Wielder's Fate (39 page)

Those who had relations living in the city were the most fortunate.  They had found lodging and food in the homes of their relatives and were free of paying exorbitant prices for a small room in an inn or being forced to continue sleeping in tents.  Then again, she supposed the lack of lodgings was one of the least of the current problems.

Of more concern were food shortages and sanitation issues.  They had brought plenty of food with them from Candus to feed everyone during the march but were beginning to run low on their supplies.  Kavar’s own storage cache would take care of the refugees for up to ten more days, but then there would begin to be shortages.  There was no telling how long the battle might last, and the thought of running out of food was a legitimate concern.

The other more immediate problem dealt with sanitation.  With the city so crowded, refuse would begin to pile up quickly.  If a means wasn’t devised to handle the added waste, the conditions could soon lead to disease and death.  It would be devastating to have to fight death on two fronts simultaneously.  She would be part of the discussion after breakfast concerning these problems and would make sure that they were solved as quickly as possible.

Kalista thanked her maids as they finished their duties and bowed to her.  She then left her bedroom, walked through the antechamber, and pushed open the door of her suite.  As she began walking down the hall, two guards immediately fell in step behind her.  Kalista descended the stairs at the end of the hall and proceeded to the main floor of the inn.  She was surprised at the crowd that was packed into the common dining room but knew she should have expected it.  All of the tables were full and many other patrons stood, lining the walls.

Kalista’s guards cleared a path for her through the crowded common room and led her to the door that gave entrance to a private dining chamber.  It was opened, and she stepped from the noisy, chaotic common room into the quiet space reserved for the most honored guests at the inn.  Gavin and his mother were already there, as well as several top advisors.

Gavin rose with a smile and hugged her in greeting.  She took her seat and forced a smile.  The hug had felt no different than hugging anyone else.  Kalista felt guilty.  Gavin had slowly been working his way out of the depression he had fallen into when his father was killed and was almost back to how he had been before.  She wondered if it was just her that had somehow changed.  She dismissed the uncomfortable thoughts as breakfast was promptly brought into the room.

“Did you sleep well?” Gavin asked.

“Oh, yes,” she responded with a genuine smile.  “It felt wonderful to be in such a comfortable bed.”

“I concur,” the baroness added.  “The beds here are wonderful, not to mention this delightful breakfast.  I am too old to be traveling.  I think I might just live out the rest of my days in this inn.”

They all chuckled as they enjoyed breakfast.  The food was delicious, especially after what they had eaten on the march.  Unfortunately, the impending food shortage and the realities of their current situation loomed over them, keeping them from being completely at ease.  An overall sense of worry clouded the room.  When the meal was finished, they left the inn and walked the short distance to Kavar’s modest palace.

They made their way up the large marble steps and through the palace’s bronze doors.  Once inside, they were shown to a meeting room on the main floor.  While they waited for the others to arrive, their conversation turned to the more serious topic of the current siege.

“The galdak horde arrived early this morning and set up camp to the north of the city,” Gavin stated.  “It appears they will wait to attack until tonight.  That will give the army and city guards plenty of time to coordinate with each other and prepare to defend the city.  The army hopes to make a stand and defeat the galdaks here.  However, anything is possible in war, and it would be wise for us to be prepared to evacuate again if necessary.”

Everyone nodded their assent.  The army had held for five days at Candus before choosing to retreat.  If they could hold at least as long here, Traven would have time to rejoin the army and help prevent another retreat.  Kalista realized that most likely no one in the room had any news that the young wielder was on his way.  The information would be important as they made their plans.  She paused before continuing and glanced at Gavin.  She had been careful not to mention Traven around him, but at the present, it could not be avoided.

“The Wielder Traven sent a message saying that he will arrive here in four days,” Kalista said.

She was sure she had seen a slight fire in her fiancé’s eyes and a tightening of his lips at the mention of the young wielder, but other than that, his countenance remained unchanged.

“When did you learn this?” Gavin asked.

“Earlier this morning.”

“Who did you receive the information from?” Gavin continued with curiosity.  “I have not heard any updates on the young man’s progress.”

Kalista colored at the thought of explaining that the message had come to her directly from Traven himself while she was in her bedroom.  As she was trying to decide how best to answer, a knock sounded at the door.  The door was opened and a messenger passed a note to Gavin.  Her fiancé turned his attention from Kalista to the letter.  He read it quickly and set it on the table with a thoughtful look.

“The message is from Commander General Blaize,” he stated.  “He informs us that the Wielder Traven has sent a message saying that he has obtained the object he left in search of and will be joining us in four days time.”

“It appears,” the baroness began with a smile, “that the princess was well informed on the subject.  That is indeed encouraging news.  The Wielder Traven will benefit the defense of the city greatly.”

“Still,” Gavin said with a firm tone, “the city must hold until he arrives, and then we must hope that he will prove more effective than he was against the galdak wielder outside of Candus.”

Several advisors mumbled their agreement.

“Very true,” Kalista observed, eager to change the subject away from Traven.  “Even with the hope that the Wielder Traven will arrive and give us another victory, we need to deal with the problems arising from the overcrowding of this city.  These issues are immediate.”

“Yes,” the baroness said.  “Baron Gregor and the other leaders of Kavar should join us soon to discuss these issues.  Thankfully, part of the overcrowding will be relieved tomorrow morning.  Many citizens of Candus have already asked for permission to continue traveling on to Calyn, and I have granted their requests.”

“How many?” Gavin asked.

“There are about one hundred who have made the request,” the baroness answered.  “I assume that number will grow throughout the day as word gets around.  Traveling is often disagreeable, but when compared to staying in a cramped and overcrowded city under siege, it suddenly seems like a fine thing to do.”

