Taber

by K Fisher

  “Alni, stop. Listen to me,” Bethinium pleaded, his voice ceasing as a struggled breath of air left his lips. “You need to take Taber to the boat.”

  Alni’s head fell downward until his forehead rested on Bethinium’s hand gripping his own, tears falling freely as the world around them started to slow. There was no noise from the forest, no crackling from the remaining fire of their fight. Nothing.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should have trained more… I should have focused. I didn’t move the tree and I could have done something,” Alni gasped out, heart breaking in two as he stared down into the face of Bethinium before him, gripping onto his hand tightly.

  “You did… What you could. Listen to me closely Alni… Listen,” Bethinium begged weakly, hand squeezing Alni’s until the young man looked him in the eye. “I am not scared.”

  Those four words left Bethinium’s lips in a sigh, the focus leaving his brown eyes the moment they were spoken. The hand that held Alni’s was no longer squeezing, slowly releasing until it lay slack in Alni’s own.

  “Bethinium,” Alni choked out, but he knew what had happened and there was no way to stop it.

  The warmth the warlock’s hand in Alni’s once held became icy and cold, so cold it almost hurt him. Looking down to his hand, Alni’s eyes widened in surprise and fresh tears fell as the remainder of Bethinium’s magic escaped through his fingertips and away from his body, stopping only when it reached his whittled walking stick that lay upon the ground a few feet away.

  Alni released the wound, grasping onto his dead friend in a hug as he sobbed into the warlock’s shoulder, unable to believe he was truly gone.

  In the darkness, a dragon roared.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Two Weeks Later

  Taber groaned, head feeling heavy and eyes swollen as he attempted to open them and survey his surroundings. When he did, he yelled out in alarm and tried to back away, only to realize he was tightly bound by rope and magic. Struggling against the magic that held him, he soon found it was no use, his own hands bound together so he could not summon his own powers without risk of harming himself further.

  Before him was a face he did not know. Curly blonde hair protruded from behind a hat, ash grey eyes peering at him from behind dark lashes, her face sharply angled and her cheeks high-boned. She had a crudely wrapped cigar between her lips, a cruel smile creeping up the corners of her mouth as she took note of his awareness.

  “Lookie who finally woke up,” she purred, a hand raising to brush away a dirty strand of his long black hair. “Yer cute, too bad yer rotten aye?” Turning away from Taber, Rav started to head to the bow of the boat, stopped only when Taber’s desperate voice broke free.

  “Wait! Wait! Where am I? Let me go!” he yelled but knew there was no give in the rope that held him. “Tell me why I am here!”

  Every inch of his body hurt, a swelling on his face suddenly apparent as it pressed against his eye and blurred his vision. She turned around, taking a long draw of the cigar before blowing the smoke into Taber’s face, making him sputter and cough as it stung his eyes and nose.

  “Ye’ve been out fer two weeks, slimy. Little bouts o’ awareness, just enough to shove food an’ water down yer gullet. Not too much, though. We ‘ave to save the food until we get the coin, ye hear?”

  Taber tried to understand her, a creeping headache turning into a sharp and painful jab at the side of his temples. Looking over her shoulder, his eyes rested on a young man standing at the edge of the ship, arms up on the side as he looked over the waves. The red hair stirred Taber’s memory and he gasped, yelling out to Alni. “YOU! YOU KID!” But Alni did not even stir from his position.

  “Best stop that right now, slimy. He won’t speak to ye, hardly speaks at all. Although every time he passes you he makes it a point to swing a punch. Got a good arm on him, bet yer feeling the aftereffects.”

  “You didn’t… You didn’t stop him?” Taber said in alarm, becoming more and more aware of the pain in his body.

  The response was a wheezing laugh that did not stop until the woman was wiping at her eyes and the cigar bobbed dangerously from between her lips. She lifted a hand during her fit of laughter and slapped it down on Taber’s shoulder roughly. “Now why would we go an’ do that! He’s got all the gold!”

