Deathsworn Arc: The Last Dragon Slayer

by Martyn Stanley

  ~

  The Ride to Briem

  When the first light of morning broke through the trees, Brael was still sitting by the glowing embers of the near-dead fire, whittling.

  Vashni was the first to wake. She pushed her blanket back and looked at Brael. ‘You were supposed to rouse me gravian, I was to take second watch. Why did you not wake me?’

  Brael shrugged. ‘You were sleeping so peacefully, and I was not tired, so I chose to take your watch also.’

  Vashni’s eyes scanned over the sleeping warriors, then she rose, walked over and took a seat next to Brael. ‘Do you not wonder gravian, what we have gotten ourselves into here? You and I. Why don’t we leave? Leave now, head south and let these fools ride to their deaths. What do you say?’

  Brael shrugged, continuing to whittle. ‘Go if you so desire, elf. I will stay to fulfil my vow.’

  Vashni smirked at him. ‘You consider yourself honour bound to follow the Northman around, seeking to save his life, when he has no concept of gravian honour or culture. You are a fool, Brael, your vow means nothing to him. No gravians are here to judge you or disrespect you. What have you to gain or lose?’

  Brael snorted. ‘You forget ONE gravian, who is here to judge my actions! I would not be content if I abandoned my honour and neglected my duty. Do you care for nothing but yourself? Have you no compassion or honour?’

  ‘Why should I?’ Vashni responded gaily, ‘I do as I please. I help people when to do so amuses me, I rob from people for the same reason. I have no need for coin, since I can take whatever I want. The only reason I am taking part in this endeavour is because I find the idea of seeking and killing a Draconis Nobilus interesting.’

  Brael paused in his whittling and fixed his eyes on hers. ‘Are you banished from Eldenizar? Is this why you frolic among mortals?’

  Vashni burst into laughter at this, almost rousing the others. ‘Brael, your hypothesis is as far from the truth as you could get. If only I were banished - my life would be so much the simpler. I am sure you will discover the true reason for my absence from the city in the sky, I merely wish to put the troublesome event which will reveal it off for as long as possible.’

  ‘Then you are wanted by the elvish high council for some crime?’

  ‘You are so naive gravian! Yes I am wanted but I have committed no crime. You will come to understand I’m sure, those pursuing me are tenacious and resourceful. We shall give them the run around for as long as possible, but I doubt I can escape them forever.’

  Brael pondered her answers for a moment then turned his back on her. ‘Will you try to unspeak my curse?’

  Vashni giggled at this and parted his matted black hair, leaning close. The strange living symbol was still present on the back of his neck. He felt her breath on his neck, her fingers gently caressing his blue-grey skin as she pulled the skin taught to make the symbol easier to read.  He felt foolish and vulnerable as the elf examined and probed his curse. After some time she spoke. ‘Is this in the language of the gravian? I can’t decipher this. The writing appears similar to elvish, but writhes, moves and changes so...’

  ‘The language is gravian, but the glyph may be a word made up of several words to form a new aggregate meaning. I believe the wording must in some way mean, “Not able to disclose ‘the truth’.” and “can neither remember the way to Durth Orza nor enter Durth Orza of my own volition”, or something along those lines. Perhaps more. Even if I could guess the wording, it will be woven in such a way that only another can unspeak the curse.’

  He felt Vashni probing with her fingers again, studying the mark. ‘I really have no idea. This writing makes no sense to me. Would you like to make a guess? If you have a suggestion I shall happily repeat it for you.’

  Brael’s voice sounded hopeful when he answered. ‘Yes! Before I make my guess though, tell me what you see.’

  Vashni was silent for a moment as she peered at the symbol as it writhed. ‘There appears to be something like a sun, a black sun but with black snakes or flames forming out from the centre, I think the snakes are covered in words or symbols, but the writing is extremely small. The glyph then reforms into a spiral, and words seem to be written in the spiral that appear a little like elvish, something like’ Vraic §iue zu§h awena’. Then the symbol squiggles around a little, settles into a row of zig zags made up of words, then morphs back into the sun. It keeps changing into other shapes too, and wriggling around, it’s difficult to see anything in it.’

