Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (5 page)

  “Ladies,
ladies, LADIES!” he cleared his throat after shouting. Both women stood stock
still, staring at him. Some of the armored veterans were laughing. “Ria, why
don’t you go ahead and see to the men and get your things collected. I’m sure
some would love to help you with whatever is necessary.”

She bowed her head
slightly, and started to walk away.

  Auburn opened
her mouth again, this time directed to Bowie. “Don’t think that you will get me
to obey your commands like that one. I was forced into this army so don’t be
expecting too much from me. I will not be sewing for you, cooking for you, or
be sitting on your lap. I will do only what I must to make it until this battle
is over, then I will go home to my father to help him live out the rest of his
days.” Bowie stood with mouth open unsure what to say so she spoke instead,
”WELL?”

  Bowie closed
his mouth, “Sounds reasonable. I have some carts gathering to take the
fletchers up front where I can gather supplies on the road. If you don't have a
horse and you don’t want to walk, I would make sure you hurry along and get
your things on one.”

  The girl stalked off the way
she had come, and Bowie wondered if fighting a war would be easier than
managing the two women. He took off his hat and started looking for an open
cask of ale. He figured he would need a drink before the day was over, and now
was as good a time as any.

  He heard his
stomach growl for the first time today, but Kilen rode on, despite his internal
complaints. The magic imbued into his rings and sword gave him the strength to
keep going. The horse and Kilen had no need for water, no need for energy, and
no need to sleep. His magic also gave him energy, and he in turn gave it to his
horse, which he had named Jasper. Kilen had driven himself hard the last three
days.

Today would be
the first time he got down off Jasper and had a proper meal. Kilen looked
forward to how good proper meal would feel in his stomach. He had been eating
the strips of dried meat Leroy had provided for him. The herbs and spices had
stamina and nutritional qualities above the normally eaten foods of his land.
The combination of magic and this exceptional food made traveling quick. He had
traversed from the middle of the Earth Realm to its northeast mountainous
border.

  “I think it is
time to stop for a while, the Elder Wizards cannot be much farther,” Kilen said
to the empty forest.

  Max, one of
the men in his head, replied without delay,
“I agree. You should rest for a
day and regain some of your normal strength. Let us stop at the opening in the
forest just ahead.”
Jace, yet another in his head, offered his agreement as
Jasper trotted up to an opening in the dense forest floor.

  Kilen
carefully dismounted and stretched his legs and checked for sores. Quickly, he
loaded Jaspers feed bag and provided his only other living companion a meal. He
checked his own bag and once again, reassured himself there was nothing but a
canvas sack of dried meat and bags of Leroy’s special tea. If he wanted a meal,
he would have to hunt for it.

Kilen walked
around close to the clearing, gathering rocks and dry sticks he could use to
make a fire. He noticed that the closer he came to the mountains, the colder it
became. The looming fog setting on the area didn’t help his feeling of being
cold. It was so dense that Kilen was reminded of the first day he met Twilix.
He thought of her often, but this time he remembered he had taught himself how
to cast a thick fog just like the one now preventing him from seeing the
mountains.

  He made a
stone ring and set the sticks in the middle for the beginnings of a fire. With
the leftovers, he made a pile away from the camp under a bush with dry ground.
If the fog moved too much closer, everything in his area would become damp with
moisture, making it harder to start a fire.

Max spoke again,
“
I do not know why you refuse to light a fire with that fire magic you
possess. I could teach you, or perhaps my brother could, when he returns.”

“I was actually
waiting till he returns. No offense, but he’s a fire wizard. He should be better
at teaching it than you,” Kilen replied.

Kilen pulled his
cloak from his bag, it was the fanciest cloak he had ever possessed. It was
made from finely spun wool and dyed the deepest shade of green, embroidered
with a magnificent oak tree and embellishments on the edges. Jace reeled at the
sight of it, which made Kilen laugh. Kilen placed it on his shoulders and
donned the hood despite Jace’s rebuke.

Kilen thought to
end the lecture before Jace started, “I know, I look like a King’s fool. I’m
cold and you are the only ones here. Please Jace, don’t tell anyone.”

Max laughed
inside his head at the fact that no one but Kilen could talk to anyone
directly.

A white owl
glided out of the trees and landed on the wood that would soon be a fire. It
spoke with a human voice that Kilen recognized as Joahna; a fire wizard he had
slain and captured the fallen spirit of.