  Taber watched miserably as the laughing woman left him alone and made her way down to meet a group of other dirty pirates congregating around a game of dice in the middle of the ship. Their voices drowned out Taber’s thoughts, bringing his headache right to the forefront of his ailments.

  A dark shadow caught Taber’s attention and he looked up to the sky, gasping when he caught sight of the massive dragon overhead. She was keeping close to the ship, wings slowly beating at the wind as she soared effortlessly along with them, circling when she got too far ahead. There were several muddy spots on her torso that looked much like healing salve, but no amount of weakness made her any less threatening in his eyes.

  Taber knew beyond a doubt he was in more trouble than he had ever been in and there was no possible way he’d escape the binds that held him, especially not with how weakened his body was.

  With a curse, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, trying his hardest to regain his strength. When he felt stronger he’d be sure to get in contact with his father - surely the man was on the ship somewhere.

  ~

  Alni watched the waves crashing against the side of the ship, paying no mind to the man he knew was now awake behind him. Taber didn’t matter, he was simply a prisoner that he would deliver to their Queen. He had promised Bethinium he would take Taber to the ship, but he had not promised Dora wouldn’t deal with him appropriately later.

  Looking up at Silthia, he admired the progress she had made, wishing his emotions allowed for much more than approval those days. It was hard to sleep, hard to eat, and even harder to feel anything but the mission at hand; Getting back to Dora as fast as possible.

  Although they had not traveled over the Yurel to the mountainside before for lack of land and opportunity for food, they now sailed as fast as dragon’s wings to the outskirts of Nevina by the Elven lands. With any luck, they would get to Dora long before the night fell and he’d finally be able to rest.

  Through the fog across the rough waters a dark shadow was seen before them, the outlines of trees along a coast. Beyond them, Castle Herrick would stand tall. Alni gripped Bethinium’s walking stick against his side, the power within it buzzing with excitement as they traveled ever closer.

  For the first time in two weeks, Alni smiled, pleading with all of Desin that she’d be safe when they arrived.

  The End

  Thank you so much readers.

  If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews from readers truly help in so many ways and are greatly appreciated. Thank you for coming along on their adventure with me.

  Alni and the others will return in ‘Elladora’ coming Summer 2020.

  Be sure to follow the author page for more details and release information at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KFisher/

  About the Author

  Relaying stories of fantasy, K. Fisher hides from reality and spends her time with her husband and dog in the Pacific Northwest. She believes, above all else, that the journey of self discovery is most important, and cannot wait to share her adventures with you.

  Contact: K Fisher Author

  Other books by this Author

  Tales of Desin Series:

  Alni – Book one

  Taber

  Elladora – Coming summer 2020

  The Guardians Series

  Affinity

  Affirmation – Coming 2020

  Read ahead for the first chapter in the continued Tales of Desin

  Elladora, coming Summer 2020.

  Chapter One

  “Elladora! Come back here this instant!” the old woman called, grabbing the hem of her dress as she raced through
the corn fields, chasing the small girl.

  But no one could ever catch Elladora. Despite her small stature, she was incredibly fast and could hide better than the rest of them. She was a born fighter and although those who looked after her insisted it would benefit the future Queen, Messari was far from convinced such things were necessary. “Elladora! Bethinium has arrived and I need you to come here NOW!”

  The small girl skidded to a halt, the tops of corn stalks rustling as her body ceased moving. They parted slowly as she returned back and stopped in front of Messari. Her long black hair was messy and disrupted from the stalks, blue shirt and trousers dirty and unkempt. There was a small knife in her hand and an excitement in her eyes as news of Bethinium reached her ears.

  “He’s HERE?” she exclaimed, tucking the knife away in the sheath at her side as her big, golden eyes shone up at Messari.

  “He came early to visit you. We have to go now, though, there’s no knowing how long he truly has,” Messari struggled out, catching her breath with both hands on her dress, doubled over.

