The Chamber of Eternity, page 20
“So what’s the plan?” Axel asked.
“I’m thinking hammer and anvil. We have Renna and her people attack from the fort then hit them from behind. We’ll smash them between us.”
“Good plan,” Axel said. “Will she play along?”
“I think so. Getting us back to Audin so the lord governor can rob us is her main priority. With that in mind, don’t give it your all. We want to win, but wearing down Audin’s numbers wouldn’t hurt anything.”
“Cold-blooded, little brother, absolutely cold-blooded.”
Otto shrugged. Maybe it was, but you didn’t concern yourself with the well-being of a thief, even one supposedly on your side.
He extended his sight a second time, swooping well wide of where he encountered the wizard before approaching the fort. His ethereal eyes made it through without issue this time. Renna stood on the battlements, arms crossed and looking rather troubled with the situation.
Otto added his voice to the link and said, “We’ve arrived within sight of the fort.”
She jumped six inches when he spoke, put a hand to her chest, and grimaced. “If you’re trying to scare me to death, you made a good effort. How did it go?”
“We survived. Do you have a plan for dealing with your situation?”
“We’re outnumbered nearly three to one. Forcing our way out will be a problem.”
“How about you draw their attention, then we attack from behind?”
She sighed. “No offense, Otto, but the thirteen of you aren’t exactly enough to worry the enemy.”
Renna couldn’t see his smile, but hopefully she heard it in his voice. “I assure you, when the time comes, we’ll worry them plenty. And it’s not like we have a ton of options here.”
“Fair point. When do you want to do this?”
“As soon as you’re ready. The longer we wait, the better the odds that they spot us.”
“Alright, say an hour? We need to prep our knights.”
“Fine. As soon as they move to engage you, we’ll hit the rear of their line.”
Otto severed the threads.
“Well?” Axel asked.
“One hour.” Otto worked a crick out of his neck. He still tensed up when his sight was out of his body. Probably he always would. “Remember, let them fully engage before we strike. I’ll lead with a couple fireballs to soften them up.”
“What about me?” Corina asked.
“You will stay here and protect the chamber.”
“But—”
“No buts. I’m not leaving it unprotected. If you get into trouble, you know how to contact me.”
She pouted for a moment before saying, “Yes, Master.”
Otto nodded. Having her stay behind would free him to fight without worrying about protecting her. How long had it been since he really let loose with some destructive magic? Too long.
He was looking forward to blowing off some steam. Pity for the enemy, but someone had to be his target.
A little over an hour later, Otto and the scouts were crouched behind a clump of heavy shrubs within sight of the fort. The enemy forces didn’t seem overly concerned and he hadn’t noticed anything magical from the opposing wizard. As far as he could tell, they remained unnoticed.
“What’s the holdup?” Cobb grumbled.
He had a new sword commandeered from an archer. He’d been forced to endure a bit of ribbing along with an admonition from Axel not to lose this one. Otto understood why his brother enjoyed the army. There was an easy camaraderie that you didn’t get at court and you certainly wouldn’t find in the Shenk household. You also had to obey orders, which Otto wouldn’t have liked nearly as well. Having gotten out from under Father’s thumb, he had no desire to end up under someone else’s.
“There.” One of the scouts, Colten, Otto thought, pointed at the fort’s gate as it slowly opened.
A mad scramble ensued as the besieging force rushed to form up and move their magical armor into the forefront. They weren’t completely disorganized and before the Audin soldiers could press forward, the enemy was ready to meet them.
Otto drew his sword and prepared his spell. Ether flowed through the mithril, gaining power as it did.
The magical armor came together with a massive clash. Even from a distance the noise hurt Otto’s ears.
“Otto?” Axel asked.
“Not yet.”
He watched and rubbed his fingers together, building up heat.
The front rows of infantry engaged, their shields pressed tight, nearly shoulder to shoulder.
Otto stood and sent out three targeting threads. He kept them well behind the Audin forces. Another thread joined the heat of his fingers to the ether he’d been building up.
A moment later, three huge fireballs shot out, detonating in the midst of the enemy forces.
Bodies flew and men screamed.
Axel led the scouts out as soon as the fires died. The ten men went roaring into the stunned enemy formation.
“Should we join them, my lord?” Hans asked.
Otto shook his head, but didn’t take his eyes off the battle. The wizard that destroyed his ethereal eyes had to be here somewhere. He needed to be ready to eliminate them as soon as possible lest Axel and his men suffer the same fate as the enemy.
Axel gripped his new sword and watched as the Audin forces battered against the besieging force. He glanced at Otto, but his brother clearly had his mind on something magical. Letting an ally fight alone, even an unreliable ally, went against all of his training. Only supreme self-control and a desire not to get hit by whatever spell Otto had planned kept him holding his position.
He glanced back again. This time a reddish-orange glow had formed around Otto’s sword. Any moment now…
A second later three fireballs shot out and exploded amidst the attacking forces. Axel was reminded once again why he liked being on the same side as his brother.
