Wielder's Fate (47 page)

“What?” Traven said as his smile disappeared.

“You do remember the princess is still engaged?”

“Yes, but-”

“You don’t think Gavin will give her up without a fight, do you?” Darian asked, cutting him off.

“No, but-”

“Enough of that,” Giselle said to Darian.  “We need to focus on the galdak wielder and the horde.  Let’s proceed to the command center.”

Traven shook off his distracting thoughts and mounted Pennon.  Giselle was right.  He needed to focus on the immediate issue of the battle.  There was no point in worrying about the future if he couldn’t survive the current conflict.

“You’re right,” he said.  “Let’s go and let the leaders of the army know there is help on the way.”

The small group made its way down the road and turned left at the first crossroad.  They entered the central square and approached the palace.  It was one of the few buildings in the city that wasn’t completely dark at such a late hour.  As they reached the front of the palace, Traven heard a commotion in the distance.  He stopped and listened to the sound.  It was a horseman riding fast towards them.  After a few moments, the messenger appeared down the road.  He continued straight towards the palace at breakneck speed.

The messenger pulled up on his horse in front of the building, jumped off, and ran up the marble steps.  Traven was surprised by the man’s haste and wondered if the galdaks were already returning.  He dismounted and strode up the steps with Darian, leaving Giselle to wait with the horses.  The guards at the doors didn’t appear to recognize Traven, but they made no move to stop him from entering.

The large entryway was empty, but several doors leading away from it were open, spilling light into the large area.  The room at the far end was by far the loudest, with the most commotion.  Traven headed towards it, hoping to learn why the messenger had appeared so frantic.  The conversation from the room was loud enough that he could hear what was going on as he walked towards it.

“Are you certain?” someone asked.

“Yes, sir,” another man replied, slightly out of breath.  “The main horde is still in their camp, but a small group of about ten large galdaks is slowly approaching the city.  It looks as if they are escorting the galdak wielder.”

Traven didn’t like what he was hearing.  It sounded just like when the ancient wielder had challenged him outside of Candus.  Perhaps he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

“Does anyone know where the Wielder Traven is?” the first man asked.

Silence followed until Traven stepped into the room.

“I’m here,” he said.

There were about ten men in the room sitting around a large table.  The messenger he had seen earlier was standing at the base of the table.  All of the men turned to look at Traven when they heard his voice.  He recognized several of the men as generals in the Royal Army and also immediately recognized Gavin sitting at the head of the table.

“Good,” Gavin said addressing him.  “Are you prepared to face the galdak wielder?”

Traven nodded.

“Commander General Blaize told us that you had found the object you left in search of,” Gavin continued.  “Will it allow you to defend the city better than you did at Candus?”

“Yes,” Traven replied, ignoring the hint of sarcasm in the vice baron’s voice.  “I am prepared to repel the galdak wielder and to defend the city from the galdak horde.  I have also secured an army of fifty thousand warriors that will arrive tomorrow to aid the city.”

“Fifty thousand!” one of the generals exclaimed.  “How could you gather such a large number of warriors so quickly?”

“Where did you find them?” another man in the room asked.

Traven held up his hands to stop any more questions.

“I will explain later,” he said.  “For now, it is enough for you to know that they will be here tomorrow afternoon.  If the galdak wielder is truly approaching, I think it wise that I hurry to the edge of the city to meet him.”

“I concur,” Gavin said as he stood up.  “Let us hasten to the battlefield.”

Traven couldn’t help but give the vice baron a calculating glance as the men in the room rose and began exiting.  He definitely wasn’t afraid of Gavin, but he wondered how the man would react when he discovered Kalista’s true feelings towards him.  He shook his head and walked quickly to the front of the palace, trying to rid himself of thoughts of the princess.  His mind needed to be clear and focused for the battle that was about to commence.

