The girls followed to retrieve their horse and were disheartened to see him on nearby hay, biting desperately into the meat.
“Boy, what happened to you?” asked Yuski.
The boy sighed deeply before speaking, “I don’t remember everything. All I know is that they took them and they never came back.”
“Took them? What took who?” asked Anakari.
The boy’s bottom lip quivered as he answered her, “Those… creatures… they took my parents. Hiding in the shadows they were, three of them, and I remember them snatching my parents from the campfire, we were travelling far, to see grandmother. I could hear their screams, but my father yelled for me to run and not to look back.”
“I was such a coward and all I could do was run away. I ran from midnight until morning; my feet bled as I had left my shoes at the campfire but I didn’t stop till I could run no more. Finally, I turned around and there was nobody there,” continued the boy, clenching his fists in anger.
“How did you arrive at Crondor?” asked Yuski.
“I just kept walking until I found my way here. Please, don’t tell anyone that I am hiding here, I have nowhere else to go,” said the boy.
Yuski bent down and patted the boy’s back reassuringly.
“What is your name, little one?” asked Anakari.
“The name’s Bard, what’s yours?”
“I’m Yuski, demon hunter. Tell me, do you know what direction you ran from?”
The boy pointed north in the direction of Greenhaven. The trail leading north passes close to the forsaken city.
Yuski looked at Anakari with grave concern.
“Bard, go to the inn and wait to speak to Griff once he wakes. Give him word that I sent you and that he is in need of a stable boy. It will be work, but he will provide you with a room to sleep in and food to fill your belly,” said Yuski.
The boy looked at her with both shock and hope, before thanking her and hurrying inside.
Yuski untied Anakari’s horse and she mounted first to help Kari climb up and sit behind her.
“Running at his age for that long would bring him very close to where we will find Barone, but I’m not concerned about him. I am certain that nobody would find the seer unless they knew where to look,” said Yuski, her harried expression showing she was concerned about something though.
Anakari put her hand on her shoulder caringly and asked, “What worries you?”
“Something tells me that the three creatures that attacked his parents are demons,” answered Yuski, “There are three demons that are known as the Triplets of Orkon. Highly magical, and they prey on human souls.”
“Why didn’t they take the boy?”
“They didn’t take the boy so he could go for help and bring back more souls for them to consume,” she answered, taking out her orb.
Anakari shrugged her shoulders and shook her head to chase away the horrible images she’d just conjured.
“You know, I think there is a lot more to our meeting and our paths crossing than either of us are aware of. Our fates are combined somehow, I can feel it. Anyway, they better be as I am enjoying your company more and more,” said Yuski, smiling warmly at her new companion.
The girls made their way past a large, open graveyard that appeared fresh and hastily dug. A handful of mourners prayed and left flowers at the wooden crosses of their loved ones buried recently.
“So many are dead, not many wounded?” asked Anakari.
“These are times of war and the Forces of Darkness have taken many Marithians in their fight to enslave us all. They don’t take us alive, they take our souls. This is why my work is more important than ever before. Every demon I vanquish will save the souls of countless people,” said Yuski.
Many street vendors and shop owners approached the girls as they rode through town. Yuski’s occupation was well-known there. They offered wares, weapons, food and flasks of water and did not accept gold in return. They were thankful for a demon hunter being nearby.
Yuski defiantly pressed gold coins into the vendor’s hands and purchased some extra fruit and water. She also obtained a pretty set of silver daggers which came with an elaborate leather belt to hold them. Fashioning them onto her waist, she beamed proudly at Anakari.
“I can be pretty and kill demons at the same time. I should change my title to Yuski… the princess demon hunter,” she laughed, using her hands to form a pretend crown.
Her laugh was infectious and Anakari couldn’t help but giggle.
A woman on the street, under a crudely constructed sign of ‘Seer of the stars’, stared at Anakari in shock. She quickly bowed down on the dirt in her presence.
“She has been sent from the gods! Praise them, they have given us one of their own to help save us!” the woman shrieked.
The people of Crondor stared in their direction, confused at the woman’s cries and dismissed her as a peddler of cheap tricks.
“Is she looking at you? She hasn’t done anything that odd before,” laughed Yuski.
Anakari’s voice strained as she stared at the woman. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry about her, she has probably gone mad. Many have from the horrible events throughout Marithia,” said Yuski sympathetically.
The girls rode on, moving away from the prostrate seer woman.
“Kari, the Triplets of Orkon were spotted on the path to Barone’s hideout. We will likely encounter them and have to destroy them. I will need your magical abilities to defeat them, as we will be outnumbered. Are you able to handle the challenge?” asked Yuski.
“Of course I am,” said Anakari confidently with a hint of uncertainty.
“I love the courage in your heart. We will ride until nightfall and you should make yourself comfortable, but stay alert,” she warned as they joined the northern trail, leaving Crondor behind.
Anakari had never tested her abilities in real battle, and although she displayed a front of courage, she deeply feared what they may face.
Chapter 14 : Fight Or Flight
“Our lives are forged by choices we make.
