“Daughter, is that you?” her mother whispered.
“Yes, mother. It is I.”
“Arria? I have missed you, where have you been?”
“No … not Arria. This is Starlyn.” Starlyn gulped.
“My baby, Starlyn, you’re here with me? You are too kind, where is your sister? Where is my Arria?”
Starlyn loved her mother, but those words stung. It always seemed as if her mother gave Arria more attention. Starlyn had been the baby, yes, but Arria took after her mother in every way. She often wondered if she got her facial features from her father.
“Arria is gone mother … she has been searching for a cure. She loves you dearly, mother. When she finds something, she will return,” Starlyn said.
Kheshlars weren’t able to tell lies, if they did an unbearable pain would surge through their chest. Starlyn believed every word she said.
“Good. I miss her. She should be here with me.”
“It’s okay, I am here, mother. If I find where she went, I will retrieve her for you.”
“I know you will, child. Bless you.” Her mother shivered.
A knock at the door startled Starlyn. “Enter.”
A young kheshlar, less than a century old, approached with trembling hands. Something was clenched in his fist. He glanced from her to her mother, but didn’t say a word. Long red hair hung behind his pointed ears.
“Erenuyh, what have you found?” Starlyn asked.
He showed her a familiar blackened steel arrowhead. It appeared broken off at its shaft. His palm covered in sweat, showing he had rushed straight over because kheshlars didn’t sweat for long. She grabbed it, holding it in her hand to study.
“Mother, I must go. I will return soon,” she whispered.
“Yes dear, find your sister will you? I wish to speak to her.”
“Yes mother, I will do my best.”
Starlyn left her mother in the room, grabbing her chain mail and hammer before dashing out the door.
Chapter Two
Arria knelt on the ground, feeling calm beneath the starlit sky. She wondered why she didn’t feel cold. Nothing felt cold anymore. Her clothes were gone, burned from the fire the magic created. Naked, she sat staring at her changed appearance in the stream in front of her. Her skin had once been a pale blue before it turned dark. The charcoal of her skin would not change no matter how hard she rubbed it. She admired the color, finding it more beautiful than before.
Dying remained fresh in her mind. It felt like a dream rather than the nightmare she expected. The feeling when life left her had been frightening and thrilling. She didn’t know which breath would be her last. However, the rush of feeling and emotions in her last seconds had been exhilarating. She thought about the things she wanted to accomplish before she died.
The worst part about her death had been Starlyn being the one who killed her. Her back had been to her sister when the arrow released, but she remembered her sister’s face full of tears, pain, and anguish. Arria always knew the choice Starlyn would make. Rules were a higher concern to her than Arria. They always had been. In the past Arria found ways to lead her sister into trouble, although it hadn’t been how their mother saw it.
She remembered the pain as the arrow penetrated her back before she collapsed on the ground. All hope of saving her mother had been lost in an instant. Starlyn had been too weak to do what it took to save their mother. Starlyn believed Arria had been rash in using black magic. Perhaps it didn’t cross her sister’s mind, but Arria had already tried everything else before picking up the forbidden black leather book with trembling hands.
Arria still had the book, although she couldn’t perceive how since all of her clothes and belongings had burned. In fact, she did not understand how she transferred from the charred ruins of her cabin to where she now sat. The events hid in a hazy and distant memory—almost like a flash of memories out of order. The being who wandered through the forest to flee from Sudegam didn’t feel like her. More than anything else, it resembled a distant mirage she observed rather than lived.
She moved her snow white hair out of her face to study the book in her hand. She once prized her dark hair, which matched her mother’s.
Arria always wanted to be unique, one of a kind, but often felt out of place in a world of kheshlars where everyone paralleled one another. She never enjoyed doing the same tasks day in and day out. Kheshlarn law kept them from doing too much. Arria always sought more exciting things. It had been something her sister never understood. However, Starlyn had only known the world inside of Sudegam, except for the little adventures Arria had dragged her on. She hadn’t met other species or creatures like Arria. There were countless things outside the walls of the city. Starlyn hadn’t even seen humans before, while Arria had. Humans were intriguing creatures with a short lifespan, measured in years, compared to kheshlars measured in centuries.
