by C Woodward
Amgati turned to her, "What do you mean? I am healing. What I feel there is some internal bleeding."
Talestria shook her head, "You don't understand, Blake is an Offworlder. His body would have rejected your healing spell, but it worked this time."
Amgati looked confused for a moment but finally realized what she said. I couldn't believe what she said. The healing spell wouldn't have done anything to me and yet it did. Why? Then it dawned on me.
"Xum'gol. He took my life force," I spoke.
"He didn't take all of it, since you're still here breathing with us," Amgati replied.
Talestria stared upward and pondered for a moment, "Magic can have some effects when you are gravely wounded but Xum'gol wouldn't have just tossed you aside unless he absorbed your life."
"This doesn't make any sense. He wouldn't just stop. I mean, he just tossed me aside after he got my life force. But...," I pondered out loud.
"Oh, I think I know!" Jerak spoke with confidence. He started to nod to himself, "This is just a theory! But, what if he did kill you?"
We all stared at Jerak. He waved his hand to signal that he wasn’t done.
"He killed your Offworldly self," Jerak paused for a moment,” But, he didn't kill your dragon self!"
Talestria looked at Jerak in disbelief, "That does make sense." She scratched the back of her head and then spoke, "That kind of explains the veins. I recall reading about alterations in druid magic where they permanently...." She stopped herself for a moment and quietly finished her sentence, "transform in a creature."
"Wait! What?!" I shouted.
Talestria sighed, "I am not certain, but it seems to be your body is slowly changing."
Jerak chimed in, "So, Blake might turn into some kind of dragon? Wow! That is kind of neat!"
Talestria shrugged, "I am not sure."
Amgati stood up and butted in, "I hate to redirect the conversation, but we have no idea where we are, and we have to find a means of shelter before night falls."
Jerak folded his arms and nodded, "And we have to give a hero a funeral."
The four of us couldn't argue with that. I started to move a little more easily after getting my armor off which was an over statement. I mostly leaned up against a tree and turned my head. Everyone was at the end of their limits as well. Amgati strayed off but I wasn’t going to second guess since he was a ranger. Jerak was collecting stones from the broken gateway and Talestria was gathering scattered books.
Talestria let out a tired grunt as she plopped a stack of old books next to me. She sat right beside me and leaned back. She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. I slowly lifted my arm and put it around her.
"Well, we can make a good fire with these," Jerak chimed in while looking at the stack of old books.
Talestria muttered without opening her eyes, "Don't dare consider using them that way."
Amgati walked back, using his cloak as a bag. He calmly placed his cloak on the ground and revealed a bunch of berries, roots, and flowers.
"It isn't much but it will at least give us energy for the night," he said.
Jerak pointed at the flowers, "We can eat these?"
Amgati nodded, "Yes. They are bitter but they are full of vigor."
Talestria stared at the small pile of food, "These don't grow anywhere near us."
Amgati shrugged, "No, these grow wildly south of Lyonus."
"Wait, you mean we are...?" Jerak asked in shock. He glanced around, "None of the land here resembles back home."
Amgati shrugged, "No. These grow wildly south of Lyonus."
"That would explain the new source of undead," Talestria pondered. She reached for her pouch which now contained crushed candy. She poured out the contents onto the cloak of food. "This should make the bitter flowers go down."
Jerak grabbed a piece of broken candy and one of the flowers. I think he was curious about how bitter it was. He popped the flower in his mouth and cringed, "Anything this bad has to be really healthy." He quickly put the candy in his mouth.
We sat in a circle and divided the small pile of food among ourselves. There was an odd silence among us as we ate. I glanced over and saw Jerak using stones to make a small memorial with Clagmir's armor lying on top of it.
"I remember when he attended our wedding," Talestria spoke quietly. She paused for a moment, "I could tell he was unsure about me but he was a perfect gentleman and was so kind to me that day," Talestria wiped a tear from her eye.
I pulled Talestria closer, "He didn't trust me at first," I chuckled a little, "I remember he thought I might have been a monster or something when I first came here. He was always up front on how he felt about things. When Jerak and I joined him in the desert temple was the first time I gained his trust and respect." I took a deep breath to withhold any tears, "At least he died how he wanted to; sacrificing himself to defeat evil."
Amgati took his turn, "I met him only once before. I had a deep respect for the paladins and Clagmir surpassed that. He selflessly dedicated his life to make our homes a better place. We are forever in his debt."
Jerak stood up and stared at the memorial, "Ever since my younger days, I looked up to heroes like Clagmir and always wanted to be like them. I didn't exactly have the know-how to become a paladin. But he inspired me to go out and do good things for others. It was an honor to fight by his side. I know heroes like him never truly die. They forever live in tales and in our hearts."
