The Legacy of Skur: Volume One

by L. F. Falconer

  His words did nothing to console me. They were merely fodder for my anger. He was my friend, but at times I really had to remind myself of that.

  “Why did you come with me?”

  He shrugged and took a bite of cheese. “I guess I needed a bloody change of scenery.”

  I rose to my feet. “You don’t want eternal life. You don’t really want to be here. And you think I’m being a fool!”

  “I didn’t say—”

  “You did too. Just go back to Avar.” Grabbing Snorts’ halter, I stormed away.

  Jink called out, “Fane, wait! Would you just bloody wait a minute?”

  He caught up to me and grabbed onto my shoulders, whirling me around to face him. “Don’t be so damned crusty. You have your reasons for leaving Avar and I have mine. I chose to come with you because you’re my friend and you just bloody well might need my help. I’m sure you’ll find somebody to share eternity with. It just won’t be me. But I will share this journey with you, whether you like it or not.”

  “Just go back to Avar.”

  “I won’t go back unless you do.”

  I could only glare at him. What was I doing? I needed him! But he thought this quest was madness and me a fool. Or were those really only my own doubtful thoughts?

  “Why are you here, Jink?”

  “Because I’m your bloody friend, Fane. Because you bloody asked me to come. Why else?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I was asking you.”

  “Look, I don’t know what’s driving you to do this, but I’m not questioning your motives. Why are you questioning mine?”

  I had no answer for him.

  “Do you want me to leave?” he asked. “If you really want me to leave, I will. I don’t want to be any bloody place I’m not bloody wanted.” He turned and started to walk away, forcing me to concede.

  “Damn it Jink, I don’t want you to leave. I’m glad you came with me.” We’d been friends for too long. We knew how to play one another, but he was always more adept at that than me.

  With a shrug he turned back around. “Right enough then. Let’s say no more about it and get on with it.”

  By nightfall we had crossed the valley and set up camp beside a brook in a grove of rowan and mountain ash. Our fire clucked softly in the surrounding blackness. Snorts grazed in the grass, seemingly grateful for the rest and, fearless of our presence, a great horned owl looked down on us from a nearby branch.

  I removed my breastplate and Jink pointed at my chest. “What is that?” he asked, wide-eyed.

  I glanced down. As if it were a living thing, a glow pulsed from within the crystal, brightening the night. “It’s a talisman Fith gave me.”

  Jink bent and peered at the stone curiously. “What’s it bloody doing?”

  I didn’t know. It was radiating heat but I could only guess as to why it was reacting in this manner. I tried to offer a rational explanation. “Perhaps it knows we’re getting closer to Ragg.”

  “Bloody smart stone it is.” Jink pulled his fur cloak off Snorts’ back and tossed mine to me. He spread his upon the ground next to the fire. “So tell me, why did you leave before your father returned from Fead?”

  I laid my cloak beside the fire. “Because he would’ve been able to stop me. I didn’t want to give him that chance.”

  “Kael was wrong not to give you his blessing.”

  “Kael has a narrow mind.”

  “Kael cares about you, Fane, and you bloody well not ever forget that.”

  I knew Jink’s words were true. As much as Jink and my brother despised each other, at least Jink was willing to admit Kael’s good side. Would Kael have done the same for Jink? I didn’t think so.

  Jink leaned back on his cloak and stared up at the blackened sky in the direction of Skur. “How many minions do you think Ragg has?”

  “Other than Ragg himself, I’ve heard tales of a witch who feeds on the bones of men,” I answered. “And then there’s Seret, of course. But that’s about all I know.” Ragg’s secrets had all died on Skur with the men who had sought him out.

  “I was hoping you knew more than I did,” Jink said.

  The crystal continued to emit a pale blue glow and I wondered what it was trying to tell me. Then a chill snaked down my spine when Jink’s voice broke the silence in a low murmur:

  “Through pewter clouds on darkened skies

  Afore the harvest moon doth fly

  A beast of vile and loathsome power,

  Come to hunt upon the hour

  Of midnight.”

