By the Sword Page 2
“Edandir!” cried King Seraphim.
Edandir looked up.
The king peered over his balcony. Fear was apparent on his pale face.
“We have come to take you and your queen back to Sanctus,” said Edandir.
The king did not respond. Instead, he looked beyond Edandir and pointed.
Edandir turned.
Over three hundred more Malinorian soldiers were charging toward them.
*****
Talya gritted her teeth as agony shot through her shoulder and down her arm. Her dagger was well out of reach now.
I should have never dropped it. I know better.
A pool of blood formed at her feet. She had been soundly defeated.
I can’t die yet!
Images of her mother being trapped inside of that burning house came back to haunt Talya. She could still smell the burning flesh. The Malinorians had torched Talya’s village seven years ago, but the memory was as vivid as the heartless brute that stood in front of her.
He would kill her at any second. His piercing green eyes were far more menacing than the raging lion emblem on his breastplate.
It had never occurred to Talya that she could die that day. The realization of her own fragility hit her like a sledgehammer. She would be another headless body on the forest floor in moments if she did not act fast.
How far will he toss my head? Will anyone even find me way out here, after the forest has burned down? No, stop it. Think.
Sweat poured down Talya’s face. She gagged as she breathed in a lungful of smoke. The fire was very close now.
Talya’s legs trembled as she stood, staring into the Malinorian knight’s eyes. If she was going to die, it was not going to be on her knees.
“Pathetic,” he said.
“You will be the epitome of pathetic when you find yourself in hell one day!” shouted Talya.
The warrior drew back both of the swords that he held. In moments, she would be killed by her own weapon, as well as his.
If I don’t act fast.
Talya shuddered. There was nothing else that she could do, but she was nowhere near ready to die. It had been so long since she had even spoken to God. She had not paid Him much attention since He had allowed her mother to die. Now, guilt set in. Why would He save her now?
“Lord, if you find me worthy enough to save, I will try to be a better person. Even if I die today, I’m sorry for ignoring You.”
“Shut up!” the Malinorian shouted.
Talya spat at him.
“You are alone now, and you will be alone in death,” he said.
What if he’s right?
Hoof beats sounded from behind the Malinorian. He spun around.
Talya stumbled away without looking back, taking advantage of the diversion. She tried to think of what she could use to fight back, but her head spun.
“Talya!” someone shouted from behind.
It’s Tanel!
Talya stopped and turned around. Tanel was on a horse, and it was running toward her, but so was the Malinorian knight.
Chapter Two
“Hurry up, Tanel!” Talya shouted.
When Tanel rode by, she grasped onto his torso. She held on for dear life as she swung her leg over the horse’s back.
Talya looked over her shoulder. The Malinorian commander was gone.
“You’re bleeding!” Tanel cried.
There was so much blood. It covered her arm and trickled down her hand. It was so red. Like the Malinorian commander’s cape.
Tanel glanced back at her.
“We need that wound bound.”
“I’ll be fine,” Talya muttered just as a wave of nausea hit her.
“Not if we let you bleed to death. We’re going straight to the hospital.”
Talya shut her eyes. She was not going to argue with him this time.
“How did you find me?”
“I saw you and that big commander dueling. I tried to follow you, but you can imagine that there was a lot of resistance. I was able to commandeer a riderless horse, and finally I found you.”
“Why didn’t you just shoot him when he was clearly about to kill me?”
“I ran out of arrows.”
“Oh.”
It had been so close back there.
“How is the battle faring?” asked Talya.
She winced when their horse jumped over a fallen tree, tightening her sore arms around Tanel’s waist.
“Not good.”
“Wait, why are we leaving Cardamon?”
Tanel hung his head.
Talya’s stomach knotted.
“The Malinorian Empire has overtaken it.”
“No!” cried Talya.
“Our army, along with Sanctus, has already retreated, but I couldn’t leave until I found you.”
“You mean you came for me even though everyone was leaving?”
“Of course I came for you!”
“Thank you, Tanel. I owe you my life,” she said.
Tanel squeezed her hand.
“You are going to be all right. I haven’t seen Hanten since the battle began. He must have retreated with the others,” he said.
Talya’s throat tightened. The pain in the pit of her stomach returned. A wave of nausea blurred her vision.
She closed her eyes and leaned against Tanel’s back.
Why can’t this all just be a nightmare we can wake up from?
“He’s gone, Tanel.”
Tanel’s back tensed.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hanten is dead.”
Tanel was quiet for several moments.
“It couldn’t have been him.”
“I – I saw his… face. They killed him. I’m so sorry.”
Tanel was silent.
Talya shuddered as she choked back a sob.
Slowly drifting into unconsciousness, all Talya could see was Hanten’s lifeless face. The vacant stare of his once vibrant eyes.
*****
Jalarn and his men chased down their retreating enemies. A few had managed to get away from the Malinorians, but several hundred more were strewn on the ground all around him. Cardamonian homes, schools, and churches had already burned down.
