The Legacy of Skur: Volume One

by L. F. Falconer

  With a disgusted snort, I turn my face away. He has managed to capture the image too perfectly. It is too painful to look upon.

  He grabs onto my shoulders and turns me around, forcing me to face him. “Fane. It is me, Kael. Your brother.”

  Stunned, I stare down at the hand upon my shoulder. My voice is forced from my throat in a hoarse whisper. “You’re touching me.” I clutch onto the hand. “You’re touching me.”

  He looks positively stricken. “What has become of you?”

  He is actually touching me. Is it some kind of trick? I reach down and pull the talisman out. It is calm. “Touch this.”

  Hesitantly, he does, and it does not react. With a screech of delight, I embrace him wholly. This is truly my brother, and I do not care that I am weeping like a girl in front of him.

  Much as I don’t want to, I break my embrace and look him over. I’m almost afraid that I’m merely dreaming as I pet his bearded cheek. “Waesucks, Kael. I never thought I’d see you again.”

  “And I thought I’d never find you. I should never have let you come here. Just look at you. You … look terrible.” His eyes hold a great sadness. “I cannot believe it is you. That I have found you at last.” He pulls a tarnished dirk from his belt. “I found this along the way next to the carcass of some huge swine, and recognized it as one of Jink’s works and I feared the worst.”

  I take the dirk from him, turning it over in my hands, recalling that Jink had lost it the day we were attacked by the hulg. It is a simple, utilitarian weapon, yet still bears Jink’s trademark of perfection. It was wrought by his hand, and used by his hand, and that hand had been stolen away. I clutch the dirk to my chest. I will keep it, thus keeping a part of Jink’s spirit with me always.

  Hhaak creeps up beside me, and Kael reels back, drawing his sword. Protectively, I put my hands upon Hhaak’s shoulders. “You will not harm this creature, Kael.”

  “It’s … a troll, Fane.”

  “I know that.” Do I dare tell him the troll is my mate? Could he understand that truth? “But she’s not dangerous. Ragg is though, so you cannot stay.”

  “Then let’s go. Quickly.”

  The wetness returns to my eyes and I struggle to contain it. “I want to go. I want to go home so badly, Kael, but … I cannot go. I cannot go.” In speaking the words, I am stricken by their raw truth.

  “Why not? What is to stop you?”

  I look around the cavern, wishing with all my heart that I could just leave it behind forever. I think of eating the trolls and the other bodies Ragg brought to me. I think of Ragg, in the form of Larque and the atrocities he allowed the gang of trolls to commit, and how he tricked me into Shadowland. And I remember Jink. I gaze down at Hhaak, and I look again at Kael. I think of Avar and a tear escapes my eye. “There are some things it’s best you do not know,” I say. “And there are some things you must know.” Without hesitation, I pull the talisman from my neck and slip the chain over Kael’s head. “First of all, you must promise me to wear this crystal. Keep it safe, and never, ever hand it over to anyone. It cannot be taken from you—it can only be given. And we are victorious as long as we keep this from Ragg’s possession. He must never get it.”

  Kael just stares at me as if I’m dicked.

  “Promise me, Kael.”

  “In the king’s name, I promise you.” It is the strongest oath he can give and I know it is an oath he will keep.

  Bewilderment is etched on his face, but there is so little time. Ragg could return at any moment. “As long as you wear this, Ragg cannot touch you. But be aware, he can still hurt you and deceive you. Now, you must return to Avar and live.”

  He still looks puzzled.

  “There is no time to explain it all,” I tell him, clasping his shoulders. “Ragg does not know you’re here or you would not be here. Do not doubt that. You must make haste back down Skur as stealthily as you came up and leave Ragg’s domain before you’re discovered. Trust no one and nothing. Not rocks, or trees, or even the bloody sky, Kael, for Ragg’s eyes could be anywhere. And even if you should see me along the way, know in your heart that it is not me. Trust nothing, Kael. Nothing.”

  “I came to bring you home. You must come with me.”

  I shake my head. “I can’t. I have no choice. I can never leave this place. If I do, all of Avar will perish. Ragg has assured me of that.”

