CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The following day they came out of the mountains and into the foothills on the Ortarian side of the range. The air was clear, and the sun was shining brightly down on them. From a high hill Eben could see the Kingdom of Ortaria stretching out into the distance. He could see the hills below and emerald green plains that faded into the distant horizon. His eyes were drawn to a hill about three miles away. A mighty fortress was set at the height of the hill. A small town covered the steep hillsides surrounding the tower.
‘Galdir!’ cried King Ignis excitedly.
The general mood in the army was hopeful; Eben could feel the excitement in the air. They continued to move forward toward the fortress, and within two hours they were rounding the last hill.
A group of riders rode out from the fortress to meet them; their leader was wearing bright armour in the manner of a knight, but without a helm. A large moustache dominated his face, and he was mostly bald with hair growing out only above his ears. The other riders were Ortarian cavalrymen.
‘Hail! General Hugo!’ shouted the leading rider. ‘I expect to hear good news. Has Orelin fallen?’
‘Baron Doriak, there is much we must discuss,’ replied General Hugo. Baron Doriak’s posture stiffened; he took a quick breath as he stared in shock at King Ignis. A few moments passed in complete silence.
‘I don’t see how this can be,’ said the Baron, visibly shaking. ‘I received word from King Ignis in Ancora only yesterday, and yet, here I see that King Ignis rides with the army. Surely there is something wrong.’
‘I am King Ignis. The message you received was from an imposter,’ said the King firmly.
‘I don’t know if this can possibly be true,’ said Baron Doriak, his eyes narrowing.
‘It is true,’ said General Hugo. ‘We have been the victims of grave treachery. King Ignis has been imprisoned in the Dungeons of Zyran for three years. An imposter has been ruling our lands. Now that King Ignis has returned we will make all things right in Ortaria.’
‘I trust you, General Hugo; however, this news is difficult for me to understand. I must say that I am shocked. Let me lead you to the fortress. We will discuss this matter further in private. Follow me, Your Highness,’ said Baron Doriak as he turned his horse.
The army marched onward toward the fortress. The towering fortress was a thin structure made of dark bluestone and looked to be as old as the mountains themselves. The tower was about fifty yards across at the base and about a hundred and fifty yards in height. The fortress only had narrow vertical windows set high above the ground. On top of the fortress three flags of Ortaria blew gently in the wind; the flags depicted the golden lion of Ortaria set against a red background. A defensive wall, standing about forty feet in height, encircled the town at the base of the hill. Several small towers were set at intervals along the wall. The army marched up to the main gate.
King Ignis turned to General Hugo. ‘Hugo, tell the men to set up camp here. Allow them to enter the town if they wish, but tell them to be respectful toward the townsfolk. Have your commanders organise supplies for the journey to Ancora. I want to leave at first light.’
‘It will be done,’ said General Hugo with a curt nod.
The King then turned to Eben. ‘Eben, come with me up to the fortress. I’m not yet sure this place is completely safe, so keep your eyes open.’ A few moments later General Hugo returned. Baron Doriak led King Ignis and Eben up toward the fortress. General Hugo, Cassiel, Red, and Stella followed after them. The town was depressed and desolate; however, it was in a far better state than Ancora or Lantern Hill. The people stared as they rode by. Eben could hear the surprised shouts as the people of the town saw King Ignis riding with the Baron.
They arrived at the top of the hill. At the base of the fortress was a great iron door set above several stone steps. There were many depictions carved into the surface of the great door. Two guardsmen stood on each side of the entrance. They all dismounted and tied up their horses. A few moments later they walked through the doorway into a hall. Mighty pillars lined the walls, rising about eighty feet to the ceiling above, and the floor was covered with grey slate. On the far side of the hall was an empty bronze throne. To their left and right stone stairways led up to the higher level. Several doorways led off from the main hall on both sides.
‘The Hall of Galdir, it has been too many years since I was last here,’ said King Ignis as he walked toward the bronze throne.
‘I would not sit there if I was you,’ said Baron Doriak as the iron door slammed shut. The doors lining the walls burst open, and groups of armed Ortarian guardsmen charged into the hall. About forty guardsmen surrounded the group as Baron Doriak walked toward the throne and sat down, relaxing back with a smug grin on his face.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ shouted King Ignis, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.
‘The real King Ignis has instructed me, by royal decree, to capture the pretender and to remove General Hugo’s rank. I will take control of the army.’