What do you do when a choice has been made for you?
I used to have my future in my own hands and dreams of where I would be when I grew old. Now, I have been given both the gift and curse of immortality.
Where are the gods and why have they forsaken me?”
(Tusdar – Zhendurian Vampire)
Wind howled wildly over the falls and rain bucketed down to drench their surroundings, but the water dragon statue was not affected by the natural onslaught. Lightning flashed every few moments and provided bursts of bright light on the island.
Karven landed near the falls and lay down to allow Vartan’s descent from his back.
“We will practice here. There is no place more fitting to practice than where you were granted your gift,” said Karven, stepping to the left side of the falls.
Vartan took position on the warm rocks opposite the dragon king, with the water of the falls in between them. The steam from the heated water provided an eerie environment for their training. His clothes were sodden and flapped in the strong wind.
Sensing beings of magic, yellow wisps danced to the entrance of the cave to witness what was about to take place.
A flash of lightning revealed rain bouncing off Karven’s scales and Vartan’s skin.
Karven folded his wings and stared at the man of the dragon prophecy, cocking his head sideways as he sensed Vartan’s reluctance.
“Do not attempt to take it easy on me as I will provide no mercy in return. Dragon’s blood runs through your veins and you will do our kind proud. We shall follow the simple rules of training with no lethal blows. Begin!” he ordered.
Vartan nodded, breathed deep, and raised his arms wide in preparation of casting a high level spell. He chanted, “Utor terra creo quis meus mens abbas!”
Another flash of light revealed stones rising from the ground surrounding Vartan. They began to glow. The spell
crushed the stones into tiny pieces and moulded them into an enchanted broadsword. Red symbols of the ancients glowed along the blade.
Wielding it with both hands, Vartan charged at Karven through the shallow water of the falls, water bursting around him with each step.
Another flash revealed Vartan leaping out of the water in an attack on Karven’s lengthy tail.
The dragon flicked his tail out of the way just in time to let Vartan’s sword pound into stones, sending magical sparks into the dark surroundings. Karven breathed a stream of fire onto the sword and they watched it melt in the heat. Vartan shook his hands with the burning pain, dropping to his knees, he cooled them in the warm water. Quickly regaining his composure, he turned slowly to stare at the dragon.
Karven laughed as he mocked Vartan. “You will have to do better than that if you are to defeat the Forces of Darkness, do you want to die by the hands of Kassina or Shindar?”
With another flick of his tail, ensuring he only touched him with the blunt side of its tip; Vartan was sent crashing into the water behind him. A winded Vartan stood up with warm water dripping off him, growling in annoyance.
Karven narrowed his eyes and snapped, “Come on! Show me something worthy!”
Vartan snapped back, “I don’t know how to use my new powers!”
“Stop using your mind to find the key and follow your heart. That is the only way to unlock the powers within you.”
A bolt of lightning hit the top of the falls, sending bits of rock and dirt dropping down and splashing into the water around them. Karven unfolded his wings and used them to walk like a bat toward Vartan’s position. The force of the giant dragon in full motion almost put Vartan off balance.
Vartan circled his hands to join above his head and chanted, “Permissum visum animadverto geminus quis est quod ero!”
A half transparent version of Vartan leapt out of his own body, splashing into the waters to his left. It completely solidified and mirrored his every move.
Karven entered the water, the force of his entry pushed a large gush of water toward Vartan. Bracing for the impact, Vartan and his magical twin were engulfed in the water. Sweeping his tail over the surface, he knocked both their legs out from under them.
The spell dissipated and the second Vartan disintegrated into the water. Karven expanded his great wings and covered him in complete darkness.
He looked around but saw nothing he could focus on or use to guide his senses. Rain pelted down on the dragon’s wings, almost deafening Vartan. A flash of lightning lit up the membrane of the dragon king’s wings around him.
Vartan’s temper got the better of him and he screamed, “Dragon king! Why do you taunt me?”
“You are greater than this! While you have studied high level magic, you have not unleashed anywhere near your potential,” said Karven, opening his shining red eyes to reveal his great head near Vartan.
“Forget what you see and hear around you and look inside yourself. Find the soul of the god and the power of the dragon blood that lives within you,” said Karven, folding his wings.
Karven stepped back into the water and growled, “Now, stop showing me what the books have taught you and show me your true power!”
Vartan closed his eyes in an attempt to search within himself. Although he tried with all his might to seek out his new powers, he found nothing there. Opening his eyes and about to protest, he felt time slow as Karven’s dragon breath burst out of his great reptilian mouth. The falls lit up from the scorching heat.
Vartan’s heart pounded and he desperately searched his mind for a way to protect himself.
Vartan, we did not sacrifice one of our own for you not to use what has been granted to you. Open yourself and let the element within be free, said the voice of Mother Dragon.
By the gods, I will die! Thought Vartan, panicking.
The immense heat grew in intensity as the flames neared him and the reflection of fire over the water would have been a beautiful sight if it were not about to reduce him to ash. The flames burst over Vartan and the dragon king continued the onslaught of scorching fire.