As soon as the flames died and smoke cleared he shouted, “Charge!”
The scouts leapt out from their hiding place and sprinted toward the disoriented forces.
His first opponent didn’t look like he’d ever shaved much less swung his sword in anger. A right-to-left overhead chop cut the kid in half. The mithril blade sheared through heavy leather armor, flesh and bone with equal ease. It felt like cutting butter.
Axel spun and took a charging man’s arm off at the elbow. His back cut sent his opponent’s head flying.
A quick glance around the battlefield revealed the others having similar results. Axel had never fought using mithril weapons before. It almost felt like cheating, assuming such a concept had any place in war.
He hacked down two more men, one of them dressed in a mail coat that offered no more protection than the first kid’s leathers. It made little difference what he set the edge of his sword against, nothing so much as slowed his blade.
A tingle ran up his spine.
Axel spun and found himself facing a woman dressed in a simple brown robe with long, wild hair.
Lightning crackled around her hands.
He winced, waiting for the pain.
Energy shot out at him.
The blast struck something and stopped a foot before hitting him.
Every hair on his body stood up straight.
Before he could process what happened, the woman’s chest burst outward and a fist-sized hole appeared. She collapsed and didn’t move.
He looked back and Otto gave him a thumbs-up.
Axel blew out a sigh and turned back to the fight. When they got home, he’d have to buy his brother a very expensive thank-you drink.
Corina stalked back and forth in front of the carrier, listening to the sounds of battle, and scowled. She knew her master didn’t trust her in battle. She didn’t really blame him either. Even Corina could acknowledge that she’d been pretty squeamish during the battle in Rolan and afterward. But how was she supposed to improve if he never let her fight?
She kicked a stone and sent it flying out of the clearing. It wasn’t fair! She’d come a long way since Rolan. But she couldn’t prove herself if he never gave her a shot.
A shiver ran through her when her master touched the ether. He was so strong she couldn’t help sensing it whenever he cast a serious spell. Whatever he just did qualified. In her mind’s eye she pictured the battlefield and the smoking craters where his spell impacted.
A scuff of boots on gravel dragged her focus back to the clearing. Three men dressed in brown leather emerged from the nearby woods. They carried straight, bladed swords and didn’t appear to have shaved in weeks. She could almost see the stink rising off them.
“Only one guard, and a pretty one at that,” the center man said. “Maybe we have a bit of fun before we take the item?”
Why did the first person to ever call her pretty have to be a filthy thief?
“No,” the man on the right said. “We only got until the battle ends. Let’s make this quick.”
“You’re no fun,” the center man said as he took a step toward Corina. “If you run along, we won’t hurt you, girl.”
As if she’d do that. Running away without a fight would guarantee her master never trusted her in battle. “My master placed the safety of this item in my hands. Flee or face the consequences.”
They shared looks before busting out laughing.
Corina would make them pay for that. A targeting thread shot out and she sent lightning immediately after.
The spell was rushed and she hit the center man in the gut instead of the heart. He went down twitching, but wasn’t dead.
The other two sprinted toward her.
Cursing her carelessness, Corina flicked her iron ring and bound the two men as she’d been taught. One fell flat on his face when he lost control of his muscles. The other somehow stayed upright, but neither could move a muscle.
She’d done it! Corina smiled. Wait until her master saw the thieves she captured. He’d be so proud of her.
Her smile withered. No, he wouldn’t be proud of her for capturing these three men.
She reached for her dagger.
The reason he didn’t trust her to fight by his side was he doubted her ability to do what was necessary. That she would hesitate to kill her enemies. If she really wanted to impress him, she needed to fully eliminate the threat. And there was only one way to do that.
Corina took a step towards the bound men. The tip of the dagger trembled as she drew nearer and she snarled, forcing it to stay still.
She wouldn’t be weak. Not this time.
The still-standing man’s eyes stared at her, seeming to burrow into her flesh. Her spell kept him from even blinking. Corina imagined the fear, the absolute terror that must have filled him. Then she reminded herself that he’d come to take what didn’t belong to him and if he’d had to, no doubt he would have cut her throat without a second thought.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
She brought herself up short as soon as she said it. Don’t be sorry. Be strong! She could hear her master’s voice in her head. If Corina really wanted to take her place at his side, something like this couldn’t reduce her to a trembling mess.
The dagger rose again. As she fought to force herself to take another step, the third man slammed into her. He’d recovered from her botched lightning spell while she dithered.
He drove her to the ground with all his body weight. Her dagger went flying on impact.
He clamped his big, calloused hands around her neck.
Corina’s concentration wavered and she felt the spell holding the other two waver with it.
Lose control and you’re dead!
Turning her focus inward, she used her little remaining magic to summon lightning, running it through her body and into the thief on top of her.
He howled and released his grip.
She wrapped a thread around his heart and sent every bit of power she could muster arcing into him.
The thief twitched and shuddered as her spell burned the life out of him.
Corina steeled herself and didn’t stop until he was dead.