  “I can’t just leave you here.”

  “You must. You must leave now. And you must take Hhaak with you,” I tell him, pointing at the troll.

  “The troll? Why should I take the troll? Don’t make me force you to come with me.”

  “I have told you why I cannot leave, Kael. You must understand. Ragg has assured me that if I ever step foot out of this cave, he will destroy Avar and everyone in it. I cannot leave, for I have no doubt he will make good on that threat. But the troll—Hhaak can leave.”

  Kael shakes his head. “I’m not taking that … that creature.”

  I place my hand upon the troll’s head and pet her spiky hair. “This creature is my mate.”

  Kael stares at me in mute disbelief, finally saying, “Your what?”

  “Hhaak is my mate. She saved my life once and has been my devoted companion ever since.” I am reluctant to admit the truth, yet know I must. “And the child … the child she will bear is my child, Kael.”

  His face blanches. For several moments he is speechless as he stares at the troll, the look on his face a mixture of disgust and horror. Finally he shouts, “In the king’s name, Fane, what have you done?”

  “You know bloody well what I have done, and the king had nothing to do with it.”

  His face flushes with rage as he slams his blade against the cavern wall. “I knew that bastard Jink would be your undoing. First it was the whore at the pub and now this—this hellish, unlawful act!”

  “He did not lead me to this. It was I who led him, and now he is dead because of it. Jink died while killing the winged lion. He died saving my life and he died with honor. He died as a warrior.”

  Kael is silent and I feel I must speak further. “Jink saved me and Hhaak saved me. And you can save me, Kael. Your journey here will not be in vain. Save the troll and you will have saved the only part of me that can be saved anymore. I cannot undo what has been done. I am entrusting you with my child, Kael, because I know you will not fail me.”

  “You are entrusting me this because there is no one else to unload this burden onto.”

  “No, Kael. You are an honorable and stalwart man. You will do what is right. That is my child in there, and I want it to be born in the light. I want it to be born among Men, and to be raised among Men. I want it to live as a Man. It is my child, Kael. My child. Help me keep it out of Shadowland. Do what you will with the troll, but as long as my child lives, then so does a part of Fane.”

  My brother is silent, staring again at Hhaak. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

  “You can. You know you can. But will you? Will you help my child be a Man? Will you help a part of me be free again?”

  For a long time, Kael stares at me, his eyes dancing between shame and compassion. Finally, he speaks. “My brother, I do understand why you cannot come with me, and I do understand why I must take the troll. I don’t like it, but I understand it.”

  I know it’s all I can expect of him, but it is enough. Kael will not forsake me.

  Moistness gathers to shine within his eyes. “What do I tell Father?”

  I embrace him, hugging him hard. I know it is a final embrace and I wish it did not have to be so and my voice cracks when I speak. “Tell him … that in the end, I chose a path leading into the light. Tell him I am a warrior. That I died to save Avar.”

  Comprehension alights in his eyes. He grasps the talisman. “This is all that’s been keeping you alive, isn’t it?”

  I nod.

  “Then take it back and continue to live.”

  I shake my head. “I will live in darkness no more, Kael
. I will no longer be Ragg’s thrall. I don’t know why he desires that crystal, but I will not surrender it to him, nor will I surrender my soul or my sanity. I will keep my honor and I will rest assured that Avar will survive and know in my heart that Ragg has not beaten me. He will kill me, but he will not defeat me.”

  Kael clasps my shoulders, his voice forced and somber. “Father will understand the honor in your death. I will make certain that he is proud of you.”

  “And Jink?”

  Kael nods. “Jink, too.”

  He lets go, steps back and thrusts his sword high into the air, then slowly brings it down in his outstretched, open palms as he kneels before me. Gently, he places the sword upon the dirt at my feet as he bows low. It is the funeral ritual for a Tillaman hero, an honor reserved only for the bravest of men that have fallen in battle.

  When Kael rises again, I place Hhaak’s hand into his. “Make haste Kael,” I speak through my tears. “And farewell.”

