The Curse Conduit
Chapter 55

Scouts had returned to tell the King that the enemy was on the move. It had been decided to place the women in the centre of the tallest hill surrounding the valley that would soon become a battle field. From there they would sing. From there the battle would be won or lost the King had no doubt about that. Many a good man on either side would lose his life in the hours to come. The King’s heart weighed heavy with the thought. He would rather fight an unknown enemy from far off lands who had ideas of over throwing countries than to fight with those who had once been his kinsmen.

He worried for his niece. He had tried so hard to protect her from the darkness of the world and now with her new found friends she was to do the protecting. His smile was pained with sorrow as he saw the ladies walk from the tent. They were indeed enchanting. They had dressed the same and the King had to smile at the accessories they had chosen to wear. Breast plates. He had no idea that his blacksmith had made any so small. They would have fit none of his men. If the King had realised that they all belonged to Beth-Elena and that Declan had made them for her he may have had some reservations about sending them onto the battle field. It would be sometime before he was privy to that piece of information.

He gave each of the ladies a kiss on the check. “With all my heart I wish there was another way. It is not right for such beauty to be scarred by the horror of battle.”

Beth-Elena lent in and kissed her Uncle again. “We are honoured that we can be of service uncle. It would be much more of a horror if we denied you victory, knowing we have the power to help.”

All the women turned to look back at the tent and Bethie spoke with a little smile on her face. “Danny’s clothes still itch.”

The six men came out of the tent, Danny pulling at anything he could and not looking too happy about the way he was dressed. In that moment they all realised why they may have been given the power of their silent speech. The men looked so much the same it was almost impossible to tell them apart. The men’s reaction to the ladies had been the same.

It was the voices in their heads that helped them separated them, know who was who.

To the knights around them it was a sight so surreal. Once again these strangers had given them a new hope that they could win this battle. A hope that would swell as the ladies began to sing.

As a young Paige arrived to give the King the news that they enemy was approaching the valley they could all feel the earth beneath their feet begin to rumble with the force of horses hooves.

The King looked to them all. “Time my friends.”

Silently they all walked to the top of the hill and waited. The six men looked formidable all dressed in armour, standing behind the women. Danny was still fidgeting and got a reprimand from Bethie as well as his male counter parts. The rest of the King’s army was held up just out of site of the valley. The King off to the side seated on his horse. He was in full view of the valley and would be seen by the first lines of the enemy as they approached. In normal battle strategy this would have been seen as a vulnerable place for the King but knights on both sides knew that this day would be anything but normal.

So they waited and listened to the thunder of the horses getting closer and closer until they could see the dust cloud at the edge of the valley. They waited for the full contingent of the enemy to fill the valley, for horsemen and infantry alike to form their ranks and for that unearthly silence to fall, which it did.

The King waited for the general to come forward with his ultimatum, sending half a dozen of his own men into the valley to receive the message. Once these men had returned the King looked to the women. “We are in need of a song.”

The three women bowed to the king but just before they began to sing the six men set the stage. Uri, Urian and Uriah harnessed their little balls of light, Derek, Declan and Danny moved the balls up, above and hovering over the heads of the women for a few moments. What happened to the small bright, crackling balls surprised Uri, Uriah and Urian. They had heard Derek, Declan and Danny talking about doing something but until it happened they had no idea what it was they were to do. As everyone watched the small balls changed shape. Now hovering above the women were three shinning halos. Danny, Derek and Declan smiled as their gaze kept the halos aloft and the women began to sing.

The three men kept the halos hovering the entire time that the ladies sang. To the enemy in the valley it looked like Beth-Elena had three halos above her as at first they could not see Bethie or Elizabeth but once they got to the part of the song where the other two stepped out you could feel the shock that ran through the enemy knights.

The King smiled, these wonderful, talented females had indeed bewitched the enemy. He had no doubt many men may have wished they had retreated the night before.