  Brael listened, then thought carefully, weighing up her description and comparing it to letters and words in the gravian language which would be a good fit for the meaning of the curse. After a spell of careful consideration; he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. ‘Try “Ur§hoth anwea h§uz euiz carivsh cara”.’ Vashni repeated the phrase and watched the symbol. They witnessed no flash of lightning and the symbol remained. She tried again, with a little more care, then tried swapping the words around and altering her pronunciation.

  Eventually she sat back, resignedly. ‘I’m sorry Brael, nothing. Unless you can think of something else to try, I think you’re going to remain impotent for now, at least until such time as we have the fortune to meet another gravian who might decipher it.’

  Silus awoke next, unsettled by the sight of the elf inspecting Brael’s neck and whispering. ‘Pointy eared tricksters,’ he muttered silently. His expression made his thoughts obvious, though.

  ‘What are we plotting master dragon slayer?’ Vashni sang out. ‘Why, we were just discussing which of your throats to slit first, and whose saddlebags might contain the most gold. Such a pity you spoiled our little ruse, it seems we must wait until tomorrow night now.’

  Silus threw back his blanket and hauled himself up. ‘Humph, very funny witch.’

  Before a full-blown argument erupted, Votrex awoke and chuckled at the exchange. ‘Bickering before breakfast? You possess a more impressive constitution than I, dragon slayer.’ Silus threw him a distrusting glance as Votrex rolled up his sleep mat and blanket. Soon the rest of the companions were roused also, each muttering greetings of ‘good morning’ or similar while raiding their saddlebags for provisions. It soon became clear they were low on provisions. Korhan's stunt in Trest, had shortened the time they had to prepare for the following leg of their journey. Luckily, Vashni appeared to possess a small excess of provisions and to the other companions’ surprise, seemed happy to share them, though not to reveal where she came by them. She had various items of bread, fruit and vegetables in her packs, which she shared out with some glee, though Silus took the offer with suspicion. After seeing the others munching away with no ill effects, he also gingerly tasted her offerings.

  By the time all the party had breakfasted, the fire had died down to glowing embers. Korhan and Harald broke up the stone circle and threw dirt over the hot ashes. Then they were back in the saddle.

  The morning air was crisp, the sky was clear. Saul led the way north. Again, before long, Korhan had guided his horse towards the elf’s steed. ‘Good morning, Vashni.’

  She turned to face him. ‘Good morning barbarian.’

  ‘Vashni, how did you do what you did to the Berger? When we were wrestling, you did something to me; I suddenly became very weak, and a little disorientated, how did you do that?’

  Vashni smiled smugly. ‘Elf magic. It’s a closely guarded secret.’

  Korhan frowned. ‘Is this a skill you could teach me?’

  ‘No, you must study for many decades to learn the language needed to safely and effectively perform this feat; you would wither and die of old age before you might consider yourself adept enough to use it, even if you devoted the rest of your days to mastering it.’

  Korhan rode in silence for a moment. ‘How about teaching me a defence against it?’

  ‘Of course this is possible, but why should I teach you? I may wish to subdue you again, perhaps take you back to Eldenizar to be my plaything. This will be so much easier if I leave you defenceles
s and vulnerable. I could take you back, and make you my personal slave. Perhaps remove your free-will completely, forcing you to be my humble servant for the rest of your days. No I will keep my options open, thank you barbarian.’

  Korhan screwed his face up. Her threats seemed frivolous and were delivered with a smirk, yet... ‘You jest lady elf, I have never heard of elves keeping slaves.’

  Vashni shrugged. ‘Oh I don’t know, elves do hold a strong belief that slavery is wrong, this is true. But I’m sure we could make an exception for you. Wouldn’t you like to be my personal slave? With the right words I could make you desire nothing more than to volunteer willingly, to become my personal servant, obeying my every command.’

  Korhan shuddered and trotted on in silence for a moment, considering his response. ‘I do not believe that this would be possible. Why can you not talk straight with me, lady elf?’

  ‘Simple, because this game amuses me. Take heart though, it amuses me all the more that you are intelligent enough to recognise that I am playing a game, and to play the game a little. You are perhaps right though, enslaving you in this way might not be possible. My success would depend on the strength of your willpower. I admit your willpower would need to be very low indeed for something so drastic to be effective.’

