Two short blows on a trumpet announced that all the soldiers needed to move to their proper places in their ranks. They would begin marching soon. Kalista pulled herself up into the saddle of her horse and waited for Gavin to come join her. They would then make their way to the head of the column of soldiers and begin the day’s march.
She watched as a young soldier hurried by in front of her as he ran to get into position. He looked younger than many of the other soldiers. He must have been as young as Traven. She smiled at the thought of him. She wondered how the young man who had rescued her and saved her life was doing. She knew he had been commissioned by her father to sail north. He was traveling with a philosopher to look for something among some lost ruins. She wondered if Traven and the philosopher had found what they were sent to look for.
“Hello, my Princess,” Gavin said as his mount made its way to her. “What are you thinking about? You have that faraway look in your eyes.”
“Oh nothing,” Kalista replied shaking her head. “Are we ready to start the march?”
“Yes,” Gavin said as he reached out and squeezed her hand. “Another exciting day in the saddle.”
Kalista smiled as they made their way towards the front of the column of soldiers. Her guards immediately fell in place beside her. Even in the midst of an army, they were always nearby. Ever since her abduction, her guards were never very far away, no matter where she was or who she was with. She supposed it was safer this way, but it annoyed her to always have so many people following her. The only time she could feel alone was in her own tent. Even then she knew the guards were posted all around the outside of it.
Kalista and Gavin were soon at the front of the column and in place. Three sharp bursts of a horn were sounded, and the entire company of soldiers surged forward. Another full day of marching had begun.
* * * * *
General Blaize gazed back over the ranks of the soldiers behind him. The formations were tight, and the soldiers were marching in time as they should be. The army was on schedule to arrive at the pass with plenty of time to prepare for the coming battle. He turned and looked forward.
It still felt strange to him to be a general and riding at the head of the Royal Army of Kalia. What was even stranger was that he wasn’t even a Kalian. He was a Balthan. He found it ironic that they were marching to fight the army of his own country.
He reminded himself that it wasn’t the Balthan Army they were going to fight. Even though the Balthan Army had been incorporated into the rogue army, it was led by the Wielder Kadrak. It was the wielder’s army, not the army of Balthus. Blaize felt no qualms fighting against a tyrant who was trying to subject the world to his will.
In fact, the reports of the destruction that Kadrak and his army had caused to the cities of Rankdra and especially Beking, gave him motivation to avenge the wrongs committed against his fellow countrymen. Blaize was happy to be leading an army that was fighting to protect the citizens of its land and not fighting to gain power.
He glanced back again at the soldiers, approving their disciplined march. They would need that discipline when they faced the Wielder Kadrak. At first he had been hesitant to believe an actual wielder was leading the invading army, but after hearing so many reports, he now had to believe it. Supposedly the wielder could call down lightning and fire from the sky. The soldiers would need to be disciplined in order to hold their positions if such an unnatural onslaught was sent against them.
However, he was confident that the Royal Kalian Army would be able to repel the attack. They had plenty of soldiers, intelligent commanders, and a cause worth fighting for. The Wielder Kadrak might turn out to be a formidable opponent, but he was only one man. Blaize knew all too well that no matter how strong someone may be, one could only do so much against numerous opponents.
Many of the soldiers in the ranks were young recruits without experience. They had been taught discipline, and he hoped that discipline would keep them firm when facing actual opponents. They had been informed that there was indeed a wielder that they would be facing. He knew some still didn’t believe it, but at least they had been warned. Hopefully that would help them react with less fright than the soldiers who had been guarding Beking and Rankdra.
He hoped that the youth of his soldiers would also lend them courage and stamina. The battle wouldn’t be won quickly unless they were able to capture or dispose of the Wielder Kadrak. As long as the wielder was leading the rogue army, the Balthans would keep fighting. The battle might turn out to be long and drawn out.
His thoughts turned from the ranks of soldiers following him, to a young soldier that wasn’t even with them. Traven was someone he knew he could trust with his life. The young man had grown to be an expert swordsman and had proven his courage and loyalty by saving the princess when she had been abducted. Blaize certainly wouldn’t mind having him fighting at his side.
He hoped that Traven’s search for the ‘secret weapon’ as the philosopher had called it, was going well. As he understood it, Traven had headed north by ship to Faldor’s Watch. He would be searching among the ruins of an ancient keep for something that might help them against the Wielder Kadrak. He then would try to meet up with the army near Candus. The army could definitely use any help they could get when facing a wielder.
He looked forward to seeing Traven again. He was the closest thing Blaize had to family, and he missed their early morning training and talks. The young man had grown so much since he had first pulled him out of the river not far from where the army was currently marching. He hoped to meet up with him soon.
Turning his thoughts back to the present, Blaize went through a mental list of the soldiers under him. Earlier in the day, Commander General Gavin had asked him to choose a new sword sparring partner for him. He needed to choose a soldier who was a good swordsman but not so good that the commander general would always lose to him. The soldier also needed to be mature enough to practice with Gavin without trying to show off.
Blaize continued down the list in his mind until he settled upon a good swordsman that he thought would work out. He summoned a messenger to him and told him to go and inform the soldier that he was being assigned to train with the commander general. The messenger then hurried down the column of soldiers to deliver the message. Blaize smiled. One more assignment was out of the way.
* * * * *
Kalista watched as the two men began to spar. This was definitely more exciting than riding in the saddle all day. Gavin was facing a new opponent. General Blaize had said this soldier was very skilled with the sword and should be a harder challenge.