He was right, there was an uneasiness stirring in the ranks of the enemy, a stirring that the general was replaceing hard to control. He was riding up and down the line of horseman shouting commands when all of a sudden the women stopped singing. Every eye was on the hill, watching, and waiting. Then it happened. Danny, Declan and Derek thrust the halos higher into the air, changing their shape yet again, this time into spears of light. Three spears that rained down from the sky to pierce into the ground right in front of the general before exploding. The King’s trumpeter blew his horn long and hard and the knights who had been hidden tumbled over the hill and down into the valley. Unfortunately for the enemy so did those who had been hiding in the forest. All morning they had been following the enemy, behind, waiting for the signal to attack.

Horses raced down the hill as infantry fought a battle at the rear and all the while the three women stood where every eye could see them.

The attack from the rear had confused many knights and many men lost their lives. But as the King had known those harden knights would be the ones to come through and survive. Those on horseback trampled through, killing men under hooves as they fought sword to sword with the enemy’s horseman. Beth-Elena, Bethie and Elizabeth began to cry as the awesomeness of the horror that was unfolding beneath them took hold. Uri and Declan were frustrated as they were not where they should be, on the battle field shoulder to shoulder with the others, fighting for their King. The other men could sense their agitation and Uriah took it upon himself to speak to the King. “Sire, you have two gifted knights here, who could do more for you down there if you would only release them.”

Before the King could answer Uriah unfolded his hand to reveal a ball of energy. “We have weapons that will aid them Sire. We may not be able to handle a sword but we will fight side by side if that is your wish.”

The King looked from Uriah to Uri and Declan. He had no desire to send any man into battle least of all these strangers but he understood the need for Uri and Declan to be a part of the battle not parted from it. The King frowned a little. “You would put yourself at risk? “ He looked to Danny, Derek and Urian. “You would all put your lives in my hands.”

The four men bowed.

With a sigh the King gave his command. “So be it.”

Uri and Declan bowed to their King and grabbed the reigns of their horses from the Paige’s hands. Holding out their hands once they had mounted Urian swung himself up behind Uri; Danny did the same to Declan. This left Uriah and Derek watching their friend’s race down the side of the hill. How could they help their friends?

The King answered by handing them the reigns to his own horse. “He will see you safe into battle and the gods willing a safe return.”

As the two men mounted the horse they could hear the silent pleading of the women for them not to go. But go they did.

Beth-Elena, Elizabeth and Bethie held hands to comfort each other as they watch all six men ride into a destiny they were no longer sure of. They also felt the tingle of the energy between them grow. Looking at their hands they could see the tell-tale sign of the small energy balls. Even though they had practised, the men had been able to master the art of working with these little creatures better than the women. They could bring them to life but they never grew very powerful. The three of them looked at each other and decided to try and help. Holding their hands out in front of them palms up so the balls of light danced over their fingers, the women thrust them out down the hill willing them to be carried far enough to aid their friends. No one would be sure if it was the fact that the three women were so emotional or they had just simply been late bloomers but the first three little balls flew down into the battle and dispatched three of the enemy.

The King was stunned, so were three women all looking down at their hands, all thinking the same thing and then all looking at the King. When he realised what their look meant his demeanour changed and he began to shake his head. “I am sorry my ladies but I will not permit you to be any closer.” He raised his hand to stop their protest and then placed them over his heart. “No braver ladies has god made. Your willingness to fight for me overwhelms me. But I would grieve for eternity should you be lost to us at the hands of such as those.” And he looked down the hill. “You have fought this battle in a way no other could. You have given my men strength, a will and determination to overcome. I could ask no more of you. Please hear the cry of your King. We shall be in need of your sweet songs soon enough.”

All three women resigned themselves to the fact that they would have to do as the King commanded.

Turning back to see the battle unfold they did however keep sending out little balls of destruction picking off the enemy as they kept a close eye on their men. All the men.