Chapter 8

Daven leaned back and smiled.

When he and his detachment reached the Western border, they went straight to the Field Marshal's tent and introduced themselves, and to get a report for his father. Daven didn't want to be here any longer than he had too.

While playing it up for the Prince, and possibly thinking to get him out of their hair fast, they gave him what he wanted quickly.

Aric was at first dismissed as a lackey of the Princes who was only given a field commission for show and to irritate the real soldiers.

But after he asked a few well pointed questions, pointed out how they could change their troop deployment to cut off the enemy, change their supply lines, and maintain weapon quality better, they started to look at him differently and kept looking around at each other in confusion.

That's when the Prince told them he was the best to be trained by Aaron, and that's why he was here, they suddenly started to include Aric in their conversations. Aaron was very respected by them.

"Yep, I knew bringing him here was the right thing to do, I knew he wasn't as dumb as he looked to me, " thought Daven with a smile.

"What is going on!" thought Aric in confusion. "The intel was wrong?!"

Aric and Daven were just supposed to be checking out the area from a safe distance before they left, but suddenly the tree line erupted and men came out from everywhere. There had to be hundreds of them.

Possibly thousands.

"The intel said they were about two miles from here, why are they here and coming out of the tree line?" Aric thought.

There was no way Aric and Daven was going to make it back to the safety of their front line on foot. And with Daven in his heavy armor, he clearly wasn't a match in speed for some of the men on horseback.

They were going to have to fight whether they wanted to or not.

"NO, NO, NO!" thought Aric franticly.

He was trying to watch Daven's back and they got separated.

Aric was looking around desperately for him.

He knew that with the fighting this thick he could get cut down easily. And since that idiot insisted on having his armor painted in Gold with silver trim, and his shield had the castle's coat of arms on it, the enemy will surely single him out as someone important and go right after him.

Just as he located Daven about thirty yards away, he saw him jerk and spin around. And before he hit the ground he noticed the crossbow bolt in Daven's left shoulder.

Daven dropped to the ground, but because of his armor, couldn't do more than swat at where the bolt hit.

Aric screamed for Daven and ran to his side knocking and kicking men out of his way as he went.

The nearest combatants were now about 15 yards away to the side from where Daven went down just as Aric reached him.

"Daven are you alright? I'll get you back and we'll get that removed," said Aric frantically.

"Heh, we're not going to make it off the field. We're soon going to be overrun and you're the only officer left standing. The men are already in danger of bolting. You need to run and save yourself. Now I wished I had listened to you on both the coloring of my armor and not to wear such heavy stuff," said Daven.

"Daven you once said I was your best and only friend. How could I face anyone at home if I ran and left you to die? How could I face the castle staff or your father? How could I face Andy? I'll carry you and we'll make it. Just hold on a second until I secure my sword," said Aric.

As he was talking Aric suddenly heard a loud roar and looked up.

It was re-enforcements for the attackers.

He then knew they were truly screwed. They weren't going to make it back safely with what looked to be a few thousand more men coming for them. They would all be wiped out to a man that day.

As they kept getting closer and closer he became calm.

He looked down at Daven and Daven looked up at him, and they both knew they were seeing their final moments. Daven said he was truly sorry that he brought his only friend out here to die. And he then closed his eyes.

Aric closed his eyes too, but he was praying.

Then suddenly Andrea's face showed up before him and she tearfully said, "But you promised to come back. You promised!"

Aric kept his eyes closed, because he wanted the last thing he saw before his death to be Andrea's face when the end came.

But his hands started heating up again. And without thinking he held them up thinking to try hit at least one man with the small fire burst that he thought was coming.

He just wished he could use magic and ensemble enflame blockade actually did something.

He wished he could somehow make a wall to protect him and Daven from their death.

He wished with all his might he was powerful enough to protect everyone.

He desperately wished he could tell Andrea one last time how much he loved her.

Suddenly he heard the screaming of men and horses. He smelled burned flesh and hair.

Aric opened his eyes.

There was a flame wall about ten feet in front of him.

It was about eight feet high, ten feet wide and three feet thick. When he looked he saw that some of the enemy re-enforcements that were right in front of him were now partial burned skeletons of charred bones. That included their horses as well.

He looked down at Daven, and Daven was staring up at him with wide eyes.

Daven was stunned to see that Aric's eyes were now glowing an impossibly bright Red.

"We need some room to breathe" thought Aric, and he imagined the wall growing and it became wider as it suddenly expanded to just over twenty feet.

He then stood up and with his hands out, started walking towards the enemies pushing the flame wall out in front of him, burning anyone who would not get out of his way.

Everyone stopped fighting. No one could miss a ten foot by twenty foot wide flame wall slowly moving around on a battlefield.

Their men cheered. The enemy combatants suddenly yelled and took off running. Those on horse back were the fastest at escape. But those who could not move fast enough dropped weapons and armor, anything they could, to make themselves lighter.

Aric really didn't want to kill anyone so he tried to walk slowly, but anyone that tried to shoot a bolt his way saw it melt and fall as slag, and then Aric started walking their way.

Soon the field was empty of anyone who wasn't dead or dying. Their men tried to regroup.

Soon as Aric thought it was safe, he dropped the wall.

He was exhausted and almost fell to his knees, but he remembered Daven and his wound.

Suddenly with renewed strength he ran back to where Daven was.

Daven was wide eyed and staring at his approach.

"Daven hold on we need to get that removed before it does too much damage to you," said Aric.

Aric picked up Daven in his armor, as if he weighed nothing, and ran back through the battle lines.

The whole time Daven was yelling in shock "What was that? What was that?"

After they got to Daven's tent Aric ran off to get a healer.

The healer said to him that before they could bandage the wound the crossbow bolt would have to come out.

Aric suddenly ripped off Daven's armor as if it was made of paper and the healer asked Aric to hold Daven down. And while Aric is holding Daven, the healer pulled out the bolt.

Daven passed out instantly from the pain.

While the Bolt wasn't barbed, and was a smooth bore. Almost like a sharpened stick, but with a broader tapered head to keep it in the wound it made. But they still needed to stop the blood flow and so they worked fast.

Once they had Daven resting, Aric got up to leave the tent.

And once he stepped out into the light he was greeted by the cheers of all their men.

Aric smiled and waved, and then sat down on the ground.

The last thing he clearly remembered was that he was falling sideways into darkness.

"And that's what happened your Majesty," said Daven.

He's arm was still in a sling after several weeks travel back to the castle. He was still in great pain, but he needed to appear before an audience with the King, and the court, to give his report.

"The last we checked the invaders were still on the run" said Daven with a smile.

"Our scouts have verified that they have fled back across the border to their own lands. I don't believe that they will come back" he said.

"So your young friend here," he made friend sound like slur "used magic to create a magic wall that he used to rout the enemy? Saving your life and the men under your command?" the King asked.

"Yes your Majesty," said Daven.

"Interesting," said the King.

"If I may your Majesty," said Quinlan. "Aric please hold this"

He handed Aric the detection globe and held up Aric's arm so everyone could see it go through an extremely bright display of various colors.

"But you always said that a mage wouldn't be able to use melee weapon, that's why we usually test young men and women who aren't warriors, but Aaron tells me that this one is accomplished in both armed and unarmed combat. How is that possible?" the King asked dangerously.