Reign of Phyre

by Nicholas Cooper

  Reisch was starting to get agitated, and the faces of the others didn’t fare much better. Rhen believed they were becoming to suspect the worst had happened, when Reisch put down his cup and looked towards the door that had swung open and revealed a man in a black cloak, soaked with rain. He took off the cloak and revealed himself. Reilek. The party’s faces all breathed a sigh of relief, except Rhen. His face was unable to hide his hatred of the man.

  Reilek came straight over to them. Seeing the hatred on Rhen’s face, he unfastened his sword belt and lent Yaren’s prized possession on the back of Rhen’s chair. He gave Rhen a quick grin, as if to say do it.

  “The others?” Reisch asked, thankfully diverting Rhen’s attention away from the man that he had vowed to kill one day.

  “We made camp outside the town, about an hour away. Too many Khasari patrols up and down the roads for my liking. I suggest since we’re all here we meet up and decide a new route.”

  Rhen interjected, being the only one who seemed to care about a particularly important oath. “Khasari are prohibited from attacking anyone who is not engaged in combat. It wouldn’t matter how many patrols there were. You would be free to travel. You know this.”

  “I see you haven’t lost your flair, unlike the use of your hand,” he said, having taken a quick glance, “While that is true, it seems some of the less upstanding citizens of Karzark patrol the roads now. A few unarmed rebels were taken into custody on the road. The unlucky few with them, however, could only wish they had shared their luck.”

  “You expect me to believe that? Khasari are punished dearly for breaking their code. They would not do such a thing.”

  “Well, you head out onto the road and take a look. I’m not stopping you. Besides, you’d probably love to encounter some Khasari, wouldn’t you? Shout your little heart out, I bet.”

  The sword was right there. In its sheath. On his left side. Deliberate, no doubt. He wouldn’t even reach it before there’d be a dagger embedded somewhere in his body.

  Reisch interrupted his thoughts. “Enough. Reilek, where have you made camp?”

  “North of here, off the road in a clearing in the forest. We can make it before dark if we leave now.”

  “Very well. Lead the way.”

  “Sir.”

  “Ah,” Reisch added, “where do Bjarni live? We had a lot of time on our hands. Rhen wanted to know.”

  “I can’t remember. Why?” said Reilek.

  “No matter. Let’s go.”

  -------------------------------------

  Euphyria, at its core, owes its existence to the cult of House Rhasphyre that was cultivated after the demise of Pyresia. It is a state built on a foundation of hypocrisy. Euphyria calls itself a successor state of Pyresia, continuing the Rhasphyre line of emperors while simultaneously having personally led the destruction of its former self. Euphyria subscribes to The Wrath, a distorted belief in that Yelia, Mother of us All, has been in perpetual mourning over the Elders, and that irrespective of how the Youngers grow strong and wise, we must submit ourselves before her and beg for her to return to preside over The Gift, like a scorned child. It is a mystery how the Rhasphyres managed to hold the hearts of the Euphyrian people despite taking responsibility for the Elders’ deaths and yet manage to convince them that they should be the ones to lead them to their penance.

  Ashar II, Scribe to the Senate of Karzark, 84th Year of the Youngers

  Arys

  Three days. In three days, he’d be sailing for the heartland. He’d be coming home. Legatus Gard had told him the reason why he was promoted to captain and to be put on a ship was because of his strategic mind and natural leadership ability. He had also felt it necessary to add with emphasis that it was not because of any perceived ability in swordsmanship.

  Truthfully, his ancestral home was to the west, in Meir, but that was half a world away. Beginning in the east, they’d make their way west, reclaiming the heartland village by village. He was content with that. It delighted his obsessive-compulsive tendencies. If he could see progress no matter how slow or tedious, it just felt good. He couldn’t explain why, just that it did. And it was simply a bonus that this progress happened to be the resurrection of his kingdom.

  He was the last to remain up on the new battlement that they had worked on all day. He had ordered his men to stop working early. They saw that as a reward for their hard work, and he was fine with them thinking that, for it would make them work with more effort tomorrow.

