David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

and appreciation. Before they had been at a loss at how they would get into the castle without taking severe losses from fighting through the soldiers and front gates.

Now they had a way in without having to fight, which means they could use their entire force taking back the castle and holding it off while they restored order and took care of General Krauss and the soldiers who remained behind. This one girl could have very well turned the tides of this conflict.

With newfound energy and purpose, the men quickly set about preparing and planning for the upcoming attack.

Captain Ryan put a strong hand on Erin’s back and patted her proudly. “You did well, Erin. Now how about we get something to eat and you finish telling me the rest of your story” he said, grinning. He seemed to be more awake now, the weariness no longer etched across his face.

They exited the tent and walked through the camp to where an old lady was stirring a huge pot of porridge cooking over a fire. When she saw them approach, she smiled knowingly and quickly poured them both a small wooden bowl full of the creamy oats before returning to her endless stirring.

The two walked over to an adjacent area and sat down on a couple of small boulders set in the ground as makeshift chairs. Erin began telling the rest of her story between bites of porridge while Captain Ryan sat and listened, eager to hear the rest of the events that led to her capture.

Erin told him of their flight from the city and their first encounter with the three soldiers from the Royal Guard. She explained how they extracted what information they could from one of the surviving soldiers before sparing his life and sending him away.

She recounted the trek through the woods to West Post and their brief stay in the town before their trek out to Orin’s house, and the ensuing attack from the posse of soldiers sent to find them. She spoke of Rex, the war-seasoned barbarian who helped them defeat the soldiers, and of Orin, the senile old man who promised to help David learn more about the orb. She then told him of their plans to enlist the help of Rex’s people back in Ravenfell, his homeland, so that they could have a better chance in taking back the castle and freeing Tyrius and the King.

“That’s when I found out that General Krauss had been holding Tyrius and the King in his dungeons. I knew then what I had to do, but I knew the others wouldn’t approve and say it was too risky, so I left. I couldn’t just sit there and let Tyrius go…I don’t even know if he’s still alive, but I have to try to rescue him if I can. He’s been like a father to me; he would do the same for me.” she explained.

Captain Ryan nodded knowingly before she continued.

“When I left, I made my way back to the outskirts of West Post. I was trying to make my way back to the entrance so I could follow the main road to the capital. That’s where the soldiers captured me and threw me in that awful smelling wagon.

“It wasn't much longer before you and your men showed up and set me free.” She finished her story, amazed at how quickly the retelling had seemed to be when it felt like an eternity living through it.

Captain Ryan seemed to be unsettled about something. “Tell me more about this orb. I remember vaguely hearing Tyrius talk about it some time ago, but I never really paid much attention to him when he talked of such things. I guess I should have been more attentive” he said, scratching his head.

Finished with his porridge and seeing that Erin was finished too, he collected their bowls and set them to the side. “What do you know of it?” he asked.

She then explained to Ryan what had been revealed to them by Orin. How the orb is an object of immense power created by the Mystics long ago. That it was created by yielding what remained of their lifeforce after their battle with the Defiant One and was meant to preserve their collective power through the ages, storing it in tangible form until one day, a child would be born that they predicted would come to our world and restore order by reuniting with the orb.

She explained that by uniting with the orb, David would one day become the Final Mystic of Creation – a unified form of the Mystics, possessing more power than any of them individually, but instead harnessing their collective powers in a single sentient form. That he is the only one who could ensure the Defiant One is never released from his prison.

She pulled a strand of hair back behind her ear before continuing.

“David is out there somewhere with Orin and Rex. I don’t know if they are looking for me or if they’ve gone to seek help from Rex’s people in Ravenfell. All I know is that whenever this battle finally begins, we will need David to make it through.”

She looked down at the ground, wondering once again how David was doing and where he was at. No matter what she did, her mind always raced back to thoughts of him.

Captain Ryan could see that the issue was bothering her, so he decided to change the subject.

“Well, let’s just hope that he was able to make it to Ravenfell and convince them to help our cause. They would help tip the scales into balance and give us a better chance at winning this fight.”

He stood up and walked their empty bowls over to a small tent near the cooking area before setting them in a large water basin to be washed later with the rest of the cooking wares. When he started back towards Erin, she stood and met him by the fire.

“What are we going to