Black Thorn Read online

  As the first rays of dawn pierced the night sky, Gideon was able to see shape given to the dark landscape. Sliding down yet another hill they came to a stop at a steep cliff. Here they could see the towering evergreens of Elden below them.

  “Here!” Pointed Joseph as the sage led them down a more manageable side of the cliff. As they traversed the edge of the mountain, coming to smother soil Gideon called out to Joseph.

  “Do you think they will attempt to pursue us in here? Or might we have just a moment of peace?”

  Siegfried stopped and said, “Not if they want to meet the spears of my people!” and he pointed off to the left of them were some yards away stood a massive Elven battalion emerging from the trees with the Great King Radavas at its head.

  Clad in gleaming gold and green armor, the King’s ordinarily manic demeanor was replaced with a mighty fierceness. The companions approached eagerly, bowing before collapsing at the King’s feet.

  “To think I expected you yesterday. You, Humans, are always late for the important meetings.” Then he turned to Gideon,

  “The necromancer hasn’t killed you off yet, I see,” Radavas said with his manic grin.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be giving him another chance soon.” Gideon replied.

  Radavas smiled, then as if spotting Joseph for the first time let out a delighted cry and embraced him.

  “I am glad to see you among the living, old friend. The world would be quite a dull place without you stirring things up.”

  As if on cue the ten drackens that had been perusing them spilled out of the dense blanket of trees, stopping just short of the massive battalion in front of them.

  “See what I mean?” Radavas said turning his head as he raised his hand and erected a wall of flame separating the two groups. Then he pointed at one of the drackens and said,

  “You there, abomination. Tell that necromancer of yours that the Great King Radavas comes for him!” Then without warning, he shot out nine bolts of energy, killing the unsuspecting drackens and sending the messenger fleeing.

  He turned back to Joseph then almost sheepishly said, “Well it only really takes one to deliver a message. Come I am weary from this excitement. My soldiers will defend the forest while we take a moment to rest. Then I will need you,” He indicated Gideon and company, “To ride to Evenstar. The final battle is upon us, and I’d hate for your King to miss out on all the glory.”

  Radavas explained that he had sent messengers to Evenstar the day they left, agreeing to friendship with terms to be discussed after that bad ol’ necromancer was dead.

  “I, Radavas the Great, will forever be remembered as the King that brought true peace between our races!”

  No one bothered pointing out that it was the Humans who approached the Elves with a message of peace and as it was he who had just saved them it really didn’t matter.

  They rested only a couple of hours in the protection of the Elven Empire. Once they had been fed and watered they saddled the horse, Radavas had given them and set off for Evenstar, taking the most direct route possible. Gideon noticed that the forest no longer hindered their progress and he said as much to Asuna.

  “Yes, I sense that many of the enchantments that warded off Humans have now been dispelled their sour voices quieted.” She replied.

  They reached the ruins of Thornpine within three days. Their travels sped by the horses. Gideon had wanted to avoid the ruins, but Asuna requested that they stop to pay respect to the Great Tree.

  “I only need a few moments then we shall be on our way.” She said as she leapt down from her horse and walked over to the charred remains of the Thornpine. She knelt at the base of the blackened tree, its once beautiful form now brittle and scorched. She stayed there for some minutes. When she returned, she was teary-eyed but smiling. She opened her hands, showing Gideon and Siegfried.

  “Seeds from the Great Tree, like all Great Trees of the Maker the Thornpine releases its seeds after a fire has burned its cones. I searched previously but did not find any, and now I have three.” She said with tears in her eyes.

  Gideon looked at the small white seeds. They had the same strange glow of mana about them as the tree once had.

  “Are you going to try and plant them? Gideon asked.

  “Oh yes, I don’t know if I will be able to grow them as the knowledge to grow such trees has been lost to us for many hundreds of year now, but I will try.” She mused, looking oddly happy given their current circumstances.

  They rode onward, stopping only to rest the horses. On the sixth day of their journey, Evenstar came into view.

  The people pointed and cheered as they rode through the city. They passed a small group of Elves on their way to the palace.

  “Looks like Radavas has more than just a messenger here,” Gideon commented.

  “Mm, perhaps the Great King predicted that the necromancer would attack,” Siegfried suggested.

  They gave their horses to the stable boy, “Give them water and a little grain, but not too much as we might have to be on our way soon.” Joseph told the boy.

  Together they strode into the palace, guards bowing as they entered. Gideon marched straight into the meeting hall, pushing its double doors effortlessly aside. The Kings were evidently in a meeting, and some did not look too kindly at the road worn companions.

  Levi stood up, the pleasure of seeing his family on his face,

  “Gideon, Katrina you have returned at last.” He said.

  Gideon crossed the room to his brother embracing him. Then holding him at arm’s length, he said, “Levi its time. The battle is upon us!”

  Levi sat down in some shock, but recovered quickly and pointed to one of the many pages in the room.

  “You there, go and tell Knight Commander Jerrold to ready the army. My Kings, we march to war.”

  Gideon was impressed with how swiftly the army was able to assemble. The regiment was the largest Gideon had ever seen, it was a mixture of mainly Humans and dwarves, but scattered throughout were the stray Elves Radavas had set.

