The HaRT Knight Decaverse

Heir of Magic

Chapter 39

A Warning of War

Alexander’s mouth hung open as he took in the argentari wings behind Silver’s back. He struggled to find the right words for a few seconds, but eventually he blurted, “I was right. You are angelian.”
Silver nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“Then there are others who survived Cain’s attack on the city?” Alexander’s entire body tingled with the overwhelming flood of hope and joy as he thought, I’m not alone.
“Only me,” Silver said. “I wasn’t in the city when Cain attacked.”
“Still, I’m not the only one. I’m not—”
“Now is not the time for this, Alexander. Please, strap that—” Silver’s face became a mask of disgust as he pointed at the Blade of Balance “—to your belt so I can take us up.”
Alexander hastily obeyed the order and strapped the wolf marked sword to his belt. Silver nodded his approval and held out a hand.
“Hold on tight,” Silver said, griping Alexander’s forearm in the same iron-like grip he had placed on his wrist earlier.
The argentari wings caused an explosion of air as they launched the two angelians into the air. They moved so fast Alexander felt like he had left his stomach back on the canyon floor. The journey down had taken him hours, but the flight up was over within seconds. The canyon floor shrunk and vanished as the small crack of light above became the giant split in the stone of the mountains.
“This might feel strange, but whatever you do, don’t make a noise,” Silver shouted over the roaring winds.
Alexander nodded but then realized Silver wasn’t looking down. “Okay!” he shouted back.
Silver flung his free hand out and what looked like a storm of fireflies flew out in front of them before spreading out and falling into position all around them. Light shimmered between the next second it looked like panes of glass had taken shape between the fireflies.
The ascent of the two angelians began to slow as they rose out of the canyon beside the massive structure of the Stonelite Bridge. Before this moment, Alexander had never appreciated how much light the moon offered, it was almost like daytime to his eyes compared to the bottom of the canyon. However, the sight that met his eyes made him wish darkness still surrounded him.
A screen of light had formed in the archway created by the two stonelite statues he had noted when he had passed over the bridge. From out the screen of light marched thousands upon thousands of abomination warriors to the rhythmic beating of war drums. Among the ranks of the ugly tumor-covered soldiers were lizard-like creatures that were climbing all over the bridge, and trolls that pulled giant siege engines behind them.
Some senior abominations shouted orders and cracked whips over the lower rank warriors, obvious in a hurry to make room for the rest of the army that was still passing through the screen of light. What was strange however, was that not a single creature on the bridge seemed to give them any notice?
It must have been an invisibility spell, Alexander realized, giving the balls of light around them a curious look.
Silver set off over the gathered army, traveling silently, the beating of his powerful wings drowned out by the beating of the war drums. At the front of Cain’s army there were three figures Alexander knew would mean great danger. He recognized the first of the three figures as the assassin who had tried to kill Kohr, now riding some creature that looked like it was made up of a bunch of spare parts of other animals. Next to the assassin was a pretty young man dressed entirely in white and clutching a wizard’s staff in one hand and the reins of a skeletal winged horse in the other. Like the assassin, he too possessed one piece of Enlil’s Armor, the helm decorated with the golden laurel leaves. A little way apart from the other two generals stood a massive and deformed giant on a red-shelled scorpenox.
So, these are the three Generals Cain uses to lead his armies, Alexander thought, his vision frozen on the deformed giant on the scorpenox. The man—if that creature was even human—had one thin, limp arm and one enormous arm, thicker than both Alexander’s legs put together and made of what looked like stone. On his back was a sword that looked like a meat cleaver the size of a full-grown man.
“Move, you scum!” he shouted with a voice like an earthquake.
Several of the abominations suddenly echoed the cry and used whips to herd the army forward.
Suddenly the White General snapped his head in the direction to where Alexander and Silver hung in the air.
“What is it?” the shadow-dhaesí asked the wizard.
The wizard shook his head, then said, “Nothing, just my imagination, I guess.”
Alexander let out a sigh of relief as the wizard turned his attention away from them. Silver sped away from the gathering army along the side of the Whispering Canyon.
Gracefully and as soft as a feather, they landed on the ground near the same spot where Alexander had originally entered the Canyon. The lights of the invisibility spell died away and Silver said, “Thanks to their use of the Veil Gate, Pensilisurbis does not know. If a force like that takes the city by surprise, not even Kohr will be able to fend them off. It’s up to you to warn the city. You need to hurry.”
“Won’t you help? If we fly again, we could be there before dawn.” Alexander looked pleadingly at Silver who was shaking his head.
“No, I am afraid I can’t. I can’t interfere with these things,” Silver said. He placed two fingers to his lips and whistled.
“Why not? You already interfered by showing me the army, didn’t you? Don’t you want to stop Cain after what he did to our people?” It wasn’t an accusation; it was more of a pleading question. He had finally found another angelian like him, someone who would understand what he was going through.
“Nothing would give me greater joy than to see Cain fall. But I am not allowed to make decisions based on how I feel. I gave up that luxury long ago.” Bucy suddenly burst through the trees and ran straight to Silver. The other angelian patted the horse and said, “No lad, this battle is yours to fight. I could only warn you of the army due to a loophole in the rules.”
“What rules?” Alexander shouted in frustration.
“My master’s rules. I don’t have time to explain them to you now, not unless you want the city to fall.”
Alexander stared over Silver’s shoulder to the dark mass in the distance from where he could still hear the beating of the war drums. A shiver ran down his spine and he nodded, climbing onto Bucy with the same grace they had landed with. He spared one last glance back at Silver. “Will I see you again?”
“A few months ago, you were begging me to leave you alone.” Silver grinned. “Our paths will cross again; of that, I am sure. Now go!”
With that, Alexander spurred Bucy ahead into a sprint. He would warn the city before it was too late, even if it were the last thing he did.

