- "How long will it take to get to the shores of the North Shore?" The paladin asked.
- "You have to tell ..."
- "Three to four days if we cross in the direction of the wind" interrupted Carhaa, eager to get to her bedroom and find her bed "I leave you to enjoy the darkness of the night, I will go to rest"
In the path
Artemion was traveling to the port of Sanma next to Gerioh and his new friend the old paladin. Gerioh's incessant conversation was like a torture to the old paladin, who was forced to speak more than he used to, it even seemed that this young warrior managed to get to Locklhan more words than a magical enchantment. Artemion, taking advantage of the fact that the old paladin was willing to speak, asked:
- "When we left Ponthal, Kenthae and me noticed that you were looking at Carhaa in a very particular way"
- "Certainly," said Locklhan, "I know that this village is your friend's homeland, this made me think of her.
- "How did you know that this little town was her birthplace? She never talked about it during our meeting ..."
- "You're right" said the paladin "It happens that Carhaa is known in all the Mandrarian lands, it was obvious that this was her hometown and I wish give her my support"
- "I hope she is not the only one so well known!"
Locklhan smiled and looked away, his smile faded when he saw in the distance a cloud of dust rising from the ground, something was approaching.
Artemion ordered to stop and go hide on the sides of the road, it was better not to be seen. The three of them got off their horses, taking them behind leafy trees and leaving them tied there, while they went to hide behind some bushes.
They heard the loud sounds of a galloping horse, the dust of the road was posing on the bushes, covering the green grass.
The three men exchanged glances and waited patiently. When the unknown rider was near them they could see that it was a young woman with long black hair as the darkest night, with a thin face and beautiful hazel eyes, illuminated by the light of day, you could see her serene and confident appearance.
The young woman quickly stopped her horse when she heard the creak of a branch, immediately took the sword from its scabbard and exclaimed:
- "Who's there?"
Artemion, conquered by the beauty of the young woman, came out from among the bushes that kept him hidden.
- "You seem lost in these woods, my lady"
- "Certainly I am not," the young woman protested. "Who are you?
- "We are the Warriors of Auttum and we are going towards the North"
- "Why do you say there are several? I see that you are alone"
Artemion looked around and made a gesture inviting his companions to show, Gerioh and Locklhan appeared and then Artemion spoke again
- "As I said before, we are heading north"
- "There is nothing in the north," the young woman replied, "only villages in ruins."
- "Our friends are waiting for us in the lands of the Kingdom of Merhidios My name is Artemion, Protector and Warrior of Auttum ..." a little embarrassed continued his presentation. "This is Gerioh a young rider from the town of Port d'Eflo, and he is Locklhan, former paladin of Fire, in the service of King Gan-Tre, who is now a nomad in the Mandrarian Lands ..."
- "And in other distant lands beyond the known limits, you forgot to tell the young woman" joked Locklahn.
- A very nice team here! The girl exclaimed, for my part, I am Hamaya, daughter of Lord Kalranh of Puy Méfron.
- "You are one of the families that helped the Necromancer invade the Fourth Realm! By my sword, this is where your path ends!" said Artemonion, drawing his sword and aiming at the young rider.
- "No, I'm not part of that anymore ...
- What do you mean, you're not part of that anymore? Asked the paladin who approached him.
- Yes, I left the ranks because I did not agree with my father.
- "You could be trying to trick us, how do I know you're telling the truth?" asked Artemion
- I have with me a parchment that I could intercept, which confirms my desertion and the price of my head ... There are more of these scrolls throughout all the Mandrarian Lands, you would have seen them if you had traveled through those kingdoms.
The three men read the piece of paper that the young woman gave them and they could see that it was just an enemy:
- What are you going to do in the south? He interrogated the warrior.
- I wander without stopping in search of answers to my questions.
- "Something we have in common, ma'am," Locklhan said, "however, you can not wander endlessly. You could accept to accompany us, your company would be of great help in our search"
- "And what is this mission to which you have pledged allegiance?"
- Let's join our friends who left for the Kingdom of North Shore "explained Artemion" the war rages in the southern and western regions, an unnamed fear was born in the Black Citadel and Magician Tohn-Ma upon his return It brought the unfortunate news that Volnum betrayed us, turning our backs on us.
- It seems complicated for your kingdom! His destiny will soon join that of Puy Méfron! ... "
- "That's why we have to hurry to get north," said the warrior. "Our search is much bigger than we expected."
- "In this case, I follow you, my sword will be yours until the order returns to the kingdoms."
- "We accept," said Artemion, looking at his friends.
Gerioh went to look for the horses that were tied up in the forest and then he returned to the group, the three of them climbed to their respective horses and invited Hamaya to follow them, riding together along the unknown road.
The night was already present and the stars shone in the sky, the moon illuminated the entire landscape as far as the eye could see, a practical way for the group to move faster and soon find a village or inn, they had to find shelter to pass the night, due to the cold winter that had arrived a few days before, it was not propitious to rest in the open.
