By the Sword Read online

  A terrible beast emerged from the water. He writhed and snarled, shooting fire from his nostrils. Everyone but Aterun instinctively drew back. It was a stunning animal at roughly five times the size of a regular firedrake.

  Aterun transformed its fins into powerful long legs. Large, strong wings emerged from its back. By the creature’s reaction, it was quite an unpleasant process to go through. It screamed and thrashed its head about until the metamorphosis was complete.

  Next, a giant sea serpent emerged from the deep. Its rigid fangs were lengthened into fatally sharp weapons.

  Jalarn watched in fascination. The lad had inherited Ittonifer’s love of watching a living thing suffer. Today, his enjoyment would be short lived.

  “Jalarn, I need you take two hundred of our men with you and ride for Hunter Forest now. I will leave up to you how you win over the giants’ allegiance.”

  “Of course, my lord. I will depart after Aterun is finished with this.”

  “Are you now first in command?”

  Jalarn glared at him, but then he averted his gaze and shook his head. He mounted his black stallion and put on his battle mask. Two hundred of his men followed him toward Hunter Forest.

  *****

  Tanel had just finished sharpening his arrowheads when he heard General Edandir’s sharp voice outside. He stepped out of the shed and saw the general standing close to the royal gardens. A tall, slender female form was walking quickly away from him.

  Talya.

  She broke into a run and disappeared.

  General Edandir walked briskly back toward the castle without a word.

  The way Talya was acting angered Tanel. She always thought that she was better than everyone else. After nearly getting all of them killed on the mission, her behavior toward the general – her own father – was inexcusable. She was acting like a spoiled child rather than a skilled knight that had pledged her life to the military.

  Talya cared more about fulfilling her own goals than obeying her general. Any other knight would have been horsewhipped for such constant insubordination to his leader. She was his friend, but he wished that she would grow up.

  Tanel placed the freshly sharpened arrows into his quiver, strapped it on, and then started to walk toward the barracks. An idea formed in his mind and he stopped. He knew Talya too well.

  *****

  Talya could barely see the Malinorian commander in the misty darkness, but his rapid footsteps gave him away.

  He’s not moving fast enough to get away from me.

  She leaped through the thickening fog like a doe, clenching the dagger in her right hand. He would hear her coming soon. She had to be quick.

  He turned around sooner than she had hoped.

  Talya threw her knife at him. It was a clumsy throw, hitting him just above his left lung. He went to yank it out.

  With an angry shout, Talya grabbed her sword from its sheath and drove it through his stomach before he had a chance to react. Instead of retrieving her weapon, she drove it deeper into his midsection. He moaned and wrapped his weakened hands around her neck. She punched him as hard as she could and then pulled her blade out of him.

  As he fell backward, she relished in the agonized expression on his face.

  “This is for my mother,” she said.

  “You’re Edandir’s daughter, aren’t you?” he whispered.

  “Yes. The girl you almost killed.”

  “Jalarn is going to kill you for this,” he wheezed.

  “He won’t find out that I did this. Besides, you should know that Malinorians only care about themselves. You really think that he will avenge you?”

  Waltez breathed his last breath and then lay still.

  Talya took her dagger out of his chest and then wiped both of her weapons on the dewy grass.

  She stood over her dead enemy. At last, he had gotten what he deserved. All of those innocent lives that had been lost in the fire could now have a small ounce of justice. It made her sick to think that the man had once been her father’s friend.

  But this still will never bring my mother back.

  Somehow, staring down at her fallen enemy made her feel even more empty. Talya turned to leave and was startled to see a tall, lean figure just a few paces away from her.

  It was Tanel. She could not see his face, but she imagined his judgmental glare.

  “Your father did not give you orders to kill him,” he said.

  “So, you were eavesdropping.”

  “I was working nearby. I told myself that you wouldn’t do it, but I should have known better.”

  “Waltez killed my mother. You have never had to know what it is like to lose yours.”

  “That does not excuse what you just did.”

  Talya did not wait to hear another self-righteous sentence come from his mouth.

  “I thought you were my friend,”she said.

  She brushed past him and then walked back to the barracks.

  *****

  The sun’s first rays kissed the tree-lined horizon as Queen Roselyn urged the sturdy mule into a swift gallop toward Sanctus City. The pain of losing Opal was still too fresh. It was difficult riding another mount back home. She was going to miss her gentle, brave mare until the day she passed on.

  The man that had come to her aid in the forest sat behind her on the saddle, singing an old hymn. He was a prophet named Uittan. Not only was he the kindest person Roselyn had ever met, he also possessed wisdom and peace that could have only come from God.

  Roselyn had spent the last night on a soft couch in his comfortable cabin. Over a soothing cup of tea that morning, he had settled many of her fears about going to war with Malinor.

  Uittan had assured her that God wanted them to fight for the freedom of Sanctus. She was not going to back down and let the Malinorian Empire take Sanctus’ land. Even though she still prayed that something would happen to prevent the battle, she believed that God would bless her army if war was unavoidable.

