The Fallen Guardian (The Guardian Chronicles 2) by Steven R. Burke Page A

eyes that they were all spellbound in some way. Jaali decided
to wait patiently for at least some of them to come around because yelling at
them had no effect.
    “General,
what just happened?” asked one of the soldiers nearest the gruesome scene.
    “Son,
can you tell me what you remember?” the general asked congenially. He put his
arm around the trembling soldier to try and help calm his nerves.
    “I
remember running toward the archers who had stopped to shoot that wicked
general from his steed,” began the soldier weakly. He was comforted a little by
the fatherly gesture by General Jaali. “Then it was as though the whole world
was frozen or in slow motion. I saw the bowmen turn on one another and watched
them destroy one another. Then I saw that vile general jump down off his steed
and walk toward those that had not died and began to cut them to pieces. That
was when he looked at me…”
    “What
happened when he looked at you, son?” prodded Jaali kindly. “It is important
that I know exactly what happened so we can make sure it does not happen to you
or anyone else.”
    “Then…I…saw…him…in…my…head,”
replied the guard, shaking violently at the mere thought.
    “What
was he doing in your head?” asked the general urgently. He was getting more and
more concerned by what he was hearing. Does this wicked fiend have psychic
powers?
    The
soldier did not reply vocally this time but merely shook his head from side to
side. It was clear that the poor fellow had no way of telling his commanding
officer exactly what Yukio had been doing in his mind. It was clear enough that
he was torturing the soldiers in their minds somehow. General Jaali gave the
poor fellow a squeeze of reassurance and then walked around the soldiers to see
just how many were affected. It appeared that only the first five lines of
troops had been under the control of Yukio. However, Jaali did not believe that
it was Yukio who had conjured the images. Who has such powerful magic as to
affect the minds of so many?  And why would they be helping this vile betrayer?  
He stood there for a moment perplexed by the situation. He would need to do
something to snap the spell and get his army moving again. If they did not move
soon, Yukio’s army would reach the other side of the cliffs and then they would
have the advantage.
     
    As
Yukio galloped up to the front of the sprinting army covered in his enemies’
blood, his troops shouted praises to their valiant leader. Chants and war cries
filled the air as they picked up the pace now that their general was in the
lead once more. Within a few days, they had reached the sentry posts at the
northeastern end of the cliffs. Narrow passages between the cliff wall and a
massive body of water to the east were natural defenses that the people of
Landen had relied upon for centuries for protection. No one had ever scaled the
cliffs or crossed the icy blue lake that was big enough to be an inland sea.
General Yukio looked at the entry wall with a smile of triumph on his face. General
Jaali will not dare to follow me with such strong natural defenses. I wonder
why we were not attacked. How did the soldiers of Landen know we were coming?
    A
sentry came forward to talk with the general but stopped short when he noticed
that he was covered in blood. He did not know what to think of his appearance
and simply stared for a moment. At first, he thought to call for a healer but
was in too much shock to do anything. Finally he snapped out of his stupor and
welcomed the general politely. “Welcome to Landen. King Ishrafle requests a
meeting with you at once. He asks that your army stay at the northern end of
the country to help fortify our defenses. We will provide supplies and lodging
for your beleaguered men. Please hurry; the high elves are right behind you.”
    “Thank
you for your hospitality. I will go with you straight away, but first I must
pass on your instructions. I will have my troop’s station