Chapter Twelve
The Ice Kingdom
The first rays of dawn illuminated the houses of the fishermen whose windows oozed morning dew, the first merchants appeared and the stalls were filled abundantly. The Port of Sänma lived hours of peace despite the rise of the Nevrigian in the southern Mandrarian Lands, the approaching ships anchored with the greatest precision, while dozens of people carried goods from all over the kingdom.
After a well-deserved rest, the three young men decided to leave the port in one of the boats to join the coasts of the Kingdom of the North Shore. Kenthaë went in search of a captain ready to cross, saw one of them on the docks and approached him:
- You go to the North Ocean?
- "As far as I know, yes," replied the man in dirty clothes, "why the North?
- We do not want any more of your questions.
- Us? How many are you ? The captain asked.
- Three and that's all you need to know.
- Well, well, as long as you pay for the ticket! he replied hesitantly, "we're leaving on time."
- So be it.
Kenthaë turned and joined his two friends who waited a few steps:
- Did you find the ship where we're going to cross the North Ocean? "Carhaa asked.
- "Yes, and we're leaving shortly, let's put our things together, Doltha, take the horses, this ship is big enough to take them with us.
- "Good, sir," said the young paladin.
- "This guy is awesome, but we'll be safe with him."
The three agreed to board this ship, which had huge sails and a solid wooden hull with a coat of arms that symbolized the trade between the two cities whose coasts belonged to the seas in which the ship sailed, on the shield also had images of fish, which represented abundant fishing.
As soon as the three young men boarded, the anchor rose and the sails were raised. At the exit of the port the waters became wilder. This city was surrounded by gigantic reefs and its only lighthouse, struggled to g
uide the boats in the darkest nights.
The crossing
Carhâa observed that the port of Sanma becomes smaller and smaller to disappear from sight, Doltha, on the other hand, scanned the horizon to the north, he knew nothing of its icy lands. Kenthaë approached the young paladin to share his ideas.
- "Neither of us know what awaits us in the North."
- "I fear what awaits us in those unknown lands," Doltha said.
- "They are not so unknown to you, you have read many scrolls about them, I am sure" the Lancero tried to reassure his young friend.
- "I know good things, but also many bad ... I remember that my father told me stories of the Queen of the Kingdom of the North Coast, he said that the queen owned entire fleets of ships and that these were sent to the kingdom of Merhidios but Nobody knew it was his legions, some believe he would have allied with the Necromancer when he took power, but soon after he abandoned it ...
- "Yes, it is the time of the Tanbus-Erhlenam, but those times are past my friend, and have been forgotten," said Kenthae confidently.
- "Our ancestors fought with the greatest kings and one of these great monarchs was Queen Oretalha, they would never have allowed such betrayals and such unfortunate events, I assure you »
- "But how old is she today?"
- « All I can tell you" said the Lancero while sitting next to Doltha "is that we will recover the flower to heal Artemion and we will hear the wise advice that the Magi have to tell us, so it does not matter the age of Queen Oretalha , you do not have to worry about what we'll find on the northern coasts. "
- "Surely you are right" nodded the young paladin, letting his eyes float and get lost in the waves of the deep sea.
The glaciers
Doltha was playing with his hammer while trying to formulate incantations, when Kenthae approached the edge and exclaimed :
- "Lands in sight! We arrive!".
Thus immense mountains of ice appeared in the daily mists of this inhospitable coast. The northern kingdom was known throughout the country as a gigantic territory stretching from the island of Nankage in the west, to the green continent of Haltandar in the east, passing by the end of Hissfon, at the frozen pole. Thousands of places crossed by snow-capped mountains and peoples who once beat tiny, harmless villages compared to the Fourth Kingdom.
The three young men embarked in a boat that led them to the ground, Carhaa kept looking around, scrutinizing the slightest gesture:
- « These lands seem hostile to me. »
- "The whole continent is a glacier, what were you waiting for, my friend?" Asked the lancer.
- « One can feel the magic of the Queen of North Shore invade the places ... »
- « Do not worry, added Kenthaë, we have the best paladin of the kingdom with us! »
Doltha turned his eyes, smiled, then darted out of the boat to anchor him in the ice. The snow fell abundantly in these eternally frozen lands, the three friends tried to make their way to join the plateaus on which huge peaks culminated at unthinkable heights.
The wind was blowing so hard that snowdrifts were pushing on both sides of the trails made by the nomadic peoples of the Calomnum Glaciers. Joining the frozen city of Vreseryth, where the Queen of North Shore sat, was a perilous adventure for the three youngsters, time was running out.
On the plains
Artémion galloped along with his friends and his new companion, Hamaya, this young woman intrigued him deeply, finally the colossal Artemion had found a person he was not able to fully discover. He tried to find out more about her by trying to entangle her with small traps in their conversation:
- I have never had the opportunity to travel the lands of Puy Méfron.
- "You would only see dust, lava and perpetual explosions," said the young woman.
- « It is said that volcanoes of Puy can annihilate whole troops, is it true? »
- "A lot of things are said about my land," she went on, "from my father's land.
- « Why did you and your father disagree?