‘This is madness!’ cried General Hugo. ‘The army will never allow it!’
‘Yes they will. Because I am the highest ranked man in Galdir, now that you, Hugo, have had your rank and nobility taken from you. This pretender will be put in chains and taken back to Ancora. You will be punished for trying to masquerade as the King of Ortaria.’ King Ignis looked across at Eben who was standing at his side.
Cassiel began to lift his hands; Baron Doriak’s snorted and then glared at him. ‘Ah, yes, the young Zyranian. My reports say you are an impatient fool and that your skills are feeble at best. Do you think using your magic now will save you or your friends?’ Several of the guardsmen pointed their spears at Cassiel. Cassiel lowered his hands and looked across at King Ignis for direction. The King turned to Eben.
‘Eben,’ whispered King Ignis. ‘These guardsmen are Ortarians; they don’t deserve to die for following the orders of this mad fool. I saw you slay a hundred muckrons and a wyvern.’
‘What are you plotting?’ shouted the Baron, clenching his fists.
Eben glanced around at the guardsmen and drew his sword. He nodded back to King Ignis confidently. A moment later Eben stepped forward toward Baron Doriak.
‘You cannot take the King,’ said Eben boldly.
‘Do you want to die, boy? Your group is outnumbered at least five to one!’ shouted Baron Doriak, his lips curling in anger. Eben continued walking toward Baron Doriak. ‘Kill him!’ cried the Baron.
The guardsmen charged at Eben. Eben easily parried several attacks and sliced a spear in two as he kicked a guardsman back. He parried and threw another to the ground as he continued walking toward Baron Doriak. More guardsmen charged at him and again he parried and threw a man down as he tripped another up and knocked the man’s sword away. A moment later he held his sword inches from the Baron’s chest. Baron Doriak stared up at Eben in shock.
‘Tell them to drop their weapons!’ said Eben in a low voice.
The Baron shrunk back in fear. He looked to the guardsmen who had been knocked to the ground and the others who were stumbling away; none of them were seriously hurt, but they had all been completely outmatched.
‘Drop your weapons,’ he muttered, trembling in fear as he stared up at Eben. ‘Who are you?’
‘He’s a loyal Ortarian,’ said King Ignis, stepping forward to stand beside Eben. ‘Now get off my throne, Doriak! You will never sit in my place again!’ Doriak stood up and cautiously stepped away from the throne. ‘Hugo, have the town secured. I want to make sure there are no other traps or traitors. Also have the entire fortress searched.’
‘Yes, Sire,’ said General Hugo as he went to the iron door and pushed it open. He took from his belt a horn and blew it three times.
King Ignis then walked over toward the group of guardsmen. ‘You men are Ortarians. You have seen the evil growing in our lands. Your families have faced hardships. I am King Ignis, rightful ruler of Ortaria. I am a true descendent of the Ecorian Arbiters of the Ecorian Empire. I have been imprisoned for three years by people who plan to make you into slaves. Now I have returned, and I intend to free our lands of evil and bring back freedom and happiness to Ortaria. If you serve the Kingdom of Ortaria you should take up your weapons and fight for what is good and true. I give you this opportunity, an amnesty; pick up your swords and pledge your allegiance to Ortaria.’
They looked bewildered and some of them hung their heads in shame. One of the guardsmen stepped forward.
‘We serve you, Your Highness. Baron Doriak told us you were a pretender. We see now that you are the real King of Ortaria.’ He then fell on one knee and pledged his allegiance, and the others followed his example.
General Hugo walked over from the iron doors. ‘The army is coming up the hill through the town.’
‘Good,’ said King Ignis, turning back to look at Baron Doriak.
‘Doriak, I have always trusted you; now I see my mistake.’
The Baron looked up at King Ignis with a smug grin. ‘King Ignis, you have no idea what you are facing. You think that you can retake Ortaria. Only days ago there were dozens of Skatheans here; they knew you were coming, and they have prepared for you. Soon Ortaria will be a land of muckrons.’
The King stared at Baron Doriak. A few moments of harsh silence passed.
‘Put him in the dungeon,’ commanded King Ignis. ‘I remove your rank and nobility, Doriak. You shall answer for your crimes, your dishonour, and your treason.’
