Wielder's Fate (7 page)

Blaize stared back at the messenger.  His papers lay forgotten, scattered on the desk in front of him.  What was the man talking about?  Strange beasts were now invading the land?  He let out a deep breath.  They would need to find space for the refugees, but at least the soldiers had brought them to the city safely.  He looked at Gavin and found the future baron looking to him.  It appeared this new crisis would be Blaize’s first true assignment as the commander general.

“What is the nature of these beasts?” he asked the messenger.

“None have gotten close enough to get a good view and live.  We do know that they walk upright like a man but are slightly larger than us and appear to have skin as red as blood.”

“Are they truly wild beasts or are they sentient?”  Blaize asked.

“They are armed with weapons and appear to be moving in a somewhat organized fashion.”

“How many are there?”

“They number at least in the thousands, Commander General,” the messenger answered.  “Perhaps in the tens of thousands.”

Blaize stood up from his desk.  He needed some fresh air to clear his mind.  He had spent the morning talking of magic with Traven and now he was being told that a horde of monsters was on its way to attack Candus.  The world he thought he knew was being turned upside down.  It seemed strange indeed to be considering such things.  However, he had met an elf the day before, and if there were elves, why not some other savage creature that no one had known existed.

“I say we go to the city’s east wall to get a better view of the situation,” he suggested.

“I agree,” Gavin replied, still in disbelief.

The messenger followed as they left the room and made their way to the outer wall of the city.  After arriving at the east gate, they climbed the stone stairs to the lookout tower above it.  They joined the two sentries who were intently gazing to the east.  Both snapped to attention when they realized who it was that had joined them.

“At ease,” Blaize said as he peered into the distance.

The villagers were still too far away to see with any detail, but he could easily see the smudge on the horizon that foretold of the coming of a large group.  Accommodations would need to be prepared for the refugees.  He turned to the messenger.

“You said there are ten thousand villagers?”

“Yes,” the messenger replied.  “Perhaps a few more.”

The best solution Blaize could think of was to house them in the barracks.  Soldiers would need to be mobilized to protect the city from the approaching threat.  By moving part of the army to the plains east of the city, there would be plenty of room to accommodate the refugees in the barracks.  He supposed he might as well send the order.  By the time the villagers arrived, he could have part of the barracks cleared and ready for them.

He gave the orders to one of the sentries on duty and sent the man running to the barracks.  Twenty thousand soldiers would soon be setting up camp to the east of the city.  Hopefully, that would be plenty to repel the monsters.  He didn’t want to move any more troops until he had a better idea of the attacking beasts’ intentions.  He needed a better idea of how many there really were and when exactly they would arrive.

It would also be wise to send a message to the other villages in the vicinity.  The message would warn them of the impending danger and offer them safety within the city walls.  Blaize let out a sigh.  The recent battle had ended merely a week before and already it appeared that another conflict was on the way.  He turned towards Gavin as the young man finally spoke up.

“We are living in strange times,” the future baron muttered.  “It has been over a hundred years since Candus was last attacked.  It is hard for me to believe the reports of an invading horde of beasts, but it would be unwise to not prepare for it.  I wish there was some way we could see how great this new threat truly is.”

Blaize wished the same thing.  If they had more intelligence on the beasts, it would be much easier to take the necessary precautions and form the proper defenses.  He glanced out over the green landscape and watched as the group in the far distance slowly grew closer.  If only he could see what was beyond that group.  He paused as a thought occurred to him.  There was a way.

“We can see the threat,” he said with a smile.  “We just need to find Traven.”

6

Kalista happily made her way down the garden path.  Bright flowers were in bloom all around her, and the sky was clear and blue.  It was another beautiful spring morning, and she was looking forward to spending it with Traven.

Their previous meeting had been fantastic.  She had learned so many interesting things and could not wait to find out what other surprises the young wielder harbored.  Hopefully, he would be more comfortable and willing to show her more of his skills.  She found it cute that someone with as much power as he possessed could be so timid.

She walked around a large tree and spotted him sitting on the same stone bench they had shared yesterday.  He had his eyes closed and was sitting perfectly still.  She could not tell whether he was asleep or merely deep in thought.  A mischievous thought entered her mind.  Maybe she could get back at him for his invisibility trick.  She slowed down and started walking towards him very quietly.  She had not taken more than a step past the tree when he turned towards her and opened his eyes.

She missed a step in surprise, but then started walking normally towards him.  How had he known she was there?  She was sure she had been perfectly quiet.  He smiled as she finished making her way to the bench.  He stood and waited for her to sit down before reseating himself.

“Good morning, Traven,” she said.

“Good morning,” he replied with shining eyes.  “What would you like to see today?”

“Something powerful,” she replied.

She had seen that Traven could do many different things, but she had not seen him do the mighty feats of magic she knew he was capable of.  She watched with excited anticipation as the young wielder’s forehead wrinkled in thought.  He then gave her a shy smile and stood up.  He reached his hands upward towards the sky and took on a look of concentration.  Almost immediately, flames shot upwards from his hands.  There was soon a large pillar of raging fire stretching up high into the sky.

The fire disappeared, and there was a brilliant flash of light high overhead.  It was followed almost instantly by a thunderous boom.  Kalista jumped in surprise and then realized what had caused the sound.  Traven had followed up the pillar of fire with a bolt of lightning.  She smiled.

“Can you make it rain?”

She had barely asked the question when drops of water began falling around her.  Surprisingly, she remained completely dry.  It was as if an invisible barrier surrounded her.  Traven’s powers truly were magical.

“It appears you can do just about anything,” she said with a smile.  Traven shrugged with a sheepish smile as the rain stopped.

