By the Sword

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.

“Forward! Take the castle in the name of Malinor!” Jalarn shouted.

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.”

“Do you think there is a chance that he will have a change of heart?”

“That is between him and God.”

Tanel nodded.

“Please allow my daughter to have some rest before you tell her.”

“Yes, Sir.”

They parted ways.

The loss of men that Edandir had known for years weighed heavily on his spirit. He would have to push his sorrow aside for the time being. He had to stay focused.

Although Sanctus’ army was greater in number, Ittonifer was a clever man. He would think of some plan to try and overpower the last God-serving nation. The man was worse than a contagious disease.

Edandir was going to find out what his next plan was. It was time to put a stop Ittonifer’s madness for good. He should have done so long ago. That treaty the sadistic ruler had signed was pure symbolism. Edandir had tried to convince Queen Roselyn of that. Men like Ittonifer never changed. They might go into hiding for years at a time, but they always reappear – with the intensity of an erupting volcano.

That evening, Edandir sat with his commanders at a long table in the grand banquet room of Queen Roselyn’s palace. Dinner was about to be served, but they were still waiting for the queen to enter the room. It was unusual for her to be late.

“The sooner we rid ourselves of that tyrant, the better. I don’t see what there is to talk about!” grumbled Commander Sanere from across the table.

Edandir nodded in agreement, but their diplomatic queen would most likely suggest that they evacuate the country, rather than stay and fight. Until he convinced her to do otherwise, of course.

“I’ve heard that the queen might clear everyone out of the city by the end of tomorrow,” scoffed Timlin, a twenty-something knight at the table next to Edandir’s.

“Idle gossip is never worth listening to,” said his wise twin brother, Pori.

General Edandir grinned as his friends debated about what the queen would decide. The fate of their country rested in her delicate hands. It was ironic that such a quiet, peaceful ruler was about to stand before a room of anxious warriors.

This will be interesting, to say the least.

The large doors of the banquet room opened. Two palace guards walked in and stepped to the side as the queen entered into the room.

Everyone stood.

Queen Roselyn was striking as always, dressed in a dark green evening gown with her dark hair pulled back into an elegant high bun. Her quiet confidence gave her a noble air, regardless of what she wore, Edandir thought. She sat on her purple velvet throne. Her troubled hazel eyes betrayed an otherwise stoic countenance.

“Warriors of Sanctus,” the queen’s authoritative voice resonated throughout the large room as she spoke, “you all know my stance on going to war. We are now the last nation independent of the empire. I understand that it will now be very difficult to peacefully reason with them…”

“Reason?” a commander down the table scoffed.

“There is nothing peaceful about those Malinorian animals,” said another.

“Silence!” hissed Edandir.

“While it is extreme to suggest that we evacuate the land, I cannot yet bring myself to send my entire army into war. We have already lost so many. I will need to hear from God before deciding on what we must do, but I wish to obtain your input before I do so.”

A deep murmur circulated throughout the room. Several commanders and knights stood.

Roselyn’s bright eyes flashed toward Edandir.

“Sit down!” shouted Edandir.

They quickly returned to their seats. Edandir would deal with the fools later. He stood and nodded at the queen.

“Queen Roselyn,” he said.

“Speak, General.”

“Our army is as skilled as it is large. I think that, at this point, we need to know what Ittonifer is planning to do next. Our spies have informed me that the majority of Malinor’s men have marched back home. Only a handful of them have remained in Cardamon, so there is no immediate threat.”

“Go on.”

“I would like to lead a small group of spies to Malinor the day after tomorrow. We could take the firedrakes for faster travel. I hope this will put your mind more at ease as you decide what to do.”

“That is a wise proposition,” the queen nodded. “Is there anything that you would like to add, Commander Sanere?”

Sanere stood quickly.

“I think that we could wipe them out if we attacked tomorrow!”

“Too soon,” said Edandir.

“None of us feels that running away is the answer, Your Majesty,” said another commander.

“Your Majesty, we wish to stay and fight!” cried a knight.

The queen stood and the room fell silent once again.

Finally, her troubled gaze rested on General Edandir.

“I will not decide on anything tonight, of course. Prepare the army in case of an attack. I will allow you, General, and six other knights to leave for Malinor tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Several servants walked into the room then. They placed steaming plates of food on the tables.

For the first time all evening, the queen smiled. It was far too rare when she smiled.

“Eat well, valiant knights of Sanctus. For we know not what the next week will bring.”