Heir's Legacy

by Vlad ben Avorham

Echal nodded. "I see. Still if we can travel such distances and not run our food out..."

  Savon nodded, "I agree, we can be disciplined for a short period."

  Echal wiped his hand over his face. "We can act before they realize what we're doing."

  Again, Harder nodded. "This is my hope."

  To The Rescue

  An Extra Day, Just To Be Safe

  At the end of the three days, they had packed everything they could carry and lamented not having more horses. Still that would have meant more food to be carried and at some point it gets to greatly diminishing returns. Sha and Harder both set metal pillars deep into the ground, each one half mile from and so that they were at right angles to each other. Where they cross was the portcullis. Settling their non combatants in the same camp they used the last night before finding the Spire, the rest go hunting. Anything that could have been watching what they had been doing for the last week fell to axe, sword, spear and arrow.

  They camped there that night; it was an uncommonly quiet evening. By the next morning they headed out. Early morning travel was easy. They pressed on further than normal because they had twice the number of Tzadi to help with camp set up. When earthen ramparts can be raised in a matter of moments, a secure camp is no longer a chore. So it was mostly peaceful their whole journey despite the rough neighborhood. Then late in the afternoon on their second evening as they are within a stone's throw of the Old Way, a swarm of Unseely Court pixies flew into the air. They formed up to make a strafing run, and a casually thrown exploding fireball devastated their numbers and scattering the rest to the far winds.

  As the roar from the explosion settles down, Echal can hear Harder's serious voice, "Sorry about that but those things can be dangerous in those kinds of numbers. I'm afraid it means we need to press on through the night. Once on the Old Way, we will be protected from retribution by the Compact. Once out the other end it will be rough going but if we make it until dawn without having to blow up any more of them, they will have forgotten the whole thing. Long - term planning, or grudges are not really the Pixie way."

  Damn it, this is going to make for a long night. "No help for it I suppose." Echal called back. "Well, you heard he man, while he's working on enough light stones for the pack train, the rest of us should dismount and secure these for entering the old way. Unlike before, time's ticking."

  Opening the ways took a special spell from the Tzadi but according to both it was not a particularly difficult spell; it just required a wide grounding in magic. They entered the shimmering rip in the air, and they could tell immediately that they were in an alien place. It was natural and untamed and wild in ways that even the most unkempt places on earth could not match. In this area, it was a dark and sickly forest. Harder spoke up reassuringly, "It looks scary but nothing out there no matter how big and bad it may think itself to be, will harm you as long as you never stray from the path. No one makes the Royalty of the Fae break their words. In turn, if you stray from the path, stumble off of it, or in any way breach that Compact. Nothing can save you from the Doom that awaits. So stay alert and keep moving, we only have a short distance before we come out on the other side." With that he took his horses reins and led the way, walking the horses at a swift but maintainable clip. Well maintainable for all but Sha who ended up being boosted to horseback so her little legs could keep up.

  New Hope

  The pixies buzzed around them and the air was thick with them. They would line up for an attack but pull off at the last moment. Twice Echal was tempted to swat one out of the air for its sheer arrogance and then realized that was the plan. One swat from him, and the Compact was violated. He would have to fight his way out of fae lands and always but e looking over his shoulder. The pixies might not remember, but the more advanced fae had very long memories for slights.

  Thirty minutes or so of travel saw the landscape change. It became more orderly and then bloomed with a multitude of luminescent flowers. This was a manicured garden that kings would grant their gardeners titles if they could produce these results. The angry pixies were met in the air by beautiful pixies who engaged in a brief aerial combat drove off their angry counter parts. Echal raised his voice to be heard over the clop of the horse's hooves. "Don't let this fool you. It looks pretty; it is just as deadly, only in a different way. The first was a poison that has you dying choking in your own blood, this is simply an opium overdose and you drift off peacefully never to return. Do not let that fool you, dead is dead." and with a signal to his horse he picked up the pace. Harder still in the lead got the message and adjusted the pace as well.

  They came out of the same sort of rip in the air that Harder's spell created and found themselves in the cool air of mountains, not too far from the Dwarven lands. Jayen and Pavel looked toward the village they had called home for so long, but both knew there was no going back, and even if they could, would that life suit them anymore?

  Harder broke them all out of their quiet thoughts, "Look they couldn't know for sure what path we were taking so they will be popping out of multiple spots looking for us. Better we're far way from any of the old ways before the sun rises or they get lucky and pick this one." Off they began to the long night still ahead of them.

  A Son's Duty

  They decided to camp in the early gray light of dawn after a near accident almost cost them one of the packhorses and of course the small fortune it was carrying. So it was that Echal and Pavel were up in the early afternoon scouting the area, that Echal stumbled upon a rock cairn. They explored the area and found a broken stone with the name of his mother carved in it. This had to be her grave. He felt numb and then felt guilty for feeling nothing. He did not know the woman so how could he be expected to grieve, but he knew who she was, and the respect that she was due from him. He gathered up the broken headstone and returned to camp so that Sha could help him repair it and honor her properly.