“I can’t do any of this for very long,” he said as he came over and sat down on the bench next to her.  “When I wield the ambience, it slowly drains my strength.  If I wield too much, it will weaken me to the point where I’ll pass out.”

“I suppose that is one cure for insomnia,” she stated, thinking of her troubles falling asleep over the last week.

“I normally don’t have any trouble falling asleep,” Traven said with a smile.  “I’m usually tired enough that I drop right off.  If it cured me of nightmares, then that would be worth it.”

He was still smiling, but a slight change came over his features.  She wondered if he continued to be plagued in his dreams by those who had died.  She had dreamt of her deceased guards once again last night.

“I thought you said the deaths of the guardians did not bother you as much anymore?”

“It’s not that,” Traven replied.  “My dreams are often too lifelike for my liking.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing,” he said as he turned away.

Traven said it in such a way that she could tell it did mean something important but that he didn’t want to talk about it.  As such, it aroused her curiosity.  She wondered if she could convince him to elaborate.

“Surely dreams do not scare a powerful wielder like yourself,” she stated.  “What harm can come from dreams?”

“I said it was nothing,” he replied.  He then turned and looked at her with a cheerful smile.  “What else would you like to see me do?”

Traven was intentionally changing the subject.  Despite the smile on his face, his eyes told a different story.  Something was troubling him.

“I would like to see you tell me about these troubling dreams of yours,” she replied.

The young man stared back at her for a few moments as if deciding whether to say anything about them or not.  He shook his head a few times as if dismissing certain thoughts but finally opened his mouth.

“I’m not bothered by dreams,” he said.  “It’s my visions.  Sometimes wielders have what are called visions.  They’re like normal dreams but more realistic.  They sometimes tell the future.”

“You can see the future?” Kalista exclaimed. That was interesting indeed.  She wondered why he had been so hesitant to talk about it.

“It doesn’t really work like that,” Traven replied.  “The visions give hints at important things, sometimes things that will occur in the future, but they’re not always easy to understand.”

“What’s so disturbing about that?” she asked with interest as she scooted closer to him.  It was fascinating to think that he dreamt of the future.

“My visions often leave me unsettled,” he said.  “They are very realistic and often repetitive.”

She waited for more, but that was all Traven offered.  He shifted on the stone bench and turned away from her as he began to intently study a bush.  It was apparent he would need coaxing to share more.  She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder.  He visibly flinched at her touch.  She gently pulled on his shoulder, and he turned and looked at her as she put her hand back in her lap.

“You can talk to me about them,” she said encouragingly.  “Sometimes things are easier to bear if we talk about them.”

A wry smile passed over Traven’s face.  He opened his mouth to say something but then quickly clamped it shut.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  He then opened his mouth again and this time began talking.

“It seems that my visions often have something to do with death.  Sometimes it is me being killed, and sometimes it is others.”

“So you are worried you will die soon?” Kalista asked with concern.

“No,” Traven replied with a thoughtful smile.  “I don’t think that’s what they mean.  Though, it is unnerving to die over and over again every night.”

“Then you are worried for others?” she continued as she probed for the answer.  “Do you have visions of those you know dying?”

“Not right now,” he answered.  “I just have a foreboding feeling that something bad is about to happen.”

“Perhaps you are just imagining it,” she suggested.

“No,” Traven replied as he shook his head.  “It is similar to the feelings I had when . . .” he trailed off and paused before continuing.  “It is similar to when I had visions of your death.”

“What!” Kalista exclaimed as she sat straight up in shock.  “You had a vision that I’m going to die?”

“Don’t worry,” Traven said in a calming voice.  “That threat has already passed.  It was my visions of you that caused me to leave Faldor’s Keep and journey to the battlefield.  I had reason to believe that your life was in danger.  It turned out I was right.  Luckily, I reached you just in time.”

“You mean you came specifically to save me?” she asked.

“Yes,” Traven replied as his face reddened slightly.

A new flood of gratitude nearly overcame her.  He had not just happened to be in the right place at the right time in order to save her.  Traven had left his training at Faldor’s Keep and journeyed across the entire length of Kalia to save her because of a dream.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.  He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.  Ever since the end of the battle, I haven’t had any more visions of you being in danger.”

She was relieved to hear that.  She wondered how often he had these visions.  Obviously, his most recent one was bothering him.

“Do you have visions often?”

“Almost every night,” he replied.

“So you dreamt of something horrible happening to me every night on your journey across Kalia?”  She felt sorry for the nightmares he must have endured.

“Not exactly,” he replied as he averted his eyes.

Kalista wondered why he was acting so uncomfortable once again.  She didn’t understand why it bothered him so much to talk about his dreams.  She was about to ask another question but stopped.  She suddenly realized that she had plenty of dreams she would not want to share with anyone.  Some were personal while others were just strange.  She supposed if she had been having dreams about Traven, she would not want to necessarily talk about them either.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you do not want to,” she said quickly.

“It’s okay,” Traven replied.  “I did have several visions where I saw your lifeless body, but most of the time you were missing from my visions.  Your absence was what left me feeling so unsettled.”

Her absence was what left him feeling unsettled?  That seemed to indicate the young wielder had often dreamt of her before she disappeared from his visions.  His embarrassment now made perfect sense.  She held in a giggle.  Traven had been dreaming of her.  As she stared at him, she wondered what those dreams had been like.  She shook the thought from her head.  It was best not to dwell on that subject.

“So you traveled to the battlefield not knowing whether I was alive or dead?” she asked, changing the subject.

“No,” Traven said as he looked up.  “I knew you were still alive.”

“How could you know that?”

“I screed you,” he answered.  He then grew red once again.  “Just to make sure you were still okay,” he added in a rush.