  ‘Humph, I do not desire to put my willpower to the test. You still won’t teach me to defend against “elf magic”?’

  Vashni shrugged. ‘It’s not really elf magic, though it is a form of magic. We call this ability whispering.  We just suggest something in the language of the old ones, and fortify our words with the power of our will.’

  Korhan looked puzzled. ‘Words? Words are not powerful; how does this work?’

  ‘Simple, the tiniest particle of the tiniest grain of sand is bound to listen to the language of the old ones. Of course you need to make the suggestion in a persuasive enough way and imbue the words with enough will. To say words are not powerful is foolish indeed, barbarian. Words may send nations to war, or soothe broken hearts; words are the most valuable social currency in the world, it always has been this way and always will be.’

  ‘You are wrong; coin is more valuable and more powerful. Coin too may send nations to war and bring joy and destruction in equal measure. Words are powerful, but coin, in sufficient measure can bring the bard to song or spark a conflict. Coin is more powerful.’

  Vashni, listened, and pondered for a moment, before delivering her retort. ‘But cannot the more eloquent beggar win more coin when the time comes to receive alms? Or the bard simply decide to perform a ballad in the town square, before offering around his hat? Words control coin more than coin controls words. Coin has no worth; coin only has worth because society chooses to accept that it has worth. It is a shiny thing to occupy simple men, who are easily fooled into thinking it is important. If everybody universally decided that coin was worth nothing and gold was as valuable as lead, then this would be so. Coin is simply an intermediary to be used in the exchange of goods or services. Were you stuck in the middle of the great divide, with no help, water, food or transport, and I were to offer you a flask of pure water or a thousand gold coins, you would be a fool to take the gold.’

  Korhan listened, thinking carefully about her arguments before responding smugly. ‘You speak the truth, but likewise, if you lived in a coastal town which was under siege and the last ship to leave port was taking highest bids for places on the boat, having a thousand gold crowns would be worth more than a flask of water; value is only ever decided by needs. You can never appreciate the importance of coin unless you have experienced having none.’

  Vashni smiled at this. ‘True. I like you barbarian, you are more interesting than you look, though your argument is flawed. The gold in that case is still of no use in itself - it is simply an intermediary in a greater exchange: whatever feat or work you performed to earn the thousand gold pieces for a place on a boat.’

  Korhan smiled to himself at her half-compliment. ‘I argued the worth and the value of gold, not the use, besides, could you not argue that having enough worth to exchange for things is indeed a use, rendering gold useful after all?’

  Vashni scowled, clearly flummoxed by this latest argument. There was a brief moment of silence as she fruitlessly sought a rebuttal. Finally she glared at him, frustrated, ‘Hmm, possibly... You are starting to bore me now barbarian. Ride with someone else and give me some peace.’

  Korhan couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at this rejection, but he wasn’t surprised. Part of him wanted to drop back, so he could admire her from behind, but for some reason he wanted to show her the same disdain that she had shown him. He snapped his reins and trotted up so that he was alongside Saul. ‘Wizard–’

  Saul looked across. ‘Korhan.’

  ‘What do you know of “elf magic” or whispering?’

  ‘Not much... Brael may know more, the gravian are known to use the same technique. Why do you ask?’

  ‘I was asking Vashni about it, she was not particularly forthcoming though.’

  Saul sighed, looking Korhan in the eye. ‘Be careful with Vashni Korhan, she will be a useful ally on this endeavour, no doubt, but try to distance yourself from her. I can see how you look at her, but relationships between elves and humans seldom end well. They are as different to us as we are different to the beasts in the field.’

  ‘Maybe, though I do find her both interesting and frustrating in equal measure.’

  ‘I suspect this is precisely her intention. I suggest you avoid speaking to her and do not allow yourself to become a source of amusement for her.’

  Korhan gave a soft grunt of agreement, almost to himself, then rode on in silence. As his horse walked along the bed of fallen pine needles on the forest floor, his head was awash with thoughts. The nigh-invulnerable beast, they’d set out to slay was temporarily forgotten. His thoughts could not escape the elfin beauty who conducted herself with more confidence and boldness than any woman he’d met. He longed to look over his shoulder, to behold her face, but he refused to give her the satisfaction. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, pleased to hope that his disdain must be frustrating her. For her part, if she felt sorely of him, she did not show it. She rode smiling contentedly, keeping herself to herself.

