Champions of Light: Gaëtano's Sword [Book One]

Chapter Ten

Ilyum: The White Citadel

"What in the hell just happened?" Charlotte broke the cheering that had ensued, welcoming Sean back into the world of the living.

"It looked like she saved him," Kim didn't like her tone of voice, it seemed to accuse Alice.

"No, he was dead, and you were a wolf! And that Light? It didn't come from the gem; it came from you!" She accused Chris with her finger.

"Hey, I just sent those pygmies packing, and my brother is alive. I don't care how it happened, I'm just glad it did!" Chris stepped toward her in frustration, and John stepped in front of her.

"Everyone, take a step back and calm down!" Vikki ordered. They were all quiet. "Is fighting all we're good for? Once again, placing blame isn't going to solve anything."

"Can I speak?" Freddy asked, the other head of reason within the group. Vikki nodded. "It's obvious that none of us knows how any of this happened, but my hypothesis is that these powers that our friends suddenly possess came from touching the gem."

Charlotte gasped and glared at Skylar who had been holding the gem in her pack. Skylar brought it out in awe. As much as Charlotte was terrified, Skylar was equally as excited by the prospect of gaining powers.

Vikki raised her hands to quiet the murmuring, and they did out of respect. Freddy continued, "I'm not sure how the gem works, but it seems to only affect a few. When Chris touched it, Light immediately appeared, and when Alice touched it, a green hue surrounded her hands, and it cut Kim when she touched it. But when Skylar and I touched it, nothing happened. I'm sure we'll find that we're unchanged."

Skylar moaned in defeat, putting the gem back. He added, "It seems that now Chris can summon Light, Alice can heal wounds, and Kim can turn into a wolf."

"This is crazy." Richard scoffed.

"Did you not see it?" Charlotte professed, wishing she could have missed it. They were interrupted by a shuffle of leaves on the left of them. They were faced with the wolf pup, who had followed them.

"And what the hell is this?" Charlotte asked, seeming to expect some perplexing answer.

"It's a wolf pup." Sean answered simply, approaching it slowly. It didn't seem bothered by him, and in fact, if they didn't know any better, it seemed as if the pup had actually been Sean's pet the whole time. Kim went excitedly to play with the pup, and he seemed to know her too. "We helped him out of a trap, and it seems now that its imprinted on us. We won't be able to send it away until its old enough to search for its own kind."

"Great! Now we have two wolves following us. One was bad enough," Charlotte sent needles through her eyes at Kim, who stuck her tongue out at her, too thrilled to have a wolf as a pet to care.

Chris chuckled and rounded them up with a simple remark, "Let's get out of these woods before anything else happens." Not even Charlotte could argue that.

There was such an abrupt shift from the dense forest into an open field with high grass and dry boulders, that they barely registered that they had escaped the clutches of the trees. The river continued to flow, cutting through the open field, where long reeds covered the rocky edge. The river had risen into rapids, and the undoubtable roaring of the river dropping into a water fall over the cliff that dropped about twenty feet ahead of them. They ran out into the field, ready to celebrate, and begun looking for a path towards the White Citadel.

When they were in the middle of the plains, the resounding hooves of galloping horses rapidly approached. A band of riders came quickly into view, and, in a moment, the riders circled around them, stopping them in their tracks.

Unsure of what to expect, but ready for the worst, Chris drew his sword, as if the display would scare them off. The riders begun to chuckle, making the group even more unsteady, and then they too drew their swords, and Chris knew they'd have no chance of winning.

Before any fighting was done, however, the leader of the riders dismounted and moved towards Chris, looking at the outstretched sword with curiosity. The wolf pup growled, but Sean and Alice kept him calm. The Rider motioned for the others to lower their weapons--which they did-- and Chris lowered his warily.

"That blade is too large for you, son. Where did you happen to find it?" The Rider asked.

Chris had the strange sense that their fate would be worse if he answered incorrectly. "My father gave it to me."

"Your father?" He seemed to be pleasantly surprised. "Very well. Then fear not, for we are friend, not foe. We've been expecting your arrival. Falkaway has appraised us of your quest and has asked for us to bring you safely into the Citadel. The path is not far from here but allow us to ride in twos to save some time."

Eventually, they all agreed and were helped onto the backs of the horses. The riders and company, with the wolf pup happily secured in Sean's arms, sped off towards the north, parallel to the cliff side. Charlotte seemed to rather enjoy riding behind a strong, rugged man, and John looked on in annoyance as she made any excuse to caress his biceps or pectorals.

Coming to the pathway, they dismounted, allowing most of the riders to go back to work, but the leader walked his horse and continued ahead. The path wound down a steep hill, with the cliff side curving around, and nestled in the basin of its shadow, the White Citadel proudly stood.

It was a larger city than they had expected,with a large white wall enclosing the circular city. Lines of roads emanatedfrom the center of the Citadel like spokes on a wheel, and with their knowledgeof the city, they could discern the sections which the city was divided into.On the north eastern side, on the open plains of the land, was the livingquarters, where most of the denizens resided. On the south eastern side,nearest the cliff and waterfall, was farming and lumbermills since the areanear the cliff had plenty of trees. The waterfall spilled into a large lake andcontinued to the south western side of the city, where a harbor sent fishersinto the expanse of the waters. There were blacksmiths, tanneries, and otherartisan occupations there as well. Finally, on the north eastern side of thecitadel was what they called the marketplace. Trade goods, bakeries, pubs, andrestaurants settled there. There was a gate on the north east road which led toa large stagecoach stables for trading with the nearby towns. The path theywere currently winding down on went directly over the lake on a grand bridgeand to the main western gate. Directly in the center of the citadel was theRoyal Palace, to which they were headed.