The Chosen, Kris Kramer [reading e books .TXT] 📗

They were just shy of halfway there when Kat spoke. “There’s another fort up ahead, right?”

“Yes,” Riordan said. “It’s called Annsmoor Keep, although that’s a generous description. Barn might be a better term.”

"I think that maybe when we reach Annsmoor," she began, slowly, "we can just try to help with the defense there. I appreciate the trouble you've gone to today, and I know not everyone would have done the same. But I'm not sure my brother and I should be involved in all of this."

Finias knew exactly how she felt. She was in over her head and wanted to get away.

"I think you would be doing more for your realm by stopping what's down in those caves, than simply waiting at Annsmoor for the ceasefire to end," Riordan said.

Kat just stared at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"So you're running away," Finias said. "Like children."

"What?" Kat seemed offended by the notion.

"You wanted to prove yourself, right? To show you two could do this? Well, here you go." Finias held his arms out, motioning to the land surrounding them. "You don't always get to pick your fights, right Aiden?"

Aiden glanced back at him curiously before nodding. "Right."

"Well this is your chance. It may not be the one you wanted, or hoped for, but this is it. What we're doing is important, and we're going to need help. But what we don't need is two little kids who run away at the first sign of trouble."

Kat's mouth opened in surprise, but no words came out, while Malcolm's eyes grew wide at the suggestion. They may have been used to people much older than him chastising them, but having someone their own age call them out was a shock. But that's what he wanted. He hadn't known it at the time, but when he'd decided three nights ago to go through with this plan, he'd made a decision to stop running and hiding. He realized that now. Maybe it started as youthful defiance, or arrogance, but he’d been able to think it through now, and he’d decided this was the path he wanted to take. He would face his demons head on, and he didn't need anyone holding him back. These two needed to decide if they were ready to back up their claims, or if they were going to run back to Trenant with their tails between their legs.

"You listen here, you–" Malcolm began, but he never got a chance to finish. A small dark globe raced at them from the west, and Finias twisted away just as a silent explosion of blackness enveloped them. The wave of energy scattered around him, the touch cold to his skin. He spun around to see Riordan, Kat and Malcolm lying on the ground, recovering their senses, while Aiden crouched, hefting his shield up, facing the hill to the northwest. He followed Aiden's gaze to see an army.

Anduains streamed over the hill, human mostly, with a few small groups of elves and nuathreen. All of them screaming in rage, defiance or just plain bloodlust. Finias pulled out his bow and reached for an arrow. All he could think of was to attack, to fight back, but there were too many. He didn't know who to aim at. A mob poured over the hillside, coming right at them, and all he could see was his death.

Chapter 32

"Move!"

Aiden's command boomed in Riordan’s ear as a strong hand grabbed his arm just under the shoulder, hauling him up off the ground. He was dazed and his vision blurry, but he didn't have to see clearly to know what had happened. He recognized the magic of a dominator. Luckily, it was a glancing blow, and he came to his senses quickly, but Aiden was right. They needed to move before their luck changed.

"Back to the tower!" Aiden shouted those words over and over, and Riordan followed without thinking. His vision cleared as they ran south, back the way they'd come, and he turned his head left and right to make sure no one had been left behind. Kat and Malcolm ran on either side of him, and Finias trailed a step behind. About a hundred paces behind the young archer, however, were dozens of Anduain invaders streaming over the hill, with a single, brazen elven dominator leading the charge.

Riordan heard a clang to his right, and he turned to see Malcolm stumble forward from the force of an arrow that must have glanced off his shoulder. He held out a steadying hand, and Malcolm regained his footing then gave a quick nod of gratitude. Several more bolts of magic flew wildly around them, exploding into flashes of black dotted with silver, like patches of the night sky. An arrow whistled as it sailed just over his head, and a magical bolt hit a tree a few paces to his left, causing bark and splinters to spray out. Kat let out a muffled scream, and Riordan slowed to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were wide and her face had turned white, but physically she was unhurt, so he grabbed her arm and dragged her along. He moved by instinct now, staying low, moving fast, creating space and giving his enemies little to no target. He'd done this for over twenty years, and he didn't even think about it anymore. He did feel fear, but it wasn't from the Anduains. He feared not making it back. He was afraid that after all this time, so close to returning to the caves, he could be stopped almost within sight of his goal.

They reached the tower, where two spearmen waited on either side of the oak double doors, armored in full chain with spears in one hand and shields in the other, each gripping the large iron handle of one door. They waved Riordan and the others into the tower.

"Close the doors!" Aiden shouted as they passed through the entryway. "Anduains are attacking from the west!"

The two guards stepped inside after them and pulled the doors shut with a thud. A stocky younger man, probably in his mid-twenties, met them inside. He wore the uniform of a decnar, chain armor topped with a plate hauberk, covered with a red and blue surcoat with a fox emblem. The man looked almost as scared as Kat. "What in the Goddess's name is happening out there?" he demanded. Two other men waited behind him, an archer and an armsman.

"There's an army outside. Anduain," Aiden said, trying to catch his breath. "They came over the west hills. Did your men see their approach?"