Ittonifer would be very pleased. And it was only the beginning.
Jalarn was glad that he had ordered his knights to spare the lives of General Landine and the remaining Cardamonian commanders. They had all ten of them in their possession now. It would make things more entertaining once they reached the castle.
Jalarn raced up the hill that led to King Seraphim’s palace. As he and his men got closer, they were forced to jump over hundreds of fallen Malinorian soldiers. A few knights from Sanctus stood in front of the castle.
Jalarn recognized General Edandir right away. He had fought the man seven years ago in the Holy Wars. The enemy general had nearly killed Jalarn back then, but Jalarn had been no ordinary thirteen-year-old warrior. Ittonifer had trained him well.
It would not be too difficult to slay the aging general this time. Jalarn raced for Edandir and their swords collided with a sharp clang.
A shout from Jalarn’s left made him look away from Edandir for a moment. He barely dodged a stab from an enemy knight on horseback. A Cardamonian knight must have snatched one of the riderless horses.
In one fluid motion, the rider helped the general onto his horse. They rode away before Jalarn could sink his blade into one of them.
“Cowards,” Jalarn said through clenched teeth.
Sanctus’ general might have escaped this time, but his time would soon come. All of the rebels would die. He would make sure of that.
Jalarn was ready to sink his sword into one of the general’s stragglers, but his men had already finished them off. Edandir would have quite the lonely trip back home.
Excellent.
Now it was time to break down the castle gates. He salivated at the mere thought of slaying one of the last opposing rulers.
At the castle gates, Jalarn and his men picked up the thick tree trunk. After two powerful swings, the doors flew open. The men let their commander through the entrance first.
Jalarn raced up the white marble stairway. He presumed that it would lead to the king’s wing.
An artfully crafted Nackimore wood door had been left wide open. Jalarn rushed through a grandly furnished room, then noticed another door that led outside. Probably to a balcony. Soft voices sounded from just outside.
Jalarn stepped through the door and found King Seraphim and Queen Shelba standing on the balcony. They were holding one another. Their eyes widened when they saw him coming toward them. The king tightened his hold around his wife.
Jalarn scoffed at the sickening sight as his men arrived and quickly surrounded them.
The king trembled, but his queen stood rigid. She glared angrily at the men that had taken over her palace. The palace that now belonged to Ittonifer’s empire.
Which will one day be mine.
General Waltez, one of the other commanders of Malinor, stepped onto the large balcony.
“Good work, Jalarn,” he said.
Jalarn’s knights threw the seven Cardamonian commanders, along with General Landine, onto the hard floor. The Malinorians gathered around and kicked them repeatedly.
“Stop!” King Seraphim cried.
“I thought that it would be better to save your commanders for this moment,” said Jalarn. “It will make things more… interesting.”
The queen spat in Jalarn’s direction. It was an act that no respectable female in Malinor would do.
“Animals!” she shouted.
Jalarn nodded at his knights. They stopped beating their captives.
“Get up,” said Commander Waltez.
They forced their captives to line up side by side.
“On your knees!” shouted Waltez.
With one Malinorian knight behind each Cardamonian commander, the decapitations took place.
King Seraphim whimpered like a child as the blood of his men splattered all over him. He stepped away.
Of all the kings that Jalarn had ever captured, Seraphim was by far the most cowardly. He was a man worthy of death. His squat wife showed more dignity than he did. She raised her chin as one of Jalarn’s knights approached her. He forced her to bend down on her knees.
“No!” cried King Seraphim.
Jalarn walked around the trembling king, towering over the older man. Sweat dripped down his round, sickly pale face. It always amused Jalarn to observe the range of emotions that his victims displayed before they were sentenced to death – terror, rage, regret. Sometimes all three at once.
Commander Waltez held a sword to the stout king’s throat.
There was nothing but fear written on Seraphim’s face.
“Down on your knees beside your wife,” said Jalarn.
“Please, stop this. I’ll do anything you ask!”
“What could a pathetic, fat king like you do for me?” Jalarn spat.
“I – I know many of Edandir’s military secrets. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“No one wants to associate with a traitor, Seraphim. Besides, Ittonifer isn’t interested in their plans. You don’t think we have spies?” said Jalarn.
“B-but I have valuable information. Please, at least sp-spare my wife!”
“Only servants of my lord, what you would refer to as the devil, deserve to live under Malinorian rule.”
“Tell him that we will serve Ittonifer and their lord!” cried Queen Shelba.
“My wife and I will serve whoever you require us to,” said King Seraphim. “Please, spare us!”
Jalarn exchanged knowing looks with Waltez. A few of the other men laughed.
This was one of the most intriguing things that always seems to happen before a killing. It never ceased to amaze Jalarn when people thought that switching allegiances would save their insignificant lives.
Jalarn stepped over to the queen. He pushed his knight out of the way and placed his sword over her head.
