Marro shook his head as he reloaded his weapons. “I wager finding out would likely be the death of us,” he said.
Kaysa hated the truth and gravity of his words.
9 Everspire
Nightfall was fast approaching, as heavy as the eyes Kaysa fought with to stay open. The skiff she rode with her friends protested the speed demanded of it, offering a steady whine that was unsettling. Kaysa welcomed it though, for it was the only thing that combated the silence of the skiff’s occupants.
Glancing to her left, Kaysa was grateful to see that Khey was at last asleep. Yet the pain he still felt from his injury furrowed his brow in his rest, and the healer often grunted in pain if he moved his arm. Kaysa had bandaged the charred, crude cauterization, anxious to not see it infected. She and Vienda remained close until Khey could finally rest.
Looking at Vienda, the proud warrior offered a curt nod of thanks as she pulled her chosen closer to her. Kaysa stood gingerly, covering them both with the blanket from her pack before she ventured to the other side of the skiff. The view offered her no comfort, however, for nothing before her eyes lived but sparse moss and the occasional prickly plant.
Steeling her nerves, Kaysa prepared for her next task, one that she had put off for as long as she could. Reluctantly, she turned to face Lokus. Her longtime friend sat with his legs crossed, his bow resting upon his lap. His arms were folded close to his chest as he stared angrily Kaysa’s direction. She felt his gaze before she had seen it, but grew tired of the bitterness she felt from him. Taking a long breath, Kaysa walked to Lokus and sat down next to him.
“You are angry with me,” said Kaysa.
“Am I so transparent?” retorted Lokus. Now that she was next to him, he finally lowered his gaze, refusing to look at Kaysa.
“Well you certainly have made the deduction simple to conjure,” replied Kaysa.
Kaysa sat silently as she waited for her friend’s reply. Lokus looked about the skiff, anywhere save for Kaysa’s direction. When his eyes set upon Marro, he practically growled. It was this renewed anger that allowed him to turn and face Kaysa once more.
“I just can’t believe that you would take his side over mine,” he finally blurted out through clenched teeth.
“What do you mean?” asked Kaysa.
Lokus shook his head as he pointed in Marro’s direction. “Do not play ignorant. Not in this moment, Kaysa. I have been your friend since before we could recall our memories and yet you chose to defend him, one of the people who destroyed our home and slaughtered our people.”
“You don’t know that,” countered Kaysa.
“But I do,” started Lokus coolly. “Look at his ears, Kaysa. He is one of them. He was devoted enough to cut the tips of his ears off for an obvious madman. I was close to having us free of his treachery and you saved his life.”
“Or maybe I saved yours as well as your soul,” said Kaysa immediately.
Lokus snorted. “How ever did you concoct such a theory?” he challenged.
Kaysa thought on her words for a moment and then unleashed them all swiftly. “Think on it, Lokus. We know very little of Marro, but he has saved our lives on more than one occasion. He is skilled, quite skilled in fact. Had he not shown restraint, you would be dead right now.”
Lokus’s eyes flared. “But you-”
Kaysa cut him off, still not finished with her point. “I have seen nothing to back your accusation. And say you are wrong. Say Marro is not the traitor you claim him to be, and you discover that you have killed an innocent man who saved us from certain death. What would you do then, Lokus? Would you be able to live with that guilt, knowing that you allowed your temper to wield your bow and take a life?”
Lokus turned from her, shivering with anger. “He’s not innocent,” he grumbled.
“Perhaps not,” said Kaysa patiently. “But he has done nothing to warrant your attempt at his life. Had I let you have your way I would be mourning the loss of one or both of you right now. And we have held enough grief from death already.”
Lokus clenched his fists before trying to release the anger that was surging within him. “I guess what I hoped, was at the end of the day it was still us, that I could know that you would be there for me as much as I will be there for you.”