The decnar looked confused. He turned to look at the archer who just shook his head. "No. We didn't see anything."

"You need to get this door barricaded and get the archers and casters up top fast. Where's the centnar?" Aiden shouted, asking for the man’s commander. The decnar opened his mouth to respond, but then he saw Aiden's brand, uncovered now that Aiden's hood had blown back during the run to the tower. A look of disgust swept across his face, and Aiden must have realized what happened, because his tone suddenly changed. "Where is your centnar?" he asked again, calmly.

The decnar still seemed flustered by the events. "He's at Annsmoor," he said, but he looked at Riordan now. "We had a wizard arrive some time ago, hurt, and he went to fetch a priest."

"You're in charge, then?" Aiden asked.

"I am," the decnar stiffened. "I'm decnar Alder, of the South Brigade, Army of the Falcon. I serve under Lord Harrel. I'd take care to remember that. Especially you."

Aiden noticeably tried to compose himself. "Decnar Alder, the signal fire needs to be lit–" Aiden stopped when he heard a shout from above. The men up top had apparently seen the Anduains approaching.

"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job out here," Alder said to Aiden.

Riordan felt his patience wearing thin. If they didn't hurry, they'd be dead, and this soldier, as well-meaning as he may be, would be a barrier to that if he didn't let experienced people take charge.

"Decnar, my name is Riordan, of the Warhounds. I served under Lord Andreas of Devrin, the grandson of the Earl of Sothera. Do you know who that is?"

Alder said nothing at first. His face showed that he knew those names, though whether he believed Riordan or not he wasn't yet sure. The roars of encroaching Anduains outside reminded everyone of their predicament, though, and Alder shook his head quickly. "Of–of course, sir. I know of you."

"Then do me this favor. Consider everything this man says," he pointed to Aiden, "as a command coming from my own mouth. Do you understand?"

Alder said nothing, his incessant blinking the only clue to his consciousness. Riordan grew more frustrated by the second. Finally, "Him, sir?"

"Did you not hear me the first time?" Riordan said sharply, trying to sound as imposing as he could. It wasn't natural for him, but time was of the essence. He was too close now to let anything else slow him down.

"Yes, sir. I did."

"Good. Then get your men ready to defend this tower." His hand started to shake and he instinctively clenched it into a fist.

"Yes," Alder said, flustered. "Of course. Umm–"

"Get your archers to the top of the tower and light the signal fire," Aiden said. "Everyone else needs to stay down here and barricade this door with anything that moves. You," Aiden grabbed Malcolm's chest plate at the shoulder, "stay with me." Malcolm nodded and moved next to Aiden, looking lost. Aiden turned to Riordan next. "Can you check up top?"

Riordan nodded and headed for the stairs. "Finias. Kat. Follow me, please," he said, and they both eagerly moved up the stairs behind him, although Kat still seemed shaken by the ordeal. Riordan had been here many times before, and he knew the place like the back of his hand. The tower consisted of three levels, the bottom floor, which housed a small barracks and stable, a mid-level floor where the centnar’s quarters and a storeroom could be found, and a top level, basically a roof surrounded by stone battlements. The stairs were built into the walls, wrapping around one half of the floor on its way to the next. The second floor stairs only went to a landing halfway up, though, where a ladder reached up to a wooden panel in the ceiling that opened out onto the roof.

"Excuse me, sir," Alder said, suddenly appearing next to Riordan as they approached the second floor landing. "You're a priest, aren't you?"

"I am."

"I was thinking," he began, "that you could look at the wizard who showed up earlier. He's in bad shape, but if you could heal him, he could help us here."

"Of course, where is he?"

"He's in the centnar’s quarters." Alder motioned behind him. "It's the room we just passed."

"Certainly," Riordan said. "After I find out what we're up against."

After climbing the ladder, they stepped onto the roof. The battlements circled the edge, with wide embrasures, or crenels, between them. The crenels allowed archers and casters to attack from above while also providing some cover. Two archers stood near the edge, each wearing full studded armor covered by red and blue livery, firing arrows down onto the Anduain invaders. They glanced at the newcomers and nodded to the decnar, but continued their assault unabated. Riordan led Finias and Kat to the edge of the wall and peered down through the closest opening. He saw around fifty Anduains below him attacking the front of the tower, while three times that number seemed to be moving down the slope of the hill toward the bridge that led across the river. This was no small force. This was the beginning of an invasion.

Riordan leaned back and let Kat and Finias take a look. "Careful," he said. "Don't linger, or else they'll get a good shot at you." Kat quickly stepped back, but Finias took his time, carefully gauging the enemy. An arrow bounced off the stone next to him and everyone nearby ducked. Riordan backed away from the edge, and then motioned to the battlements nearest him. "You two should set up there. I'll try to be back shortly to check on you. Finias," he said, and the young archer looked at him. "Try to keep an eye on Kat."

Finias smirked, then pulled out his bow. "She'll be okay."

Riordan walked back to the ladder, but as he turned he saw something that made him