The sun began to sink behind the horizon and darkness slowly crept up on us. It felt much cooler here than back at home. Amgati and Jerak went to gather firewood for a fire. It didn't take long for us to crowd around it for warmth. I snuggled close to Talestria. We had a lot on our minds and were all too tired to fight off slumber.
Morning came. The grass around us was still moist from morning dew but at least the air had started to warm up. None of us were in a hurry to get up. The fire was nothing but charcoal and small embers.
Amgati was the first up. His eyes still retained bags under them. He made a few stretches and then let out a big yawn, "No sense in venturing onward today." He looked down at Talestria who was still sound asleep. "The both of you had it far worse than Jerak and I. You two rest as much as you need." He then kicked Jerak's heel, "Jerak and I will see if we can find some proper food and maybe signs of civilization."
Jerak grumbled, "What?! Why do I have to get up?" He was still half asleep.
Amgati sighed, "Because you and I are in far better shape they are! Now get up and let's go find some food."
Jerak sat up, "I hope it's not bitter stuff again."
Amgati shook his head, "No, I am planning to find some game."
Jerak suddenly perked up, "Oh, now you're talking!"
The two of them ventured off. Talestria rolled over started to open her eyes. The swelling on her face had gone down. I gave her a peck on the forehead.
"Morning." I greeted her.
She gave me a smile, "Did you sleep well?"
I gave her a shrug, "As good as can be, I guess."
Talestria glanced around, "Where are the other two?"
"They went out hunting for food." I replied.
"A good hot meal sounds so nice, those berries didn't do much," Talestria commented. She place her hand on my face and then down to my chest. She frowned a little as she pulled her hand away.
"This bothers you, doesn't it?" I said to her. She didn't need to answer. I could tell from her eyes.
"Well, it is just so overwhelming for us right now. I just not sure what to think of it all," she sighed.
I turned away from her and also sighed. A heavy feeling of sadness engulfed me.
"BlakeyPoo. I didn't mean..." Talestria cried out softly.
"You don't need to say anything, I know what you mean," I said while failing to hide my feelings.
Talestria put her arms around me, "You don't have to worry. We will find a way to cure this!"
I let out a sigh. Did she think I was
upset over not being cured? I was more worried about what would happen to us if we couldn't fix this. I saw the look in her eyes when we found out. My fear was that she would reject me if we failed. That thought hurt too much to dwell on it. We had been through much of late. Maybe when things made more sense, we can have a heart-felt talk.
Talestria squeezed me close, "Blakey? Are you alright?"
I turned to her and saw her concern. We cared about each other too much to let this cause a divide between us. I was sure of it, maybe. I forced a smile and replied, "Don't worry about it."
"Hey, Blake, did you by chance spot my knife? I knew I saw it," Jerak shouted as he walked back. His eyes went wide and covered his eyes, "Oh, man! Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to butt in your moment!" He peeked over to see if he left his knife. "It isn't here. I will leave you two alone.”
Talestria and I were only cuddling. He must have thought of something else. I noticed he covered the area of his chest when Talestria nearly killed him years ago when he peeked in our tent once. Ever since then, he learned his lesson. Jerak jogged quickly out of view. He cracked me up sometimes. Just then Talestria kissed my neck. Never mind.
Hours had passed before Amgati and Jerak returned. Each of them held a good size game bird in their hands. The idea of having fresh game over a fire was enough for me to forget my troubles for a little while.
The night was quiet as each of us were preoccupied with filling our bellies. The meal was far better than I expected but perhaps it was because I was so hungry. Shortly after our meal, Jerak walked over to hand me something wrapped in tattered cloth.
"Here," he said to me in a somber tone.
I reached over and unraveled the cloth. It was Clagmir's sword in its sheath. The sheath was lightly burned but the blade itself was in fine shape.
I took a deep sigh, "I can't take this."
Jerak shook his head, "I think Clagmir would rather you have it rather than letting it rust." He forced a grin, "Besides, you don't have your blade anymore and you know how I hate swords."
Talestria placed her hand on my shoulder, "He would be glad if you used it on our hunt for Xum'gol,"
Amgati sighed, "If we knew where he was."
I took the sword and slowly pulled it out. It had a beautiful blade. I never noticed how clean the blade was. I calmly put the sword back in its sheath and place it on my lap. "I will try to make Clagmir proud," I said.
Amgati laid out his cloak and looked at us, "We will worry about all that another time. First, we need to find civilization. Rest well, you three. Tomorrow we are heading out."
In the morning we ventured out, no matter how tired we were. Actually, the only one that was a mess was me. It felt like every muscle in my body was still sore. At least I was up and walking in my armor. For the first time ever, it felt heavy. This armor was created to be very lightweight but that just showed how weak I was. I hoped that in a few days I would function normally.
Amgati led us and shortly found the coast south of where we camped. None of us questioned him since he seemed sure of what he was doing. Jerak didn't have the best sense of direction and Talestria rarely ventured outside the dark elf realm. All I knew was that there were mountains to the east of us and nothing but rolling plains to the west and north.