  Harald was riding alongside Brael, trotting quietly along when he turned to the gravian. ‘Did you not sleep at all last night Brael?’

  Brael shrugged. ‘I do not need much sleep, Northman. In truth, yesterday morning I did not expect to survive the day. I appreciated the basic state of being alive enough that tiredness did not compel me to sleep.’

  ‘I still can’t understand why the Berger of Trest intended to execute you, when your crime at worst, seemed to be stealing apples.’

  Brael looked Harald dead in the eye. ‘The Berger of Trest does not like gravians, I would of course be justified in accusing him of being an evil tyrant; from my perspective this would ring true. However, many of the townspeople would disagree. His troops are well paid and equipped; he gives alms to the poor and tries to do the best for his people.’

  Harald shuddered at the nonchalance of Brael’s response. ‘He was going to behead you! For nothing!’

  ‘Nothing? You are naive indeed if you think that is the truth Harald, son of Korvak. The fact is, as despicable as it may be, some of the people of Trest would’ve found the spectacle of watching a dark elf beheaded in the town square extremely entertaining. I am sure the Berger would’ve enjoyed the entertainment, but also that his decision to execute me was made at least partly for the entertainment of the townspeople. You are an honourable man Harald, but I am sure most people in this world are not, unfortunately, and many take pleasure in others misfortune.’

  Harald looked disgusted. ‘Men’s lives should not be ended for the degrading entertainment of the masses.’

  ‘True. However, I think this will continue to happen in towns like Trest, where the administrator of the town is as amoral as the townspeople.’

&
nbsp; ‘It would not happen in my homeland, the rolling plains of Kushak or the open steppes of Silavria.’

  Brael shrugged. ‘Maybe. I think the sort of mind-set which allows such atrocities to happen breeds better in towns. After all, to dwell in such filth and corruption – how long can one live there without becoming corrupt oneself?’

  Harald nodded. ‘True, we share one opinion gravian, I would never choose live in a town or city for long, risking disease and pestilence every day.’

  Brael took a deep breath. ‘Human towns and cities may be thus, but it is not so in the underdeep. Durth Orza is a magnificent, clean city where waste is disposed of in a neat and orderly fashion, where disease and pestilence are rare or unheard of. I hear Cormaroth, the capital of the Empire is similarly clean, though I have never seen it.’

  Harald stroked his beard thoughtfully. ‘Aye, Cormaroth is an exception to the rule, though even fine Cormaroth has its slums and shanties outside the city walls. Of course Empress Jade ordered the possible locations of slums and shanties restricted, so they are well hidden from the entrance by which traders and nobles enter.’

  ‘Have you spent much time in Cormaroth, Northman?’

  ‘I spend as little time in cities as possible; I do not like to dwell in one place for too long.’

  During these conversations Votrex was riding alongside Silus. Silus, despite his anxiety at the presence of the magical races, was finding Votrex, a dwarf, a preferable riding companion to the elves, particularly as Korhan seemed to be becoming more and more captivated by the elf. He couldn’t understand the Northman in that respect, to Silus she seemed alien and sinister. To Silus, her motives and her thoughts, were completely unfathomable. ‘Votrex, Saul called you Gorthok of Durgheim Holt. What does that mean?’

  Votrex looked troubled at the mention of his title, and he spoke with a hint of unease. ‘Gorthok means something like “chief engineer” and Durgheim Holt is the mine of my ancestors.’

  Silus frowned. ‘Mine?  Your family are miners?’

  Votrex chuckled. ‘More or less all dwarves are miners, though to dwarves a mine is more than a place to extract minerals, a mine is also a home.’

  ‘Will you return to Durgheim Holt after this task is complete?’

  ‘I... I do not know. Durgheim Holt is sealed off in some way. My clan, the Vanguard are inside, yet I cannot enter. I was out of the mine, visiting a neighbouring Holt on behalf of my father Garric, for trade negotiations. When I returned the mine seemed to be sealed by magic and nothing I have been able to try will break the seal.’