  It was an ode to Seret, the winged lion. A childhood lyric—one I hadn’t heard for many years. I finished the lyric, picking up where Jink had left off:

  “When darkness falls and candles die

  You’ll never know when it’s arrived,

  And dare ye not get too close

  For it is not a friendly host.

  It only seeks to devour

  Your heart and limbs upon the hour

  Of midnight.”

  I snugged my cloak about me, trying to get comfortable upon the hardness of the ground. I had not spent many nights out of my own bed, and never out of doors. As a waning moon watched us from behind a veil of pewter clouds, the surrounding darkness beyond the reach of the firelight fed my tension, and I silently cursed Jink for bringing that wretched lyric to mind. It had terrified me as a child and I couldn’t deny that it was no less terrifying now. Seret’s brutality was legend, a beast that did not respect the boundaries of Skur.

  The chuckling fire filled the silence of the night, then Jink and I both gave a start when the owl screeched and fluttered away into the darkness.

  “I suppose that was one of Ragg’s consorts, off to tell him we’re on our way,” Jink said drowsily, settling back beneath his cloak.

  “I suppose you think too much.” My heart still pounded.

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  Within minutes, Jink was snoring. I closed my eyes and listened to the night, clutching my talisman as it began to ebb and cool, wondering if I’d truly gone mad.

  Shortly after daybreak, we arose. Skur loomed like a megalith before us. Surrounded at its base by ever-growing smaller mounts, the peak of Skur kept her secrets well cloaked beneath the clouds. From Avar, Skur was almost beautiful, like a gleaming veiled jewel against the horizon, but the closer we got, the more her true character began to reveal itself. The very air around us seemed to whisper warnings to turn back before it was too late.

  The foothills were lightly wooded, trees and shrubbery ablossom with late spring. Bees busied themselves gathering nectar from the hackberries, bluebells, and daisies that dotted the meadows. We followed the brook upwards through the hills at a pleasant pace and had our destination not been so menacingly evident, we could have almost pretended we were on holiday.

  “So how are you going to spend eternity, Fane?” Jink asked as we traversed the foothills.

  “I intend on becoming the most powerful wizard in all the land,” I told him. “Kings from all the realms will seek me out to empower them.”

  “Empowering kings. Doesn’t sound like much fun.”

  “And what do you think I should do?”

  “By all means, empower kings. Just make sure they pay you well for that service. But have some bloody fun as well. Learn to ride a horse. Indulge yourself with the finest brandy, the sweetest fruits, and tender lambs. And don’t forget to nub plenty of prime doxies along the way. Don’t ever allow your life to grow dull, for eternity is a long, long time.”

  “Hush,” I suddenly whispered, coming to a halt.

  Jink froze in his tracks and cocked his head.

  “Do you hear that?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  It was a song, soft and tantalizing, not much more than a whisper on the breeze.

  “Where’s it coming from?” Jink asked.

  “It sounds like it’s coming from up ahead.”

  We crept quietly up the brookside no
rth and the song grew louder. When we emerged from the bosky brush, we both stopped cold.

  Before us, a broad meadow opened up, through which flowed the brook we followed. On the far side, beneath several towering firs, was a small stone cottage containing a single door but nary a window. No smoke came from the chimney, and seated in the grass beside the stone stoop was a maiden stringing daisies into her long, raven hair. She looked our way and her haunting song went silent.

  Slowly, she rose to her feet. My legs went willowy as Jink and I shared a glance of pleasant surprise.

  Jink gushed and clutched onto my arm. “Help me, Fane. She’s a bloody starker!”

  All I could do was nod in agreement. Indeed, she wore nothing. Nothing but that wreath of daisies around her head.

  She darted behind a brookside tree and peeked out. A shy smile brightened her face.

  “Greetings, fair maiden,” Jink called out.

  “Greetings, indeed,” I whispered.