‘When the army of muckrons arrives here they will free me, and you will learn the hard truth, King Ignis. I look forward to seeing what they do to you when you are captured. The days of the Ecorian Arbiters are at an end. The Master in the north will utterly destroy you and the fools who choose to stand by your side.’
‘Take him away!’ commanded King Ignis.
Several of the guardsmen took Doriak by his arms and led him away through one of the side doors. Moments later about twenty soldiers from the army burst in through the iron doors, all of them ready for a fight, having just run up the hill at Hugo’s call. King Ignis walked over and sat down on the bronze throne.
‘We must prepare.’
**
In the upper level of the fortress was a large chamber with a long oak table and a great fireplace. A fire burned brightly and kept the entire room warm. King Ignis sat at the table looking through piles of parchment that had been sent between the Imposter and Baron Doriak. Eben sat across the table whilst Stella and Red sat by the fireplace. General Hugo stood near the King.
‘Doriak was working with the Imposter for years,’ said King Ignis. ‘He knew I was imprisoned in Zyran. They were initially planning to use the army to invade Vastoria; they then planned to march across into Irvaria. After I was freed they made a desperate move as they knew the army would be a threat to them if I could regain control. It seems that several nobles have been in on the Zyranian plan. Earl Zalmar and Baron Ardok were working with Baron Doriak. This explains a lot; Baron Ardok had a meeting with me the afternoon I was taken away to the Dungeons of Zyran. I’m sure he infused my wine with a potion that put me to sleep. He must have been working with the Zyranians all along.’
‘I’m surprised that Earl Zalmar is a turncoat. I always thought he was a good man,’ said General Hugo.
‘We will question him on our return to Ancora,’ said King Ignis. ‘This last note sent to Doriak worries me the most. He was told to attempt to capture us and take control of the army. The note then goes on to say that they are making preparations in the east. They say they will come west and crush the Ortarian army if he fails to take control of it. This would refer to the muckron army Doriak was talking about. Perhaps they plan to meet us on the road.’
‘We should send scouts across the plains in the morning,’ said Hugo.
‘Yes, we should. The fact they think they can match us is what concerns me the most. They’re aware of our numbers, and they’re confident enough to come west to meet us.’
‘Perhaps we should remain in Galdir and wait for them,’ suggested Hugo. ‘We have walls and the fortress here.’
The King gave it some thought before answering. ‘No, Hugo, I want to go east and recapture Ancora as soon as possible. They could starve us out by laying siege to Galdir, and our cavalry would give us no advantage here. We know the cavalry helped us a lot on the battlefield in Scaldonia. It’s an advantage I don’t want to give up.’
‘So we will ride out in the morning as planned?’ asked General Hugo.
‘Yes, we must. I also want you to choose a loyal knight from the army. I will place him in charge of Galdir.’
‘I believe Sir Victar would be the best knight to govern Galdir,’ replied General Hugo. It was agreed that Sir Victar would be given control of the fortress.
**
Eben slept that night in one of the upper chambers of the fortress. He woke as the sun rose in the east and cast long beams of light through his chamber window. The town below was already bustling as the army was preparing to march onward. He drew the sword and looked at the light reflecting off the blade. The steel seemed to collect the light. The Sword of Light didn’t glow, but it was as if the light of the sun curved toward the blade making it seem slightly brighter than it should be. The Ecorian Sword, an ancient and powerful weapon used to protect Veredor from the powers of darkness. The thought that his mother had left the sword with him still caused many questions to flow through his mind. He knew that only the Fiorians would have the answers he sought.
He walked out of his room and down a stone stairwell to the command chamber. King Ignis was talking with some of his knights and General Hugo.
‘We sent eight scouts east at first light. They will check the highway and report back. The army will be ready to move within an hour,’ said Sir Rocco, a burly and dark haired knight.
‘Well done, Sir Rocco. We will head for Riverside.’
A guardsman came walking into the chamber carrying a small piece of paper. ‘This arrived by carrier pigeon several minutes ago.’ General Hugo took the note and handed it to King Ignis. He unfolded the note and read it to himself.
‘A message from our enemy,’ said King Ignis with a disdainful grimace. ‘The Imposter has asked us to surrender. He says there is no need for a war and that we should know our place as slaves to the Lord of Veredor.’
King Ignis cast the note in the fire. He then turned to face the company of knights. ‘We are men of honour and freed from bondage because of our service to the truth. Chains, prisons, and even death; all these things cannot possibly enslave those who have freedom in their hearts. We will fight these enslavers, and they will see freedom by our example.’