  Silus trotted along in silence for a few moments. ‘I’m sorry. It’s a cruel twist of fate to lose a home and a family in one stroke.’

  Votrex nodded. ‘What of you Silus Mendelson, how did you come to become a fabled dragon slayer?’

  Silus shrugged. ‘I am not from a line of famous warriors. My family were farmers; I come from Velth, a small village to the north of Cormaroth. Farming was not for me, so I joined the imperial army. The pay was good, lodgings and provisions were provided. In truth we did not have to do much fighting, the odd bandit camp, some patrolling; of course all that changed when the dragon came to light.’

  Meanwhile, Vashni snapped her reins and trotted along until she was alongside Korhan again. He glanced over his shoulder, a little surprised to see her sharp-featured smiling face approaching. ‘Lady Vashni.’

  ‘Barbarian...’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘My name is Korhan, lady Vashni.’

  ‘I am quite aware of that, but I shall call you barbarian, thank you very much. I have been thinking about your request for me to teach you to defend yourself against whispering, and I have decided I shall teach you. The lessons will be hard, and in training you I will make you look foolish. I shall make you feel extremely uncomfortable at times, and you will put yourself completely at my mercy. Would you still like me to train you?’

  Korhan's eyes lit up, he struggled to conceal his excitement. ‘Yes! I will do whatever it takes.’ Immediately, his mind was racing with thoughts of attaining skills normally hidden from humans. It was known that against magical warriors, humans fared poorly. Her tutelage could give him an edge, which few if any human warriors had ever possessed.

  She smiled. ‘Good. In that case I name you my apprentice. You will do as I ask without question; you will ride a respectful distance behind me, unless I wish to tutor you. Whenever we stop you will attend to my horse’s needs, my provisions, and prepare my bed before seeing to your own. If you wish to address me, you will address me as Mir§a Vashni and bow your head. I cannot promise that you will succeed, but if I deem you incapable of learning, then I will release you from my service and you will no longer be my Ri§ine.’

  Korhan listened, squirming in his saddle as he did. What she was proposing sounded rather demeaning. He suspected she was toying with him again, purely for her amusement, but at the same time it sounded plausible that this was a part of elvish culture, and she seemed genuine in her offer to train his mind. He looked her in the eye. ‘Lady Vashni-’

  ‘Mir§a Vashni you mean.’

  He groaned. ‘Mir§a Vashni, is this ridiculous arrangement necessary? Can you not simply teach me and have done with?’

  She sat up straight in her saddle. ‘No, it is not necessary, but the arrangement amuses me, therefore it is my price for training you. This is however, how an elvish ‘Mir§a, Ri§ine’ relationship normally works. Though in truth the Ri§ine would normally be a child and the adult mentor, the Mir§a would be expected to beat the Ri§ine at regular intervals to instil respect and obedience in them. In our relationship, I will not, I expect, take you over my knee, but the price for being trained is to become my Ri§ine. Failure in your duties will not result in a beating, it will result in the end of our relationship and your training. To train your mind is not a quick task, at the moment it is like a wet sponge, leaking stray thoughts all over the place, porous and open to suggestion. If you are to defend yourself against mental attacks and become resistant to whispering and more, then I shall have to carefully mould, shape and strengthen it, while teaching you to fortify and use your willpower. This will take a long time, longer than our quest will last I’m afraid. If you find you cannot submit to my terms, then we will part and go our separate ways. If you can, and wish me to train your mind, then after our quest is complete, you will accompany me wherever I choose to go.’

  Korhan rode along in silence for a few moments, Vashni’s grin widening as he weighed up her proposal.  She sat up straight in her saddle, looking straight ahead in feigned indifference. Eventually Korhan turned to her and bowed his head. ‘Mir§a Vashni, I accept you as my mentor.’

  Vashni’s eyes flashed in gleeful triumph. ‘Excellent! Ri§ine, I will now give you an exercise to practise as you ride along. The moment we stop, I will test you. I want you focus on what you are doing, the reins in your fingers, the rocking of your hips on the saddle, your breaths, in and out. No stray thoughts! Do not let your mind wander; remain focused on the task at hand. Riding a horse at a steady trot is a simple task, but the simplicity makes the task all the harder to remain focused on.  Practise this, then I will test your willpower and mental strength when we dismount.’