  He moves slowly out of the cave, tugging at the reluctant troll. Hhaak breaks free, rushes back to me and clings to my leg.

  “Fane,” she cries.

  I pry her loose and kneel before her, gazing into those dark, round eyes, trying to make her understand. “You must go.” I point to Kael. There are tears in Hhaak’s eyes and I am surprised, for I did not know trolls cried. I place my hand on her belly, stroking it lightly. “For this, you must go.”

  Hhaak’s skinny arms embrace me for a moment before she shuffles back to Kael.

  I cannot force any more words from my mouth as Kael and the troll disappear beyond the lip of the cave, nor can I force my legs to move to where I might be able to watch them go. Knowing I must never think of Kael again, a strange peace expels the darkness that had taken up residence within me.

  I am content—a feeling I have not known for much too long, and I welcome its return.

  With the coming of the new day’s sun, Ragg returns in the form of myself. He lays a body at my feet and I choke in despair for I see it is Kael. But as I look again, I see it is not Kael at all, but a fur-clad stranger.

  Ragg’s eyes grow white. “Where is the crystal, Fane?”

  I imagine Hhaak. She wears the talisman as she scampers down the steps into Shadowland. The vision is strong and clear.

  “It is gone,” I say with a smile. He can rob my mind all he wants, but he can never touch what lives within my heart. That, is my own. That, I will keep.

  Ragg is transforming now into his true, dragonish self. “Where is the troll and where is the crystal?” he roars.

  I keep the image of the troll keenly in my mind. The troll, her fat belly bouncing as she scurries down the steps into darkness, the crystal dancing blue with every step, casting its pale light upon the slimy, moist walls.

  “You are not as clever as you think,” Ragg speaks. “The trolls do not know its value. They will return it to me.”

  And the dragon’s fire speeds forth. The heat scorches my flesh before the flames actually do, and I know I am screaming but I can’t hear it. I am only aware of the light. And the light is beautiful.

  Part Two

  The Wizard Stone

  “Everything you do is a matter of choice.”..... Evan

  1

  The Birth

  Like a shadow, Kael silently scuttled down the mountain slopes, keeping his movements confined to the dark of night. Only in the daylight did he dare rest. If it hadn’t been for his not-so-stealthy companion, the journey down Skur would have been as easily achieved as the journey up had been, but the troll was clumsy and noisy, indifferent to Kael’s need for concealment. It was clear that she struggled to keep up. Deep inside, he was aware of that part of himself which wished the beast would simply run off and disappear. Instead, she put up a valiant effort to remain at his side so he forced himself to slow down. He had promised to take care of the beast and was so bound to that duty.

  Despite their meager soldier rations, a mixture of dried meat, nuts, and berries pressed into thin wafers dried by a slow fire, the troll grew fatter with every passing day, and Kael could no longer doubt that, indeed, the creature would give birth soon. But what manner of beast would that child be? What manner of despicable half-bred abomination would he be charged to care for because of his brother’s wretched misdeeds?

  In the sheltering boughs of a fir, Kael curled beneath the dirty white fur of his cloak to sleep at daybreak, staring over at the troll who was pressed up against a stone. “Wae, Fane,” he muttered, “what wrack have you cursed me with?”

  Wringing her tiny hands, the troll squeaked, “Fane.”

  It was the only word of Man the creature spoke, and Kael thought surely it must have had some affection for Fane else why would it keep calling his name? In the round, nearly black eyes of the troll, Kael almost swore he could see a trace of sadness and yearning. The sight made him shudder. How terribly lonely Fane must have been to seek comfort from this beast.

  What had he called the thing? Kael tried to recall. Hank? Huck? No, that wasn’t it, but something like that, he was sure. He had never considered that these creatures would even possess names, for he had always deemed them to be among the lesser of the aberrations, despite their similarities to Men. Indeed, the troll had a mannish face, except for its long, hooked nose and pointed ears. Its blonde, bristly hair was man-like—its black eyes were man-like—its mouth was man-like. Though definitely female in its crass nakedness, its arms and legs were long and spindly, out of proportion to the round, bulbous body, and its feet were broad and square. The only hair it grew was the mass of blonde curls on the top of its head and it constantly emitted disgusting snorts and grunts and Kael was almost thankful when occasionally it would squeak out his brother’s name in the tongue of Man.