**
The army marched away from Galdir as the sun rose higher in the eastern sky. Eben rode with the King and Cassiel at the front of the army. Red and Stella were riding further back among the troops. They slowly came out of the foothills and into a land of lush green plains. There were very few trees, but occasionally a huge tree would rise up from the flat land.
‘These are the Golden Plains,’ said King Ignis. ‘These plains are home to several nomadic clans. I expect we will see some shepherds before we cross the plain and reach the western edge of Altus Forest; although with all the Skatheans and bandits around they will have probably moved far away from the main highway.’
They rode on throughout the day. Clouds were rolling across the sky from the east; by the late afternoon a light rain was falling. As the evening arrived they set up camp beside the highway. Red was trying to get a fire started with some wood he had gathered along the roadside.
‘Do you need some help with that?’ asked Cassiel.
Red looked up and nodded. ‘Sure, if you could use your magic it might help.’ Cassiel pointed his hand at the wood and a flame shot forth. The fire instantly started blazing.
‘You’ll have to teach me that trick one day,’ said Red with his usual cheeky grin. Cassiel smiled and nodded as he sat down beside Red.
‘It would take about five years to teach you. It’s not just about making a flame appear; it’s about understanding the nature of things around you and learning to bring about a change in that nature. You would have to learn to focus like a wizard.’
‘Five years! Ha, I think I’ll keep using my flint rocks,’ said Red, warming his hands by the fire. ‘I know a few simple coin and card tricks; that’s as far as I want to take it. After the war is over I want to focus on my swordsmanship.’
‘You’re already a great swordsman,’ said Stella.
Red shook his head at Stella’s comment. ‘You saw that wyvern knock the sword out of my hand so easily. I don’t want that to happen again. I want to learn to fight like you, Eben.’
Eben knew it was the Sword of Light and not so much his skill that was making him a good swordsman. ‘This sword gives me a great advantage.’
‘No, it’s more than the sword; you’re brave. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I saw you jump from your horse and grab the wyvern by the horns; that was truly amazing. Then I saw you fight those guardsmen in Galdir. What you have is a lot more than an old sword.’
Eben nodded and wasn’t sure if he agreed. Erako had taught him to use a sword, and he knew he was a proficient swordsman, but his skills with the Sword of Light were far beyond any skill level he had previously possessed.
**
The next day was spent marching eastward. The open grass plains appeared to go on endlessly. There were no other travellers on the highway. Occasionally they caught sight of a stranded cow or goat. That night they set up camp again and slept well.
The following day the army set out early. By the midmorning Eben could see a horseman in the distance galloping along the road in their direction. As the rider came closer it was clear he was injured and struggling to stay on his horse. He was one of the scouts they had sent out on the first day. Several of the front riders rode out to meet him and helped him down from his horse. King Ignis dismounted and walked over to meet the scout as two soldiers helped him to stand. Eben, General Hugo, and Cassiel walked with the King.
‘Sire… I bring… bad news,’ he said in a stammering voice.
‘What news?’ asked King Ignis.
‘We rode out across the Golden Plains… to the edge of Altus Forest. There is an army of muckrons waiting for us camped just outside the forest… I was the only one to escape. We were firstly set upon by a group of Skatheans, but their warhorses couldn’t keep pace with our scouting horses… Then the enemy wizards rained fire down on us from above… Four of my companions were killed. The four of us who survived the attack rode on as quickly as our horses would gallop. That’s when we were set upon by three wyverns… Only I escaped. My injuries aren’t bad; I think I can still fight.’
‘Three wyverns,’ repeated King Ignis gravely, nervously scratching his beard.
‘Yes, Sire.’
‘And how many muckrons did you see?’
‘Many more than we fought in Scaldonia. It’s difficult to say how many; I think about twenty thousand.’ King Ignis looked disturbed at hearing the number.
‘You have done well and shown much courage. I will reward you when we return to Ancora for your bravery. What is your name?’
‘Tullis,’ answered the scout.
‘Well done, Tullis,’ said King Ignis. He then turned to Eben and Hugo.
‘Three wyverns, Skatheans, and Zyranians; we are in for a fight this time.’
‘We are still two days march to the forest’s edge,’ said General Hugo.
‘You killed a wyvern, Eben; how about three?’
‘I can try.’