  He actually sent them down early because the last crenel was not exactly even, and it had annoyed him all afternoon. He didn’t want the men to watch it eat away at him until he would be forced to undo their handiwork and move it a few inches to the right. So, here he was all alone, looking out over the wall.

  The Lepcis Isles were lit up by the dozens of lighthouses that were being manned by Legatus Nairel’s auxiliaries. They would rotate with some of his own men tomorrow, but that would probably change now that they were heading along with him to the Cerenean mainland.

  After he had applied the finishing touches on the now perfect crenel, he turned around to head home and caught a glimpse of the city that was once an insignificant trading post. Lepcis was the only home that he had ever known and looking at it now… how it had changed. He was born in a shantytown of wooden shacks, and yet now he saw a bustling, fortified city of stone.

  At the closing stages of the war, the younger of two brothers, Prince Veryn Rhasphyre II had helped thousands of refugees, including the remnants of some of the eastern legions escape to the island undetected. The soldiers helped shore up the islands defences in anticipation of an assault. However, the elder brother, Emperor Tarryn Rhasphyre III, died leading his men against the Karzarki host, abruptly ending the war. Karzark remained unaware of the existence of Prince Veryn II and had believed to have snuffed out the royal line following Tarryn’s death. A combination of inhospitable terrain, instability in the Euphyrian Territories and an uncooperative populace had kept the Karzarki command from discovering the island, or perhaps unwilling to mount an assault. More importantly, it seemed they were unaware of the continuance of the Rhasphyre line, and the hope that it gave the people.

  The chill of the sea breeze that he had known ever since he came into this world sent a shiver down his spine. Winter was setting in. Euphyre would have another month before the snow set in. The north would already be white, but the southern Euphyrian provinces would hold out for a while yet. He wondered if Vinrael would be in winter’s embrace or not.

  Though he had never seen snow, the logistics of operating in it was not too hard to imagine. If it was, he’d had to think how to use that to his advantage. But there was no point thinking about that yet, until the Legati had their meeting tomorrow. You’ve waited twenty-six years, you can wait one more day.

  Two times he had met the princess, and two times she had turned his life inside out. Princess Vaelynna IV was an inspiration to all that knew her, and she was a capable leader in her own right. She had to earn the support of both the civilians and the soldiery if she wanted to keep everything together. And that is why, he concluded, that she had two very different personas.

  He wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. He could never sleep well when something big was going to happen the next day. It happened too often as well. A new assignment, a new building, and a new rotation. They weren’t ‘big’ things for most others but, they presented something new that could be completed, something that he could progress.

  But more to the point, Sharya was visiting tonight. He’d definitely be tired tomorrow.

  -------------------------------------

  The western brothers thought differently to their brothers in the east. For it was their mistaken belief in The Sin that turned their focus towards the future at the expense of the past. It was true that they had shed the blood of their Elders. But, [damaged segment] through the Calamity, they deliriously sought to regain their mother’s love by proving they were worthy;
that they were just as strong and wise as Pyresia and Galacia, as if to justify the murder of their Brothers. Tyrellia believed that Yelia loved her Elder sons for their wisdom, and he sought to prove his [damaged segment] Elder brother’s ways.

  While Tyrellia sought to prove himself through wisdom and following in his Elder brother’s footsteps, Karzark believed that the strongest of the four Youngers was the worthiest of Yelia’s love. For had she not placed the four Youngers in The Gift to test them, to have them prove themselves strong enough to rule The Gift themselves? That he had survived the great flood that cast his heart out from The Gift, and reclaimed his position, that was his test of strength; that he was worthy to claim it as rightfully his own.

  Unknown Author, The Schism, Library of Yalea Aranth

  Kiern

  They had travelled on the road out of necessity for about an hour. Despite Reilek’s warning, there were few patrols out in this weather that had taken a turn for the worse. Commander Reisch sat alongside Karrik in the cart, with Bairn and Derilen on the horses behind, keeping them calm. Kiern and Rhen followed on foot, soaked and shivering. He had elected to walk alongside Rhen mostly for solidarity caused by residual guilt. He had given Rhen another salve of herbs that he had gathered along the way, but that made Kiern feel worse – it wasn’t going to heal his shattered hand.