  Levi himself had four Elven guards, two Humans, and two Dwarven guards.

  Levi led Gideon to his room where he had commanded the pages to ready his pack and armor.

  “There has been a lot going on while you were on that field trip of yours,” Levi said.

  “Oh, are you telling me you were drugged by giant lizard men and almost killed?” Gideon asked

  Levi looked alarmed but recovered quickly, “No, I simply had an assassin come after me. It seems I ticked off the King of Wilden. Don’t worry,” Levi added after seeing the shock on Gideon’s face. “I disarmed the assassin with a pot of tea, cut off his hand, and gave it to Envidious before he was hauled off like the naughty little boy he is.”

  “Just goes to show you that you should always have a pot of tea around. Never know when it will come in handy.” Gideon said.

  Levi smiling at his brother, “My thoughts exactly.”

  They continued filling in each other on what the other had missed while they got Levi packed and ready for battle.

  All the Kings were coming to command their forces, all but Jarvis for Levi had commanded the ancient Dwarf to stay and keep the Empire intact for him. Gideon watched with some amusement as the massive Dwarf got very puffed up over being left behind. Harth was able to calm his King by going to him and pledging to bring him back an Orcish sword.

  Gideon left his brother, he and the Guardians would be riding with the first wave of soldiers. Joseph accompanied Gideon, even though he had assured him that he was ready to face the Necromancer.

  A marching army was indeed slower than a small group riding none stop. Their speed frustrated Gideon to no end. He feared for Radavas and the Elves. As mighty as Radavas was in magic, he tired quickly and Gideon feared he would not be able to hold their position near Glenwallow.

  O n the sixth day from Evenstar they stopped on the edge of the Great Elden Wood here they made camp, taking care to respect the forest
as best they could.

  “Gideon come, sit down I have something I need to tell you.” Joseph motioned to a seat next to him. Gideon sat down turning to face the sage.

  “Actually this story is for all of you.” He said looking at the others.

  “Well, that’s good old man because we were going to eavesdrop anyways.” Katrina joked.

  Joseph laughed but looked old and tired, his bead as grey and long as ever. Gideon looked into his eyes, and they too longed for rest.

  “Gideon I am old, far older than any of you may suspect. My life has been tied to the race of men, and I was born at the same time, so I have lived very long indeed. I, however, am not the only one of my kind. There has always been a shepherd for each race. Taking the form of the race, they were created to guide. The Maker created us and made us so we might guide the races to prosperity at the end of the calamity that intertwined the lives of men and fae. We, to the best of my knowledge, are the last immortals on earth. So long as the race we care for does not die out or the sword does not take us we will endure. Do you believe me?”

  They each nodded, and Gideon said, “Yes we believe you, you have not lied to us or led us astray, and I don’t believe you would start now.”

  Joseph grunted, “Good you have gained some wisdom. As I said when we were created there was one for each race of the new world. Some have died off as their race did. Others attempted to use their magic and knowledge to rule their race. The Maker turned his back on those, and they were swiftly cut down and returned to the Maker. Now there are precious few of us left. It’s been nearly eight hundred years since I have seen another of my kin until now. Now I must tell you the enemy that we are to face. This necromancer is Sairrin, the shepherd of the dark Elves of Tioram.” Gideon stared transfixed at Joseph, the full implications of what he had said sinking in.

  “I don’t understand, why would he do this?” Gideon asked. Joseph shook his head, “I don’t know. I do know that it is him. I saw him when I was skulking around ShadyFair. So you understand that our foe is one that has walked the earth since the calamity. He is mighty, even though the Maker has turned his back on him. Necromancers are abominations, a representation of all that is evil. I know not who he serves, but I know that he must be stopped.”

  “But Joseph how can I defeat someone so powerful?”

  “You can’t.” Josephs words stung Gideon, was it all hopeless? Gideon swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat, “I will have to try, everyone will die unless I don’t. Too many have already died.”

  Joseph shook his head, “No you are not to fight him, I alone will face him. With the Maker’s power I will defeat him, I must.” Joseph gazed at the ground then added in a whisper Gideon barely caught. “Although I do fear that this may very well be my final adventure.”

  Chapter 18 Sairrin

  T hey could see the rising smoke on the horizon as they neared the edges of Elden. A sick feeling overtaking the group as the pungent smell of smoke rose heavy in the air.

  The Elves in the group looked paler than usual, and Gideon was reminded that the Elves drew the bulk of their power from their great woods, a tactic his father had preyed upon during the last Great War.

  The group quickened their pace, all with the same fear resting upon their hearts. If Glenwallow fell, it would be the first domino to fall in a short line that would spell the end of the Elves and all the other races of the world would soon follow.

  The anxiety was high in the air as they entered the forest, not knowing just what they might find in store for them. Would the Great King Radavas and his army of elite Elven warriors still be holding their position at the base of the pass that connected Glenwallow with the other side of the Blackridge Mountains, or would they find their smoldering bodies among the ash? Would their numbers be enough to hold until the bulk of the army could arrive or would they be swept away like so many leaves in the wind? This and more weighed heavy on Gideon’s mind as he led these Men, Elves, and Dwarves to an uncertain fate. He was reminded of his very short time at the Academy. The knight commander was trying to explain the importance of leadership and how a knight must always have a calm outward appearance. As their soldier’s anxiety was high, the importance of staying calm for morale was ever imperative.