  After over an hour of riding, they reached the outskirts of Sanctus City.

  General Edandir rode up to greet them, bringing a second horse with him. He had probably been watching for her since daybreak and saw her approach on an unfamiliar mount with a second rider. It was good to see him.

  “Good day, General,” said Roselyn.

  Uittan jumped down off the mule right away.

  “I am pleased to have you back safe and well, Ma’am,” Edandir said.

  He met her gaze.

  “I am happy to be back, General.”

  “What happened to your mare?” he asked, concern softening his gaze.

  Roselyn clenched her teeth and looked away. She couldn’t talk about it. Not yet.

  “I am sorry,” said Edandir.

  Roselyn blinked and cleared her throat.

  “General Edandir, I would like you to meet Uittan. He is a prophet of the Lord.”

  The general smiled and got down from his horse to shake his hand.

  “I have heard great things about you from the city pastors. It is an honor to finally meet you,” he said.

  “He saved me from a pack of wolves just before it was too late,” said Roselyn.

  “No, child. God did,” corrected Uittan with a soft smile.

  “Yes. God most certainly did,” Roselyn agreed.

  Edandir’s smile faded.

  “I knew that I should have gone with you, or at least secured an escort.”

  I wish I had brought a full quiver and a bow with me. Opal would still be alive. What a fool I had been to be so unprepared.

  The prophet cleared his throat, and they both gave him their attention.

  “There is much for Sanctus to do in preparation for this battle. I will leave you two to discuss what needs to be done,” said Uittan.

  “I must speak with a young knight of yours, General.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Uittan. For everything,” said Edandir.

  They watched him walk toward the training field
for a moment.

  Roselyn felt Edandir staring at her as she mounted the horse he had brought with him.

  “I have a feeling that your friends will like what I have decided,” she said, lightly kicking her horse’s sides.

  They rode side by side.

  “I knew that you would choose the right thing for Sanctus. You are a good ruler,” he replied.

  “If it weren’t for God leading me to the prophet, I’m sorry to say that I would have had everyone boarding on ships right now. I was so afraid.”

  Edandir looked deep into her eyes.

  “You must remember that I vowed to protect you with my life. I would never suggest war against the empire without being confident that we would win.”

  “Yes, of course I remember. How could I forget?”

  “I found something out about you I didn’t know.”

  “What is that?”

  “While you are very elegant, you do also have some adventure in you.”

  Edandir smiled at her.

  Roselyn never really knew what to say to him when the conversation strayed from business.

  “I must return to the barracks,” he said.

  She studied him as he redirected his horse.

  “Thank you, General,” she said.

  “Good day, my queen.”

  *****

  The loud cheers of Sanctus’ soldiers, knights, and commanders echoed throughout the great ballroom. Queen Roselyn had just announced that they were going to war against the Malinorian Empire in three days. General Edandir came to her side as she held up a hand to silence the crowd.

  Almost instantly, the room quieted.

  “We will march far out of the way of our former ally nations toward Malinor and then bring Ittonifer’s empire to an end!” he shouted.

  The hollering crowd jumped up and down. Talya leaned against the wall, enjoying the energy in the room. She decided to save her energy for battle practice. With the fight at Cardamon under her belt and several hours of training besides, she would be an even better fighter this time.

  The noise went down a level when servants entered the room carrying platters of delicacies. Everyone returned to their seats.

  “Sit with us, Talya,” called Atalsa.

  Talya smiled and nodded. The dark-haired girl wore an extravagant bell-sleeved gown. Most of the female soldiers and knights had dressed up for the occasion, while the majority of the men wore freshly shined armor. Talya just wore a slightly fancier tunic, with her hair tied back into a ponytail. She never wore gowns for any reason, and she thought it was ridiculous to wear battle attire to a banquet.

  Talya sat down across from Atalsa and Tasar. The two knights had grown on her a lot since their first meeting. She considered them friends.

  “I am anxious to get some more training done before the war,” said Atalsa.

  “You have nothing to worry about. You’re the finest archer here,” grinned Tasar.

  “And we all know who the superior swordsman is now,” said Talya with a grin.

  The three of them laughed.

  Tanel, Timlin, and Pori joined them at their table then. Talya nodded at the twins and looked at Tanel, but he ignored her. She bit her lip and tried to ignore how much it hurt to have him be so angry at her.

  Timlin and Pori got into a debate about who was better at counter attacks on the field, while Tanel sat in silence, deliberately looking away from her.

  Atalsa giggled as Tasar whispered something in her ear. They looked like two pathetic lovebirds.

  What a great celebration dinner this has turned out to be.

  Talya huffed and focused her attention on the decorated room, but her mind kept wandering back to Tanel. She had never known him to hold a grudge like that before. He used to be a friend that she could count on no matter what.

  A delicious meal was placed at their table by a couple of servants. Talya’s stomach growled as she inhaled the aroma of marinated meat, buttery potatoes, and seasoned vegetables.

