by Hans Bezdek
“I mean, they treekin helped lead us to the Sword,” I argued. “Surely that makes them at least partially responsible.”
“They had no idea what we were after!”
“So? They could’ve said no. Besides, it’s not like we knew the crown to unite the black and reds was being held there. Or that a black dragon would show up immediately to take it.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes, then met mine. “You’re feeling guilty, too, then?”
“I guess,” I shrugged. “I was thinking it’s probably time for us to go talk to the king, and then move on.”
“Me too,” she nodded, turning and immediately walking towards the main leaf building in the clearing.
I jogged after her, and the two of us entered into the town hall. There were a few treekin scattered around on the various stumps that lined the floor, talking quietly amongst themselves. The front had a large stump where the king sat, with Barky on a smaller stump next to him.
“Ah, our visitors are finally awake again I see,” mumbled the king. He was resting his head on his hand and was slouched over the side of throne. He hadn’t taken the news of the Dar’Ka coming very well. “To what do we owe the pleasure.”
“We’ve decided it’s probably time for us to take our leave,” said Cassandra, stopping as we stood before the king.
“Very well,” nodded the king. “I can send Barky and some guards to show you the way out if you’d like. Where are you headed to? Home, to spend the final days with family?”
“You really think the black and reds are going to attack within the next few days?” asked Cassandra.
“Father is just being dramatic,” spoke up Barky. “He told me earlier that it would probably be at least a few more weeks before any attacks began.”
“They’ll come and burn our forest to the ground,” sighed the king. “There won’t be any way for us to protect it.”
These treekin were guardians of the Willows of Wander, and if a group of dragons decided to light it up, there wasn’t much they could do to stop them. They were towards the eastern part of Truska, close to the border with Gorland, which would probably be the first place the Dar’Ka dragons would attack.
“Speaking of that… we wanted to discuss some possibilities with you before we left,” I said, looking around at the treekin that were now intently listening to us. The only two people alive right now that knew I was a half dragon were Cassandra and Ulrich, and I wanted to keep that number as small as possible. “Could we talk in private?”
The king thought it over for a moment, and then dismissed the rest of the treekin. They didn’t seem happy to leave now that it was getting interesting, but they listened to their king and left.
“Barky can stay,” said Cassandra as the little one began to get up from his stump. The young treekin smiled at her and sat back down.
“What is it that you wish to discuss?” asked the king once the room was cleared.
“The day we came back with the Shattered Sword,” I began. “We had a piece of paper with a prophecy written on it.”
“Yes, one of the ones by The Great Oracle,” nodded the king. “I remember.”
“Along with the possible devastation of Yaerna, it also mentions there being a winged one, along with a few other people.”
“Correct,” sighed the king. “That’s one of the problems with the prophecy. Where could we even find a winged being with the heart of man? That one is quite out there, even for of The Great Oracle.”
“Well… what if I told you I was a half green dragon?” I said.
The king laughed as Barky’s eyes widened.
“Half dragon?” chuckled the king. “Those beings do not exist.”
“That’s what I thought, but they’re real,” said Cassandra.
“And I am one. I could transform right now, if you’d like,” I offered. It took a lot out of me to shift forms, but I figured the king would want some proof.
“That won’t be necessary,” said the king, sitting up a little straighter and looking much more interested than before. “Barky has already told me that you can use magic. Even if you transformed into a green dragon before my eyes, I would simply assume you were casting a powerful illusion.”
“It’s true, though,” insisted Cassandra, glancing at me. “I saw him transform the other day, and then fight as a half dragon. He couldn’t have kept the illusion up for the entire fight.”
The king of the treekin eyed both of us quietly. He looked like he wanted to believe us, but couldn’t be totally sure.
“Very well, let’s assume you are a half green dragon,” said the king finally. “We don’t have much hope to go on right now, so I’ll take what I can get. What are you proposing?”
“A half dragon has wings, as well as a heart of man,” reasoned Cassandra. “Also, the prophecy mentions that the winged one must gather together three other people, along with old weapons.”
The king nodded for her to continue.
“Cassandra was exiled for stealing in Aelric,” I said. “She could be the banished rogue the prophecy speaks of.”
“So cool!” squealed Barky, hands shaking in excitement.
The king leaned forward, nodding slowly as he processed the new information. “Interesting… very interesting, indeed. Why are you telling me this, though? Surely not just to raise my morale.”
“We are hoping you can help us determine where to go next,” said Cassandra.
“Well…” thought the king aloud. “You could always go to the various towns in Yaerna, warning everyone of the Dragon War that is fast approaching. Most won’t believe you, though, and even if they do, they will probably only try and protect themselves. I suppose the better options would be to look for the legendary weapons, and perhaps talking to The Great Oracle. He may know more about the prophecy, and could help you in your journey.”
“Do you know where The Great Oracle is?” I asked.
“I do not,” said the king, shaking his head.
“I do,” said Cassandra.
“Really?” I asked. “Where is he?”
“Durnskeep.”
