The Keys to Ascension Read online

  The brothers stood silent for a moment. Finio couldn’t help the despair and anger that crept up him. He couldn’t help loving his native country. “There must be something we can do.”

  Parto narrowed his eyes at Finio. “That’s the opportunity. If you can convince enough Citians to come fight for you, like they did in the Torn Lands, then you guys could harass the enemy. And, you’d earn your freedom. You’d still be exiled as a maleefa, but you’d be free.”

  “Well, brother. Get me pen and paper, I’ll write Kericles right away!”

  Parto reached into his robes and pulled out the needed materials.

  #

  Two spears flashed toward Kericles’s face, he dodged both of them, then jabbed twice with the butt of his spear, hitting one man in the forehead and the other in the throat. The man hit in the throat gurgled as both opponents stumbled backward.

  Spinning the spear in his hand, Kericles smiled. “You guys are the best living warriors in Petra…ha ha ha! No competition.”

  The man hit in the neck held his hand there and stared. The other said, “Sorry, Hyzantrians and Actians killed everyone else.”

  The ‘Actians’ part stung. Kericles was these men’s king, but Zephyra was their true ruler. Kericles loved her. She was everything to him…but…he launched his spear into a tree where it stuck into the bark, “Petra is boring as hell. Why is it taking so long to organize a League-Wide tournament?”

  The man previously hit in the forehead said, “Rebuilding after a devastating war is a bit more of a priority.”

  Kericles clenched his fists. “I need competition. I’m still no match for my brother or father. I need to be the best.”

  “Well,” the man lifted a hand toward Kericles, “You’ll be a father soon.”

  “Bah, I’ll love my son, but raising him is a job for the maids. He’ll have to walk before I can teach him to fight.”

  A man on horseback galloped toward them. Another summon from my Zephyra? I love her, but I can’t have these daily discussions about the kingdom. I’m a warrior not an administrator.

  The horse halted in front of them. The man held down a letter. “My King, from your cousin Finio.”

  Hope expanded in Kericles’s mind. He whispered, “He lives?”

  He snatched the letter and tore it open. “Ha haaa! I recognize the penmanship! My cousin lives! My magic boy is alive! Aliiiive!” He hugged the man next to him, then the next, still silent from the throat jab. Kericles read the letter.

  #

  Zephyra threw her hands up, shaking her head. She stared at her husband. “The Hyzantrians destroyed everything any of us loved. They killed my father, my brother, ran off with my kingdom’s treasury, and stole the bravest youths of Citia. Good riddance if they’re overrun by easterners. You’re always complaining about missing your real home as if Petra, the greatest of all Citian cities, isn’t good enough for you. It was the Hyzantrians who ripped you from Actus.”

  Zephyra already regretted saying that last part. Being exiled from one’s city must tear poor Kericles apart.

  Kericles responded calmly, without the hint of anger or frustration showing in his face or body language. She hated how he remained so in control. It made her look like an emotional woman and he the steady rock, despite the fact that she was the brains of the marriage.

  “Honey,” he said, “I love you. The thought of being away from you truly pains me.” His eyes watered as he put a hand on her shoulder.

  Glory, how did I get such a sentimental man…he’s still gonna run off and die on me.

  He continued, “But I must. I’ve achieved glory in the Torn Lands, but I need glory in real war. This is my opportunity. Defeating true heathens will be the greatest glory possible!” He pumped a fist in front of them. “And, I don’t mind defending Hyzantria. We had our horrible differences, but we aren’t so different from them. The easterners are truly foreign, and if they were able to conquer Hyzantria, they may take up seafaring and come after us.”

  She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Plus, honey, my mother is Hyzantrian. I have family in that land. Think of the glory of saving my own family from the fire breathing centaurs of the east?”

  She growled, “You’re just as likely to be burned alive by that fire. And what about creating an heir?”

  “Our son will be fine.”

  “Stop assuming he’s a boy!”

  “I know it.” He put his hand over his heart. “I can feel it. Our son will have my strength and your smarts.”