“I have never stopped being there for you, Lokus,” replied Kaysa. “In fact, I at least saved your soul this day and quite likely your life. Again. What you must come to understand is that it is no longer about me and you. It is all of us in this skiff. This task rests in our hands and it is us against a world we know nothing about. If we do not accept that, if we do not support each other through this to the end, then we will surely fail and Kel’Thara will die with us. I simply hope that you will come to realize this, for I sorely wish to never lose you, even when you choose to be a pain.”
Lokus gritted his teeth, fighting back a wave of emotion before he finally looked at Kaysa again. “You will see. I will be right even if I don’t wish to be. In the end, you will be betrayed. And when that day comes, do not think of telling me that I didn’t warn you,” he said before standing up and going to the other side of the skiff.
Kaysa watched him leave, knowing it best to let him be. She knew that battles must be picked, and pressing this one would get her nowhere. Instead, Kaysa sat in sullen silence as she observed the words left in her spirit by Lokus. She could even understand his reasoning, for her friend was grieving in his own way, much like her. But Kaysa knew that the only chance that remained to them was to stay together.
This very thought and Lokus’s words forced Kaysa to set her gaze upon Marro. Standing slowly, Kaysa approached the mercenary. Marro paid her no mind as he went about cleaning the weapons he held on his belts. She could see that he administered great care to them, either by affection or the utter reliance placed upon such items. Kaysa sat down next to Marro then, staring at him for some time, before she could tolerate the silence no longer.
“I would very much like the truth, Marro,” said Kaysa.
Marro coughed a bitter laugh, not taking his eyes from his work. “I have offered you nothing but truth since we started this adventure, Kaysa of Quenthell. But my past and my scars are my own,” he replied.
“Lokus thinks you are one of them, that you will betray us when you have the chance,” she mused aloud.
Marro shook his head and narrowed his eyes, chewing on his lip a bit before offering a response. “Lokus shall believe what he chooses to believe. Right now, he wishes to have a focus for his anger. He is young and he is foolish, and a temper makes those traits reckless.”
“Such things do not detract from the possibility that he is correct,” said Kaysa.
Marro paused long enough to regard his young charge. “You possess now a seed of doubt, yet still you believed in me, did you not? You placed yourself between me and Lokus, so it is safe to conclude his fears are not your own,” he said.
Kaysa sighed, shaking her head as she lowered her gaze. “I am certain of very little these days. But what I can attest to is your actions. And so far, they have kept us all alive.”
“And what if it is in fact a ruse so that I may betray you later?” challenged Marro.
“It would make little sense to me,” said Kaysa swiftly. “For surely it would benefit you and Onzlyn to kill and be done with us now, or before we placed your lives in peril.”
“There certainly carries no fault in such logic,” answered Marro. “Unless of course, Onzlyn and myself are truly quite twisted, or crave the adventure.” At this, the mercenary offered a curious and amused glance.
“Talking with you is truly exhausting work at times,” said Kaysa.
Marro shrugged distantly before pointing head. “Fear not, young one, for rest from your travels is nigh. We have nearly arrived,” he said.
Silence descended upon Kaysa heavily as she looked in the direction Marro was pointing. There before her were the Soaring Cliffs, rising spires of dark rock reaching toward the clouds. The
very sight of it stilled her breath, for never had the young elf seen such things. Atop the cliffs, Kaysa could see lights offered by the town of Everspire and her energy surged at the closeness to their destination.
"Calm yourself, Kaysa, for reaching the town is but half of our journey," said Marro musingly.
"What do you mean, Marro?" she asked.
"We still have to get inside. This place is untrusting of outsiders in a way that overshadows Onzlyn's people by a great span. And that is only one of the perceived sins placed upon us," said Marro.
"Explain," said Kaysa.
"They hate him is what Marro is trying to say," offered Onzlyn as he maneuvered their battered skiff.
"Then I favor them already," said Lokus.
Marro continued unperturbed. "Though misunderstandings and mistakes were made, we still should be able to procure entrance into town," said Marro, choosing to ignore the bemused snort offered by Onzlyn.
"Are you certain of this?" asked Kaysa.
