The Awakening

by Joe Jackson

  “What is it, my friend? Did you see some memory of the past?”

  Delkantar was on his way to fill his kettle to make coffee, but he stopped at that question. Soon, the entire camp approached or at least watched the exchange.

  Galadon looked up at her, but his stare drifted to Max. “I saw Max’s father, astride a massive black charger. It’s strange, but I don’t remember his father arriving in Dira Ch’Tori on a horse… I think it may have been my horse he was riding. Max, do your people keep horses?”

  The luranar nodded. “Yes, I have been learning horsemanship from my uncle for many years. We keep mostly draft animals, but we do also raise chargers and riding horses to use for trade with the outside kingdoms. Rarely do we ride them as mounts, but it does happen.”

  “Galrinthor,” the human knight said, shaking his head. “His name was Galrinthor. No, he was definitely my horse. But Kalamaris was riding him, with the armies at our backs. I can remember the standards… my Ascending Dawn banners, and his Winter Wolf banners. There was an unnatural darkness, but we pushed through it, all of us – man, luranar, elf, and more. And there were four flames: the north, south, east, and west… I-I remember now! But not all of it. I remember the flame of the north… the Sword of the North Wind, Kalamaris’ blade. And my own, the shattered sword you saw back in Dira Ch’Tori – the Sword of Ascending Dawn.”

  Leighandra perked up. “Was that named after Kaelariel?”

  “I don’t believe so, but maybe. I always thought it was coincidence. But that flame has now been extinguished. But there were two others, and I remember one of them: the Sword of Southern Flame, wielded by a powerful shakna-rir ranger who joined in the fight. The desert folk as a whole stayed out of the conflict, but some of their rangers – the Order of the Western Star – came and fought alongside us. As to the fourth flame, I cannot remember who carried it, or what it was called.”

  “The Blade of Twilight’s Doom,” Delkantar said.

  Everyone turned toward the ranger. “Was it you?” Leighandra asked.

  Delkantar shook his head. “No. But that was the sword of my father, and both he and it were lost in that battle,” he said, and then he turned an apologetic stare to Galadon. “I should have said something sooner, but I wanted to be sure you truly were who you claimed to be before I possibly armed you with more knowledge to fuel lies. But if you remember the battle and the four flaming blades, then you must truly be Galadon Tercullin, as difficult as it is to believe.”

  “Did you fight in the battle, though?” Starlenia asked.

  “No,” he answered with a sigh. “My father asked me to stay and watch over my family, to evacuate them from the island if the armies failed and fell. He rode out of Chandler’s Grove with many of the Ghosts of Liam. That was the last time I ever saw or spoke with him.”

  “I’m sorry,” Leighandra offered, but then she looked at Max and then Galadon. “To all of you who fought or lost someone in that awful battle.”

  “I can’t help thinking there’s got to be some importance to these particular memories,” Starlenia said. “Why would Karinda bother unlocking memories about flaming swords unless they were relevant to what we’re doing? Did the swords have any special powers aside from, obviously, bursting into flame?”

  Galadon smirked. “They stood as a symbol; a light against the darkness. We led the army into battle with the flames of our blades. It wasn’t the swords themselves or even the fact that they sprouted flame; it was light in the gloom, the guiding beacon that the armies followed into the heart of evil. It may not be the best use of our time, but if we were to find these swords again, we might be able to rally the people the same way your father did, Max.”

  “Perhaps so. And we know where to find the first,” the luranar said. “We just need to find someone who can repair it.”

  “It may be that one of my people can aid with that,” Yiilu offered, scratching Vo’rii behind an ear. “If not, they may know of someone who can.”

  “Now I have someplace to begin,” Leighandra said, drawing their attention. “Being a chronicler means I’ve spent a great deal of time rooting out lore, legends, and wondrous tales from any and every source. If there’s any word to be found of these blades or a master smith who can repair one or more of them, I will find it. We need only pass through as many towns as possible, to widen the net, as it were.”

