Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the entrance to the King’s tents polishing a gleaming long sword with
twin animal heads facing out from its hilt. Chits arms were covered with scars
now from whatever he had had to face since being called to be the King’s
Champion. His eyes seemed to have lost whatever desire for drink and women that
they had before. Before, Bowie and his friends would avoid Chit just because he
would bully them, now Bowie avoided him because he was afraid of what the so
called “Champion” might do.
      Bowie had not
slept yet, as his men were the very last troop to arrive into the camp that was
established the night before. As the trails became more narrow the farther they
had gone from Deuterium, it took longer to catch up to the camp. His men were,
no doubt, getting their tents set up, or at least finding a place to lay down
before they started marching again. Veteran soldiers had woken some of the
Black Hats to test their aim, but his soldiers were laughed at because there
weren't enough bows to go around. Bowie’s trained archers couldn't even fight
because the veterans took all the equipment for themselves. At least, Bowie
thought, they wouldn’t be used in battle if they didn't have anything to fight
with.
      Bowie saw his
second in command, John Curtin, come through the crowd and approach him.
“Sergeant Crescent, I found you and you ran off. Captain Lorusk summoned you to
the King’s tent.”
    The large man,
still catching his breath, took a second to look around and saw Bowie was
sitting right beside the King’s tent. “Ah I see you already got word.”
      “Well, I came
here for other reasons, but thanks for letting me know, John. Now I have a
reason to go inside.”
    John tipped his
hat and turned to walk back to the new recruits they commanded. Bowie raised
himself off of the stump and started for the tent’s flap and out came Wizard
Alexander. Before Bowie could even say the Wizard’s name he had risen past the
top of the King’s tent and into the air. Captain Lorusk jumped out of the tent
after him, but missed the wizard’s robes by a hand’s length. The Captain stood,
glaring as the wizard rose out of sight. When he looked down his anger was
automatically transferred to Bowie. He grabbed Bowie’s shoulder and pulled him
inside the tent.
      King Atmos was
leaning on white knuckled fists on top of a paper-covered desk, “Captain, fetch
me some BLOODY PIGEONS!!” He stood looking at the tent flap as it stopped
moving from the Captain disappearing through it, and then finally noticed
Bowie. “Who are you?”
      “I am Sergeant
Cresent, my lord,” Bowie replied, bowing.
      “Oh right, the
fletcher-made-sergeant out of my new recruits. I should have known from the
black hat. I have a few tasks for you, Sargeant. This is Ria Smith Earth
Wizard,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder without looking.
      A Middle aged
woman wearing an all brown dress with her hair in a bun stepped forward. She
didn’t look like any wizard that Bowie had seen before. She wore common clothes
and stood with hands behind her back. She wore no adornments nor indication
that she was a wizard. She came and stood beside Bowie as the King continued to
talk.
      “I am
assigning her to-” the King was cut off as Ria cleared her throat. “-Right,
right, I have requested that Ria join your Black Hats so that she may aid in
the creation of arrows and supplies for my archers. She has skills that will
help you in preparing my army for this battle. Also, I have gathered in
supplies from towns we’ve passed to aid in this construction. here will be some
fletchers joining your troop to help teach these Black Hats to make the
supplies. Do you understand what you are supposed to do Sergeant?”
      “My Lord, I
thought we agreed that I joined this army as a soldier and not as a fletcher.”
      The King
smiled at Bowie, “As a soldier in this army, I am giving you an order to make
arrows using those Black Hats you are in charge of.