When she attempted to rid the disease possessing her mother, she chose the simplest black magic spell. There weren’t any large sacrifices besides small animals and a lot of herbal mixes into the boiling pot. It would be the safest spell if done properly, but the most dangerous to herself if she failed. She hadn’t intended to harm any of the kheshlars, or even humans, to save her mother—yet herself … she didn’t worry about.
Arria failed the moment Starlyn came to her door, she knew it now. She didn’t blame Starlyn for killing her. In the beginning she had been furious, although who wouldn’t after being shot in the back by their sister. Arria acknowledged her sister’s perspective, and she forgave her. The kheshlars of Sudegam, however, she couldn’t forgive. They did nothing to help her mother, condemning her for studying the one thing that might save her. She had known for years the kheshlars foolish laws would be their undoing. However, she never expected it to be her who began the split. Life for kheshlars would be chaos now; she would make sure of it.
The rest of the spells in the black book were complex, requiring the beating hearts of pure souls. She knew she would have to kill this time. Strangely enough, the thought of killing didn’t repulse her anymore. She knew as a true kheshlar, it should be against her nature.
Arria found it odd to no longer have a beating heart. There had been a time where she would lay for hours counting her heartbeats. She feared she would never be able to count them again. Her heart didn’t beat, it was dead. Perhaps being dead had been why she didn’t have concerns for the welfare of the kheshlars, but why then did she still care for Starlyn so much? And her mother. The will to save her mother still ran strong.
Even her lungs stopped working. She didn’t realize it before, but she hadn’t breathed for hours. The constant contractions of her lungs raising her chest up and down were no longer required. She wondered if it possible for her to die again if she didn’t need a heart or lungs. Had magic kept her alive?
Blood no longer pumped through her veins, but she felt a tingling travel through them … magic? If Arria could harness the strange tingling she felt, she could do extraordinary things. She tingled as power surge through her. She wished she knew how to harness it into something she could control. Only more studying could give her an idea of her abilities, therefore, she continued reading. Life after death had been considered the undead, and from what she had read—it had not been a common accomplishment without the knowledge to bring it forth.
She laughed at the thought of bringing dead humans and kheshlars from the grave, away from their gods, to march upon Sudegam. The idea appealed to her, but she knew she lacked the strength yet. She wondered how long it would take to get skilled in black magic before she could create something similar. Patience had never been her strong suit, usually she left such weakness to her sister.
Broken twigs in the night startled her. She leaped to her feet. Creatures appeared in the meadow from the forest, surrounding her on the hilltop. Colorful autumn leaves crunched around her. Seven of them, with long black snouts and long sharp teeth snarled at her. They were without clothes. Their
hardened scales sparkled in dazzling colors in the moonlight. Long tails cascaded across the ground behind their feet.
Arria knew she traveled far from Sudegam now, but she had never been far enough to find such creatures. They resembled the small lizards who climbed the trees in the forest, although black instead of green, appearing similar to paintings she saw in history books, although in pictures she imagined them larger.
“Dragons …” she whispered.
“Taake herr,” slithered a voice beyond her sight.
Three of them jumped on her, but she moved too quick. She ducked beneath an incoming swing of a clawed fist. Another claw came towards her face. She rolled on the ground to avoid a few stomps. When she rose to her feet, she spun a kick into the jaw of one, feeling its jaw break against her foot. Her foot throbbed afterward, but the trade-off had been well worth it. Arria punched a few others, dropping them to the ground, but she realized she possessed no weapon to defend herself. One pushed her to the ground, holding her down as another tried to mount her. Disgust flared in her mouth as she wiggled free.