  At least there was a road between here and Rulven. There were hills most of the way, just like now, sure. But the road did its best to accommodate its patrons by winding its way around them instead of over them as best as it could. They were covered with large trees which kept the road a bit warmer than out in the open where the chilly wind blew with little resistance. The rain however, had other plans.

  His mind wandered back to Rhen’s hand as he glimpsed the mangled thing from the corner of his eye. Hopefully, there was something that could be done about his hand once they reached Rulven. If not for Rhen himself, then for the guilt Kiern felt whenever he looked at it. The mark of his failure.

  Rhen suddenly interrupted his thoughts. “Something’s been on my mind since we left the inn. It might concern you, but since I’ve already lost an ear and a hand, I’d rather shut up and remain silent if I thought I was in danger of losing anything else.”

  He was definitely using the guilt Kiern felt. That was the thing with guilt. Even if you knew what they were doing, guilt was guilt. But since there was little Kiern could do about that, he went along. “Well, you broke your silence now and you’ve still got an ear and a hand. Go on. I’m not going to break anything else,” Kiern said, before adding a little indignantly, “And hey, I did my best to make it your left and not your right. Your left hand makes for poor writing. Who knows when we need your right hand.” That was about as much bark as Kiern was willing to give, lest his guilt swallow him.

  “Still, I was fond of having two working hands. It’s not like I was holding onto one as a spare, just in case something happened to it.”

  “Maybe you should have.” No, that was wrong. He shouldn’t have said that. “Sorry. I feel awful about what happened, really.”

  Rhen, tellingly hurt, had no choice but to look forward since he probably couldn’t look Kiern in the eye. “Well, I guess it wasn’t entirely your fault… Anyway, hypothetically, if I told you that I had thought about what you said that night, that the theft of our Caranaum by Euphyrian agents was not entirely true, that I believed you…”

  “Yes?”

  “Then, I would like you to return the favour and believe me about something.”

  “Alright, and what is it?” Though trusting someone wasn’t something you dealt in favours with, Kiern hoped it was something that he could.

  “The owner of the tavern said the Khasari patrols had returned to Rulven because the rebels made a large enough camp outside the town. Then Reilek said he had to make camp a fair way out because of Khasari patrols. They can’t both be telling the truth.”

  Kiern shook his head. “Did he say which direction the camp was? It could have been the opposite side. Or maybe a patrol was already on its way before Rulven was informed of the camp and Reilek encountered those Khasari, and we should expect to meet a few more today or tomorrow. It’s a questionable conclusion you made, even if I didn’t know you despised Reilek.”

  “Fine. Would you believe me that the Khasari would never attack civilians?” It was a nicely-posed question, one that minimised the chances of Kiern batting it away without any thought. Either Rhen was opening up or, he simply didn’t want any more damage done to him. Regardless, it would make the rest of the journey easier if they could get along, so Kiern thought he should return the nicety.

  “Well, Reilek did say they were rebels, didn’t he? That’s different from a civilian. They’d have been armed.”

  “Perhaps there is a difference to someone not from Karzark but I’m telling you, the Khasari are bound by a very strict code. They are prohibited from attacking not only civilians, but non-combatants. Even a man who has an eagle tattooed on his arm with a sword slung on his back who works as an innkeeper when things are quiet would be permitted to walk right through a Karzarki-controlled town unmolested. He would be eyed with suspicion, yes, and even questioned if there had been a recent incident, but they would not strike him. That is their oath, their Heran.”

  Kiern considered for a moment. It was certainly common knowledge that the Khasari were inflexible when it came to their rules. The Sons did make use out of it. And something had happened in the inn just before between Commander Reisch and Reilek. “This is about the inn, isn’t it? What happened? Why did you want to know about Bjarni?” he asked. Something was still amiss.