  Zephyra released a sigh-growl. I don’t know why I bothered. I guess just to register my complaints. Of course he’s gonna go…this heir inside me better be a good one. I don’t expect I’ll see my husband again.

  Her anger gradually lowered, replaced by worry. She grabbed Kericles and hugged him. “You better come back to me.”

  He played with her flair of hair sticking out of her royal bun, then stroked the back of her head before massaging her shoulders with his strong hands. “Oh,” she whispered as she clawed into his back and looked up into his eyes. Passion overwhelmed her and flowed into their kiss.

  Ch. 58

  Lizeto roared as his armored horse barreled forward, outpacing his other knights. The two invader scouts spoke in excited voices as they kicked their horses, demanding that they run faster. Despite the fact that the scouts wore no armor and rode lighter horses, they couldn’t escape Lizeto. Because he was so strong, his armor and weapons always felt light to him, but they did so even more as Finio’s magic rushed through him and his horse. I’m a god!

  Lizeto came upon the foes before they could make any maneuvers. His massive war horse smashed into their mounts’ butts, causing them to whinny, then trip. Men and beasts tumbled across the ground. One of the scouts lay still.

  After slowing, then turning the horse, Lizeto charged the still conscious enemy. He stood with a sword in hand, shouting as Lizeto’s horse came upon him. The foreigner swung the sword, but it bounced off armor, then that armor, and the momentum of the horse within it, smashed into him, sprawling him to the ground.

  The rest of the knights arrived at a trot. Two of them had their horses stomp the enemies’ skulls for good measure.

  Lizeto looked for Finio. He was easy to find because of his relatively thin size and because of the blue pot strapped on top of the horse’s butt.

  Lizeto’s Captain approached him. Like all of them, plate covered him from head to toe. “Good job, sir.”

  Lizeto nodded at the man. Everyone thinks I’m so cool and awesome.

  One man dismounted and grabbed the fallen foes’ curved swords. He put them in a leather sword saddle on the side of his horse.

  Lizeto maneuvered his mount next to Finio’s, and held out his hand. Finio gave him a high five. Lizeto loved high fives through gauntleted hands. The metal on metal sounded so sweet.

  “Let’s move out!” Lizeto said. His horse trotted west.

  Finio caught up with him, then spoke in a hushed voice, “Your knights have to know what’s going on. It’s not like you and your horse always moved with such strength and speed.”

  “Hey, man. They’re my father’s elite, not some standard imperial soldiers. They know not to question the count’s son. Plus, my dad’s no Divinity thumper, so they know the priorities.”

  *

  Finio scanned the land around them—mostly unharvested farmland. The peasants must be hiding in a keep somewhere, like every other Hyzantrian living in the top half of the country. Finio had already grown tired of seeing burnt villages and towns. Could Hyzantria ever beat the horse infidels?

  Lizeto leaned toward him. “But follow the same policy, no enhancing my men. They are still Hyzantrians after all.”

  Finio nodded, then looked at the sun’s position in the sky: well past noon. If Kericles’s travel by sea met the expectation in his last letter, he should have already landed in Stonsinople—a walled coastal city north of the capital.

  #

/>   After stabling the horses, Finio left all the knights except Lizeto at the bars. The two of them walked toward the docks, still in their full plate, but the visors lifted. Kericles wasn’t hard to find, they just followed the boisterous singing of Citian voices.

  Finio shook his head. Hyzantrians don’t want to hear triumphant singing in a time like this…but I suppose they’ll put up with it if Kericles and his guys kill some easterners.

  The Citians had gathered in a spot near the docks. Finio and Kericles spotted each other. The Citian left his singing men and walked toward Finio with open arms and a huge smile. “Cousiiiiiin!”

  They hugged. Kericles wore his silk, but Finio felt none of its smoothness through the plate.

  Kericles pulled out from the hug and laughed. “You look good in a suit of armor.” He slapped his hand on the suit’s shoulder. “Boy would I love to see you in estra.”