"Well I am certain that regardless of our entrance, there will be a quarrel if that helps," said Marro.
"It does not, thank you," said Kaysa.
Little else was said as Onzlyn slowed the skiff as they approached the base of the cliffs. The cliffs became more daunting to Kaysa as they neared. The towering rock stole away the light of the sun and added to the chill Kaysa was already feeling. Kaysa clenched to the seed upon her neck again, reminding herself of her purpose and the strength that was required. Taking a deep breath, Kaysa shifted her focus to what rested before her and the group.
As the skiff stopped, the damaged vehicle whined a final protest before silence engulfed its inner workings. The skiff fell to the ground then with an echoing crash, drawing attention to Kaysa and her friends. Marro casually hopped from the skiff as if the entire scene was planned before motioning to the others to follow. Shaking her head, Kaysa obliged and soon the rest of the group joined them. Vienda helped Khey who held his injured arm to his chest as the others despised their inability to further help their friend.
Kaysa walked a few paces behind Marro as the mercenary guided the group to guards watching over a contraption. To Kaysa it looked like an elaborate pulley wrought of rusted metal. The gears screeched as Kaysa watched a platform rise toward the town above. She deduced this was the only means to reach the top available to them. Kaysa was uncertain what unnerved her more, their chances or the thought of riding upon such a contraption.
As Marro drew closer, Kaysa watched as the guards flanking the contraption tensed. Immediately one drew his sword as he motioned for the others. Quickly, four guards started toward Marro who continued his advance without hesitation. Now nearing the party of travelers, the four guards halted and spread to a line, blocking Marro's progress. Kaysa could make out few details of these guards, as each were adorned in dull brown robes protecting them from the elements.
The lead guard raised his sword to halt Marro's approach. "Your presence is most unwelcome, Marro," said the guard. Kaysa could feel the man's rancor as his eyes set upon Marro.
Marro came to a stop as the blade touched his chest. "Well unfortunately I require entrance regardless of your regard for me," he said, motioning to Kaysa and the others. "In my charge are those who need rest and to hold audience with your leaders. I will be but a spectator in this visit should I find our entrance unhindered."
The lead guard looked at his comrades as the remaining three rested their hands upon the hilts of their blades. "You will gain no such entrance, mercenary. And all that are within your company shall receive the same regard as you. That is the word and decree of my leaders," he said.
"Perhaps," said Marro casually. A hint of a smile etching upon his face. "But I fear you have taken this decree and bolstered it with your own interpretations."
The head guardsman offered a grimy smile of teeth stricken with a lack of care. "It matters little, for the outcome is the same. You will not gain entrance regardless," he said before pressing the tip of his blade to Marro's throat. "I have waited for such a moment that I may gain recompense for my slights at your hand."
Marro nodded, touching at the blade upon him. "Misfortune upon you only occurs when you leave me no other choice," said the mercenary.
Kaysa took a step forward to intervene, but in that step Marro responded with deadly swiftness. Batting the sword blade to the left, the mercenary surged forward, coming around the guardsman and wrapping his right arm around his throat. Taking a step back, he then drew one of his guns, training it on the guardsman's temple. The other three guards turned a moment later, drawing their swords as their leader choked his surprise.
Vienda nearly gasped at the display. "Marro!" she exclaimed.
Marro paid her judgement little mind as he spoke to the remaining guardsman. "As you can see quite clearly, we currently hold a right to passage. Do be good errand boys and fetch the lift for us. And be quick because I cannot wager how long your commander here will endure under duress. I think Hathold here would agree with my sentiments," he said.
The head guard, Hathold shook with more than just fury in Marro's clutches. His eyes swelled with brief defiance before he dropped his sword, bitterly. "Do as he says, men. Let us not incite bloodshed on this day."
As the guards under Hathold’s command rushed to summon the lift, Marro tapped Hathold's head with his weapon. "It is amazing how much the value of life increases in your eyes when it is your own at stake," he said.