They were soon all riding down the road that led to the demolished eastern gate.  The group was only half way to the crumpled walls of the city when a fireball arched up into the air, blazing brightly against the black sky.  The messenger hadn’t been mistaken as to who was approaching the city.  It was the ancient galdak wielder, and the challenge had been given.

39

Traven watched with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension as the ball of fire disappeared.  He had hoped he would have another day to rest and prepare for the duel but knew it wouldn’t have changed anything.  In fact, fighting tonight would probably be an advantage to him.  The ancient galdak had already been wielding the ambience for part of the night and would not be at full strength.  Traven wasn’t at full strength either, but the armband of endurance would continually help to restore the energy he needed.

He reached his right hand upward and sent a small fireball into the sky in response to the other wielder’s challenge.  He wanted the galdak to know that he had seen the challenge and had accepted it.  The small fireball arched over the city and out into the open plains beyond before disappearing.

“How do you feel?” Darian asked quietly from behind him.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you ready?”

“Will I ever be?” he responded.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, I am ready,” Traven said with a smile.  “You already know what my basic plan is.  I will keep the galdak wielder distracted and confused for as long as it takes to drain his power.  I’ve thought a lot about what I can do and have practiced it extensively.  I am prepared, but it doesn’t change the nervousness I feel.”

“It is good that you are nervous,” Darian stated.  “That means you will be careful and alert.  Some confidence is essential, but too much is not a good thing.”

Traven nodded and continued riding towards the edge of the city.  He had an unsettling feeling that he was riding to his death.  He felt that he had a much better chance of defeating the galdak wielder than before, but he also knew that if he made a wrong move, he could easily end up dead.  The armband would allow him to continue wielding the ambience for the rest of the night, but it didn’t increase his strength in the ambience.  The galdak wielder was unquestionably far stronger than he.

The crumbled ruins of the city’s outer wall came into view in the distance.  Just outside the wall, the soldiers of the royal army stood in tight formation, facing the black plains beyond.  The troops knew they couldn’t do much against the galdak wielder, but they were still willing to give their lives to keep the old wielder and any other galdak warriors out of the city.  That firmness and determination inspired Traven.

He had been blessed with more power than any of them.  If they were willing to die for others, he should expect no less of himself.  His resolve began to strengthen as he reached the back of the formation.  The soldiers parted to let him through.  He was fighting for those who couldn’t defend themselves against the bloodthirsty galdaks.  He was fighting for his loyal friends.  And now, more than anything, he was fighting for the chance of a joyful future with Kalista.

Traven brought Pennon to a halt as soon as he had passed through the ranks of Kalian soldiers.  It was time to be firm, courageous, and smart.  He had to stop the galdak wielder at all costs.  Once the ancient galdak was dead, the humans would have a fighting chance to repel the galdak invasion.  He dismounted and took several steps out onto the battlefield.  In the far distance, he could see the faint aura of power surrounding the galdak wielder.

The tricky creature still had the stone of deceit to hide his true strength in the ambience.  Before, the deceit had nearly cost Traven his life.  Now, he had his own secret weapon.  He reached up and ran a finger over the solid endurance stone on his arm.  The armband of endurance would sustain him throughout the duel.  He started with surprise as a delicate hand came down to rest on his shoulder.  He turned and found Giselle and Darian directly behind him.

“Be careful, Master,” Giselle said sweetly.  She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before enveloping him in a warm embrace.  “That is for good luck.”

“You will be fine,” Darian added.  “You are fighting for a greater cause than your opponent.  You also know his tricks.  This time, you have the advantage.  Do us proud.”

Traven smiled as the elves bowed to him.

“Thank you,” he replied, full of gratitude.  “You two are the best.”

He handed Pennon’s reins to Darian.  His faithful steed wouldn’t be of any help in the current battle nor would anyone else.  It was now up to him and him alone.  The time had come.  He took a deep breath and turned his back to the city.

Traven strode slowly forward out onto the trampled battlefield.  Above him there was no moon or stars.  The thick clouds had turned the otherwise majestic sky into a curtain of darkness as black as death.  He knew that was how the galdak wielder wanted it.  Traven continued forward into the inky plains until he had left his devoted servants and the Kalian Army far behind him.