  Finio nodded toward Lizeto behind him. “This is Lizeto, my best friend and a count’s son. He’ll be raiding with us.”

  Kericles made a weird face before focusing on Lizeto. Kericles held out his hand, then spoke in Hyzantrian. “Not sure if a Hyzantrian can keep up with some true warriors, but I’ll love seeing you try.”

  Lizeto leaned forward “Hey! I’m freaking buff, dude.”

  Kericles busted out laughing.

  Facing Lizeto, Finio opened his hands toward his longtime friend. “Woa, woa. Kericles is just using some of his Citian humor. They break each other’s bones for fun.”

  Still chuckling, Kericles said, “You look more tubby than buff.”

  Lizeto shook his head and threw a hand to the side. “No! I know it looks like chub, but it’s not. It’s muscle-fat—basically soft muscle. I’m a buff knight.”

  After stifling a laugh in his mouth, Kericles said, “Shall we fight?”

  “No.” Finio locked eyes with his cousin, then whispered, “Don’t embarrass him.”

  “Alright, alright,” Kericles responded. He looked at Lizeto. “We’ll see who kills more enemies tomorrow.”

  #

  The first tiny bit of light came over the horizon as Finio, Lizeto and his knights, and Kericles and his estra-armored Citians, rode away from the city.

  Kericles leaned back on his horse slightly. “I thought the easterners would have overridden the entire northern part of the country by now.”

  “They have,” Finio responded, “They rode by this city a few times, but didn’t stay. Rather than lay siege, they just surround cities and castles with lots of men; probably to avoid big attacks from the rear. They surrounded the capital weeks ago, but have made no attempt to attack. They can’t hope to starve it out without blockading its port.”

  Kericles looked at Finio. “Siege weapons?”

  “Not yet, but they have thrown a few fireballs into the cities. Seemingly randomly.”

  Kericles scoffed. “If it was Citians, we’d have challenged them to battle and sent their survivors home already.”

  Lizeto leaned toward him from his horse. “You’d all be dead.”

  “Naaa. Where’s the main easterner army? I’m ready to take’em all on.”

  “I don’t know,” Finio said, “They move around so much, burning towns and villages. We’ve just been picking off scouts and smaller raiding parties. If we see anything strong, we gallop to the nearest wall.”

  Kericles scoffed again.

  One of Kericles’s scouts galloped toward them in the distance.

  Kericles faced Lizeto. “Ready to run big boy?”

  “Naa. Ready to kill.”

  They traveled in silence until the scout arrived, turning his horse to walk in step with Kericles’s. “King Sannacles, enemy due east. About twenty horsemen. Two of them appear to be mages.”

  Kericles nodded. “Go ahead and keep an eye on them.”

  “Yes sir.” The scout rode off.

  Kericles spoke loudly and authoritatively. We’ve got twice the numbers; let’s take’em. When within one-hundred yards, us Citians will dismount. The knights hang back, and ride around for a flanking charge after battle has commenced. Finio…”

  “I should stay with the knights. These mobile easterners will get me if I just stand behind.” Finio glanced at Lizeto’s knights, looking for fear or anger in their eyes. He must have chosen them well. They seem to not care that I’m a maleefa.

  The battle initiated as planned. The Citians in their hulking green armor, mist rising out the back, marched toward the twenty the heathens, who stared. The knights stayed back, inching forward and waiting for their moment to move.

  A “Rrwhaaaaaaa!” went up from the Citians as they charged. The easterners dispersed back and to the sides away from the charging infantry. They then circled around them and the two sorcerers launched balls of fire. Some hit men, others hit the ground, but all exploded with force that knocked Citians around it off their feet.

  Lizeto led the knights forward. Finio sent his speed, strength, and endurance enhancement into all the Citians, but carefully only sent it into one knight—Lizeto.

  The citians spread out looking at the horsemen running around them, and waiting for their turn to be blasted with fiery magic. So far, the Citians managed to stand after being hit, but how long before the hits had a more permanent effect?