“Good, you found
the location. We should be safe here for a couple days,” Joahna said.

“A couple days!
What do you mean a ‘couple days?” Kilen asked.

“We are getting
close to where Alexander said the Elder Wizards are supposed to be,” Joahna
reformed himself into the figure of a liquid man and acted as if he was warming
himself by the non-existent fire. “We will need to figure out a way inside once
we get there. For now, why don’t you start a fire?”

“Well, I found
the Elder Wizards camp, only I'm not sure how to get you into it.” Joahna said
as he reformed himself into the figure of a liquid man and acted as if he was
warming his hands next to the non-existent fire. “While I try to figure a way
to get you inside, you should probably start a fire.”

“I don’t know
how,” Kilen said, frustrated.

“Well here, let
me show you. It is a little more difficult to teach weapon bearers, especially
ones that already have imbuements like water to counteract the effects of the
fire magic’s anger. See the stack of wood? Focus on it, let your eyes see
nothing but the wood you want to burn. Now, while looking at the wood, feel the
cold seeping into your body. Lose the cloak.”

“While your
at it throw that cloak in there”
, Jace said still irritated by it’s flashy
color.

Kilen
reluctantly took the cloak off and placed it a few feet away.

“Feel the cold,
and feel the need for fire, the need for warmth. When you are cold enough and you
want the fire bad enough, those sticks will light.”

“So just stare
at them and be cold. Should I take off more of these clothes so I am colder?”

“No, I will help
make you colder,” Joahna answered.

Kilen watched as
frost began to cover every surface around him. The temperature dropped so
significantly, bumps formed on his arms and he began to shake. The frost crept
up Kilen’s boots and pants as Kilen stood. He started to panic.

“Focus on the
sticks,” Joahna repeated, still rubbing his hands near the invisible flames.

Kilen focused
hard, he blocked everything out except the cold and the sticks. Slowly, the
cold and frost started to creep up his shirt, soaking through to his skin. He
noticed he could see his breath prominently now. He longed for the hot days,
battling the sword with Gortus on the practice fields.

Joahna’s figure
stood and threw out a hand which detached from his arm. The hand turned into a
ball of water mid flight to Kilens face. Kilen, covered in ice cold water,
looked down at his shirt and watched as water turned to ice, sending numbing
pain with it. Kilen glanced at the sticks and a spark popped at the top stick.

Kilen sprang to
the small spark and yearned for a flame, the flame came slowly. Then it raged
four feet tall. Kilen welcomed the warmth and Joahna let go of the cold around
his body. The ice and frost melted quickly as Kilen threw more wood on the
fire. He began to warm his hands, letting the warmth surround him.

Joahna melted
himself into a seated position on an ice stump next to the fire. Kilen looked
into the glass-like man watching the flames flickering reflection. The dead
glass eyes of the liquid man stared back at him from across the fire. The
flames shapes danced on the surfaces of his entire body.

“Now that we are
alone, there are some things we need to discuss,” Joahna whispered.

Kilen pulled his
fancy weapon bearer cloak around him and looked into the fire, avoiding the
eyes of the elemental. “We better get to discussing them if we are to complete
our mission before the battle starts.”

Joahna nodded,
“For starters, if you are to make good on our agreement of getting us our
bodies back we must first learn how to do so. The best way I can see to do that
is by seeking the knowledge of the Elder Wizards. Of course, we have other
tasks that have to be performed before we can seek the knowledge they possess.
The arrangement of having the Elders fight beside King Atmos in war must be
done before we can proceed in our knowledge seeking.”

Kilen scoffed,
“That is the problem, isn’t it? I’m afraid that I will be killed just trying to
complete that task.”

“Yes, yes, if
you don’t get them to join in battle, the king will kill you. However, if they
do agree to join him, my brother and I will become traitors to our own land for
helping you. Not to mention that the Elders may just kill you for asking. We
must find a way to convince them to come to battle even if they are only to be
a negotiator of terms to stop this war,” Joahna put his hand on his chin and
scratched away at the water-like stubble.

“Well, I can’t
convince them until we get to them,” Kilen retorted.

“They are in
there,” He said as he pointed to the dense wall of fog.

“Why didn’t we
just go in and sleep there for the night?” Kilen asked.

“Because, you
idiot, these are not the most welcoming of wizards. They like their privacy and
their secrecy. If you go inside that fog, you do not know what dangers await
you. I wanted to wait until we had a full night’s rest and were ready for
whatever is inside that fog. I went inside a few times today and found that I
could not control magic inside. I was only able to control my body, and I did
that with extreme difficulty.”