  Korhan bowed his head and began to drop back a little. ‘Yes, Mir§a Vashni.’

  He fell in behind, matching her speed and riding at a respectful distance, giving the outward appearance that he was her servant. As he did, he tried to restrict his thoughts to what he was doing. The lesson sounded simple, but in fact keeping his mind tethered to the task of riding was almost impossible.

  The strange events going on between Vashni and Korhan did not go unnoticed to the others. Harald dropped back to fall in alongside Saul. ‘What in Ishar’s name is that fool up to?’

  ‘Making an idiot of himself... I do not know beyond that. I have tried to warn him. The ways of the fair folk are alien to us and he would do best to keep his relationship with Vashni professional. I fear he has cho
sen to ignore my advice, and if anything, wishes to grow closer to her.’

  Harald rolled his eyes, then trotted to the front. Meanwhile Saul slowed his horse to drop back, level with Korhan. ‘Korhan, what in Ishar’s name are you doing?’

  Korhan scowled at him for breaking his concentration. ‘I am trying to better myself, wizard!’

  Saul raised an eyebrow. ‘Would you care to explain yourself?’

  Korhan sighed. ‘I was disconcerted when she was able to subdue me so easily yesterday. I have asked her to teach me to resist this kind of magic and she has agreed.’

  ‘Kind of magic?’

  ‘This ability they call whispering. She seems to think she can train me, so I am giving her the chance. I have agreed to become her Ri§ine in return for her teaching me to resist such mental attacks.’

  Saul laughed at this. ‘Her Ri§ine? There’s no direct translation in our language, but by agreeing to this, you realise you are more or less agreeing for her to treat you as a child or servant, and chastise you at will?’

  Korhan glared straight ahead. ‘I realise, but this is her price and I believe it is a price worth paying.’ Saul shrugged. ‘At that, you may be right, the elves are truly the masters of magic and mental prowess. Just be sure she doesn’t make too much of a fool out of you.’

  He trotted back towards the front of the group. Despite his fears about his companions becoming distracted, he chortled to himself. Young Korhan seemed to have fallen into a rather strange situation. Brael noticed his obvious mirth and snapped his reins, speeding his steed up to join the wizard. ‘What amuses you so?’

  ‘It seems, my grey skinned friend, that Korhan has volunteered to become Vashni’s Ri§ine, in exchange for her tutelage in the art of mental defence.’

  Brael did not burst into laughter, though he had to hold back a tiny, wry smile from forming on his lips. ‘Interesting... Of little consequence though - there is no magical bond forcing him into his servitude. If he becomes unhappy with the situation he is free to end his servitude. Tis a pity my curse is still present, I would have been able to train him in mental defence without forcing him to endure this somewhat degrading treatment. I only hope she does not abuse his trust. She seems as frivolous and care-free as any elf I ever met, and suspect that at least part of her motives in this, are pure entertainment, no more, no less.’

  The riders continued on their way, Korhan trying to continue his meditation, though with some difficulty. Keeping one’s stray thoughts under control was far easier said, than actually done. Vashni did not offer him any assistance; instead she rode a few feet ahead of him, allowing him to continue his attempts in solitude. Performing this exercise was a strange experience. It was the opposite of what his warriors instincts urged him to do. Under normal circumstances, he’d be stretching out with his eyes and his mind, looking for ambushes, wild animals, and places to camp. Instead he found himself fighting back this urge and striving to close his mind in. It was not easy to maintain.

  Conversations bounced back and forth, the group rearranged itself several times, allowing them to get to know one another better. Korhan for his part avoided speaking to the others. Vashni likewise kept herself to herself. As the afternoon wore on, the shadows started to grow longer. A cool breeze whipped up, rustling the leaves on the forest floor and howling through the branches overhead.