She would not let these creatures use her in any way. Anger flared in her veins. She felt magic pulse through her. Flicking her hair in the air, it came in contact with two of the creatures. They fell back, burning at the face. She dug her nails into another two who rushed at her, tearing out their eyes. They would not touch her.
The sound of snapping necks echoed around her as she finished the seventh. She slowly spun around, observing the bodies surrounding her. She knew another creature lurked somewhere, she heard the voice. Take her, it had said. Not kill her, but take her. She knew what it meant now. Whatever the creatures were, they weren’t planning to kill.
She stood alone at the top of the hill with the red and yellow leaves blowing across her. Even though she didn’t need oxygen to survive anymore, she found herself panting. Bewilderment struck her, but she decided it had been the excitement of the attack. Excitement … what a word to call it. She would have never thought it to be excitement to snap the neck of anybody before, but this time it felt like a rush. Her life, overpowering theirs. She wiped her hand across her face, amazed to see it covered in blood. In fact, blood dripped down her whole naked body. Some of it blue, which seemed to be coming from her. She found it as odd as well, because it should have been red. How do I bleed if my heart doesn’t beat? The black ooze came from the reptiles, the dragons, or whatever they were.
Crunching leaves echoed in her ears. She swiftly spun around with her fists up. A lone dragon approached, claws open at its sides. The creature sauntered toward her.
“Verry nicce. Impresssive.”
“What are you?” she asked.
“Joinn uss, leaad uss.”
“Lead you?”
“Yess.”
“Why?”
“The darrk one willl comme, lead uss dominancce overr thiss land.”
She considered his words for a moment. She wondered if the creatures were another thing the king hid from them. It didn’t surprise her as much as she thought it would. She considered having these creatures behind her, or rather, at her side. It would be beneficial for her plans of conquest against the kheshlars, and in Arria’s hopes to capture her mother to save her.
“I will lead you.”
Chapter Three
Starlyn stopped by her friend’s shop before she left. She asked Aliqua to watch over her mother. Aliqua was the most unique kheshlar, she didn’t have pale blue skin like most, her skin resembled chocolate.
Starlyn strode north when she left the capital. When she reached a meadow, she whistled, smiling as a deer came into the clearing, running toward her. She relaxed as her old friend, Moonlight, approached. Moonlight had taken her on many rides.
The young kheshlar, Erenuyh, who retrieved her from her mother’s home waited in front of her, mounted on his deer. She would follow him north, this would be the farthest she’d ever traveled from Sudegam.
“Well, my dear Moonlight, it is time we left Sudegam to begin an adventure, are you ready?”
Moonlight glanced up at her, nodding. Starlyn smiled, stroking the deer on the neck. Moonlight was Starlyn’s best friend. She trusted the deer more than any other being.
They traveled a long winding path for two days before they arrived. Starlyn recognized a few of the kheshlars she asked to help her find Arria. She had been hopeful since they traveled considerably to search. One of the men, Vil’ek, had been in love with her sister, and while Starlyn didn’t trust him, she could count on his help to find Arria.
Ever since Starlyn had been a child, she remembered Vil’ek coming around, spending time with Arria. It had been obvious he had fallen in love with her. There seemed to be a connection between them, but Arria wouldn’t commit. Starlyn remembered a few times where Vil’ek proposed, but Arria declined. Starlyn often wondered if it had been a game for Arria to lead him on for several hundred years. Eternity lasted a long time. Starlyn wondered if Arria enjoyed being available.
“Captain Vil’ek, what have you found?” Starlyn asked.
“One of my men found an arrowhead embedded in a tree, they sent word for me. I came straight away. When I noticed it was indeed one of Arria’s arrows—the blackened steel a dead giveaway—I sent for you. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed other signs that someone has spent several days here.”
Starlyn followed him to an area where the grass charred with few ashes remaining. She studied the area closely, searching for clues to determine if it had been her sister. It could have been a human, but one had never traveled so close to Sudegam before. And from the size of the camp, it became obvious only one person rested there. She noticed the displaced grass on the north side of the camp. Starlyn wondered if the spot had been where the person slept.