I cringed at the name and shook my head. That’s where Dmetri was, along with all the other top ranking Tumblers. They wanted me dead, and I wanted nothing to do with them.
“Let’s skip on that one until later,” I mumbled.
“That leaves the the legendary weapons, then,” said Cassandra, turning back to the king. “Do you happen to know the whereabouts of any of them?”
“Just like the weapon at your side, I’m afraid that we call them different names here,” said the king. “Could you describe some of them? That might help me.”
“Let’s see…” I said, running through some of the mythical weapons in my head. I couldn’t believe all the children’s tales I grew up on were coming in handy. “Hur’s Blade… it is a weapon similar to the Shattered Sword, only smaller and black. Grimkell’s Mace, which is like a very pointy pine cone.”
The king shook his head.
“The Bow of Tamina is a curved piece of wood or metal, with a sting on it to shoot projectiles,” offered Cassandra. “The Staff of Darkness is a long stick, with terrifying powers.”
“I am unfamiliar with those as well.”
“There’s the Lance of Power and the Time Shield,” I added. “The Lance is like a cone on its side, and really pointy at one end. The Shield is an object used to block strikes and other attacks.”
The king thought for a moment on this one, stroking a finger through his leafy beard.
“The cone you speak of… I seem to remember a traveler speaking of such an object.”
“Really?” asked Cassandra.
“Yes,” nodded the king. “About a year ago, we ran into someone trying to travel from Gorland to a place called Vorova, I believe.”
“Vorova is the capital city of Truska,” I explained. “Why was he heading there?”
“The man said that a cone shaped object was on display there, and sa
id it was a weapon from the great warriors of the past.”
“On display there… how strange,” I said.
“That must be the Lance of Power!” exclaimed Cassandra. “We should go there and see if they’ll let us borrow it!”
“This was a year ago,” I pointed out. “Even if the man was going to see it in Vorova back then, there’s no guarantee it’s still there.”
“That is a valid point,” nodded the king. “However, that is the only object I know of based off of your descriptions. Perhaps it would be a good starting point regardless?”
“Yeah, even if the Lance has moved, we can just ask where it went to and go from there,” offered Cassandra.
I wasn’t very optimistic about this. Even if we managed to track the Lance down, we probably wouldn’t be allowed to take it with us. We’d have to try and convince the owner of it about the coming of the Dar’Ka again, or we’d have to figure out a way to steal it.
Still, it was better than going to Durnskeep and running into Dmetri.
“Fine,” I sighed. “I guess we’re going to Vorova.”
Chapter 2
After loading up on some supplies, Barky and two treekin guards took us through the Willows of Wander to the west. I had grown accustom to the forest that we once thought would be our end, and I felt a ping of sadness at leaving them. The treekin were a very kind people I never knew existed, and there was a level of peace and security in their village that I rarely felt at any point in my life.
Before meeting Cassandra and the journey to the Shattered Sword, I would’ve preferred to stay here, in fact. Even if the black and reds eventually came, this would still be one of the safer places, outside of some holes in the ground or at the top of the northern mountains. However, it was on us to try and stop the coming war.
You know… if that was even possible.
“Here we are,” said Barky, pushing away through some brush. Ahead of us was a large opening, before more forest continued on into the distance. This was a normal forest, though, and we would no longer have to worry about getting lost in a never ending maze of trees.
“Thank you so much for your help,” smiled Cassandra, bending over and hugging the small treekin. “We will miss you.”
“And thank you for saving me,” sniffed Barky, failing at fighting back tears of his own. “My people will never forget you!”
“Probably because we’re the reason they’ll all die,” I muttered.
“What was that?” asked Cassandra.
“Uh-I said we should probably get going! We’ve got no clue if or when the Dar’Ka will start attacking, so the faster we get moving the better.”
Cassandra nodded and moved up, out of the Willows. I made to follow her, but Barky grabbed onto my hand before I could.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself for killing everyone in Yaerna,” smiled the treekin.
“Thanks… I think,” I said. I wasn’t sure if Barky or any of the treekin really understood how to comfort outsiders.
“If the dragons come, we will unite with the people of Yaerna to fight them back,” nodded Barky. “Do what you can to rally the other races, and maybe not everyone will die.”
“Good advice,” I nodded. “I’ll do what I can. Hopefully we’ll see each other again.”
“I’d like that very much,” smiled the treekin.
Giving a small wave, I pushed forward out of the brush and stood next to Cassandra. When I turned back and gave a final look at the Willows of Wander, the treekin could no longer be seen.
“Ready to go get that Lance?” I asked.
Cassandra nodded, and we marched through the woods to the west.
We walked for several hours without much change. We kept conversation to a minimum, and if we had to eat or drink we did so while moving. If memory served me right, we would arrive in Vorova before the end of the second day if we kept at a good pace.
We setup camp as night fell, taking turns keeping watch. Aside from the usual forest sounds, and an occasional pair of eyes watching us sleep, nothing much happened. We got up with the sun, and continued on.