  “I wonder where your charger ended up,” Starlenia said. “I guess the assumption is that he was killed in battle, but that may not be the case. Could be Leighandra can find that out, too.”

  “Haha, I miss that old brute! Finding him to bring along would certainly beat walking everywhere,” the knight said.

  “Is there anything else you remember about my father?” Max asked.

  Galadon’s mouth tightened into a line. “Only that when he gave the order to charge, he went before everyone else. That was why he wanted my charger. When I remember more, I’ll tell you, Max. I promise.”

  The luranar nodded and they began to have breakfast. Conversation turned light, and Leighandra knew the prospect of a solid goal left the others excited. She wasn’t sure how much information she would find among the fures-rir, but Shartek would give her a place to gauge that, at least. She had no idea what to expect at Castle Tenari itself. Legend said the palace was made out of ice, and that the titanic castle constituted the entire city. The fures-rir weren’t a populous people, so it wasn’t a stretch to think a majority of them might live in one place.

  They continued and reached the mountains. The passes were inclined, and Leighandra began to understand the fures-rir homeland a little better before they even reached it. While not so far north that she expected unending winter, it was walled off from the southern winds by the mountain chain. The passes also climbed up; the land of the fures-rir apparently sat at considerable elevation. For the time being, the rings the friends had received from Karinda were keeping them comfortable, but they would clearly need survival gear from Shartek to proceed farther.

  Delkantar was on edge the entire time they walked the mountain passes. Rarely did a moment go by where he wasn’t watching the embankments, cliff sides, slopes, and hills for any sign of trouble. Leighandra never saw or heard anything, but she took her cues from Auremax and Vo’rii, whose ears told the chronicler that Delkantar was not just being hypervigilant. They were in dangerous territory, essentially walking through a valley wherein it would be easy to end up cut off and surrounded.

  Nights were even worse, as the circle of firelight did little to illuminate the imposing borders of the pass. The moons cast their light upon the companions when the cloud cover was thin, but only for a few hours before the glow was choked out by the peaks, leaving only the reflections off of the snowy tops and icy sides to ease the smothering gloom. They kept two people awake on watch during the cold, tense nights, and the reduced rest made the journey that much more wearying. All told, it was an unpleasant stretch of days.

  There was a communal yet unspoken air of relief about the group when they reached the far end of the pass without incident. Delkantar looked back once they reached the higher, open tundra on the far side, and the others paused when he did.

  “What is it?” Galadon asked.

  “There was something watching us the entire time we were in the pass, I’m sure of it,” the ranger answered. “I never saw it, but my gut tells me when something has eyes on me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling for days.”

  “Wasn’t just you,” Starlenia agreed with a shiver. “And for something to evade my eyes and yours? Whatever it was is even better at hiding than me.”

  “Well, town is but a few hours ahead,” Max said, gesturing toward the barely-perceptible, snow-covered roofs in the distance.

  “We need warmer clothes,” Yiilu said. “These rings will only protect us for so long and against so much. I imagine once we are properly attired, the rings will almost allow us to forget we are in this unforgiving land.”

  “We’re getting c
lose,” Galadon whispered, his gaze as distant as his voice.

  “What’s that?” Delkantar asked. The ranger had started to move ahead to take point, but glanced around to see what the paladin was talking about.

  “The flame of the north; I can feel it now. The cold blue flame of Kalamaris’ sword… it’s somewhere ahead of us.”

  “What would my father’s sword be doing here?” Max wondered.

  “Well, it is called the Sword of the North Wind, right?” Starlenia answered. The luranar looked at her curiously, and she shrugged. “Hey, you two were the ones going on about symbols and the importance of the swords… maybe you’re not the only ones. Maybe someone brought your father’s sword here for the same reason Karinda gave us those rings.”

  “Like we’re being led about by the nose?” Galadon huffed.

