Chapter 23
Murphy, Capt. K, Revenal Juris and I stepped through a heavily guarded gate emerging in the lobby office of the Celene Foundation Towers. Murph had wanted to touch bases with his wife, his commander and maybe recruit a few more team members. Revenal had to take back command of the forces stationed on earth plane and assess the situation there before imminent attack by the Druz.
I knew they would launch an offensive soon and simultaneously on Earth and Celene.
Something about how the gate opened on both planes made Earth vulnerable to invasion. I felt the strings vibrate discordantly and it made my teeth ache. The captain studied my face; he had learned to read my moods and emotions quicker than I could have believed, as if he were empathic.
"What is it, Lord Jadewyn?"
We were seated in a small office in front of a computer monitor at a wooden desk. Four men in business suits, but clearly a military persuasion stood around deferring to Revenal and another general.
"The Druz are tweaking my spider sense," I said and he looked puzzled. Juris laughed grimly.
"He means he senses activity on the strings. Correct, Jadewyn?"
I nodded reached out and delicately fingered not one string, but a veritable rope of them.
"Holy cow," I whispered. "There's too many. I can't separate them or hold them. It's intertwined.
“One dark chord holds them all."
"How many?" Juris demanded.
I looked at him in despair. "Millions. The Druz have found allies. Both here and on other planes."
"How will they travel?" He continued.
I opened my hand, looked at my palms. "Through my blood," I said slowly. "Their commander will open a new Gate and draw the armies through."
"How?"
"My blood calls the strings of those that travel the Gates freely, binds the m together and lets them walk anywhere."
"Can you find this Gate?"
"Once he opens it, I am bound to it," I answered. "Once he opens it, I will be pulled there; he'll kill me and bind the gate open for all time. Hordes, millions of them will pour through and you won't be able to stop them."
"Then, we must prevent them from taking you," Revenal stated. "Can you find this Gate before they open it?"
"I think so." I knew it was a tangled twisted cord that had an evil slippery feel to it. When my hand reached it, the vibrations on it sounded and felt like no other. I grasped it not but like an electric fence line, touched it with the back of my hand so that I would not involuntarily close my fingers around it. The monitor beeped and scrolling across it were messages from the field, warning of a massing of men and machines.
"It's beginning," Revenal said reading it. "Troops are piling up on the Lockerlie Plain, on Celene. And here where you call Afghanistan. The Druz can masquerade as Afghan he rebels."
"How much damage can they do here?" I asked.
"They will destroy whatever is in their way and bring it through to Celene. Jadewyn, we need you there to wield the Seillach coin."
"I'm on my way." I stood and opened my hand, called forth the energy and the Gate widened to take whoever was willing to go. We stepped out on the battlefield inside the Battalion HQ and the military leaders went into a huddle discussing strategy. Murphy was in the thick of it. I heard him making decisions and stood up to allow others into the space I'd vacated. My bodyguard was right behind me as I unobtrusively worked my way out of the crowd of military men without causing a ripple. He stayed at my elbows as I searched for and found the stables.
"My Lord?" He questioned as I pulled out a dark bay gelding and saddled him myself.
"What do you plan?"
"I'm going to sneak a peek at the enemy." I answered and he hurried to join me. I would have ordered him to stay, but I sincerely doubted he'd obey that command.
Several eyes watched us depart, and no one said anything yet I knew a message would already be on the way to someone's ear.
"Where do you want to go?" Kiannyn asked and I pointed to a small knoll that was above the plane and should give us an unobstructed view. We cantered out and behind me I heard the shouts of urgent voices warning us not to go. I pushed the horse harder and his feet pounded the ground like thunder.
The captain grinned and said, "Follow me. I know a shorter route." So I let him lead the way and we ducked into a ravine, from which great trees lined the banks and formed a sort of lane through which we were able to approach the front lines. Gradually, it angled up and we entered the woods proper. To watch him maneuver his horse through the trees at a near gallop was a ballet of twisting limbs and graceful seat that made me jealous. I wasn't quick enough to duck the smaller branches from smacking me in the face. Eventually, we reached the top, and came out on a rocky knob that had a cliff, allowing a grand 180° view of the plains be low us. My heart sank into my throat as we stared at the massive, seething black coated army. I saw infantry, cavalry and war machines for as far as the eyes could see. Off to the rear, I saw on encampment with tents and wagons.
Kiannyn pointed. "That's where the head of their forces resides."
"What's his name?"
"Coelanth. Commander of the Druz force. Grand General Coelanth." He shuddered. "He likes to pull prisoners limbs off while they're still alive. If they take you, kill yourself."
I looked at him. "I doubt I'll have the opportunity. They have other uses for me."
"What are you going to do, Lord, Jadewyn?"
"Well, I had in mind a sneak survey down there and try to take him out personally," I admitted. "I thought, if I get rid of their general, I'd stop the whole war."
He stared at me as if what I said was so bizarre that it was unfathomable. Finally, he spoke, "their king would just appoint another."
"The Druz have a king?"
"Warlord, actually. His name is Olned. He has been warlord for 20 years."
"That's long?"
"Most Druz warlords don't survive internal conflicts longer than a few years. For him to hold his tribes together that long and attack Celene is a miracle."
"So, destroy him and his generals and the whole mess falls apart?" I mused. He shrugged.
"You're one…man, my Lord. Though you be the holder of the Seillach Pangorum and the String Bearer, you're only one being."
"You ever hear about the horse and the nail?" I asked and kicked my horse down the trail.