  In time the group came to large area of cleared forest. A rushing but narrow river passed through the clearing. A small timber-frame mill sat on the side of the river, its water wheel turning in the fast flowing water. Animals were penned in on a grassed area a short distance from the mill, and crops were growing in a field to the north. Saul raised his voice above the sound of the gushing water to address the group. ‘We should stop here, rest the horses and try to procure provisions.’ This was met with a murmur of agreement and the riders rode up to the mill. As the party dismounted and tied their horses up against a fence, Korhan found himself taking Vashni’s reins, and tying both their horses up, before filling nose-bags with feed and fitting them to both horses. She responded with a curt nod.

  Saul, Votrex, Silus, Harald and Brael walked towards the mill while Vashni sat herself down on a large rock protruding from the earth. As Korhan approached, she pointed to the floor. ‘Come Ri§ine, sit and tell me how you found this morning's exercise.’

  Korhan went to sit on the rock alongside her, but before he could plant himself down she raised a palm to him. ‘No Ri§ine, I would like you to sit on the floor. Remember our bargain, no questions?’

  Korhan paused, looked at the patch of ground in front of her and obediently took his seat cross-legged on the floor, looking up to her. ‘My apologies Mir§a Vashni. I found the task... difficult. To maintain focus on something so mundane as riding a horse, to the exclusion of all other thoughts is not easy.’

  She leaned forwards, looking down at him. ‘No it is not, but it is a good exercise to practise, if I am to improve your mental discipline.  Now Ri§ine, shuffle closer, sit at my feet and bow your head to me, I am going to invade your mind. Your task is to expel me as quickly as possible.’ He had to fight back a desire to refuse. Only his stubbornness bent him to obey her – refusing to allow her to dismiss him so early.

  Korhan slid towards the large rock so he was sitting cross-legged at her feet. She leaned forwards and pressed her finger tips onto his temples gently. Under her caress he sensed an alien presence enter his mind. He was immediately overcome; Vashni was probing his mind, with curiosity, exploring memories past, and memories of thoughts about the future. He tried to shut the memories down.  In seconds he’d lost all sense of his physical being and was trying, but failing completely, to stop her storming around his mind unhindered. This invasion was a truly strange, almost brutal experience. She stumbled upon memories of his childhood, watching his father work the forge... Killing a wolf that was attacking his father’s flock with a short sword, when he had seen little more than ten winters. He tried to force her out, but her mind was like an irresistible force rampaging through his head. She then stormed on through more of his memories and his opinions. At each turn he tried to push her out, helplessly; it was like wrestling the wind. He was internally almost in tears as she danced gaily through his innermost thoughts and feelings. She dwelt for some time on his memories of only the previous day when they had first met. This he was desperate to hide from her, not wanting her to know how he desired her. But again he could do nothing to prevent her gleaning every ounce of truth and emotion from the memory.

  Eventually she withdrew and pulled her hands away from his temples. He was visibly shaken, panting, almost in tears. ‘Ri§ine, you did not expel me at all. I had complete freedom in your mind. I could have planted or altered memories and opinions at will. Your mind is extraordinarily weak!  I am glad I explored it thoroughly though. I know and understand the full depth and scope of your desire for me. I want to make myself clear right from the start, there is no future for us, Ri§ine. I shall never take you to my bed. The best you can expect from our time together is for the continuation of our Mir§a, Ri§ine relationship. Are we clear? Do you accept this?’

  Korhan sighed sadly. Embarrassed, he couldn’t look her in the eye. He cursed himself for allowing her to discover his desire. However, already he was convinced he could learn from her and that he wanted to continue this bizarre relationship, ‘I understand Mir§a Vashni, and I accept it.’

  ‘Good. Now stand up, the time has come to test your willpower. Offer me your ear that I may whisper to you, then try to resist.’

  Gingerly Korhan fought his way to his feet, then offered his ear to Vashni, who whispered into it, her words as smooth as silk, sliding up and down the range of possible tone, and reverberating right through him. ‘§ara Shoriuda di§airm §uisquira shom.’

  Without thinking, almost unaware that he was doing so, Korhan knelt down at her feet and kissed her suede boot. As he was doing so he sensed her chortling at his obedience and heard the others gasp as they
exited the mill to watch him perform this humiliating act. However, despite his displeasure, he found himself unable to resist. Once he’d kissed her outstretched suede boot he stood and glared at her. She giggled. ‘I told you I would make you look foolish Ri§ine. We will repeat this exercise, amongst others, until such time as I can whisper the instruction to you, and you do not kneel before me and kiss my boot. You should treat the degrading nature of the instruction as an incentive for you to work harder to resist. When we return to the saddle, I want you to repeat this morning’s exercise. Keep your mind focused on what you are doing, and clear of stray thoughts.’