Amgati suddenly stopped. He put his hand up and whispered, "Something is coming. Let’s take cover."
We quickly followed him into the brush near some rocks. The four of us waited for several moments till we could hear the sound of a large group of troops.
"Who are they?' Jerak whispered.
They soon came into view. We could see about a dozen or so men in chainmail with enclosed helmets. They wore red tabards with a yellow trim and a white rose on them. They didn't seem to be aware of our presence.
Amgati whispered, "They are Lyonus troops. Must be on a patrol." He slowly stepped out of cover with his hands up. He spoke in a friendly tone, "Oh, it is good to see you chaps."
"Who are you? And what are you doing out here, elf?" one of the men questioned.
"My friends had, um..." Amgati struggled.
Jerak showed himself and chimed in, "We were sailing along and wrecked south of here."
The soldier folded his arms, "You were sailing south of here, near hostile territory?" He didn't seem to be convinced.
Talestria stepped out in her blonde elf disguise which took me by surprise, "Yes, we got lost along the way and end up robbed by those tehlkians. We were stranded for a few days and need to get to the nearest town."
I slowly came out into view, holding my helmet. Jerak looked at Talestria in disbelief and then back at me and then back at her and then back at me. I think Talestria's disguise blew his mind.
The soldier bowed his head and smiled at Talestria, "Well, sorry about your mishap, m'lady. If you four keep traveling north you will find a road that will lead directly to Kebunt. It should have everything you need."
The soldiers walked past us, each of them gawked at Talestria as if it has been a long time since they had seen a female elf. Talestria smiled back at them with a head tilt until they were out of sight.
Jerak looked at Talestria and at the brush where we hid, "Um, how did you do that?"
Talestria tilted her pendant, "So glad I had this with me."
Amgati sighed, "Wonder how much trouble we would have found if you hadn't had that."
Talestria put her hands on her hips and gave Amgati a look, "Oh, I am quite easy on the eyes," she strutted by Amgati, "for a dark elf."
"So you're telling me you can turn into a blonde just like that?" Jerak asked Talestria. He still couldn't believe it.
Talestria sighed, "Yes, it can change me into a blonde, but only for several hours before the pendant needs to recharge."
Amgati gave me a perplexed look.
I shrugged at him, "Don't look at me, I like her with dark hair."
Amgati shook his head and smiled, "You people."
The soldier’s advice worked. It didn't take us long to find the road as well other patrols. Apparently the soldiers were Talestria's biggest fans. They didn't see many women, especially an elf. I heard more cat calls than I cared to again. It was no time to pick a fight out of jealousy, but some of those guys needed a broken nose. It would have done them some good.
We finally arrived at the city of Kebunt. The city looked like a fortress with high walls and a large military presence. To the east was a large solitary mountain in the distance with several sentry towers spread evenly along the road. There was big money somewhere to have a city like this out here, which was curious.
Apparently, it was a port city and military base for the Lyonus Empire. They established a base here to guard the large gold mine to the east in the Panoian Mountain. It was good to be in a civilized place after all this time. Sadly, the only one with any money was Jerak and he had just enough to pay for a cheap room in one of the inns. The four of us were happy to stay in a cramped room with four cots considering what we had before.
Talestria quickly took off her pendant after we got comfortable. She kicked off her shoes, "Well, I am stuck here for the remainder of the night. Who knows when the enchantment could wear off?"
"So, Jerak how much do we have left?" I asked.
He gave us a frown and turned his empty coin pouch upside down.
Amgati groaned, "I am going to scope things out and see if there are any means to contact those at Vunash."
I slid my cot next to Talestria's and began to take off my armor. Jerak plopped down on his cot and made his first attempt at a nap. Talestria was already in the early stages of slumber. Once I got my armored off I joined them.
In the morning, my stomach's growling was louder than Talestria's snoring. Everyone else was still sleeping away. Amgati managed to sneak back in while we slept. I hoped he has some good news but I saw no sense in disturbing him.
It didn't take long for everyone to wake up. We all eagerly waited for Amgati's news.
He did a few
stretches before responding, "The only way to contact Vunash is in Lyonus."
"How are we going to do that?" I asked.
Amgati shrugged, "We need to sail to Lyonus. There are some freight ships that could give us an uncomfortable ride for a low price. That is if we had the money."
Jerak looked at me, "Hey, remember when we traveled on that ship a while ago? All we had to do were some chores."
Amgati nodded, "That could work, I am sure someone is willing to let us on board if we lent a hand. They might even feed us."
Talestria wiped her nose, "Two elves and two humans doing labor on a ship to Lyonus. We need to come up with a believable story." She held her pendant, "This won't last all day so I need to hide out each day before it wears out."