  Timlin reached for a slab of pork, but Pori slapped his hand away.

  “The ladies will be served first,” he said.

  The strapping knight passed the plate to Talya with a wink.

  “Thank you,” she smiled, “but I really don’t mind who takes the first piece of meat. We’re all knights.”

  “Yet very few are as lovely as Talya and little Atalsa here,” smiled Pori.

  “Watch what you’re saying about her,” snapped Tasar.

  “Easy now,” said Pori.

  “My brother likes to think of himself as a lady’s man,” laughed Timlin.

  He dodged another smack from Pori.

  Talya ignored them and passed the plate to Tanel, who said nothing. She rolled her eyes. It was up to him to make things right between them.

  She concentrated her attention on the savory food, but she wasn’t very hungry. It was the best cuisine that she had ever tasted, but she couldn’t really enjoy it.

  Thanks a lot, Tanel.

  After picking at her baked apple dessert with her fork, Talya slipped away from the table and made her way out of the palace. If Tanel despised her that much, she didn’t want to be around him. No one else seemed to pay her much attention at the table other than the occasional flirtatious comment from the twins, which she had no use for. She didn’t appreciate that they only valued the women there for their beauty. She just needed some fresh air.

  A guard stopped her before she went out to the courtyard.

  “You’re not going to stay and enjoy the rest of the evening, my lady?” he asked.

  “I am very grateful for the queen’s kindness, but…”

  “No need to explain. Fare thee well.”

  “Thank you.”

  Talya sighed as a soft evening breeze welcomed her outside of the castle. It was well into the evening, but the sun had not fully set yet. That was one of the things that she loved about summer. The days were so much longer.

  Talya could see the training field from where she stood. She felt an immediate urge to practice for the battle. Over two hours of sitting down had been a little too much for her.

  She had sparred with Endil all day, but she had neglected her archery as of late. It would not hurt to brush up on her skills. One could never be too sure what tactic she would end up using on the battlefield, especially the one that she would soon be in the middle of.

  Talya started in the direction of the archery field.

  “Talya!” called an unfamiliar voice.

  Talya was amazed to see that the prophet from the forest was approaching her. Her father had mentioned him briefly to her before the dinner. He must have told him about her.

  She smiled and walked over to Uittan.

  He suddenly plopped down on the ground.

  Talya had heard that prophets were often very odd people. She supposed that living alone in the woods would have something to do with his interesting mannerisms.

  “Are you also retiring for the night, prophet Uittan?” she asked.

  “I have come to speak with you. In fact, you are the very reason that I came here with Queen Roselyn.”

  “Really?”

  Talya found that hard to believe. Maybe prophets were also good at telling jokes.

  The older man smiled warmly.

  “I think it would be best if you sat down.”

  Talya complied.

  “I have come to tell you what God wills for you to do.”

  “Oh?”

  Talya was surprised to hear that God had been giving her any thought at all.

  “You are not to march with Sanctus into battle,” said Uittan.

  Chapter Nine

  Talya blinked. She stared at Uittan, willing him to say something contrary to what she thought she had just heard.

  “God has a more important task for you to accomplish,” he said.

  “What could possibly be more important than fighting for my country?”

  “Your pride and selfishness are blurri
ng your true purpose.”

  Talya took a deep breath. She did not want to say anything disrespectful to the prophet, but she could not believe what she was hearing.

  Me, of all people, not fighting in the most important war to date? The prophet has it all wrong.

  “I know that this is hard for you to accept, but this is God’s will.”

  “How do you know?”

  The prophet was silent for a moment as he stared at her intently. She thought that she saw fire in the pupils of his eyes.

  He stood.

  “Talya, you hold unforgiveness and hatred in your heart against many. You love violence – the very thing that you know the Lord hates. This is your chance to stop serving yourself and to follow the God that you claim to serve! Be careful, for God knows what is in your heart, and He is not pleased.”

  Talya just stared at him. Deep down, she knew that it was true, but she wanted nothing more than to experience the glory of shedding her enemies’ blood. She deserved to avenge her mother’s death and to show Jalarn who was the better fighter.

  Would God never forgive her if she chose to fight in battle? Was it worth it to take such a chance? Eternity didn’t matter too much to her now, but it would eventually.

  Talya stood and crossed her arms.

  “Why me?” she asked. “There are others here who share my thoughts on Malinorians, who want to see the earth soaked with their blood.”

  The prophet stood.

  “The choice is yours. Receive recognition from men or from God.”

  “This is not about recognition.”

  “Not entirely, perhaps.”

  “Why was I given the ability to sword fight if God never wanted me to use it?” asked Talya.

  “God has a purpose for everything. It is not for us to question what He wants for us.”

  “Why wouldn’t He tell me this? Why go through you?”

  “I think you know the answer to that.”

  Talya shrugged. He was right, of course. But the spiritual lesson couldn’t have arrived at a worse time.

  “Must I tell you that He has also shown me the nightmare that has been troubling you for days?”