Shadow and Sword, page 24
For five agonizing minutes, Reith bent low over the neck of his horse, afraid of arrows from behind. So far so good. I hope Vereinen is okay.
After what seemed like hours, they reached the gate, which Reith determined was the eastern one as there was no river to be seen. The road stretched away from the city. The forest loomed large to the north of the road and there were plains to the south of it. Between them and freedom, however, were twenty confused guards waiting for them.
“My prince,” their captain said. “What is the meaning of all of this commotion and trumpets?”
“There are villains and rogues at the northern gate. Go quickly and defend the city! I will maintain the gates in your absence.”
The captain gave the order and the six elven guards trotted away toward the northern part of the city.
“That will take care of them,” the prince said. “But where are the others?”
Reith saw no sign of Vereinen or Cassius, but he did see that their pursuers were in sight, perhaps five hundred paces away up the main street.
“We need to leave,” Myon urged.
“We can’t!” Ellamora and Reith said together.
“I will give it a minute,” the prince replied. “If they are not back then, we have no choice but to leave.”
Reith and Ellamora scanned the crowd looking for their master and uncle respectively. Their minute was nearly up when Reith saw them. Two elves, Cassius, and Vereinen were all on horseback. They entered the main road from a side street and galloped toward them. Elves in the street jumped out of the way as they came.
But then Reith’s heart sank. The pursuers were there too, nearly on top of them.
And then, from the side street Vereinen and the others had emerged from came a giant black war horse at full gallop. It’s rider cared not for the elves on the street and ran over them with impunity. He was swift in pursuit of Vereinen and the others. There was madness and fury in those horrible gray eyes.
The Gray Man, Solzar, was in hot pursuit.
“No!” Reith yelled. Instinctively, he urged his horse to a gallop and raced back into the city, toward his master and toward danger. The pursuing palace guards were pulling out their bows and about to shoot at Vereinen. The Gray Man drew a sword and held it high, ready to strike.
Reith swung his own bow around and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He had never shot from horseback, but he felt the rhythm of the horse beneath him and timed his shot with it. He aimed and fired at the lead elf guard, and his arrow miraculously hit its mark, knocking the elf from the saddle. This caused the others to briefly pause their own arrow shooting to avoid the now rider less horse.
This slowed the pursuing elves so that Vereinen and Cassius and their two guides put more distance between them.
Yet the great black war horse of the Gray Man leapt over the fallen elf and came on alone. There was no time to shoot again, so Reith drew his sword. Its metal gleamed as if on fire in the sunlight.
Reith could see the surprise and hunger in Solzar’s eyes as he beheld his long sought for key. Solzar checked his great horse, which reared up on its hind legs. As it came down, he brought down his own sword straight toward Reith’s head. Instinctively, Reith reached up with the sword and with two hands, received the terrible blow.
The force of the Gray Man and his horse came down upon him, but the sword held firm. Reith was as surprised as anyone. With an ordinary sword, Reith could not have hoped to receive that blow and remain unscathed.
The metal on metal crash earned a shower of sparks, making the black horse rear again, and Reith took the opportunity to swing a mighty blow at the Gray Man’s side. The Gray Man managed to block it, just barely. But the force of Reith’s blow and the rearing horse threw him off balance, and he tumbled backward out of the saddle.
Reith heard hoof beats behind him and found that all had followed him. Kydar, Dema, Ellamora, and several of their allies shot arrows at the pursuing elves who had caught up to them again. Then they all turned around and galloped toward the gate.
“Faster, faster!” the prince cried.
Arrows flew past them. Reith heard a gasp and saw one of the elves fall from his saddle to the ground, an arrow sprouting from his neck.
They were almost to the gate now. The two elves that had come with Vereinen and Cassius were in the lead now, with Vereinen and Cassius behind them. Then came the prince, Myon, Ellamora, and Reith. Kydar, Dema, and the two other elves were behind them. An arrow glanced off of Reith’s pack, but he felt the weight of it and knew he would have a bruise there.
Ellamora shouted out. Reith looked to her and saw that she had a red gash on her left arm where an arrow had grazed her. “I’m fine!” she yelled to him.
More arrows sailed by them. They were a hundred yards from the gate in an all-out gallop now. Ahead of him, Cassius took an arrow to the back and fell from his saddle. Cassius cried out as he fell, but his cry ceased when he hit the road. Reith’s horse swerved to avoid the fallen body of Cassius.
“No!” Ellamora screamed when she saw her uncle fall.
“Don’t stop!” Reith pleaded. “If you stop, you’ll die!”
Ellamora reluctantly obeyed. They kept riding.
They were now fifty yards from the gate. Reith heard a grunt and someone fall from their horse behind them and he saw that one of the elves was down.
And finally they were through the gate and out on the road. There were trees to their left. Reith heard another grunt when someone else was hit. He turned his head and saw that Kydar, Dema, and the other elf had all kept their seats. But something was wrong with Kydar. He swayed in the saddle and his eyes were distant.