“We will need to send a substantial number of soldiers to protect them until they are safely away from the city,” Gavin mused.  “I would rather not, but I do not foresee it being too large of a burden on the army.”

Another knock sounded on the door and the leaders of Kavar entered the room.  They paid their respects to Kalista and sat down at the table.  The large room began to feel as crowded as the common room back at the inn.  Kalista listened as they discussed the food supply and sanitation issues.  She contributed what she could but mostly just listened.

She tried to focus, but every time she looked at Gavin, her gaze invariably ended up on the paper in front of him.  Her thoughts would then turn immediately to Traven and the letter she had written to him before he had left.  She still wished she had never written the letter and even more so now that she began to hope that Traven had feelings for her.

She was reminded that Traven had chosen to contact her directly that very morning.  He had obviously sent a message to the army and hadn’t needed to send one to her as well.  For some reason, he had chosen to speak to her.  That must mean he still viewed her in a positive light and cared about her feelings and safety.  Otherwise, he would not have bothered to send her a separate message.

She dismissed the thought and returned her attention to the conversation taking place.  They were still discussing the logistics of collecting and disposing of refuse.  Gavin made a comment, and she looked back at him.  Her eyes then slid back to the letter and her mind began following the same path of thoughts.

The discussion continued until midmorning while her attention drifted in and out of the conversation.  The meeting ended with a hopeful feeling that all of the problems would be taken care of.  As long as the army could keep the galdaks at bay until Traven arrived with his magic object, hopefully there would be no need for another evacuation.

Kalista rose from the table and wished Gavin luck as he left to meet with the commander of the army.  She then rejoined her guards and returned to the common room of the inn.  The large room was even more crowded than it had been earlier.  Her guards cleared a path for her and escorted her back upstairs to her room.

She let out a sigh as the door closed behind her.  Her servants rose, but she waved them back down and walked over to an open window.  She peered down at the crowded garden below.  Children were running wild through the maze of tents giving chase to one another.  She smiled at the sight and longed for the innocence of childhood.  The small children were oblivious to the lethal danger that hovered near the city.  They had no fear of running out of food or being killed.  They trusted that they would be fed and protected as they always had.  She hoped their faith would not be in vain.

Kalista glanced at the adults in sight.  They did not wear the same carefree expressions as the children.  They were no doubt wondering what had happened to their homes and what the future held for them and their families.  Would they be forced to leave this city as well?  She groaned inside at the thought.

At least there would be food for the foreseeable future.  Stands were being set up all throughout the city where the refugees could go to receive food.  The leaders of Kavar had also sent out messengers to the nearby villages to the south asking them to send food and supplies for the army and the refugees.  Those extra supplies would begin arriving within the next few days.  As long as the army could hold, the people should have their needs met.

She had to maintain hope that the Royal Army would be able to repel the galdaks.  They had held strong at Candus for five days and should be able to repeat the feat.  That would allow Traven the time he needed to arrive with the magic object.  She hoped his power, supplemented by the object, would be enough to turn the tide of battle.  She sighed once again as she looked up at the clouds and thought of the young wielder.  All she could do now was hope.

32

Traven stepped back from the screeing dish, dumped out the water, and slipped it into his pack.  He had sent his messages.  Now it was time to continue marching south.  He swung up onto Pennon and gave the signal.  His elven army immediately surged forward behind him as he began down the road.  He let out a sigh.  It would be another long day in the saddle.  Darian and Giselle rode directly behind him, with the rest of the elves marching in the rear.

He glanced back at his devoted servants with a smile.  They had both been noticeably happier ever since the night he had talked to Giselle.  Darian appeared to have an extra bounce in his step when setting up and taking down the tent, and Giselle seemed to have a perpetual smile on her lips.  It filled him with joy to see the two of them so happy, but it also made him long to experience the kind of love they felt.

He had just seen Kalista’s beautiful face in the screeing dish, and her image remained before his eyes.  Traven reached into his pocket and felt the familiar letter that rested there.  He had thought about it often along the road to Kavar and had renewed his promise countless times to truthfully tell the princess how he felt the next time he had a chance to speak with her.  After expressing his feelings, he would then be able to move on without regretting what might have been.  If the two of them were not meant to be together, at least it wouldn’t be his fault.

He pulled his hand from his pocket and began practicing wielding the ambience while seated atop Pennon.  The armband of endurance had been an even greater blessing to him than he could have imagined.  With its assistance, he had been able to practice for the majority of each day without any ill effects.  He would go to bed feeling only slightly tired and wake up the next morning feeling completely energized.  The sensation was still new to him and made him eager every morning to use his extra energy.

The armband of endurance had allowed him to continue improving his skills in the ambience at a rapid rate.  Unlike his full days of training at Faldor’s Keep, he now didn’t have to pause often to eat and rest.  At first, he had feared that his constant use of magic would disturb his elven soldiers, but he had soon learned that they not only didn’t mind it, they actually enjoyed it.  Darian had told him that many of the elves mentioned being disappointed when they went a day without seeing him wield the ambience.

Traven smiled to himself.  Ever since then he had made sure to perform visible manifestations of his practice for at least part of the day, but most of his practice was done without anyone seeing what he was doing.  He had focused mostly on creating things ethereally, wrapping the necessary particles around them, and then holding them steady just inside the barrier of existence.  The practice had allowed him to greatly increase his control.

He knew that his power was nowhere near the strength of the ancient galdak wielder and that he wouldn’t be able to defeat the powerful galdak with brute strength.  His best chance was to outmaneuver and outlast the old wielder.  The armband of endurance would allow him to continue wielding the ambience long after he normally would have collapsed with exhaustion.  He had determined that if he practiced enough, he would have the skill necessary to avoid the galdak wielder’s attacks and wear him down until the ancient creature was weak enough to defeat.