The sun only peeked over the edge of the cliff when Alexander passed through the gates of the Pensilisurbis. The farmers were all already up and busy with their daily chores as were the soldiers at the barracks near the entrance to the city proper.
A small boy came running through the crowd, saluting Alexander before holding out his hands to the reins of the warhorse. Alexander leaped off Bucy and handed her to the boy with a grateful nod.
“War approaches, gentlemen!” he shouted loud enough so everyone would hear. “Light the warning fires. We need to get everyone outside the walls into the city, and fast.”
Expressions of fear and shock spread through the crowd like a wave as the reality of the sudden attack sank in.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Move!” Alexander yelled, spurring everyone to action.
Men scattered in every direction. Horns began to blow, signaling those on the wall of the encroaching danger. Through it all, not one soldier thought about questioning Alexander about the veracity of his statement. They were soldiers, through and through. They never questioned, only obey.
Alexander walked through the mass of scurrying bodies as he made his way to the elevator on the other side of the camp. The expression of determination on his face was so intense that no soldier dared to cross his path.
“Uh, Commander Alexander,” stammered Thom, the man in charge of the elevator. “Is it true? War comes to our city?”
Alexander nodded, then said, “I need to get to the King at once, Thom.”
“Of course, Commander,” Thom said, running to the two bulls that pulled the ropes, pulling the elevator up and down the city.
Alexander looked over his shoulder before stepping into the wooden box. As he did so, the warning fires went up at the top of the wall.
The door of the elevator shut before him and he felt himself descend into the city. As he waited, he looked down at the wolf marked sword he had retrieved mere hours ago. If it weren’t for this sword, he would never have seen that army, he would never have known and neither would the city. It would seem that once again he was destiny’s favorite plaything.
“Alexander?” Merrick yelled as the elevator stopped and its door swung open. “Bloody Tartos, you’re finally back. Do you know how much grief I’ve been getting from Dante and Kohr since you left?”
“I have a feeling they are about to be very glad I went. I need you to get them Merrick, both Kohr and Dante. Tell them I’ll be in the throne room,” Alexander said, squeezing past his friend and beginning to run towards the palace.
Wasting little time and moving as fast as his legs would allow, Alexander found himself in front of the door to the throne room within mere minutes. Two guards stood on either side of the closed doors, neither of them looking at all pleased to be there.
Alexander moved closer to the door, and the two men crossed their halberds before him to deny him access to the room.
“I am Commander Alexander. I need to see the King,” Alexander said in a demanding tone.
“Sorry, sir. Strict orders. No one gets in to see the King. He is in council with the Royal Advisor and doesn’t wish to be disturbed for anything,” one guard said with a dull monotone.
“This is important. There is an army marching to this city as we speak,” Alexander tried to reason.
“The King was clear that nothing at all may disturb him, sir. Please come back later,” the guard retorted.
Alexander sighed. He didn’t want to hurt these men if he could help it, but he needed to get into that room to speak to Johan. Acting as he would submit to the guard’s orders and return later, he turned his back on the two men. His hand surreptitiously slinking into the pouch of powder tied to his satchel.
With a sudden movement, Alexander spun around, throwing the powder into the air at the two guards. The two men tried to scream and alert other guards, but they couldn’t get a word out as they choked on the shimmering, lime-green powder. They fell to the ground; their bodies paralyzed by the powder.
Alexander stepped over them and pushed open the door to the throne room. The bizarre sight that greeted him almost froze him as solid as the two paralyzed guards. Balancing himself atop the throne, stood King Johan, a wooden sword in his hand, his underwear tied to his head with a belt.
“Look, Delphi, look. Am I not amazing! Do I not inspire awe?” King Johan asked his advisor who was clapping hands.
“Yes, your grace, you truly are extraordinary,” Delphi drawled.
“Yes, I am, aren’t I. I must be the most lux person ever to breathe,” King Johan said.
“Yes, Your Grace is, as you say, lux,” Delphi said, failing to hide his distaste for the use of the slang term.
Alexander shook his head and cleared his throat loudly. Both men froze into place, staring wide-eyed at him in the doorway.
“I thought I was clear on my orders. Even if a pack of pabisag rampaged through the city I didn’t want to be disturbed,” Johan yelled, throwing the wooden sword to one side and sitting on his throne with sudden dignity. The attempt was marred, however, by the fact he had forgotten the underwear strapped to his head.
Alexander mentally shook himself, then stepped forward. “I am sorry, Your Majesty, but this could not wait. Cain’s army is marching on the city as we speak. They will be close enough to attack by next sunrise.”
“What! An army is attacking my city! Why haven’t any of the lookouts spotted this?” Johan shouted.