  Gideon motioned to Joseph, and the aged sage drew close to him. In a whisper he said,

  “I’m scared Joseph. Now more than ever fear weighs heavy on my heart. I would like nothing more than for the responsibility to lead this army to fall to another.”

  Joseph slung an arm around him, gently ruffling the hair of the youth that had grown and changed so much over this long, drawn-out journey.

  “Anyone, if put in the position you are in now, would feel the same, but you must stand strong. The hopes of all the races depend on you to lead this army. With luck and the Makers blessing, this may be our final battle.”

  The sage gave him one last pat on the back and wandered back to his place among the Elves, where he tried his best to console them and bolster their courage despite the ash falling from their beloved forest.

  Their time on the road was drawing to a close as the sounds of battle could be heard up ahead. This sent wave after wave of adrenaline coursing through the army as they both feared and were excited by what they might find just up ahead. Their excitement like a bowstring held back and longed for the release.

  As the trees cleared, they were dismayed to see the large city of Glenwallow erupting in flames. The fire was spreading to the forest around them charring the tall, mighty trees and sending a flurry of ash into the air.

  Elf and Orc were locked in combat while the world burned around them. The Orcs with a single-minded ambition to slay all the living things in front of them.

  Gideon gave a fierce cry as he gazed upon the destruction.

  “Let this image be clear in your mind! This is what will happen to your homes and families if we do not stop this now! Now CHARGE!” and with a roar, Gideon led the army into the midst of the battle.

  Drawing his father’s sword he imbued the blade with a strong magic, using that magic and his own raw power he sliced through the first Orc that crossed his path. The army broke like a flood between the two warring factions. Their unannounced arrival was enough to cause disorder and confusion among the Orc forces. Between them and the Elves, they beat back the Orcs, routing them from the city and back on to the mountain.

  “Hold the lines! Take back this city!” Gideon yelled at his men leading them onwards and gave the Elven forces a momentary reprieve from the fighting. Gideon pushed back the forces step by step. The process was slow and tiring, he lost some of his own soldiers, but it was nothing compared to the losses the Orc’s had. Their front lines were tired and battle worn and fell under the siege of fresh soldiers Gideon’s army provided.

  He found Radavas fighting among his Elves. Blood caked his long hair and gore covered his armor and sword. He wore a fierce, but tired expression on his face and Gideon wondered how long he had been fighting on the front lines.

  “Lord Radavas!” Gideon called getting the great Elf’s attention. Radavas dispatch his foe to the beyond before working his way over to Gideon.

  “My lord Radavas, please pull your soldiers back. My army is fresh, and we will cover you so that your Elves may rest.”

  Radavas gave a great snarl, “Do you mean to offend me Human? These fools have burned my forest, slaughtered my people, and waylaid my city. We will not rest until every last Orc is either dead or has fled so far from our borders that it would be impossible for us to capture it.”

  Gideon nodded, understanding the pain driving the King and his Elves.

  T he siege lasted long into the night, with the army needing to split so that the soldiers could rest and the border that was hard won keep safe.

  Gideon trudged over to where Harth sat staring miserably into a small fire.

  “The battle goes well my friend, please don’t look so down.”

  Harth looked u
p at him a sad look upon his face. “The Elf boy beat me today.”

  “What?” Gideon asked puzzled.

  “Siegfried, he killed twenty-two and I… I only killed nineteen,” Harth said sounding so sad Gideon wondered if he was close to tears. “And the Elf is still out there.” He continued, “I bet you that he will have ended fifty before he’s finished for the night. I’ll never catch up.”

  Gideon had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing.

  “I am sure you will be able to pull ahead when he rests Harth. Speaking of rest, please get some yourself we will need you fresh in a couple of short hours.” Harth nodded saying nothing as he fell on his side, apparently deciding to sleep right there.

  The dawn brought new pains to Gideon as he could not find the will to sleep the hours before. Leading a wave of mostly fresh soldiers he charged to the front lines daring any Orc to meet him.

  At one point he paid most dearly for his cheek as an Orc Spearman had flung his spear into the air straight at Gideon. He had just a moment to create a barer around his most vital organs, but he knew he would not be able to deflect it as the spear drove deep between his caller bone and shoulder. He fell back, blood dripping down his now numb arm.

  With a grown he pulled the barbed spearhead from his flesh. He wondered the back lines of the battlefield until he found Katrina.

  She had agreed to stay on the back lines and act as a healer until the main body of the army arrived with Levi and the master healers.

  She paled as he approached her, dropping the water skin in her hands she ran to him.

  “Oh my lord, Gideon what have you let them do to you?” Katrina asked.

  “Let them… Do to me? What, you think I wanted to be speared?” Gideon asked.

  “Well no, you being a man I suspect you’d prefer to do the spearing. I will inform Asuna of my observations as soon as possible.” Katrina retorted.