It was nice hearing the occasional bird chirp and seeing squirrels run up trees as we approached. The Willows had almost no life outside of the treekin, and the lack of sound added to the creepiness of the place. While we had to keep an eye out for wolves or coyotes, it was nice being back in a normal forest.
The second day waned on, and the trees grew more sparse. Eventually, we found ourselves walking through the middle of a grasslands.
“This is good,” I said, gesturing around us. “I believe Vorova lies in an open field, so we must be getting closer.”
“I’d hope so,” said Cassandra, practicing with the Shattered Sword as we walked. “I wonder why it’s in an open field. Wouldn’t that leave them open to getting attacked?”
“They are walled in from every angle,” I explained. “They also bring in the best soldiers from all over Truska to help guard the city. None of the other territories have ever gotten far enough into Turska to actually lay siege to the city, but it would be no easy task. Besides, Brumark and the Republic of Hur are usually too busy squabbling with each other to bother with this area.”
“Why are all the territories so caught up with getting more land?” she asked, putting the Sword away after realizing she was getting nowhere with it.
“People of all races are greedy,” I shrugged. “Everyone always wants more of what the other has.”
“Elves aren’t greedy,” she shrugged.
“You’re joking, right?”
“No,” she said, holding her head high. “We are a noble people.”
“You yourself stole from your own queen!” I laughed.
“Well… that’s a rarity,” she conceded, losing a bit of her posture.
“We met in the Swamp of Aiden, which you explained was named after an elf who tried to take land from Truska!”
“Maybe uncommon was a better word choice than rare…”
“You bat heads are just like everyone else, whether you want to admit it or not,” I chuckled.
“Don’t call us that!” she said. “We aren’t bat heads!”
“Oh, good point,” I smiled. “Bats aren’t known for stealing. It’s not fair to them.”
Cassandra’s eye twitched as she glared at me.
Even a banished elf felt the need to defend how much better her people were than others. Maybe it was because I wasn’t just one race, but I always found it so funny how all the races thought they were innately higher beings than the others. If it weren’t humans doing it, it was the elves. If it weren’t the elves, then the dwarves and so forth.
“I’m only saying these things to push your buttons,” I teased.
“I know that, but it isn’t funny,” she said through her teeth.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed, putting my hands up. “I’ll stop calling you a ba-”
“Oi, stop right there!” barked a voice.
The two of us slowed to a stop and glanced over to the owner. We were so engrossed in our conversation we hadn’t noticed a large group of orcs, kobolds, and goblins approaching us.
“Great,” I sighed. “Greeners…”
“Great!” smiled Cassandra, her eyes shining. “Greeners!”
I put a hand on her shoulder as she reached for the Shattered Sword. She kept her hand resting on the hilt, but didn’t pull it out. She probably wanted to release all of her pent up anger on them.
“How can we help you fine gentlemen?” I called out as the group approached us. I didn’t want to waste time fighting with this lot, even though Cassandra clearly felt differently.
“Ya can start by laying down your arms,” said one of the kobolds.
“Then add your quat and any valuables with it!” shouted one of the goblins. This brought a cheer out of the others.
I counted six goblins, four orcs, and three kobolds. Traveling in a group of thirteen must have made them feel untouchable, and the group of band
its had surely been successful robbing small groups of travelers up to this point. Too bad we weren’t an ordinary small group.
“I really suggest we come to a different arrangement,” I said calmly, left hand reaching slowly for my dagger. I already had the goblin made metal contraption strapped to my right hand as usual, and was hoping to not have to use it. Things didn’t seem to be going that way, though.
“Can’t ya count?” asked the first kobold. “We’ve got ya outnumbered!”
The group cheered again, adding some laughter to the mix.
“Yeah, there’s only three of you, but fifty of us!” chimed in one of the orcs.
The group fell silent and they all turned to look at the dumb orc.
“What?” he asked, shrugging.
Their backs turned and their guards’ down, Cassandra seized the opportunity and rushed forward. Daggers I hadn’t even seen her reach for flew from her hand, finding their new home in the back of two goblin heads.
The group turned slowly as they noticed their goblin friends fall dead to the ground, confused by what was happening.
Cassandra brought out the Shattered Sword as she reached them, swinging down and immediately ending a kobold’s life. The Greeners spread out, pulling out their various weapons and watching her at a distance.
The first to test her was an orc, rushing forward with a large club and bringing it down at her. She brought the Sword up, blocking the blow and taking a few steps back from the impact. The orc roared, following after her and bringing his club up again. The Greeners began laughing and cheering, seeing that the elf couldn’t handle the brute strength of the orc.
When Cassandra brought the Sword up a second time, it suddenly came to life with a blue glow.
Undeterred, the orc brought his club down once again with all his might. As it met her blade, the club was cut clean in two. The Greeners gasped as one, staring in shock at the destroyed club.
Cassandra was the first to recover from the surprise, cutting through the stunned orc from his waist up to his opposite shoulder. The orc fell over as his two halves split apart, blood spreading on the grass beneath him.