  When they returned to camp with the news, Echal found that he wasn't alone in his desire to do what could be done. Jan told him stories of his mother's kindness to her when they would be waiting news from the latest battle. They broke camp earlier than planned, and while each was still tired from the long night, they joined him in tending the grave and saying goodbye. Even Harder who never knew the woman moved a great mound of earth up to cover the bare rock cairn and with another spell caused it to bloom with wild flowers. Echal didn't know if it was the oaths prompting him or just the man's basic decency but he did know the form of service was all the man, the oaths just demand you do the right thing, it is the man who must determine what that is.

  They made the short journey to the cave's entrance that served as a gate when properly opened and made camp. While still anxious to see this through logic dictated that they would serve no one and may even perish themselves if they plunged into the unknown too exhausted to properly care for themselves.

  So it was by the early dawn light of the following morning that preparations were made. Savon, Harder, and Ma'Li would stay on this side of the gate and open it again in four days' time. That would give the rest a chance to go over and scout the area for a sign of the General and his party, and if the trouble was reopening the gate from the other side wouldn't leave them stranded.

  Each departing member took the reins of their horse and walked through the shining portal into the unknown.

  Strange New World

  This Is Different

  Sha came through the portal and found herself standing chin deep in a pool of light. Pavel was ahead of her, walking his mount up the mound on the edge of the pool. Silently cursing her size she made her way after him; she didn't want to be the one who caused the party to get piled up. Echal appeared behind her as she moved on to catch up with Pavel.

  After the cool high on the mountain, the air here was stifling late summer haze. The humidity seemed to soak through their clothes and breathing was difficult. Sha was riding along the rim of the odd mound shaped gate looking at the lightly forested surroundin
gs. There was what appeared to her to be another mound only a stone's throw away but from this vantage point she wasn't really sure what the complex was.

  Catrin had just appeared bringing up the rear behind Jan and was making her way up the slope when the gate winked out behind her, leaving just a smooth grassy bowl in its wake. The whole mound looked like someone just piled up a huge mound of earth in the shape of a large oval.

  Pavel growled and started to pull off his cloak. "Damn but it is hot as a forge here."

  Echal was grinning at his brother, but pulling off everything but the armor as well. "Well over there is a small path cutting back into the trees. It's bound to be cooler in the shade. Careful getting the horses down though this slope is steep." Then putting his own words to action he carefully began the decent.

  Once they had all moved off a ways and were resting the horses in the shade, Sha spoke up, "There's more to this place than the gate we came out of but I can't get a good look at it from ground level."

  Catrin, who had been spending this time stripping down as much as decency allowed, "Give me a moment to catch my breath in this heat, and I'll go up the tree for a better look."

  Sha grinned. "Good idea! I'll send up a rope to make it easier." She casually tried to levitate the rope into the tree, but it went nowhere. She blinked in surprise and really focused her will upon it and it began to rise into place. It seemed to require a lot more concentration than usual. She decided to rest for a moment now that the rope was in place and maybe try something else in a few minutes. Magic didn't seem to work the way it should here.

  Echal, Pavel and Jayen had mounted back up and were doing a quick scout through the local area to be certain there weren't any unpleasant surprises waiting for them in the wood. They were pleased to find themselves mostly alone. The path led a little way to a fine stone bridge over a small river, but other than that and the mound there was no sign of any people. Echal came riding back to the group with a triumphant grin and holding a fat wild turkey out for all to see. Jan just smiled and took it from him to tie off on her saddle. A little fresh turkey would go well with the handful of wild radishes she had found growing by camp last night. A quick glance around and she even saw some wild garlic growing here. This land seemed to be an abundant one, if you could get past the sweltering weather.

  Catrin had made her way up the tree with ease and was gawking in amazement at what she saw below. It was a great serpent eating an egg. The egg was the gate; she wished she could get higher because she could only see a portion of it from this height, but going higher was reckless, and in the end her better sense won out.

  Everyone was milling about as she dropped the last ten feet out of the tree and began to roll up the rope. "It's a great snake, it's got to be longer than a quarter mile. Someone went to an incredible amount of work to build this."

  Sha was the one who spoke up. "I think we should see if we can find out anything about our parents and go. The magic in this place, it is difficult to work with." She tried to command her tiny snake golem on her arm but it simply remained inert. "Yeah, I'm not liking this at all. We only have four days, and I don't think we want to risk me having to open our gate home."

  Once all mounted back up, they traveled along the snake admiring the work that had to have gone into it. They pressed on down the little path as it back tracked down the small cliff face and over the nice stone bridge. Then just off in the distance, probably not much more than a mile there was another of the rolling hills but on top was a stone keep. Not a large affair barely more than a tower and a bailey but flying high from its tower was the banner of His Grace, The General Duke Evan of Mirron himself.