  He looked beyond the troll, back up the rise to the rugged slopes of Skur. Fane was gone. Ragg surely would have destroyed him by now. It had been the hardest thing Kael had ever done, leaving his brother behind to die. But he’d had no choice. Fane had done the only thing he could do to reclaim some sense of honor. Kael could not deny him that end.

  He lifted the talisman that hung from his neck and studied the perfectly-formed, quiet blue crystal. It had been the only protection Fane had had against Ragg. His protection and his bane. Now it belonged to Kael, and Fane was surely dead.

  Tucking the crystal back down beneath the cover of his shirt, he closed his eyes against the daylight. Had it not been most intolerable for a warrior to shed tears, Kael would have wept for his brother, but he stanched his tears instead, keeping his grief safely buried deep within where no man or beast could see it.

  After a sennight of travel down the desolate mountain and through the wooded foothills, only when they had finally departed Ragg’s realm entirely did Kael begin to relax his vigilance. They were in the valley now, presumably safe from any attack by the dragon. Ragg had rarely been seen roaming beyond his realm.

  Avar was only a day of foot travel away, yet Kael knew he could not go there. His home village was too small. He was too well known and could not sneak in and hide a troll there, so he turned west and headed through the valley heath on a long trek toward Fead. He knew the king’s city well enough to find his way in to shelter undetected, but was still presented with the riddle of what to do with the troll. Countless unworthy answers tumbled through his mind.

  The city of Fead was less than a day from Avar at a steady lope on horseback. As slow as the troll was moving, it would take a sennight on foot. Relentlessly, Kael pushed on, resting as briefly as possible, feeling pressured by the urgency of his situation, yet refused to carry the disgusting beast that slowed their progress as it continually lagged behind, groaning and rubbing at its swollen belly. Kael had to admit he was frightened. Birthing was not something he was well acquainted with, and he feared it was going to come soon.

  On the fifth day of their journey up valley, it was nearing dusk when they came within sight of Fead at last. Kael kept the troll well within the shadows of
the woods near the flour mill on the outskirts of the city. He would wait until nightfall. It was best that way.

  Darkness descended and fat lamps began to sparkle about the city. As folks retired into their homes, the streets quieted with the oncoming night. Only then did Kael dare enter the flour mill, left empty until dawn. Against his sense of propriety, he clutched onto the troll’s grimy hand, forcing the beast to keep at his side as he dodged the sweep of the sails in their constant circular journey, and darted swiftly through the mill door.

  From a stack of sacks beside the door, Kael lifted one and set a copper from his purse in the sack’s place. He assumed the coin was worth at least several sacks, so felt no remorse for this action. He then shoved the squealing, squirming troll inside the flour sack, and securely tied the opening with twine. Heaving the bag over his shoulder and stepping back outside, he headed for the lights of Fead.

  Inside the sack, the troll fought against her confines, vainly struggling to get free. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew. She was being taken into man-city. It frightened. Man-city was dreadfully dangerous. Why couldn’t she have stayed with her Fane-man?

  Hhaak did not care for this rough, so very blue, gruff man-being who shoved her into sack. Couldn’t understand why her Fane-man insisted she go with him. Fane-man had been different. Fane-man liked Hhaak. Fane-man wasn’t afraid of Hhaak. She had liked Fane-man from the first moment she’d seen him, so terrified during the wolfock raid with his green so pale it was nearly white. He’d looked only lost and lonely, like he just needed a friend—feelings Hhaak could well understand, being different from the others herself and often left all alone. So she befriended and did what she knew to make her Fane-man feel happy. But then Fane-man had insisted she go with this other man-being and all she knew was it had something to do with Fane-man’s affection for this blue man-being and the child in her belly.

  She was hungry and frightened and hurting and oh, how she missed her Fane-man. She whimpered the name, wishing she had never left him behind.