  All coyness cast aside, the girl stepped out from behind the tree’s cover and boldly sauntered forth. Her unabashed innocence was so like a child, yet no child was this. This was a fully blossomed woman, a fact irrefutably confirmed by the wild stirring inside my trousers.

  “Welcome. Oh, welcome.” The musical words floated before her. “How can Larque serve my poor, weary travellers?”

  Jink gave a cockish grin and winked at me. “I think this might be fun.”

  “Fun?” Larque arched her eyes and gave a short, wicked laugh. “Yes, my sweet. I assure that never in the rest of your life will you ever have more fun than you’ll have today. I do so enjoy the games of big, strong men.”

  She reached up and stroked Jink’s cheek as well as my own. When her palm came to rest upon my face my whole body seemed to sigh in surrender. She looked into my eyes and I melted completely into thralldom. A dark eye winked, her whisper a promise, “I want to save the best for last.” She then took Jink’s hands into hers and led him like the blind across the meadow, leaving me to stand alone as if I were a stump at the edge of the forest.

  All I could do was sink to the ground and watch as they disappeared into the cottage. I sat and watched the open door, a gaping black mouth in the stones.

  Who was this wench? She was flawless. A real biter. And I felt totally at her mercy, ready to do whatever she might bid of me should she return through that black hole of a door. But until then, I would willingly wait.

  I watched that open door. I sat and I watched and I waited, all my thoughts and purpose vanquished, as if I had nothing better to do than await her, and await her, I did. The shadows of the day began to shorten, and still I sat and watched the doorway until the shadows nearly disappeared in the midday sun.

  When Larque came to stand in the open doorway dressed in nothing but a sultry smile, as if beckoned, I rose and shambled across the meadow.

  It seemed an eternity before I reached the stoop. She stepped close, grabbed onto my shoulders, and laid her lips upon mine. A rank taste filled my mouth yet my head soared and spun as if I were drunk. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tightly against me. Her flesh was cold. Swiftly, I relieved myself of my sword belt and tossed it away as she guided me down to the stone stoop, laid me back, and sat bestride me.

  Sharp, dark, ravenous eyes penetrated to the depths of my soul. Her nimble fingers unclasped the latches of my breastplate, so much better than my own ever could, and I quickly shed the cumbersome thing before clasping onto her head to bring that foul mouth against my own again. Teasingly, her quim rubbed at my trousers. The sun behind Larque’s silhouette gave an aura to her form akin to a mystical cloak.

  “You are the one I really want.” Her fingers snaked through my hair. “Now that your friend is out of the way, I can enjoy you all the more.”

  She stared long and deep into my eyes and under that mesmerizing gaze I felt something far inside me slip into total surrender. I would let her enjoy me in any way she wanted for she was the most dimber, enchanting woman I’d ever laid eyes upon and so thick was my want for her that my voice was unable to find its way through. All I could do was groan in response.

  Her breath was hot against my ear. “Who are you called?”

  I had to force the word from my throat. “Fane.”

  She stripped off my shirt, casting the offensive garment aside and her cool hands caressed my naked chest and shoulders, running down the length of my arms. I began to tingle and brought my hands to her breasts.

  “Fane,” she murmured, her eyes following the movements of her own hands upon my flesh. “Such a good, strong name. You have such good, strong muscles, Fane. And good, strong bones. I’d dare wager that you are a mighty warrior.”

  “Yes. No. Yes. I don’t know.” What was I saying? I could barely think straight under her bewitching touch.

  Her fingers came to rest upon my talisman and she snatched her hand back as if she’d been bitten, glaring at the stone with a gasp. “What is that?”

  “It’s merely a hansel,” I replied, aching to kiss her again.

  “It’s very beautiful. I would like to have it.”

  “I cannot give it up.”

  She looked back into my eyes with that deep, lingering gaze, and clasping onto my hands, brought them down to her quim. “Do you want this?”

  “Yes, yes I do.”

  She kept a steady, gentle, undulating pressure working against my groin. Oh, if she wanted to ride rantipole, I’d let her. It didn’t matter to me, for this cockish biter was driving me mad, grinding her quim upon my pants. If it were not for their restrictive cover, I would have leapt right inside her!

