Chapter 10
The three travelers slept soundly through the night, protected by prayers to ward off any uninvited guests. However, a piercing screech broke through the wards and woke them.
"Garandol, it's Arrow," Jennifer said propping herself up on one arm.
"He has Thern's message," Garandol said, throwing his blanket off of him and rising to his feet.
The hawk flew down, landed on Garandol's extended arm and stuck his leg out for the message to be untied. Garandol released the bird of his burden then, Arrow flew away into a nearby tree.
"What does it say?" Mark asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he walked up.
"We're expected at the border of Kushen."
They ate a breakfast of bread, water and a few pieces of cold bear meet, then Garandol waved his staff and all traces of their camp disappeared. He led them on the road he and Jennifer walked on the night before after her visit to the Cave of Truth.
Mark couldn't help but notice Jennifer's silence as they continued their journey. He took glances at her, wondering what was going through her head as she stared at the ground. Mark held the straps of the pack on his back as he walked next to his sister. He nudged her with his elbow to get a reaction. She looked at him and he saw her watery eyes. His heart dropped into his stomach. She was about to cry, but he didn't know why.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She sniffled and looked back at the ground as she said, "Please, don't ask me that again."
He scowled at her and said, "Just tell me what it is, maybe I can help."
"Please, Mark, don't ask. I can't tell you."
"Why not?" he asked. He could feel his face getting hot with frustration.
She picked up her pace and walked ahead of him. Suddenly Garandol was next him.
"Don't ask her what's wrong anymore," he warned.
"Why? What's going on?"
"All I can tell you is Sol took her to the Cave of Truth last night and she can't share what she saw with anyone. The best thing for you to do is to support her and comfort her."
Mark looked up at the wizard for a moment, then back at Jennifer. He jogged up to her and put his arm around her. Her head fell against his in response.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Immediately she stopped and spun into him, hugging him tighter than she ever had before. His chest was constricted, not from her embrace, but from the emotion swelling up inside. His throat hurt from the knot that grew like a cancer as he held back his own tears. Mark hated to see her cry.
They stood, holding each other for a few minutes until, finally, Jennifer let go and stepped back, wiping her tears. Mark took both of her hands, brought them together and placed them against his chest.
"I promise you, I will always be here for you. Whatever it is you must do, I will help you through it," he made his vow in the traditional Eranithian way Arland had taught him over the week he and Jennifer had been separated.
"I know you will," she said and hugged him again. When they broke their embrace Garandol walked past them and continued to lead the way to Kushen.
Broc watched Mark and Jennifer's emotional exchange. He didn't want to attack them, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice. He had to continue his facade of a cold, heartless killer; Arnath's lapdog who did his bidding. How was he going to continue to play both sides? Broc knew he couldn't keep it up for much longer. His men were starting to doubt him; Sol was relentlessly convicting his heart on the things he'd done in the past; and worst, and most dangerous, of all–Arnath didn't believe Broc was on his side.
Broc wished there was a way he could connect with Garandol or Jennifer in that moment. To warn them that he was there with a surprise attack. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought of Jennifer. For some reason, she seemed like she would be the easiest one to contact. Garandol would have too many protective walls up to notice he was near. Of course, he knew that couldn't be true. Garandol was too powerful to not notice his presence. Garandol was the most powerful wizard in Eranithia. Broc believed Garandol was even more powerful than Engard. That evil, conniving–
Broc? a voice asked curiously in his mind.
Jennifer? Broc responded, completely off guard.
Yes. You're close.
Just east of you. Can you connect me with Mark?
Yes.
Broc? came Mark's voice.
If it weren't for his slightly deeper voice, he would have thought it was Jennifer again. They asked in exactly the same tone with the same infliction.
Meet me in battle. I'm going to let you take me.
Let me take you? Mark laughed.
Funny, Mark. We have to make it look believable, though.
It shouldn't be a problem. What about your men?
Try not to kill them all. Especially the young man on my right. He has a good heart, he's just been deceived.
He heard Mark laugh then say, Deal. Come and get us then!
Broc grinned then raised his arm. His men held back their anxious horses, which snorted in anticipation for action. Then he dropped his arm and all at once he and his men rushed for the trio. Broc led his men through the trees.
Mark, Jennifer and Garandol stood with their backs to each other, waiting for Broc and his men. He watched them as tree after tree went past. Then suddenly he lost sight of them.
"They were just here!" one of Broc's men shouted when they entered the small clearing. "Where did they go?"
A soft thud came from the direction as the voice. Broc jerked his head around and looked at the soldier. An arrow protruded from his chest. The young soldier looked down at the arrow, back at Broc with mouth open and eyes wide, then slid off of his horse.
"Garandol! Show yourself!" Broc bellowed as he searched the trees. He couldn't see them hiding on the branches either. Then the tall wizard stepped out from behind a tree and walked towards Broc. Strings from the bows of his men stretched simultaneously and a barrage of arrows flew rapidly for Garandol's chest. None of those arrows struck the wizard. Each one stopped dead in the air before they could reach him.
Garandol continued stepping slowly and deliberately towards Broc. The men watched with another round of arrows ready to fire in case the wizard tried anything. Garandol stopped five feet from Broc. The two men stared at each other with murder in their eyes. Broc began to wonder if it was real or if Garandol was just a good actor.