  Lizeto’s enhanced horse propelled him far ahead of his men. He held his lance up while the easterners he aimed for realized an unsually fast war horse barreled toward them. The lanced impaled one easterner, then went through another right behind him. Lizeto unsheathed his sword and unlatched his shield from the horse. His mount blasted through the enemies, bumping the smaller unarmored eastern horses out of the way. Lizeto swung left and right, slicing through enemies with inhuman speed.

  His elite knights rode in next, targeting the foes to the sides of the Citians and easily slaughtering astonished easterners.

  Kericles threw a hammer at the easterners ahead of the Citians. It spun until it exploded into the head of a sorcerer facing the knights and summoning a fireball. The fire dropped onto the socerer’s horse, which panicked as the mage’s brains and skull fragments flew in all directions.

  “Rwhaaaaaa!” The Citians charged the enemies in front and behind them.

  The easterners broke, but as they turned their horses to run, Citians cut through them. Only a few lived long enough to flee.

  Lizeto chased after them, gaining ground as they went over the crest of a small hill. Lizeto followed over the crest, disappearing for only seconds when he appeared again galloping back. As he neared, he yelled, “To your horses, Citians! To the horses! We gotta run!”

  Kericles was wiping the blood off his thrown hammer. “Let’s go.” The Citians sprinted back toward their horses.

  Lizeto slowed a bit, his horse still running, as the other knights fell in with him and the Citians ran to their horses.

  Finio rode next to Lizeto as Lizeto said, “Oh, The Divinity, it’s their grand army. It’s huge, complete with catapults and massive battering rams. They’re coming for the capital. They sure know how to go for the head of our snake.”

  Finio looked past the now mounted Citians, waiting for this army to peak over the crest. But all he saw was maybe thirty horsemen, likely sent ahead to screen the conquering force. They didn’t seem to give serious chase.

  The Hyzantrians and Citians slowed their horses after Lizeto sent a few scouts ahead to warn the army.

  Lizeto looked over at Kericles. “I got more than you, wimp.”

  “Yeah, but I got a sorcerer. That counts as ten. And, you used a horse. Coward.”

  Lizeto, who’s visor was up now, scowled. “I saved your green butt, Kericles.”

  The king dismissively waved his hand. “Naaaa. We were fine. The horsemen would have made a mistake eventually, and then we’d be on ‘em.”

  Finio noticed that one of the knights held his shoulder that drooped to the side. Finio rode next to him, summoned the power of Lrrinsha and white light shown from his hands as he mov
ed it over the shoulder.

  The man smiled then yelled in joy as he pumped that arm into the air. “Thanks, Finio!”

  The knights turned and watched the magic, but didn’t seem particularly astonished or offended. The count’s elite must be indoctrinated to accept a little maleefa activity…why?

  Ch. 59

  Finio squatted next to his chinchilla pot, then put a hand inside. “Hi little guy, how are you doing? You like that food I got ya?”

  The chinchilla sniffed his hand. He pet it with one finger. It allowed it, but didn’t seem to enjoy it like a meowy would.

  Lizeto, eating some sort of wrap covered in sauce that dripped from both the food and his mouth, said through a mouthful, “That thing is so dumb.”

  “Just like you! Ha haaa,” said Kericles from the other side of Finio.

  Lizeto flexed all his muscles at once. “Bro!” Part of the saucy food slopped out of the wrap. Lizeto flashed a hand underneath it and caught it before slamming it into his mouth and chewing.

  Finio and Kericles watched until Lizeto swallowed half the food in his mouth and said, “I’m sick and tired of your mouth. I’ve already proven how buff and tough I am.”

  Kericles laughed again. “Alight, you’re a good fighter, but you’re no match for the weakest of Citian nobles.”

  Finio stepped away from them. All the Citians and knights waited on the dock for their boats to arrive so they could sail to the capital. Finio needed to get the fox. It did a great job following him around, but he worried that it might not be able to follow the boat.

  He pulled out the whistle and blew, then searched around him. People went every which way around the docks and the buildings there, but no fox. He blew again. Scanning, he still saw no fox.