, the Baroness of Candus, and the Vice Baron Gavin continued leading the citizens on towards the city.  The soldiers of the Royal Army would be the last to pass through the gates.  He looked on as the massive crowd of people slowly made their way across the final flat stretch to Kavar.  The afternoon passed slowly in the hot sun as the citizens reached the eastern gate of the city and began to stream inside.

By evening, it was finally time for the soldiers to enter the city as well.  Blaize took up a position just to the north of the gate and watched with interest as his soldiers marched into Kavar.  He paid particular attention to how fatigued they seemed and in what state the different divisions were in.  The army would need to be ready tonight to repel an attack if it occurred, but he hoped the soldiers of the city would be ready to protect the walls if necessary and allow the majority of his troops to receive a good night’s rest.

With the rising of the moon, the last of his soldiers passed through the eastern gate.  Blaize covered a yawn with the back of one of his massive hands and entered the city as well.  A portcullis was immediately lowered, and the gates swung shut with a loud clap.  Waiting for him just inside the gate was the commander of the city guards.  The commander was slightly older than he and had a look of hardness and seriousness about him.  The two warriors promptly saluted to one another.

“Welcome to our city, Commander General Blaize,” the commander of the city guards said.  “My name is Commander Bentley.  We’ve been expecting you.”

“Thank you, Commander Bentley,” Blaize replied.  “I’m glad we arrived here before nightfall.  The galdak horde is no doubt already on the march and could arrive before the night is over.”

“Should we expect an attack tonight then?” the commander asked.

“I don’t believe so.  The galdaks have been marching hard since they left Candus.  I assume they will rest at least one day before mounting a full scale attack.”

“If they do attack tonight, we’re ready for them,” Commander Bentley stated confidently.  “I have over five thousand rested soldiers ready to defend the walls and the gate, and new recruits are adding to our numbers daily.”

“That’s good to hear,” Blaize replied.  “We need more troops, and my soldiers could use a full night’s rest.”

“You look like you could use a full night’s rest as well,” the commander observed.

“I won’t deny it,” Blaize said with a chuckle.  “If it’s okay with you, I will retire for the night.”

“Go ahead and get some rest,” Commander Bentley said.  “If the reports we’ve heard are accurate, the next few days will be difficult.”

Blaize nodded to the commander of the guards and glanced up at the sky.  The stars were beginning to disappear, one by one, as the dark clouds that had followed the army all the way from Candus began to blot out the sky.  He shook his head with a grimace.  It looked like the sun wouldn’t be greeting them in the morning.

“What is it?” Commander Bentley asked as he followed Blaize’s gaze up to the sky.  “It’s just a summer storm.  It will do more to hamper our enemies than it will us.”

“It’s anything but a summer storm,” he replied.  “These dark clouds arrive with the coming of the galdak horde and remain above them.  They won’t drop any rain.  All they’ll do is deny us the pleasure of the sun, moon, and stars for as long as the battle lasts.”

“Are you serious?” the commander asked skeptically.  “Do these monsters truly have power over the weather itself?”

“The galdaks don’t have any supernatural powers,” Blaize replied.  “They are large, ferocious, and accustomed to the dark, but they are definitely mortal.  If you stick a sword in them, they die as easily as any other beast.  However, they do have a very powerful wielder traveling with them.  I believe he creates the dark clouds to help provide an advantage for his warriors.”

“So there truly is a wielder in their midst,” Commander Bentley said speculatively, more as a statement than as a question.  “Did he really blast apart the wall of Candus with lightning bolts?”

“He did,” Blaize confirmed.  “I witnessed it personally.”

“Will he try to do the same here?”

“I assume so,” he replied.  “The walls in your city are taller and thicker than those at Candus, so we can only hope they will offer more resistance.  Nevertheless, the galdak wielder is incredibly powerful, and it is quite possible that he will create several breeches in the city wall.  The galdaks are also good climbers and used grappling hooks with chains to scale the walls at Candus.”

“That is good to know,” Commander Bentley replied.  “Tomorrow, if you would, I would like to hear a full account of the monsters’ strategies and tendencies.  For now, I think it best you get some rest.  My sentries are vigilant, and my men are capable of keeping watch tonight.”

“Thank you,” Blaize replied.  “Feel free to wake me if necessary.”

“Let’s hope it isn’t necessary.”

“I agree.”

Blaize took leave of the commander and made his way to the city barracks.  There he found his own private room.  It was nothing fancy, but it was nice to have an actual roof over his head.  The majority of the soldiers were camped in tents in the training fields surrounding the barracks.  The tents had been set up practically on top of one another in an effort to accommodate so many troops in such a small area.