  ‘Yes, Mir§a Vashni.’

  The miller and his wife had been only too happy to refill the saddlebags of the party with bread, cured meat, fruit and other provisions, including oats for the horses. The offer of Saul’s gold meant they would not need to perform their usual weekly trip to the nearby market at Briem. Of course, initially the sight of a dwarf, a dark elf, a grizzled veteran, a barbarian and a wizard had caused the miller to reach for his halberd. Once Saul had explained the situation and produced his coin purse, it brought a pronounced sigh of relief. While Vashni was outside exploring Korhan’s mind the rest of the group had been inside, being given tea by the miller’s wife, while the miller gathered their goods together. As they sat and drank, the miller’s wife warned them to beware of bandits who had been operating in the area recently. When they finally exited to see Korhan, a mighty Silavrian warrior kneeling at the feet of the elven maiden clad all in black, kissing her boot, there were gasps of astonishment, followed by chuckles all around, except from Brael.

  Saul looked at Brael. ‘What is-‘

  ‘This is normal practice when learning to resist whispering. The whisper is often undesirable in some way, but ultimately harmless. Even the strongest of minds fail at their first attempt. It will be interesting to see how much success she enjoys, in training my Avil’s mind.’

  Saul raised an eyebrow. ‘Avil?’

  ‘Avil means “the one to whom I am deeply indebted” or something to that effect. Come, the horses are rested, and loaded, we should follow the road to Briem now, if we are headed to the foot of the Sky-Cleavers.’

  Votrex overheard the conversation and as he mounted he grunted to Brael. ‘I doubt you’d catch me kissing her boot, whatever she whispered to me.’

  Taking up his reins, Brael nodded, with a trace of a smile. ‘You may be right Master dwarf, the dwarves are renowned for being particularly resistant to enchantment and for being uncommonly stubborn.’

  As they prepared to ride, more eyebrows were raised at Korhan removing Vashni’s horse’s nosebag, untying the steed and leading it to her before sorting out his own horse. She leapt silently into the saddle, and began to trot. Korhan having sorted out his horse; took up his place, a respectful distance behind her. The scenes unfolding were baffling Harald more than anyone.

  He lingered, allowing the others to ride ahead, then rode up alongside Korhan. ‘Brother, what in Ishar’s name do you think you’re doing, playing handmaiden to the elf?’

  Korhan shuddered at the insult. ‘She has agreed to train me in the ways of mental defence, her price is that I act as apprentice to her.’

  Harald screwed his face up. ‘You’re a warrior, not a magician, why do you need to hone your so called “mental defences” anyway?’

  ‘You do not understand. Yesterday, after she’d sent the Berger of Trest on his way and we tussled, she did something to me. Remember when she suddenly overpowered me? I wish to be able to prevent others from being able to do the same to me.’

  Harald laughed. ‘She’s making a fool out of you! Are you sure you can trust her?’

  ‘She is a strange one I grant you. I cannot understand her, but I do trust her. Given time, I believe she can teach me and I will be less susceptible to sorcery, and less likely to fall under the blade of foes who have skills in mental warfare.’

  Harald cocked his head to one side. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Korhan son of Brian, for I fear she is simply abusing your trust and making you look foolish. I suppose if you trust her, then that is your choice. Be careful though, and beware of allowing your lust for her to impair your judgement.’

  ‘Lust?’

  ‘You’re even more fool than you look if you think it has escaped everyone's notice. The way your eyes constantly stray towards her, the way you hang on her every word when she speaks. Do not let her make a fool of you, friend.’

  The road from the mill eventually joined the main road, where the dried up mud was more churned up than the track down to the mill. Deep ruts caused by cartwheels criss-crossed over the road. As they headed into the darker, denser part of the forest, a chill wind blew through the trees.  The distant rustle of animals, scurrying about the undergrowth had died down. More than one of the companions found their hands drifting instinctively to their weapons.

  Chapter 6