Keturah’s voice echoed through Vartan’s mind, No!
The flames slowly began to push back toward the dragon king, Vartan’s arms extended forward as if he was forcing the flames away with his bare hands. Thousands of rain droplets were magically pulled from the air surrounding them and smashed against the fire as a weapon, sending scorching hot steam into the air between them.
Spreading his legs wider to brace himself, he pulled his arms back and shoved them forward again. This time, the waters of the falls followed his command and washed over the fire, extinguishing the dragon’s breath and covering Karven in a wave of water.
Vartan stood as if he was a part of the water around him, his eyes glowed blue.
“Behold!” exclaimed Karven, “You are one with Mazu. It has been many centuries since I have witnessed the powers of the goddess of water, and now she lives within you.”
Vartan swung his arms to a diagonal position and clenched his fists, the power within crackled with blue light and sent water bursting into the air around him.
Vartan chanted another spell. “Unda amplexus mihi fio meus tempestas!”
The falling rain surrounding him froze in the air and swirled around him as if he were inside the eye of a storm.
“Finally a worthy challenge for a dragon, now let’s see what you can do!” responded Karven, spreading his wings before launching into the air.
Vartan held his ground, listening to the thumping sound of the dragon’s wings beating in the air far above him.
Karven landed in a perched position above the falls and breathed deep before sending flames at Vartan. With a flick of his arm to his right, Vartan sent the icy water into the flames and a loud hiss escaped from the resulting steam.
Vartan’s booming voice echoed into the night. “Is that all you’ve got, dragon king?”
Viciously smashing his tail into the ground, Karven dove into the air, narrowly missing the water dragon statue. Dragging his tail through the water and flying close to the surface, Karven turned right sharply and swung his tail toward Vartan’s head.
Deep in concentration, Vartan felt as if the water became a part of his body. He felt Karven’s movements and knew the position of the dragon from the changes in the water and the ripples caused by the wind of the great dragon’s wings. Vartan dropped to his knees and felt the powerful gust of air from Karven’s tail swinging over him. Turning to his side, only his hair flickering over his face and his glowing eyes could be seen through the darkness.
“Pluvia tenus lemma quod transporto suus somes pessum,” he growled, casting his spell.
Vartan reached up into the sky and pulled down as if he was controlling the clouds above them.
Karven felt the great body of water from the sky become thicker and solidify to become a weapon from the clouds, rolling into one giant wave. Bracing for the impact, the cloud tsunami pounded into the dragon. He folded his great wings and landed harshly on the ground, shaking off the water.
Vartan breathed heavily and adopted a strong defensive stance.
“Very good, but now let’s see how you handle an adversary that gets closer to you,” said Karven.
The dragon king approached Vartan and stopped three men’s lengths away from him. They both stared into each other’s eyes, waiting for signs of movement.
Vartan closed his eyes, focusing on the surroundings. The falls, dragon statue, falling rain, and landscape covered with water all filled his mind. As if he saw through enchanted eyes, he was able to see in all directions and whatever was touched by water became known to him.
Breathing deep, he concentrated harder on his newfound powers.
The dragon’s body, much like his own, was mostly filled with water. Karven’s great form slowly pieced together in his mind with every thump of the dragon’s heart until the entire dragon could be seen and his every move could be anticipated.
>
Keturah’s voice entered his mind. If his body is created with water within, you can control his body from the inside.
Vartan grinned as the realisation of his power sunk in.
Karven swung his tail from the right, but Vartan was ready for him. Pushing his hands into the air between them, he sent Karven’s tail flying back toward the dragon from the inside. Lifting his arms high into the air, Vartan lifted Karven’s body off the ground.
“Vartan, stop!” commanded Karven.
Vartan growled with the concentrated power soaring through his veins, struggling to control its release.
Stop!, said Mother Dragon.
The power continued to strain Karven’s body and the dragon roared with the pain. Mother Dragon knew that she had to respond or it could be the death of the dragon king. Invoking herself into the water statue once again, she blew a stream of water over Vartan, knocking him to the falls and releasing his grip on Karven.
The dragon king dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.
Vartan returned to his normal form and rose from the water, running to Karven’s side after regaining his senses.
“By the gods, Karven! Are you alright?” asked Vartan.
Karven raised his head from the ground and stood, shaking. He laughed and said, “It would take far more than that to send me to the stars.”
Vartan saw through the dragon king’s attempts to hide his fear and approached him slowly.
The dragon king fell into the water, visibly injured from Vartan’s attack. Mother Dragon used her powers of healing to mend the dragon, the water of the falls glowing as they did for Vartan.
“I am sorry great dragon king; I had no idea that I could hurt you like this,” said Vartan, kneeling beside Karven.
“Karven will recover shortly with my help, but if I had not stopped you… it would be a different conversation between you and I. Use your powers wisely, child of dragon’s blood. We have granted the gift to aid you in battles with the Forces of Darkness, but that power should be used with responsibility. Learn to master and control your powers. Do not let your powers control you,” said Mother Dragon.
Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising Page 12