“Okay, so we
need to figure out how to get to the wizards to plead for their help.” Kilen
pulled out his book and started writing.

“We don’t have
time for you to scribble in your book. We have to discuss what to say when you
get inside. I won’t be able to talk to you because I will be in elemental form.
You must know what to say and what to ask in order to complete the task
assigned.”

Jace echoed in
the back of Kilens mind with so much confidence, the feeling crept into Kilen,
“
I know what to say
.”

Kilen voiced
Jace’s words, “Jace will know what to say.”

Joahna paused a
moment, “Let us get Jace out here to discuss this in person.”

Kilen stared
back at the elemental in confusion.

“I would like to
see if you can summon an earth elemental at the same time I hold this water
elemental form. If you can, you would prove to be a very powerful adversary,
not only on the battlefield, but also against the Elder Wizards. It might help
them see you as a weapon bearer instead of just a boy.”

“WHAT? Wait!
People already look at me strange when I walk with my summoned elemental and
now you want me to summon two?” Kilen retorted. “I suppose you want me walk and
fight beside them also. If I do this, people will start to get suspicious of my
power. They will want to kill me just as King Atmos does; for being too
powerful.”

“They won't
be able to with two elementals guarding you all day and night”,
Max
retorted
.
Joahna echoed his voice in the real world even though they
could not hear each other.

“Everyone will
look at me differently; they will be expecting much greater things if I
continue to summon multiple elementals. I am still not sure I want to live a
life of battle and dangerous situations,” Kilen said, now pleading.

“Kilen,”-Joahna
said calmly-“You already defy all logic by summoning one elemental and walking
beside him so early. The skill is very rare, even amongst the Elder Wizards.
You will always be expected to do great things. However, I misrepresented my
intentions with you summoning us both. No one has to know that you can summon
two at once. They just have to know that you are very skilled. We can always
form ourselves as a mist, a fog, a rock, or a single grain of sand. Yet we will
posses the ability to protect you by using magic. We would be invisible to
anyone, but our presence would be very powerful. Imagine two wizards that can
be anywhere to spy on people, or protect someone who was helpless. Wizards that
don’t get tired, hungry, or be tempted by money, or drink. I can think of
limitless uses for this, and it does partly fulfil your end of the bargain. We
would both regain an elemental body, at least until we find a way to return to
a flesh one.”

Kilen sat quiet
for a moment while he thought about everything Joahna said. “You have thought
about this a lot.”

Joahna laughed,
“While in your head, it is all we have to do. If you can do this, we will be of
great help to you in many ways.”

“Lets try it,”
Kilen said, giving in. “Only, let’s try it with Max. He’s more experienced with
earth magic and being one of my elementals.”

Joahna replied,
“Very well. It does not matter which only that we try.”

Kilen laid down
and dug his fingers into the ground, feeling the soft, now warm dirt. He
focused the earth into a packed lump, raising it above the surface of the
ground. Slowly, he formed it into a figure of a tiny man, a faceless and
featureless tiny man of dirt. Kilen then thought of Twilix and the first time
he summoned an earth elemental. He was defying her orders by doing it without
an instructor present. He regretted letting the voices in his head push on his
emotions that day.

Twilix’s words
echoed in his head;
push your consciousness into the form. Look through its
eyes.
The familiar snap of a consciousness exiting his mind resounded in
his brain, and he once again felt the familiar loss of a voice. Kilen opened
his eyes to see that Max had taken over the tiny form and began to change it to
reflect his former living body.

“It worked!”
Joahna exclaimed. The tiny man grew to a full sized man with moss coverings as
clothes, stones as teeth, and colored rocks as eyes. The two elemental brothers
embraced each other in their elemental forms.

Max turned to
Kilen, “Thank you.”

Kilen picked
himself off the ground and resumed his seat on the fallen log. Max moved to
Kilen and placed an rocky hand on his shoulder. He was bolstered by energy and
felt his sore muscles heal and become painless as Joahna touched the other. The
two elementals then sat still looking at one another as if a lifelong dream had
been achieved.

Kilen spoke to
break the silence, “I won't say that I will miss you inside my head.”

Max laughed, “I
won’t say that I will miss the uncontrollable urge to stretch my muscles, or
the constant confusion of my emotions mixed with yours.”