“The last thing you will see in this world is my smiling face, mercenary,” croaked Hathold.
“If that is true,” observed Marro casually, “Then it will be you witnessing someone else felling me, for you lack both the spine and the skill for such an endeavor.”
Dragging the guard to the lift, Marro waited for the others to join him. Even Vienda ceased her protestations in the light of her chosen's injury. Kaysa could feel the animosity oozing from the guards as she joined Marro. The mercenary winked at her before pushing the head guard from his grip.
"It matters not in the end, for you will surely pay for your actions before this day is over," spat Hathold.
Marro offered him a casual salute before activating the lift. "Good sir, when it comes to misery endured in this lifetime, I am surely paid in full, with interest," he replied as the lift rose upwards.
Kaysa found herself holding her breath as she and her friends were elevated. She had never been so far from the ground before and the young elf was forced to look. Fear gripped her as she took a step closer to Marro, yet this fear faded upon the view. The barren misery wrought on her senses only worsened from high above it all.
It truly was enough to wrench her spirits.
"Not a scenic view by any means, is it, young one?"
"No, it is not," whispered Kaysa, shaking her head.
"But it is the world as it stands, and now you truly understand that fully," said Marro.
"What I understand, Marro, is that this view only stresses the importance of our quest. An importance that may be hindered by your actions," said Kaysa.
"You likely have doom now waiting for us at the top," growled Lokus.
Marro chuckled as if the notion was beyond reality. "The only thing waiting for us at the top is the coldest welcome you will receive short of Thorindale," he countered.
"You are tactically dangerous to the group and our quest," said Vienda, still holding Khey upright.
The usually quiet Onzlyn chimed in then. "I would agree that my traveling companion is quite dangerous, but I can assure you that danger has saved me more times than it has not, and so far it has saved you all is well. I would be swift to remember that if I were you and thank whatever gods you pray to that his allegiance is with you," he said.
This was enough to silence the others, at least for the moment. Kaysa thought on Onzlyn's words as she shifted her focus to above them. They were nearing the end of their ascent and she was uneasy about what awaited them at the top. Rubbing at the seed around her neck, she si
lently prayed that her choice in trusting Marro had been prudent.
Trudging completely to the top, the aging lift screeched to a halt abruptly, jarring Kaysa and her friends who were not prepared for it. Exiting the lift, Marro strode forward without hesitance, followed by Onzlyn. Kaysa and the others had to move swiftly to catch up with them. Kaya took those moments to relish the crisp air that met her and absorb the town waiting before her.
The town of Everspire was an embodiment of rock and clay. Kaysa could smell the mortar utilized in forming the buildings, as its scent was quite vivid. Blocky structures scoured the cliff from behind the walls that fortified the town. Homes and shops rose with a path that led to the largest structure of Everspire, located in the heart of the town. The colors were rusty and dull, only slivers more vibrant than the desolation below. Scant wooden beams were infused with the architecture, generally saved for the bigger, more elaborate structures due to wood being scarce.
The inhabitants of Everspire that were either working or peddling outside of the walls stopped to watch Kaysa and the others. At the sight of Marro many of them retreated as the guards at the gates readied themselves. Kaysa observed that they were all garbed in layers of brown clothes offering warmth against the elevation. She realized this as a chill stretching beyond the cold filled her spirits.
To accompany her feeling, a squad of guards jogged in formation toward them. Kaysa immediately saw that the twelve soldiers were much better geared than those below, sporting well-kept, padded armor, helmets, and swords. Upon reaching Marro, the squad halted before spreading out and drawing their swords, forging a wall between the town and the intruders. The soldiers then stomped once, alerting friend and foe alike of their presence.
With silence prevailing, the squad's leader held up a hand as he spoke. "Marro of the lower realms, you are not welcome in our home," he stated darkly.
Marro offered a warm smile, holding out his arms as he casually approached the line. "I did not come for welcome. I am simply here to deliver a message and my charges," he replied.
The Last of Kel'Thara Page 12