“Kydar!” Dema cried, seeing that her brother was not well.
They were out on the southern road, still galloping, several hundred yards clear of the city. Reith turned again and saw that their pursuers had stopped at the gate. He looked at Kydar and his heart sank. Kydar was coughing up blood, barely holding onto his horse. Reith slowed and came in next to Kydar and his horse, reaching over and grabbing the reins.
“Dema, help!” he called out, but Dema was already riding close on the other side. Their pace slowed to a trot and then a walk. Ahead, the rest of the party turned off the road to the left, going into the trees.
Kydar’s breaths were coming in great shuddering gasps. Reith looked and saw an arrow buried several inches into Kydar’s back.
“Kydar, stay with us,” Dema pleaded. “You’re going to be okay.” Tears were streaming down her face and Reith found that his own eyes also stung.
They reached the spot where the others had turned off the road and found that they were in a small clearing in the trees. The prince, Myon, and Ellamora were off their horses and rushed toward them. The three of them helped Kydar down, and they laid him on his face. His breathing was ragged and uneven. It pierced his lung.
“Help him, please,” Dema begged, sobbing now. Ellamora took her in her arms and squeezed her tight. Tears were in her eyes as well. Two of the unnamed elves had fallen in the city, as had Cassius. Those remaining were Reith, Ellamora, Dema, Kydar, Vereinen, the prince, Myon, and two of the other elves.
Vereinen was bent low over Kydar’s back, and Myon was there with him.
“I am afraid that the arrow has done too much damage,” Vereinen said sadly.
“Do something!” Dema yelled. She knelt by her brother’s head and placed a hand on his cheek.
“I … I …” Kydar said, trying to speak. “I … love … you,” he choked out.
Dema sobbed. “Take the arrow out, please!”
“If we take it out, he will immediately bleed out,” Myon explained. “The arrow is blocking the blood right now. I am so sorry.”
Kydar let out one final shuddering gasp and then went still. His eyes remained open, but all light had gone from them. Vereinen reached down and closed them.
Dema collapsed to the ground in a heap of tears, each cry shaking her entire body. Ellamora bent down and spread herself over the sobbing Dema as a blanket. Tears filled Reith’s eyes and he knelt down to join the embrace.
He had never felt so empty.
Chapter Twenty
They were left alone to cry and hold each other for several minutes. Tears flowed freely, and Reith’s fell on Ellamora, Ellamora’s flowed onto Dema, and Dema’s nourished the ground. There were no words for their grief. Eventually, the prince interrupted them.
“I am so very sorry, but we have to go.”
“No,” Dema said, shaking her head. “No. We can’t.”
“I’m afraid the king will send the whole palace guard after us.”
“We have to bury him,” she argued.
The prince looked to Myon, who nodded. “There is no time for a burial,” the prince said. “Not a proper human one at least, with earth. Would you permit a burial by fire? It is the elven way.”
Dema nodded.
“Good,” he said. “Let us build an altar.” For several minutes, Reith helped the prince and the two unnamed elves gather wood and stone. Soon, they had a heap of rocks, which they piled the wood on. Then they placed Kydar on top. Dema put his sword in his hand and arranged his limbs so that it looked like he was sleeping.
“God of Light,” the prince prayed, “none of us has life in himself, and none becomes his own master when he dies. For if we have life, we are alive in you, and if we die, we die in you. Whether we live or die, we are your possession. Care for this soul in your infinite life and light. May Kydar dance upon the fields of your kingdom. Comfort his friends and family in this time of sorrow and grief. Take him to be with you. So be it.”
Just then, a light flashed at the altar, and Reith flung his arm up in front of his face to block it. But as soon as it appeared, the flash of light was gone. A fire was crackling on the altar, but Kydar was gone. What on earth?
“What happened? Where is he?” Dema demanded.
“The God of Light took him,” the prince said as if commenting on the weather.
She sputtered, “Taken him where?”
“On,” he replied simply.
“To a better place, where death has no more hold on him,” Myon added.
Vereinen looked on in wonder. “Who are you?”
“I am Prince Romulus, heir to the elven throne and Knight of the King’s Justice.”
“Why did you rescue us?” Reith asked, still very confused as to why they had been saved.
“I am Knight of the King’s Justice,” Romulus repeated. “The king was going to make an unjust decision. It is my duty to oppose it.”
“Is that all we are, an accomplishment of duty?” Ellamora asked indignantly.
“Not at all, good lady. It was the right thing to do. And if I am to have any throne at all, it is in my best interests to separate myself from my father and from Solzar. In the past few days, I thought I saw the darkness of the Shadow behind his eyes.
“I think I saw that too,” Reith said. “During my trial. Is the king becoming a Shadow?”
“It would be the Dark Powers’ greatest wish, to turn a royal. We can only hope that the God of Light protects him from the Shadow.”