  Reunions and Shocking News

  Not wanting to abuse the horses in this weather was warring with the anticipation of having so many questions answered. Having so many unspoken fears realized or banished into the ether from which they came. So it was that the small party found itself panting and sweating before closed gates with two men gibbering at them in a strange tongue. These men carried short staves that they clung to as if they were great weapons. One man was dark as night, and the other had a reddish brown skin tone but his head was shaved clean except for one long strip down the middle. It made him look quite fearsome but the two men appeared more scared of them than the other way around.

  Pavel was growling low, his head and face red from the sun, and the great scar from the old cave bear wound was livid and almost appeared to be throbbing. Echal too was not enjoying being stopped this close to his goal and left standing outside of the gate in the heat. It was Jayen and Jan who calmly rode froward and called up to the men on the bailey wall.

  It was obvious the men couldn't understand them anymore than they could understand these men but at the mention of the General's name both men looked at each other and then at Jayen and nodded. Long minutes passed. OK, not more than five Echal had to admit to himself later, but his tension was so great that even one would have seemed an eternity.

  Then the door opened, and a figure dressed in a black woolen coat despite the sweltering heat appeared and upon recognizing Jayen happily embraced him. Echal observed his father as he road up. A vigorous and healthy man of sixty, you could see the years of training that had helped to preserve him, and the rigors of that life that also left him with pains as he moved. Still it appeared that his Tzadi was doing her job he was as healthy and fit as any man his age could ask for. Echal was glad he was still alive. He had spent many long years wondering about the man.

  Leaving Jayen behind Evan Mirron approached his eldest son. "Echal." His voice cracked with emotion. He embraced Echal in a bear hug that washed away fear and insecurities that Echal didn't even realize he had. Evan pulled back, holding him at arm’s length. The kept looking him up and down, almost as the father of a newborn counting fingers and toes. "I had almost lost faith that I would see you again on this side of the great veil." Another great bear hug and as Evan pulled back, he found his voice and his manners. "Please come in, there is much to discuss." He turned to the two guards and Echal could tell he was being introduced because each of them looked to the other broke out in big smiles and instantly their attitude toward he and his party changed from one of suspicion to one of celebration for seeing long-lost friends.

  He noticed Sha as she dismounted and came forward. "Ah, Little Shadrea of the Mists. Your Lady Mother will be most pleased you are here." He smiled at her almost as fondly as he had Echal. "We have a couple of people you and Echal really do need to meet. Please let us get in out of this heat."

  Blended Families

  Evan Mirron was far from the imposing figure NoVasian history made him seem. Pavel was amazed that he was just a man excited to have his family back. Meeting the now infamous Tzadi and his mother-in-law, on the other hand had his mouth dry and everything else sweating profusely despite the cooler air inside the stone tower.

  "Please Everyone, out of that sweltering armor and just leave your things there, we'll get to them once it cools off a bit. Mo and Jumping Fish have the horses, you've come such a long way, please make yourselves comfortable. You're finally home." He still wasn't quite in control of his emotions Jan could see, she could only imagine what he must be experiencing. She knew the General from before, but only in passing. This man lacked the fire and determination of a man on the brink of survival; he had mellowed into a comfortable old age. This is much what he would have been, she thought, had he never gotten caught up in NoVasian politics. She wondered if she would be much the same, if she could have avoided it as well. She managed not to sigh at these thoughts; they were counterproductive. Just because you have no interest in politics doesn't mean it won't take an interest in you.

  Echal grunted as he bent at the waist and let the heavy chain shirt pool at his feet. As he stood back up, the blood rushed to his already spinning head. The slightly dizzy feeling just kind of seemed natural, considering everything else today. Next came the sweat-soaked gambeson, and the immediate relief from the heat
of removing it. The sweat-soaked shirt stuck to him but as it slowly dried in this cooler air, Echal could feel his own temperature leveling off and assuming a much healthier level. As he followed his father deeper into the keep and down in to the comfortable chambers carved out of the rock below it, he actually shivered for a moment because the cool subterranean air. So he was finally starting to feel human again when they entered a large room with a long table at one end and floor to ceiling bookshelves and overstuffed chairs at the other. Among the bookshelves was a human woman in her fifties, beautiful but frail looking.

  "Is it really them?" she asked Evan with her voice trembling.

  "It really is." He said his voice also cracking again.

  As soon as she saw Sha enter the room, the glamor dropped and in the place of the elderly woman was a stunning young Elven woman of about three hundred with tears running down her cheeks as she dove to her knees to embrace Sha. "It's really you. It had been so long, my little Rea, here at last. I'm so sorry I've missed so much." Sha for her part was a little overwhelmed by it all. She just hugged her mother tightly and tried not to get swept away in the whirlwind of emotion.