Then Garandol gave him a wink and spun in a full 360, waving his staff as he did. All but three of the men, excluding Broc, flew from their horses. Some fell with a thud in the soil, others with cracking bones as they hit trees. The three remaining men dropped from their horses and rushed for Garandol. Mark and Jennifer popped up out of the ground, like toast from a toaster, to help Garandol. As soon as they were in the open, the three men ran for them instead. Mark took two at once while Jennifer took the other.
Broc watched with amazement as Mark displayed great talent, fighting two trained soldiers. He looked around and the soldiers who hadn't been thrown into trees were regaining consciousness and joining the fight. Some of the men were stopped outside of the battle as it by an invisible wall. Garandol and Jennifer must have been holding them back with their minds as they fought hand to hand with others.
Mark advanced on the soldiers, taking them down one at a time as he made his way to Broc. Broc knew he had to get into the mix, so he dropped off of his horse and charged into battle. His men stepped aside when they saw him rushing for Mark. Mark took down the man he was fighting and turned his golden sword on Broc in defense.
Their blades met with a loud crash of metal against metal. Broc swung his sword at Mark's head, Mark blocked and redirected Broc's sword into the throat of a soldier behind him. Broc's jaw dropped as the soldier slumped to the ground, the end of his sword falling with him. He pulled his sword from the soldier's throat and spun to meet Mark's golden blade at eye level.
Blood splattered Mark's face as he held Broc's sword in place with his own. He blinked as the blood hit his face. Then he wiped some from his face with his bare hand and looked at it. Seemingly angry about the blood splatter, Mark kicked Broc in the stomach then struck him across the face with the back of his hand. Too dazed to move he couldn't stop Mark from grabbing him, spinning him around so Mark could stand behind him, pressing his golden blade to his neck.
"Back!" Mark shouted to the seven remaining men.
Even though he and Broc planned for him to take Broc prisoner, Broc had underestimated his abilities. He could tell by the shocked expressions on the faces of the rest of the men that they hadn't expected such a quick disarming of Broc either.
"Get back or I cut his throat!" Mark threatened.
The soldiers started backing away with slow deliberate steps.
"Drop your weapons too!" He demanded.
The soldiers looked at each other to see if their comrades would listen to the teenage boy who held their general. Mark pressed his blade into Broc's neck drawing blood. The men dropped their swords where they stood.
"Jennifer, Garandol gather their weapons please."
They walked around either side of him and gathered the swords and daggers the soldiers dropped into the soil. As they came back in Mark's direction one of the soldiers threw a knife at Jennifer.
Jennifer stopped suddenly and spun around, holding her hand out. The knife that had been thrown stopped inches from her hand as the weapons she had dropped hovered close to the ground. Then, in unison, all the weapons under her mind control turned and faced the soldiers, slowly floating towards their owners.
Mark watched in silence as Jennifer moved the many different blades slowly towards each of the men. Each blade stopped with its tip pressed against the throat of a soldier.
"Now," Mark began nervously. The display of power Jennifer was showing frightened even him. Clearing his throat, he continued more confidently, "You will return to your king and tell him all you saw here. If you try to hunt us down again, we will kill this man. Do you understand?"
The soldiers didn't respond but Mark knew they couldn't do much with sharp blades pressed against their necks.
"Let them go, Jennifer," Mark said.
The blades backed away from the soldiers. They hesitated at first, but once they saw the swords and daggers weren't moving they ran to their horses and rode away. Jennifer let the weapons fall to the ground.
Mark waited until he couldn't hear the horses any longer before releasing Broc. He caught Jennifer's eye and she smiled innocently at him. What was that? He wondered. Jennifer had never done anything like that before. She seemed to be out of herself while she held so many soldiers at blade-point. She looked like somebody else in that moment. But the smile she'd given him was her old sweet and innocent self again.
"How was that?" Mark asked.
"Not exactly what I had in mind,” he said wiping the blood from his neck. “You didn't have to draw blood," Broc grumpily complained.
Mark grinned at him and said, “I had to make it believable. What's more believable than blood?”
Jennifer stood next to her brother with a smirk on her face. She crossed her arms and leaned to one side sticking her hip out.
"You're a lot stronger than I expected as well," Broc said to her as he wiped another trickle of blood away.
Jennifer shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Broc looked at Mark a little perplexed but Mark just shrugged his shoulders then started gathering the weapons. Garandol stepped up to Broc and placed his hand gently on Broc's neck. The tiny wound sealed up as if Mark had never pricked him.
"You should all know...Arnath wants blood. He still wants to kill you two himself," he said pointing at Mark and then Jennifer. "And after today, I'm sure he'll want me dead as well. He hasn't fully trusted me since I returned to the castle. He sent a spy assassin to watch me."
Mark began to search the woods around them.
"He's dead,” Broc assured them. “Sol told me to kill him and dump his body off of the cliffs near the Gar Mountains. He said He would take care of it from there."
Garandol stepped up to Broc and said, "Just in case there are more spy assassins following you, you should come as our prisoner. At least until Kushen."
Broc lifted his hands to the wizard and put his wrists together. Garandol waved his staff over his wrists and ropes appeared out of thin air, binding Broc. Mark walked behind Broc to make a show of guarding him and keeping him from running.
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