- « He has not been the same for some time now » said Hamaya, « I find it changed, impossible to hear it. We got wind of the Necromancer's attack on the villages that lead to Galnor, your city of arms, we have always be remained on the sidelines of the wars that proliferate in the Mandrarian Lands but recently my father wants to take part. Something harmful lives in him, he reacts with more violence every day, until an emissary of the Fourth Kingdom burst into our citadel, that's where everything changed...
- He plans to help the Necromancer Thâar by supplying men to the new dark army, my brother will be part of it and I know he will not come back, it is an army of dead that the necromancer is producing. And you... why do you go north? »
- « I'm sorry for your family » added Artémion with sadness « as far as we are concerned, we are going to join our friends and go in search of missing Mages, it is said that they are imprisoned in the black fortress."
- « How do you know that? »
- « I spent some time there ... » said the warrior rubbing his forehead.
The young woman looked at Artemion from head to toe and then resumed her running galloping at high speed, the group should be to reach the Port of Sänma as soon as possible, but still a half moon separated them from the Kingdom of Mérhidios ..
Chapter Thirteen
The unthinkable
The black citadel of Shâltara, oozing with the restless army of the Necromancer, grew every day a little more thanks to the dark winter days. Count Nerrum decided to send troops to explore the Mandrares Lands, he knew that the relic of Faln-Lannar was no longer within reach, now his plan was to destabilize the crowns in order to more easily invade the kingdoms. He sent troops to Puy Méfron to pick up more warriors from death, while others stormed several villages, including Foltaha, fief of Mage Donnhum. This inaccessible city could only be reached when a Wizard gave permission or when one of them was in the presence of the group he wished to enter.
The Count with his influence had managed to corrupt the mind of the Magician Tannelu and with this he obtained that a cohort of nevrigiens managed to enter the city of Foltaha, ravaging it. One more city had fallen into the hands of the Thaar Necromancer.
Thus, multiple followers of the dead besieged the entrances of the main citadel of the Kingdom of the Merhidios, this sacred place was the home of the relics, ancestral sacred objects that had given the Wizard Donnhum some of his power.
These relics were full of an Integral Power that they had been accumulating through long magical and cabalistic rituals. The Wizard knew that the Necromancer had long coveted these objects and that he was getting closer and closer to them.
In the wrong place
Artémion was trying to find out more about this mysterious woman he had just met and who was not willing to make himself known so easily. It was true that he knew many lands and had traveled through them to protect the Kingdom of Fahl, but he knew nothing about Puy Méfron.
They approached a small stream to rest and let the horses drink water, and Artemion took this moment of calm to speak again.
- "The Great Plains are mountains for us, but they must look ridiculous if you compare them with the volcanoes of your lands"
- "Certainly," Hamaya agreed, "we are used to much bigger things, but in fact, for us it is strange the vegetation that you see every day"
- "In a short time these plains will be covered with a blanket of thick snow, the winter has already planted the south of its flakes, to see again the explendorous vegetation will be necessary to wait for the next season. "
- "Winter is going to be hard" he told the young woman "our lands are used to snow and cold, but this winter will be especially long, our wise elders say that the Necromancer's war creates a black magic that obscures the heaven, for us that means that winter will be harder, with this new darkness "
- "We hope your wise elders are wrong, we will fight against the dark army no matter what happens, I can guarantee that"<
br />
Gerioh and Locklhan were engaged in cutting wood, had to protect themselves from the cold or exposed themselves to death. Artemion and Hamaya saw their friends prepare the fire carefree, this tranquility turned out to be a terrible imprudence. Suddenly, there was a growl. Old Paladin dropped the wood he carried in his arms to take the grimoire in his hands, when a huge vandhala dog came out of the bushes ready to throw himself on him.
These animals, whose death had given them the most ignoble rage, were black, and their jaws showed their fangs sharp as knives, nothing could stop these wild beasts.
Locklhan tried to recite a spell but the dog grabbed his arm, causing a cry that alerted Artemion and Hamaya. They ran to repel the fierce animal, the warrior drew his sword and cut the beast in half, the parts of his body fell to the ground. Hamaya was just going to ask about what had just happened when, out of nowhere, a troop broke in and surrounded the group.
Gerioh, who had seen the blacks very closely in the Port of Eflo, noticed that one of them had a mark on his forehead, he could never forget it! This one had commanded the legions that devastated his village and decimated his family.
This imposing disciple of death came forward and said:
- "Do not move! And do not use your mediocre magic, our Tehala´s sorcerer are much more powerful than you!"
- "You corrupted everyone you met, but you will not have our minds!" Hamaya exclaims.
- "Shut up! Under your airs of greatness you are not as strong as your father, believe me!"
- "How do you know my father?" said Hamaya showing his rebellion.
- "Our troops have traveled through Puy Méfron and the red city of Bar-HEdit, their father was very cooperative and gave us all the information we wanted! In addition to the men whose command he no longer has!"
The young woman broke out in uncontrollable anger while Locklhan tried to reason with her:
- "Calm down, Hamaya, let them tell us their intentions," he said, holding his arm injured by the animal's bite.
The Chronicles of Hissfon Volume 2 - The Black Knight Page 5