King Seraphim rushed over and fell at Jalarn’s feet, panting.
“Wait!” cried the king. “I – I’ll show you where my gold and silver mines are. I’ll give you half of our wealth as tribute.”
Well, well. This is a fortunate turn of events.
Jalarn sheathed his sword and encircled the king with his menacing walk. King Seraphim was turning out to be smarter than he appeared.
“Do you swear? I don’t want to discover at a later date that you are hiding anything from me.”
“I swear!”
“This will greatly please Ittonifer ”
“I’ll show you where it is right now.”
“Good.”
*****
General Edandir searched for Talya among the wounded knights in Sanctus’ hospital camp. It didn’t matter how many years he had fought in battles, he would never get used to the unspeakable wounds that some soldiers endured. He had prayed all through the battle that his daughter would not be harmed. She had charged so quickly into the thick of the battle that he had not been able to catch up to her.
Then she had to fight Jalarn, of all men.
Several refugees from Cardamon passed by. His heart went out to them. They would have to build new homes as well as rebuild their lives in a new land. They would be taken in as citizens, but it would never make up for what they had lost.
Edandir spotted Tanel’s parents in the crowd and thought of the young archer. Tanel had been Talya’s best friend since childhood. He hoped that the boy had made it out of Cardamon in one piece.
Several parents, siblings, friends, and lovers looked frantically among the wounded for their knights. Cries of despair pierced the air and a thick blanket of sadness covered the area, making Edandir feel guilty that he was still alive. So many brave, young men and women had given their lives for their God and country that day.
There would be much weeping in Sanctus for weeks to come.
A feisty young female voice escaped from one of the white tents. Edandir poked his head through the entrance and sighed in relief. Talya’s gaping shoulder wound was being stitched up by one of the surgeons, but she barely paid it any mind. Instead, she glared at Tanel, who stood in front of her with his arms crossed. They both appeared beyond exhausted.
“How dare you suggest that I miss out on tonight’s gathering?” she protested.
“You heard the surgeon, Talya. You’ve lost a great deal of blood, and you need to rest. You’re not invincible.”
“Don’t forget that when you got here, you were passed out,” said the surgeon.
Talya scoffed, but she was not wearing her usual stubborn scowl. There was pain in her eyes.
Edandir knew that look all too well. She had lost someone close to her.
“I’m worried about you,” said Tanel.
Talya sighed and closed her eyes.
“We can’t even bury him,” she said.
“I know. But we will remember him always. The way he was before they came here. He would want that.”
“I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
Tanel placed a hand on Talya’s knee. She placed her hand over his, and they both hung their heads.
“He didn’t even want to join the army. Remember?” Talya said. “It’s all my fault. I convinced him to come with us. Oh, Tanel.”
“Talya, Hanten had never been happier than the day King Seraphim knighted him along with us. The army gave him purpose.”
“Several hours of rest are in order, Talya,” said the surgeon.
He wrapped her arm with a thick bandage.
General Edandir stepped into the tent.
“I second you staying in bed for the evening, young lady,” he said.
Talya’s wide brown eyes narrowed when she saw him. She quickly looked away.
Tanel shook his head.
“You are so stubborn. You could have died back there. Just listen to the surgeon… and the general.”
Talya exhaled loudly.
She had not lost any of her spunk, but anyone with eyes could see that she could use an entire day’s sleep.
“Rest will help your wound heal, among other things,” said the surgeon.
“Fine. I will return to the barracks then,” she said.
“I will inform you first thing in the morning of what we determine in our meeting tonight,” said Edandir.
“Sure you will.”
“Talya.”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry about your friend.”
She stared at her feet, crossing her arms.
“Me, too.”
Talya pushed her way past him.
Tanel walked over to the general and nodded.
“I am glad to see that you are well, Tanel. I saw your parents. They are looking for you.”
Tanel’s eyes widened.
“Thank God they made it out,” he said.
“You should go to them, son.”
“Before I leave, is there any news about my general or the king?”
General Edandir hesitated. Then, he decided that Tanel had a right to know. Besides, he was Talya’s friend.
“My scouts have informed me that the king has surrendered,” said Edandir.
Tanel’s grey eyes flickered.
“How could he betray our Lord like that?”
“I can’t answer that,” said Edandir.
“General Landine and all of us fought to defend that man! Many lost their lives.”
“I know. Fear does strange things to people. King Seraphim was terrified of what Malinor would do to him.”
Tanel shook his head.
“Your general and commanders are dead.”
Tanel took a step back with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry. War is always ugly, even when it is the only option.”
“Are you sure that General Landine is dead, Sir?”
Edandir nodded.
“I hope that you can take solace in the fact that Sanctus accepts you and your family as one of our own now.”
“Thank you, General. I have to tell Talya. She predicted the worst about them… and she was right.”
“They were all friends of mine, especially King Seraphim. I don’t know how long they will keep him alive.”