  “I would really like the stone, Fane. Give it to me.”

  “Wae, I cannot.” I started to unlace the tie on my trousers, needing to free myself of their bond.

  “The gold …”

  She grabbed onto my wrist and yanked my hand away, then pressed her foul mouth against mine once more. I was spun into a whirling headiness. “How much do you want me, Fane?” The whisper was hot against my ear when the kiss was done as she continued the torturous grinding against my shrouded groin. Her lips began to nibble my ear and suck at my neck and my entire being shivered in delight.

  “I want you more than anything.” I couldn’t see straight. I couldn’t think straight. And I wouldn’t be able to contain myself much longer. If she didn’t let me have her soon, I wasn’t going to need her at all.

  “More than you want your hansel?”

  “More than anything.” This wench was a demonic romp! My entire being was afire!

  “Then give me the stone.”

  It was just a rock. If she desired it as much as I desired her, she should have it. My hand grasped onto it and a shocking, icy warmth bolted through me. “Gold!” For a brief moment, my senses returned. “No,” I said with a firmness that surprised me. “I will not give it to you.”

  The force of the anger within her eyes was a slap in the face. “Then you won’t have me.” With cat-like acuity, she sprang from my lap.

  Stepping over the threshold, she disappeared back into the darkness of the cottage. I laid upon the stoop, pulling my hair, cursing myself. “Wae, Fane, you stubborn, stupid fool!”

  I ached all over, worse than any sickness I had hereto known. Only one thing promised to relieve my torment—Larque. But she would not have me. Perhaps I could’ve given her my crystal. I could’ve given it to her now and taken it back later. I could have her! I could have her and release this flaming agony she’d inspired. Why couldn’t I have given it up?

  As I laid upon the stoop, wallowing in my torment and self-pity, the sounds of Larque’s and Jink’s renewed game oozed out the open doorway to mock me.

  I couldn’t stand it. Even employing the maneuvers of the corporal and four did nothing to ease the burn she’d instigated for still the fire raged inside. This agonizing want would drive me insane. Never had I felt such an insatiable need! A need I knew only Larque could appease. Again, I clutched the talis
man, in preparation to give it over, but something deep inside screamed at me to resist.

  I dragged myself to my feet and stared at the doorway. I did not want to resist. I should go inside and get what I wanted. Ah, but this wasn’t just a mere stone in my hand. I had made a promise to Fith. But my body ached with an unquenchable burn. I clutched at the warmth of the talisman in my hand, backed up a step and in doing so, inadvertently slipped off the stone stoop. With a startled yelp, I tumbled and fell backwards and rolled right into the chilly brook with a splash.

  I sat straight up in astonishment, wiping the water from my face and could actually feel my inner burn extinguish, nearly with a hiss, thoroughly doused by the icy stream.

  I pulled myself out of the brook, my better sense returning, and made my way out to the sunshine to warm up, where I noticed Snorts grazing in the grass. Thank the gods he hadn’t run off. Lost within my furor, I’d completely forgotten the beast.

  No longer a man on the brink of madness, I basked in the warmth of the midday sun, allowing it to banish the chill of the brook when a colder chill sprang up to take its place. I turned and glared back at the cottage in horror. Was this merely some randy forest nymph we’d chanced upon? Not likely.

  The crystal rested warmly against my chest. The soft glow pulsated as if it had a heartbeat and I shuddered. Across the meadow, the cottage loomed like a fortress, and I suddenly knew with no doubt I had to get Jink out of there.

  My stomach crawled its way up my throat as I snuck back across the lea. The gold of my sword gleamed in the filtered sunlight by the stoop where it mingled amid my cast off breast-armor. I trembled like a bridge beneath the thundering hooves of a galloping steed by the time I reached it.

  I snatched up the sword and hurriedly crept to the open door, still quaking beyond control. The only sound that came from the inner darkness was soft snores.