“That is all well and good,” Vereinen said, “But what now?”
“As you may know, my father sent his forces north, one force by the northern path and one by the eastern path along the forest. This was Solzar’s idea. I think they mean to invade the humans.”
“What?” Vereinen asked sharply.
“Oh yes,” Romulus said, shaking his head. “Solzar took care of Suthrond and Coeden, two towns that would have attempted a fight against an elf invasion. He cleared the way for my father to march troops deep into the land of the humans.”
“So what can we do?” Reith asked hopelessly.
“We have only one course of action,” Romulus replied. “We have no hope of reaching the humans in time to warn them. We must seek the dwarves. If we can win them to our cause, we can attack the invading troops from the rear.”
“You would do that to your own people?” Vereinen asked, incredulous.
“It is my duty. We are all the children of the God of Light.”
“And what about all the rest of you?” Reith asked, looking around at the other elves.
“We know a Shadow when we see it,” Myon said. “It is a horrible distortion of the good created order for a Shadow to walk. We will oppose the Shadow, for Terrasohnen and the God of Light. The king has forsaken my counsel, so I will forsake him. Brauron and Aytos are my willing companions in this.” He gestured to the two other elves. “Shall we proceed on this adventure that the God of Light has called us to for the sake of our world?”
Reith asked, “What about the Gray Man? Solzar, I mean.”
“His hand is stretched out to take the world. We must cut his hand down.”
“It’s his fault,” Dema said, wiping her sleeve across her face. “It’s his fault. For everything. For our family, for Suthrond, for Kydar, for Cassius, all of it.” She stood up a little straighter, proud and strong. Weakened, but not defeated. “I will end him. If it’s the last thing I do, I will prevent him from hurting anyone else. I swear it on my life.”
“We’ll be right there with you, Dema,” Reith promised.
“Fighting by your side, till the very end,” Ellamora added.
And with that, this group of humans and elves prepared to mount their horses. Reith pulled Vereinen to the side.
“I missed you, master.” Master and apprentice hugged as they never had before. Reith realized he had not yet looked upon Vereinen’s face properly since Coeden. It was more aged now, with deeper lines, but still there was a youthful appearance to his face.
“I missed you too, Reith,” Vereinen said. “More than anything. And I am more proud of you than I have ever been. You have shouldered a burden beyond what could ever be expected of a boy, and you have borne it well.”
“That is not all that I am bearing,” Reith replied. He drew his sword and handed it to Vereinen.
“What’s this?” Vereinen asked, inspecting the sword.
“I think this is what Solzar was looking for. I think this sword is the key.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He mentioned that the key would be something with three metals woven together. And there’s more. After I carried the sword, while I was still in Erador among the trees, I heard a voice. ‘Save them. Serve them. Fight for them. Then find me.’
“Astounding,” Vereinen said, holding the sword and weighing it in his hand. “I think you may be right. If so, sword bearer, you hold the key to the restoration of all of Terrasohnen. Bear it well.”
Vereinen mounted his horse and Reith followed his lead.
The restoration of all of Terrasohnen? What a weight to bear.
With his right hand he held the reins and with his left he held the hilt of his sword, which felt warm in his palm. The sword felt warm to his touch. As he felt it, assurance that he was on the right path swept over him.
Reith might not know what was ahead, but he knew he was going the right way. The way was illuminated, and a little light was all that was needed to fight a Shadow.
Epilogue
The Gray Man watched the humans and the elves pass through the gate of the city.
It’s too late to go after them, he thought. I don’t have the men. But the sword, the Sword! The boy had it all along! He knows not the power which he holds in his hands.
He rode through the city, indifferent to the bodies of the fallen from the battle. But instead of the palace, he rode to the temple. He entered into the now familiar hall, carved of marble with fabulous stained glass filled with images of old. Along one side, near the back, he found his favorite. In this image a single figure stood. The red, orange, and yellow glass behind the figure gleamed in the sunlight, looking like it was on fire. The figure held aloft a sword, the Sword, toward a dragon sweeping down on him from the sky.
“My Masters,” Solzar said aloud to the empty room. “The boy has the sword. Shall I follow him or shall I continue the path you have laid before me in your wisdom and power?”
There was silence for several seconds. And then, from all around came a strong, deep, and ancient voice from Solzar’s own mouth.
“Fear not the boy,” the voice said from Solzar’s lips. “He is weak. He is nothing. Turn your eye north. Our vengeance is near at hand.”
“Yes, my Masters,” Solzar said in his own voice. “I am your servant.”
“You have done well,” the voice said from Solzar’s mouth. “You have been faithful and you will be rewarded beyond all others.”
“Thank you, thank you, Masters,” Solzar said.
“Go and find your men. They are across the river waiting for you. Then attack, as we have planned. The time of Light is over and the time of Darkness will soon come to pass. Even now, there is another Shadow rising in the East.”
N. K. Carlson, Shadow and Sword