The general had been correct. She could tell that the soldier was easily blocking all of Gavin’s attacks. Once the soldier counterattacked, Gavin didn’t last very long and was soon on his back. She watched as he pushed himself up from the ground, and after taking a moment to catch his breath, began sparring again. He was soon once again on the ground, this time rubbing his arm where he had been struck by the practice sword.
She expected him to be done for the day, but instead he rose once again and engaged the soldier in another round of attacks and counterattacks. She admired Gavin’s determination. It was one of the traits that made him such a great leader. After a slightly longer sequence of sword work, Gavin was struck once again.
She really didn’t enjoy seeing him lose to anyone, but she knew it would help him continue to improve. Gavin did not like losing, and it would drive him to push himself harder in his practicing. She wanted him to excel in all of his endeavors.
She hoped when the battle commenced east of Candus he wouldn’t have to use his sword fighting skills at all. He should be safely at the rear of the army, far from the front lines, directing the battle from a distance. His leadership ability would be of more worth from a tactical standpoint than from a fighting standpoint on the front line. However, if for some reason he was ever drawn into actual combat, Kalista wanted him to be able to come out of it safely. The better he was with the sword, the better the chance he would escape unscathed. She was pleased he was taking the opportunity to improve his skills now while he had the chance.
She tried not to worry about his safety in the upcoming battle. At least she knew that not only would he have his own fighting skills to protect him, he would also have a contingency of highly skilled guards. They would all give their lives to protect their commander general. The guards who were chosen to protect their commanders would be some of the best soldiers in the army; soldiers who could take on multiple opponents at once, a soldier like Traven.
Another smile flitted across her face at the memory of the young soldier. He could definitely take on multiple opponents at once. She remembered how he had easily disposed of her three kidnappers and later how he had bested multiple thieves when they escaped. He had even held at bay five thieves in his weakened state when guarding the entrance to the cave.
Traven would certainly be someone that she would like near Gavin if he were threatened during battle. She looked back at Gavin as he shook hands with his new sparring partner. Maybe someday Gavin would be good enough with the sword to spar with Traven.
10
Kadrak spread out his arms in wonder. How had the boy done it? He was nowhere to be found. Had he died in the blasted desert? While that would take care of the problem, he somehow doubted the boy, with so much power in the ambience, could have died so easily. Perhaps he had figured out how to block others from seeing him. That would make things more difficult. He would have to trust that Shadow could track him down and take care of him.
Kadrak had been checking on the whereabouts of the boy every few days. For some reason he had headed north by ship instead of heading east with the High King’s Royal Army. The boy had landed on Faldor’s Watch and then set out across the desert. He had been very curious as to what the boy was up to, but now it appeared he might never find out. He knew that the boy still had to be somewhere in the desert, but he couldn’t locate him anymore.
He didn’t like not knowing what the boy was up to but knew that he couldn’t do anything about it for now. He would forget the matter and focus on what he could do. That was part of being a good leader. One had to know what he could change and what he couldn’t and move on.
Preparations were currently underway to move his army towards the pass. The snow was finally beginning to melt and the pass would soon be clear. His first assistant Gilrod had done a good job incorporating the rogue army into the Balthan Army. The army would be ready to march towards Beking by the end of the week.
Kadrak planned to restock supplies there and then continue his army’s march to the mountain pass. By the time they reached the pass, he hoped the snow would be gone. He didn’t want to have to wait any longer to begin his campaign into Kalia.
He knew that the main body of the Kalian Army would be in place at the other side of the pass long before he arrived with his army. What he hoped to avoid, however, was allowing the reinforcements of the opposing army to arrive and supplement the army’s strength. Hopefully he would be able to finish off the main body of the Kalian Army before the reinforcements arrived.
However, before his army marched, there were a few things that Kadrak needed to take care of. He left the dark room where he had been screeing and headed to another part of the dungeon. Two guards straightened visibly when they heard him coming. Both bowed slightly as he passed and followed as he made his way deeper into the dungeon. These guards, like most in the palace, had learned who their new emperor was. A few, though, had chosen to stay loyal to the previous Empress of Balthus.
A week ago, the traitorous guards had helped to smuggle her out of the palace. The empress still hadn’t been found, but he was sure that sooner or later Gilrod’s spies would find her. They had already received a few leads. The former empress would have to be dealt with harshly and in a public manner once she was caught. Kadrak’s subjects must understand that none would be allowed to act against his will.
The guards who had helped her escape had already been identified. They would be dealt with now. Kadrak continued down the dark hall until he reached Gilrod. The cunning man had quickly been able to determine which of the palace guards had helped the former empress flee. Some had initially denied any involvement, but most of them had defiantly expressed their loyalty to the empress and the royal family of Balthus.
“I’ve questioned them all multiple times and believe I have gleaned as much information as I can from them,” Gilrod said. “Several have been in contact with certain factions within the city that are planning to take back power as soon as we leave with the army.”
“How large of a threat is it?” Kadrak asked curtly.
“It appears to be fairly sizeable,” Gilrod replied. “However, if you would like, I believe I can round up most of the leaders of these rebellious factions over the next day or two. From there I can most likely root out some more dissenters before we march to Beking.”
“Please do what you have to,” Kadrak said with a sigh. “You know that you have as many men at your disposal as you need.”
“Yes, Master,” Gilrod said with a bow. “I will clean up as much of this as I can before we leave. I would also suggest leaving a small contingent of some of your more loyal troops here to stop anyone else from getting any ideas.”
Kadrak shook his head in disgust. It was frustrating to have to worry about people trying to take power away from him once he had seized it. He supposed that he would have to become accustomed to it. The more cities and lands he conquered, the more opportunities would arise for others to try to steal power from him. The key to keeping things under control was to carefully select those who would rule under him. He was glad he had chosen Gilrod from the beginning.