Footsteps from behind him drew Alexander’s attention. Kohr ran into the throne room with Dante and Merrick close on his heels. Kohr halted at the sight of the two guards frozen like statues on the ground, but Merrick and Dante just stepped over them.
“What has happened to my men?” Kohr asked indignantly.
“Alexander!” Dante said with a beaming smile before embracing him.
“Don’t worry. I paralyzed them temporarily. They should be back to normal in an hour,” Alexander said over Dante’s shoulder.
“I am sorry for cutting this touching reunion short, gentlemen, but I believe Commander Alexander was telling me about an army marching on my city!” Johan said, almost foaming at the mouth now.
“What army?” Dante asked, pushing Alexander away to get a better look at him.
“My men would have known about an approaching army,” Kohr said as he stepped over the paralyzed guards.
“Not this time, I’m afraid. They used a spell to sneak in close to the city,” Alexander said. Every eye in the room was on him now, and he began to tell the story—a revised one at least. He told a story about how he had heard a legend on his travels about these legendary swords hidden at the bottom of the Whispering Canyon and how he had climbed down into the canyon and found the swords there. “As I climbed back out, I saw the army marching out of some light screen on the Stonelite Bridge,” Alexander finished.
Everyone turned their attention to Dante as he suddenly spoke. “A Veil Gate.”
“A Veil Gate? What is that, wizard?” Johan inquired.
“It is one of the forbidden spells, Your Majesty. It is blood magic that allows a person to transport objects or people across great distances. All that is necessary is the construction of two gates and the sacrifice of blood. The blood of one person for every minute you want the gate to remain open,” Dante explained.
“But an entire army has to march through that gate,” Alexander said appalled. “How many people would they need to kill to keep it open long enough for that?”
“That is exactly why it is on the list of forbidden spells,” Dante said.
“A good thing you went chasing after legends, Commander Alexander. If you were not there, we would never have known of the approaching force,” Delphi said, his sharp eyes darting between Alexander’s face and the sword at his side.
“Was the legend real at least?” Johan asked with childlike excitement in his voice.
There’s no point in hiding this, Alexander thought as he stared at the advisor. With a graceful motion, he freed the sword from its scabbard and the blade sliced through the air with a musical sound. Every eye in the room was on the strange, gleaming weapon, including Alexander’s. This was the first time he saw the sword in the light, and it made a big difference. The beautiful thin blade glowed slightly and the marking that ran across it seemed to dance.
“Shadow, Ghost,” Alexander called and sword turned into two clouds of smoke and mist that raced away from each other before they solidified into the twin swords, one of pure black metal, the other as white as freshly fallen snow.
“The god slayers,” Delphi said, awe in his voice. “The ancient swords of balance.”
Alexander stared at Delphi with shock. How does he know about these swords?
“Yes,” Alexander said, fusing the blades into one again and sheathing it.
“Amazing!” the King said a hungry gleam in his eyes.
“Yes, amazing, but not relevant at the moment,” Kohr said.
“Yes, of course.” Johan shook himself. “We must immediately prepare for battle. Kohr, convene the war room.”
“At once, your grace,” Kohr boomed. To Alexander he said, “I will expect you in the war room within one hour as well. I would appreciate it if you would also consent to come, wizard.”
Dante nodded his consent and Alexander said, “I’ll be there.”
As they all left the throne room Merrick said, “That’s a weird crown the king is wearing.”
“This is no time for jokes, wolf,” Kohr snapped. “Hurry and fetch me Jared. Bring him to the war-room as quickly as possible.”
Merrick set off down the corridor to find Jared, mumbling under his breath, “You wait until I put my underwear on my head and start bossing you around.”
“And you two need to get everything you’ll need for the coming battle,” Kohr said breaking off from Alexander and Dante.
“We had better get ready then,” Dante said, leading the way. “So, you can use those swords safely?”
“I haven’t used them yet, but they should be okay,” Alexander said, gripping the sword’s hilt.
“Good. You’ll obviously need them soon,” Dante said as Alexander opened the door to his room and the wizard went on down the hall to his.
Alexander set to work gathering some of his potions and powders, putting them in the satchel Linaria gave him and strapping it tight to his chest with the leather straps. He paused, staring at the book she had given him. Acting on a whim, he placed the book in the satchel. He didn’t know why, but something told him it would be a good idea to take it with him. Finally, he dressed in full armor and draped his phoenix cloak around his shoulders and pinned it together in the front with the golden pin Kohr had given him as the symbol of his authority as a commander. The pin bore the crest of Pensilisurbis, a bronze eagle with a dagger in one talon and a scroll clutched in the other.
Before leaving the room, Alexander stared at himself in the mirror and said aloud, “I won’t let this city fall like Moondrake.”