  “Can’t look at it that way. Like Karinda said, our enemies can use the same means to find things out that we can. If there are signs and wonders, or even a prophecy, there’s no telling who’s going to interpret them correctly first, and it leaves a plan for anyone – friend and enemy alike – to follow, to either stop it or make it come to pass. But if someone that knows something leaves little clues, well, let’s just say it’s unlikely the demons or even the shakna-rir know what the significance of these swords might be, or that they’re going to come to this frozen wasteland looking for them.”

  “It still feels like we’re being led about by the nose.”

  Starlenia shrugged again. “Great Spirit works in mysterious ways. When my ancestors followed the stars, they were brought to a place where we’ve prospered for hundreds of years, with no one to bother us. And right next to a very large, very powerful empire that could crush us and take our land for their own but hasn’t. Sometimes you just have to trust that you get led where you need to be, but without being forced to go there. You’re a horse man; haven’t you ever heard the proverb of leading a horse to water?”

  “Don’t remind me,” Galadon laughed, gesturing for Delkantar to lead them ahead. “I have many a memory of being bowled over into water by my old friend.”

  The others laughed, and Leighandra fell into step beside her shorter companion. “You’re quite insightful,” she commented, and Starlenia smiled at her sidelong. “I should like to visit your people some time when things here are calm, if such a visit is permitted?”

  “Permitted? Ha! My people aren’t like the shakna-rir or those knuckleheads guarding Solaris, Leighandra. You want to come visit, you come with your hands and your heart open, and you’ll find favor among my people. We don’t have the time or temperament for complex politics or suspicion. But bring a gift – we like those.”

  The chronicler laughed again. “Duly noted.”

  Reaching Shartek a few hours later, they headed straight for the town’s most obvious inn. The town was quiet in the aftermath of a recent snowstorm, but the storm had at least left blue skies in its wake. How high up did we ascend through the passes? Leighandra wondered. The air wasn’t so much thinner that it was problematic, but it felt light and had a bite to it that even the rings didn’t fully fend off. The sky was blue and it had snowed recently, but there was an off feeling in the air, as if the storm planned to return shortly.

  Townsfolk were out and about, some clearing their walks of snow while others watched the new arrivals from their foggy windows. It wasn’t a large town, but it had more than its fair share of inns to serve travelers headed to or from the kingdom seat. The amenities sat mostly at the center of town, while the homes and storehouses ringed the outside.

  Leighandra was fascinated by the people. The majority appeared to be fures-rir, though blue hair and eyes didn’t necessarily indicate as much; it was possible for a terra-rir to have that hair and eye color combination. More interesting were the many humans. Some of them looked a lot like Starlenia, though they were taller and more in line with what the chronicler thought of as typical size for humans. There were few other people about, rir or otherwise, and the chronicler understood that she and Yiilu would be quite curious to the people here.

  “Keeta, Vo’rii,” Yiilu called with a shrill whistle. The wolf stayed close to her, and only then did Leighandra see the wary looks Vo’rii was getting. No such suspicion seemed aimed Max’s way, and that made the chronicler wonder.

  Max opened the door of a homey-looking inn and gestured for the others to enter first. The inside felt balmy compared with the dry chill outside, and Leighandra went to warm her hands at the fire. The innkeeper – one of the humans who looked a bit like Starlenia – brought over a kettle of hot tea without prompt and set it down at a table large enough for the group. He paused only long enough to look Max up and down, and after seeing Vo’rii heeled to Yiilu like a well-trained dog, he went back to the bar to get them some cups.

  “It’s still a couple of weeks to Castle Tenari, isn’t it?” Galadon asked.

  “Depends how swiftly we move when properly geared, but it should be no more than that, I think,” Delkantar answered. He took the offered cups from the innkeeper and began pouring tea for the others while Max and Galadon worked to take off their breastplates.

  “Good afternoon, travelers. Will you be staying long?” the innkeeper asked once they’d all taken seats.