He cleared his mind of everything but the task at hand and concentrated on his surroundings.  He could feel the patches of grass shifting in the light breeze.  The odor of blood, smoke, and sweat assaulted his nostrils.  The silent anticipation of what was about to occur was almost tangible.  He continued walking towards the ancient galdak wielder, ready to construct a shield at the first sign of aggression.

He finally stopped when he was close enough to see the expression on the galdak wielder’s wrinkled face.  It was not a look of amusement, concentration, or determination.  It was a look of anger.  Traven stood silently with a blank look gracing his own face.  He would not let emotion distract him.  He waited patiently for his opponent to make the first move.

He didn’t have to wait long.  His hair raised on end as the air around him crackled.  A thick shield instantly came into existence around him.  He held it as tightly as he could and braced himself.  The air lit up as a massive bolt of lightning slammed down on top of him.  The ground shook from the impact, but his shield stayed firm, barely.

Traven was instantly reminded once again of the galdak’s incredible strength and why his only chance to win was by slowly wearing the ancient wielder down.  He needed to put his plan into action immediately before the wielder had too many chances to take a clear shot at him.

His shield was suddenly ripped away.  He dove to the side as a fireball zoomed past.  He instantly reformed the shield and concentrated on keeping it whole with all his strength.  The galdak wielder tried to shred his shield again, but this time he was able to maintain it whole.  When the lightning bolt immediately followed, his shield was still firmly in place.

Traven counterattacked with a wall of fire springing up around the galdak.  He immediately dove to his left and created five different domed shields, wrapping light around the one he was in.  The wall of fire disappeared.  It had merely been a distraction to keep the galdak from knowing which domed shield he was hiding in.  All five shields were next to one another, leaving the ancient wielder to guess where he was hiding.

He slowly began walking to his left as he moved the different shields away from each other.  He was determined not to give the galdak wielder a direct target.  Traven watched with amusement as the galdak wielder frowned.  His opponent could undoubtedly sense each of the five shields but had no way of knowing which one was protecting his foe.

The shield next to him suddenly was ripped to shreds.  A thunderous lightning bolt came crashing down where it had been and left a huge gash in the ground.  Traven quickly created a few more shields near him and began moving them away from each other as well.  Another shield disappeared right before a fire ball passed through it.

Multiple shields were a great way of increasing the odds that he wouldn’t be attacked directly, but they also meant he couldn’t focus all of his strength on keeping his own shield firm.  If the galdak wielder happened to guess correctly, he would be in trouble.  He needed to start distracting the ancient wielder.

Before he had a chance to do anything, seven lightning bolts came crashing down, one on each of the remaining seven shields.  Luckily, Traven did have the strength to hold all of them firm, including his own.  Apparently, his opponent was no longer content to continue guessing.

Traven quickly sent three successive bolts of lightning crashing down on the galdak.  The ancient wielder created a shield of his own that easily deflected the attacks.  Traven followed up the lightning bolts with successive attacks of fireballs and spears of ice.  He was careful to send the attacks from various locations to leave the galdak wielder guessing as to where he might be.

He continued his barrage of elemental attacks without letting up.  It had the desired effect of keeping the galdak wielder occupied with maintaining his own shield and not trying to attack him.  Traven smiled as he continued with his plan.  He figured he could keep up the attack almost indefinitely if he needed to.

Suddenly, a thunderous bolt of lightning came crashing down on the shield to his left.  It shattered under the force of the blow.  He had been focusing on his own attack and not on maintaining the shields’ strength.  He quickly made sure his own shield was solid and secure.  It appeared the continual barrage of small attacks had allowed the galdak wielder to counterattack while maintaining his own defenses.  Traven realized he needed to mix things up to keep the ancient wielder off balance.  He also needed to encourage the galdak to continue using up his strength.