The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

In Cuxin's estate, Zhai and Lifen awakened Ming after four hours of deep sleep. "Ming, Goding army is now outside the gate."

Ming didn't tarry and climbed the wall in no time. Zang Wei and the city guards were already there waiting for him. His clansmen armed with weapons were also present at the gate.

As Ming stood on the wall, he felt a lump on his throat because the first thing he saw was a thousand armies with their shiny armors and their red flags, having a golden lion holding a sword in the middle, waving high.

Doubts and fears began crawling in him. He felt they were so small and insignificant compared to the enemy's size and splendor. At his side, only the city guards had armors but only b.r.e.a.s.tplates and helmets while the enemies were donned in strength from head to toes.

He saw Goding's cavalry, probably counting five hundred strong, standing side by side with the only man wearing a red cape. However, he wondered why there were no aerial warriors. This was Goding nation, one of the huge and wealthy countries. It would be impossible to lack beast tamers.

Then he looked down at the man with blonde hair with his complete armor shimmering under the sunlight, riding a black stallion near the gate.

"What happened?" Ming asked Zang Wei.

"They are shouting and accusing us as thieves for stealing their food supplies. Listen," Zang Wei said as he gave way for the veiled Lifen to stand beside him on the two yards length platform on the wall.

"You, Youshi thieves. We will trample you down and make your men slaves and your women warm our beds for your thievery," said the young man with a funny accent. He could speak the Youshi people's language but with a twang at the end, sounding funny to the people in Fengfu.

"Thievery? Tsk, tsk, so tragic. That means, you lost your food under your noses," shouted Ming with equal mockery, making his clansmen smirk.

"Who are you?" shouted the man. "Are you the governor? I've heard you won the first award in the combat exam. Come out here and fight me. I'm the rising hero of Goding, Knight Tyriece Tevarius," the man shouted as he lifted a shining sword above his head.

"Tyriece! (thump, thump)... Tyriece! (thump, thump)... Tyriece! (thump, thump)..." the Goding army's voices hollered with enthusiasm while stomping their heavy steel lances two times on the ground every time they utter the knight's name. This action brought fear to the listening city guards and the people standing inside Fengfu while facing the closed gate. They wished they could see the enemy too.

"Why would I go down? What benefits will I get?" said Ming.

"Do you want to save your city? Then fight me. If you win, then we'll leave. If you lose, the city is ours."

"No, big brother. Don't fight him. It could be a trap?" said Zhai as he held Ming's arm with concern in his eyes. Ming nodded to assure his brother. The latter let go as he understood.

Ming faced Tyriece again. "How can we trust the invaders' words?"

"Our general is a man of his word. We are the Glory Knights of Goding. We honor our words," Tyriece said as he placed the sword's hilt on his c.h.e.s.t, a sign of trust for them.

Lifen was uneasy looking at the way the man held his meter length sword. No doubt, this Tyriece was an experienced fighter and knew the way of the sword. Then she saw a blue gem on the man's right hand and on the hilt of the sword.

She remembered the men who attacked them on her first night in Cuxin. Those men had pebble-sized blue stones strapped on their ankles too but Zhai took them away along with their weapons. But this one on Tyriece's, it covered half the back of his hand while two thumb-sized stones were on the cross-section of the hilt. Lifen couldn't stand still and whispered to Ming about the blue stone.

"What do you think, Ma?" asked Ming.

"I don't know but we better ask Master Xionmao about this stone first before you jump down there and accept the challenge. But I also prefer if we could fight together." But her mind went to Xinyi as well. She hoped the Sorceress would come soon.

"Let's stall for time and ask him," whispered Ming and Lifen nodded.

"Give us time to think first and we will tell you our decision later," said Ming to Tyriece.

"You only have until noon to decide or… just hand over the city to us and we can guarantee your safety."

"If we won't accept your challenge, what are you going to do?"

"Simple, we will attack and take your city by force," said Tyriece nonchalantly as he sheathed his sword.

"Fine, you will hear our reply at noontime." After speaking, Lifen and Ming left the wall while Tyriece went back to their camp.

----- o -----

During the time Ming woke up, Xionmao saw two hawks flying downward toward him. After perching on a tree branch...

"Sir, we saw a man with a blue scarf on his neck floating in the river. He is dead. He could be the scout. We also found more dead men from Youshi's army along the way toward Ninpu City but we can't find the man the Governor described."

"We can't cross the mountain because winter is setting in early."

More hawks came in and said the same report. There were only two left who hadn't come back, the two eagles. Minutes after they arrived.

"Sir Xionmao, the man the governor described is wounded right now in Ninpu City. The Youshi's aerial fighters with their beast mounts are fighting against the aerial fighters of Goding country right now but many are dead from Goding's army."

Then the last one, the oldest eagle said something that alarmed Xionmao. "Sir, there are Chiangdas fighting for the Goding army."