“And the arrow?” Starlyn asked.
Vil’ek left the meadow, stepping into the northern forest. Kheshlarn territory stopped with the meadow. Starlyn remained unsure what lie north. She took a deep breath before following him. Vil’ek stood by a tree where two arrows penetrated. A third shaft lay on the ground next to the tree with the arrowhead broken off. She felt in her sash, finding the other arrowhead.
She inspected the arrows from arrowhead to feathered fletching before nodding solemnly. Each arrowhead had been made of blackened steel rather than gray, the fletchings made of peacock feathers instead of a swan like many kheshlars preferred. Blood stained two of the arrowheads.
Starlyn noticed something a few paces from the tree they stood by. She minced forward, moving around a pile of fresh dirt and leaves to find several bones. From their size, they were deer bones. Starlyn quivered. She inspected one of the bones, noticing small dull bite marks. They were the right size for a kheshlar, but it could have also been a human—Starlyn couldn’t be sure. She dropped the bone, stood up, turning her back on the pile of bones.
She mourned the deer. It couldn’t be Arria, arrows be damned, Arria would not do such a thing to a deer. It had to be a human, she heard horror stories of them eating animals. And yet, Starlyn remembered conversations with her sister, questioning why the kheshlars didn’t eat meat. A few kheshlars questioned about how could it be justified for an animal, such as a tiger or bear to eat animals but it not be considered a sin. The king issued an edict prohibiting hunting and consuming animal flesh in or areas surrounding Sudegam, but no group enforced the edict.
“No, I won’t believe it,” she whispered.
“I will not believe it either,” Vil’ek said.
Starlyn walked to the clearing before stopping abruptly when she noticed something under scattered red leaves. Bewildered, she knelt to the ground, brushing her hands against the dry leaves to uncover an odd footprint. It had three large toes at its top with another on the inside arch near its heel. At the center of each toe showed a deep hole, which mean whatever it had been, had long claws. She moved more leaves around, revealing several more strange footprints.
Vil’ek approached her, his brow furrowing
when he studied the footprints on the ground. He knelt to the ground, pushing his black hair away from his face to study the markings.
“What sort of dark magic spawn is this?” Vil’ek asked.
“I do not know,” Starlyn said.
“Is she lost to us?” Vil’ek asked.
“There is always hope, perhaps these creatures have only captured her. If we can find where they went—we can free her. And then she will be back with us.”
“And if she’s in league with them?” Vil’ek asked.
“We will find her, one way or another … and we will bring her home. I promise you.”
Vil’ek nodded, turned around, brushing his cape away in a stride as he left. Starlyn stood, pondering with hope that the words she said could be true. Surely, Arria hadn’t been in league with these creatures. There had to be another explanation. The part worrying Starlyn the most, had been the fact they found no drag marks. She could not have gone with these creatures of her own free will, could she?
Chapter Four
Arria stood in the center of a settlement, a relaxing breeze feathering her hair. In front of her, chaos reigned. The dragon creatures she surveyed acted without organization. They were savages, without weapons, except their strong claws. The lack of weapons became the first thing she decided to correct. She knew they had enough power to do damage without, but the possibilities could be so much more. If she wanted to use these creatures to attack the kheshlars, they would need to be equipped.
Many of the creatures mined the nearby mountains for ore. Others brought what they could find—old hammers, swords, pitchforks, and even pots and pans. Arria discovered they’d been raiding the humans for years. They mined copper ore and brought into camp. They mined tin as well. Arria got to work, showing the creatures how to smelt the ore and use bellows to feed oxygen to the coals to increase heat output. She taught others to use the simple molds she made to create weapons. She had two basic designs, one for hammers and the other for single-headed axes. They conserved metal by making the weapon heads, tying the metal head to wooden handles.
The Chronicles of Starlyn (Calthoria Chronicles Book 1) Page 2