  “I didn’t, you idi - you were there. I was confused and was going to say something, but you dragged me off, as though you knew what was happening - as though I was going to say something I shouldn’t. Besides, I hadn’t even heard of a bird called Bjarni before, so why would I care where it lived?”

  “You’ve never heard of it? It’s blue and fork-tailed, and only lives in the far north of Yalea. Every Yalean knows of it – it’s our sym-”

  Kiern’s mouth stopped moving as his mind began racing. Every Yalean knew, but Reilek didn’t know. Was that why Commander Reisch had asked at the table? Then, he suspected Reilek of… what exactly?

  “So, why didn’t Reilek know?” said Rhen, thinking along the same lines, “Wait, those words he said to me before he was about to kill me. That first night, he told me never to mention it again, else he’d kill me, consequences be damned.”

  “What words?”

  “Maleca ten Y...elu something. It’s not Yalean, is it?”

  “No, they’re not. He’s not… Yalean.” Then what was he doing in the Elsgard? Did the Commander know? How did he get into the Elsgard? Was he a Karzarki spy? An assassin? Oh Yelia, the others. Think, think. “Rhen, listen. Reilek knows all the bird calls of the Elsgard, along with the names. The Commander showed us he could be an infiltrator without Reilek himself catching wind of it. You need to run up to him now and play along with this conversation about birds.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “Ask him what bird the symbol of Rin Kas is. Tell him I wouldn’t tell you. Come back to me with his answer.” Perhaps Commander Reisch could give another signal, right under Reilek’s nose. He hoped the Commander said fouria. That was the bird of Rin Kas. More importantly, however, it was the call of safe.

  So Rhen jogged ahead to catch up with Commander Reisch who was walking in front of the cart, just behind Reilek. Kiern wondered if the others had caught on. He could run up and tell them… but what if he and Rhen were overthinking this way too much and it was just an innocent, if not quirky, question, and Reilek had honestly just forgotten? No, that doesn’t explain why Rhen said he never asked that question. Unless Rhen was lying. Then, what did that mean? Frame Reilek, get revenge? But that was unlikely. Kiern was there at the table. Rhen hadn’t asked. Well, Commander Reisch could read people better than anyone. He’d hear R
hen’s answer before alerting the others.

  A few moments later, Rhen came jogging back. “Well, what did he say?” asked Kiern.

  “He said it was a… chalee?” Kiern’s heart skipped a beat. He wished he wasn’t, but he was right. Rhen was cleared of suspicion, but Reilek…he wasn’t clear of anything. Not when a chalee meant danger.

  Always assume the worst a man can do to you, Reilek had told him. Very well, he said to himself. He needed to warn the others.

  -------------------------------------

  We have now entered the era of unification, headed by the strongest of the four. The brave Khasari have crossed the uncrossable and have begun the long process of unifying all of Cerenea. With this, new knowledge and new ways of the world, both wondrous and worrying will flow back into our homeland. What changes this will bring remains to be seen, however, the purpose of this book is not to philosophise what will be, but to provide an account of what is.

  Euphyria is a land of changing landscapes. The southern coastlines resemble our own, both holding a degree of beauty that would entice even the most earnest traveller to put down roots. However, east of the Desari, that is where the similarities end. Euphyria is home to boundless forests and woodlands that are home to a plethora of strange and unique animals, and that is only what we have discovered so far. Rivers travel immensely far inland and are used for connecting towns and cities as far as we have ventured. The lands of the eastern territories, with the capital at Rulven, are picturesque to this traveller, with rolling hills and forests that roads wind around for miles and miles.

  Kleaxe Rebereks, Guide to the New World

  Rhen

  Kiern had raced ahead to the cart after Rhen told him. He began looking around nervously now, being alone at the tail of their company. Exactly what danger? Well, Rhen had a good idea. He had experienced first-hand what danger Reilek posed and had only managed to survive by his quick wits, but it was not an experience he would like to revisit. Kiern came running back soon enough though, and Rhen felt a bit safer knowing the man was a trained killer who was on his side this time.