  “Just for tonight, assuming we can get proper attire for a trek to Castle Tenari,” Delkantar answered. “Could we trouble you for hot coffee and meals in the meantime?”

  “No trouble at all, travelers. How many rooms would you like? I have some with two beds, if you would like to share. Otherwise, I have enough single beds for each of you.”

  “May as well save some coins doubling up.”

  “I can pair up with Auremax if he doesn’t mind,” Leighandra said, and he answered with a simple nod.

  “The wolf is my companion. She will stay with me, if that is acceptable?” Yiilu said.

  The innkeeper bowed his head. “Very good. I will have three rooms prepared, and have coffee and meals for you shortly.”

  “Del, do you and Starlenia mind going and getting us the equipment after we eat? You two probably know best what we’ll need,” Galadon asked.

  “Sure thing. Have you had any more of the strange dreams?” Starlenia prodded.

  “Just the same one, over and over. It always ends just as Kalamaris charges forward on my horse. But I still feel the call of his sword. We’re definitely on the right path. I just don’t understand why it’s leading us this way.”

  “I’ll check in some of the other inns and around town after supper,” Leighandra offered. “See what I may find out about the swords, or the local legends, or even about you.”

  The innkeeper brought fresh-cooked tundra fowl and coffee, and for a while, the group was able to forget there was a cold, unforgiving land outside the door. Max retired by the fire when the meal was done, and Vo’rii went and lay at his feet. Something was clearly troubling him, but Leighandra decided to give him space for the time being. There would be plenty of time and opportunity to put questions to the luranar once they were in their shared abode, and she thought perhaps he’d be more talkative with less of an audience.

  “All right, we’re off,” Delkantar said, shrugging his cloak up over his shoulders and then tucking his dreadlocks underneath it. He and Starlenia headed for the door.

  Leighandra was surprised Starlenia and the innkeeper didn’t inquire over each other’s people; perhaps the similarities were more coincidence than anything? There was such a broad variety among humankind, one she could appreciate as a half-elf. Deciding not to dwell on it for the moment, she put on her cloak and headed out into the town.

  She looked for a more crowded inn. Traffic headed south was light, doubtless because of the recent snowstorm and the gnoll troubles, so she reconsidered her plan and went to the supply store after Delkantar and Starlenia.

  “Don’t trust us to even buy equipment?” the Okonashai woman joked when she entered.

  “I thought perhaps I should get some armo
r, something like yours, at least. Not sure I want heavy chain or plate, certainly not in this climate,” Leighandra answered. “I think the leather with the plates is effective yet unrestrictive, yes?”

  Delkantar nodded. “If you depend on movement, it’s what you want. Galadon and Max are better suited to holding the line; you, Starlenia, and I are skirmishers. Yiilu is… something else entirely.”

  “What do you mean?” the chronicler asked, moving over to the few display dummies with armor on them. The shop wasn’t well-stocked when it came to adventurers’ gear, but it looked like they’d have something she could buy to make do for now. She was simply thankful this area had humans. Had it been all rir, they probably wouldn’t have anything that fit right.

  “You’re very handy with your sorcery, there’s no denying that,” the ranger said, but then he paused when he saw the shopkeeper’s reaction to the word sorcery. “But the things Yiilu can do? That’s the power of gods – or Mother Nature, or however she wants to put it. I have a feeling like we’ve only gotten the barest glimpse into what that woman can do. We had a few among the Ghosts of Liam that could tap into nature’s power, but nothing like what we’ve seen Yiilu do.”

  “Yes, the power of the druids is considerable when they tap into the Earth Mother’s blessings,” Leighandra agreed. She gestured to a set of leather with metal bits that wasn’t quite as protective as Delkantar’s, but was still several steps above her traveling performer’s clothes. “May I try this on, sir?”

  The shopkeeper came over and bowed politely to her before he took down the armor and began helping her try it on. He said something to her, but Leighandra shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t speak your local dialect.”