  Without waiting for any further words, Elladora squealed with excitement and raced past Messari through the corn stalks back to the village. With a sigh, the old woman straightened her back and looked up at the sun above, taking a few moments for herself before starting back off after the young girl.

  Elladora did not stop until she reached the tavern, already hearing Bethinium’s loud and boastful voice breaking through the throngs of people going about their daily business. “Bethinium!” she squealed, jumping into the air the moment she reached him.

  He laughed heartily, catching the small girl and lifting her into the air in a large hug as her feet dangled above the ground. Placing her down, Bethinium gave her a soft pat on the head and leaned down, warm brown eyes smiling as brightly as his lips. “I’ve come to do something very important. It’s going to be a little while until you see me next and I needed to ensure you were doing well and give you a present!”

  Elladora’s face was smashed up in a mixture of emotions, sad because it had already felt like so long since she had seen Bethinium, and happy because he always brought her the best of gifts when he visited.

  “Follow me!” Bethinium said cheerfully, grabbing her small hand in his own as he headed to the outskirts of town near the large, wooded forests. Fairies darted out of the way, already beginning their care of the lands after the long day.

  They stopped under the shade of an enormous tree, the cover an immediate relief from the last rays of the sun. Leaning down to Elladora, Bethinium’s hands were glowing softly with the silver hue of his magic. Confusion filled the small girl before a calm washed over her, hearing nothing but his words.

  “You won’t remember this until I’m gone, Elladora. I apologize for the spell. I’ve left you something to help you when that time comes. I pray to Desin you will be in the castle and taking care of us all, that I will be old and with a large family. It’s my most treasured possession… An artifact for the true ruler of our lands.” Leaning forward, Bethinium cupped his glowing hand against Elladora’s ear, his magic pouring into the girl as he whispered the whereabouts.

  The area around Elladora began to change with his words, her eyes no longer seeing the town and the forest but instead looking at the inside of her father’s bedroom at the castle. A place she had seldom been allowed to go, therefore each detail was sharp in her mind. She saw Bethinium walk towards the wall and leaned down, pulling out a small stone and placing something behind it. The stone was put back in place and Bethinium, along with the scene around him disappeared. “What are you going to do, Elladora?” his voice echoed.

  “I am going to save Desin!” the little girl bellowed, the words something she had always responded to Bethinium with when he asked the question. A routine between the two of them that pulled her further from the confines of the spell.

  When the world around Elladora returned to normal, she didn’t remember a thing and Bethinium was long gone.

  ~

  Dora’s eyes opened and she sat up in bed, unsure what time it was. Reaching over to the candle at her bedside and matches, she lit up a light and took a deep breath. The brightness illuminating the dark corners of her room was a comfort. Knowing it was just a dream and not a haunting like before made her feel even better.

  But was it a dream? It had felt so… Different. Her body was filled with a melancholy that had not been there before, a dread and worry that put her senses right on edge. She had already struggled to sleep, trying everything in her power to spare search parties for Bethinium and Alni, hoping beyond all else that they were truly not dead. Although she had stopped the attack on her sanity by the hands of her aunt, the thought that her two closest friends were dead brought another wave of anxiety and sleepless nights.

  Her eyes scanned the room once more before stopping at the wall of her room, the stones tightly in place. With a deep breath she crossed the room and leaned down, reaching out to the stone wall before trailing her hand over it. Her other hand held the candle firmly, eyes intently calculating each stone she touched before her hand stopped, the one beneath her fingertips moving slightly.

  There was an ache in her chest as she placed the candle holder on the ground and grabbed the stone with both hands, slowly pulling it from the wall before placing it on the ground. Dust and cobwebs latched onto the brick and trailed through the air but she ignored it, reaching into the hole left behind.

  When she pulled her hand out, a golden pendant was left behind. In her hand it throbbed and breathed, a soft glow surrounding it. In the darkness Dora held it close, her mind piecing together memories she never remembered before, Bethinium’s magic unweaving. Outside, lightning cracked against the sky and rain fell heavily upon the castle.

  No matter what, I am going to save Desin.