When the thief finally collapsed, she let out a long sigh. Her stomach twisted and she felt like she wanted to throw up. A few deep breaths calmed her roiling insides.
At last she collected her dagger and stood up straight. Before she could think about it, she cut both men’s throats.
When they finished bleeding out, she tossed the dagger away and wept.
The quiet after a battle always felt jarring to Otto. The crash of swords and the screams of the dying still rang in his head. It didn’t last, but for a little while the fear and excitement lingered. When at last his inner silence matched the outer, he went looking for Renna.
As they picked their way across the battlefield Hans asked, “Did the battle go as you hoped, my lord?”
Otto took a moment to consider his answer. The besieging force was crushed, which was good insofar as it allowed Otto and the others access to Audin’s fort and fresh supplies. Audin’s force had suffered losses, but fewer than he’d hoped. Only about forty men on that side had died in the fighting. Otto had hoped for closer to eighty or ninety.
At last he said, “It went well enough. Hopefully my little display will be enough to keep Renna and her associates in line, at least until we reach Audin. After that, all bets are off.”
When they neared the fort, Axel and the scouts came striding his way. No one appeared injured, which had been Otto’s only real concern.
“Thanks for the save,” Axel said. “I thought that wizard was going to fry me.”
Otto nodded. He’d been watching for precisely that moment. The enemy only had one of what Otto considered a standard wizard. “How did you like the mithril swords?”
Axel grinned. “They make fighting almost too easy. Towards the end, I almost felt bad for the men I was cutting down. I certainly can’t argue with their effectiveness.”
“Good. Did any of your archers fire arrows? We’ll need to collect them. I don’t want to leave any mithril for the scavengers.”
Axel turned to his men. “Arrow count!”
While the archers started going through their quivers Axel said, “Finding specific arrows in this mess won’t be easy.”
“Yes, it will. I’ll make the arrowheads light up. All your guys need to do is go around and collect them.”
“Seven arrows fired, Lord Shenk,” Cobb said.
Otto paused and let the ether flow out of him and across the battlefield. He ignored everything around the enemy knights. Soon enough he located the arrowheads. They glowed like stars in the night sky to his magical vision.
“I see them!” one of the scouts said.
“Pick them up and join us at the fort,” Axel said.
The archers hurried to carry out the order while the rest of them continued on to the main gate. Renna waited just outside along with the commander that had traveled north with them.
“I stand corrected,” Renna said. “Clearly the enemy noticed your arrival. I’d heard stories about war magic, but I’ve never seen it used. Your spells rattled them. As soon as they lost focus, the battle was all but won.”
“It wasn’t just the magic,” the fort commander said. “Each of your fighters strode through the battle like The Reaper himself. I hope to never face you in battle.”
Otto shot Renna a knowing look. “As do I, Commander. It’s been a difficult few days. Perhaps a night’s rest before we depart for Audin?”
“Of course,” Renna said. “We’ll have a victory meal prepared. If you’ll excuse me, I need to contact Lord Audin and let him know the battle is over.”
“Certainly. I need to collect Corina and the carrier. Excuse me.”
Otto started back toward their camp. When Axel moved to join him Otto whispered, “Stay here and keep an eye on them. I don’t want to return to a nasty surprise.”
“And I thought Father was paranoid. Fine, but be careful. You don’t want to walk into an ambush.”
Otto appreciated his brother’s concern, but anyone stupid enough to ambush him and Hans would very soon wish they hadn’t. Besides, he doubted there was anyone still alive to attack them.
Just as he figured, no one bothered them and about ten minutes later they strode into the clearing that served as their temporary camp. Three bodies lay on the ground, two with their throats cut and the third with the telltale signs of lightning damage. The dead men wore rough brown leathers and nothing to mark them as serving one side or the other.
“Master!” Corina came out from behind the carrier. “I stopped them. They snuck up on me and tried to steal the chamber, but I stopped them.”
“I can see that. Very well done.” Otto chose to ignore her red eyes and pale complexion. Clearly the fight had shaken her. But in the end she did what was necessary and that was all that mattered. “I told you your job was important.”
She looked down. “I thought you just didn’t want me with you during the battle.”
Otto wanted exactly that, but didn’t say so. Instead he put a gentle hand on her arm. “Of course not. While it certainly would have been dangerous to have you at my side, eventually you’ll need to face the battlefield again. Today simply wasn’t that day. Did these three say anything that might indicate who they served?”
“No, Master. They didn’t say much of anything really.”
“Well enough. Let’s have a quick look at them.” Otto gestured and the ether rushed out, swirling around the bodies and searching for anything magical. He found that something only seconds later. In the pocket of one with a cut throat, something glowed in his magical vision.
“What is that?” Corina asked. She must have seen it as well.
Otto shrugged then bent to collect the item.
What he pulled out of the man’s pocket couldn’t have looked more innocuous. A three-inch disk of polished silver engraved with runes and housing a small blue crystal in the center. While it didn’t prove anything, that was the same sort of crystal Audin’s magical engineers used. Of course, for all Otto knew, every city used the same type of crystal.
